Sherlock Holmes

The name is Sherlock Holmes and I'm a forensic science major. Make it interesting or I won't waste my time.

[janehwatson]

Nightmares | Jane and Sherlock

[janehwatson]

Jane had gotten herself to calm down a little.  She was still upset, the images playing over and over in her head.  She wasn’t aware that Sherlock was up, too focused on herself and not used to having people around when she had a nightmare.  Jane jumped slightly when she heard Sherlock speak and turned to glance at her before turning her face away to hide the tears.  She didn’t like seeming weak in front of people, and crying in front of someone was something that Jane tried to avoid.

She wasn’t surprised that Sherlock was still up.  Jane had woken on many occasions to use the bathroom or fetch a glass of water, to find Sherlock still up reading or even doing some kind of experiment in minimal lighting.  Jane wondered what the other thought of this.  She probably thought that she was weak.  ”I…I’m fine.” Jane said, her voice cracking as she spoke.  She cursed her voice for telling Sherlock she was the exact opposite of fine.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

It was hardly surprising that Jane did not open up about what was going on right away.  She was probably somewhat embarrassed that Sherlock had seen her in such a state.  Being vulnerable was not something a lot of people were comfortable with, after all.  So, Sherlock simply stayed where she was, trying not to overstep any boundaries and make Jane even more tense. "You clearly are not fine, Jane," Sherlock replied,"But if you don't want to discuss the matter, I will not push it.  But if there is something you require, you can tell me."

[janehwatson]

Nightmares | Jane and Sherlock

Ever since her dad died, Jane had occasionally had nightmares.  She almost never knew when she was going to have them as there was no descernable  pattern to it.  Tonight was one of those nights.  She’d been fine when she’d gone to bed, but sometime during her sleep, the nightmares decided to plague her.

She was on the battlefield dressed in uniform.  Jane looked around and smiled when she saw her dad.  ”Look at you all grown up and following in my footsteps.” He said to her.  She smiled and moved to go over to him when he was suddenly shot.  ”No!” She screamed as she ran over to him.  She tried to stop the bleeding, but she found she didn’t have the proper supplies.  Jane kept telling him that he’d be ok, but that didn’t stop him from bleeding out.  

She woke up suddenly and sat up in bed.  Jane tried to slow her breathing and ran a hand through her hair.  She wiped at her wet cheeks, but more tears seemed to replace them.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

It wasn't uncommon for Sherlock to still be awake long after Jane had gone to bed.  She only slept when she was tired, and that usually meant short naps between classes or very late at night.  So, as she often was, Sherlock was in her bed reading with a small light clipped to her book (the reading lamps were horrible in their dorm).  She was distracted, however, when she heard Jane making strange noises in her sleep.  Sherlock was familiar with the usual sounds, but not with this.  She looked over and saw that Jane was moving much more than usual, and it became clearer that something was wrong. Jane was crying and murmuring in her sleep, Sherlock only caught bits of it, but she could figure out the context just from the little she heard.  Sherlock considered going over to wake Jane up, but by the time she was standing halfway between their beds, Jane woke up on her own.  While Sherlock was not one to be altogether good at comforting people, she felt as though doing nothing wasn't the correct option.  So, Sherlock stayed where she was and gave Jane a few moments before speaking.

"If it would help to discuss the subject of your nightmare, feel free."

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

"Oh he would have.  I don’t just punch people for no reason." Jane nodded, still a bit riled up with just the thought.  "Thanks." She said as she walked through the door and took a breath to calm herself and get her mind off of Ian.  "Did you want to do anything else tonight?" She asked, curiously.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"Well, you seemed to have work to get back to, perhaps it is best if we call it a night for socializing," Sherlock replied, following her inside and closing the door behind them.  "And I have some reading that I could be doing to get ahead in my coursework.  It will save me some time further down the road."  Sherlock started up the stairs, pulling the forgotten cigarette from behind her ear and returning it to the pack in her coat pocket.  When she and Jane were back in the dorm, she settled back into her bed and pulled out one of her textbooks, starting to read the next chapter listed on the reading list, a few lectures ahead of time.  The silence that followed as Jane settled into her work was a bit more comfortable than usual, as some of the tension left.  Sherlock was unsure as to what to make of it.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

"To each his own I guess." Jane said, shrugging.  She was a bit surprised that Sherlock had said the thing about friendships.  Jane didn’t think she had very many friends.  She seemed almost like a loner and somehow Jane had broken through that and had formed a friendship.

