Chapter Text
Beginning of Time
Chapter 1
Navigating the London streets, Alex gripped her grocery bags tightly as she made her way back to her flat. It was early March, and a heavy, overcast sky loomed overhead as the morning bled into afternoon. A sudden, frigid gust of wind lashed at her face, prompting her to pull her coat a little tighter against the chill.
As she turned onto Baker Street, she thought back to the first time she had come here. It was during her junior year of college, when she was searching for an apartment after deciding not to spend another year in the dorms. That was when she found Mrs. Hudson’s newspaper ad for a tenant at 221C. She had called her, and Mrs. Hudson invited her over for an interview the next day. They had talked about everything from school and her major to her home and work life. Alex had asked about her life as well, and Mrs. Hudson briefly mentioned a difficult situation with her husband, saying only that he had gone to Florida for a while. From the way her eyes dropped and how carefully she avoided the subject, it was easy to understand what their relationship had been like.
After talking a while, Mrs. Hudson seemed to take a liking to Alex and said she’d be a perfect fit. Alex accepted, and Mrs. Hudson gave her the flat downstairs, 221C.
When she first saw the flat, it was a little worse for wear, but it was her first place, and Mrs. Hudson was such a lovely landlord that she would have taken it in any timeline. She also gave Alex a generous break on the rent so she could fix it up. It took about a year to bring it up to decent condition. The space was small but enough for one person: a kitchen, a living and dining area, one bathroom, and a modest bedroom with room for a queen-sized bed and a wardrobe.
The flat sat mostly below street level, which made it a little chilly, though the cold never bothered her much. The small living room had a fireplace, so she replaced the old stone with dark gray stone to give it a more modern look, pulled up the carpet, and installed dark hardwood flooring throughout the flat. In the kitchen, she replaced the cream tile with the same dark wood flooring from the living room, swapped the plain white cupboards for light gray cabinetry, and bought a new fridge because the old one no longer kept anything cold. She also replaced the stove, which looked older than Mrs. Hudson. The bathroom needed an update, as it had a toilet, sink, and a shower/tub combo. For the bedroom, all she needed to do was change the carpets to dark wood flooring and paint the walls navy blue.
Her uncle—who had raised her since birth—was the one who paid for everything. He didn't live in the UK; he was still in New York running his company. Despite the distance, they stayed in touch through regular calls and texts, and he flew over to visit her every so often. Other times, she traveled to see him, usually with the help of an old friend.
Alex sighed at the memories as she reached 221 Baker Street. Speedy’s Sandwich Bar and Café sat next door. She pulled her keys from her pocket, unlocked the building, and glanced toward her flat. Before heading home, she decided to stop upstairs and say hello to her neighbors.
On the second floor, she found one of them sitting in his chair, staring at a computer screen. He had deep brown curls, clear blue eyes, and wore a white button-up shirt with a black suit jacket and dress pants. He didn’t look up as she entered the living room and walked into the kitchen.
Alex had met Sherlock a few years earlier, when he helped Mrs. Hudson keep her husband in jail. Sherlock could be an ass, but he was brilliant at what he did and probably one of the most observant people in the world.
She walked over to the messy table to put the groceries down when she noticed a scratch on the table, and as she placed the bags down she asked, “So Sherlock, where is John?”
“Buying groceries. But now it seems pointless seeing as you have gotten them,” he replied.
“I didn’t get anything for you boys. This is for me. I just came up here to check up on you. Making sure you’re not blowing anything up,” she said. Looking at the shallow scratch, she gently brushed her hand over it. “Had an argument with the table?” she asked, looking over at him with a smirk.
“What are you talking about?” he said, still looking at the computer screen.
“There is a scratch mark on the table; it wasn’t there when I left. So, you had either had an argument with it, or I don’t know… had a sword fight with someone and they swiped the table instead of you.”
He pulled his face away from the screen and looked at her, curiosity filling his face as he tried to read her. Alex then laughed and said, “What? I saw the sword in the trash.”
She leaned against the counter, smirking as he opened his mouth to speak but soon shut it as the door shut downstairs. He turned his head and continued looking at the computer screen.
The footsteps were becoming louder as they walked up the steps, and around the corner was John with the groceries. He placed them on the table next to hers and looked at Sherlock.
“Is that my computer?” John asked, looking annoyed and walking toward Sherlock.
“Of course, mine was in the bedroom,” Sherlock stated.
“You didn’t bother to get up? Its password protected,” John argued.
“It took me less than a minute to guess yours. Not exactly Fort Knox,” he typed. “I see you’ve started a blog.”
John was suddenly wary, “You… you read it?”
“Imperious. Not a word I have been called before.”
“I said some nice things too. I said you knew some nice restaurants.”
“Pompous has a ‘U’ in it.”
“Right thank you.” John then closed his computer and took it away from Sherlock. John sat down in the chair next to the fireplace, while Alex walked over to the table and began to put away the groceries John had brought home.
“Oh, I can do that,” he said, beginning to get up.
“No, it’s fine I can manage it John,” she smiled and continued to put them away.
John sat back down and looked at the mail. “Anything important?”
“Just bills… I need to find a job…” John sighed.
“It was a Duel,” Sherlock said, holding his hands together.
John looked at him, confused, “What?”
“Hmm… ok,” Alex continued to finish putting away the last of John’s groceries, “Don’t worry about it John, just a conversation Sherlock and I were having earlier.” She looked at her watch, realizing she needed to get ready.
John sat there and leaned forward, “Listen… if you could lend me some… Sherlock, are you listening?”
“I need to go to the bank,” Sherlock said suddenly. He got up, grabbed his coat, and left. John sighed heavily and followed him.
“Good luck boys!” Alex yelled after them.
“Thanks Alex, I’m probably going to need it,” she heard John say.
She listened for the door to close. When it did, she grabbed her groceries and ran down to her flat, putting everything away as quickly as she could. She walked into her room, grabbed the key on her nightstand, and glanced at the mirror. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, with her bangs swept over to the left of her face. She leaned closer to the mirror and looked at her dark green eyes, sometimes swearing she could see gold speckles in them. She wore a dark blue button-up, the sleeves only going to her elbows, paired with black jeans, and her black converse.
Ok, time to see a Doctor, she smiled to herself. She put the key around her neck and left the bedroom.
She examined the living room and grabbed her black long coat and her gloves. Putting them on, she grabbed her iPhone and left her flat, locking the door on the way out. As she opened the door to the street, she found Sherlock and John standing outside.
“What are you guys still doing here?” she asked, surprised.
Sherlock turned to her, seeming to examine her attire. “Going somewhere?”
“Yes.”
“We’re waiting for a cab,” John said, looking down the street.
“That key. You only seem to wear it sometimes when you’re going out. Where does it go? What does it open?” Sherlock said as a cab drove up. Alex smiled and watched as John got in the cab.
Sherlock held the cab door open, turning to look at her, waiting for her to answer him. She smiled and said, “Something you’ll never open.” Without waiting for him to respond, she turned around and began to walk to the meeting place. All she heard behind her was the cab door shut and speed off.