The Army Doctor: An Unexpected Case

An Unexpected Meeting

John is sitting at Mrs Hudson's coffee table, going over the latest newspaper when a knock on the door sounds.

He looks up and walks over to the black door and opens it.

"Fili."

"And Kili."

They push themselves into the building and take a look around at Mrs Hudson kitchen. "Nice, this place. Did you do it yourself?" 'Kili' asks, "no, it's my land lady's, sorry but... Do you happen to be here for a case..?" John trails off, "oh yes. You're not Sherlock Holmes, are you?" 'Fili' asks, "no I'm not. Should I show you to my flat instead? We should find Sherlock up there," John ushers the two men up stairs.

As he walks behind them, he has the sudden feeling as though he's met them before. But where? Such odd and familiar names...

"Here, have a seat," John gets two chairs and plants them before his own. "There'll be another one, our uncle, he's coming." The blonde named Fili says, and as if on cue, another knock comes from down stairs. Fili and Kili fetch another chair and sit patiently for John to return, which he does, with the uncle following behind.

"I got lost, twice. Never would have found this place if it wasn't for the gold numbering," he takes his coat off and places it in his lap as he sits on a free chair.

Now this fella, this one made John's stomach turn. The overwhelming feeling like his met this one before, and he spoke such words upon their first meeting. But these two have never met before, not in this lifetime anyway.

"Tell me, where is Sherlock? For I much desire to speak with him." Asks the black haired uncle, "he should be here in just a moment - Sherlock!" Sherlock comes slowly from his room, his white bed sheet wrapped around him so no one could see anything. "What John?! Ooo, clients!" Sherlock goes to his seat and sits down. "Tell me of the person who hunts you," he commands. "How'd you know we were-?" Fili starts. "I call see it, I deduced you," Sherlock replies, sitting back in his chair more, pulling the bed sheet up so his shins were exposed.

"We believe he's tried to hunt and kill us before, we're certain of it. But only now do we think he has reinforcements. All we know of this man is that his name starts with 'A'." Black-hair explains, "that's not much to go off. But if he's tried before, and failed, how are you not certain of his identity?"

"Because he killed my grandfather and my own father has been missing ever since-"

"Why not search for your father instead? Why is this not a missing person's case, instead of a murder? Though murders and huntings are more fun to solve..."

"Because we are fearing for our lives, Mister Holmes!" Kili rises from his seat angrily, Fili places a gentle hand on Kili's arm, silently communicating for him to calm and sit down, which Kili does, a few moments later.

"So is that it? Is that the case?"

"Yes, it is," Fili says kindly. "It be best for us to be off, we hope to see you help us," the oldest one says, standing up. His nephews follow suit, and leave. Closing the door to 221B with a soft click.

The flat-mates sit in silence, thinking. John wants nothing more than to jump up and rush out to those men and say "yes, we'll help you", but he's not so sure about Sherlock.

"You obviously want to help them, because you feel as though you've met before. Don't worry, I feel it too, but I don't feel compelled to help them."

"How can you not feel like helping them?" John shouts, he rises from his seat. "They are being hunted, Sherlock. Hunted. And what are you going to do? Sit in your chair drinking tea? Play the violin whilst gazing from you window? Wait for Moriarty to come back? Huh? What are you going to do? Because these people need help, Sherlock, our help. And you are just going to sit in you chair as though you are a dragon upon gold!"

John storms from the room, leaving Sherlock one thing he thought he couldn't feel, surprised.

John leans against the stair railing, thinking. What was that little out burst? "Like a dragon upon gold," he whispers to himself. He closes his eyes and draws in a deep breath, he releases and opens his eyes slowly. He notices a piece of paper of the ground, he picks it up and reads it.

'We would greatly appreciate it if you helped us, please do. Here's my number if you decide to help. - Fili'

John reads the number and puts in his phone, but doesn't ring it. He puts his phone away and walks down stairs and outside.

He walks for a few blocks and comes a cross a newly opened bakery. "Bombur's Cakes," John reads, "alright then." He pushes the door open and finds ten people inside. Three behind the counter seven eating at different tables. John approaches the counter, "er, hello?" John asks, a man with shaggy wild black and grey hair and an even shaggier beard turns around. "Duf carry off," he says. John gives a questioning look as a man with an odd hat and braids steps out behind the first one. "Sorry about my cousin here, he doesn't speak too good. What can I do you for?" He explains, "ah, I'll just get a coffee..." John says nervously, he looks at the men standing before him, and he has another overwhelming feeling as though he's met them before. "I'll get on that," the English speaking one says and he moves off to make the drink.

John walks nervously to a table and sits alone, he peers around the room. Everyone here is either in groups of two or three. There's the white haired fellow with the long beard with the man with tattoos on his bald head who also had a long beard.

The next table over there's three of them, one with short grey hair and a beard pulled together in either a silver or metal tube, the other has a bulb cut with some braids, and the other has the most peculiar hair style John has ever seen. His hair and beard are pulled in such a fashion to look like a star fish.

The table by the window has a man with bright red hair and a beard with little clips and silver or metal tubes, and another man with shaggy grey hair and a beard with two perfectly curled braids.

He looks to the counter, the one with the hat has two braids and a moustache, the one next to him not only has shaggy grey hair, but a piece of metal sticking out from his forehead. John catches a glimpse through to the back, to a man that he spotted before, but took no note of. This man was fat, fatter than the rest seated out here, he had bright orange short hair, and a beard that looped around in a braid, quite fancy.

John looks at all these people and for a moment, he forgot that he was John Watson. For a moment, he forgot he didn't know these people. For a moment he imagined, an adventure.

"Coffee!"

John stands and collects his beverage and hands the kind sir the money, he turns to leave and knocks straight into someone, "oh sorry, my bad." He says as he looks up at the man with the long grey hair and beard and a grey outfit, completed with a pointed grey hat.

"It was my fault dear fellow, pardon me," the man moves forwards to the counter and John leaves the building. The churning in his stomach makes him want to puke. Part of him wants to vomit, another part wants to cry, another parts wants to track down the three from earlier and help them, and part of him wants to run back inside that building and grab all those men by the hand and go on an adventure.