When the Past Returns - BBC Sherlock Fanfic

Chapter 5 - The Great Game

John and Sherlock marched into Scotland Yard, making their way towards Inspector Lestrade's office. As they made it to the correct floor, Lestrade was waiting for them at the lift.

"You like the funny cases don't you? The surprising ones?" He asked as all three men started to walk towards the office.

"Do you smell that? Smells familiar?" Sherlock questioned, looking around the room, knowing he recognised the smell but unable to put his finger on where he smelt it before.

"Sherlock? Focus," John said, nudging his companion.

"What? Oh yes, funny cases, yes." 

"You'll love this," Lestrade, ignoring Sherlock's outburst, opened he door to his office inly to find someone was already there, sat at his desk. Sherlock and John stopped behind him, wondering why he hadn't continued into the room. Sherlock barged his way to the front only to be met with a similar green eyed girl. He rolled his eyes with a sigh, looking down at the ground as she sat there grinning at the group. 

"Hello boys," Penny smiled, leaning back in the chair and crossing her legs.

"What are you doing here?" Sherlock questioned through gritted teeth, which only made the smile on Penny's face grow wider. 

"You recognised Penny's perfume the minute we entered the floor?" John questioned his friend, smirking slightly.

"Shut up John," Sherlock whispered sharply, causing both John and Penny to chuckle.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Lestrade asked, still wondering how she managed to even get up there and into his office without anyone stopping her.

"Oh sorry, how rude of me," Penny stands from her seat and holds out her hand. "Penelope Morris, but you can just call me Penny." Lestrade takes Penny's hand tentatively, not really understanding who this girl was and why she was here.

"Nice to meet you, I guess. Um, Inspector Greg Lestrade," Greg lets go of her and looks over towards Sherlock and John, hoping for a little more explanation. 

"Well, now that the how do you do's are over I ask again, what are you doing here?" Sherlock's voice dripped with annoyance, she was the last person he wanted to see right now. Her presence here couldn't be a good thing. He could feel John's eyes burning a hole into the back of his head. After what he shared in that taxi, he knew that John would be watching them like a hawk.

"Oh," Penny ignores Sherlock's questions once again and returns her attention to Greg. "I was told to tell you that if you have any questions as to my presence here then you are to contact this number. I have bee sent to assist on this case. Mycroft Holmes will be happy to answer any of your queries Inspector." Penny glances at Sherlock, knowing that this would annoy him greatly as she handed Greg a business card. She could almost see the steam coming out of his ears. John stood behind Sherlock trying his best to hold in his laughter at the situation. Penny noticed, winking at John with a slight smile. Both of them enjoying the detectives discomfort.

"So," Greg speaks up, finally processing what was going on. "You're here about the explosion?"

"Gas leak," Sherlock corrected, his hands tightening into fists.

"No," Penny said, looking a little smug.

"No?"

"No, made to look like one. Aren't I right inspector?" Penny looks over at Lestrade with a smile. He nods and looks back to Sherlock and John.

"Hardly anything left of the place except a strong box, a very strong box and inside it, was this." He pulls out an envelope from his desk and hands it to Sherlock. All eyes are on this envelope, each one of them curious as to what's inside, what secrets it holds.

"You haven't opened it," Sherlock observed, Turing it over in his hands, inspecting every inch of it carefully.

"It's addressed to you silly, why else do you think you are here?" Penny piped up, taking a seat on the edge of the desk.

"We've x-rayed it, it's not booby trapped," Lestrade reassured. John couldn't help but let out a small laugh, he found the whole situation rather amusing. Sherlock began to deduce things about the envelope, the type of paper it was made from, where it was made, the type of pen that was used and the type of person that used it, No matter how many times Penny had seen Sherlock pluck pieces of information from mid air, it never failed to impress her. She will never forget the first time she witnessed it, back in Mycroft's office. They all watched as Sherlock carefully tore open the envelope and tipping the contents into his hand, the room fell silent. All of them staring at the object in the detectives hand. John was the first to break the silence.

"But that...that's the phone. The pink phone," he stuttered.

"Oh, you mean the one from 'The Study in Pink'?" Penny interjected,  John smiling at the mention of his blog.

"Well, obviously it isn't the same phone but it's supposed to," Sherlock paused, his brain catching up with what had been said.

"The Study in Pink? You read his blog?" He looked at Penny in disbelief and then over at Lestrade, who is nodding along with the conversation. "You too?"

"Course I read his blog, we all do," Lestrade laughed at the bewildered look on the sociopath's face.

"And of course I read it. I needed to catch up on what's been going on while I've been away. Do you really not know that the earth goes around the sun?" Penny smirks, though she was only joking. She knew that Sherlock's brain was more like a hard drive and sometime had to delete unimportant information to make way for the useful stuff. She just hoped, deep down, that the memories of her were still locked away in there somewhere. She fiddled with her necklace, getting lost in her thoughts. The only thing that brought her out was the sound of the phone alerting everyone that there was a message. When the message played, five identical beeps sounded and then nothing. That was it. Penny's brain started to work over time, she had heard those beeps somewhere before but she couldn't quite place her finger on where.

"Is that it?" John asked what everyone was thinking.

"No. That's not it," Sherlock tons the phone to face everyone. It was a picture of a rather old and tattered looking room, a living room guessing by the fireplace. The room was average size but it wasn't very high end so it had to be central London somewhere. Penny could see the cogs in Sherlock's mind turning as he was trying to work this all out. She did always love watching him think. It may sound creepy or strange but she felt she could really see the real Sherlock when he was lost in thought.

"What the hell are we supposed to make of that? An estate agent's photo and the bloody Greenwich Pips!" Lestrade exclaimed, you could tell that he isn't really know where to go from here. 

"It's a warning," Sherlock starting at the photo on the phone, like he knew it from somewhere. That's when it clicked in Penny's mind.

"A warning?" John asked.

"Of course!" Penny stood from her position and started pacing the room, thinking out loud. "She secret societies used to send dried melon seed and things like that. Five pips, they're warning us it's going to happen again," Penny pulls on her coat and heads to the door. 

"And I've seen this place before!" Sherlock rushed after her, John and leotard following close behind.

"Hang on, what's gonna happen again?" John asked, still a little confused as to what was going on.

"Boom!" Penny and Sherlock answer in unison. They both look at each other and she could've sworn she saw a small smile creep into his face. They all jump in a cab and head towards Baker Street. Penny was a little excited, it had been years since she had felt this much adrenaline. It felt good to be back out on a case gain, being in London and despite everything, being around Sherlock Holmes. She would never be able to explain it but he just sucks people into his adventures and at the moment, there was no where else she would rather be. 

A/n Sorry if this chapter wasn't that exciting, but I still hope you enjoyed it! I will be sticking to the storyline of the show but I do want to add some of my own cases and little side stories in there to break things up a bit if that sounds good to you guys! Thank you for reading, it does mean a lot! 

Holly x