A/N- Longer chapter... Hope it makes sense. Feel free to correct grammar or spelling, it really helps as I write with distractions around me... basically watching Sherlock as well as writing it >-<
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Darcy's POV
After getting that rather obscure text message I decided to simply sit on the sofa with my hands in my lap and my gaze fixed firmly on the wall opposite me. John was reading the newspaper, seemingly given up trying to get me to talk about anything let alone my time with Irene.
5:45pm
Was the time my phone told me it was, the day had come and gone already. I'd barely eaten at all but I didn't care. I had much more important things on my mind at the moment.
I'd used my phone to calculate that if I walked to St James' Park then it would take around 45 minutes. So, I would have to leave soon.
I hadn't settled in much since arriving back at Baker Street, the only thing I had done was take my jacket off and lay it on the sofa beside me. But other than that, my bag remained at my feet and my shoes firmly on with no intention of taking them off.
My behaviour was worrying me, on the inside as I would never show it, I didn't think I would be this closed off with them. True, I hadn't really gotten along extremely well with John like I had Sherlock but this was Baker Street and I was home. Or what home used to be.
5:55pm
Scott had been meddling in my thoughts, again, I was trying to fathom why he might have ordered me to see him and in such a wide open, public place. Obviously, this meet up couldn't be anything sinister otherwise I'd be heading straight for the hotel.
John was looking at me over the top of his newspaper now, I could feel it. "Yes, Dr Watson?" I asked but never once made eye contact with him.
"W-What? Oh, urm, nothing." He stuttered, flicking out his newspaper and busying himself with the articles.
I closed my eyes and delved into my mind, something I hadn't done in a long time. The evening I met Scott played out in my mind like a scene from a movie and I tried to find anything that might hint at what he was planning.
"A proper little genius." - Those Were His Exact Words. "Tall, curly hair, long grey coat..."- He Knew Sherlock, Vaguely But Knew Him.
"Why is it you are here?"- Prying, Insistent. He Had Stopped Me Leaving. "...you seem like the perfect distraction." He'd Kissed Me. Actually Kissed Me.
Focus...
"Have a nice nap." - I'd Knocked Him Unconscious, Probably Rather Angry About That. "This isn't over."- Threatening, Definitely Angry. Suggests Hostility, Except That He'd Been Nice and Given Me His Coat.
None of this made sense. Why couldn't I figure him out? I opened my eyes and ran a hand down my face in exasperation, a sigh escaping my lips as I did.
"Something bugging you?" John asked and I glanced over to see he had lowered his newspaper to pay more attention to me.
6:05pm
I shook my head an reached for my jacket, "More like someone." I muttered, standing and shrugging Scott's jacket on.
"Woah, woah, woah. Where are you going?" John got up and frantically interrogated, blocking my way to the door somewhat.
I straightened my collar and made for the door, "Out."
"Out where?" John asked sternly and took a step so he was completely blocking my exit.
Thinking on my feet, I looked down and when I returned my gaze to John I gave him a sad look, "I need to go for a walk, just to get some air and clear my head."
"I'll go with you." John told me and went to get his coat.
"No!" I exclaimed but then cleared my throat to soften my voice a bit, "I need to be on my own. I won't go far, I promise, I'll be back by eight at the latest."
John's face softened at my words and a look of recognition flashed across it, as though he were reminded of the person I used to be. "Fine. Be careful and be back by eight, no later." He ordered and pointed a finger at me before stepping out of the way.
"Thank you, John." I said, using his first name to appeal to him, and then marched over to the door after putting my phone in my pocket.
I left the flat before John could say anything and my heels clicked on each step as I hurried down them.
"Oh, hello again dear." Mrs Hudson cooed when I got to the bottom of the stairs and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at the distractions. "Where are you off to? You've just got back?" She added and I knew then that I couldn't ignore her and leave, I had been dragged into a conversation.
I smiled and turned to her from where I had my hand on the doorknob, "I need a bit of fresh air, Mrs Hudson, off out for a walk. I'll be back, no need to worry." I told her and opened the door forcefully, stepping out into the chilly evening air.
Closing the door and looking both ways down the street, I pulled my jacket further around me to keep out the cold and turned left. The street was as busy as ever, taxis and cars driving in both directions. Nothing out of the ordinary there.
The walk itself wasn't that bad, not too far and I'd gotten used to the long walks though London from my days at the orphanage before... well, that. But wearing heels was another matter and I had to avoid the heel on my shoes dropping into the small cracks in the pavement.
6:20pm
About halfway there, give or take, but due to my careful and steadying walking speed it may have taken longer. The weather hadn't improved much either and I was now walking with my arms crossed firmly in front of me to block the breeze.
My legs were freezing.
I had a couple of questions for Scott when I saw him, two mainly. One being, what the hell sort of game he was playing? And, why come to our house?
