Sally Donovan

A Hit and Run Pt. Two

Upon returning, Sally placed the cup in front of Lexi...

“...so… how does that sound to you?”

Lexi looked over each form as Sally handed them to her while listening. Everything looked pretty basic and to the point, but she could tell it would be a little time consuming. “If it’s going to be done right, it will take time.” She thought stacking the papers in a single pile.

“Everything sounds great. Well, not great…. but, you probably know what I mean.” Now the nervous laughter could start thought it was only a slight chuckle. Whenever Lexi got into trouble of any kind, the nervous laughter would not come until after she knew or was at least clear about what could happen.

She took the stack of papers and held them in her lap so she wouldn’t get up and leave them. “Which way is Traffic?” Before a moment coudl pass she added an after thought. “I’m guessing I’ll know whether or not my licence will be suspended when you find out about the settlement or charges?”

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #thread 3.2

She stood up and prompted Lexi to follow her, saying as she went, "yes, or soon after. It's likely that you may get a temporary suspension, regardless of whether or not this goes to court. You will definitely receive penalty points, if not for abandoning the scene then for the reckless driving. Can't be avoided, unfortunately."

At this point they'd reached the lift doors, and as they waited Sally turned to Lexi once more, remembering Greg's fondness for the girl. "These kind of things happen, Lexi, but don't think yourself bad for it. You've handled the matter responsibly, and there's much to be said about that. Just take it as a lesson for the future, and remember to always drive carefully."

As she said spoke, the lift doors opened. Sally leaned in and pressed the button for the two levels down. "When you reach Traffic, just go up to the lady at the front desk and say Sergeant Donovan sent you."

Inclining her head in farewell, Sally spoke, "I'll be speaking to you soon Miss Morstan."

A Hit and Run Pt. Two

As soon as Sally realised...

"...let you think things over for a bit.”

“I expected as much.” Lexi murmured referring to the licence suspension. There wasn’t a way for someone to commit a crime or break a rule without being punished. She was relieved that the man she hit was alright and not seriously hurt. If he had been then she may have insisted that she pay for everything and throw herself in a cell for good measure.

She smiled up at Sally appreciatively. “Thank you for telling me. I would have thought the worst.”

Allowing herself to slouch in her chair, she chewed on the inside of her cheek while waiting for Sally to return. Running a finger across her bottom lip a few times and then over her forehead, she sighed heavily starting to feel the relief of telling someone of authority. Telling Victor helped with simply getting it out to someone familiar and to bring them closer in a weird, but normal way, however, telling someone that enforced the law she broke brought her some closure and she wouldn’t pretend that she wasn’t thankful that it was Sally who had found her. She could start to move on from the accident and bare whatever punishment was given to her.

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #thread 3.2

Upon returning, Sally placed the cup in front of Lexi, and the papers she'd collected from the printer in front of herself. Sorting through them, she started handing some to Lexi -pausing to make her own notations every now and then- explaining as she went. "For the meantime, we're submitting this as the usual incident report. I'll take you down to Traffic where a nice, female Constable will take you through the process - it shouldn't take too long. From there, I'll contact you when I've reached our victim and determined whether or not he wants to pursue this matter to court. I'm going to push for some form of settlement agreement -that is, you pay him compensation for the accident- and hopefully he'll be content to let it drop."

Having sorted the papers, Sally let out the long sigh of relief that comes with reaching the end of a task and straightened up. "You may have to make a statement again, but I'm sure you can do it. You've nothing to fear." She turned and smiled at Lexi, "so... how does that sound to you?"

A Hit and Run Pt. Two

Sally stopped to look at Miss Morstan...

"...information you would like to volunteer first.”

Lexi ran her fingers through her hair, racking it backwards while looking down at her lap. It was no time to be crippling ashamed, so she raised her head to look at Sally and took a deep breath. “You assumed right. The accident was entirely my fault and I am willing to do or pay anything to make it right.”

