I Am Sherlocked
Claire's head rest against the window of the cab driver. She watched the rain distort the reflection of the city lights on the window. It was just before midnight when she finally arrived at her aunts apartment. 221B Baker Street.
"221B Baker Street m'am, would you like help with your luggage?" The kind cab driver offered,
"No thank you, there's not much" Claire replied. Her honey blonde hair was wrapped up in her black scarf and covered by a black beanie. Her blue jacket wrapped around her petite body. She tipped the cab driver before exiting the cab and walking to the rear to collect her luggage. Her black high heels slipping on the wet concrete as she tiredly picked up her gear. Pulling the two heavy suitcases to the pavement, she let out a sigh of relief.
It had been years since she had been in her homeland. She remembered this street as a child. And now that she has returned as an adult, the black door bared more sentiment now than ever. Grasping the cold brass door knocker she knocked three times as requested by her aunt. She had said something about getting visitors quite regularly and this way she would be able to differentiate between unwanted and wanted guest. Claire wondered if this had something to do with her boarder. She didn't know much about him, and her aunt never seemed to talk too much about him. Something about him being a detective. Always being in trouble.
"Hopefully not too much trouble" She thought to herself.
After waiting two minutes or so she re-tried the door. This time knocking harder. She heard heavy foot steps as the scurried along the floor. She assumed that this was her aunt.
Cracking the door open, Mrs. Hudson peeped through the opening.
"Claire darling, I'm so sorry dear, I had fallen asleep in front of the tele, it's quite late" She muttered in slight excitement, and slight tiredness.
"Aunt Martha, I can't tell you how glad I am to be home"
"Come in dear" Mrs. Hudson ushered,
"I'll take you straight to your room, that way you can get some sleep and then settle in properly when you're much more alive tomorrow" Her aunt said as she climbed the stair case. Claire followed with her two heavy suitcases.
"This is the kitchen that you'll be sharing with Sherlock"
The kitchen table was covered in test tubes and paper work. But nothing she hadn't already seen before. The paintwork was a forest green, probable the only dislikable thing about it.
"Sherlock?" Claire said,
"Yes dear, he's the boarder. There was two of them, John, but he's married now. You'll be staying in his old room dear" She smiled. Her aunts face no longer the young face she once knew. It was gracefully marked with wrinkles around her eyes, and her hair frayed from age. No longer the bright blonde it used to be. Claire smiled from memory. Her aunt always having a place for Claire no matter what. She always held Mrs. Hudson dear to her.
"Now, down this hallway is Sherlocks room, and to the left is the bathroom, you'll be sharing"
Claire looked down the pastel mint hallway and glanced at the bathroom door. Making a mental note for later if she needed to go to the loo at night.
"And up here is your bedroom dear. I cleaned it up a bit and moved some things around for you. I hope you don't mind it too much"
The room was of decent size. The ceiling was high which made it seem bigger than it actually was. The bed was large enough for six people, and was framed with a dark timber. The furniture around it matched and the walls were wallpapered with a black and white design. Claire was slightly taken aback. It was more than what she hoped for. It was much more than she was expecting.
"It's perfect aunt" She said looking around the room.
"That's good dear, well I'll leave you to it. I shall see you tomorrow"
"Goodnight aunt Martha" Claire said as Mrs. Hudson left down the stairs.
Claire had barely gotten change when she found herself in a deep sleep in her new bed. The night was silent and she was at ease. Claire was lost in her dreams and before she knew it she heard the door bell ring from down stairs.
She sat up quickly and glanced at her watch. 10.58 am, "dammit!" she thought. Although she wasn't quite sure what for. She hadn't much planned for the rest of this week. Other than job hunting and getting to know the neighborhood again.
Pulling her blonde hair away from her olive skin she stared deeply into her light blue eyes before tying her long wavy hair into a messy bun on top of her head. Down stairs she could hear her aunt in her kitchen. "Cleaning?" She thought. Brushing that off she crept into the kitchen that she shared with the other boarder. "Asleep?" She said to herself. Quietly she walked down the mint hallway glancing out of the lonely window at the weather. The light blinding her, she squinted to see the rain and grey clouds. "Great" She muttered.
