The Swan Queen | Sherlock

The Party

 The day of Amy's party rolled around and I was a nervous wreck. I spent the morning at work making mistakes with orders and being an all-round nuisance. Simon noticed my behaviour and cornered me about it once the busy spell settled down.

"Alright, what's gotten into you today? You're acting like it's your first day with the amateur mistakes you've been making."

"Nothing," I replied, wiping down the newly vacated tables. "It's nothing, stupid really."

"Come on, tell your uncle Si. I'll refuse to work with you otherwise."

I sighed, scrubbing at a stubborn coffee stain. "It's just... I was invited to a party tonight and I'm not sure if I should go."

"Who's party is it?"

"An old school friend."

"Ok, and who invited you?"

"An even older school friend." I gave up on the stain, slumping into a chair. "I haven't socialised with any of them in years, and going by Facebook they all seem to see each other all the time."

"So what?" he replied, slipping into the chair opposite mine. "I barely speak to anyone I went to school with either, but if I was invited to a party I would go. A party is a party. And I guarantee you'll find someone to talk to. What's the worst that can happen?"

Going by my luck, someone would probably die...

I tried not to think about it too much, and apart from nearly sending several drafted messages to Jess backing out, I decided to take Simon's advice. I finished work at five with the promise to him that I would go.

"You better send me a pic of you all dolled up so I know you've gone," he said, "Send plenty Snapchats of you having fun."

"I will," I replied with a smile. "See you Monday."

We locked up and went our separate ways. While walking to Baker Street I received a call from John. An update on the hound. So the dog turned out to be real, but the monster was actually a man. Go figure. They were still in Dartmoor but would be home soon. A shame really, I'd almost gotten used to living alone. Almost, but not quite.

I showered to get rid of the cafe smell and packed a bag to take to Jess' with my outfit for tonight. I was reminded of a time, not too long ago, when we were first introduced to the world of alcohol and parties. There were plenty of weekends where I went to Jess' house under the pretence of a sleepover. We would pool our money together and get her older brother to buy a bottle of liquor, then head to someone's house for a party, stumbling home early in the morning.

I grew out of the party phase when I moved in with Mycroft to focus on my ballet. Everyone else went off to University and made new friends to party with. It was nice to know all the old gang had stuck together and remained close. Maybe I should have too. What if it was too late for us to reconnect? Going by Facebook they were all starting to settle down now.

Jess and Andrew had been together for almost a year and just moved in together. Amy Lovett, the birthday girl, still happily single by the looks of it but has just bought her own flat because she's been taken on full time at the law firm she was interning at. Even Kimberly Lewis, who had a baby with her lecturer, is engaged - to the father of her child I presume, but you never know.

Then there was me. Living with my cousin/uncle and his roommate, working part-time as a waitress. Was a ballet dancer. Was a performer. Until the theatre reopened I was a nobody. A nothing. Just Sam. Samantha Holmes the not actually an orphan, orphan, with a brother in Scotland. Imagine if I dropped that bombshell at the party.