Repens

Once Sherlock was on his way downstairs, Stephanie silently giggled like a school girl and fell back onto the mass of blankets and pillows. Just the thought of last night gave her chills. This was so new to her and she couldn’t even imagine the changes going on inside her brilliant detective. Knowing her aunt was already worried about her absence she threw on her pants from last night, grabbed a faded green shirt from Sherlock’s undershirt drawer, and ran into the living room to find her shoes. She quietly made her way downstairs and attempted to sneak into her aunt’s flat unnoticed.

To her surprise, her aunt was sitting at the kitchen table with a man wearing a very expensive looking suit. They both turned in their seats towards her as she walked in. There hadn’t been voices yet there they were, clearly having some sort of personal conversation. But who was he? The older gentleman looked almost familiar yet she knew she had never seen him in her life.

“Oh, Stephie, there you are. Where have you been all morning?” her aunt sighed with relief.
“I got up early and went for a walk,” she lied.

“No, I believe you just came from upstairs, Miss Thomas,” the stranger glared with a familiar unconcerned tone and an expression of stone.

“Mycroft! What an accusation. Stephanie had no business upstairs. It’s far too late in the morning to be visiting John or Sherlock.”

“If she had been walking around for any time at all she would be showing some sign of perspiration, heavily breathing, or reddening of the face. And I highly doubt she would have gone for a jog in that apparel, barefoot and in rather tight fitting jeans. That even looks like one of Sherlock’s shirts if I’m not mistake.”

“Who are you?” Stephanie demanded, being analyzed too many times in the last two days.
“Someone who is looking out for the best interest of you and Mr. Holmes,” he sneered as if her curiosity was petty and unnecessary.

“Mycroft, quit your being so mysterious and all. It’s rather unbecoming,” the nervous host begged, not knowing what to do with the present situation.

“No, auntie, it’s alright,” the girl stated, examining the man for a few seconds. “You’re older than you look, work in parliament- judging by your very nice suit- and have for quite some time. Your type of work involves being obeyed while mostly staying invisible. You only come out when you want the job done correctly the first time or if it is a personal matter, and this is a very personal manner. You have absolutely nothing to do with me so I assume you are here on behalf of Dr. Watson or Mr. Holmes- more likely Mr. Holmes since Watson is perfectly harmless. And you are far from a stranger to my aunt and came to confide in her about some matter that probably has nothing to do with you at all.”

“Stephanie!” Mrs. Hudson cried out, unaware of her niece’s gift. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Only the Holmes brothers had that talent, or so she thought.

“Very good,” the villainous looking man smiled. “Very good indeed for someone so young. You are well on your way to great things. I would evaluate you myself but I’ll save your aunt the concern and you the humiliation. Shall we begin with our little chat now? Please, pull up a seat.”

Stephanie didn’t know who this man was but she already didn’t like him. The way he coldly smiled her with a most unpleasant concern.

“What’s all of this about?” the old woman asked anticipating the worst. She had seen a great deal of things while being land lady to the great Sherlock Holmes but never did she expect her own family being drug into this world of mystery and bad guys.

“Do you want to tell her or shall I?” Mycroft asked, still grinning in a way that made Stephanie wish Sherlock was here. But he wasn’t and she knew she could manage this bully without him.

“I’d rather we go somewhere else and talk. I can fill my aunt in later,” the young woman suggested with a stern agitated expression.

“Oh, what’s the fun in that? And I think you’d be much safer indoors, considering your little adventure last night. Final chance, Miss Thomas.” He was being cruel yet her aunt seemed so comfortable around him. Who was this monster? There was so much about him that seemed familiar yet…

“You’re related to Sherlock, too young to be his uncle but perhaps a cousin or his… You’re his brother aren’t you?”

“Quite interesting, my little brother rarely plays well with those who give him a good challenge. I’d imagine the two of you are wonderful together. You’ve probably done nothing but cut eachother down since you’ve met. Well, up until last night of course.”

“Last night? What is he talking about?” the confused Mrs. Hudson nervously asked.
“You’re niece is…”

Stephanie interrupted him after a loud growl. “Something happened between Sherlock and I. We… fancy eachother.”

“You and Sherlock? But Sherlock doesn’t fancy anyone. The entire time I’ve known him the only person I’ve seen him with on a regular basis is John.”

“Yes, and this all means I have lost a bet concerning those two. I suppose even a Holmes brother can be wrong every once in a great while,” the elder brother sighed with false amusement.

“I only spent the night. We didn’t shag or anything, I swear! That is all anyone needs to know. I’m a grown woman, he is a grown man and together we are making some decisions.”

“Yes, well that grown man you’re referring to is always under my watchful eye and I can tell you, as a fact, that you do not want to be involved with him, not in a serious relationship.”

He said the words as if they were ridiculous. Was it so odd that someone would want to be with the extremely intelligent, handsome man in 221B?

“And what is so impossible about a relationship with your brother?”

“You were kidnapped because you were a female supposedly on his side. That’s all it took. Imagine what his enemies would do to you if they thought the two of you… were an item.”

