It Started With Stealing | Sherlock Holmes

48 - Surviving

"Yeah, it's faulty. Can't seem to fix it."

"Faulty - or you've been hacked and it's a message." Sherlock whipped out Irene's phone to input the number.

"Hm?"

He pulled a face when the passcode was denied, "Just faulty."

"Right..." John shared a sympathetic look with Elizabeth as the detective returned to his violin. He spoke louder, "Right, well, we're going out for a bit."

"Going on a date." Elizabeth spoke bluntly.

John looked at her stunned and perplexed by her statement but then it dawned on him that she was merely trying to get Sherlock's attention. When he looked back over to Sherlock though, he saw that not even that had ellicited a single wrong note on the violin. Ouch, he thought, mentally consoling Elizabeth who turned away with frustration lacing her features.

As the two headed into the kitchen, even Mrs Hudson gave Elizabeth an apologetic look for the behaviour of the detective. And it wasn't even her fault.

"Listen. Has he ever had any kind of...boyfriend, girlfriend, a relationship, ever, before Elizabeth?"

"I don't know." Mrs Hudson shook her head.

"Why did you put it like that?" Her eyes narrowed at John unhappily, "You make it sound like he liked Irene - like that."

"I didn't mean anything by it." John assured her.

Elizabeth looked at the floor, "Mycroft mentioned he liked someone in school. He never said what age."

"Okay, but nothing more recently?" He aimed this at the landlady.

Again she shrugged.

"How can we not know?"

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at the detective as he continued to compose his violin piece. Was this what it would always be like? The moment there was some sort of emotional inconvenience? Would he always retreat into himself? Because if so, the futures in which she saw herself remaining with the detective became less and less.

"He's Sherlock." Mrs Hudson said, "How will we ever know what goes on in that funny old head?"

"Right." A sad smile crossed John's lips, "See ya, Mrs H. Come on, Elizabeth."

She left the flat first, practically bounding down the stairs as though she couldn wait to get away. Shopping would be much needed time away from Sherlock and his music which, on any other normal day, she may not have minded so much.

Having walked out of the door first, she waited on the pavement, pulling her jacket around her tighter as she faced the road, watching the traffic zoom past. When John came out, he turned to lock the door but as he turned left to join Elizabeth, another person called his name from behind:

"John?"

"Yeah." The doctor turned to see behind him, "Hello?"

A woman wearing an all black attire, approached him with a suggestible smile. John took a moment to absorb the sight of the woman standing before him and his head tilted to the side. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

John said again, "Hellooo..."

"So, any plans for New Year tonight?" She asked.

"Er, nothing fixed." John seemed to look her up and down, "Nothing I couldn’t heartlessly abandon. You have any ideas?"

She smiled, looking over her shoulder, "One."

"Sorry, who are you?" Elizabeth interrupted their little conversation.