She placed one hand on the door knob and tried to quietly open the door with out making any creaking noises that would wake her current flat mate.
Successfully opening the door without making a noise, she focused on trying to shut it again. She stepped backwards only to step onto wet tiles causing her to fall backwards and land with a loud thump.
Her left side landed hard and she could feel a shooting pain run through her hip area. "Ouch" she thought, squinting through the pain. All of a sudden there was a man's hand outstretched from beside her. This is when she realized that the man next to her, was her flat mate, and was inconveniently dressed in nothing but a towel.
"Well I had imagined our meeting to be much more formal than, well this" He addressed, highlighting the compromising situation they had found themselves in.
"The feeling is mutual" She said shocked at his captivating good looks and breath taking eyes. However the bottom half of his face was covered in shaving foam, so she was unable to make a full analysis.
After 30 seconds of awkward silence, Claire gathered her thoughts.
"I will let you carry on" She said clumsily turning to the bathroom door to let herself out.
"Nice to meet you" She smiled.
Blushing she lent against the kitchen table with her fresh clothes tucked under her arm. With the other hand she bit her thumb nail. She stood uncomfortable not knowing what to do.
Then she heard footsteps coming up the stairway and heard her aunt call out,
"Claire dear, are you up?"
"I'm in the kitchen aunt"
Her aunt popped around the corner,
"Ah there you are, I brought up some tea and biscuits"
"Thank you" Claire smiled,
"How was your sleep? Did you settle in alright?"
"I did thank you. It was very homely. Just what I needed"
"Oh dear, I'm so glad you've come home, god only knows what kind of mischief you would get up to on the other side of the world" She joked,
Claire smiled back as she sipped on the tea her aunt had made.
"Is Sherlock up?" Mrs. Hudson asked,
"Yes, he's in bathroom"
As if on cue, Sherlock entered the kitchen to pick up his tea dressed in a black suit with a white shirt unbuttoned at the top.
"Mrs. Hudson, today is the day"
"Oh Sherlock, it's not decent you know"
"Decent? You would be the paragon for decencies" He stated.
"Sherlock..." Her aunt frowned. Before leaving the room to go back to her kitchen.
"Holmes" He said staring out the window with one hand in his trouser pocket, and the other bringing his cup of tea to his lips.
"Pardon me?" Claire asked,
"Sherlock Holmes"
"Oh, right" Claire said, "Um, Claire Hudson"
"Do you like the violin?"
"Violin?"
"Yes, I like to play it when I need to think"
"Right." Claire said, thinking carefully of what to say next,
"Do you mind people dancing?"
Sherlock looked back at her, with a sheepish smile on his face.
"No, I don't mind at all" He said.
Claire lent against the frame of the arch way between the kitchen and living and looked around her. She tried to take in as much as
possible. Trying to look for things to start a conversation.
"Consulting Detective" he said.
"I'm sorry what?"
"You were wondering what I do. You were just formulating the question and how to approach it."
"A consulting detective?" She questioned,
"The only one in the world, I invented it"
"How does it work?" She asked becoming more and more inquisitive to this man in front of her.
"The police come to me for a consult. I provide them with a consult, and pretty much solve murders and save lives" He said, articulating the end of his sentence.
In her mind she was confused, trying to understand how.
"You're a crime scene detective. But not from Europe. You depend on your surroundings to inform you of your situation out of habit from being in the field. But you lack the emotional restraints. You get too involved with your cases"
"Don't all detectives?" Claire challenged,
"No. Most, but not all. You've recently had an incident which exploited this exact fact. Maybe you investigated the murder of someone close to you. Not a family member though, you're still upset, but not upset enough for it to be a family member. So it's a friend. You let your heart get the better of you. It started making your judgments. You completely ignored the facts causing you to make a misjudgment. Which cost you your job"
"I quit my job"
"Same thing"
"How could you possible know that? I haven't even told my aunt"
"I observe"
"Observe?"
