storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2015-02-05 09:12 pm
storypaint) wrote2015-02-05 09:12 pm
[Sherlock Holmes] always do sober what you said you'd do drunk (Jane/Shirley)
Title: always do sober what you said you'd do drunk
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Length: 764 words
Prompt: Sherlock Holmes fic battle: modernverse, Jane/Shirley, Jane wants to rejoin the army and they have a fight about it.
Pairing: Jane/Shirley established
Other: Set in a modern AU-verse where both Holmes and Watson are women who started their partnership in college.
Excerpt: Jane had heard all of Shirley's rants on the subject before. She thought that Shirley was exaggerating a little. A lot, really. Shirley had never been in the military. She had no idea what it was like, so she was making up ridiculous theories.
"You need a reason that makes sense," Jane told her, and stormed out of the house.
"All I'm saying is, we wouldn't have to worry then," Jane said. She was as close to shouting as she had been in months, which was really saying something considering that she was married to Shirley Holmes.
"Wouldn't have to -- " Shirley laughed sarcastically. "Are you kidding me?"
"Look, I can handle it. I'd go in as a medic. Noncombatant. The pay is good and you like to travel, right?" Jane wheedled.
Shirley scowled. "No," she said simply. "No."
"You can't just say no!" Jane said, throwing up a hand in emphasis. "This is my life too, you know. At least give me a real reason."
"Besides the fact that it's dangerous, and besides the fact that the military-industrial complex throws your lives away in order to cling to unnecessary power? Do I need another reason?"
Jane had heard all of Shirley's rants on the subject before. She thought that Shirley was exaggerating a little. A lot, really. Shirley had never been in the military. She had no idea what it was like, so she was making up ridiculous theories.
"You need a reason that makes sense," Jane told her, and stormed out of the house.
She immediately regretted this decision. She'd grabbed her purse at the door out of habit, but she'd forgotten a coat and the chill went right down into her bones. Usually they worked their problems out by talking about them. A lot. But Jane couldn't talk with Shirley right now. Shirley would try to convince Jane with her own twisted brand of logic, and Jane would try to explain the sensible, somewhat emotional attachment she had to the service, and they'd just talk past each other and no one would win.
So she walked down to the recruitment office.
*
She returned within the hour, her limp more pronounced than usual. That seemed to happen when she was upset. The door to Shirley's study was firmly shut.
"They won't take me," Jane said to the door.
Shirley didn't respond.
"I just didn't want us to have to worry, you know. I cannot have another client living on our couch, I will kill him this time. I liked the army. I don't care that you think that the government is trying to kill us, or whatever. That's not how it was for me. But they won't take me back because my leg is bad. So I guess we'll have to do something else."
Shirley was maddeningly silent. Frustrated, Jane stalked into the bedroom and pulled her cane out of the closet. She sat down on the bed and put the cane over her knees. It was hard and unyielding, and she hated it more than ever today. She kept thinking about student loans and how long it took to get a medical degree, and how sometimes she thought she'd never finish. And about the dangerous things that Shirley got herself into sometimes, and the irregularity of cases. What were they doing, seriously? Pretending to be adults?
She was also feeling more than a little guilty about going down to the recruitment office on her own. This was something she wanted to do. There was no doubt about that. But even if they'd been willing to take her, it wouldn't have been right. Yeah, like she told Shirley, it was her decision - but it was Shirley's life too. She would have been angry if Shirley had... oh, gone and joined a cult or something, without Jane agreeing. This wasn't at all like that except that it would have changed their lives a lot. But she knew she'd be pretty mad, if the situation was reversed.
She'd left her phone on the bedside table and started when it buzzed.
Are you coming? the text message said, which made no sense until she scrolled up to see that there was a previous one from fifteen minutes ago.
We have a case. Meeting client in 10 at Starbucks.
It wasn't an apology. She wasn't really expecting one, though. Shirley thought she was right. Jane thought she was right, too, but the army had taken that decision out of their hands.
Getting paid this time? she texted back, but before Shirley answered, she was up and moving toward the door. We have a case, Shirley had said. Jane never tired of that we.
