Calvin was ready to leave just as John called her, saying that the car was waiting for them. It actually wasn't a car, however, Annabelle had gotten a limousine. She always did like to be flashy.
Calvin glanced around the room nervously as she left, half-expecting Moriarty to comment on her appearance. Her phone stayed silent and she calmed herself down. Tonight was going to be fun. She swept out of her room in the long, black dress she'd chosen for this glamorous night, locking the door behind her. The dress was strapless, tight on the torso but flowing loosely past the hips to her ballet flats - she didn't like heels. It was modest, covering her chest and back completely. Calvin still had the gunshot wound on her shoulder, but it was healed enough to have the bandage taken off just for the night.
Her hair was curled loosely, and she had a tad more make up on than usual, but the change wasn't that dramatic. The look on John Watson's face when she appeared, however, suggested otherwise
"Hi, I'm Calvin." she said to the woman standing in a short yellow dress next to John, sticking out her hand. "You must be Angeline."
The woman smiled, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, uh, Calvin." she said with a bit of confusion to her voice. Calvin was very used to this reaction, however.
"And you, Dr. Watson, look very dapper this evening." she complimented, taking in the nice suit he was wearing. Calvin glanced out the door to see the driver waiting patiently for them. She gestured with her head and headed for the street when footsteps sounded on the stairs behind her.
She glanced back to see Sherlock, a sour look adorning his face, descending the stairs as he fiddled with his cufflink. Angeline turned to Calvin.
"Is that your date?" she asked.
Calvin chuckled. "Ah, no. That's Sherlock." she answered, amused by the question. "Decided to come, after all?" He glowered at her as he pushed past the group to head to the limousine first. Calvin followed, with John and Angeline right behind her.
"Good evening, Miss. Baker, and her friends." the driver said politely, holding the door open for them. Calvin thanked him, climbing in after a very rude Sherlock. She sat next to him so that John and Angeline could sit on the opposite side together.
The ride to the West End was longer than expected and mostly full of uncomfortable silence - well, uncomfortable for Angeline, mostly. Calvin was oblivious to it, John was used to it, and Sherlock was causing it. She seemed incredibly relieved when the ride was over and they were being let out right in front of the theater.
Calvin and the three others headed into the lobby, where she was immediately attacked by Annabelle. John was alarmed at first before he recognized the blonde hair and the squealintg voice.
"Hello, Annabelle." Calvin grunted, catching her footing. The blonde woman smiled her thousand-watt smile that seemed to zero-in on Sherlock.
"So this is your boyfriend, then?" Annabelle cooed, wiggling her fingers at Sherlock. At dinner, she had mistaken John for Calvin's boyfriend at first. Calvin smiled, shaking her head.
"No, Annabelle, you know I don't date." she replied, "This is Sherlock Holmes."
"The one from the papers?" Annabelle shrieked, striding closer to get a better look at the detective, who look positively scandalized. "I am a huge fan, Sherlock! It's nice to meet you, truly!"
John elbowed Sherlock as he ignored the woman. He forced a smile and a nod, satisfying Annabelle.
"And you have already met John, and this is his date, Angeline." Calvin introduced. John nodded and Angeline gave a little wave to the overactive woman.
"Oh! Oh! Christofer and Saria are waiting for us! Come along!" Annabelle gripped Calvin's hand dragged her through the lobby, John and the others following closely behind. Christofer and Saria were waiting in the seats.
"Calvin." Saria called, standing up to hug her gently. Calvin smiled at her friend, stepping back to look at her. Still serious as ever with only a slight smile on her thin lips. She had cut her red hair much shorter, into a pixie cut suitable for easy and professional-looking styling for work. She never had patience for her long hair, nor the time now that she was a lawyer.
"Oh, my beautiful Calvin!" Christofer's deep voice declared from behind her, wrapping her in a hug from behind. He smelled of bakery and some kind of cologne that made her head dizzy. He pecked her cheek.
Saria's serious eyes came to rest on Calvin's new friends, judgementally sizing them up. "I thought you didn't date." she said, voice calculating as she guessed that John and Angeline were a couple, leaving Calvin with Sherlock.
"I don't, and neither does he."
