The Science Of Second Chances//Book Two

Author Note

Well, it's taken around eight or nine months but it's done. It's finished. The Science of Second Chances is complete. Freshly made cookies and a juicy murder for those who stuck with this story the entire time (and the one before it!). I hope you guys will stick around for the next book, and the one after that :D

This book was a difficult one to write. It's one of those books which jump up a level. The first book, The Science of Blood, Bombs and Brothers, was an introduction. It was one of those 'scratch the surface' books. We found out about Teddy, we found out a little about her past with her brothers and, of course, James Moriarty. We saw how Sherlock and Mycroft cared for their sister (Mycroft especially) and vice versa. We got to see the bonds Teddy would make with other characters in the show, most importantly Molly and Lestrade. That book was slightly easy to write.

This one was harder. This one was focused on relationships; the good, the bad, and the complicated. This one was focused on second chances, hence the title.  This was the book where I had to dive deeper into Teddy's past and try to evolve her as a person, which I hope I have managed to do. Only you, the reader, will be able to decided whether I did that or not.

The relationship between Teddy and Irene was one out of two difficult relationships I had to write. I needed to show that, though Irene was still sour over Teddy's abrupt leave, she still cared for her high school friend. I also had to show that with Teddy after she found out that Irene had faked her death. I had to be careful that I didn't make it too cliché, too messy, or too out of character. That last one was the most important. I couldn't let them get too out of character. I hope I didn't. Overall, I am quite happy with the results when it comes to Teddy and Irene's relationship. They sorted out their issues and were able to part- not as the close, mischievous best friends they once were in high school that Teddy originally wanted them to be- but as friends who knew that they would never be those teenage girls again and who did not mind. There would be more adventures in the future for them to experience together.

The second relationship that was hard to write was the relationship between John and Teddy. Originally I was going to get them together at the end of the third book, but I decided against that. I needed to give them time together so Teddy's character could develop. I think this was a hard relationship to write because I was worried it would be too early for them to get together. So many other things were happening in this book and I was afraid that with this new relationship it would just all be too much. I also couldn't let their relationship overshadow the Irene and Teddy one too much, seeing as that is the one I intended on being the main point in this book. Juggling those two relationships was difficult but I feel that I have managed to do well, even though there are some points in the book where I feel like John did outshine Irene. Perhaps in the future I'll fix that, but for now I am happy.

But now I feel like talking about Teddy and John. I've mentioned them and now I want to talk about them because I love them :) This is one character development that will begin to feature heavily for the next two books. Teddy, the girl who doesn't believe in love, will slowly, hopefully, change her mind. She taking those first few baby steps towards something that scarred her so long ago. She is giving it a second chance. This subject also makes me want to ask you guys whether or not you noticed the parallels between the last lines of this book and the one before it. Just a bit of foreshadowing that, I have to admit, I'm still grinning over. In the next story John and Teddy's relationship will become the starring point in the book. Whether or not John will be able to convince Teddy that love does exist I can't say. You'll just have to stay tuned.

Now is the time where I acknowledge the people who, without them, this story would not be here.

First, thank you to Ariane DeVere for her transcripts. You are a trooper, writing out every single episode so that people like me can use them to create fan fictions. You have no idea how thankful I am for your hard work and, if you ever stumble across my fics, know that you are amazing and so many people out there love you. You go, girl!

Thank you to Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat for bringing 'Sherlock' to life on our screens. Please get Season four out ASAP because the Season three final made me adjkfsdfgfdshj and I don't think I can handle another two year wait.

Thank you to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Every day I wonder why you never saw how wonderful Sherlock is. Still, thanks for creating him and writing such amazing books.

Thanks to my parents who put up with my fangirling ways and who encourage me to continue writing. Also, thank you for the wiffy (That one is for you, Supernatural fans.)

Thank you to my sister who listens to all my plot ideas and is the only one in the world who knows how this fan fiction, along with all the others I have planned, is going to end.

Thank you once again to Greg Laswell for your amazing songs. Also thank you to Kodaline, Passenger, Tom Odell, Rosi Golan and Bastille for your awesome tunes. Welcome to the playlist!

Thank you to my mind for not giving up. Please continue your good work, it is much appreciated.

And finally, last but not least, thank you. You, the reader, who is the motivation I need to continue writing Teddy's story. Thank you for your encouragement and thank you for your reads, faves and comments. I do this for you guys and I hope I can make you guys happy. That is all that counts.

The next book titled 'The Science of Fear' will probably be up sometime at the end of the month. I need to settle back into school which has just started and get myself sorted. Once that's done, I'll get onto the book.

Until then, you guys keep being awesome. Stay classy, watch Sherlock twenty more times, and I'll see you soon.

xoxo

~ DM