*AUTHOR'S NOTE ! THIS FANFICTION IS BASED OFF THE SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOKS WITH SLIGHT REFERENCE TO THE BBC SHERLOCK SERIES ! ALL CHARACTERS ARE AURTHER CONAN DOYLE'S EXCEPT ELIZABETH WATSON AND ALICE WATSON*
1
Sherlock's Insufferable Task
The well-worn door to 221B Baker Street looked just like John remembered it. "Stay here," he said to his wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Alice.
"Don't be too long," Elizabeth leaned back and closed her eyes wearily. Looking after the energetic Alice had taken a toll on Elizabeth, as she was quiet and gentle, like a mouse.
John onto the mat and rang the bell. Mrs Hudson answered the door. "John!" she hugged him with pleasure. "You're here to see Sherlock, right?"
"Yes. How is he, Mrs Hudson?"
"Oh, it's awful, Dr Watson! He spends his time on long desolate walks or shut up in his house, playing haunting tunes on that violin of his or doing experiments, or-"
"Really?"
"Oh, yes. He even once called me 'Mrs Turner'! I suppose she's from one of his cases."
"Perhaps."
John went upstairs and tapped on Holmes' door. Silence followed, and then a sudden burst of quick violin playing and silence again.
Finding that the door was unlocked, Dr Watson stepped inside. His eyes quickly took in the surrounding, but, as Holmes was fond of remarking, he 'saw but did not observe'.
Holmes himself sat gloomily, wearing a dressing-gown and drinking a cup of coffee. In Dr Watson's chair sat a small hedgehog dressed like Watson himself, with a tiny fake moustache made of his own hair.
Carefully lifting the hedgehog, John sat down. Sherlock seemed to awaken from a dream and looked up.
"John," he said calmly.
"Sherlock, look at the state of this place! You need a housekeeper."
"Already have when," Sherlock yawned. "Well, I did," he added under his breath.
John didn't hear. "Mrs Hudson isn't your housekeeper!"
"I was talking about you," said Sherlock.
John clenched his jaw. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something-"
"If you can move in again?"
John mustered his worst glare at the lounging figure with closed eyes.
"No, I wanted to ask you to look after Alice for the month."
Sherlock opened his eyes. "Alice?"
"My daughter?" John sounded exasperated.
'OH, right, her. Well, sorry, I can't,"
"Look, you're our last resort. No one else will look after her!"
"She must be horrible."
"Holmes, Sherlock, please."
"Fine."
John almost flew down the steps to tell Elizabeth Watson.
Sherlock got out of his chair. He half listened to John and Elizabeth whilst he cleared up the room, even bothering to give it a sweep.
As John came up the steps, Sherlock changed into a crisp white shirt, long black pants, his baggy brown coat and checked cap.
Sticking his pipe in his mouth, Holmes wrapped himself up in a towel and stuck a pipe in his mouth.
John came in.
The little demon came in after him.
She looked almost too good to be the demon Sherlock found her to be. Her pink and white face had been scrubbed clean, her golden hair tied into pigtails by her exhausted and angry mother, her clothes freshly pressed and bought a month ago at Clerks and Bottles clothes shop. The skirt was dark blue with a pale orange stain from an old tea spill and a poofy white shirt with a single long crease in the middle.
The little demon was smiling, a clear dimple on one side of her face. She squinted her eyes slightly - she had a low number and didn't really need glasses.
"This is my daughter, Sherlock. Her name is Alice Elizabeth Watson. Alice, this is your Uncle Sherlock," John introduced.
Sherlock's eyebrows shot up at the 'Uncle' part.
"What's that!" Alice shrieked, snatching the pipe from Sherlock's mouth.
John quickly snatched it back.
"Wassat?" she tugged at the end of Sherlock's towel. He gave it to her and allowed her to sit on his lap and sing.
"Humpy dumpty sat on a wall - wassat - all the King's men - wassat-"
"Have a good time," John quickly left.
"WASSAT!"
Sherlock groaned and cursed John for bringing Alice.
Alice immediately repeated the curse ("F8ck you, John".)
Sherlock shut up. The last thing he wanted was John getting angry because Sherlock had taught her how to curse.
Alice repeated the curse again an again.
Sherlock groaned.