Repens

“Hello, Cassidy. And what are you doing here?”
“Must you continue calling me that? Your point has been made.” It was becoming increasingly difficult to control her temper around him. Of all the ways he could have made his big entrance, this was one of the more violent.
“You’ve had your fun. Now go back to Baker Street,” he ordered with pure amusement hidden behind indifference.
John found them and was out of breath. Stephanie found this ironic since John was the one of the two who should have been more athletic, being a military man and all. He was clearly out of shape.
“What are you doing?!” he shouted at Holmes. “You’re going to hurt her!”
The kind doctor pulled Sherlock and the speechless Stephanie apart. Staring at Sherlock with disappointment and anger, John simply rolled his eyes instead of wasting words that would go ignored by the arrogant detective. He asked Stephanie if she was alright as Sherlock stood with his hands in his coat pockets, scowling with a million thoughts running through his head. The young woman assured the doctor that all was well.
“All is not well. You are to be watching the telly in your aunt’s flat back at Baker Street, not following us on a dangerous case. You haven’t the slightest idea who we are dealing with. Now allow me to get you a cab and leave this to the professionals.”
“I thought you two were known as the ‘amateurs’. Besides, you wanted me to tag along.” She was staring him down, hoping she had pushed some sort of button that would drive him completely insane. She wanted to win their little game more than any other game she had played in her life- he was a refreshing challenge.
“How dare you think your presence is wanted!” His game face mirrored her own.
“Sherlock!” John interrupted, letting the mastermind know that he was being inappropriately rude.
“Of course my presence is wanted.” Stephanie took a step towards Sherlock and suddenly changed her expression- it was the exact look he used while showing off. For a moment, they were almost nose to nose.
“You wouldn’t dare, little Cassidy.”
She started to circle him and began, “You didn’t mind John coming down to see me this morning because it gave you the perfect excuse to come down and fetch him with the very intention of seeing me for a few minutes. The ridiculous amount of noise you made while coming down the stairs on your way out was painfully obvious- you wanted me to follow you. Your calling me Cassidy all morning was just begging me to fight back and play your little game. You wanted to see just how sneaky I could be, so I didn’t find it necessary to be any more clever than you expected… at first. Your continuously looking over your shoulder was sort of cute, wondering if I was still around. Was it a coincidence that I grabbed a cab immediately following your departure or was I simply going somewhere else at the exact moment? I’ve always been fond of hide and seek. I disappeared and then reappeared over and over all morning. So you allowed me to follow you until you arrived at a pivotal moment of the case, where you and John needed privacy. So here I am, Mr. Holmes, at your silent command.”
Stephanie stopped her circling and walked over to the spot she had been standing before. Her last phrase was uttered as she spun on her heels to face the man in the long coat. She couldn’t help but smile at his reaction; it was precisely the one she wanted. Anyone who didn’t know him would think he hadn’t heard a single word she had just said. But that wasn’t the case. He heard every last true statement and accusation.
John, still not used to Sherlock’s analytical trick being performed on Sherlock himself, looked over to see his best friend’s response. Was the young lady correct? Sherlock’s blank expression answered John’s question all too quickly.
“Well?” she asked, teasing him, daring him to say she was wrong.
“Wonderful,” Sherlock sighed with sarcasm. But he wasn’t looking towards Stephanie when he said it. His pale eyes were fixed directly in front of him towards the other side of the building.
When Stephanie and John looked to their right, they knew the situation was going to be a bit more difficult with the added unnecessary person involved.
“Are you glad you tagged along now?” Sherlock whispered just before meeting Stephanie’s nervous stare. “You haven’t been the only one following us, stupid girl. That is why I have been telling you to leave for the past several minutes. Now it’s too late.”
The criminal was approaching with an evil grin.
“You could have made more of an effort,” she replied, realizing that her little revenge speech just cost her precious escape time.
“As if you would have listened,” Sherlock hissed, more upset at the situation than at her. “I promise I will find you.”
His last remark didn’t make sense at first but she knew the possibilities that came with being a pretty friend of an enemy.
The man was obviously the villain linked with the paintings. But there were still so many details Stephanie didn’t know, having only a small fraction of the case details was becoming more of a nuisance every passing moment.
Sherlock and Stephanie individually analyzed the criminal in silence. John made his way closer to Stephanie to protect her in any way necessary. When the four were finally standing closely together, the villain’s attention was entirely on the young woman as he looked her up and down twice before widening his hideous attempt of a smile.
“She has nothing to do with this. Let her go and then we can settle this,” Sherlock announced.
“Oh, I think she has quite a bit to do with this. I wasn’t the only one chasing you chaps around today so she must be of some importance,” he answered, his stare slowly moving from the woman to Sherlock.
“She really isn’t,” John nervously vouched.
“If she isn’t of any importance than you chaps won’t miss her,” the man in all black yelled, pulling Stephanie close to him with a small pistol at her head. It happened all before John could even reach out for her- he was too slow and out of practice.
“Sherlock,” John whispered, fearing for the girl’s life with no decent plan coming to mind.
“Yes, I know,” the anxious genius replied in the same quiet manner.
“You know what I want. Meet my demands and you can pick her up later tonight at the old factory,” he chuckled with his horrible breath- fags, booze, and some sort of cinnamon that was meant to cover the other foul scents.
She could feel it in his body language. He was about to turn around and vanish with her to God knows where. Just before he made that turn, time seemed to stop. With a pounding heart, her stare found his gray eyes intently fixed on her. Their eyes locked and he was collected but terrified, for her sake. It was at that moment everything changed. It had been fun and games until now. Who would have known that their little battle of wits would lead them here? Her body was being turned in slow motion as their stare continued to linger. The handsome long face draped with brown curls slightly nodded once to remind her that everything was going to be alright. After all, he had promised to come find her. And Sherlock Holmes very rarely found anything important enough to make any kind of promises. She gave him the same slight nod in acceptance as time returned to its true speed. The criminal took off with her and they disappeared seconds later.
As soon as they were out of sight, Sherlock closed his eyes and released a breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding. That had never happened to him before and filled him with a certain new anxiety he couldn’t explain. Several people had been kidnapped right in front of him before, even John. Why was this one different? He already knew the answer before asking himself the ridiculous question. But admitting and then accepting the answer was going to have to wait for later.
“You knew he was going to take her before he even saw her,” John managed to get out. He was pale and confused. If Sherlock knew the brute was going to take the girl, why didn’t he prevent it in some way?
“Of course he was going to take her. The opportunity was too perfect to pass. She’s the beautiful mysterious woman that was found with us. Why would he not take her?”
“And you promised to find her ahead of time.”
“Yes, John, that’s what people do in situations like this. They make promises to ensure that everything will be alright,” Holmes stated as if it was a simple fact. But John knew him too well for that; this was really bothering the man with the heart of stone.
“That’s what normal people do. But not you.”
Before a sentimental conversation could take place, Sherlock shook himself out of whatever secret thoughts had been racing through his head. He began to walk and John silently followed.
“Come on, John. Mrs. Hudson isn’t going to like this. And if we hurry, she will never have to find out about it. For all she knows, Stephanie is with us on a case.”
John immediately took note of his cruel friend using the young woman’s correct name. Not only did he say her name correctly, but with a tone he had used for only one other woman. That little detail took this case from business to personal and Sherlock did not do well in personal matters. Whoever was to be blamed was going to pay a great deal more than they imagined. He only hoped that Stephanie was harmed as less as possible. If something happened to her, a small scar or slight bruise, it was certain that Sherlock would kill someone.