Fic for mildred_bobbin : And Things Will Change (Part 1 of 4)
Title: And Things Will Change
Author: Ragna (scandalbaby)
Recipient: mildred_bobbin
Fandom: Sherlock
Rating: PG
Word Count: 6,158
Characters/Pairings: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Warnings: None
Summary: Sherlock upsets the wrong woman and wakes up one morning a female. It’s quite the learning experience, especially when John starts acting strangely. What exactly is his friend hiding?
Notes: swissmarg is a godsend of a beta. One of the things my recipient wanted was a genderswap story, and I had never written that before. I still think my beta deserves a co-writing credit for all the work but swissmarg says no, so I offer up my heartiest thanks instead and the opinion that the story is a million times better with the help. mildred_bobbin, enjoy!
He felt strange when he woke up. Heavier in some places, lighter in others. Still fuzzy from his slumber, he lazily moved his hands along his body. Yes, he felt breasts and could tell other parts were definitely missing. If he didn’t know better he’d swear he was…female. This? This was fascinating, but it was also not very good. He had never thought he might turn into a woman. It was outside the range of possibilities of things he would ever consider happening to him. Of course, four possibilities for the cause of his current predicament ran through his mind, but he was more interested in cataloguing the physical sensations at the moment.
He got out of bed and moved around. That was also strange. He knew his center of mass was different as a man, but to experience it firsthand meant it was going to take some getting used to. He walked around a bit until he got to his mirror and stared. He lifted up his shirt, then lowered his pants. Yes. Definitely a female. This was going to pose problems.
“Sherlock?” A brief knock sounded on the door. “Are you eating this morning?” John asked. John was not going to take this well. Last night his best mate had been male, and today he was female. It was confusing to Sherlock; he imagined it would be doubly so to John. Sherlock could at least be a bit rational about everything; he wasn't sure John could be, or that he should. But if he hid it would be worse.
“Something has happened,” he said, not in the slightest surprised that his voice was now feminine. It was still low, a sultry alto with a tinge of a higher range, and it was quite throaty.
“Sorry. I didn't realize you had company,” John said from the other side of the door, and Sherlock could well imagine the look of surprise on his face. “I'll leave you two alone.”
“John, I don't have company,” he said, opening the door. “Something has happened, and apparently I'm a woman.”
John stared, the surprised look on his face from the idea that Sherlock might have female company sliding into a look of outright shock. “That's not possible,” he got out weakly.
“But apparently it has,” Sherlock said, grousing slightly.
John's eyes narrowed. “How do I know this isn't some elaborate prank? Tell me something only Sherlock would know.”
Sherlock sighed. “You wrote an elaborate love poem to your last girlfriend. I warned you against sending it because she was cheating on you with her boss. So you decided to surprise her with flowers and you walked in on a tryst in her office. You came back and gave the flowers to Mrs. Hudson and proceeded to get very drunk, and only stopped when I carted you off to bed. You had a hangover and ended up calling in sick the next day and not accompanying me on my case.” Sherlock glared at John. “That was last week.”
John's eyes widened. “Bloody hell,” he said in a low voice. “It really is you.”
“Yes, it really is me,” Sherlock retorted, exasperated. “I want to find out how this happened, and why, and what we can do to reverse it.”
“What about that Mrs. McManus, the one you interviewed who fancied herself some sort of witch?” John said, still looking slightly dazed.
“That's a bunch of bullocks,” Sherlock said.
“Well, you're obviously a woman now. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t have the evidence right in front of me.”
Sherlock went to make a snide reply then stopped. John was pointing out the obvious, but it was a very valid point. He was now a woman. He must have angered someone enough for them to take drastic action. “Whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth,” he murmured.
“Let’s assume the truth is magic is involved,” John said gamely. “All right. We just need to figure out who, and why, and if there’s any way to reverse it.”
As if Sherlock hadn’t thought of that himself. The problem was, he wasn’t quite sure if he was ever going to be able to fix it. “I have to go out,” he said suddenly, making to step past John.
