Chapter Text
JOHN WATSON
Irene Adler left the room still enveloped with silence and lingering with tension.
I cleared my throat, “Are you okay Sherlock?”
“Yes. I am. Why? Do look not okay?”
“Eh… Sherlock… Erm, listen, do want to talk about it?”
“Which part?”
“Either one.” This was the time of my life that I don’t know how to deal with Sherlock’s attitude right now, because we don’t know what will gonna happen next or what would be his impulsive reaction. And to the one that I had witnessed, Sherlock looks like he was over the edge.
“I knew you have something to tell, John. Say it. Trying to figure out something that is out of your mental capacity doesn’t suit you much.”
“Okay.” I reprimanded to his never faltering rude behaviour. “You’re over reacting Sherlock, we all know that Moriarty will be coming out and be in touch as soon as we know it. But has he gotten into you lately?’
“Are you that stupid John? Please don’t even try involving yourself into things that is for average people like you.” He spoke in his rudest, unfriendly voice.
Dealing with Sherlock Holmes in this state was harder than I thought rather than convincing him to have a rest when he is sick. But he doesn’t need to attack people by his casual rudeness. “Look, I know that you don’t trust Irene, I know. But still you we’re acting, well you’re acting not like yourself.”
“There are things going on in here, and I don’t want you inflicting opinions about the world using your petty mind. Take a time to shut John, you’re giving me a migraine.” He slumped on his arm-chair with his unfinished coffee on his hands.
“Just hear me out okay? I as a physician, I prescribe you to have a rest for a couple of days and as your best friend, I suggest you to stop taking coffee in an excessive manner, I know that coffee sure did gave you the kicks, but Caffeine affects out system when we took too much of them. “
“Thank you for the worries John, but I won’t be needing them while I mange cping up since Moriarty hasn’t decide to kill me yet.”
I frowned at Sherlock, “Just don’t over-react. We know that he won’t.”
“Fine. Was that everything? He said in a challenging tone and smirked. “Doctor?”
I blinked furiously as I watched the tall detective disappear from my line of sight.
What a pain in the arse.
+++
“How’s she doing?” I asked my wife about our little one while we are on the couch just having a chill. I put a hand on her tummy and felt the baby kicked. Mary and I laughed.
“She kicked!” Mary smiled. “My OB said she was fine and very healthy.”
“Good to hear. But I’ll be naming her.”
“Shut up dear, never in a million years.” We both shared a smile and I placed an assuring arms around her shoulders before planting a small kiss on her temple.
“Love you.” She smiled genuinely.
“Love you too.” Then she leaned her head on my shoulders.
KRINGGGG!
There was ring on the door and both of us turned our heads into the source of the sound.
“Stay here. I’ll get it.” I stood from the couch and answered it and saw Irene Adler standing in front of our doorstep.
“Oh! Hello! Irene. Didn’t expect you coming. Come on in.” I invited the woman inside before closing the door behind.
“Irene! Oh my gosh! It’s so nice seeing you again.”
“Nice to see you too.” She kissed Mary’s cheeks and handed the basket of fruits to her that my wife soon passed it on me. “You shouldn’t bother.”
Irene smiled.
“You wanted coffee or something?”
“Just coffee, thank you.”
“Oh god! You’re an elephant!” I heard Irene said jokingly from the kitchen.
“Shut up!”
“Just kidding.” I heard the two women laugh.
After I finished the coffee and the cup of chamomile tea for my wife, I carried the tray inside the living room.
“So where’s Sherlock?” I asked after passing the cup of tea on my wife.
“Apparently out for a case.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Please tell him that I can’t really come around because I have to help Mary for pregnancy stuff. You know, being a medical practitioner.”
“Well, I think he understands. And besides he’s too full of himself.” The woman spat bitterly.
“You’re still not okay with him?”
“We don’t talk that much.”
“What happened?” Mary put the cup on the saucer and placed it on the table.
“Sherlock tantrums?” Irene commented the three of us laughed.
“Is Sherlock okay?” Mary asked.
“That’s why I came here.” She leaned back on the sofa and finished her cup of coffee.
‘What was it?”
“I am well informed of his attitude problems, mood swings and Asperger’s. But I still think he’s acting abnormally even considering what is normal for Sherlock Holmes.”
I knew Sherlock don’t find the cases presented to him as interesting as it should be. But for the truth that the wrath of Sherlock Holmes had been presented to me, but I slowly grew to believe this was different among the others. From the events; from the last few days, I knew that Irene also noticed the derangement of the detective’s intelligent mind.
I wet my lips before speaking back to the woman. “Well, his mind can push him to overdrive sometimes, he can be pretty wild at times.”
