TO ONLY OBSERVE {Revised AGAIN}

7.7K 238 1
                                    

The three friends climbed into the newly hailed cab, Victoria leaned her head on the cool glass of the window, watching the world pass by. Sherlock and John's voices drifted, getting further and further away as she started to doze off. Her long trip had worn her out and she hadn't gotten enough rest on her flights.

Sherlock  looked over to Victoria, who was being very quiet, and he found that she had fallen asleep. "She's asleep, so if you have any questions now would be the time." He stated to John, feeling the young woman move so her head rested on his shoulder when they hit a bump in the road.

"Yeah, who is she she really?" John asked. 

"She's a friend. I met her in secondary school. Next." Sherlock answered quickly.

"Okay, so did she move away? Why am I just now meeting her?" 

Sherlock paused in thought, searching for the right words, "We knew each other well and for years we were good friends. Then, one night she visited me and the following day when I walked over to her house I found that her house was empty." He recalled the details vividly, it was as if a young Sherlock Holmes had awoken from a dream, "No trace of them was left behind." He looked out the window, then turned to John,"Now here she is almost twenty years later." He finished looking at the young woman who was resting her head on his shoulder.

John nodded and he saw the thoughtful look Sherlock had. "So just friends? Never fancied her?"

Sherlock parted his lips to deny John's assumption, but he stopped himself and thought for a moment. Victoria was his friend. For years now he had his life to distract him, but at the end of most days he ended it with the thought of her. The endless wonder and ongoing question of what happened. Sherlock had even imagined what it would've been like if she hadn't of gone gone. Now all of that didn't seem to matter. He could finally admire her company once more. Not only in the sense that she's close by, but he could see her as he remembered. Sherlock couldn't deny that he took notice of the way her hazel eyes shined along with her smile, and the crinkle of her nose when she laughed. Her personality was vibrant like her red hair and he was filled with joy when he was around her. 

These were only observations and he didn't view such details as fancy. Only observations, nothing more.

Sherlock realized he was staring down at Victoria and opened his mouth to finally answer his friend, "I've never thought about it. I'm much too distracted by my work. She'd never settle for me."

John chuckled,"You're clever, but not that clever."

Sherlock rose a brow,"What is that suppose to mean?"

"Sherlock." Victoria whispered softly as she stirred from her sleep after another bump was met in the road.

"Yes, Victoria?"

"Are we far from Van Coon's place?" She  asked and picked her head up from his shoulder with a sleepy pout on her face.

 "Surely we're not too far." Sherlock chuckled. He smirked at the woman, then turned to John who had a knowing look upon his face. John didn't see many things, but he saw that these two were close.

Soon they reached their destination, exiting the cab they all stood back to take in the high rise of condos.

"So what do we do now? Sit here and wait for him to come back?" John asked as they headed toward the building.

Sherlock studied the number of buzzers on the wall and stepped back to look up at the front of the building. "Just moved in." Sherlock said.

"What?" Victoria asked groggily, still tired from her light nap.

"The floor above. New label." he points to another buzzer which has a handwritten label saying, 'Wintle'.

"Could have just replaced it." John guessed.

Sherlock presses the buzzer, then looks to John pointedly,"No one ever does that."

A woman's voice comes over the intercom.

"Hello?"

Sherlock turns to the camera with a bright smile, putting on a peppy voice, "Hi! Um, I live in the flat just below you. I-I don't think we've met." he grins.

"No ,well, uh, I've just moved in." The woman replies.

Sherlock turned to us giving a smug look. Victoria rolled her eyes at his growing ego.

"Actually I've just locked my keys in my flat." He grimaced and bit his lip. 

"D'you want me to buzz you in?" She offered.

"Yeah. And can I use your balcony?"

"What?" She asked confused.

~

revisions made september 2022

TO BE FOUND : Book OneWhere stories live. Discover now