Adult-FanFiction.org : Television / Streaming

A Study in Duets	By : LadyLaran Category: S through Z > Sherlock (BBC) > Sherlock (BBC) Views: 2300 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock or make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Author’s Note – Once again, another delay in posting due to losing internet and catastrophic computer failure. I apologize and hope that things will continue to remain in good order so I can keep on writing and posting! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed.
Disclaimer – I do not own “Sherlock” nor do I make any money from this story.
Chapter Four – A Variety of Preparations
The next day was an exercise in frustration that disguised itself as fun for part of the time. Johanna spent more time at the piano than she had since her flatmate had brought it in, and she was finding it interesting to see what she could do when it came to following Sherlock as he played along with her.
The doctor had found that the ability to read him also applied when they were playing together. The first song they’d attempted was Pachelbel’s Canon in D, which was one of her favorites, and he’d made sure to follow the music perfectly for the first few run throughs. Johanna had been able to match him whenever he changed tempo or held notes out for more emphasis.
Once they were sure she was comfortable with it, Sherlock began changing things up by forcing her to take the melody at times when he switched back and forth from the main melody to the supporting one. It had shocked her the first time, but she’d managed to roll with it and pick up his intentions fairly quickly.
The detective had ordered their meals in, not wanting to waste rehearsal time by going out, and the pair of them had eaten meals while listening to songs on youtube to determine which pieces they wanted to learn. Johanna was terrified by the music he was leaning towards; they were beautiful but sounded so very complicated, and she wasn’t sure she was good enough to handle it. Her doubts became even more entrenched when her left hand played up more and more as the hours of repetitive practicing rolled by.
Once they’d come to a decision regarding the music, Sherlock placed an order for the sheet music and put a rush on it. He would have to do some rearranging to help with the difficulties Johanna was experiencing with the limitations of the nerve damage and would need time to get the arrangements done so they had time to learn the music before the competition.
The curly haired male had been rather impressed with her emotional control; he’d thought she would have given into a rage to burn off her frustrations rather early given how hard he was driving them to learn how to read each other before the music arrived, but she hadn’t. The doctor had kept her calm, forcing herself to work through the handicap, but he knew she was getting close to losing her temper.
The expected strop came when Sherlock informed her they had an appointment and escorted her to a very nice dress shop that he knew his mother frequented during her occasional trips into London. Johanna had balked outside the doors, staring at him with eyes full of mixed emotion.
“Why are we here?”
“You will need some outfits for the competition,” he answered. “I’ve seen what you have, and none of it will work for this case.”
“I can’t do this,” she hissed, nearly shaking as her control snapped. “This is too high end, and I can’t afford it. Even then, I don’t do fancy clothes, Sherlock. I never have, and it’ll show when I’m not comfortable in whatever we find. Discomfort will make me stand out like a sore thumb where you want me to blend in.”
“These will be fitted for you so you will feel more at ease in the outfits,” he reassured her. “Mycroft is paying for this since this case is for him. I know you do not feel comfortable with this, Johanna, but it is necessary. You need to be able to blend in and as it is, at this moment in time, you won’t. You need the clothing and a few other details will also need to be attended to before the competition.”
Sherlock could see that she wanted to protest, and her fury showed in the blue gaze that met his so fearlessly. However, he could also observe that she knew he was right and was infuriated by that. A part of him understood that it wasn’t just the fact that she needed to supplement her wardrobe that upset her but rather that her circumstances didn’t allow for her to do it herself. The consulting detective also had a suspicion that her views regarding her personal appearance were also causing a lot of her discomfort and agitation regarding the situation they were facing. In light of that, he wondered how she would handle the hair appointment and manicure that were to be given a few days before the competition was due to start and wondered if he shouldn’t get Mycroft or his minion to handle it for him.
“Fine,” she capitulated, stalking into the shop after her flatmate opened the door for her.
“Sherlock,” a warm female voice called out as a tall, plump woman hurried to greet him. “It is so good to see you. How are you, and how is your lovely mother?”
“Doing well, Tessa, and I believe she is planning a trip to see you fairly soon,” he answered, kissing her cheek. “Now, I would like to present my friend and flatmate, Dr. Johanna Watson. She’s the one I spoke to you about.”
“Oh yes,” the auburn haired woman said, beaming a smile at the obviously uncomfortable Johanna. “It’s nice to meet you, dear. I’m Tessa Deveraux, owner of this shop. Sherlock said you would need a few things for a competition you both are entering?”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Johanna answered, trying to be polite even though she was feeling stressed over this. “Yes, I’m his accompanist at a violin competition and he seems to think I need to be dolled up for the event.”
“He’s right,” she said, guiding them deeper into the shop. “Most of the competitors come from money or are sponsored by people with money, and you’ll want to give a neutral impression if not a good one. Now, tell me, Dr. Watson, what do you not want in a dress or dressy outfit?”
“Nothing sleeveless or with a low back,” she replied. “I was injured not long ago, and the scarring is too vivid to be ignored. I’m not comfortable with putting it on display.”
Tessa nodded, making notes on a small tablet she carried with her. The woman would do her best to find something that would help the small blond haired doctor blend in with the other competitors and still allow her to remain as comfortable as possible.
“I can work with that,” she replied. “Anything else?”
“No long skirts or dresses,” Johanna stated adamantly. “It needs to be something I can move in easily. I hate feeling confined by clothing. As short as I am, some outfits require heels and that’s out. I can’t wear them.”
“Can’t, dear?”
“Another injury, I have to wear a brace on the ankle at all times. It’s rather obvious if I’m in anything but trousers and drawing attention to ourselves isn’t a good thing,” she replied, fingers twitching as she resisted the urge to start playing with her jumper.