“Whoa, whoa,” John said, reaching out to grab his arm but pulling it back at the last moment. “You aren’t going anywhere in clothing like that. Do you have clothing that fits?” John asked. “Your shirts have always been a bit on the tight side. I don't think any of them will fit…well, those,” he said, gesturing to Sherlock’s chest.
Sherlock frowned. This was a complication he hadn’t expected. “I don’t intend on remaining like this for long. But perhaps one outfit wouldn’t be amiss.” He couldn’t exactly go running around London in his dressing gown.
John got an amused look on his face. “Easier said than done, mate. We'll figure out something for you to wear down to the shops and then we'll take a little shopping tour.”
Sherlock nodded. “You're taking this very well,” he noted.
“I rather have to. If I want the old you back, I have to start thinking of how to solve your case.”
“I only became a woman. I didn't lose my intellect,” Sherlock pointed out.
“I'm not saying you did. But you don't want the whole world to know you're a woman, do you?”
He shook his head. “No, not particularly.”
“Then I need to be the face of the case while you stay in the background. Think of it as you being the wizard behind the curtain.” Sherlock scrunched his face up in confusion. “It's a 'Wizard of Oz' reference.”
“I still don't get it.”
“I didn't think you would,” John said with a half smile. “Go figure out what you can still fit into. I’ll fix us some toast and then we can start trying to get it all sorted out.”
Sherlock nodded and went back to his room. This whole experience was surreal, but at least John wasn't going into hysterics. He was extremely thankful for that. John was right about the shirts; he couldn’t get anything buttoned. He had a similar problem with the trousers, his hips having apparently expanded by three and a half inches. He dug around his disguises in the bottom of his closet and finally came up with a pair of workman’s coveralls. He put them on over one of his lounging shirts and emerged scowling in the kitchen. John shoved a piece of toast at him and went back upstairs, returning with one of his jumpers.
“Here, try this.”
Sherlock, beyond caring what he looked like at this point and just wanting to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible, yanked the offensive article of clothing over his head, then bundled his greatcoat on over all of it. At least that did fit, as did his shoes. The sooner they got this taken care of, the better.
Part 2
Author: Ragna (scandalbaby)
Recipient: mildred_bobbin
Fandom: Sherlock
Rating: PG
Word Count: 6,158
Characters/Pairings: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Warnings: None
Summary: Sherlock upsets the wrong woman and wakes up one morning a female. It’s quite the learning experience, especially when John starts acting strangely. What exactly is his friend hiding?
Notes: swissmarg is a godsend of a beta. One of the things my recipient wanted was a genderswap story, and I had never written that before. I still think my beta deserves a co-writing credit for all the work but swissmarg says no, so I offer up my heartiest thanks instead and the opinion that the story is a million times better with the help. mildred_bobbin, enjoy!
He felt strange when he woke up. Heavier in some places, lighter in others. Still fuzzy from his slumber, he lazily moved his hands along his body. Yes, he felt breasts and could tell other parts were definitely missing. If he didn’t know better he’d swear he was…female. This? This was fascinating, but it was also not very good. He had never thought he might turn into a woman. It was outside the range of possibilities of things he would ever consider happening to him. Of course, four possibilities for the cause of his current predicament ran through his mind, but he was more interested in cataloguing the physical sensations at the moment.
He got out of bed and moved around. That was also strange. He knew his center of mass was different as a man, but to experience it firsthand meant it was going to take some getting used to. He walked around a bit until he got to his mirror and stared. He lifted up his shirt, then lowered his pants. Yes. Definitely a female. This was going to pose problems.
“Sherlock?” A brief knock sounded on the door. “Are you eating this morning?” John asked. John was not going to take this well. Last night his best mate had been male, and today he was female. It was confusing to Sherlock; he imagined it would be doubly so to John. Sherlock could at least be a bit rational about everything; he wasn't sure John could be, or that he should. But if he hid it would be worse.
“Something has happened,” he said, not in the slightest surprised that his voice was now feminine. It was still low, a sultry alto with a tinge of a higher range, and it was quite throaty.