"Exactly" He said.
"221B Baker Street m'am, would you like help with your luggage?" The kind cab driver offered,
"No thank you, there's not much" Claire replied. Her honey blonde hair was wrapped up in her black scarf and covered by a black beanie. Her blue jacket wrapped around her petite body. She tipped the cab driver before exiting the cab and walking to the rear to collect her luggage. Her black high heels slipping on the wet concrete as she tiredly picked up her gear. Pulling the two heavy suitcases to the pavement, she let out a sigh of relief.
It had been years since she had been in her homeland. She remembered this street as a child. And now that she has returned as an adult, the black door bared more sentiment now than ever. Grasping the cold brass door knocker she knocked three times as requested by her aunt. She had said something about getting visitors quite regularly and this way she would be able to differentiate between unwanted and wanted guest. Claire wondered if this had something to do with her boarder. She didn't know much about him, and her aunt never seemed to talk too much about him. Something about him being a detective. Always being in trouble.
"Hopefully not too much trouble" She thought to herself.
After waiting two minutes or so she re-tried the door. This time knocking harder. She heard heavy foot steps as the scurried along the floor. She assumed that this was her aunt.
Cracking the door open, Mrs. Hudson peeped through the opening.
"Claire darling, I'm so sorry dear, I had fallen asleep in front of the tele, it's quite late" She muttered in slight excitement, and slight tiredness.
"Aunt Martha, I can't tell you how glad I am to be home"
"Come in dear" Mrs. Hudson ushered,
"I'll take you straight to your room, that way you can get some sleep and then settle in properly when you're much more alive tomorrow" Her aunt said as she climbed the stair case. Claire followed with her two heavy suitcases.
"This is the kitchen that you'll be sharing with Sherlock"
The kitchen table was covered in test tubes and paper work. But nothing she hadn't already seen before. The paintwork was a forest green, probable the only dislikable thing about it.
"Sherlock?" Claire said,
"Yes dear, he's the boarder. There was two of them, John, but he's married now. You'll be staying in his old room dear" She smiled. Her aunts face no longer the young face she once knew. It was gracefully marked with wrinkles around her eyes, and her hair frayed from age. No longer the bright blonde it used to be. Claire smiled from memory. Her aunt always having a place for Claire no matter what. She always held Mrs. Hudson dear to her.
"Now, down this hallway is Sherlocks room, and to the left is the bathroom, you'll be sharing"
Claire looked down the pastel mint hallway and glanced at the bathroom door. Making a mental note for later if she needed to go to the loo at night.
"And up here is your bedroom dear. I cleaned it up a bit and moved some things around for you. I hope you don't mind it too much"
The room was of decent size. The ceiling was high which made it seem bigger than it actually was. The bed was large enough for six people, and was framed with a dark timber. The furniture around it matched and the walls were wallpapered with a black and white design. Claire was slightly taken aback. It was more than what she hoped for. It was much more than she was expecting.
"It's perfect aunt" She said looking around the room.
"That's good dear, well I'll leave you to it. I shall see you tomorrow"
"Goodnight aunt Martha" Claire said as Mrs. Hudson left down the stairs.
Claire had barely gotten change when she found herself in a deep sleep in her new bed. The night was silent and she was at ease. Claire was lost in her dreams and before she knew it she heard the door bell ring from down stairs.
She sat up quickly and glanced at her watch. 10.58 am, "dammit!" she thought. Although she wasn't quite sure what for. She hadn't much planned for the rest of this week. Other than job hunting and getting to know the neighborhood again.
Pulling her blonde hair away from her olive skin she stared deeply into her light blue eyes before tying her long wavy hair into a messy bun on top of her head. Down stairs she could hear her aunt in her kitchen. "Cleaning?" She thought. Brushing that off she crept into the kitchen that she shared with the other boarder. "Asleep?" She said to herself. Quietly she walked down the mint hallway glancing out of the lonely window at the weather. The light blinding her, she squinted to see the rain and grey clouds. "Great" She muttered.