6:45pm
Almost there and should be on time. My feet weren't hurting as much as I thought and I was hoping that the cover of the park's trees might shield me from the cold a bit.
I finally stepped over the threshold of the park and onto a dirt, gravel path. Not exactly knowing which direction the meeting place was in, I opted to just pick left or right and then work it our from there.
It wasn't until after I found a very basic looking map of the park that I knew to just follow the path around to the right and I did so. I was surprised at how many people were out at this time of night, joggers, families playing on the grass and mothers with strollers walking alongside me.
The statue itself, once I'd found it, wasn't anything that special or important in my view. Just a plinth with a marble statue on top of a boy, looking at something rather far away. One each side of the four sided plinth was a bowl and a tap of some kind, that obviously meant it had been a water feature at one point.
I admired the monument, small as it was, until my eyes instead landed on a figure stood just behind it. He was dressed in a similar grey suit to the one he'd been wearing when I first met him and had the same smug grin on his face.
That alone made me want to hurt him, again.
"Ah, hello, Darcy." Scott greeted and stepped away from the small, green fence that separated the paved area from the flower bed behind. "What a wonderful surprise to see you here." He ran a hand through his already tousled blonde hair and widened his blue eyes slightly.
I kept a straight face and took a confident step towards him, "Surprise? You told me to come here."
"Yes, true. But I didn't think you'd actually show." He retorted and pointed in my direction casually, while his other hand remained in his pocket.
Unarmed.
With that in mind I relaxed a little and then moved so I was stood closer, "It was too good an opportunity to pass up." I said and gave him a slight smirk.
To which he straightened up his suit and raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Opportunity to do what exactly?"
"Ask you some questions, of course." I shrugged as though that were obvious.
"How many?" Scott asked and crossed his arms.
I frowned and put my hands in the pockets of my jacket, "How many what?"
He rolled his eyes and sighed, "Questions, genius."
"Why were you outside my house?" I decided to just jump straight into getting the answers I wanted from him. Besides, I had to be back at Baker Street for eight o'clock.
But Scott didn't answer, not right away, and just strolled off towards the path. I knew I had to follow him to get so much as one thing out of him and he seemed to be being difficult. No surprise there.
Huffing in annoyance, I marched after him until I was walking by his side, "So, my house? What were you doing there" I pressed.
"Your house? I was told it was Irene Adler's house." He commented and unbuttoned his suit jacket to put his hands in the pockets of his trouser as we walked.
"I was staying there." I argued and crossed my arms.
Scott looked down at me with a feigned look of surprise on his face, "Oh really? I had no idea."
I smirked back at him, "Of course you didn't."
We were silent briefly before he piped up again, "My turn. What were you doing getting into a police car?"
My cheeks flared up red and I looked down at the floor, "It's a long story."
"We've got a while to walk yet." He countered.
"Not long enough, I'm afraid." I muttered and moved out of the way of a jogger who decided it would be best if he ran right through the middle of us.
Scott sighed and suggested, "Well, why don't you tell me some now and then we can save the rest for the next time we meet?"
Upon hearing that I stopped walking and watched as he carried on without me before realising I wasn't there and then turned. Scott frowned at me, "What?"
"Why do you want to know so badly?" I asked accusingly.
He looked uneasily at me and apologised to a mother who was pushing a pushchair right into him from behind. "I don't know, I just-" He answered and then stopped himself. "I don't know."
Sceptically, I continued walking to catch up with him, "You never answered my question. What were you doing at Irene's house?"
Scott sighed and shook his head, "Father instructed me to give Irene a message."
"What he couldn't text? Or call?" I scoffed and shot him a look of disbelief.
"Apparently not." Scott shrugged and smirked at me. "Anyway, I just went to deliver a message. I didn't know you'd be there at all."
I raised my eyebrows and gave a slight, sharp laugh, "That's funny because you saw me leaving with Miss Adler, so, common sense suggests that you knew I'd be with her. Even you aren't that stupid, Scott."
When I looked back up at him, he seemed somewhat stunned and I couldn't imagine for what reason. He just chuckled, when he noticed me watching him, and masked his shocked expression with a charming smile. "Okay, so I knew you were there with her and it may have been the reason why I actually did as I was asked."
"Why did you want to see me then?" I asked and frowned, "The way I see it is that you don't like me all that much."
"I never said that, did I?" Scott argued and looked down at his feet. "I just think that you shouldn't get away with what you did to me." He gestured to a small scar on his forehead. "You left an impression on me, you see."
I shook my head at his pathetic excuse of a joke, "Oh, haha. Very funny."
Scott then stopped right in front of me and blocked my path. "It's true. You did..." I furrowed my brow so he clarified. "Leave an impression on me, I mean."
"In what way?" I asked with a slight chuckle.
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "You interest me." When I gave him another confused look he took a breath before adding, "You told me you were a high functioning sociopath. I don't know what that means."
