A Sign Of Two

6 - Just The Three Of Us

(((SHERLOCKS POV)))

It was morning, and the sun was shining through the curtains in my flat as London started to come to life outside my window. I was sat with my legs crossed on my chair facing the kitchen, my eyes closed, hands resting together under my chin. Eliza was still sleeping.

I thought about how bored I was without a good case to work on, I thought about the previous night I had spent with the mysterious girl that was now asleep on my sofa, I thought about sentiment. For the first time in what felt like years, I felt confused. I felt conflicted.

I didn't keep track of how long I was sat there in that position, but I was cut out of my trance when I heard the front door to 221B opening, and familiar footsteps making their way up the wooden stairs.

"Sherlock, I'm back!" I heard John call out merrily before he'd even reached the doorway. He strolled into the room and smiled at me "So what have you been-" he stopped talking immediately when he noticed Eliza.

"Sherlock there's a woman sleeping on the sofa." he said to me with an annoyingly perplexed expression. 

"Yes John" I mumbled, not bothering to give him an explanation.

"Care to explain?"

"Not really"

"Right then"

John sat down at the table, obviously feeling a bit on edge with a stranger sleeping in the house, he flipped open his laptop and examined how many views he had gained on his blog after his weekend away with Mary.

It was only a few minutes after John had arrived home, that Eliza started to stir.

She yawned and stretched for a good twenty seconds, making all sorts of peculiar faces as she did so, and all without opening her eyes. It was obvious she thought she was in her own bed, and she didn't realise that there were two pairs of eyes on her.

Eventually Eliza opened her eyes, and she sat up slowly as she took in her surroundings. Her eyes widened when she saw me. Her face turned to a dark shade of crimson.

"uh" was all she managed to say

"How are you feeling?" I said, looking at her.

"My head hurts" she grumbled before looking over at John "Hi John, nice to see you again"

John looked over to me, confused, before a lightbulb appeared to switch on inside his brain.

"Oh!" he exclaimed "You're the one from the hospital! Eliza, was it?"

"Yeah" Eliza responded with a yawn. "Care to tell me why I was sleeping on your sofa Sherlock?" her eyes wandered over to meet mine and she flashed me a quick smile.

"You weren't in any state to be left alone." I responded sharply. It was the only excuse I could really think of.

Eliza just let out a stifled 'hmph' before standing up a little too quickly, getting dizzy, and plopping back down on the sofa, rubbing her head.

"My head is killing me" she groaned.

"You don't half get up to much when I'm away do you Sherlock?" John chuckled.

"Shut up John"

*2 Hours Later*

"Eliza do you want some water?" I called to the hungover girl who was still pondering on my sofa hours after she'd woken up. She appeared to be on her phone. She looked up from the screen and smiled at me, making me feel a bit funny.

"If you don't mind" she answered before going back to whatever she was doing on her phone.

I set down a glass of water next to Eliza, who responded with a sweet smile. I reassumed my standard position on my chair. John was opposite me, on his laptop.

"I've been reading your blog John" Eliza said excitedly "It's so good! I especially loved the elephant in the room"

"Thank you Eliza" John said triumphantly with a quick smile, before flashing me a sarcastic look that said 'see, my website is much better than yours'

I let out a huff of annoyance. Eliza laughed at me.

"I've looked you up too Sherlock, 'The Science of Deduction'" she said with mock awe "Very interesting"

Her comment just made me even more irritated.

"Well if you're both done mocking me" I retorted sarcastically, before getting up out of my chair and picking up my violin, in an attempt to block out any further annoying people.

I wondered if Eliza thought I was boring.

Why do you care, Sherlock?

*1 Hour Later*

Lestrade burst in to 221B.

"What is it this time Detective Inspector?" I said sarcastically, not even giving him a chance to start speaking. "Found yourself out of your depth again?"

Lestrade let out a weak chuckle, trying and failing to hide his worry and stress.

"We really do need your help with this one" he said.

"Go on"

"Well...Women are disappearing all around London. The circumstances are always the same, crowded place, young woman goes missing. But there's nothing that links any of the disappearances, and there's nothing to show for it on CCTV"

"If there's nothing that's similar with the disappearances, how do you know they're all linked?"

"There's been too many in too short of a time frame. Will you take it?" Lestrade pleaded.

I rolled my eyes slightly and sighed at the helpless 'Detective Inspector'

"Fine"

Lestrade breathed a sigh of relief and passed me a thick file.

"Information on all of the victims so far" he sighed "Text me when you get something"

Lestrade walked out of the flat and I began to sort through the file, looking at the profiles of all the women who had gone missing.

"This is awfully morbid" Eliza said, hauling herself up off the sofa and grabbing a sheet of paper from the file that contained information on one of the victims. She examined it and sighed sadly. "Such a shame..."

"A terrible shame" John said, looking at the piece of paper over Eliza's shoulder. "Are we taking the case then, Sherlock?"

I looked up at John, then at Eliza, and then back to John.

"Yes..." I murmured "We are. All three of us."

"Three?" Eliza said, looking up, a bit startled.

"Splitting a taxi fare three ways is much cheaper" I said.

You're making up excuses again Sherlock.

Eliza stared at me and tried to hide the grin that was erupting on her face.

"What?" she said excitedly "You mean me? On a case?"

I flashed Eliza a quick smile, so fast and so small that only she would notice.

"This is how we welcome our new neighbors into Baker Street."