Contact High → Sherlock Holmes (BBC) [on hold]

{ thirty-nine }

Carmen spun on the floor. Her arms were arched gracefully over her head as she twirled. She kicked upwards, holding her leg up at impossible heights. She arched her spine backwards until her head was level with the back of her knees. Straightening, she immediately went into a pirouette. Her heart hammered as she shuffled into a jump. As she jumped, she knew it was wrong.

She hit the ground hard in the third position, wobbling a moment before stumbling. A curse flew out of her mouth as she fell hard onto her hip. Carmen sat up and reached over, rubbing her leg slowly. The pain from her ankle and knee radiated up her leg and into her hip. It was those stupid pins in the bones that made her ache.

"Closer this time, babe," Carmen's boyfriend, Oliver, said.

She smiled up at him, reaching down and untying the ribbons of her pointes. "Still not good enough," she sighed. He reached over and patted the top of hair. "You'll get there," he reassured, "If you actually do those stretches I keep bugging you about."

"This is what I get for dating my therapist," Carmen muttered playfully. Oliver gave her a charming smile, tilting his head at her, "You know it. No more practice for today?" Carmen finally got her pointes off, wrapping the ribbons carefully before standing and putting them in her bag. "No," Carmen sighed, "I'm meeting John... It's been two years today."

"Oh," Oliver said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Are you two going... to the grave?"

Carmen gave a stiff nod, pulling on her trainers and pulling her hair down from its tight bun. "Yeah," she said softly. She stood, plastering a smile on her face and walking over. She reached up, ruffling Oliver's sandy blonde hair and giving him a peck on the lips.

"See you tonight," she chirped. Oliver gave her a thumbs up and watched as she left the dance studio. Carmen slung her duffle into the back of a cab and told him where to go. It took a while to drive to the graveyard. Carmen's fingers drummed against the seat beside her. The cab pulled up to the cemetery and Carmen paid the cabbie before climbing out. She stood outside the gate nervously.

I'm here.
CH

Carmen sent the text to John and waited for a reply. She jumped when she heard a woman's voice from behind her. "Ooh, Carmen!" Mary called. Carmen turned on her toes, looking over at the two of them. John looked well, except for the mustache he was currently giving a go. Carmen grinned, "John!" She rushed forward and gave him a hug. Then, she turned to Mary, "Nice to see you again!"

Mary gave her a smile and a hug as well. The three of them, pleasantries over, now had to deal with the real reason they were here. Carmen shifted uncomfortably. "How's the therapy going?" John asked, eyeing her duffle bag curiously. Carmen shrugged, "Fine. Getting better, slowly. Which it should be, after two years. I don't think I'll ever be professional level again. But it's better than nothing, right?"

John nodded and Mary gave her a pitying smile. There was another beat of uncomfortable silence. John and Carmen had stayed in touch over the last few years, but only just. It was hard for the two of them to be together when they missed their joining piece. They had fallen further apart after a couple of awkward double dates. "Oliver didn't want to join?" Mary asked curiously.

Carmen shook her head, "I think he thought it would be awkward. With Sherlock and I's... relationship how it was."

Mary gave her an understanding pat on the shoulder. Carmen gestured to the entrance of the cemetery. "Shall we go, then?" Carmen asked. They all shuffled forward reluctantly. It didn't take them long to find Sherlock's grave. Carmen pursed her lips as she looked at the polished black headstone. Someone had already dropped off flowers. Carmen opened her duffle bag, pulling out the only picture she had of them together.