For John Watson

[howdull]

[Sherlock is still finding pieces of the melted laptop in the carpet.

It had actually been quite an ingenious booby trap to be devised by a fourteen year old boy with only household chemicals to work with but, as Sherlock surmised, rather overkill to keep his mother from finding his extensive porn collection. Not one of their more illustrious cases, but it had been quite entertaining to watch both the boy and mother's faces as he revealed that he did know the how and why. He lost interest after the mother started shouting and John started shouting and the whole thing turned tedious.

He rather thinks John won't actually be doing a full write-up of this one on his blog.

It's been two days since their last case and he's beginning to get more than a little antsy. Lestrade has sent him nothing, just a boring hit and run that he refused to even leave the flat for, and nobody interesting has appeared through the blog. Said blog he is currently scrolling through on John's laptop, having borrowed it again.

He did ask, it's not his fault John hadn't been in the room at the time.]

Bored, John.

[He doesn't even know if his flatmate is even in, but that's hardly a necessity for him to actually speak to John. Frustrated, he throws the laptop across the room to hit the wall, where it summarily breaks. Which is where he can be found whenever John appears, sulking amidst pieces of laptop, both from the melted one of their last case and John's poor broken one.]

Comments

[jumpthegun]

[John's brows rise at Mycroft's message.]

Mr. Holmes, if I were parroting, my message would be a great less polite. Thank you for your kindness. I've already endangered enough innocent people by being around them in a known and heavily populated location. I'm working at the moment. I'll talk to you later, if you'd like.

[John calls the bakery first.]

Hullo, this is... uh, Carl with Blink and Ink. I needed to talk to your office manager about our latest shipment of business cards.

[howdull]

[Sherlock looks utterly disgusted and his fingers twitch as if he's seriously considering snatching the phone from John's hand. But luckily, the man on the other end of the line is far too busy doing the evening clean up to really notice the errors or the hesitancy.]

Business cards? Oh, right. You want to call back tomorrow morning, speak to Andre, he deals with the admin. He's got your number, right?

[And two more texts come through.]

FROM: MYCROFT HOLMES: Very well, I would like to talk to you 'later'. I will send a car for you in fifteen minutes.

FROM: Unknown Sender: I don't want your apologies, I just want you to suffer like I've suffered. You're going to lose everything, Captain, this was just the warm up. The main event starts in three days.

[jumpthegun]

Yeah, thanks! I'll talk to him then.

[John hangs up.]

Any thoughts on avoiding your brother in the next 15 minutes? I've apparently been naughty.

[His attention turns to the other message after that, and it's far more concerning. There are people he's killed, men who have been lost under his command, but if she was serving with him, she'd have understood that. Was it someone who lost her husband or wife because of one of his decisions? A sister? He wracks his brain for all of the women he served with. But faces blur together. There are only a few that still stand out clearly--Bill, Major Sholto, Tess from Requisitions... he'd rather fancied her. There are others, but they're mostly men.]

Very naughty. Can I just ask her who she is?

[Sherlock is hovering, so John doesn't expect he needs to show him the phone.]

[howdull]

No.

[The look he gives John is the patented one that says how do other human beings function when they're such idiots?]

The main event suggests that C, whoever or whatever C is, is more important to you than both Baker Street and your sister. Perhaps your own life? C could quite easily stand for Captain.

[He'll ignore the Mycroft issue for now.]

[jumpthegun]

She already nearly killed me, and I'm not...

[John clears his throat and doesn't finish that thought. His life isn't as important as other people. The main event would be killing others if she knows him at all.]

C is for Clara? [John shakes his head minutely.] She's not more important than Harry. I don't have that many- The clinic? Sarah works there. [And if this woman is trying to systematically destroy his life, then taking out his place of work would be next of the list.]

I can warn them. Might be able to shut down for a week.

[howdull]

If you think it necessary.

[He doubts the clinic will be the start of the main event, it's surely less important than Baker Street. What are they missing here? There has to be something and it's driving him wild, having the answer just out of his grasp.

John's phone pings again with a text.]

FROM: Mycroft Holmes: The car is outside, Dr. Watson.

[jumpthegun]

[John runs a hand down his face.]

What are the odds of outrunning your brother?

[He starts tapping out a message to Sarah.]

TO: Sarah Sawyer: Really sorry about this, but you're going to want to have them close down the clinic for the next week. There's a very serious possibility it'll be the next target of a bombing attempt. I'll call you later. Love you.

[Later. Much later for Sarah.]

[howdull]

[Two texts come in within seconds of each other, almost immediately.]

FROM: Sarah Sawyer: I get out of work in fifteen minutes. I'm calling you and you better answer. I'm not kidding, John.

FROM: Mycroft Holmes: Long odds, I'm afraid, Dr. Watson.

[Sherlock flops back on the bed with the business cards atop his chest.]

Fairly good, Mycroft never exercises, he'd collapse in a street or two.

[jumpthegun]

[John rolls his eyes at Sherlock and pushes himself up.]

Your brother has this flat mic'd. I'll be back in a bit. Should I say anything else to the Alphabet Woman?