“It appears my greatest enemy already knows,” Sherlock groaned while standing in the door way, John close behind.

“Ah, here he is,” the eldest Holmes brother smiled.

“Well, now that you’ve met Mycroft, you are more than welcome to scream at any moment.”

She could tell that he was completely embarrassed but hiding it behind the blank expression shared by him and his older brother. They were a pair to watch, they had probably hated eachother their entire lives- far beyond the normal sibling rivalry. This was the one person Sherlock didn’t want to know about last night, it was written all over his drained face, which was more pale than usual and genuinely displeased.

“You’ve concerned yourself in many of my affairs over the years but never did I imagine you would go low enough to slither your way into my personal relationships, again. You did this exact thing when John first came to Baker Street. Were you going to offer Stephanie money to spy on me as well? That would be perfect for you, wouldn’t it? I might not have several friends or women that I fancy over others, but when I do have friends or attractions they are very loyal in a very short amount of time. Most people have the exact same friends their entire life and they aren’t as loyal as the ones I find.”

“My, my, a bit more touchy than usual, ay Sherlock?”

Mycroft was still enjoying himself far too much. The tension in the room was unavoidable and filled the small flat. The two brothers stared like two wild cats about to battle, John remained nervously silent, Stephanie didn’t know what to expect, and Mrs. Hudson wanted nothing more to do with the siblings’ drama.

“Everyone out! If there is going to be a domestic, take it upstairs to your own place.” The four glanced at her before making their way out the door. “You stay here, missy! I need to have a little chat with you.”

“Get in line,” Steph whispered under her breath, upset that she was going to miss all the fun upstairs.

While the brothers and John were arguing, she would be getting another lecture about Sherlock. When she looked his direction, her heart felt like it was being pulled from her chest. Those pale blue eyes had already been on her with a sorrowful embarrassed sort of expression hidden behind the pride he was known for. Quickly pursing her lips into a kiss, Stephanie secretively blew the kiss in hopes that he would know that everything would be alright. He gave her another one of his understanding nods just before joining the others upstairs.

Once he was out of sight, Stephanie turned to her aunt looking a bit hurt.

“Thanks for taking my side,” she sighed with sarcasm and disappointment.

“I’m in shock. What exactly happened, Stephie? Yesterday the two of you couldn’t stand eachother, that dreadful kidnapping incident happened, and then you disappeared late last night. You are in my care, young lady, and as your current guardian I have the right to know what is going on.”

“I’m twenty-two years old! I came here to visit you and meet this detective that the media has been making a fuss over for the last several months. Perhaps I shouldn’t have followed them but that’s just who I am. We had several moments and have grown quite fond of eachother over the last several hours. We respect eachother as people of intelligence and feel a strong connection. I don’t fall in love, you know that, and neither does he so this all has to mean something. We want to see where this road leads, as adults. Neither you nor his completely ridiculous brother can change what has been started. This isn’t your choice any more than it Mycroft’s.”

Both women were upset for their own reasons. Mrs. Hudson knew the complicated life her niece would be entering into the moment she became the girlfriend of Sherlock Holmes. Stephanie, on the other hand, didn’t see how this was anyone else’s business; whatever danger that came with this new title was her own doing and she was more than prepared to accept the consequences. There was suddenly some shouting heard from upstairs. The girl sat down at the table feeling sicker than before. This had all been blown entirely out of proportion. And this was sure to be only the start. They hadn’t even been an item for a few hours and there was already a petty riot.

“I’m only trying to look out for you, dear. I’ve known Sherlock since he was a boy and I don’t want to see you get your heart broken all for nothing. It would be thrilling and all but it’s just not worth the pain he would bring you.”

“What is so dangerous about him? So I might get kidnapped from time to time- he will always be able to find me. He’ll be busy most of the time but I could join him and John, maybe solve the cases quicker with three heads put together. He’s not used to having emotions- neither am I. Sherlock and I are the same person. Can’t you see that? We would be able to understand eachother, work together, be there for one another.” She walked over to her aunt and gently grabbed the small sweet woman by the shoulders. Looking into her eyes, she whispered, “You were always the one to tell me to follow my heart. You used to say that I would end up with someone different, someone more like me. And I truly believe it’s him. Maybe it won’t be for forever but maybe I need him for now- see how things go. He could be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“You would be the best thing that’s ever happened to him,” sighed the elderly hopeless romantic. “You really fancy him enough to risk your life?”

“This is the first man I could actually imagine myself falling in love with. And you know what that means coming from me.”

It was true. Her niece had never really been in love with someone. There had been one boy that deeply cared about her during her sophomore year of college but he turned out to be a rather repulsive bloke. “Two-faced” had been the word the teary eyed girl had used all those years ago. Trust didn’t come easily to the red haired beauty and she hardly ever fantasized about anything romantic. She was an honor student with a 4.2 and loved solving any problem she could get her hands on. While Mrs. Hudson knew Stephanie was a very clever girl, she was only now beginning to understand the depth of her intelligence.