soledad_writes

PRECIOUS LIKE RUBIES
by Soledad

CHAPTER 01 – A CHANGE OF SCENERY

After Sherlock’s funeral John went on like an automaton for nearly a year.

He moved out of 221B, to a bleak little flat he could afford on his small Army pension and with the help of what his locum job paid. Actually, it did pay somewhat better now that he did show up more regularly instead of excusing himself half the time because of Sherlock’s constant demands of his time.

There was no longer any danger of that.

Fortunately for him, Sarah had been most understanding and called him in every time a replacement doctor was needed.

Unfortunately for him, she was clearly doing this because she felt sorry for him. For the hell police and press had dragged him through. For the loss of Sherlock. For his bleak life without hope. And if there was anything John hated like the plague, it was people pitying him. For whatever reason.

Still, when alone with himself – an increasingly frequent occasion lately – he had to admit that he was miserable. The job was dull and paid very little. His new flat was small, impersonal and almost empty. The sessions with Ella were even more useless than before, so he cancelled them.

He moved around as if separated by every other person in the world by a bubble of vacuum. A vacuum caused by the total lack of Sherlock in his life.
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SHERLOCK & THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT
by Soledad

Author’s note:
This story is now complete - thanks for reading and reviewing. :)
Beta read by lindahoyland, thanks!

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CHAPTER 19 – REVISIONS

April 28th 2014

Well… this is the truth about Baron Gruner and the vitriol attack against him, not to mention his failed marriage to Miss Violet Merville. As you can see, it was a fairly complicated case, and we never actually learned exactly who Sherlock’s illustrious client truly was. But he did listen to Mycroft’s suggestion and Mary and I got half the money and we would have been able to pay off the mortgage in record time if… well, you know why we didn’t, don’t you?

I’m glad that I found the strength to get through my case notes again. Reliving the happy times with Mary was bittersweet – but in the end, the sweetness of it outweighed the bitterness. It made me realise what I had with her, even though her loss nearly killed me at that time.

As you probably also know, I gave up the practice – and the flat – in Queen Anne Street after her death. I’m back with Sherlock at 221B again, and I’ve joined Sarah’s clinic as a full partner. We’re still good friends – but nothing more, so please, spare us any stupid comments, will you?

SHERLOCK & THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT
by Soledad

Author’s note:
The idea of Mummy Holmes as the Viscountess of Sherringford was conceived by fellow Sherlock writer sevenpercent who has the copyright for it.

Also, a word of explanation: I’ve nothing against mpreg. I even write the stuff occasionally. However, I think both Mary and John would be fairly alarmed by the idea, hence their comments.

Beta read by lindahoyland, thanks!

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CHAPTER 18 – THE TRIAL OF MISS KITTY WINTER

September 21st 2014

“What did Mycroft mean about not using the title?” Mary asked, when – several days later – the Watsons had a free moment. “What title?”

As if the patients had known that John wasn’t currently occupied with chasing criminals all over London with Sherlock, demands for both doctors’ services had been very high in the previous few days. John shrugged.

“Their mother, Lady Violet, is actually the Viscountess of Sherringford,” he explained. “She has got a huge estate and all that; somewhere in Essex, I think. I’ve only ever been to the Holmes Estate once, so I’m not really sure. But Mycroft will earn the title after their mother’s death, or so Sherlock tells me.”

“Lord Mycroft,” Mary mused. “That sounds really scary, somehow. Not that he’d actually need to get any scarier.”

“No,” John agreed. “Mycroft manages scary very well on his own.”
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SHERLOCK & THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT
by Soledad

Author’s note:

Some of the dialogue is loosely based on the original short story. The National Antiques Museum and its director are from the 1st Season episode “The Blind Banker”. Obviously, as everyone’s favourite consulting detective would say.

Beta read by lindahoyland, thanks!

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CHAPTER 14 – EXTREME MAKEOVER AND OTHER FRIVOLITIES

September 16th 2014

The next day started early for the Watsons – well, earlier than usual, that is. As much as both liked to sleep in occasionally, that was a luxury they could rarely afford.

The practice was open from 8 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. respectively, not counting the house calls that could come between and after shifts… sometimes even before them. Which meant that their day work could take as long as ten to twelve hours, and when Sherlock needed John’s assistance, Mary had to deal with it on her own.

On this day, however, it was John, who’d have to deal with their prospective patients alone. Mary had important errands to run before it was time for the big action at Vernon Lodge. She had to admit that she enjoyed the opportunity; but she was also quite nervous. This was the first time that she’d take part in The Work (she’d learned to think of it with capital letters, the same way Sherlock and John did).

What was more, this time the outcome of a somewhat risky action depended entirely on her. And – despite her confident words earlier – she was worried that she might make a fatal mistake.
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SHERLOCK & THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT
by Soledad

Author’s note: Beta read by lindahoyland, thanks!

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CHAPTER 12 – RECOVERY AND BATTLE PLANS

September 15th 2014

For the next six days John hardly ever left 221B Baker Street. The media frenzy over what had happened to Sherlock blew over after a few days, in favour of newer, even more interesting scandals, and he was grateful for that. He was wracked enough with concern for Sherlock without those damned press hyenas lurking in front of the house all the time, trying to get a statement out of him.

There were only so many times he could say No comment! Without giving in to the urge to punch somebody in the bloody nose. Giving them a literal bloody nose.

He winced mentally at his own bad pun.
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Note: my dear, knowledgeable beta pointed out to me that morphine wouldn’t do the things I stated it to do. I stand corrected – I must admit that I followed other misinformed people in fanfiction. One day, when I’m retired and have all the time the world, I’ll rewrite that passage, I swear, but at the moment I just need to finish this story, so keep in mind that I was obviously wrong and bear with me until then. Thanks.

