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A Study in Partnership	By : LadyLaran Category: S through Z > Sherlock (BBC) > Sherlock (BBC) Views: 4968 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own "Sherlock" as that belongs to the BBC. Nor do I make money from this!

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Author’s Note – I am so very pleased with the reactions from chapter six. I was worried that everyone wouldn’t like it, but it seems that the readers are rather pleased. I’m amazed by your responses every time!
I owe all of you an apology. I have not abandoned any of my works; real life has been chewing on me constantly. At the last doctor visit, I was informed that she’d have to research more medication options as what she’d assigned me previously has not worked and/or I had bad reactions to. At the moment, we’re doing the pain management thing instead of attacking the source of the problem. Add to that, I threw my back out a few days ago when I helped my dad move something heavy. I’ve been trying to heal from that as well as adjust to the pain management drugs I was given.
I also send a huge thank you to OleanderHoney for her amazing inspiration and for recommending my series to her own readers. If you’ve not read her “Colors” series, GO READ IT! You will not regret it.
One final note, happy birthday to the amazingly talented Benedict Cumberbatch. It’s funny that he and I share the same birth year and are only a couple of months apart. Anyway, to Benedict Cumberbatch, may this year be full of amazing triumphs, a lot of laughter, and a lot of joy. Thank you for giving so much of yourself to your fans.
Disclaimer – I do not own Sherlock nor do I make any money from this story. I just like to play with the characters.
Chapter Seven – Taking A Step Forward
The discussion at Angelo’s had taken a few turns as the flatmates learned more about each other during their stake-out. Johanna had taken a nibble of her breadstick when Sherlock’s lithe form straightened. She noticed his unusual blue-gray-green eyes focusing on something on the street and realized that it was time to get ready.
“Is that it,” she asked, setting down the piece of bread and sliding into her coat. The physician wanted to be ready whenever her flatmate decided to make his move, and there was no way she would be able to handle being outdoors without her jacket. Her body was still used to the heat of Afghanistan, and she found London to be cold!
“I believe so,” he answered. “There’s a cab sitting across the street, just idling. It’s clever, but why is it clever?”
Despite her instincts to turn, Johanna held herself still and waited on her companion. Two people staring wouldn’t be good, and she tamped down on the desire to look to see what it was he watching. She would get to see what it was in a few moments and could be patient.
“Instead of debating on it, let’s find out why it’s clever,” she asked, jumping to her feet as soon as Sherlock hurried to his at her suggestion. She rushed out after him, right on his heels while they dashed out of the restaurant and across the street.
Nimbly, she dodged a car and heard Sherlock growl when the cab pulled off. The license plate was visible, and Johanna was quick to commit it to memory. She reported it to her flatmate, who gestured for her to be quiet before pressing his hands to his head. The former soldier obeyed, not insulted by his almost rude instance for silence.
What followed next was nothing short of impossibly amazing as the doctor listened to him rattle off street names, directions, and alternate routes for both the cab and themselves. In short, it sounded like he had the entire map of London memorized and that was incredible. She’d never heard of anyone being able to do this, not even the scouts during her time in the military, and it only confirmed the massive amount of intelligence the man had.
Within moments, the chase had started again with Sherlock leading them down alleyways and up the sides of buildings, going onto the roof to continue the run. Johanna didn’t even think when the gap between buildings forced them to jump; she just leapt over the chasm and landed smoothly as her stronger ankle took the brunt of the impact of the landing. The right one held steady, never giving her any issue at all as she kept pace with the taller male.
Both were breathing hard when they caught the cab, opening the door to the backseat. Johanna frowned a bit at her flatmate’s reaction, eyeing both the driver and passenger. The passenger seemed taken aback while the driver didn’t even glance back at them. She filed that away, focusing on the consulting detective’s words as he spoke to the occupant of the cab’s backseat.
He led her away from the vehicle, running for a moment before ducking down an alleyway. Both leaned against the wall of a building, catching their breath. Johanna turned to look at her flatmate, eyes wide with amazement, curiosity, and mirth.
“Where did you get that ID?”
“I picked Lestrade’s pocket,” the male said, showing it to her. “I do it every time he annoys me. You can keep this one if you like; I’ve got more back at the flat.”
The doctor shook her head, then started giggling as the humor of the situation overtook her. It’d been a long time since she’d laughed, and she was quick to explain when she caught Sherlock’s expression. The last thing she wanted was for her flatmate to think she was laughing at him.
“Sorry, it’s just ‘welcome to London?’”
The uniquely colored eyes squinted a bit as he found the humor in what she’d commented on, and he laughed too. It felt nice to have someone to laugh with, and Johanna giggled again.
“That was, without a doubt, the craziest thing I have ever done.”
“And you invaded Afghanistan,” he replied, still chuckling when she shook her head again.
“Not by myself,” she retorted, giggling harder. “I had a few other crazy blokes with me.”
“Got your breath back?”
“I do,” Johanna said, grinning as she answered him. She could see his eyes smiling in harmony with the small smile he was giving her, and she knew that had to be a real one because his face seemed to glow with it. The laugh lines around his eyes were also a point in proving the validity of his amusement, and the physician had a feeling he didn’t do that very often so it made her happy to know she’d made him laugh.
“Right then, come on,” he said before running out of the alleyway. The small woman matched his pace as they hurried back to their flat.
Once more, they went through unusual routes, relying on Sherlock’s uncanny memory of London. Yet again, the blond haired woman was amazed by this and knew she would continue to be every time this ability was shown.
The pair slowed down once they were a few blocks from their flat, and Sherlock shook his head. He’d been reviewing everything, and it just didn’t make much sense to him honestly.