So they'd work things out, one way or another. Together.
See you in 5, she texted Shirley, heading back out the door, and she could feel her mood lifting already.
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Length: 764 words
Prompt: Sherlock Holmes fic battle: modernverse, Jane/Shirley, Jane wants to rejoin the army and they have a fight about it.
Pairing: Jane/Shirley established
Other: Set in a modern AU-verse where both Holmes and Watson are women who started their partnership in college.
Excerpt: Jane had heard all of Shirley's rants on the subject before. She thought that Shirley was exaggerating a little. A lot, really. Shirley had never been in the military. She had no idea what it was like, so she was making up ridiculous theories.
"You need a reason that makes sense," Jane told her, and stormed out of the house.
"All I'm saying is, we wouldn't have to worry then," Jane said. She was as close to shouting as she had been in months, which was really saying something considering that she was married to Shirley Holmes.
"Wouldn't have to -- " Shirley laughed sarcastically. "Are you kidding me?"
"Look, I can handle it. I'd go in as a medic. Noncombatant. The pay is good and you like to travel, right?" Jane wheedled.
Shirley scowled. "No," she said simply. "No."
"You can't just say no!" Jane said, throwing up a hand in emphasis. "This is my life too, you know. At least give me a real reason."
"Besides the fact that it's dangerous, and besides the fact that the military-industrial complex throws your lives away in order to cling to unnecessary power? Do I need another reason?"
Jane had heard all of Shirley's rants on the subject before. She thought that Shirley was exaggerating a little. A lot, really. Shirley had never been in the military. She had no idea what it was like, so she was making up ridiculous theories.
"You need a reason that makes sense," Jane told her, and stormed out of the house.
She immediately regretted this decision. She'd grabbed her purse at the door out of habit, but she'd forgotten a coat and the chill went right down into her bones. Usually they worked their problems out by talking about them. A lot. But Jane couldn't talk with Shirley right now. Shirley would try to convince Jane with her own twisted brand of logic, and Jane would try to explain the sensible, somewhat emotional attachment she had to the service, and they'd just talk past each other and no one would win.
So she walked down to the recruitment office.
*
She returned within the hour, her limp more pronounced than usual. That seemed to happen when she was upset. The door to Shirley's study was firmly shut.
"They won't take me," Jane said to the door.
Shirley didn't respond.
"I just didn't want us to have to worry, you know. I cannot have another client living on our couch, I will kill him this time. I liked the army. I don't care that you think that the government is trying to kill us, or whatever. That's not how it was for me. But they won't take me back because my leg is bad. So I guess we'll have to do something else."
Shirley was maddeningly silent. Frustrated, Jane stalked into the bedroom and pulled her cane out of the closet. She sat down on the bed and put the cane over her knees. It was hard and unyielding, and she hated it more than ever today. She kept thinking about student loans and how long it took to get a medical degree, and how sometimes she thought she'd never finish. And about the dangerous things that Shirley got herself into sometimes, and the irregularity of cases. What were they doing, seriously? Pretending to be adults?
She was also feeling more than a little guilty about going down to the recruitment office on her own. This was something she wanted to do. There was no doubt about that. But even if they'd been willing to take her, it wouldn't have been right. Yeah, like she told Shirley, it was her decision - but it was Shirley's life too. She would have been angry if Shirley had... oh, gone and joined a cult or something, without Jane agreeing. This wasn't at all like that except that it would have changed their lives a lot. But she knew she'd be pretty mad, if the situation was reversed.
She'd left her phone on the bedside table and started when it buzzed.
Are you coming? the text message said, which made no sense until she scrolled up to see that there was a previous one from fifteen minutes ago.
We have a case. Meeting client in 10 at Starbucks.
It wasn't an apology. She wasn't really expecting one, though. Shirley thought she was right. Jane thought she was right, too, but the army had taken that decision out of their hands.
Getting paid this time? she texted back, but before Shirley answered, she was up and moving toward the door. We have a case, Shirley had said. Jane never tired of that we.
So they'd work things out, one way or another. Together.
See you in 5, she texted Shirley, heading back out the door, and she could feel her mood lifting already.