Sherlock - The Game Is On!

The Abominable Bride- Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Third POV

Sitting in the plane parked on the airfield's tarmac, Sherlock jerks awake and opens his eyes. They are a little glossy and the pupils are rather dilated. Someone's hand is leaning on the headrest beside his head. He looks around in confusion for a moment, then his eyes settle on something or rather someone specific. He smiles. "Miss me?"

Michelle smiles lightly whilst leaning over him. Mary is in front of Sherlock's seat, bending forward and looking worriedly at him, with John by her side. Mycroft is in the middle of the aisle a few paces behind her. "Sherlock? You all right?" John asks, hesitantly. "Yes, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you probably just OD'd. You should be in hospital."

"No time. I have to go to Baker Street now. Moriarty's back." He stumbles as he steps into the aisle and slowly shakes his head, trying to get his balance. Michelle grasps hold, to try and steady him. "I almost hope he is, if it'll save you from this." Mycroft holds up the piece of paper containing Sherlock's 'list.' Looking exasperated, Sherlock snatches it from his hand and tears it in half and then half again. "No need for that now." He drops the pieces to the floor. "Got the real thing. We have work to do."

He begins to step forward but stops when Mycroft speaks: "Sherlock. Promise me?" Sherlock looks around the cabin for a moment, then looks back to Mycroft. "What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be off getting me a pardon or something, like a proper big brother?" He moves forward, shoving Mycroft out of the way with his shoulder heading for the door. Mycroft closes his eyes with resignation. Mary, John and Michelle walk past him towards the door. "Doctor Watson? Michelle?"

The pair stop to turn and look back at him. "Look after him..." He gives them a small but genuine smile. "Please?" John nods before walking away. Michelle steps forward and brushes a chaste kiss to Mycroft's cheek. "I'd do anything for the Holmes family. You know that."

Walking away, Mycroft stares into the space where Michelle once stood, smiling to himself. To him, Mycroft still saw her as the little girl he knew from all those years ago. His best friend. She was courageous, she was confident but most of all, Mycroft saw the shine in her eyes when she spoke about the Holmes family.

Bending down on one knee he takes a notebook from his breast pocket. Opening it to a bookmarked page, he picks up the torn pieces of paper and puts them into the notebook where, written at the top of the left-hand page with a rectangular box drawn around it, is the words:

REDBEARD
PINKPATCH

Underneath on the left-hand side is:

611174
Vernet?

To the right of those is a diagonal matrix and underneath, double underlined, the words:

Scarlet Roll M

Below that is some mathematical notation, Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism. Mycroft closes the notebook.

Outside, Sherlock puts on his coat as he walks across the tarmac towards the car parked nearby. "Sherlock, hang on. Explain. Moriarty's alive, then?"

"I never said he was alive. I said he was back."

"So he's dead." Michelle and Mary chime. "Of course he's dead. He blew his own brains out. No one survives that. I just went to the trouble of an overdose to prove it." He throws a quick guilty look to John and Michelle before looking down. "Moriarty is dead, no question. But more importantly..." He raises his head and looks to one side. "I know exactly what he's going to do next."

Smiling at his friends, he turns to Michelle. Looking down, he fiddles with his finger. Breathing in deeply, his blue eyes dive into Michelle's. "No."

"No, what?"

"It wasn't the drugs talking." His calloused finger skim up Michelle's hand resting on her ring finger. "I meant it, every word because it doesn't matter what I do, what drugs I may take..." Michelle looks at him disapprovingly. "Which I have taken." He corrects. "The one thing that will never change, that will always matter to me, is you. I can't imagine my life without you. Whether it be in the Victorian era that I created or this one, I want you by my side always. Always and forever."

Grabbing a fistful of his scarf, Sherlock springs forward startled, whilst Michelle attacks him with kisses. John and Mary look to each other, silently giggling. "All this still doesn't mean that I'm not pissed at you." Michelle gasps against his lips. "I know." Pressing a final kiss to her lips, he loops his arm around her waist and continues on towards the car, leaving John to look at Mary with happiness.