"A shame, to be sure." Christofer said, winking in Sherlock's direction. Calvin rolled her eyes good-naturedly, nudging him with her hip as she went to stand with her other friends. Christofer was bisexual and very flirty with anyone he came into contact with. He'd once tried to woo Calvin... to not avail, obviously.
"This is Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, my friends from Baker Street." she introduced. Recognition lit up in Saria and Christofer's eyes at the name 'Sherlock Holmes', having heard about in recently in the papers.
"And this is Angeline Campell." John said, placing his hand on the small of her back. She gave a little wave to everyone. The two seemed too engrossed in Sherlock, however, to care. Annabelle had a 'I knew something you didn't know!' kind of look on her face.
"I read your blog, Dr. Watson." Saria said a-matter-of-factly, taking her seat between Christofer and Annabelle. "It's... interesting. I would consider it rubbish if it weren't so painstakingly detailed. Chase thought that it was a piece of fiction at first."
John nodded, unable to figure out if she was complimenting him or criticizing him. "Uh, thank you." he said uncertainly.
"Oh, I'm not complimenting you. I'm simply commenting." Saria said bluntly, opening her pamphlet and reading over the cast with a critical eye. John glanced at Calvin, who shrugged apologetically. She sat next to Christofer, with Angeline next to her, then John, and then Sherlock sitting, arms crossed, at the end.
The lights dimmed to almost complete darkness, signalling the show was about to begin. The producer stepped onto the as the dragon's eyes began to glow red.
"Thank you all for attending this fabulous performance of Wicked. Tonight, George Listell, our usual Fiyero, will be replaced by Chase Fielder. George's wife is currently in labor, expecting a baby boy by tomorrow morning. Please keep her in your thoughts for a safe delivery and enjoy the show."
She smiled and stepped off stage. Within a few moments, the flying monkeys began crawling around the stage. Annabelle cooed in delight as one scrambled past them right in front of the pit. She wiggled her fingers at the actor, who paused for a split second to look at the beautiful woman before continuing. Annabelle giggled, and Calvin could almost see the wheels turning in her head. She hoped to meet the actor later.
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"When you're dancing... through life!" Chase was singing, hanging off the statue in the middle of the stage, all the chorus standing around him adoringly. "So! What's the most... swankified place in town?"
Calvin chuckled softly at her friend's line. He was usually so quite and reserved, never really having a girlfriend or even being able to talk to girls besides his roommates. But now, he was the heartthrob, which amused Calvin. His self-assured grin seemed out of place to Calvin, but to the audience it was right at home on his handsome face.
She glanced down to her left to see Annabelle at the edge of her seat, trying to sneak a wave to Chase as he approached the front of the stage. Saria was on her phone, probably dealing with one of her cases with a bored look on her face, and Christofer caught Calvin's eye, grinned and winked at her.
Looking to the other side, John and Angeline were holding hands, with the woman leaning her head affectionately on John's shoulder. Sherlock hadno expression on his face, but Calvin could tell from his posture and clenched hands in his lap that he was not enjoying the show.
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"As long as you're mine..." the very pretty Elphaba was singing before capturing Chase's lips in a kiss. Calvin had to remind herself many timesthat when Chase was on stage, he was Fiyero - not himself. Although he was doing a very good job, it was hard to lose yourself in a theater production when you've seen a lead half-naked singing drunken karaoke.
Christofer's fingers were dancing across Calvin's thinly clothed thigh as the sensual song continued. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he grinned flirtatiously.
"You look stunning, m'dear." he leaned down to whisper in her ear. Calvin shoved his hand off of her leg with a roll of her eyes. He laughed softly, replacing his hand upon his other on his knee. "Don't look so scandalized. If your tall, dark, and handsome friend were in your place, I'd have taken him to the broom cupboard by now."
Calvin barked a laugh that made heads turn in her direction indignantly. She shook her head with a knowing smile on her face, holding down the rest of her laughter. Christofer gave her a bemused look, returning his eyes to the stage once more. Calvin found the thought of Sherlock going off to the broom closet with Christofer to be very amusing. The thought of Sherlock going off with anyone to snog was actually very amusing. Although she was sure he had had girlfriends, or possibly boyfriends, in the past as she herself found him undeniably attractive, just... it was Sherlock. He had seen her mostly naked and there was no interest ever evident in his eyes. Of course, that could simply mean he liked men, but Calvin didn't detect anything but friendship between him and John. Sherlock just didn't seem to show sexual or romantic interest of any kind.
