Work Text:
Gina Lestrade is going soft.
She only stopped for a second. One second, just long enough to toss a chip she nicked from the stall to a stray dog begging for food – and just like that, the bit of paper the Inspector gave her that says she's going to be his apprentice, so they’ll let her into the police station now that she’s out of prison, is gone and the boy who stole it is already almost out of reach..
“Hey!” Gina might be all professional now that she's going to be a real inspector, but she's still fast as ever and knows that trick like she knows the back of her hand, and she whips around and grabs the boy by the sleeve. “Whaddaya think you're –”
His sleeve rips in her hand, and then he's gone, bolting into the crowd like there's a real live hellhound on his tail. Gina flings herself after him. “Stop right there! Ya hear me? Get back ‘ere!”
He doesn't, obviously. Gina wouldn’t (even if she doesn't sound much like a proper inspector yet). But she knows how to weave through a crowd better than anybody else she knows, and she's got longer legs than he does too, so she'll catch him, she will, if he just –
A lady in a fancy skirt that looks like it could hide a whole piano under it bumps right into Gina, blocking her path. She stares down her nose at Gina, like fancy ladies always do. “Watch where you're going, young lady.” Her tone makes it an insult, and usually Gina would respond with a dirty gesture, but right now all she can think is that she lost the kid.
She shoves past the lady and runs, right up to the edge of the road before she stops.
He could've gone anywhere. Left, right, straight – Gina could map out these streets in her sleep, but she doesn't know who this kid's with, if he's with anybody, so she doesn't know where he'd go. There’s too many places to check fast.
That piece of paper is her ticket out. It’s not worth stealing, it’s not worth anything to anybody else, but it's better than gold for her. She's supposed to be at the police station with it right now, and if she shows up without it –
Well, the Inspector’s already skeptical enough. If she shows up like this – she, Gina Lestrade, career pickpocket, getting pickpocketed – well, that'll just prove him right, won't it?
Something whines, very softly, right beside her. Gina looks down, and sees the dog from before.
Well, not dog, exactly. He's too small for that. He's just a puppy, and a cute one, all fluffy black fur and big eyes. No collar or anything, so no family. He’s just another little street orphan like the rest of them.
“Sorry,” she says softly. “I ain’t got nothin’ for you, or for me either.”
The puppy noses curiously at her hand. Gina opens her fist; she's still holding the scrap from the boy's sleeve, a bit of dirty white fabric that could've come off her own shirt. “See? It ain't food.”
The puppy sniffs at it, then bolts right into the road, almost in front of the approaching omnibus. “Hey!” Gina knows better than to chase anything into the street, and does it anyway. “Wait for me!”
As soon as he makes it to the other side of the road, the puppy sits again, looking back like he's waiting for Gina to catch up. Gina dodges around the back of the omnibus and skids to a halt, hands on her hips. “Whaddaya think you're doin’, huh? You're gonna get flattened!”
The puppy sniffs at her hand, sniffs at the ground, and trots off down the road like he's got somewhere to be. At the corner, he turns back and looks for Gina again, tail wagging expectantly.
“You're a smart little guy, ain’t ya?” Gina cocks her head, eyeing the puppy. “You smell something?”
Hey, can’t dogs follow smells? She remembers something about that, stories one of the older kids used to tell about kings with hunting dogs, and she’s seen street dogs find food when even she can’t smell it. It didn’t matter much to her then, but now –
Gina holds out the little scrap of fabric, heart pounding in excitement. The puppy sniffs it, wags his tail furiously, and bolts off into the alleys with Gina running along behind him.
When he stops, he does it so fast Gina almost trips right over him and has to catch herself before falling on her face. The puppy barks, once, and chases his tail in a circle like he's proud of himself.
“What is it, boy?” Gina looks around, but there’s no sign of the kid, or anybody else either, just a pile of trash and somebody's lost shoe. “What are you –”
Something white flutters by on the cobblestones. The puppy barks again, and Gina scoops up the crumpled piece of paper, barely able to believe her eyes.
It's the Inspector’s note. A little dirty and crumpled up, but it's real, right there in her hand.
The puppy barks again. Gina scoops him into her arms and whirls him around, laughing. “Proper little Inspector yourself, ain't ya? Good boy!”
The puppy licks her face furiously, almost knocking her hat off. Gina adjusts it, tucks the note safely into her shirt where it won’t be stolen again, and grins at the puppy in her arms.
That’s some good sleuthing right there. And it’s not like he’s got a family to go home to. So why not? She wanted to help people out, right? Well, this puppy could probably use a little help.
She's going to be an inspector. A real proper one, just like Inspector Gregson. And so’s her puppy, once she shows the Inspector what he can do.
“C'mon. You're comin’ with me.”
The puppy barks and licks her face, and Gina takes that as agreement.