Back To The Start (Sherlock fanfiction #Wattys2016)

Chapter Eight: Meeting with Harry

Abigail arrived to The Packet a few minutes later. She paid the driver and climbed out. She studied the outside of the location. The Packet was a pub. Great.

Abigail knew Harry was something of a drinker, but she never thought it was bad. At least, not until that dispute between Harry and John at Harry's wedding when John got mad at Harry for have too many glasses of wine. John and Harry never really got along. Abigail got along with both her siblings, but she got along better with John.

She sighed and entered the pub. The minute the doors were opened, the smell of alcohol hit her and she nearly gagged. Abigail was never a fan of alcohol. The first (and last) time she ever got drunk, she had a "wild night", as her friends described it, although she couldn't remember it at all. She had also had a horrible hangover the next morning and basically stayed in bed all day.

Sitting at the bar with a drink in hand was Harry. Abigail approached her sister and sat at the stool next to her. Harry finished her drink before acknowledging Abigail.

"You came quickly," she stated.

"Well hello to you, too," Abigail muttered. "I was around."

"Well, I'm glad you did come."

"It seemed important. It's been a while since you've texted me with such urgency."

Harry smiled to herself. She waved her glass at the bartender, who knew that meant to fill it up. Abigail took a deep breath. She hoped this was only Harry's second drink as she didn't want to have to deal with a drunk Harry.

"Want anything?" Harry asked her sister.

"No thank you. I'm not the drinking type," Abigail replied. "Except maybe a club soda?"

The bartender gave Abigail a smile and nodded. He went off to get her soda as Harry sipped at her drink. After another mouthful, Harry gulped and smiled.

"I miss seeing you, sis," she said. "It's been such a long time."

"Oh God, Harry, are you drunk?" Abigail groaned.

Harry chuckled. "No, no. This is only my...third drink. I'm just stating facts. I know you and I were never as close as you and John are and I hate that because a big sister is always supposed to have her little sister's back and teach her things about boys and makeup and all that stuff."

"Well, lucky for you I never did like makeup and John gave me the boy talk," Abigail said. "How's Clara, by the way?"

"She's good. Fantastic. Told me to send you her love."

The bartender returned with Abigail's drink. She smiled and thanked him and took a sip. Harry had finished her third drink and was already requesting another. Abigail bit her lip to keep from telling her sister that she shouldn't be drinking so much. Abigail did want to have a good relationship with Harry, but it was hard when she wanted to tell her off for drinking so much.

The bartender filled Harry's glass and Harry knocked it back as if it was nothing. Abigail took a deep breath.

"Why'd you call me here?" she asked as she slowly slipped her sister's glass away so that she wouldn't have anymore. 4 drinks was quite enough.

"Oh right! Yeah. Have you heard from John? He never returns my letters or my messages or anything. I called mum yesterday to see if he had wrote or called them or anything. They said they haven't heard from him in months. I'm starting to get worried."

Abigail's brother, John Watson, was over seas in Afghanistan as a war doctor. Their parents wrote to him often and he always replied. Harry wrote to him, too, but he rarely returned her messages. The only person he was guaranteed to write back to was Abigail.