It was a dreary morning in London and Darcy Ray was currently snuggled in her blankets sleeping peacefully, her vivid red hair was sprawled out on her pillow and there was light snoring coming from her. Her peaceful slumber didn't last for long.

'KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-'Darcy abruptly sat up gasping as she looked around and her tiny flat

"What-"

"RAY ANSWER THE DOOR. NOW" she groaned realising it was her landlord's voice, she hated that man "I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE NOW-"

"I'M COMING" Darcy yelled back, she swung her legs out of the bed and walked the short distance to the front door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She very reluctantly opened the door and saw the small Asian man.

"Mr Ha-"

"Don't Mr Hans me" the little man barged into the cramped flat "You're two months behind on your rent-"

Darcy scowled and turned around so that she was facing the man "Look I told you I'll pay, I start a new job at Bart's today and I can get an advance or-"

"Here" he handed her an envelope, she frowned and looked down at the piece of paper, and her heart sunk reading the letter.

"What's this?" her green eyes met the man's muddy brown

"You can read can't you?"

Darcy's jaw clenched hearing this "Yeah but you're supposed to give me two weeks' notice-"

Mr Hans rolled his eyes "Honey I gave you two freaking months to sort your shit out, times run out. I'm losing money because of you; I have a guy already interested. You got a two weeks to move your crap out"

"You can't do this" Darcy snapped "I-"

Mr Hans smirked and took a step towards her making her take a step back, she swallowed and inwardly cringed when the man raised his hand to her cheek, "I'll reconsider" his alcohol laced breath washed over her "if you make it worthwhile"

"What do…" she trailed off when his pudgy finger travelled down the length of her throat and rested just above her breast.

"You get what I mean?" Mr Hans leant forward so that his chest

She balled her fists up "Oh I get what you mean" she plastered a smile onto her face

"Great now what's your answer?"

"This is" with that Darcy slammed her knee up hitting the Asian man right in his groin making him fall to his knees

"You bitch-"

"Hey you're the pervert here" she snapped "now-"

"You got three days" the man literally crawled away unable to stand up

"Wait what-"

"Three fucking days" Mr Hans shouted managing to get onto his feet he leant heavily against the door. "Until I grab your pretty red hair and throw you out-"

"No Mr Han-"

"Too late" he slammed the door shut behind him with enough force to send a cracked picture frame crashing to the ground. Darcy let out a moan and flopped down onto the bed. God damn it she thought, if the greasy little man just waited a couple of days then she could pay him back.

She glanced over to the small alarm clock and saw that she only had forty five minutes to get to work,

"Fuck" she swore jumping onto her feet it took half an hour to get to the hospital she definitely was going to be late now. Not a first good impression she wanted to make on her first day.

Darcy ran to her bathroom and stripped out of her pair of shorts and camisole. The bathroom was more like a cubicle; she hurriedly brushed her teeth whilst turning the shower faucet on, so it could warm up. Darcy rinsed her mouth and spat it out in the grotty sink. She held out her hand and swore when the water was freezing cold.

"Bloody Mr Hans" she muttered under her breath. He cut off her hot water supply; she glanced at the time and saw that she had no time to heat the kettle on. "Oh man" she would have to have a cold shower.

Darcy gritted her teeth as she stepped beneath the freezing water and had the quickest shower she could possibly have.

She grabbed her wash cloth and lathered it in strawberry scented shampoo. Even though at the moment she was tight on money hygiene was important to her. When she was done Darcy dried herself off and ran back into her room and once again checked the time. Yep she thought she was definitely late. She opted to get dressed her in her uniform and shoved her street clothes into her backpack; there was no point in changing when she got there.

Darcy looked around her flat, well she couldn't really call it a flat, it was more like a room with a tiny kitchenette shoved in the corner. She didn't have enough room for even a sofa. The majority of the space was taken up by her double bed. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her jacket, slammed the door behind her.

Now all she had to do was to jump on the tube in rush hour. This was going to be a nightmare.

Darcy panted and finally entered the busy hospital; she looked around and saw that the place was busy. She made her way to the receptionist and cleared her throat

"Can I help you?" Darcy didn't missed the way how the woman gave her a once over, god not even ten seconds and she knew she wouldn't like this woman.

"Yeah…"Darcy cleared her throat "I'm Darcy Ray-"

"Is that meant to mean something to me?" the bleach blond woman asked in a nasally voice, Darcy forced herself to keep her cool.

"Yeah I'm the-"

"New nurse" a female voice rang out over the busy reception area, Darcy spun around saw what she assumed was a woman who was most likely the head nurse; the woman had black hair that was peppered in grey. She was portly and had a no nonsense expression on her face. Darcy could tell that this woman wouldn't be taking any bullshit.

"Hi I'm-"

"Don't care you're late-"

"Well-"

"Again I repeat I do not care, we got a pile up coming in three critical and one minor. On the ward in three" she bustled away.

Darcy let out a breath of air causing her bangs to fly up, she turned to the receptionist "Erm do you know where the staff-"

"Third floor last door on your left"

"Thanks" Darcy hurried away, she headed towards the elevator but saw that it was busy. She decided to take the stairs and took two at a time, she made her way down the left side of the corridor and spotted the blue door labelled 'staff room'.

