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A Study in Duets	By : LadyLaran Category: S through Z > Sherlock (BBC) > Sherlock (BBC) Views: 2302 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock or make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Author’s Note – The response to the first chapter was outstanding. You guys are utterly amazing, and I’m so happy to know you guys are enjoying this installment of the series. Music is important to me, and I hope I’m able to convey the love of the art form through the characters in this tale.
Disclaimer – I do not own “Sherlock” or make any money from this story. I just enjoy playing with the characters.
Chapter Two – Pianissimo
Dinner passed pleasantly with the two of them occasionally laughing over different things while they enjoyed the delicious meal Angelo had created for them. These were times Johanna savored as Sherlock ate without complaint and kept the conversation interesting. She learned a lot about him during moments like this, and she knew he did the same about her.
The detective ate all of the food on his plate and a portion of the doctor’s, who didn’t complain since her own appetite was still struggling due to her continued recovery from her injury. She didn’t like seeing food wasted and often gave him the rest of her portion if he was still hungry after finishing his own.
Sherlock was very eager to see the doctor’s reaction to the piano, but he didn’t rush the meal. It was always an enjoyable time when they ate together as it was an opportunity to learn more about her. It seemed that he was always uncovering something new, and it was delightful to realize that the surprises just kept coming when it came to her.
After he paid for the meal, the physician slipped on her coat and followed him out of the restaurant. By unspoken agreement, the pair decided to walk back to the flat. She slid her hands into her pockets, reminding herself once again to find gloves when she was able to.
“I wonder how long it’ll take me to adjust to the temperature here again,” she mused, waiting for her fingers to warm back up.
“Considering the length of time you spent in the Middle East, it will take a while,” Sherlock responded. “You need to add a scarf and gloves to your outdoor gear.”
“When I get the chance to,” Johanna answered, knowing her budget was too tight right now. The army pension was enough to cover the basics, and adding to her wardrobe wasn’t a necessity for her at this point in time. She would try to add to her outdoor gear once she was cleared to start working as a doctor again.
“I take you’ll spend the evening restringing the Strad and tuning it?”
“It’ll take up some of my time, yes,” he replied, already looking forward to getting his violin ready to play. It was annoying when this happened and never good for his temper.
“I just might curl up with a book then,” she informed him. Watching telly would be out of the question since the tuning of the violin required silence so it could be done perfectly.
Sherlock didn’t answer and unlocked the door to the building. He let her in first, closing the door behind them and following her up the stairs to their flat. Once they entered their shared rooms, he stepped around her so he could see the expression on her face when she saw the piano.
Johanna hung up her coat and turned, freezing in shock when she spotted that a part of their living room had been rearranged. An upright piano was against the wall, gleaming in the lamplight.
“Sherlock? Where did this come from?”
“This belonged to my aunt Bronwyn; she left it to me when she passed away a few years ago. I haven’t had the space before now to have it with me. Mycroft had been keeping it for me at his home. Since I now have a flat large enough, he brought it to me.”
He could see her fingers twitch with eagerness to go to the instrument and try it out, and he watched as she moved closer to the piano.
“I didn’t know you played the piano,” she ventured, eyeing it with longing. The time at the grand piano in the instrument shop had brought an old addiction back to life, and the urge to make music was almost a physical pain.
“Not as well as Mycroft does,” Sherlock admitted. “I learned it but showed more promise with the violin. Aunt Bronwyn was determined I continue with the piano as she adored the instrument. She left her piano and her music books to me in hopes I would play it as often as I do the violin.”
Johanna noticed a small bookshelf beside the piano and crouched to see what music books were there. She read over the titles, smiling at a lot of them.
“Your aunt had a very eclectic taste in music. She’s got everything here from classical to pop to new age to Disney. Some of these my father had when I was little,” she commented, pulling one book out to look through it.
“Go ahead and try it out,” the detective offered, setting up a small work station so he could restring the violin. “I know you want to and if she could, she would say that someone needs to play an instrument or it loses its soul.”