Her mouth was starting to go dry, but she ignored it and continued. “I was driving home. I was stopped at a light and when the light changed I looked away from the road to change the radio station. It was the wrong thing to do, but I can’t take it back now. The next thing I knew something hit my car and I put on the brakes. Of course, something didn’t hit my car, I hit them.” She stopped for a moment starting to feel a little shaky.

Calming herself again, she finished her side of what happened explaining that she drove away because she had become afraid of what had happened and because of the man she had hit coming toward her door. “It was irresponsible and I know I do not need to apologize to you, but I’m sorry that this has been the outcome. And I do hope the gentleman is alright. Have you spoken to him? Is he alright?”

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #thread 3.2

As soon as Sally realised Lexi was going to make her statement then and there, she grabbed her pen and started writing. She was glad for her habit of always having a notepad with her, and for her shorthand skills, because it didn't seem like she would be able to get the story out of Lexi just as easily later. Listening intently and nodding to prompt her on, Sally wrote down the entire account until Lexi had finished, looking notably calmer than when she'd started, despite her concerned questions. Satisfied, Sally lay down her pad and pen and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm so glad you told me all that, thank you. You don't have to worry about the victim, he's not injured terribly." And he's certainly not a gentleman, she added mentally. "Nothing a couple of band-aids won't fix."

Turning to her computer, Sally continued. "I'm sure you feel a lot better finally getting that all off your chest, but I'm afraid the ordeal isn't over quite yet. Don't worry, it's mostly just paperwork and procedures at this point. Nothing too taxing. I'm printing off some forms now and I'll get you a cup of water before we get into all this." Pressing the print button with finality, Sally faced Lexi once more.

"Miss Morstan," she started, then as an afterthought, "Lexi. I do need to inform you that although you've made your position phenomenally better by coming down and owning up to the incident, the fact is that you did flee the scene of the crime instead of staying as you were legally bound to do. The consequences for hit and run are generally quite serious, and in these situations it's up to the victim on whether he wants to press charges or not. Luckily, our victim was not grievously injured -I can personally testify to that- so if he does, the worst you might get is a possible suspension of your licence, but there's no way to tell."

Standing up, Sally placed a hand on Lexi's shoulder and smiled apologetically. "I don't mean to cause you worry, but it was best for you to know. I'll get you that water and let you think things over for a bit."

A Hit and Run Pt. Two

“Ah, of course,” Sally smiled...

...the woman he’d called a friend (of sorts).

Lexi followed her listening carefully. She started to worry when Criminal Investigation Unit was mentioned, but carefully let it go when it was mentioned that Sally said “I have a certain investment…” instead of “we”. If she didn’t have to spend her time here locked in a room with two or more people questioning her, then she would consider this visit a smooth and fair one. A thought occurred to her that Sally might now Greg, but she decided now was not the best time to ask.

However, the fact that she did say “I” instead of “we” made her curious. “What do you mean when you say that you have an investment? I didn’t think that officers or detectives would pick certain cases. I thought they were just handed to them with no option of rejecting them.”

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #thread 3.2

Sally stopped to look at Miss Morstan, contemplating. Then she answered, "we'll get to that in a moment," with a vague smile.

Leading her to her desk she seated the woman (on a chair borrowed from another officer's desk) and then sat down herself. Pulling out her notebook and the relevant files, Sally began, subtly shifting into professional mode.

"Now as I stated earlier, I was on my way to your home to investigate a specific incident, but," and here Sally paused, "I'm assuming your presence here at the Metropolitan Police Headquarters may have something to do with this. So, before I start questioning you in the context of a suspect, I'd like to ask if there is any information you would like to volunteer first."

A Hit and Run Pt. Two

The blonde turned around...

...Even with the innocent looking ones.

“Well, that was easier than I expected.” Lexi thought as she blinked at Sergeant Donovan. It was in the realm of possibility that she could have been sent all over the building before being sent to the person she needed to talk to. She was glad that this was the person who found her. There was fear that she would be interrogated by a man. She wasn’t afraid of men or intimidated by them, but when it comes to law or rules being broken, she always something change in them. Everything seemed to be automatic as if they were robots. Women could be the same way, but in general they weren’t.