She glanced over at him and found him looking at her with the same blank expression as he had regarded the stage. She turned up the corners of her mouth at him before returning her baby blues to Elphaba and Cha- Fiyero.
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The crowd was going insane as each member of the cast came out to take their bow at the end of the performance. When Chase came out, swaggering in all of his Fiyero glory, Annabelle and Christofer went absolutely nuts - screaming at the top of their lungs. Chase broke character for a moment, looking bashfully down at his friends in the front row. Saria had put down her phone to clap whole-heartedly for her friend, and Calvin put two fingers to her lips to whistle. An uneven and very red blush started at Chase's neck as he fell back to wait for the final bow.
When the bows were over, an usher came to escort the group to meet the cast backstage. Annebelle led, talking animatedly with Christofer about the attractive chorus members that she spotted. Saria walked with her head bowed over her phone, her texting almost non-stop. John and Angeline were holding hands and talking quietly to one another. Calvin stayed in the back with Sherlock, who seemed as if he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Didn't like the show?" she teased, noting his sour expression. He glanced down at her.
"Relationship with your pansexual friend?" Sherlock asked, wording it a bit awkwardly to keep it within the six-word condition and ignoring her question to ask his 'case question' that she had promised him. Calvin chuckled softly.
"We had sex twice in college. Neither time was I sated, before you ask. He's always expressed wanting to be romatically involved, but I never saw him that way. Christofer is... stubborn, though." she explained, having no qualms about explaining her sexual history with Sherlock. Calvin realized that he was only collecting data on her, he wasn't truly interested in her endeavors.
"Which is why he stares at you. And touches you."
"I suppose so, yes. But he's my friend, and he understands that I intend to keep that title intact. Actually, it seems that he has his eye on you, now."Calvin teased, looking up at Sherlock through her lashes. He snorted indignantly.
"That's what I said." she responded as the group entered a lounge-like area where the cast was currently cooling down after a performance well-done. Calvin immediately spotted Chase pacing nervously in the middle of the room.
"Chase!" Annabelle's voice squealed, causing every head to turn in her direction as she raced into actor's arms. He staggered back, being a slight man, but was able to catch his footing. Christofer approached him in a similar manner while Saria and Calvin walked calmly to him.
"Calvin," he breathed, spotting her from between Christofer and Annabelle. When he released him, his arms were around his friend, whom he had been missing. He rested his chin on top of her head.
"You were glorious." she assured him, stepping back out of his embrace. He looked bashful at the compliment.
"Y-you think so?" he asked timidly, smiling with a sheepish edge to it. If you hadn't just seen him performing an arrogant and outspoken heart throb of a character, you would have never expected this shy man to be able to be anything but lovely. Calvin smiled at him, nodding in reassurance.
"Yes, a wonderful performance on your part, Chase." Saria said, stepping up to peck her friend on the cheek, glancing away from her phone momentarily. "The Glinda, however, was forced and out of her range of talent." The blonde woman who performed as Glinda snapped her head in Saria's direction. If the pixie-haired woman noticed, she didn't care. Calvin chuckled softly under her breath, having seen the comment coming as well as the reaction from the leads in earshot.
"And Elphaba was flat through the whole production." Saria continued, glancing over with a bored expression at the still-green woman's deathly glare. She met the glower with an impassive expression. "Honey, it's not my fault if it's true."
"Okaay!" Annabelle chirped before Saria insulted the rest of the cast. She had found the flying monkey cast member from before, who was currently still garbed in green Emerald City clothing. Christofer was undressing a group of women and men with his eyes.
"Chase, did you know that our darling Calvin has become friends with the Sherlock Holmes?" she informed him, changing the subject. Chase glanced over timidly at the intimidating man standing with John.
"Who?" he asked in a small voice. Sherlock's expression was unreadable, but Calvin knew that he was probably irritated by Chase's lack of recognition.
"He's in the papers, a, uh, detective?" Christofer murmured to him, eyes not straying from the men and women.
