An Enola Holmes Mystery

Special One-Shot: Clarity

A/N I have been running low on ideas for this fanfic, well more accurately, I keep coming up with ideas and then promptly forgetting them. So while I try to come up with better ideas to keep this fanfic going, here's a small one-shot of Holmesbury that will hopefully satisfy you until I get another chapter out(who am I kidding, you guys came here for the book, not the one-shot, but this is all I got). Enjoy the one-shot, I will try to get to you soon with another chapter.

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Enola sighed and buried her face in her hands. Whenever she was handed a case, she worked it hours at a time, sometimes missing a meal or two. The perpetrator behind this particular case had taken great care to make sure his or her steps could not be followed easily. 

A knock echoed throughout her residence, startling her. Letting out another sigh, she stood to answer the door. She was surprised to see the young Lord Tewkesbury standing on her doorstep, but hid it well.

"Tewkesbury. What are you doing here?" She asked, curious, although her mind was telling her to get back to studying the case. 

"Thought I'd drop by to see how you were doing. You've seemed stressed whenever you've written to me lately." Tewkesbury said, a smile on his face despite the concern in his brow.

"So you decided to drop by?" Enola asked, slightly skeptical as her brain tried to figure out all the ways I could possibly ask him to leave, both politely and not so politely. 

"Yes, and I know that detective brain of yours is trying to figure out how to get rid of me, so before you can, I'm asking politely out of concern for you if you would come with me, away from this place. Not for long, I promise, but maybe this will help you clear your head?" Tewkesbury asked, stunning Enola with both his offer and the fact that he knew exactly what she was about to do. 

Enola quickly tried to figure out the pros and cons to the situation and the possible solution Tewkesbury had brought up. He was right, leaving her residence probably would clear her head, but at the same time, her brain was so certain that if she just stayed at her desk for a little while longer, she could solve it. But ultimately, not wanting to be rude, she concluded that she should go with Tewkesbury, even if that opened up a different side of her that Enola wasn't too sure of. 

"Okay, just let me get a little more presentable than this, and I'll meet you outside." Enola said, making sure that he wouldn't wait inside and see her mess of a work area. For some reason, the idea of him seeing that made her feel embarrassed. 

In a relatively short manner, Enola had brushed her hair out, letting it hang in loose natural curls and tied a part of it back with a blue ribbon. After one last glance in the looking glass, she headed out the door into an unnaturally sunny London day. Tewkesbury grinned when he saw her and offered her his arm. Enola wanted to giggle at his gentlemanly manner, but bit it back and simply smiled as she took his arm. 

Tewkesbury walked Enola a short distance to a nearby park where they both sat down on a bench and simply breathed in the beauty of the day. Enola let go of Tewkesbury's arm, but let her fingertips brush the back of his hand, almost wishing that she could hold his hand without it being awkward. The young lord was a dear friend, yes, but she felt clueless in matters of the heart. Her brain almost always knew what to do, but when it came to Tewkesbury, her heart started pounding and butterflies erased all rational thought from her head. Enola wanted to believe he liked her as more than a friend, but because of her upbringing, and her mother's constant teaching of vigilance when it came to men, Enola didn't know what to do or how to interpret the looks Tewkesbury gave her. 

"Your brain is working overtime again." Tewkesbury teased. "Allow yourself to be in the moment, Enola. Not everything needs to be solved using your head."

Enola smiled gently at him. It was almost as if he knew what was going through her head at that exact moment. Deciding to be impulsive, which was very foreign to her, Enola spoke her thoughts aloud. "If not everything needs to be solved by using my head, how do you decide anything?"

"Well, as cheesy and cliche as it sounds, sometimes you need to let your heart guide you in your decisions. Your head can help here and there, but with some of the biggest decisions in your life, you lead with your heart, not your head." Tewkesbury tapped the side of his head to demonstrate. "I certainly wasn't thinking with my head when I met you. All I was thinking about was the adventure I was going to have while having a certain goal in mind. Why do you ask?"

Enola opened her mouth, but no words came, so she shut it again. She knew why she had asked, but she didn't know how to word anything. Her brain was refusing to help. So, maybe she should take his advice and lead with her heart where this boy was concerned. 

"Are you okay, Enola?" Tewkesbury asked, noticing her lack of an answer. Enola couldn't answer. She knew if she put off this conversation any longer, her heart might physically explode. But maybe she didn't have to speak. Maybe her actions could speak for her instead. It wasn't exactly how society worked nowadays, but to hell with the rules. She'd never been one for following them anyway. Leaning forward, Enola placed a chaste kiss on Tewkesbury's cheek and pulled away. 

"I'm fine, Tewkesbury. Better than fine." Enola's brain was going into overdrive. She had just kissed Tewkesbury, without thinking at all. Trying to look at the silver lining, Enola reasoned with herself that at least he now knew where her feelings were concerning him. 

Tewkesbury still hadn't moved, but slowly a smile was creeping onto his face. "Did you just take my advice without argument?"

"Maybe." Enola said, a blush finally appearing on her cheeks. 

"You should listen to me more often. If I haven't missed my guess, you enjoyed that as much as I did, Enola." Tewkesbury smiled, taking Enola's hand in his. If Enola's brain had previously been on overdrive, now it was near to exploding. Tewkesbury liked her back! 

"I did. I wouldn't mind doing it again if you didn't." Enola found herself saying, before mentally slapping herself for how wrong that sounded. 

"Think you could stop that brilliant mind of yours from worrying for one second?" Tewkesbury asked, not unkindly. Enola looked at him, once again amazed at the fact that he could read her so easily. But then her brain stopped functioning as Tewkesbury leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. It was a gentle kiss, but still full of passion that Enola now knew he felt for her. Enola reciprocated quickly, wanting to deepen the kiss, but knowing that would be a bit much for right now. They pulled away far too soon for Enola's liking, her cheeks bright pink and her eyes starry. 

"What do you say, Enola? Same time tomorrow?" Tewkesbury grinned, looking at her with what Enola knew was love. She nodded eagerly, before his lips were on hers again. The case could wait. Right now, Tewkesbury was all the clarity she needed.

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There's the one-shot. I hope you enjoyed! I will try to get an actual chapter out soon now that I'm on summer holiday, but no promises. In the meantime, you can check out my other romance/adventure book, A Gem Among Rebels if you get bored waiting. See you in the next one!

~IcyCat