“You live an active lifestyle, correct,” the other woman asked, looking up at the nervous physician.
“I do,” the former military woman answered. “I’ll be honest, I feel more comfortable in denims and jumpers than anything else. I get cold easily, and I do prefer softer fabrics when I can get them.”
One thing Johanna enjoyed was something Sherlock hadn’t discovered yet was that her pajamas and sleep attire were made from soft cottons and other fabrics that were gentle against her skin. She didn’t have too many since she didn’t have a lot of money but after so many years wearing military issued attire, the softer materials were a luxury.
“I can work with this,” Tessa assured her, setting her tablet down as she did so. “Fortunately, the first rounds of the competition mean you can get away with wearing a pair of dress slacks and the like. I can think of a few styles to start with, but the last round or two will demand something flashier than a simple suit. I have a few ideas of what to try, but we’ll wait and get you measured first.”
She led the woman into a private room and had her strip down to her undergarments. Johanna stood still, letting the auburn haired female look her over before whipping out the tape measure. Nothing was said of the massive scars on the front and back of her left shoulder or the ankle brace that stood out like a sore thumb.
“As a doctor, I don’t suppose I need to tell you that you’re underweight,” Tessa said softly.
“No, you don’t,” Johanna replied in a calm voice, knowing the woman was concerned. “The injury and recovery took a lot out of me, and I was sick for quite some time after I was wounded. I’m regaining muscle mass, but it takes time since I’m still on restriction for certain types of activities.”
The other woman nodded, quoting a numerical figure that Johanna recognized as her ideal weight for her height and bone structure.
“That’s about right,” the doctor told her.
“What I’d like to do is find you the right attire that can be adjusted once you’re back to full health,” Tessa informed her. “It’ll mean coming in for measuring again, but that’s fairly simple and not too time consuming. This way you can get more use out of the clothing and won’t have to worry about not being able to fit into them once you reach your target weight again.”
“I’d appreciate that,” she replied, grateful the store owner had suggested this. “I’m not a fan of having something I won’t be able to wear again; it seems a waste of money to me.”
“I agree,” Tessa said with a smile. “Which is why I want to do this for you so you’ll be able to get more use from the clothing. Now, before I forget to ask, he’s doing this for a case, isn’t he?”
“He is,” Johanna said, getting a feeling that this woman knew her flatmate rather well. “I can’t go into details, but it’s very important we’re able to pull this off.”
“He brought you to the right place,” the auburn haired woman answered. “I can understand the need for free movement since trouble seems to follow Sherlock wherever he goes. Now that you’re measured, slip back into your vest and denims and follow me. We’ll go see what we can find for you.”
Bemused, she did as ordered and followed the woman out into the main area of the shop. Sherlock was waiting for them, sitting in a comfortable chair. He looked up when they came in, looking questioningly at his flatmate.
“Everything all right, Johanna?”
“I think it will be,” the blond said, dropping her jumper onto the seat next to him. “She knows what she’s got to work with so we’ll see if she can work a bit of magic to ensure I’m not looking frumpy.”
“Perish the thought,” Tessa snarked playfully when she overheard the physician’s answer. “No one looks frumpy wearing any of my designs; this I promise you.”
By the time their appointment had ended, both the designer and detective had chosen a few outfits that could be mixed and matched with the blouses, jackets, slacks, and skirts that had been picked out. There was also several dresses chosen; each one had a vintage look to them that was rather pretty and seemed to suit the physician quite well.
Johanna had been rather bemused as her choices were overridden by either Sherlock or Tessa. After her fourth choice had been disregarded, her flatmate had jokingly commented that she had the most appalling taste in clothing and it would be better for everyone if she refrained from trying to share her input on this and let them work.
The physician had laughed at his words, allowing him to run the show since fashion wasn’t her thing. When they were done, Johanna was rather pleased with their choices and nearly swallowed her tongue when the price of today’s shopping venture had been announced. It was more than nearly six months of her pension put together, and her stomach twisted anxiously at the amount.
Sherlock didn’t bat an eye, handing Tessa the card that Mycroft had sent for him to use, and picked up the bag that contained a few items that Johanna needed now but wouldn’t get for herself. The rest of the clothing would be ready in a few days, which pleased him, and he would have his brother’s minion retrieve the items once Tessa was finished with them.
“You do realize we’ll have to work a lot of cases to pay him back,” Johanna told him as he flagged a taxi down so they could return home.
“No, we won’t,” Sherlock replied. “This case is one of the bigger cases of the ones that crosses his desk, and he knows that expenses will occur due to the sheer scope of it. Don’t worry about it, Johanna. There’s a lot more to focus on at this moment in time, and worrying will not do you any good.”
“You seem anxious to get home,” she observed as the cab made its way through the busy streets of London. Johanna was eager to change the topic since she knew she wouldn’t be able to win this particular argument.
“I am,” he told her. “The music is due to arrive today, and I have to do some rearranging before we can begin starting to learn it.”
“You’ll get it done quickly,” the blond reassured him, grateful that he was doing what he could to work around her physical issues. “We’ll be ready for the competition once it starts; I’ll make sure of it.”
Sherlock said nothing, knowing she was right. They would be ready, but he just hoped the pair of them could pull this off. This was a competition he had never thought to enter and now that he was, he would privately admit to himself and his flatmate that he was rather nervous about this. There was simply too much that could go wrong, and that meant the pair of them would have to do everything they could to minimize the chances for error.
Author’s End Note - I hope that everyone enjoyed this update. Again, I apologize for the delay. There are days when I despise technology, but it does have its uses! Please let me know what you thought of the chapter. ~ Laran
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Study in Duets