"Oh, uh, I haven't had much time to read the papers lately.. with, um, rehearsal. I-I'm sorry." Chase said apologetically, wide-eyed and clearly intimidated beyond belief. Calvin touched her fingertips to his arm.
"It's fine. It doesn't matter." she said soothingly, and Chase smiled down at her. Sherlock looked positively scandalized by how Calvin said that he 'didn't matter'. Calvin pulled Chase closer to John and Sherlock.
"John, Sherlock, this is Chase." she introduced, and Chase immediately stuck his hand out to shake John's hand - he seemed nicer than Sherlock. John smiled warmly.
"John Watson. Wonderful performance." he said kindly, he returned his hand to Angeline's, who introduced herself as John's girlfriend.
"Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Holmes." Chase gulped, sticking his hand out to shake Sherlock's hand as well. He ignored it, opening his phone to send a text. When John's pocket vibrated, it was easy to tell who he had been texting.
"Uh, do you all wanna grab a drink or something?" Chase asked the whole group. Saria, Annabelle, and Christofer all agreed, looking expectantly to Calvin and her new friends. She glanced at John and Angeline, who looked ready to go home, and to Sherlock who had obviously wanted to leave this whole night.
"Raincheck?" Calvin asked apologetically. Christofer and Annabelle immediately started to pout, while Saria gave her a quizzical, yet suspicious look. Chase just looked crestfallen.
"Why not?" Saria asked accusingly. She had been the one who was most insulted by Calvin's decision to move away from them, and had always been critical of Calvin. She shrugged.
"We've had a long day." Calvin answered easily, a cool edge to her voice. Saria sized her up suspiciously.
"You don't galavant the streets with those two solving Scooby-Doo mysteries, then?" she asked, exasperated.
Calvin smiled with closed lips. "I never galavant. Prance, maybe."
"Calvin, you are a psychology professor. Act like one."
"Okay, mother." Calvin said in a low voice, still completely calm but with just a very slight edge to it that everyone caught on immediately. Saria's eyes flashed with slight regret as everyone involed stopped to look at Calvin - it wasn't good when she compared anyone to her mother. Annabelle and Christofer's faces were completely serious now, and Chase looked sad.
"I'm just saying that what he does is not within police protocol. It's illegal? One that is not professionally involved with the police or even in the department is not supposed to have access to police files, which he must have to be able to work with the Yard on crimes." Saria continued, her voice turning completely professional as the lawyer in her surfaced. "He is going to get you into trouble. You're basically looking for it."
Calvin remembered her multiple injuries and panic attacks that had ensued since she started being associated with Sherlock. Yep, being involved with him brought her endless trouble, but it was just so interesting. Instead of admitting this, Calvin deflected it.
"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."
"And there she goes with the Harry Potter again..." Saria muttered to herself, irritated. "Look - I don't like it."
"You don't have to. Good night, everybody." Calvin said formally, turning with her dress fluttering around her heels as she headed back the way they came. John followed with Sherlock taking long strides a few steps behind them.
"Sorry." Calvin said finally when they hopped in a cab to take them home. First they'd be stopping at Angeline's where John would be staying the night, and then back to Baker Street for Sherlock and Calvin. "This was supposed to be fun."
"It was fun." John assured her, with Angeline nodding in agreement. "Really. Everyone has spats with their frie- family." He corrected himself by using the term family, since Calvin had told him that that was the way she viewed those four people. She leaned her head back on the seat, staring up at the blank roof of the cab.
"I suppose."
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I'm sorry it took me so long to finish writing this! I meant this to be out like two days ago, but I got busy and then lazy but then I pushed through it and finished this! It was mostly to introduce you all to Chase, Saria, an Christofer, who play and have played a major role in Calvin's life. I love writing Saria because she literally says everything she thinks. Like fuck you I'm Saria, I make six digits as a lawyer. Deal with it.
Okay I'm seriously tired and I need to just pass out now. Will I never not be tired? Probs not. Thanks again for all of your support and for all of your kind words and input! I appreciate all of you so much and I adore you!
Don't forget to let me know how you felt about this chapter and even answer this question; who is your favorite so far of her old roommates? Just curious!
Love ya'll!
Jess