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]

I have a couple of appointments this morning, but we're come 'round after those. [He really hates doing this to Lestrade. He knows it's making the man's life harder. It's for the greater good, though.] They won't see us.

Need to call Sarah, but I wanted to let you know what was happening. Talk to you soon, mate. [He hangs up before Lestrade can get a word in edgewise and offers Sherlock his phone back.]

Don't want to call Sarah on your phone. She might call back. [And god knows she doesn't need to speak to Sherlock.]

[howdull]

[Sherlock really wants the driver to hurry, but they're statistically far more likely to be delayed if he does convince the driver to speed, so he just keeps his mouth shut.

He hands over John's phone back to him, and pockets his own.]

Must you call her now? Don't you think there are more important things than your failed relationship?

[jumpthegun]

[The look John shoots Sherlock is something close to murderous at the moment. He's really not in the mood, and he doesn't reply, just dials Sarah's mobile number.]

[howdull]

[It's only a few seconds before Sarah answers, sounding a little breathless.]

You better have a damn good explanation for this, John. We have the bomb squad sweeping our clinic for an explosive, because you said one was put there.

[jumpthegun]

It’s the man who helped kill Harry. [Just launching into that.] He said he was gonna blow up the clinic or a trapped woman in under a minute and I had to choose which. I thought there was a better chance of you getting everyone out in time. I’m sorry.

[howdull]

[She breathes in sharply, something catching in her throat though she manages to keep actual tears at bay.]

Enough. [It's too much.] I can't do this any more, I can't be caught up in this madness. Being tied up and catapults and now bombs in some weird twisted Sophie's Choice?! I can't-- I'm a doctor, you're meant to be one too, this is madness.

[jumpthegun]

[He doesn't respond with 'I'm a soldier, too,' because that is not what she needs to hear right now.]

I know. It's why I wanted to push you away, get you out of it. I'm sorry, Sarah, I'm so sorry. I don't think they know you matter, yet. [They undoubtedly do.] Not really. It was just the clinic. I can't quit this. I want to. Believe me, I want this to stop, but I'm the target, Sarah. They'll get to me one way or the other. You understand?

[howdull]

I understand that you wouldn't be in this sort of position if you didn't run around London playing police with Sherlock.

[Maybe Caroline would have hated him, but she never would have been able to set all of this up without Moriarty.]

I can't be looking over my shoulder any more, wondering if someone is coming to bomb my work, or shoot me, or kill someone I care about.

[jumpthegun]

[John is realizing he doesn't have the patience for this right now. He's glad Sarah is safe. That had been his major concern with what just happened.]

Well, I'm in this position. I didn't want you to be a part of it. I don't want you to be a part of it. I can't make you stop caring about me anymore than I can stop caring about you. But we can break this off. Properly. I won't come round to your clinic and the only time I'll call is if you're in imminent danger. I don't want you to get hurt, Sarah.

[howdull]

[She had wanted to talk to him in person, kept trying to push for it, because she had thought that somehow she could impress on him that he needed to be more careful, that maybe they didn't have to be over.

But that was just a fool's hope, wasn't it? This was the truth right here. She let out a sigh, suddenly sounding tired and sad, rather than angry and hysterical.]

Fine.

[That's it then.]

Just-- try not to die, John Watson.

[jumpthegun]

You, too. And try to find a man who deserves you, Sarah. [A pause before he adds.] Goodbye.

[And hangs up.]

She's gonna get targeted, isn't she?

[howdull]

Most likely.

[He doesn't sound like he cares too much, but all of his focus is on Molly and her potentially charred corpse.]

This was E, clearly culminating in the bomb where your estranged parents were cremated, she would most likely be G for Girlfriend.

[jumpthegun]

[Molly is on John's mind, as well. If he got her killed... He should have pressed more. He should done something more. He'd promised to protect her on the phone. God.]

F is for Fuck Jim. [That's muttered mostly to himself.] He's attracted to you, by the way.

[howdull]

I suppose it was statistically likely that somebody would be.

[It's not particularly relevant, though, he's hardly going to be going off on a date with Jim Moriarty even if he did do that sort of thing in the first place.]

Once we have-- seen Molly, we need to work together and map out the most logical possibilities for F and G so that we can stake them out and attempt to gain the upper hand again.

[jumpthegun]

[John gives Sherlock a long look, wondering just how oblivious he is to Molly's incredibly obvious attraction.]

Right.

[John falls quiet as he contemplates the traffic. It's going to be madness over by the crematorium with the bomb going off.]

D'you think Jim'll be at our meeting? I called 999 and told them he set the bomb up.

[howdull]

Won't it be interesting to find out?

[He honestly doesn't know either way.]

If he is, that will certainly speak of the level of influence he has on the police force, or the number of friends he might have in high places.

[jumpthegun]

[Lestrade is on their side, though. Thinking about that...]

Lestrade wants a statement from me. We need to stay out of sight at the scene. He said he'd have us picked up if they see us.

[howdull]

Then we'll just have to be quick, we can't leave without finding Molly.

[Or her body. Probably her body.

The cab turns a corner and hits gridlock, they're only a couple of streets from the crematorium and traffic has backed up completely where the road has been closed ahead. Smoke can be seen rising from behind the buildings in front of them.]

[jumpthegun]

We'll just get out here.

[John pulls out Sherlock's wallet and pays for the cab before getting out. If Sherlock has actually stayed, he'll hand the man's credit card and wallet back to him. If not... it looks like John will be holding onto those things for a while.]

[howdull]

[Sherlock doesn’t hang around long enough to get his wallet back, he has other more important things on his mind first. Molly. Sweet, awkward, unassuming Molly Hooper who has become an odd sort of staple in his life and who he would actually miss if she were no longer there.

There are police blockades at each end of the street to the crematorium to keep the public out. But even from that distance it’s easy to see that the building is wrecked. Half of it has collapsed completely, rubble and bits of pew from the services now scorched and open to the air. The area reeks of smoke, and everyone spectating is murmuring how lucky it was that there hadn’t been any scheduled services that morning so nobody had been inside.

Sherlock frowns as soon as he hears the first of those murmurings and ducks behind a nearby car as if tying his shoelaces in order to avoid any of the police spotting him.]

They haven’t found her yet.

[Not a good sign, it means she’s probably buried under the wreckage.]

[jumpthegun]

[John joins him after trying to get his own look around.]

So what's the plan, then? Jump one of the forensics blokes and steal his clothes?

[It's only a half-joking suggestion. John's really at a loss for how they get closer without some form of disguise.]

[howdull]

[Those horrific white jumpsuits and white masks in order to keep a crime scene from being contaminated, he always refused to wear them, and now they're the only viable entrance.]

It's more likely that there'll be spares in the back of the forensic police van, we just have to break in there without being seen.

[jumpthegun]

[That's far more practical, really.]

They'll probably be unlocked, active crime scene.

[John tries to act casual as he scans the scene once more.]

Two o'clock. Think we can get the crowd to create a distraction?

[howdull]

[Sherlock risks a peek over the van, and then ducks back down.]

How badly to your ribs hurt? Do you think you could outrun a police officer?

[jumpthegun]

['No,' a small voice inside of him says. 'That will be agony and you know it,' another agrees.]

Mm... if we can find a place for me to run and hide, I can probably manage a quick run, yeah.