“Of course. Yes.” She started looked around as if she knew where they were going, but stopped. “I guess you should lead the way.” After a deep breath she remembered to be courteous. “I hope I’m not keeping you from something.”

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #OOC: Thought I'd move things along quickly so we don't get stuck in the lift for three posts #thread 3.2

"Ah, of course," Sally smiled, turning to the lifts once again. For a moment she considered the stairs just to avoid the crowd, but the doors opened at exactly the right moment and were emptied of enough people for her to comfortably dispel the idea. "Oh no, not at all," she answered, leading the way. "I was just about to find you at your home, actually. It was very convenient of you to turn up here instead."

By unspoken agreement, conversation was suspended on the lift, so Sally made use of the brief time it travelled upwards to text the unfortunate young Constable she'd sent to retrieve the car that his driving services were no longer needed. When the lift announced their arrival on her level, Sally motioned for Miss Morstan to follow her and resumed her briefing as she walked.

"Actually, I don't generally work with traffic cases. I'm a Detective Sergeant, you see." The 'technically' she left implied. "I work in the Criminal Investigation Unit, which is why we're not heading to Traffic, but I have a certain investment in this case and I thought that with cooperation from all involved participants, it could be dealt with quickly and with minimal fuss."

Sally didn't usually explain things so casually to potential suspects, but she wanted to put the poor woman at ease. Perhaps she'd become too used to the hardened criminals she usually had to intimidate into submission, but something about Miss Morstan's innocent and agreeable demeanour made Sally want to spare her any harm or distress. She now found that she could empathise with Greg's protective manner over the woman he'd called a friend (of sorts).

A Hit and Run Pt. Two

After sending Constable Webber to collect the car...

...Sally called, “Miss Morstan?”

The wave of people that surged forward wasn’t as bad as she expected, but it didn’t keep her from being knocked into a few times. She let the people that seemed to be in the biggest hurry get a head of her as the ones leaving the lift tried to zigzag their way through without getting pushed over.

Lexi had made it to the door and was about to slide into a spot that was open against one of the walls when she heard someone call her name from behind her. She didn’t know anyone here except for Greg Lestrade and it certainly did not sound like his voice.

As ready as she was to get this visit over with, she stepped away from the lift and turned to face whoever called her. There was a woman with head full of curly brown hair with an expression that mimicked disbelief. “Yes, I um…” She searched her memory for any familiarity she might have with the woman, but nothing was coming to her. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #thread 3.2

The blonde turned around, and inside Sally's head a voice cried triumphantly, "Yes! That's her!" Arranging her face into something more professional, Sally walked back and gently tugged at the woman's arm to pull her away from the open doors of the lift.

"Miss Morstan, my name is Sergeant Donovan. You won't be familiar with me, but I have been investigating a specific traffic incident that I believe you to be involved in." Sally pulled out the files she'd had tucked under her arm and retrieved her copy of Lexi Morstan's registration details, lest she refuse to be taken in without any evidence. "If you'd accompany me up to the CID Unit, I'd like to ask you a few questions." Seeing that Miss Morstan was already at the police station, Sally had a feeling she wouldn't cause a problem, but you could never be sure. Even with the innocent looking ones.

A Hit and Run Pt. Two

Having reached the office unusually early...

...It was time to make a house call.

Lexi had been directed to an area referred to as Traffic by the woman behind the desk. Remembering the group of people that had been anxiously waiting for an elevator, she made her way over to where they had been. There were two elevators next to each other and both, according to the lights above, were on upper floors. “So much for getting there quickly.” She thought as she pushed the button with the directional arrow pointing down.

More people started to crowd around her with waxed cardboard cups of delicious smelling coffee. It made her regret not stopping for some on her way here. A woman with a briefcase with overflowing papers took a step forward toward one of the lifts and nearly bounced on her feet as it descended the last two floors. Lexi readied herself to not be run over by hurried employees of Scotland Yard as the doors opened.