Darcy entered the room and saw the place was quiet large there was several couches darted around, along with a few tables and chairs. There was a fridge sitting in the corner of a fairly decent size kitchenette.

Darcy saw the lockers near the back of the room. The number three locker was a bit battered; she dug through her rucksack and unzipped the front pocket. And pulled out her mobile phone, she had been texted her locker combination. Darcy entered the combination and tugged on the handle.

"What the….?"

"You have to slam your hand just beneath the dial" Darcy nearly jumped out of her skin and spun around "Oh sorry, sorry. I thought you heard me come in" the man apologised. Darcy could see that he was a fellow nurse and was very built and easily towered over her petite stature

"What?"

"Watch" the man instructed and without further ado he slammed his large hand against the locker and the door jumped open

"Wow, thanks" Darcy grinned at the man she shed her jacket revealing her light blue scrubs, she shoved her jacket into the locket and rummaged through backpack

"So how's your first day turning out? Everything you expected?" the man asked pulling out his own stethoscope.

"How did-"

"That you as a newbie?" the man smiled at her. Darcy nodded dropping her own device around her neck and placed her pager into her pocket. She also slipped on her ID card and key card. She had all these things given to her when she had finished her interview. "It's kind of obvious honey; you've been given the shitty locker"

"Oh" Darcy shut the locker door and was about to ask the man a question but the staff room door was slammed open

"Newbie what are you doing?" the head nurse snapped, her ID card read 'Mary Lawson'

"I just-"

"Sorry it was my fault" the male nurse intervened seeing the red head struggling to form words. He didn't blame her Mary Lawson can send grown men twice her size running off with their tails in between their legs. "Got chatty-"

"Shut up Scott, you got a minute left to get your ass onto the ward" without another word the portly woman was gone.

Darcy groaned and leant against the locker "Brilliant. I haven't even known the woman for five minutes and she already hates me"

Scott snorted "What did you do?"

"I was late" Darcy replied pulling her red hair into a messy bun, Scott cringed

"Yeah she'll hate you for like three months"

Her eyes bugged out "What? Because-"

"No talking go and show her what you're made of" Scott lightly pushed her towards the door, Darcy nodded and hurried out but not before she heard the other nurse call out to her

"Hey newbie what's the name?"

"Darcy" she yelled over her shoulder, and steeled herself knowing that the next couple of hours would be tense.

"Wanted roommate, no pets and must be open the satanic worshipping?" Darcy was currently in the park which was across from the hospitals. "A big fat no" she muttered under her pen using a red biro to put a massive 'X' across the ad.

"On to the next one, wanted roommate non-smoker, pets are welcome-"her full lips stretched into a smile this one was looking good, but her smile dropped reading the rest of the ad "open to escorting and wouldn't mind be filmed-oh for god's sake!" she angrily threw the newspaper in to the litter bin, or attempted to but it hit the man on the other bench spilling his coffee

"Oh my god" Darcy exclaimed her cheeks flush "I'm sorry I…let me get you another one….here" she shoved her hand into the pocket of her jacket pulling out a wad of tissue. And started to wipe the man's trouser leg down.

"Whoa hold it-"

"Sorry, do you?" she held out the tissues to him "I just-"

"Darcy? Darcy Ray?" she finally looked up and saw the man that she had splattered with coffee. He wore a pair of framed glasses and had thinning dark hair

"I…-"

"It's me Mike Dunmore?" Darcy smiled realisation hit her, "do you-"

"Yeah I do remember" he grinned at her, the man was once her mentor when she was starting out to become a nurse. He attempted to push her into becoming a doctor, but the red head couldn't afford it. So in the end she had become a nurse. "How are you?" he smiled as they both sat down on the park bench "You haven't changed a bit"

"Well you-"

"Gotten fat, I know"

"There's always something you can do about it" she murmured and tucked in a stray curl, the park itself wasn't busy there were just a few birds chirping and some dogs barking.

"I know, I know" Mike chuckled "And you?"

"What about me?"

Mike rolled his eyes "I'm not blind Darcy, you started a new job at Barts?" he could see the scrubs she wore beneath her jacket.

"Yes" Darcy nodded tapping her fingers against her knee

"And…I'm going to need more than that" Mike stated, he knew Darcy for about three years and was used to her mannerisms. Getting information out of the pale woman was occasionally like getting blood out of a stone "How's it going?"

Darcy sighed and leant back in her seat "Terrible" she muttered

Mike frowned "What's up? Lost patient-"one thing he knew about being a doctor or a nurse was that when you lose a patient you tend to blame yourself.

"No" Darcy shook her head "the head nurse Mary literally hates me. I got a bum locker and….I've been evicted" she finished off.

