we are convenient to major metropolises

The vampire laughs and picks Bella up with one arm. "Just tell me where to go."

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She shivers. "I need a look at a street sign. I don't know where we are," she says. "Unless you know your way around here, in which case we're looking for Chester Street."

[Don't know. He's also not letting me walk on my own.]

The vampire peers toward the end of the street and reads off a sign.

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"Turn left," Bella says. [We're about six blocks off from the Chester Street Market. You'll meet us sooner if you go south.]

He turns left.

eversomuchfun

[Going,] says Sherlock.

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[I'm not sure he believes me that I have a vampire boyfriend. Or what. I don't know what he wants.] "He's a little taller than I am, looks about eighteen, black hair," she says to the vampire who's carrying her, "let me know if you spot him."

"Will do, princess," the vampire says amicably.

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It's only six blocks. Bella tells the vampire to turn right onto Chester Street.

"Is that him?" the vampire says, a little nervously. "Man, he does not look happy."

eversomuchfun

(There is indeed a distant figure coming down the street at a flat-out run.)

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"Maybe you could put me down," Bella suggests.

He puts her down and starts edging away.

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Bella finds her footing and starts in Sherlock's direction. (She doesn't run. She'd just fall on her face.)

eversomuchfun

He very nearly runs straight into her, but stops at precisely the last moment and hugs her gently instead.

"All right, love?"

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"Except for the drugs and the missing possessions and a bad scare and utterly torpedoed willingness to consider the Watchers benign. Yes." She wraps her arms around him and presses her face into his shoulder.

eversomuchfun

[I found her,] he reports, to both Giles and Jarvis. [She's safe. More or less.]

"May I kill Arthur Mallory?"

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"Would it put you - or me or Giles - at any added risk to see what he has to say for himself first?"

eversomuchfun

"...It might conceivably," he says.

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"For that matter, might it be dangerous to kill him?"

eversomuchfun

"It will annoy the Council, but so will your future rejection of whoever they replace Giles with, as they undoubtedly will since he has now proven he gives half a shit about your welfare."

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[Giles, have you got an opinion on how safe it would be for three of us if Arthur Mallory were to go home in a body bag?] Bella asks in a conference call, lightly.

[It could go either way,] he says consideringly. [But he was playing with your fire wand earlier and now he's trying to bite through your square, so he might manage it even without our help.]

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[Oh, for the love of - do you know how long these drugs are supposed to last?] Bella sighs, flexing a hand experimentally. [Where are you?]