#OOC: They're called 'lifts' in Britain my dear #leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #thread 3.2

After sending Constable Webber to collect the car, Sally decided to brave the 9 o'clock rush at the lift to get to the lobby. In hindsight, the stairs would likely have been a better alternative, for the moment the doors opened a large number of officers swarmed in, giving her little chance to get out herself. With polite apologies and "excuse me's", Sally weaved her way through the crowd, perfunctorily smiling and nodding at the Detective Sergeant with the crooked nose whose name she couldn't remember, the large stack of papers she was relatively certain was being carried by a woman, the oddly familiar looking blonde and several others before moving on purposefully.

And then she stopped in her tracks.

Turning around with a look of utter incredulity on her face, Sally called, "Miss Morstan?"

A Hit and Run Pt. Two

Lexi stared at the doors of Scotland Yard from across the street. Any other time that she had passed this building it never seemed intimidating but today it looked like it might swallow her up sending her into a dark, lonely hole that she would not escape. The anxiety was trying to overcome her, but she kept reminding herself that this was the right thing to do and that it would take the guilty weight off of her shoulders. It also gave her comfort that Victor would be meeting her afterword. Seeing a friendly face after this would be a massive comfort.

Another fleet of cars rolled past her before she forced herself to make her way along the crosswalk. She came face to face with the doors before she knew it. One more deep breath and she pushed through the doors meeting the opposite of what she feared. There were bright florescent lights just like any office building with people walking across the floor with their own reasons for being here.

She lingered a little too long at the door. As she was taking in her surroundings, a man had come in behind her and bumped into her right side. An apology started to leave her lips, but the man’s scowl silenced her. He mixed into a crowd waiting on the elevator and she made her way to the reception desk where a pleasant looking woman sat. “Excuse me. I need to talk to someone about a car accident yesterday.”

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #thread 3.2

Having reached the office unusually early, Sally was in the unfamiliar position of being the first one in. She went through the routine of opening blinds and waiting for the old office lights to flicker to life before walking over to her pigeon hole, the contents of which she emptied into her arms and took to her desk. There, she read over reports and perused files, watching as people slowly arrived and took to their own desks, sometimes with a cursory greeting in her direction.

By the time it was 8:30, there was a decent amount of officers milling around, at which point she put her papers aside and stood. Collecting her jacket from the rack, Sally called for one of the younger constables to join her as she made her way to the lobby. It was time to make a house call.

A Hit and Run

sergeantdonovan:

"I understand..."

...finally heading home.

Lexi opened the fridge as Victor poured her the tea. She rummaged in one of the drawers until she found a lemon that was already sliced. Picking up her mug, she dropped the lemon wedge into the tea as she made her way to the kitchen table. Her hands wrapped around the mug after she sat down. It might have been a tad too hot, but the warmth was helping.

“I should sell my car.” She thought out loud, looking down into the warm drink. “Or hide it. That’s what people do, isn’t it?” While blowing on her tea to cool it off another thought occurred to her. “I have to tell Mary. She’ll have my head. Or faint. Or both!” One hand rubbed her forehead while the other stayed closed around the mug. “What should I do first? Hide my car or let my sister kill me?” She joked before taking a sip. Normalcy was starting to come back to her.

Her fingers raked through her hair before she looked up at Victor. “But what should I do? Find the guy? Call the police? I’ve never had to deal with this before.”

Victor added a splash of milk to his own tea, sipping it carefully. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I’ve never been in this situation before.” He considered. “I wouldn’t suggest hiding your car or trying to cover it up. Knowing you, it’d eat you up.”

Setting his mug down, he leaned against folded hands. “Maybe call the police and report the incident yourself? Explain what happened and that you bolted, but are willing to pay the fine or find the fellow. I can’t foresee anything too dire. After all, you said he was fine.”

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #di--lestrade #thread 3 #end.

“Right, police.” Lexi nodded before taking another sip of her tea. She felt her heart speed up when she thought about picking up the phone. “Just thinking about talking to them makes me nervous.” Her head bowed to rest against the table. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will have my mind back and I won’t be such a mess.”