Mike whistled "Now that is a bad start to the day" she shot him a dirty look causing him to raise his hands in a sign of surrender "Ok no sarcasm"

"Ya think?" she snorted and groaned "I got three days to vacate my shitty flat-"

"Shouldn't the notice be two weeks?" Mike frowned

"It was but then my landlord made a pass at me. So….I kneed him in the crotch"

"So you're looking for a flat share?" Mike uttered a small devious smile coming across his face

"Have you been listening to my story?" Darcy asked, she heard the sound of a crutch tapping against the ground and followed the sound. She saw a man who was more than a few years older than her rushing pass. He had a serious look to him.

"Wait here" Mike instructed and jogged after the man "John, John Watson"

Darcy watched on, she could clearly see that the man named John wasn't currently in the mood to be stopping and have a chat. Since the crutch aided man was avoiding eye contact with Mike, but the portly man ever persistent managed to stop him.

"It's Dumford-"Darcy could hear the pair from where she was sitting on the bench. She glanced down at her phone and saw that she had about an hour left of her break. "It's Mike Dumford, we were at Bart's together-"

Darcy canted her head to the side and wondered was this how Mike greets all of his old friends/students.

"Hello" John shook the man's hand

"Yeah I know I've gone fat-"

Darcy rolled her eyes "You know you can change that" she called out to the bespectacled man catching John's attention. Core blimey he thought now she was a sight to see, the sun had hit her red hair just right. Darcy shot the man a small wave.

"I heard you were abroad somewhere getting shot out" Mike stated "what happened?"

"I got shot" John said deadpanned, Darcy fought down a smile and shook her head

"I think we've got some catching up to do" Mike had a proposal for the pair they were unknowingly in the same boat. "How about some coffee?"

"My treat. I owe you" Darcy uttered jumping onto her feet.

Soon enough Darcy returned with three coffee cups, she handed them out.

"This is John Watson, we use to work together" Mike introduced the soldier to the nurse "and this John was one of my protégés, Darcy Ray" the red head gave the man a bright smile and shook his hand

"Nice to meet you" she uttered

"Likewise" John nodded, he noted that she was a quiet a few years younger than him. Diminishing some of his chance of her going out with him on a date,

They were all soon settled on the bench. Mike sat in between Darcy and John. The red head sipped some of her hot beverage

"Still at Bart's then?" John asked Mike.

"Teaching now, bright young things like we use to be" Mike replied looking at the other man "God I hate them-"Darcy cleared her throat causing the man to roll his eyes, "Darcy you're the exception-"

"As always" she murmured making John laugh

"And always so modest Darcy"

She smiled and sipped her drink "So you've been a nurse for long?" John asked the red head

"Well today is my first day and-"

"It's not going so well" Mike finished off "trust me it will get better"

"It will" John nodded and downed the rest of his coffee

"So what about you?" Darcy asked him

"I was an army doctor" John told her

"So are you staying in town while you're getting yourself sorted?" Mike questioned, the sky was overcast with cloud. Darcy groaned quietly praying it wouldn't rain later on, she had left her umbrella at home. But knowing her luck it probably downpour with rain,

"I can't afford London on an army pension" John stated, Darcy looked over to him

"So you're looking for a flat share?" she questioned, he nodded

"You?"

"Yep, not having any luck though" Darcy admitted "people who want a roommate are either running a porn den or like worshipping Satan"

John's jaw drop "Serious?"

Darcy nodded Mike glanced between the pair "So you couldn't bear to be anywhere else?" Mike murmured "That's not the John Watson I know"

"Yeah I'm not the John Watson you knew" John snapped, both Darcy and Mike exchanged bewildered looks. The former army doctor clenched his hand

"Couldn't Harry help?" Mike asked, Darcy shifted in her seat and once again checked the time. She had plenty of time till she had to get back to the hospital.

"Yeah like that's going to happen" John shook his head. He saw the confused look on Darcy's face so added on "she's my sister." A look of understanding passed her face. She nodded and licked her lips; Darcy gazed across the park and saw that on the bench opposite the trio was a couple holding hands.

"I don't know, what you both need is a flat-share" Mike uttered.

Darcy nodded truth be told she wouldn't mind sharing a flat with John he seemed like a decent guy, he just reeked of security.

"Hmm, but there are no decent places in London to rent out" Darcy murmured

"Come on, no way Darcy would want me as a flat-mate. Plus who else would want me as a flat mate?" John scoffed

"Me as well" she shook her head "I'm not too easy to live with"

Mike chuckled; both Darcy and John looked at him in confusion "What?" they asked in unison

"You guys aren't the only people who said that to me today" Mike smiled

Darcy's brows furrowed in confusion "Who's the first?" John asked.

"I think you both need to come with me" Mike said getting on to his feet, "don't worry Darcy you'll be back before your break is over"

"Should we follow?" Darcy asked as Mike walked away.

John shrugged his shoulders "Might as well"

"Ok then" the pair of them got onto their feet, Darcy fell in step besides John as they exited the park and headed to the hospital.

AN: I'm sure some of you realised that i took my othr fic down. It wasn't working for me. I felt like I've brought nothing new to the storyline. So Hopefully you guys can sink your teeth into this.

Apologies for any grammar or spelling mistakes.

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So in this chap-We see some of Darcy's situation. First day of nursing. She meets John.

Next Chap-Darcy meets Sherlock.

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