And then there was three; a Sherlock Fanfiction

One

"Sherlock you have to wear a tux at a wedding, it's tradition," John held his head in his hands, exhausted from the excessive wedding planning and complaints from Sherlock.

"Oh, yes, tradition," said Sherlock, his voice dripping with venom, "we'd never want to mess with that,"

John rolled his eyes, "Mary, help me," he glanced sideways at his fiancé, fighting the urge to punch Sherlock in the face.

Mary's lips curled into a smile, "Come on Sherlock, for me?" She batted her eyes jokingly, winking at John.

Sherlock sighed in defeat, grabbing the tuxedo from the couch and stomping off to throw it in his room.

"John?" Mrs. Hudson peeked her head around the door hesitantly, "there's someone at the door, she asked for you,"

"Me?" John said, "Why would they be here for me? Is it a client?" He stood up, passing Mrs. Hudson and starting down the stairs. Mary followed behind, skeptically.

"John, she's American," whispered Mrs. Hudson conspiratorially, trailing behind the couple.

"American?" Muttered John, slowing to a halt in front of the door. Mary stopped behind him, while Mrs. Hudson hurried to hide in her apartment.

John took a deep breath and swung open the door.

In front of him stood a blue eyed brunette woman, surprised by the suddenness of John's appearance. She was of average height, but looked taller in her long, sky blue coat. John recognized her immediately.

"Lilly?" John asked incredulously, pulling her into a tight hug, "what are you doing here?"

Lilly Harper smiled, hugging John awkwardly, until he pulled away. "Well, I wanted to visit: see if I could help with the wedding," she shrugged, "I was getting sick of sitting around at home, thought I'd come back to London," she smiled now, shivering slightly from the damp weather.

"Oh, well come in," John backed up quickly, holding the door open for Lilly as she entered. "Mary, this is an old friend, Lilly," John said, smiling.

"Oh, yes I've heard all about you," Mary smiled at Lilly kindly, shaking her hand, "it's very nice to finally meet you!"

"You too," Lilly replied truthfully, "its wonderful being back," She sighed, shaking off her coat.

"So how did you know I'd be here?" John asked, curiously.

"I read your blog," Lilly said, following John and Mary up the stairs, "I just guessed,"

"You read my blog?" John asked, turning back to look at his friend.

"Yeah, of course, it's really very interesting. Although I am a bit surprised your writing," Lilly replied mockingly, "you always hated English,"

They were at the top of the stairs now, entering the messy and cluttered flat of Sherlock Holmes.

"Sherlock?" John called out, walking into the kitchen, towards Sherlock's room.

"What is it now John? Are you going to tell me that I have to comb my hair back for your wedding as well?" Sherlock asked bitterly, walking out of his room. He stopped suddenly, squinting at Lilly suspiciously, "Who are you?"

"Sherlock, this is my friend Lilly," John answered. Sherlock said nothing, his blue eyes scanning quickly, deducing.

Lilly shifted, scanning Sherlock in a similar way. He was relatively tall, with a mess of hair at the top of his head. His eyes were a bright blue, and his cheekbones very prominent. Lilly might not have been a genius, but she was good at reading people. She'd studied psychology in America for a while after high school , and her current job required an eye for detail.

"Lilly?" Sherlock asked John, keeping his eyes on her.

"Yes," John said, "Lilly Harper. I've told you about her Sherlock. Family friend, used to visit from America every summer, remember?"

"Of course I remember," snapped Sherlock, ripping his gaze from Lilly and facing John.

"Lying..." whispered Lilly, to herself, a slight smile on her lips.

"What?" Sherlock whipped back to look at her through squinted eyes,

Lilly stepped over to the bookshelf, reading the titles of each book carefully "Hm? Oh nothing,"

Sherlock said nothing, but continued to glare at her turned back.

"So, Lilly," Mary started carefully, "do you have a place to stay while your here in London?"

"Yes, after my parents passed away, they left me their small apartment," Lilly said casually, still facing the bookshelf, "it's only about 5 minutes from here, 10 if you walk,"

An awkward silence filled the room then; all eyes were on Lilly as she curiously studied the room. Sherlock seemed slightly annoyed, unsure what exactly this woman was. Anyone could tell that she was intelligent, and her stance showed confidence, but the detective couldn't 'read' anymore than that. Frustrated, he was reminded of another woman, the woman, whom he'd had trouble reading years before.

Eventually Lilly turned her attention back to Mary, John, and Sherlock, satisfied with her surroundings. John was watching her happily, obviously glad to have her back for his wedding. Mary looked happy too, but slightly concerned.

That's understandable, Lilly thought, John's female best friend did just arrive out of the blue from America. Jealousy or caution would be only normal.

When she looked to Sherlock, though, she realized that his expression,on the other hand, was far from happy. He actually looked a bit annoyed, while attempting to mask a hint of confusion.

"Well, you guys have questions," she stated, taking a seat in John's chair, "ask away," she smiled, waiting patiently.

"Well, what are you doing now?" John asked first, easing himself down on the sofa. "I heard you got a new job,"

"Yes," she laughed lightly, to herself, "nothing special really, just a secretary," Sherlock and Mary took a seat; Mary next to John on the sofa and Sherlock in his chair.

"Where do you live?" Mary asked, taking John's hand in her own.

"I move around a lot, switching between jobs, but at the moment I have a little apartment in New York," Lilly replied simply, shifting in the chair.

"Are you married?" Asked Mary, looking at Lilly curiously.

"No" Lilly chuckled, "relationships aren't really my thing,"

John opened his mouth to ask another question, but was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Sherlock's head snapped up as Mrs. Hudson shuffled into the room, "Sherlock, you have client,"
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Ah! So that was the very first chapter!! Writing that was way more stressful then it should have been... But it was totally worth it!

I should also let you know that Lilly is in fact American because I am American. I honestly would have preferred her being British, but I'm afraid I wouldn't have done the character justice.

To clarify, this book takes place in season 3 of Sherlock on bbc, but it will not contain everything from the actual show. Everything up until the end of 'the empty hearse' is the same, as our story picks up shortly after that. If you have any confusion feel free to comment and I will certainly attempt to answer every question that I can.

Love to all
M