Author's Note: This story will eventually be James Moriarty/OC Female. But first, I have to set the stage. I promise the story gets better in later chapters!

Chapter One: The New Detective

It had been three months since Sherlock Holmes' death. Greg Lestrade sat at his desk, wondering what to do. It was nearly five o'clock. He had spent the afternoon peering out the window in his office, contemplating the decision his superiors had come to earlier that morning.

Sherlock Holmes' death had come as a shock to him. Lestrade had considered him a friend. He just couldn't believe that Holmes had hired an actor named Richard Brook to play the part of James Moriarty. No matter what was splattered across the newspaper and magazine headlines, Lestrade couldn't bring himself to lose faith in Holmes.

With Sherlock gone, Lestrade was finding it hard to keep up with all the unsolved murders that were stacking up on almost a daily basis. Since Sherlock Holmes' death, London murderers seemed to be running rampant.

Lestrade's superiors had decided that they needed to hire a new detective within Scotland Yard. And it seemed they had already selected someone for the job. The new detective would arrive at five to meet with Lestrade. It seemed that Lestrade wouldn't even have a say in who would be working in his own police department. Ever since his boss had belittled him for allowing a "vigilante detective" to see "private documents," Lestrade had been weary of him.

A knock sounded upon Lestrade's door. He turned his chair away from the window to face his desk.

"Come in," Lestrade said, fixing the picture of his wife (with whom he had recently reconciled) upon his desk.

The door opened. Lestrade looked up to see a young woman standing in the doorway. She stepped inside.

"Hello," she said. "My name is Melissa Hughes."

"Oh, I've been expecting you," Lestrade responded. The woman had long, curly, reddish brown hair. She was wearing very little makeup, but she was very pretty. She had a black peacoat slung over her arm. Her black dress that came to just above the knee. She was also wearing black pumps and Lestrade could see the red sole of the heel. "Sit down, please."

She gracefully walked to the chair across from Lestrade and sat down.

"So you're a detective," Lestrade said, eyeing the young woman before him.

"Would I be here if I weren't?" she teased with a smile.

Lestrade didn't smile back. She probably couldn't even find her way out of a paper bag.

"If you don't mind me saying," she said, leaning forward and lowering her voice, "I believe in Sherlock Holmes. James Moriarty was real."

Lestrade was shocked. A complete stranger believed in Sherlock Holmes as well?

"Richard Brook is a fake," she continued.

Maybe this woman wouldn't be so bad after all.

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