“John…” Irene’s voice soften. “I know you are Sherlock Holmes’ best friend, and you’re also a doctor. What if the return of Jim Moriarty was too much for him to take in? I mean he’d been through a lot these past few years and he was forced to take his own life. What if this was his last straw?”
The flashback of my experiences in Afghanistan flashes like a reel inside my mind. The nightmares they brought me at night, the death of very good friends and the unending gunfires on the sea of war. I had been through those but I shook them of my head.
“Are you okay, John?” Mary asked with her hands on my back.
“Y-yeah. I’m fine.” I assured her by giving her hand a squeeze.
I blinked. “But Irene, I don’t think that does gonna happen. He is Sherlock Holmes. The great-detective. A man with the most intelligent mind the world has seen. It can’t be. Sherlock’s different. He just-“
I was interrupted by the sound of the door swinging inside the room with Lestrade hot on his heels.
“Where’s Sherlock?” his furious voice echoed inside the room.
“He’s not here! Why would he be here?! I owned this place.” I rose from my chair with a hint of annoyance with the Detective Inspector.
“He’s not on his flat.” Lestrade furrowed his eyebrows.
“Okay boys, can we all please calm down.” Irene also rose from her seat aiding Mary who also rose from the sofa.
“I think everybody’s been looking for me.” Sherlock suddenly appeared behind Lestrade with an impassive face.
“Sod this Sherlock!” I already lost my temper from everyone coming in of my household without bothering to knock. And it was really, offensive.
“I saw this on the mantelpiece,” Sherlock raised a piece of paper that looks like a note to him. “If anyone was wondering. And the knocker at 221 B was a bit askew, and thank you, Gordon for leaving a footprint on my living room’s floor.” He frowned. “What was it this time?”
“One last warning, Sherlock. I’m not letting you to get involved on the case right now. And be thankful that this was just a warning not an arrest warrant. But next time I will!” Lestrade practically shouted at the detective but he rolled his eyes in return. “And you’re lucky that Sergeant Donovan didn’t witness you assaulting the victim back there or it might get straight into the whole damn media.”
“Oh please, everyone is just over-reacting upon this situation.” He put his hands inside the pocket of his coat and walked inside the room slowly after closing the door behind. “And I don’t care about the media.” He said facing the grey-haired man.
“Jesus. Sherlock…” Lestrade ruffled his hair. “This is not about the media. “he said through gritted teeth.
“You brought up the topic first.” Sherlock countered.
“What the hell is happening? Why is everyone barging inside my flat without prior notice? Is there more coming? Are there more coming? Please inform us , so we might at least be prepared!” I said the last two sentences in the most sarcastic way as much as possible.
“He assaulted a victim!” Lestrade exclaimed loudly.
“I apologized! And for the fact that I thought she was the victim!” Sherlock shouted back.
Greg Lestrade sighed before crossing his arms around his chest. “No you don’t.”
“Well, I thought she was. Defective, unimportant, regardless.” The dark-haired man shrugged.
“No, it’s not!” Lestrade growled and stepped a little closer to Sherlock and spoke in a very low voice. “You assaulted a rape victim for god’s sake. Now, we’ll be providing her special therapies after you verbally abused her! She’s the victim! She’s not guilty of anything!”
“Thank you for informing me, Gordon.”
Lestrade shook his head, “You’re not into this case anymore or any cases presented at hand.”
Sherlock glared at the Detective Inspector. “That was quite insulting. Don’t you think. I am Sherlock Holmes, after all.”
“I don’t give a damn if you are any person of significance, but I am not allowing you inside my crimes scenes!”
“I have a website, John’s got a blog, I have 221 B. I’ve got clients. I can find work anywhere I want.” He walked past the elder man without excusing himself indicating the end of the conversation and leaving Greg Lestrade standing like a deflated balloon.
“I’m so sorry John. I’m very sorry.” Lestrade apologized.
“Yes, you can leave now.” With that, Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade left the Watson’s residence after Sherlock Holmes left.
“God damn it! He’s gone mental! More nuts than normal!” I looked down at my wife, “Mary are you alright?”
“I’m supposed to be asking you that. Yeah, I’m fine.” She settled back on her seat before taking her cup of tea. She scrunched up her nose. “It’s already cold.”
“You still don’t consider my proposed idea?” Irene Adler spoke.
I shook my head. “ Actually, I don’t. Things were different. But insane? Never. He is Sherlock Holmes and he got the most powerful mind this world has seen. I know that people warned me that one day, he might snap. But he’s mind is capable of mad things. He can’t just snap like that even if his own nemesis returned.”
Irene nodded. “I believe you. If you say he’s not slowly turning into a psychopath. But we still need to cling; to the fact that something is odd going on around here.”