Turned nineteen A few days ago! Yay!
You know, if I weren't a theatre critic on occasion I might not have had the idea for the premise of this fic.
This is something of a sequel to that sickfic I wrote a week or so ago.
Also fun fact: Charles Dickens used to perform live readings in the theatre. The more you know.
. . .
When Gina had first been put under Gregson's ever-watchful eye, he had encouraged her to read some literature once she had gotten better at the actual 'reading' part. First, she had read Iris's stories (which had made Iris very happy indeed). Then she moved on to Charles Dickens, of whom she had instantly become a fan of. She found Oliver Twist very relatable for obvious reasons, and the mere fact that he was the first ever author to present poor people as… people was a bonus.
What's more, for her nineteenth birthday a certain Mister Sholmes had arranged for a nice little birthday treat for her: a viewing of the stage adaptation of 'Great Expectations' at the Royal Albert Hall!
"Ya really didn't 'ave to do this, Mr. Sholmes." muttered Gina as they waited in the waiting room (she had no idea of its proper name and didn't much care).
"Nonsense, Ginny!" grinned Iris, clasping her hands together "After everything you've been through, you deserve it!"
"You've also just recovered from a bout of flu." Maria told her, cupping her cheeks and chin with a single hand (and making the Detective blush) "It'll do you good to take it easy for a bit."
"Besides, it's of no cost to me!" laughed Mr. Sholmes "They are simply repaying a favour I did them once!"
"More likely they are afraid a repeat of what happened last time you were here will happen." came a voice that once brought terror.
Everyone turned around to see none other than Baron Van Zieks himself, dressed in a surprisingly ordinary (yet still expensive) suit.
"Hello, Uncle Barry!" smiled Iris, throwing her arms around the Prosecutor's mighty chest, to which he reciprocated, lifting her up in his mighty arms.
Gina and Maria went white with shock (well, more Gina than Maria, since she couldn't get much paler) "Uncle Barry!?" spluttered Gina, gobsmacked "Bloody Uncle Barry!?"
"Aha! You weren't there for that particular revelation, were you?" asked Sholmes "Klint Van Zieks was Iris's birth father, making our esteemed friend-" Van Zieks glowered at him "-Iris's Uncle." ignoring Gina and Maria Gorey's flabbergasted expressions, he turned to Van Zieks "Here to see the work of Dickens, are you?"
"Indeed I am." he nodded "Though I shall also have to keep an eye on you. There's no telling what you can get up to."
A vague memory came to Gina's mind of one of Gregson's stories - something about a theatre, a body, a mouse, Sholmes with an axe, a wrecked stage, and an industrial amount of tea. She decided not to ask. How very wise of her.
"Didn't know you liked Dickens." remarked Gina, casually walking up. Recently, she and Van Zieks had become less formal and more friendly with one another. He had even taken to dog-sitting Toby (Kazuma was taking care of him at the moment because he was 'busy'.
(Author's note: He just prefers dogs to theatre).
"I have been… what's the common phrase? Getting into them." Van Zieks shifted "To help further educate myself on the plight of the poor."
"And he ended up a fan!" Iris grinned "You should have seen his face when we dug up an old autograph my grandad got a few decades ago! I didn't know Uncle Barry could squeal bef-"
"Yes, thank you, Iris!" Barok told her, covering his blushing face with his hand (with utter grace, naturally) "I must go!"
Once he had walked away very quickly indeed and (more importantly) out of earshot, Gina and the others looked at one another and burst out laughing. As Gina took in a much-needed breath, she noticed something; Maria had a beautiful laugh, and she wouldn't mind listening to it all night.
. . .
Here's something you'll likely do in a theatre if a good play is on: clap like mad. Some might consider it more of an instinct than a choice. Or perhaps you'll do it because everyone else is doing it and it seems like an excellent idea. Either way you'll probably clap until your arms are about to fall off - just like Gina.
"That was bloody brilliant!" she cried as they went (ran in her case) back into the waiting room "Them special effects made me feel like I was in the book!"
"I whole-heartedly agree!" smiled Sholmes "Now Iris," he told his daughter, a glint of mischief in his eye "Let us go find your dear old Uncle and ask him his opinions on this fine production!"
As the pair of them went off to wreak havoc upon poor Barok's mental state, Gina and Maria were left alone.
"So," Gina began "You enjoyin' it?"
"The acting and story is superb," Maria gave a sniff "But the makeup for the injuries is rather unrealistic. The right of the head doesn't bleed that much."
"Yer so pedantic about that sh*te." teased Gina.
"Aren't you when you read some of Miss Sholmes' stories?" asked Maria, exasperated.
Gina snorted "You really asking that after all we've seen?" she stroked her chin "Yer losin' yer touch, doc."
For a few moments, Maria put her mask down and said nothing.
Then she put it back up and led her friend into the nearest Ladies' Room. It was barely big enough for two people and only had one (extremely smelly) toilet, but it was empty, and that was enough.
"Gina." she said, fidgeting with a scalpel she had on her "You remember when you were ill?"
"Yeah," said Gina, wincing at the memory "what about it?"
"I… came to a realisation when you were delirious."
Gina stroked her chin "Didja notice something in the Fletcher case?"
Gorey put her hands together, before lowering them in Gina's direction "My hypothalamus has selected you."
"Eh?"
Maria acted as if she was making a great effort to do something. "I have come to the realisation that certain feelings I have been having around you are not due to any medical conditions."
"You wot?"
"I have feelings for you, Gina."
"Well, I'd 'ope so, since we're pals."
Maria groaned, frustration spreading across her face like a plague "I'm in love with you!"
Gina blinked "Oh." she blinked again "OH!"
There was a pause at both ends of the love-line. Then Gina asked "C'n I… snog you?"
"Snog?"
"Ya know… canoodle?"
"Pardon?"
"Cop off?"
"You want me to quit my job!?"
"NO! I was asking if you want to play tonsil tennis?"
"Good idea!" smiled Maria "I'll get the tonsils tomorrow, and you can get the rackets!"
Gina's forehead made sudden contact with the palm of her hand.
. . .
Iris knocked on the door of the Women's loo "Ginny? Maria? Are you in there?"
There was a pause "Jus' a second!" called a disgruntled Gina, as if Iris had just interrupted something important.
Slightly more than a second later, a slightly dishevelled Maria Gorey and Gina Lestrade emerged from the loo.
"Ginny… why are you covered with lipstick?" asked Iris, curiously.
A red-faced Gina was valiantly rescued from answering when Herlock Sholmes came running towards them with Van Zieks in hot pursuit, wielding an as-of-yet unbroken wine bottle.
I should write a fic about them meeting and/or bonding over their similarities.
Also brief note for non-UK residents: All stated slang for kissing mean different kinds of kissing. Some of them may or may not be in use today or during the turn of the 20th century.