TO: Sarah Sawyer: Middle of a case. I'm not sure I'll be able to pick up. I'm sorry. Government's involved.

[Sort of. Technically Mycroft is the government.]

[howdull]

[Unfortunately for John, Sherlock already has his eyes closed and is too busy thinking to respond or even hear what his flatmate has to say. His fingers ache for his violin, destroyed in the explosion at Baker Street.

There is indeed a car waiting outside, with not-Anthea in the back as always. Except now her hair is cherry red and cut cropped close to her ears, and she's wearing denim rather than a smart skirt suit.]

[jumpthegun]

[John blinks a few times at the sight of her as he slides carefully into car with a grimace of pain.]

Does he just... sort of send you everywhere?

[howdull]

[She glances up from her phone and smiles.]

Pretty much. That is my job.

[And then it's right back to her screen, John not that interesting to her. They will be driving for over fifteen minutes, thanks to London traffic, so John's phone will ring while he's in the car with Sarah's number.]

[jumpthegun]

[John looks at the number and seriously considers not answering. That's going to cause more problems than it will solve, though. He puts on his best impression of being not in pain and completely on top of things.]

Hey. I haven't got to much time. Are you doing okay?

[howdull]

John!

[She sounds harried, half worried and half angry.]

I saw on the news what happened to your flat, I tried to call and your phone went to voicemail, I called the hospital and they told me you had burns and that you were missing. John-- what's--

[No, not what's going on.]

Are you okay?

[jumpthegun]

Yeah, lost my phone. It's all right. I'm all right. Sherlock and I are staying somewhere else. I think everyone got out okay, too.

[He hopes everyone did.]

The burns weren't really that bad, and we've got work to do. There's been a murder before that, then the bomb. Someone's targeting me, which is why you need to close down the clinic for the week. They've sent a message that they're planning something worse in the next three days.

You, uh... might want to leave London for a bit, too.

[howdull]

[After what happened at the Chinese circus, she's not about to discount the possibility of being in danger and it does give her pause. But she's not a coward, or she'd have dumped him after that first date went so poorly.]

I can talk about the clinic with the board, but I can't just skip town. John-- if you're in trouble then you should come to me, you can stay here for a few days and let the police look for whoever is doing this. Sherlock-- He'll just drag you into more danger.

[jumpthegun]

[John rubs his forehead and closes his eyes. This is why he didn't want to talk to her.]

I can't do that, Sarah. Anyone around me right now is going to be in danger. I won't risk putting you in the middle of it. It's safest just to keep away from me and take a holiday. Maybe to Spain. I hear it's nice this time of year, and you could use the break.

[howdull]

Don't... John, don't talk about this like it's a joke and I'm just going to go away on holiday.

[She doesn't know if she's more annoyed or more worried right now. She wants to slap him and hug him, stupid man.

The car pulls up smoothly outside the Diogenes Club.]

[jumpthegun]

I have to go, Sarah. I'm meeting someone. I'll call you later. Please talk to the board. Love you.

[He hangs up before she can protest, and feels more than a little bad about it. But it's for her own good and safety.]

I'm assuming this phone is tapped already, but if you could... not mention that conversation? [John knows it's a lost cause with Anthea, and just hauls himself out of the car, taking a moment to get his balance. Sherlock was right. He should have slept. But for now, he has to deal with Mycroft. Game face on.

John steps into the club and looks around for a receptionist of some sort... or anyone in uniform.]

I'm here to see Mycroft Holmes?

[It's said to the room at large.]

[howdull]

[She half snorts, because of course Anthea has already told her boss about the conversation. But she doesn't say anything, and the car soon pulls off to leave John on the steps of the prestigious club.

Nobody responds to him when he requests to see Mycroft, even though there are three people sitting reading newspapers. One of them looks highly affronted, but a man in uniform does hurry on over and try to take John by the elbow.

Come along, Dr. Watson, you're making a scene.]

[jumpthegun]

[John looks back with confusion, then there's affront on his behalf as he's grabbed and pulled away.]

He invited me. John Watson.

[But he'll go along with the man, frowning in irritation. If he gets thrown out of this damn club, he's walking back to Sherlock's flat if he has to.]

[howdull]

Yes, sir.

[The staff member doesn't reply until they're well outside that room and walking up the stairs.]

Mr. Holmes is waiting for you in the Cherry Suite, the main reception room is Silence At All Times, sir.

[jumpthegun]

[John sighs in irritation. He already doesn't want to be here.]

You might put a sign out for that. Where's the Cherry Suite, then?

[howdull]

Second door on your left, first floor, sir.

[The man's voice is always perfectly polite and he gestures in the right direction, before letting the irritated miniature army doctor stride off alone.

Mycroft is relaxing in a wing-backed armchair with a glass of fine scotch and a newspaper, he glances up when John enters and folds the paper neatly.]

Dr. Watson, do sit down, have a scotch.

[jumpthegun]

[It's not exactly striding so much as making his best go of not limping. But John does head off. When he steps into the room, John stops next to the chair, but he doesn't sit down.]

I'm not thirsty, thank you. What can I do for you that I couldn't have done over the phone, Mr. Holmes?