A Hit and Run

Sally raised her eyebrows...

"...she is now guilty of a traffic infraction.”

Lexi smiled softly through her sadness and decided that it would be safe to look at him. She searched his face, but could find no trace of anything negative toward her. He meant it and he wasn’t just saying it to comfort her now then runaway later.

With that knowledge, she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. Her eyes closed as she felt herself physically relax and her mind start to slow down a little. She sniffed once before speaking. “Tea sounds like a good idea. What problems cannot be solved by tea?”

Victor pulled her close, running his fingers through the golden strands of her hair. He certainly hoped she understood that she was virtually incapable of making him hate her. She was a wonderful woman, and he’d never encountered anything in her that had made him stop.

Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he lead her to the kitchen. Selecting a mug, he poured her a cup. “Drink up, love.”

Greg cleared his throat. “Right. Of course,” and headed over to his desk, collecting a few pages to hand over to Sally. “She’s a sweet girl, her boyfriend wants to marry her- he just loves her so much,” he tried to explain, still looking obviously relieved. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.”

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #di--lestrade #thread 3

"I understand," Sally nodded agreeably.

She reached out for the papers, the movement simultaneously freeing her watch from her sleeve and revealing just how late it had become. With a sigh, Sally turned to leave. "I was planning on going over tomorrow morning, anyway. There's no rush, really. I'm sure this will all be settled quickly and with minimal fuss."

She stopped at the door and turned to face Greg. "Good night, Detective Inspector." Sally smiled softly as she surveyed his tired and entirely too familiar expression. "Try not to work too hard," She added, before closing the door and finally heading home.

A Hit and Run

“Okay, thank you...”

“...you know one of them?”

Lexi pressed her lips together and looked down at the floor. Another threat of panic started to rise in her, but she held it together the best she could. She couldn’t look at him this time. No one would react positively to this story and she didn’t want to see the negativity of his reaction.

Her head shook slowly as she spoke. “No, I ran away.” She could feel the shock that wanted to settle over her. The unusual calmness people experienced when something traumatic happened, but she didn’t want to be calm. Feeling calm wasn’t right. She needed to feel something even if it was constant adrenaline in order to stay sane for the time being.

“I drove off. I didn’t know what else to do.” Lexi stood up and started walking around the room. “I should have stopped or turned around or not hit a person with that bloody car, but that man.” The tears started again at the memory of the man’s furious face. “He was so angry. He started walking towards me. I thought… I don’t know what I thought. I just wanted to get away. Get home. Get out of the car.” She stopped walking, leaned against the wall near the door, and looked at her hands has she started to pick at her nails. “You must think I’m awful.”

Victor shook his head, crossing the room. Taking her hands, he tried to catch her eye. “I don’t think you’re awful. I’m fairly certain I’m incapable of it.” He smiled softly. “It’ll be okay.”

His mind strayed to the tea he had made. Drinking it may calm her nerves. “I made tea,” he said lamely, nodding towards the kitchen. “We can figure things out over a cuppa, hm?”

Greg let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and nodded. “Right. Right. I know Morstan..a friend of a friend, I suppose,” he said, waving his hand to dismiss that. “I apologise, it’s just that-” Greg stopped himself, not bothering to go into details she didn't need to know. “ I'm glad she’s not hurt.” Completely distracted as to why Sally was here in the first place, he gently shook his head, standing and composing himself. “Now what did you want to see me for?”

#leximorstan #di--lestrade #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #thread 3

Sally raised her eyebrows at Greg's admission, but said nothing. It wasn't her place to speculate over who and what Lestrade worried over. Stepping back so that they were at a respectable distance from each other, she allowed her mind to turn to professional matters once more.

"Right, well, I'm going to need Miss Morstan's details. Specifically, her address." There was an awkward pause before Sally continued in a slightly apologetic tone, "I don't really have a choice but to bring her in. After all, she is now guilty of a traffic infraction."

A Hit and Run

With the exception of a certain Detective Inspector...

...lingering in the doorway.