SHERLOCK & THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT
by Soledad

Author’s note: Some of the dialogue is loosely based on the original short story.

Beta read by lindahoyland, thanks!

Timeframe: After Sherlock’s return. John has been married to Mary for about a year and moved out of 221B Baker Street.

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CHAPTER 10 – THE BLOW FALLS

September 8th 2014

On the next Monday afternoon, John had to answer some house calls. Mary always let him deal with this particular aspect of their shared work because she knew how much he enjoyed getting away from the practice from time to time and moving around the neighbourhood a bit. It was an excellent way to avoid cabin fever – and it had to be done, so they killed two birds with the same stone.

Today, the cases were relatively simple – mostly old people who were too weak or otherwise unable to go to the practice themselves and needed some tender loving care from their beloved family doctor. Therefore John was in a good mood when he finished his rounds and was finally about to return home.

Deciding to buy an evening paper for a change (they usually read the morning papers), he went to his old acquaintance, a one-legged vendor, who usually displayed his papers between the Grand Hotel and Charing Cross Station. The exact location changed from day to day, as old Banana Joe was a trusted member of Sherlock’s homeless network and didn’t really have the licence to sell his papers there, but he could always be found somewhere on that stretch. Meanwhile he counted as part of the scenery and the coppers looked the other way, not the least because he slipped them the odd piece of useful information.

John spotted the old man easily enough – dressed in his pirate costume, complete with a triangular hat and a fake eye-patch, Joe was a distinctive sight – but he was a little surprised to see the cluster of people who all seemed eager to buy a newspaper. Joe’s little business wasn’t so popular as a rule, although the tourists liked to take photographs, so something must have happened while John had been distributing good cheer and encouraging words among his ailing old patients. Something big.
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SHERLOCK & THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT
by Soledad

Author’s note: Some of the dialogue is loosely based on John’s blog entry re: The Blind Banker.

Timeframe: After Sherlock’s return. John has been married to Mary for about a year and moved out of 221B Baker Street.

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CHAPTER 07 – CONCERNING POTTERY

September 6th 2014

“All right, that is one story you never told me,” Mary Watson (née Morstan) said, sitting down with her other half at the kitchen table for a shared breakfast the next morning.

John gave her a wry smile. “You can read it up in my blog, you know.”

“I have,” Mary poured tea into both cups – in her opinion mugs were something for coffee; tea ought to be served in proper cups. She’d even brought a nice old Worchester set into the marriage, just so that she could enforce the new rule. John didn’t mind, either way. “I prefer to hear it from you.”

“All right,” John had learned not to argue with his wife over such things; besides, he liked the way she listened to his stories with wide-eyed excitement. It was quite the ego boost, and he could use that. “As you know, it all started with an e-mail Sherlock got from an old schoolmate of his.”
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SHERLOCK & THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT
by Soledad

Author’s note: A few lines of dialogue are borrowed from “The Adventure of the Illustrious Client”. For visuals: Kitty Winter is ‘played’ by Georgia Moffet.

Timeframe: After Sherlock’s return. John has been married to Mary for about a year and moved out of 221B Baker Street.

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CHAPTER 06 – LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCY

September 5th 2014

The day in the practice had been long and exhausting… which, on the one hand, was a good thing, John mused, after having seen the last patient of the day out and collapsing on his office chair. A numerous clientele meant a good reputation and a steady income, both of which they needed if they wanted to maintain a certain – however modest – lifestyle. Life in London was not cheap.

On the other hand, all those mundane cases could be really mind-numbing. Sometimes he thought if he had one more flu patient, or upset stomach, or imaginary tearing in a little old lady’s arthritic back, he’d scream. Yes, he loved his profession, but his current work was light years away from the rush of being a battlefield trauma surgeon, which he’d chosen to train for as a young medicine student. Being a GP, working in his own modest little practice day in, day out was boring.

He tended to understand Sherlock better on days like this.
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SHERLOCK & THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT
by Soledad

Author’s note: A few lines of dialogue are borrowed from “The Adventure of the Illustrious Client”.

Freiherr is the old-fashioned German word for Baron; a Baroness may be called Freifrau. And yes, aristocrats do adopt commons from time to time, either for financial advantage or because they don’t have children of their own.

Timeframe: After Sherlock’s return. John has been married to Mary for about a year and moved out of 221B Baker Street.

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CHAPTER 04 – FAMILY SECRETS

September 4th 2014

When he returned to the living room, he found Sherlock sitting in his chair, hands stapled under his chin in his characteristic thinking pose. He clearly hadn’t retired to his Mind Palace, though, because his eyes were not vacant. So John hoped that he would be ready to discuss the case.

“All right, Sherlock,” he said, falling into his old armchair, opposite his friend. “Who’s this girl, how do you know her and why did you take the case, even though Mycroft clearly had his fingers in the whole thing?”

Sherlock gave him a pained grimace. “You know who she is, John, don’t be ridiculous! You’re an Army doctor, surely you must have heard of General Merville.”

“Of course I have,” John replied. “But we’re talking about his daughter here. A daughter you seem to know from more than just the tabloids.”

Sherlock pulled a face. “Oh, for God’s sake, as if I’d waste my time with reading their drivel! Why don’t you try to use that tiny little brain of yours for a change? You’ve heard the girl’s name; it’s not a very common one.”

“True. So what?” John still wasn’t getting it, and it made him more than just a little annoyed. Having moved out of Baker Street also meant less exposure to Sherlock’s, well, Sherlockness, and thus he was no longer entirely immune against his ex-flatmate’s casual insults.
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