"Probably.  I’d just get tired of his shit and punch him in the face." She chuckled and gave the air a little punch.  Jane nodded to Sherlock as she agreed to go back inside.  She turned around and followed after her friend and dorm mate, glad to be getting out of the slight chill that had settled.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

Sherlock chuckled at the comment about punching Ian, "He'd probably have earned it if you went through with it."  She continued walking in the direction of their dorm building, and eventually used her key card to unlock the front door, holding it for Jane, waiting for her to go in ahead of her.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

Jane shrugged.  "Most people just don’t want to be alone.  It’s nice to have something better than friendship.  Friendship’s nice enough, but sometimes it’s not enough."  She replied.

Jane chuckled.  "Yes, perhaps I could bring him down a notch or two.  Granted with my luck he’d continue until I said yes to a date or something."  She ran a hand through her hair and looked over at Sherlock.  "You bought ready to go back inside?" 

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"I suppose," Sherlock replied, "I don't find that, personally.  In my limited experience, friendships can be more so rewarding than romantic relationships."  Sherlock shrugged, then decided to get away from the sentimental subject.  It was not a side she enjoyed indulging in often, but it seemed that Jane had a habit of bringing it out of her.  Sherlock laughed a little at the idea of them on a date.

"From the sounds of him, he'd probably be face-down in a ditch before the date finished."  When Jane asked if she was ready to go in, Sherlock nodded, "Yes, it's a bit cool out, we should head back."  She started back in the direction of the dorm, seeming to have forgotten about her desire to have a smoke before going in.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

"Yeah, yeah.  I’m just saying.  He seems to charm a lot of people into his bed.  Then again I forgot I was talking to emotionless Sherlock Holmes." She said, smiling slightly and shaking her head.  "You know you should really try and find someone.  Dating is actually nice despite what you may believe.  Not that I’m telling you to date Ian.  He would probably be the last person I’d ever set you up with." 

Jane shook her head.  "No I haven’t really encountered him, thank God.  Not that I couldn’t handle him, I’d rather just not be bothered."  She shrugged.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"It is not a priority for me," Sherlock shrugged, "I imagine there is something fun about it, or people wouldn't be so concerned with it.  But it's not something I'm terribly interested in these days.  I have other things to concern myself with."  Sherlock glanced over to Jane and chuckled at her apparent relief about not being approached by Ian.

"I'd like to see his reaction to you 'handling' him," Sherlock teased, "I imagine he'd be in shock at being rejected.  I've seen your brand of assertive rejection before, and I'm not sure that he would be able to cope."

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

Jane nodded and was almost sad when Sherlock didn’t continue.  Granted it made sense.  Jane wasn’t Sherlock’s target so she didn’t need to know how to flirt with her.  She needed to know how to flirt with Ian.  The blonde wondered if Sherlock would be successful in her efforts or if she would crash and burn.  If Sherlock treated this like any of her other experiments, she would probably do a good job at it.  

"Not a problem.  I wish you luck in your endeavor.  Try not to let him get you into bed, yeah?"  She said, teasing.  If Ian was able to get Sherlock to sleep with him, Jane would be extremely surprised.  She’d never known Sherlock to date or even remotely be interested physically in anyone.

"Umm not that I know of.  I think you’ll be fine." She shrugged. 

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

Sherlock chuckled, but pulled a face for a moment, "Please, it would take a great deal more than faked charm and good looks to accomplish that.  Besides, this venture is strictly business."  She had no intention beyond being as friendly as she needed to be to get him to reveal the information she needed to confirm her deductions or prove them wrong.

"I appreciate the sentiment, however, thank you," Jane was being quite helpful in this area.  Perhaps she would be someone to seek out in the future more often for assistance.

"Has he attempted to make a move on you yet?  From my research so far it seems that he's approached most of the female students on campus."

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

"Well just because you flirt doesn’t mean you are going to be accepted.  Especially if you use pick up lines.  Those are generally the worst."  Jane pointed out.  She recalled a few guys trying to use lines on her and she’d practically laughed in their faces.  Jane looked over at Sherlock and saw a difference in her.  She seemed friendlier and more approachable.

Jane smiled as Sherlock called her striking and then remembered they were just pretending.  "Not bad.  You should make it more personal, like compliment their features, make the whole conversation about them and how you’re into them." She said.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"Yes, I have to agree with you there," Sherlock replied, nodding.  She had witnessed enough rejections based on those to know they were in poor taste.  And completely aside from that, having a set of phrases to use in the express purpose of hooking up with someone just seemed so tacky.  When Jane told her to make it more personal, Sherlock nodded.

"Alright.  Thank you, I think I have more of an idea now," Sherlocks usual demeanor returned, she didn't really feel the need for a second demonstration.  The instructions seemed relatively simple, and she had enough information about Ian to know how to personalize things and stroke his ego.

"Is there anything else you think I should be aware of?"

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

"Well you have to at least pretend to be interested in what they are saying, which might be a bit hard for you." She teased, nudging Sherlock.  "Initiating physical contact like touching their arm is good.  Compliment them." She said, trying to think of how to explain flirting.

