Sherlock - The Game Is On!

Many Happy Returns- Bonus Chapter

One year later

London. It was booming with busy people. It had the odd beggar as well as having its flaws...

I recovered to the public eye. However, behind closed doors I was still the broken woman that Sherlock had left behind...

Bones brought joy to my life. Not the same joy but still joy none of the less. I learned Bones a lot of things. The traditional sit and ones that follow that category but I also learned him more. I taught him to speak and deduce. 'How can you learn a dog to talk?' You ask? Well it's easy. I put a lot of purchase in buying sound buttons. Whatever Bones wanted or needed to get across to me, he pressed the buttons. From that he learned how to form sentences in order to deduce. It was brilliant. I was a proud mother. And he was a proud dog...

The paparazzi died down, and following that, people who believed in Sherlock sent their condolences. Even a year later, I still get the odd letter or card with heart warming words. I made it my mission to respond to every single one of them. I felt as if it was the least I could do...

I took up a few new hobbies, as well as some old ones. The violin unlocked something new in me. I took up ballroom dancing, it was magical. An old hobby I took up included my aunt. You heard she was a exotic dancer, yes? Well I found fun dancing around a pole. It wasn't a public thing, and for that I was happy...

Walking to John's, I let Bones run free. I trusted him enough not to run away and most the time when we go on walks he stays beside me. Walking up to his door, I noticed someone familiar. "Greg?"

"Michelle? Oh hello, how the devil are you?" He welcomes me with a hug. "I'm very well."

"And whose this?" Greg kneels down to stroke Bones. "This is Bones, Bones this is Gregory Lestrade." Bones barked. Lestrade raised a brow. "If you stop by Baker Street sometime I can explain Bones skills a bit better." John opens the door and welcomes us in...

John walks across the living room of his house and puts the white box down on top of a filing cabinet. He turns and smiles at us. "It's good to see you, guys."

"And you." I nod my head. Shaking hands with Greg he then turns to me for a hug. "I've missed you." He mumbles. "I've missed you too."

"Have a seat." I sit on the left of the sofa whilst bones sits in front of the arm rest, with a head held high. "So, how've you been?"

"Er, yeah, good. Yeah. Much better. Er, so what's in the, er?" He gestured to the box. "Oh, that, yeah. That's, er, that's some stuff from my office, some stuff of Sherlock's, actually. I probably should have thrown it out, but I didn't know if..." He turns to us looking awkward. I smile gently to him. "No, fine, yeah."

"Yeah, there's, there's something here. Um, wasn't sure whether I should have kept it in." Lifting the lid I see brief glances of little things. The pink iPhone, nicotine patches, a toy train and a DVD case. "You remember the video message he made for your birthday?" John nods. "Oh, I had to practically threaten him." We smile at Greg. "This is the uncut version. It's quite funny."

"Oh, right."

"Maybe I shouldn't have brought it." Greg mutters. "It's fine, Gregory."

"Yeah, don't worry. It's okay. Probably won't even watch it." We share an awkward silence before Greg leaves. "Whisky?" John asks. "Sure."

Pouring a glass, he hands it to me whilst he nurses the bottle. "So?"

"Yeah." John agrees. Placing the disc into the player. It loads and he walks back to the sofa. On the TV screen is the very familiar sight of the sofa in 221B Baker Street, with the smiley face sprayed on the wall behind it. John takes another drink.

- -Was that supposed to happen, the light going down? Yeah, okay. - -

On the screen was Sherlock, pacing across the living room.

- - Oh, er, mmm. So, what do I, what do I, what d'you want me to do at the end? - -

He stops and looks at Greg who is presumably behind the camera.

- - Shall I, um... Smile and wink. I do that sometimes. I've no idea why. People seem to like it, humanises me. Michelle adores it. - -

I smile briefly, raising the glass to my lips.

- - Fine. Whatever. - -

- - Why am I doing this, again? - -

- - You're gonna miss the dinner. - -

- - Of course I'm gonna miss dinner. There'll be people. How can John be having a birthday dinner? All his friends hate him. Well apart from myself and Michelle. - -

John smirks.

- - You only have to look at their faces. I wrote an essay on suppressed hatred in close proximity based entirely on his friends. - -

Sherlock looks away, thoughtfully.

- - On reflection, it probably wasn't a very good choice of gift. What was my excuse again? - -

- - You said you had a thing. - -

- - Ah, right, yes! That's right. A thing. - -

- - You might wanna elaborate? - -

- - No, no, no. Only lies have detail. - -

Sherlock stares intensely into the camera. I feel my heart beat wildly. Even in death he works me up.

- - Right, I just... I need a moment to, um, figure out what I'm going to do. - -

Walking offscreen he gazes to the window. "I can tell you what you can do. You can stop being dead." John mumbles.

- - Okay. - -

We pause just as Sherlock does momentarily. John looked startled.

- - Okay, I'm ready now. - -

Sitting in his armchair, he settles then looks to the camera again.

- - Hello, John. I'm sorry I'm not there at the moment. I'm very busy. However, many happy returns. - -

We stare into the screen.

- - Oh, and don't worry. I'm going to be with you again very soon. - -

John pauses the screen, on a borderline of breaking down. Sherlock looked deeply into my eyes. My eyes gloss over. Curtly coughing, I down the rest of my glass and pat John. "I'll see you soon?"

"Yes." Gesturing to Bones we leave the house. We walk side by side I start talking to Bones. "I think you would of liked him, ya know?" I look ahead before continuing. "He was extraordinary. I think he would've liked you too." Crossing the road we walk past a newsagents. The radio blared with football chanting in the background.

- - The Game Is Back On. - -

I pause momentarily. A tear slides smoothly down my face. Bones looks up to me. I slowly begin to walk again. Crossing the road again. I notice a man holding a newspaper. It showed three footballers in the middle of a match and once again, the headline read: 'THE GAME IS BACK ON!'

I smile sadly. If only it were true.

"I'd give anything for it to be true." I spoke aloud.

"I'd give anything."