Lexi let herself be led into the house. If it wasn’t for Victor she would have sat on the doorstep for the rest of the night in a subtle state of panic. She took hold of his hand with both of hers feeling it might help her regain some of her composure. It didn’t help at first. Tears kept rolling down her cheeks, but sobs didn’t threaten to escape from her throat.

She started to calm down after another moment. The tears slowed, the shaking stopped, and she felt more in control of herself. Her nerves had calmed enough for her to take a few deep breathes. Thinking about telling Victor almost caused her to recede back into a form of hysteria, but she forced herself not to. She would have to tell him and it was better to tell him now instead of when the police started knocking down the door.

“Okay… Okay.” Her hand let go of his to wipe away the tear streaks as best she could. Another deep breath and she looked at him. “On the way home I um…” She squeezed his hand slightly hoping he wouldn’t leave her after this. “I hit someone.” Her words started to feel thick in her mouth, but she spoke hurriedly wanting to get it out. “Someone that wasn’t in a car. They’re alright… I think. He was standing and walking when I drove off.”

Victor cupped her cheek gently, wiping away tears. He waited patiently as she formed the words. When she finally did, he blinked, trying to process what she had told him. He knew that he had to remain calm, or risk upsetting her further. “You hit someone? Did you give them your insurance numbers and that?” She was upset, shaken most likely. The question he asked was a lame one, but he had to ask.

His eyes searched her up and down, searching for something else that could be wrong. He couldn’t come up with anything. But Lexi was very delicate. It was evident from man of her reactions that hitting someone would potentially traumatise her, accident or no.

“Berling and Morstan, both clear driving records, no warrants, no nothing. Just an honest accident,” Lestrade said quickly, making his way from his desk to Donovan looking far more frazzled than he should. It wasn’t his first traffic collision, but it might as well had been by how worried he looked. “You were there, weren’t you? At the collision. What happened exactly? Any serious injuries?” Lestrade didn't even dare asking if there were fatalities. And he knew it was unprofessional to become emotionally involved with work and he had it to an art, to be able to stand over a dead body and not panic, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't calm himself over this. Though he did regret his wish to have more interesting things come up. This was certainly not what he had wanted.

#leximorstan #di--lestrade #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #thread 3

"Okay, thank you. I just need..." Sally trailed off, belatedly registering Greg's signs of anxiety. Immediately, she was concerned. "Sorry, is this a bad time?"

She took a step back, intending to leave and give Greg some space, but he got up and walked directly to her. Sally braced herself, expecting to hear whatever terrible news it was that the DI had received since they last spoke just under an hour ago, and was surprised when instead he continued to ask her about the traffic incident. Startled into response by his frantic questioning, she answered, "Yes, I was there. It was just a minor collision between a vehicle and a person. Nothing serious, no major injuries. The only issue is that the driver -Morstan, did you say?- did not stop to identify themselves afterwards. But Greg, this can wait. Are you okay? Did something happen...?"

Sally had automatically placed a reassuring hand on Greg's arm and was slowly directing him back towards his chair. She was distantly aware that she was switching into her placating mode -the manner she generally adopted when handling distressed relatives and hysterical lovers- but it took her a moment to consciously recognise the nature of his questions and behaviour.

"Oh! Greg, did you know one of them?"

A Hit and Run

Mr Berling was the sort of man...

“...Would you be able to run a number plate for me?”

Lexi hardly heard the door open behind her. The same image of the man landing on the ground and him walking towards her door kept replaying in her head. When someone appeared in her line of site she jumped and tried to move away. In the next moment her mind finally registered that the person was someone she trusted. She started picking at a loose thread on the end of her sleeve subconsciously as she studied his face waiting for the rest of her mind to catch up.

Taking a deep, but shaky breath, the rest of the person became clear to her. Part of her felt silly about not remembering. Victor was meeting her here. She felt relieved and the shaking started to subside. However, that only let the tears come through. Enough of the panic had subsided and was now letting through the other emotions: anger, sadness, disappointment, more guilt.