I went to tell him exactly what it meant but he put up a hand to stop me. "You also knew everything about me before I even told you anything. How? You put up quite the fight. I can't imagine where you learnt that."
At that, I looked away from him and gulped nervously. Scott took a step towards me. "You intrigue me, Darcy. I want to learn more about you." He quirked a smile, "I also want to learn your last name."
I smiled a little. "So, when you said 'this isn't over' that meant that you intended on not leaving me be until you'd learnt everything about me."
"I said that?" He asked, clearly surprised. "Huh. I don't remember that."
He looked around, confused, and so I smirked before sauntering on past him. "I did render you unconscious, Scott, so it's no surprise."
"That you did." I heard him mutter before he was back at my side once more. "But yes, that is the general gist of our relationship."
"Relationship?" I laughed dryly and turned my head sharply to look at his smug face. "What relationship? We met, you got a bit too hands on and I beat you up."
Scott shrugged and wagged his finger at me, "Ah, yes, but we did kiss."
"That's exactly what I meant by 'too hands on', Scott." I argued. "And besides, you bit me!"
He groaned, "It was supposed to be affectionate. If you hadn't pulled away-"
"Alright, let's stop there please. I don't really want to think about it." I teased him a bit and he grumbled under his breath. "I'm sorry what was that?"
"I just said..." He cleared his throat. "...you can't be that put off by the thought of me if you're still wearing my jacket."
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out as I realised I didn't know how to explain. With a confused look on my face I glanced down at Scott's jacket, "Well... mine was taken from me and yours made a suitable replacement in the meantime."
"Yeah, okay, sure." He said sarcastically.
My eyes widened as it dawned on me just how long I'd been walking around with Scott. I reached into my pocket for my phone to check the time.
7:50pm
"Shit..." I cursed under my breath and froze where I was stood. "John's going to kill me."
"What? Kill you? Who is?" Scott asked urgently.
I waved a hand dismissively and made to walk away, "I've got to go."
"I can give you a ride home if you need one." He called after me and started walking quickly behind me.
Not wanting him to find out where I was staying, I spoke loudly over my shoulder, "No! That's okay, I'll walk if it's all the same to you."
"At least let me give you the money for a cab!" He persisted.
I stopped and deliberated on his suggestion. If I had the money for a cab, I wouldn't be home as late and John wouldn't be as mad. But taking the money would mean I owe Scott something.
"What makes you think I don't have the money?" I argued and turned on him as he appeared right behind me.
Scott jumped at my sudden stopping and answered, "Well, you walked here and are clearly planning to walk home."
"How do you know I walked here?" I asked in a loud tone.
"Your face was red and you were sort of out of breath when you arrived. So I put two and two together." He shrugged.
I blinked furiously at him, he'd just deduced. He'd just deduced. As though it were nothing. "Yes... I did. You're right..." I breathed and put a hand to my head. "If it's all he same I will take that money, it's just my carer might be worried if I'm not back soon."
"I knew you'd see sense." Scott commented with a bright smile and reached into his pocket, taking out his wallet. "Ten, should do it?"
I shrugged and grimaced slightly. Scott rolled his eyes and held out two ten pound notes, "Here, twenty. But you owe me."
"Don't worry, I'll pay you back somehow." I took the money and thanked him.
"I should hope you will, Darcy. When we next meet." Scott stated and put his wallet back in his pocket. "The time and place of which I will inform you of soon."
I slipped the money into an inside pocket of my jacket. "Why can't you just tell me now?"
He let out a slight laugh, "I have to check my diary and-"
"And get permission from your Father." I quipped and put my hands in my pockets before turning and walking away. "I'll see you then Scott Livingstone." I called over my shoulder.
After leaving the park it took me less than about a minute flag down a cab and situate myself comfortably inside. So, I would be seeing Scott again, no doubt. I wasn't sure why I would allow myself to talk to him further and therefore tell him about what had happened.
But I felt more comfortable talking to Scott about it than Sherlock and John. I think it was because with Scott I was free of judgement but with the others there was always that underlying feeling of betraying them.
I couldn't tell them about Scott either, a connection to the criminal world wasn't a stable platform for trust. So, how was I supposed to explain where I'd be going for my discussions with Scott?
"Here we are." The cab driver announced and stopped the car. "221 Baker Street, as requested. That'll be seven-fifty." I handed over the money and waited for the change.
I took the money and sidled out of the cab, "Thank you." I said quietly.
8:15pm
Fifteen minutes late. John was going to kill me.
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I initially intended to have more on the end but I felt it was too long... what are your thoughts on this? Scott and Darcy? Was it written well enough? I'm anxious... can you tell?
Not edited yet...
Please vote and comment, thank you ;)
-HBH xxx
Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters, except Darcy and Scott, or any lines from the show. Those rights belong to the BBC and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.