Copper Beeches (A BBC Sherlock Fanfiction)

Chapter Two

John saw nothing of their new neighbor for several days, and then, almost a week after meeting her, he ran into her again in the foyer. "Oh, hello," he said. His attention went to the large box that she was working at ripping open. "Do you need some help with that?"

The woman spun and crossed her arms. "You," was all she said. Her eyes flashed with anger.

"Yes?" John responded, uneasily. "Have I done something to offend you?"

"When you said I might see an unmarked car around, you ought to have at least mentioned I'd be kidnapped by it!" the young woman snapped, obviously livid. Her voice rose with every word. "Getting dropped off in the middle of a giant warehouse for a chat with a stranger is not my idea of a fun afternoon!"

Dumbfounded, John stared at her. "I'm really sorry, Violet," he told her sincerely. "I had no idea Mycroft would do that to you." He hesitated. "Did he offer you money to spy on us?"

"Of course he did, John," Sherlock said, coming down a few steps. He was dressed in his usual at home outfit: t-shirt, pajama pants, and a dressing gown. "Sherlock Holmes. You must be the new neighbor John was warning me about."

Violet shifted her glare to him. "Yeah, I know," she said. "I can see the family resemblance between you and that...that man." Sherlock froze. "I don't care what tradition you people have here in London, or whatever it is you call what happened to me, but this will not happen again. Do I make myself clear?"

Stepping down to the bottom, Sherlock towered over the woman. "Or what?" he asked, his tone cool. Violet's glare changed to a look of confusion. "Generally when you say something 'will not happen again', there's a threat accompanied with those words, Miss Hunter."

"I don't threaten people, Mr. Holmes," Violet responded evenly. "I don't need to."

Quickly, John hurried down to get between them, trying to think of some way to apologize to the woman. To his surprise, Sherlock laughed. "You must have had an interesting conversation with my brother, Miss Hunter," the tall man commented. "Did you harm any of his minions, did you?"

A blush colored Violet's cheeks. "Not seriously," she said, still holding on to the anger in her voice, though now there was a touch of smugness. "And, actually, I wasn't offered money to spy on you."

John wished he'd had a camera to capture the look of surprise on Sherlock's face. "You weren't?"

"No," Violet answered, a smirk appearing on her face. "Its not an offer when its assumed I'll accept what's offered. Your brother simply handed me a check along with a number which I would use to let him know what was going on in your flat." She raised her chin in defiance. "I tore it up in his face, in case you're interested."

Sherlock's eyes flicked over her. "Perhaps he could see, as I do, that a little extra money could go a long way for you, Miss Hunter," he remarked. Violet's eyes widened. "You're used to having what you need, so a basement flat is a long way for you to fall, isn't it?"

"How the hell can the two of you possibly know that?" Violet demanded in a low tone.

"You didn't ask Mycroft?"

"I was a little preoccupied with getting him to send me back," Violet said dismissively. She uncrossed her arms to poke Sherlock in the chest with one finger. "Now, you're going to tell me how you seem to know me so well."

"No no no," John said quickly, moving between them. "Not now, Sherlock."

"She asked," Sherlock responded, looking over John's head. "Your clothes, Miss Hunter. They're well made, clearly not cheap. And they're not that far out of style. That tells me you come from a rather wealthy family, but you've taken a damp flat in a basement. So, you've had a change in circumstances."