Distraction - Sherlock Fanfiction

The Case

"Sherlock, we've been searching through bins for ages, don't you think we should call it a day?" Beth whined, folding her arms around her body. 'I really should have put on a coat' she thought.

"We've only been out for 20 minutes." Sherlock mocked, hopping over yet another skip, "Oh!" Sherlock exclaimed and rummaged through all the rubbish in the skip. Beth watched as he scavenged his way through, throwing bits of old furniture over the sides. Seconds later he popped his head back up and pulled out a pink case, "Bingo."

As they entered into 221B Sherlock dumped the pink case on the kitchen table, unzipped it and started searching through it. Beth noticed that almost every article of clothing was a shade of pink.


"Can I borrow your phone?" Sherlock asked Beth closing the bag back up.

"I don't have a phone.." Beth said slowly, trying to make sense of why he couldn't just use his own phone.

"How do you not have a phone? You're twenty-six, shouldn't your mobile phone be your main priority?"

"I quit my job, remember? I can't afford to keep up with a phone bill until I get a job. I'm barely scraping by with the money I still have for rent."

"I'll just use John's then." Sherlock shrugged. He took off his coat and scarf, throwing it over a chair in the kitchen, he then went over to the sofa and stretched out over it.

"Well that will be a challenge. John isn't here. Why can't you just use your own phone, it would be much easier."

"Can you do me a favour?" Sherlock asked picking his phone out of his pocket and starting to type, "In the cupboard, above the sink there's a box of nicotine patches. Can you bring them over?"

Beth sighed but walked over to the kitchen to retrieve the patches anyway, "I didn't know you smoke." She threw the box over to Sherlock then went over to perch herself down on the arm chair that John was sitting in previously.

"I don't, hence the nicotine patches." Sherlock waved the box in the air sarcastically to remind Beth on what she was just holding. Beth rolled her eyes at him but continued to watch as he stuck three patches to his left arm.

"Why three?"


"They help me think, now be quiet I need full concentration." Sherlock led out flatter on the sofa and pressed his hands as if he was praying and placed them under his chin.

Beth tried to ignore his antics and leaned back in the chair. She took the neglected newspaper from the arm of the chair and began to read more about the 'suicides'.

After a while Sherlock began to clench and un-clench his left arm, Beth presumed he was doing this to release the nicotine faster, Sherlock then let out a loud breath and snapped his eyes open.

"What are you doing?" John's voice comes from the door.

"Nicotine patch. Helps me think." Sherlock said bluntly only moving his arm up to show John the three nicotine patches.

"Impossible to sustain a smoking habit in London these days. Bad news for brain work."

"It's good news for breathing." John joked.

"Oh, breathing. Breathing's boring." Sherlock dismissed once again pressing his hands together in a prayer position under his chin.

"Is that three patches?"

"It's a three-patch problem." Sherlock became blunt once again and once again, Beth sighed at him.