By the expression on his face, he was waiting on her to say something. Her mouth opened once, but closed again. She swallowed hard and tried again. “Vic… I, uh…” Her voice stuck again. The thread pulled loose from her sleeve from her fiddling with it. Her hands smoothed over her face before she tried talking again. “I… I did… I hit…” It was no use. She couldn’t get the words out and she was becoming frustrated with herself.

Lexi knew what she had done, but trying to tell someone what she did seemed to make it more of a reality to her. She didn’t want to see his reaction to what she had done. The tears started to run down her cheeks and a sob nearly escaped from her, but she closed her hand over her mouth to stop it.

Victor stared at her, reaching over to wipe tears from her face. He was really worried now. “Lex, talk to me. What’s going on?” Gathering her against his chest, he carefully helped her to stand. Supporting her weight, he led her inside.

He didn’t like this. Not at all. From the way she was crying, Victor’s mind was rapidly coming up with horrible possibilities. Someone had died. She’d been hurt. Something had happened with the law. The last was probably the most ridiculous, as Lexi was seemingly incapable of doing something that would harm or otherwise wrong another person. It would have to be an accident or some sort of misunderstanding. If it was one of the earlier options… Victor wasn’t a hundred percent sure he was socially equipped to help, but he would try.

“Let’s just sit down, hm?” he said he as they settled on the couch. Keeping her close, he cooed to her. “Shh. Tell me what’s wrong. Lex, I can’t help unless you tell me.”

Greg was sure Sally had finished her shift, but ran the licence. It was odd, he found, the driver seemed to have a perfect record. Normally there were driving suspensions on those who fled the scene. But the rest of it was fairly routine, until he noticed the name: Ms Morstan, Lexi. The name was all too familiar and he felt his heart sink, remembering what Victor had told him about her. Was she hurt? Did Victor know?

Greg was about to return Sally’s call when he heard a knock on his office door. It seemed Sally had arrived back at the Yard just in time..as usual.

#leximorstan #victorakafriendofsherlockholmes #di--lestrade #thread 3

With the exception of a certain Detective Inspector's office, the lights were mostly off on Sally's floor. She shook her head in sympathy as she headed for the filing cabinets at the back. Greg worked far too hard, in her opinion. Most of her colleagues were out the door the minute the clock struck five, and although Sally genuinely loved her job, she wasn't too keen on overtime either. She sometimes wondered if Greg's apparent commitment to work had anything to do with having nothing to go home to. If so, Sally could relate.

Having found the Motor Collision Incident Report forms, she made her way to Lestrade's office, pulling out her notepad as she did. Sally knocked once on the door to announce her arrival before entering. "Sir, did you run the plates?" she asked, lingering in the doorway.

A Slight Decay

Sally crossed her arms, unimpressed...

"...So don’t you think it might be worth trying again?”

“We are one mistake away from losing our jobs. In fact I'm still a bit surprised as to why we didn't get fired on the spot when it was found out that Sherlock was helping us, do you understand?” he asked quietly after a long pause, picking his words out carefully. “Can you imagine what would happen if the superintendent found out we’re using Sherlock again after all of this?”

Greg paused, feeling an unsettling churning in his stomach. Nervousness, something he hadn't felt for the longest time. A thrill he had long forgotten.

“I do think it’s..worth the risk..if we had Sherlock back. I do. I need you to know our jobs are on the line.” Greg paused for a moment. “God do we need him back.”

#di--lestrade #thread 2 #end.

Greg's voice was calm and low, but there was an undercurrent to his tone that suggested he had started to lose patience with Sally's insistence. And if she was being honest with herself, it was unfair of her to push further when she recognised that his concerns were wholly justified. Greg had always been a reasonable man, it was one of the things she respected him for, and it was time she accepted his judgement of the matter. Eyes downcast, Sally replied.

"I understand, sir."

Then Greg spoke again, and maybe Sally's efforts had paid off after all.

"I think before we work on bringing Sherlock back to Yard," she mused as she stood up, tamping down on her grin of success for decency's sake, "we might want to focus on settling whatever's going on with you two first."

