Aww, what a cute little story.

And of course I couldn't resist.
Just a short scene with Sherlock, John and Lestrade in a bar.
I hope it is also allowed to use three songs instead of one.

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„Oh, no. Don’t tell me this is one of these live music bars”, Sherlock protested and stopped in front of the entrance. “Irish folk. No, John. Please. Lestrade, tell him how ridiculous this is.”

Lestrade only grinned.
“You promised you would go with us anywhere we wanted if John and I beat you in Trivial Pursuit”, he reminded.

“But it was not fair”, Sherlock complained. “You cooperated – that is against the rules. And you only asked me questions which you knew I could not answer. The prime minister, the solar system …”

“Anyway, you lost”, John said and opened the door. “Come on.”

They went inside and found some free stools by the bar. The band, consisting of a lead singer, a keyboarder, two guitarists, a flutist and a violinist, was on a stage at the other side of the room. Cheery music filled the air and John found it quite enjoyable, whereas the detective seemed to hate it.

“It’s not even folk, John. It’s for tourists. They don’t have the traditional instruments, and they’re playing pop songs in between.” He dug his fingers into his curls with an expression of sheer torture on his face.
“And the violinist is an idiot.” He looked up at the stage and stared fiercely at the poor man.
Then his expression suddenly changed. He leaned back against the bar and grinned.
“Actually, this could turn out rather nicely”, he said, jumped up from his barstool and ran to the stage.

“No”, Lestrade whimpered and hid his face in his hands as he saw Sherlock start a fight with the violinist. “We really should have known better than to go anywhere with him.”

The band stopped playing. Everybody, including the barkeeper’s old dog, fell silent and stared at the detective.
John grinned. He met Sherlock’s eyes, who had in the meantime wrestled the violin out of the other man’s hands and tuned it up.
Sherlock smiled back at him, took the violin to his shoulder and started to play.
After a few notes John recognised the melody of Molly Malone, wonderfully played. The rest of the band chimed in, and suddenly the music had a whole new quality.

“In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty …”

John started to clap along with the rhythm, and soon everybody in the bar was singing along. Even the dog howled. Only the violinist went backstage and probably cried bitter tears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diUkiTs1gxM

The band got an enthusiastic applause afterwards, and Sherlock, knowing that it was mostly for him, bowed to the audience.

“Looks like he is enjoying himself”, Lestrade muttered. “Poor violinist. But it was great, I must admit.”

Sherlock was indeed enjoying himself, so much that he stayed onstage and played a whole range of folk songs and traditional pieces John had not even known he had in his repertoire. By eleven, the bar was overcrowded with people who wanted to listen and sing along. Even Lestrade relaxed after a while. He seemed to like The wild rover especially. He raised his glass and cheered when the audience demanded it to be played for a second time.
“That makes me think of Mrs Hudson”, John whispered to him when the line about the landlady came.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhaM-16MwW8

At midnight, the singer announced it was time for the band to leave. The crowd called for an encore and the singer acted as if he could not be convinced to play one more song. Sherlock frowned at this attitude, or maybe at the singer’s bad acting, and plucked nervously at the violin strings until the singer finally yielded up to his fate.
“Okay”, he said. “What do you want to hear?”

“Jock Stewart”, somebody in the audience shouted and the crowd cheered.

So they started to play. A line in the chorus touched something in John’s heart. When it occurred for the second time, Sherlock glanced at him and winked.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJt4y4fH938

When the song was over and the band started to clear their equipment away, John and Lestrade walked up to the stage. They arrived just in time to see the barkeeper approach Sherlock and talk to him. The detective handed the violin to the man with a sneering remark that the instrument itself was not bad but its owner was a talentless loser.

“Watch your tongue”, the barkeeper warned. “He is my son!”

“I know”, Sherlock replied coldly. “It seems to run in the family.”

The barkeeper jumped at Sherlock and tried to knock him down.

“Help me, John”, Sherlock coughed when the remaining band members joined in the fight and tackled him to the ground. The barkeeper’s dog ran back and forth, barked and tried to pinch every hand it could reach.

“Police!” Lestrade shouted authoritatively and held up his badge. The fighting stopped immediately. One or two band members backed away and disappeared quickly. The dog winced and fled, obviously much to Lestrade’s relief (he had a horror of dogs since the Baskerville incident).

“Are you alright?” John asked worriedly.
Sherlock adjusted his scarf and got to his feet.
“I’m fine”, he answered. “These idiots don’t even know how to strangle a man properly.”


“It was nice after all”, John said as they walked out of the bar.

“Well, it was a memorable evening”, Lestrade agreed. “Next time John beats you in Scrabble, we’ll take you to a disco, Sherlock.”

“That will never happen.”

“I don’t know”, the DI mused. “Maybe if we get you drunk first ...”

“Sorry, Lestrade, but I think Sherlock would beat me in Scrabble even if he was in a coma.”

At the next corner, Lestrade turned to walk home and John and Sherlock waited for a taxi.
“What was the line again?” John asked and began humming the melody of the last song.
“So be easy and free, when you’re drinking with me …”

“… I’m a man you don’t meet every day”, Sherlock whispered back.
They laughed and then simultaneously said, “It reminds me of you.”

Thanks, SaturnR for the advert!

QuiteExtraordinary--that was adorable!

This is really fun :D