“What’s the matter,” Johanna asked, catching the gesture he’d made. She could tell something was bothering him, and she genuinely wanted to help.
“The case,” he replied. “It should’ve been him in that cab, not the tourist. This person has all of London at his fingertips and seems to know the out of the way places to take the victims. Who would have this kind of knowledge? Who hunts in the middle of London?”
“It’d have to be someone who would need such an intimate knowledge of the entire city,” she answered, hands in her pockets. “I can only think it’d be necessary for work or a hobby of some kind.”
Sherlock didn’t reply, nodding absently as he pondered the problem. He added her words to the mix, trying to determine the proper course of action.
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Johanna realized they were at their building. She frowned, watching Sherlock unlock the door, and stepped through the open portal.
“Shouldn’t we return to the restaurant?”
“They’ll keep watch for me, and let me know if anything turns up,” he told her, leaning against the wall for a moment.
“Why are we lingering here instead of heading up to the flat?”
“Proving a point,” he answered with a smile. There was a knock on the door, and she opened it to find Angelo standing there.
“Sherlock texted me, said you’d forgotten this,” the Italian told her, handing her the cane she’d been so reliant on.
“Oh,” Johanna murmured, taking the item. “Thank you, I hadn’t realized I’d forgotten it.”
“Not a problem, miss. Have a good night,” he said with a smile, hurrying off.
The blond haired woman stood there for a moment, staring at the cane before turning to look at her flatmate. He was smirking, watching her closely.
“I didn’t even recognize I hadn’t had it with me,” she said, awe in her voice. “I didn’t limp, still not limping.”
Sherlock’s smirk turned into a grin. He was very pleased that she’d overcome the psychosomatic part of her limp. The detective knew there would be days where the limp would come back due to the nature of the injury, but at least she could be cane free during the good days.
“Thank you, Sherlock,” she said softly. “You really have improved things for me so thank you for not giving up and pushing me to go beyond where I thought I had to stay.”
“All that was needed was the right motivation,” he said. “You’ll have bad days with the weather on occasion.”
“But I’m limp and cane free otherwise,” she grinned, then frowned as a worried looking Mrs. Hudson approached them.
“Sherlock, what’s going on?”
“What do you mean, Mrs. Hudson? Johanna and I just returned home,” he answered, frowning at their landlady.
“There are people upstairs, searching your flat,” she answered, watching as her two tenants dashed up the stairwell to their home.
Johanna entered the flat to find Lestrade and a group of other policemen searching their flat, making a rather large mess of it. Both the medical and military parts of her mind protested the disaster they were making, and her dislike of the situation showed in her voice when she addressed the officers.
“What do you think you’re doing,” she asked, setting her cane down and watching the group very carefully. The former captain was very much aware of the holstered gun resting at the small of her back and was grateful she’d had the foresight to bring it with her instead of leaving it in the flat to be found.
“Oh hello, doctor. You two took your time getting back,” Lestrade greeted. “This is a drugs bust.”
“I assume you suspect one of us hiding drugs here,” she retorted, voice very cold. Johanna didn’t appreciate the insinuation, and it showed in her tone.
“We did find pain medication,” a snide female voice replied. “So there could be other kinds of drugs here.”
“Those are prescribed medications, written for me by the doctors I am currently seeing,” the irate woman told Donovan. “I do not abuse them, and they are not in the high level ones that are addictive. That’s a trap I’ll not fall under again.”
“Why have them at all? Could be you’re supplying the freak,” the police sergeant sniped back.
“You are out of line, Sergeant Donovan,” Johanna retorted, voice falling into military crispness. “I was shot twice in the line of duty and invalided out because of it. Detective Inspector, I trust you have probable cause as I know you are not in the narcotics division and neither is the group with you. If you do not have probable cause or a warrant, I will report you to your superiors.”
“Your flatmate has a history of drug abuse,” Lestrade rebutted, sounding shaken by the woman’s authority. This was the first time he’d seen anyone stand up for Sherlock that wasn’t Mycroft or himself, and the DI was rather impressed by her.
“For God’s sake, Lestrade, I’m clean,” Sherlock interjected, growing frustrated with the goings on. “I don’t even smoke anymore. Look.”
Johanna turned, spotting the arms he revealed when he rolled up his sleeves. She looked up into his face, and their gazes locked for a few moments as she studied him.
Sherlock was frozen in place, spotting what looked like understanding and compassion, and he was not given a chance to act on it due to her breaking the silence. As she spoke, he filed the expression away in his mind palace to be looked over later.
“If he says he’s clean, then he’s clean. I’ll thank you to get to the true point of this visit or that call will be made,” she warned the DI. “My patience is growing thin.”
“He found the victim’s case,” Lestrade told her. “We’ve talked about this before, Sherlock. You can’t go off on your own and then hide evidence. If you’re going to consult, you have to work with us.”
“Fine,” the consulting detective said, sounding petulant. He threw himself into a chair, staring at Lestrade. “Let’s get to work, shall we?”
Author’s End Note – I hope everyone enjoys this installment! We’re getting to the really good parts now, and I can’t wait! Please let me know what you think, and thank you for reading this chapter. I mentioned the narcotics division and if I goofed there, I apologize. I tried to research NSY and didn’t find much in regards to there being an actual narcotics unit. Also, in the US, you have to have probably cause for line of sight searches or a warrant for more in depth ones. I wasn’t in my normal chat group last night so I didn’t get to ask any of my UK chat buddies for details regarding police search procedures. If I messed up, I am very sorry and please let me know how it works so I know to ensure that I get it right for future chapters and stories. For update alerts if you’re reading this on a site that doesn’t have alerts, please look up my yahoo group. The link is on my profile. See everyone soon. ~Laran
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A Study in Partnership