Being the inquisitive person that she was, it bothered Sally that she didn't know what had happened between Greg and Sherlock, but although her persistence in getting to the bottom of things was an excellent quality for an investigative officer, Sally had learnt that some things were best not to be interfered with. Smiling, she dismissed herself.

A Slight Decay

Sally stared, taken aback...

"...you didn't do anything about it?”

“Yeah, yeah, hold on!” Greg raised his hands defensively, refusing to make eye contact. “I did..try..to do something about it. I did. But it didn't go..over..as well as I had hoped. We’re..ah..we’re not on good terms as is. It’s just..really complicated right now. Really complicated.” Greg kept quiet after that, all defences up again, not wanting Sally to also say he was wrong.

“But..it’s gonna get better,” he finally added in. Things got better when enough time passed, he figured.

Greg tried to gain control of the conversation again. “How did you manage to get all of that out of him..you of all people,” he tried to add in a sheepish grin, hoping the semi-subject change was enough to throw her or at least distract her for the time being, he wasn't in the mood to have someone tell him he was wrong.

Sally crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Not if you don't do anything, it won't."

She caught onto Greg's attempt at changing the topic -really, he was trying that again?- but gave his question due consideration. She thought about how she'd called out to Sherlock the previous day, and how they'd initially tried for polite conversation. She furrowed her brow as she remembered genialities turning into subtle insults and barbs, until eventually she'd snapped and they were shouting at each other on the street. She recollected how angry she'd been and all the hurtful things she'd said, and how vulnerable he'd look in return. Sally hadn't intended to emotionally manipulate Sherlock into revealing everything, but that was what had happened.

"It probably had nothing to do with me," she lied. "He just needed someone to know the truth, and I was there. Plus, there's the advantage of having somebody on his side in Scotland Yard." Sally hated lying, especially to her superior, but she wasn't going to reveal Sherlock's moment of weakness to Lestrade.

"Look, I don't know what's happened between you two, but obviously this... disagreement is benefiting no one. Sherlock's having no luck when it comes to work, what with half of London and the Met still thinking he's a fraud, and I don't even need to say anything about our arrest rates, do I? You've admitted that we need him, and Sherlock could really do with our support right now. So don't you think it might be worth trying again?"

#di--lestrade #thread 2

A Hit and Run

After a tedious day at work...

...it would be a long time before she got home tonight.

The rest of the drive home was filled with paranoia. Lexi knew she should have given the man her information and called the police, but her fight or flight reflexes took over. Every other pedestrian she saw seemed to have an accusing look on their face. It felt like everyone knew what she did and was now condemning her for it. The closer she got to home, the safer she felt. Even though the feeling of safety was buried under guilt.

Lexi felt stifled in the car. As soon as she was in her driveway and car safely in park, she scrambled out of it forgetting her keys in the ignition. Her hands were shaking along with the rest of her from the amount of activity that had nerves were still undergoing. She wanted to get away from her car as quickly as possible. Her legs were a little unsteady, but she slowly made her way to the front door of her building. She was thankful that she lived on the ground floor leaving her free from the worry of climbing stairs. She hugged her waist trying to calm herself, but only manage to make herself feel trapped.

Being farther from the car eased her nerves a little, but her hands still shook as she searched for her keys. Without bothering to search around herself and not daring to go back to the car, she turned her back to the door, slouched against it with a hard thud, and slid to floor. She tried to curl into a ball, but it made her feel trapped again, so she opted for crossing her ankles and holding her hands in her lap while fighting with them to try and stop the shaking.

Victor waited for several long moments for Lexi to come through the door. When she didn’t, he raised a brow. Moving to the window, he peered out to double check himself. There was her car, sitting in the drive. Squinting, he made out that there was no one inside. Odd. Moving to the door, he pulled it open, intent on locating his girlfriend. Needless to say, he was rather surprised when she sat at the base of the door. Surprise evolved into concern when he took in her shaking and the stricken expression on her face. “Lex?” he asked, dropping to his knees in front of her. “What’s going on? Are you all right?”