“I never thought of it that way,” she told him, taking a seat on the bench and adjusting it. Once she was comfortable, Johanna set the book onto the music stand and opened the cover for the keyboard. The doctor played a chord and smiled.
“Nicely tuned,” she pointed out, and her flatmate shrugged.
“Mycroft ensured it was taken care of, but it hasn’t been played much. He has his own instrument he prefers to play when the mood strikes him. So feel free to play this one as often as you like,” he told her, doing a mental checklist to ensure he had everything he needed for his task.
Johanna turned on the bench, looking at her flatmate for several long moments. She had a feeling he’d had the piano brought over for her but knew he’d never admit to it. A soft smile curved her lips as she turned back to the music book, hands settling over the keys.
“Sorry in advance for the mistakes,” she called out, knowing how much of a perfectionist the man could be.
“You’ve not played in a long while,” he returned. “Apologize for the mistakes by practicing enough so I won’t be continually tortured by wrong notes.”
The doctor laughed and chose the first song in the book, one that she remembered her father enjoying. The sound of Pachelbel’s Canon in D filled the flat, and she winced enough for both of them each time she hit a wrong note. The blond haired woman forced her way through the piece and shook her head.
“Too damned rusty,” she muttered, then began running through the warm up exercises she’d had to memorize as a child. It was the best way to help wake up her muscle memory as well as refresh her mind on key signatures.
Sherlock didn’t say a word as she went through scales and arpeggios. She was hesitant at first, but the hesitance slowly disappeared as her confidence began to grow. The warm up exercise was gone through several times before the piano stopped singing, and he looked up from his work to find her watching him.
“Thank you, Sherlock. It really means a lot to be able to play again,” she said to him.
The genius waved off her gratitude and pointed at the music book, silently demanding she continue playing. The doctor laughed softly, looking for something a bit simpler to run through this time. It didn’t take long before she found another familiar piece and the sound of Brahms filled the flat.
She played for a while, enjoying the ability to do so, and the short haired woman was smiling with unfettered joy by the time she was finished. Johanna couldn’t remember the last time she was this relaxed, and she knew she would make use of this piano as much as she possibly could.
After she stopped, Sherlock took advantage of the silence by beginning the process of tuning the violin. The doctor said nothing while she silently closed up the piano and put the book away, finding the library book she’d been reading and curled up on the couch to read.
With his back to her, the detective gave a satisfied smile. He’d learned quite a bit about her just from observing her while she’d played, and the information he’d uncovered was both fascinating and disturbing. It was obvious the music was something that connected her to her father, who had taught her, and he couldn’t help but be infuriated with the woman who had sold the instrument and didn’t allow Johanna the ability to continue with the activity she so enjoyed.
Sherlock had also learned just how particular his flatmate was when it came to her approach to music. If she got something wrong, she would go back and work until she was able to play that section five times without a mistake before allowing herself to go forward. It was a meticulous habit that would have followed her into other activities she participated in.
Thinking on it, the consulting detective conceded that the habit most likely had affected her studies, making her push for perfection, and he had to wonder if there had been any detrimental side effects to the practice. His mother and brother had often tried to soften the habit in himself, worrying about burn out, and Sherlock wasn’t too sure if Johanna had someone in her past that would have done that for her.
The more he thought on it, the more he realized that there was quite a bit he still didn’t know about his flatmate. Johanna was open to a point, but she really didn’t speak much about her family, childhood, or her time in the military.
It was a bit frustrating for him since he was used to being able to read people easily, but he found it fascinating too. A part of him hoped that he would never get to the end of the book that was Johanna Watson because she never disappointed him.
The piano had been a good addition to the flat, and he would continue to observe her while she played so he could try to read more about her.
Sherlock pulled his thoughts back to the instrument he was tuning and allowed the rich tones to fill the air once the Strad was ready to be played properly. He let his mind drift with the music, allowing himself to feel at peace.
Author’s End Note - I’m not as pleased with this one, but the transition is needed so I hope it works for everyone. Thank you for reading, and please let me know you thought of the chapter. See everyone soon, Laran.
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A Study in Duets