"Ok, ok, I am more socially active than you.  That’s just because you choose not to be.  You think I’m attractive?  Thanks." She smiled, glad for the compliment.  "True it is a bit different, you’ve clearly seen me enough to  have me for an example.  It’s really not that hard.  Here just try and pretend to flirt with me so I can see exactly how bad this is going to be." 

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"Is it really that simple?" Sherlock replied, raising an eyebrow, "If that's the case, why do people fail miserably at it?  I always hear people complaining about being shot down, but apparently it shouldn't be so hard to do it right."  Sherlock stopped walking and looked over at Jane, thinking for a moment about what to say to get some practice in.  Her expression changed from her usual neutral one to something much warmer and more inviting.  A slight dip of her eyelids as she looked Jane up and down, and a friendly smile crossed her lips.

"Pardon me for asking, but do you come here often?  Because certainly I wouldn't forget seeing someone as striking as you," her voice had softened a bit as well, imagining that her usual tone was somewhat too uninterested. She looked at Jane expectantly after a few moments, waiting to see if she had gone about it right.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

Jane rolled her eyes slightly.  Sherlock tended to get overly giddy about investigating things.  Then again it was kind of nice to see her get excited by at least something.  She wondered if Ian would be too much for her though.

"How exactly do you expect me to teach you how to flirt?" Jane asked, curious as to how this was going to work.  "Besides, haven’t you seen movies and enough couples around here?"  She inquired.  "A lot more experience?  You make it sound like I’m almost as bad as Ian." 

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"Just give me some ideas," Sherlock replied, shrugging, "Appropriate things to say, how to respond gracefully, et cetra."  It seemed like an obvious enough solution to her, but apparently it wasn't for Jane.  When Jane then proceeded to object to Sherlock implying that she flirted a lot, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"You are a more socially active person than I am.  You have a healthy dating life and you wind up attracting a fair bit of male attention as you're attractive," she elaborated, hoping Jane would be less put out.  "I have seen other couples around campus, however I cannot be sure that what they were doing was generally socially acceptable.  Besides, they are already in a relationship, I need to feign interest in someone I am not dating, I imagine the context makes a difference."

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

"Yeah that sounds like that might work."  She nodded.  Sherlock was fairly good at acting so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for her to talk with Ian.  

"Yeah I heard he has a new one every night." She said and then looked up at Sherlock slightly surprised.  "Wait are you asking me to teach you how to flirt?" 

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"I should hope so," Sherlock replied, a confident grin crossing her features.  Investigation such as that had yet to fail her so far, and she saw no reason why it would now.  The only major setback she could see being a problem was not being able to manage Ian if he became flirtatious.  And she knew that the easiest way to get him to open up would be to flirt right back, even if any advances from him would be unwanted.

"Yes," Sherlock answered, "I need to be able to be convincing when I meet him, and he seems to have most women falling at his feet.  I feel it will be easier to get him to be more open if I am able to flirt back if the need arises."  Sherlock turned to look at Jane, "And you have a lot more experience when it comes to dating and flirting than I do, so I'd like to defer to your knowledge in this case."

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

"Yes I suppose.  Just because you think he is doesn’t mean it’s true though.  Besides how would you even consider going about finding out?" She asked, curiously.  Jane figured that she was planning on doing so, somehow.

"Well there’s always more Doctor Who episodes." She suggested chuckling slightly.  Jane looked up at her when she mentioned that she needed her help.  "What would you need me to do?"

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"I'll be looking into it, I imagine approaching him will be the easiest way.  He and I have not met, so I can approach him as if looking to place a bet and work my way from there," Sherlock replied.  She knew it wasn't an impressive plan, but she just needed some time to observe him and she could no doubt make the connections herself.

"Considering Ian is well known for being a flirt, I might need some assistance in that area.  I'm not as familiar with the etiquette as much as you seem to be."

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

"Gambling?  Hmm.  I mean I guess it wouldn’t be surprising if it were him.  He sure seems to know how to gather a following." She said, rolling her eyes slightly.  She was glad that Sherlock had slowed down a bit so she didn’t have to try and rush to keep up with her.

"You think there’s more to it?  Do you think it could really be that bad?  I mean wouldn’t someone have ratted him out by now?" She inquired, looking up at Sherlock.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"I have no proof, but I am willing to bet that there is.  And there are a lot of ways to keep people quiet, if you know what you're doing.  Which, in the case of Ian, it seems he does."  Sherlock looked back to Jane and couldn't quite hide the excited look from crossing her features.

"This could prove to be quite interesting.  I've been looking for something to do to pass the time for a while now.  I may require your assistance on a few matters, though, if you do not mind."

