Fight for Me

Chapter 38

"Morning, John!" Lydia called out cheerfully as she placed the last pancake on the plate to serve. Sherlock was already at the table with a cup of tea, scanning the newspaper for any interesting murders that he could get himself involved in.

John stifled a yawn as he collapsed into a seat at the table, "you're in quite the chipper mood today, Lydia. It's barely seven in the morning."

She flashed him a smile, "caffeine does wonders. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Please." John accepted the food gratefully as he poured himself a cup of tea from the hot kettle.

Without asking, Lydia placed a few on Sherlock's plate as well, receiving a glare in response. "I don't need breakfast. There is an eighty-nine percent chance that I will be getting a case today and I do not need to be slowed down by digestion."

"An eighty-nine percent chance? Really? How much does that percentage go down when you weed out all of the boring cases that you could solve in your sleep?" Lydia challenged, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Sherlock's silence was all the answer she needed and she prodded, "go on, then, eat some food. I did not slave away in the kitchen for nothing, you know."

"Do you really have to insist on me eating at every meal?" Sherlock sighed, stabbing the top pancake angrily with his fork.

Lydia smiled at him as she teased, "not every meal, I hardly berate you at lunch! Just trying to keep you healthy. I fear that if you die, John's not going to be able to support both of us, and then I will lose my free housing. That, and the British government will probably have me arrested for disobeying his direct order."

Sherlock rolled his eyes, "I'll have you know that I am in perfect health. My body just operates at a superior level to yours. I know that may be hard for your meager mind to comprehend."

A laugh rang out from Lydia, causing Sherlock to smile at the sound. He knew she hadn't forgotten about the bug planted on her and her constant threat to her life, but she was allowing herself to let loose just a bit and it was nice to see. However, the smile quickly vanished when he noticed John glancing over at him.

Sherlock dropped his gaze to his food and reluctantly began to eat, ready to blame Lydia if a level eight or above case fell into his lap and he was not in the right mindset to solve it. Meanwhile, Lydia turned to John, "just so you know, I'll be heading out soon, I have a job interview."

"A job interview?" He repeated in confusion, looking over at Sherlock as though he thought the detective would provide some answers.

"Yes, I thought it would be best if I contributed something to the rent. I know you say it's fine if I stay here for free, but that's really not fair to you two. So I've applied to Speedy's so I can get some income while I'm staying here."

"I still think it's a terrible idea," Sherlock offered his opinion although Lydia had not asked for it. "What if there's a case?"

"Well, then you can bring John along. I don't understand why you would need both of us. I only went that one time because John was out. Besides, the job is only meant to be temporary anyway, so if it doesn't work out, I won't hesitate to quit."

"Yeah, Sherlock, you have me, so why would you be dragging Lydia to a murder?" John questioned in a way that was not at all subtle.

Sherlock glared at him, but replied in an indifferent tone, "she has a tendency to provide a solid outside opinion and sometimes an alternate way of looking at things. Besides, if we were to stumble upon a case involving the theatre, we would require her expertise."

"Oh, do you get theatre cases often?" Lydia asked in excitement, wondering if she could actually be useful in the field.

At the same time John and Sherlock answered, "no" and "occasionally," causing Lydia to narrow her eyes at Sherlock.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you just like having me around, Sherlock," Lydia teased, although secretly that thought made her heart flutter erratically.

This time, Sherlock turned his glare onto her, "don't be ridiculous."

Lydia rolled her eyes and stood from the table, "well, then you shouldn't be so upset that I'm trying to get a job. Anyway, I've got to head out, my interview's in a few minutes and I would love to be a bit early. Text me if you need anything."

Lydia had chosen to apply for the open position at Speedy's mostly due to its proximity to the flat. She knew that Sherlock would want to take her on cases and so being close to the place he worked out of could prove advantageous. That and it meant a very short distance from the door of 221B to the cafe for either Mycroft or Stinton to kidnap her on her way to or from work. Now the question was if she would even be able to get the job with the lack of practical work experience she had over the past years.

The door to the cafe was open, allowing Lydia to slip inside and take in the small shop. She could tell immediately that they were in desperate need of additional workers, as there was only one staff members that she could pick out, a barista who was manning all of the tables as well as the counter.

She flashed Lydia an exhausted smile as she approached her, "hi, what can I get you?"

"My name is Lydia Evans and I'm here about the job interview," Lydia introduced herself, watching as the barista's face melted into relief.

"Mr. Chatterjee is in the back. Here, I'll bring you to him," the barista offered, coming out from behind the counter and leading Lydia into the kitchen. Once there, she brought her to a middle aged brown skinned man tending the grill. "Mr. Chaterjee, one of the applicants has arrived."

He looked up from the food he was cooking and flashed Lydia a smile, "wonderful, let me just finish up this sandwich and we can have a quick chat. Don't be alarmed if I give you the job right away, we're terribly understaffed at the moment."

"Well, I would be delighted if I am offered the job, I can assure you," Lydia replied politely, though was starting to regret her decision to work here. It certainly wasn't the cleanliest of cafes, which didn't bode well for the quality of the food, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Besides, it would allow her to spend time outside of the flat and therefore John and Sherlock could speak freely in her absence.

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(A/N): For those who enjoy Christmas, I hope you had a wonderful one! I spent the day in denial that it was Friday and am now doing a panicked load of laundry because I have to work tomorrow and don't exactly have clothes, whoops. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!