Our Mind Palace // Sherlock BBC|Psych USA

13 | Distance And A Time Skip

It was officially summer once again in Santa Barbara; despite it feeling like summer year-round due to the climate.

The boardwalk across the street from the Psych Office was packed with people enjoying their weekend.

Shaina wasn't looking at other people have fun, however. She was sitting in her office chair, feet resting on the desktop, and staring at her phone that was laying on her desk.

Although Shaina claimed that she was just waiting for Chief Vick to call and consult upon their services, Briana knew deep down who she was waiting for.

"Shae... It's been a year. He's not going to call." Briana scolds as she sits at her own desk facing Shaina's.

"Of course he wouldn't. He prefers texting." Shaina tries to raise her hopes. But despite telling herself over and over again that today would be the day Sherlock calls her, it has in fact been a year since they last communicated at all.

Shaina could very well just text him herself. A phone works both ways, of course. But something deep down inside her wanted to see if Sherlock would make the first move. It felt like a game that was one-sided.

"This is the first and longest time I've seen you invest yourself into a guy." Briana compliments unconsciously.

But Shaina shakes her head as she looks out the window, "It doesn't feel like a good thing, though."

Briana shrugs as she scrolls through her laptop at the daily news reports,
"Sherlock's been on the news a lot. He's been solving major cases since we left London."

While things have been looking up for Sherlock, Shaina hasn't been consulted by the police in days. Therefore, she had to rely on walk-in clients to pay the bill. Shaina groans and slumps further in her chair, "Dude... The Santa Barbara Criminal World needs to step up their game! They're letting London outshine us."

Briana raises an eyebrow at her exasperated partner, "Isn't it a good thing the criminal rate went down?"

"Not when you haven't been given a case in days!" Shaina complains.

"Shae, we're the reason the criminal rate went down." Briana tries to remind her about the many criminals they've caught in a year.

"Oh..." Shaina realizes.

Yet, in her long list of criminals that she has caught in the past year, Yin was still not on the list.

In the past year, there haven't been any out reaches from Yin (or Sherlock). Shaina didn't know whether that was good, or Yin was building up the tension for a grand finale. It was like he was waiting for the right moment to strike fear into the hearts of Santa Barbians. All Shaina could do is wait until Santa Barbara needed a hero.

"Sherlock's on the news again..." Briana interrupts Shaina's thoughts about an epic boss battle with her arch nemesis. Briana was watching the live news broadcast on her laptop.

"He has time to do interviews, but has no time to pick up the damn phone?" Shaina whines to herself as she crosses her arms defensively.

"Shae... I think you should look at this." Briana abruptly stands and grabs the remote to their flat screen TV. She turns it on and switches the channel to the 4 o'clock news.

On the screen was Sherlock and John getting bombarded by flashing lights and cameras. Several questions were being thrown to them all at once.

It seems like they were trying to get to their 221B apartment, but were getting slowed down by the news reporters in the way.
"So that's what the funny hat looks like..." Shaina laughs when she sees Sherlock is wearing his deerstalker to shade his face from the cameras.

"Can you tell us how you solved the case?"
...
"Who was the one who stole the jewel?"
...
"How did you two meet?"
...
These were just few of the questions that Sherlock lowered his head to, and John replied to with, "No comment."

But one question made Sherlock stop in his tracks and spin on his heel to face the news reporters dead in the eye.
"What are your relations to the American Detective, Shaina Spencer? I heard you worked with her."

Sherlock raised his head and put on a smug look, "Ms. Spencer and I have worked together in the past. And I look forward to working with her again."

That's all he said; but it was enough to make Shaina totally forget the fact that he hadn't contacted her in a year.
Sherlock was walking away on screen, and the news reporters made no effort to stop him.

"No further questions." John tells them, before turning and catching up to his partner.
The news goes on to tell of Sherlock and John's latest successes in solving crimes.

Briana puts down the remote, "So..."

"I guess we'll be working with them again in the future." Shaina nods.

"Are you really gonna work with him after he basically ignored you for a year?" Briana interrogates Shaina as she goes to sit back down at her desk.

"Well, let's not blow this out of proportion. I can't let him get away with it that easily! That would make me look desperate!" Shaina plans.

Briana squints her eyes at her,
"Wellllll, you are sort of desperate right now."

"Yeah, but he---" Shaina points to the TV that was currently showcasing Sherlock, "---doesn't need to know that."

"I'd give up if I were you." Briana advises.

Shaina looks over her crossed legs at Briana's desk, "You know what you can do?"

Briana looks away from her laptop, "What?"

Shaina slams her feet onto the ground,
"You can suck it! That's what!"

Shaina sticks her tongue out at her best friend, before turning around in her chair to look out the window.

1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6...
Shaina decides that once 50 people pass by the Psych Office, she'll take a nap.

~[GabbySLee]~