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

Jane nodded in response.  Unless there were drunk people wandering around, she figured it would be nice and quiet.  She followed closely behind her, walking beside Sherlock when she could manage.  She put her hands in her pockets and looked around.  “It is nice out here." She agreed.  The weather wasn’t bad and it was mostly quiet.

"Ian Adler?  Isn’t that the one who’s always sleeping around.  I hear he has a new person in his bed every night." She replied.  “What on Earth people see in him is beyond me.  I mean sure he’s attractive, but I don’t think I’d be happy being just a number to him."  Jane shrugged.  “Why have you heard something interesting about him?" She asked, looking up at Sherlock.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"Yes, that would be him," Sherlock replied as she kept walking, slowing her slightly brisk pace a little, "And I believe I have, yes.  I've been hearing a lot of talk about some gambling on campus, and all signs point to him as the one organizing it all."  Sherlock turned to look at Jane, and Sherlock looked somewhat excited.

"But there's something else to him.  I can't put my finger on it, but something tells me this otherwise relatively harmless bookkeeping scheme isn't the only thing he's doing that the administration would find unsavory.  And I'm interested in seeing how far this goes."

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

Jane watched Sherlock crawl off the bed and chuckled slightly at how awkward it seemed.  There for a second Jane was afraid that Sherlock might fall flat on her face.  “You know you could have just asked me to move.” She pointed out, standing up from the bed. 

“Umm yeah, sure.” Jane nodded, walking over to the door and grabbing her own coat.  She made sure that she had her cell phone and keys on her.  When they were found in her pocket, she stepped to the door and moved to follow Sherlock to where ever she was planning on going.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"The quad is blissfully quiet at night," Sherlock explained, "The most noise is some muffled music from dorm parties.  It's a nice time to be out."  Sherlock quickly made her way down the stairs and out the main door to the dorm building, walking around the pretty much empty quad.  She paused to pull a cigarette out of her pocket and tucked it behind her ear, so it was easy to access when she decided to smoke. "So," Sherlock started when Jane caught up, "I'm curious, as you're the more socially apt person between the two of us, have you happened to hear anything about a student named Ian Adler?"

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

Jane nodded.  “Well I’m glad it doesn’t bother you.  I’d hate for you to think of me as a clingy dorm mate or something.” She said, tucking some stray hair behind her ears.  Jane was definitely more affectionate than Sherlock, practically everyone was.  Jane liked to have some physical contact with friends like hugging or leaning on them occasionally.  She didn’t like invading people’s personal bubbles if they didn’t want it though, which is why she tried to be cautious.  “I’ll keep that in mind in the future.” She smiled.

Jane stopped the DVD and looked at Sherlock.  “Did you want to do anything else?” She asked.  Jane remembered that she still had some homework to do, but she factored in that she still had some free time before she had to go back to it.  Besides, if Sherlock was willing to hang out and do something, Jane was going to take full advantage of it.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

"I was thinking of stepping out for a few minutes, actually," Sherlock answered, "I'm not much one for sitting still too long."  Sherlock awkwardly crawled off her bed - off the end, as not to crawl over Jane - before grabbing her coat and pulling it on.  A short walk around the dorm building area would do the trick, and a quick stop to smoke before she came back in.  Her cigarettes and lighter were in her coat pocket, as always.

"You are welcome to join me, if you like," Sherlock continued as she buttoned her coat up.  She looked back at Jane.

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

One Long Day | Sherlock and Jane

[janehwatson]

Jane chuckled at Sherlock’s reaction.  She noticed that Sherlock seemed to be paying more attention and actually reacting to what she was watching.  Jane took that as a good sign and couldn’t wait to hear what Sherlock thought of the show after this episode.

Jane waited expectantly as the episode ended and the music played.  She looked at Sherlock and grinned when she heard what she had to say.  “Yay.  I’m so glad you like it.” She said, hugging Sherlock in her excitement.  Jane then realized what she was doing and quickly let go of her.  “Sorry, I know you don’t like people touching you.  I just couldn’t handle my excitement for a moment there.” She explained.  “I’m really glad you like the show.  You’ll be a big fan in no time.”

[ms-sherlock-holmes]

The hug was unexpected, and Sherlock was unsure of how to react until Jane pulled away and apologized for it, almost as quickly as she had pulled her hand away before.  Clearly she was worried about treading lightly with Sherlock.  Which was appreciated, but not entirely necessary.

"You don't have to worry about it so much, Jane," Sherlock replied, "I don't enjoy physical contact with people I do not know well.  But you hardly have to walk on eggshells about it, you're not making me uncomfortable."  She wasn't really.  Sherlock was hardly the clingy type, but in this case it wasn't unwelcome.  She knew Jane well enough and she understood that Jane was more inclined to that sort of thing than Sherlock was.