She placed one hand on the door knob and tried to quietly open the door with out making any creaking noises that would wake her current flat mate.
Successfully opening the door without making a noise, she focused on trying to shut it again. She stepped backwards only to step onto wet tiles causing her to fall backwards and land with a loud thump.
Her left side landed hard and she could feel a shooting pain run through her hip area. "Ouch" she thought, squinting through the pain. All of a sudden there was a man's hand outstretched from beside her. This is when she realized that the man next to her, was her flat mate, and was inconveniently dressed in nothing but a towel.
"Well I had imagined our meeting to be much more formal than, well this" He addressed, highlighting the compromising situation they had found themselves in.
"The feeling is mutual" She said shocked at his captivating good looks and breath taking eyes. However the bottom half of his face was covered in shaving foam, so she was unable to make a full analysis.
After 30 seconds of awkward silence, Claire gathered her thoughts.
"I will let you carry on" She said clumsily turning to the bathroom door to let herself out.
"Nice to meet you" She smiled.
Blushing she lent against the kitchen table with her fresh clothes tucked under her arm. With the other hand she bit her thumb nail. She stood uncomfortable not knowing what to do.
Then she heard footsteps coming up the stairway and heard her aunt call out,
"Claire dear, are you up?"
"I'm in the kitchen aunt"
Her aunt popped around the corner,
"Ah there you are, I brought up some tea and biscuits"
"Thank you" Claire smiled,
"How was your sleep? Did you settle in alright?"
"I did thank you. It was very homely. Just what I needed"
"Oh dear, I'm so glad you've come home, god only knows what kind of mischief you would get up to on the other side of the world" She joked,
Claire smiled back as she sipped on the tea her aunt had made.
"Is Sherlock up?" Mrs. Hudson asked,
"Yes, he's in bathroom"
As if on cue, Sherlock entered the kitchen to pick up his tea dressed in a black suit with a white shirt unbuttoned at the top.
"Mrs. Hudson, today is the day"
"Oh Sherlock, it's not decent you know"
"Decent? You would be the paragon for decencies" He stated.
"Sherlock..." Her aunt frowned. Before leaving the room to go back to her kitchen.
"Holmes" He said staring out the window with one hand in his trouser pocket, and the other bringing his cup of tea to his lips.
"Pardon me?" Claire asked,
"Sherlock Holmes"
"Oh, right" Claire said, "Um, Claire Hudson"
"Do you like the violin?"
"Violin?"
"Yes, I like to play it when I need to think"
"Right." Claire said, thinking carefully of what to say next,
"Do you mind people dancing?"
Sherlock looked back at her, with a sheepish smile on his face.
"No, I don't mind at all" He said.
Claire lent against the frame of the arch way between the kitchen and living and looked around her. She tried to take in as much as
possible. Trying to look for things to start a conversation.
"Consulting Detective" he said.
"I'm sorry what?"
"You were wondering what I do. You were just formulating the question and how to approach it."
"A consulting detective?" She questioned,
"The only one in the world, I invented it"
"How does it work?" She asked becoming more and more inquisitive to this man in front of her.
"The police come to me for a consult. I provide them with a consult, and pretty much solve murders and save lives" He said, articulating the end of his sentence.
In her mind she was confused, trying to understand how.
"You're a crime scene detective. But not from Europe. You depend on your surroundings to inform you of your situation out of habit from being in the field. But you lack the emotional restraints. You get too involved with your cases"
"Don't all detectives?" Claire challenged,
"No. Most, but not all. You've recently had an incident which exploited this exact fact. Maybe you investigated the murder of someone close to you. Not a family member though, you're still upset, but not upset enough for it to be a family member. So it's a friend. You let your heart get the better of you. It started making your judgments. You completely ignored the facts causing you to make a misjudgment. Which cost you your job"
"I quit my job"
"Same thing"
"How could you possible know that? I haven't even told my aunt"
"I observe"
"Observe?"
"Exactly" He said.