“Sorry. I didn't realize you had company,” John said from the other side of the door, and Sherlock could well imagine the look of surprise on his face. “I'll leave you two alone.”
“John, I don't have company,” he said, opening the door. “Something has happened, and apparently I'm a woman.”
John stared, the surprised look on his face from the idea that Sherlock might have female company sliding into a look of outright shock. “That's not possible,” he got out weakly.
“But apparently it has,” Sherlock said, grousing slightly.
John's eyes narrowed. “How do I know this isn't some elaborate prank? Tell me something only Sherlock would know.”
Sherlock sighed. “You wrote an elaborate love poem to your last girlfriend. I warned you against sending it because she was cheating on you with her boss. So you decided to surprise her with flowers and you walked in on a tryst in her office. You came back and gave the flowers to Mrs. Hudson and proceeded to get very drunk, and only stopped when I carted you off to bed. You had a hangover and ended up calling in sick the next day and not accompanying me on my case.” Sherlock glared at John. “That was last week.”
John's eyes widened. “Bloody hell,” he said in a low voice. “It really is you.”
“Yes, it really is me,” Sherlock retorted, exasperated. “I want to find out how this happened, and why, and what we can do to reverse it.”
“What about that Mrs. McManus, the one you interviewed who fancied herself some sort of witch?” John said, still looking slightly dazed.
“That's a bunch of bullocks,” Sherlock said.
“Well, you're obviously a woman now. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t have the evidence right in front of me.”
Sherlock went to make a snide reply then stopped. John was pointing out the obvious, but it was a very valid point. He was now a woman. He must have angered someone enough for them to take drastic action. “Whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth,” he murmured.
“Let’s assume the truth is magic is involved,” John said gamely. “All right. We just need to figure out who, and why, and if there’s any way to reverse it.”
As if Sherlock hadn’t thought of that himself. The problem was, he wasn’t quite sure if he was ever going to be able to fix it. “I have to go out,” he said suddenly, making to step past John.
“Whoa, whoa,” John said, reaching out to grab his arm but pulling it back at the last moment. “You aren’t going anywhere in clothing like that. Do you have clothing that fits?” John asked. “Your shirts have always been a bit on the tight side. I don't think any of them will fit…well, those,” he said, gesturing to Sherlock’s chest.
Sherlock frowned. This was a complication he hadn’t expected. “I don’t intend on remaining like this for long. But perhaps one outfit wouldn’t be amiss.” He couldn’t exactly go running around London in his dressing gown.
John got an amused look on his face. “Easier said than done, mate. We'll figure out something for you to wear down to the shops and then we'll take a little shopping tour.”
Sherlock nodded. “You're taking this very well,” he noted.
“I rather have to. If I want the old you back, I have to start thinking of how to solve your case.”
“I only became a woman. I didn't lose my intellect,” Sherlock pointed out.
“I'm not saying you did. But you don't want the whole world to know you're a woman, do you?”
He shook his head. “No, not particularly.”
“Then I need to be the face of the case while you stay in the background. Think of it as you being the wizard behind the curtain.” Sherlock scrunched his face up in confusion. “It's a 'Wizard of Oz' reference.”
“I still don't get it.”
“I didn't think you would,” John said with a half smile. “Go figure out what you can still fit into. I’ll fix us some toast and then we can start trying to get it all sorted out.”
Sherlock nodded and went back to his room. This whole experience was surreal, but at least John wasn't going into hysterics. He was extremely thankful for that. John was right about the shirts; he couldn’t get anything buttoned. He had a similar problem with the trousers, his hips having apparently expanded by three and a half inches. He dug around his disguises in the bottom of his closet and finally came up with a pair of workman’s coveralls. He put them on over one of his lounging shirts and emerged scowling in the kitchen. John shoved a piece of toast at him and went back upstairs, returning with one of his jumpers.
“Here, try this.”
Sherlock, beyond caring what he looked like at this point and just wanting to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible, yanked the offensive article of clothing over his head, then bundled his greatcoat on over all of it. At least that did fit, as did his shoes. The sooner they got this taken care of, the better.
Part 2