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

[howdull]

But you'd be comfortable using him as a pawn if he were older?

[Sherlock shoots a wryly amused look over his shoulder and goes to put the boy down on the only real armchair in the place.]

Besides, I asked his permission, he's happy to help.

[jumpthegun]

Wha... no! That's not what I...

[John trails off, frowning hard at the other man. He tries to keep his voice low for the sleeping boy.]

Sherlock, what is this? How is he helping?

[howdull]

We know that Caroline Matthews sees the removal of her children as unfair, and given her obsessive personality it stands to reason that she would defy court orders and likely keep tabs on them in their foster homes. If she discovers one is missing, she'll come right to us.

[He glances down at the boy, smile at his lips.]

People lose all rationality when sentiment is involved, it's so predictable, and it'll work in our favour.

[jumpthegun]

[John still doesn't like this. Not a single solitary bit. There's not a lot he can do about it, though, with the boy already being here. He supposes he could call Lestrade, but the man is going to be furious with him, anyway, and it's some ridiculous hour of the morning, if you could even call it morning, yet.]

Molly, I'll make tea if you want to sit down.

[He sighs, defeated, and heads for the kitchen. Maybe this will be over soon. If they can end this before the next letter of the alphabet, all the better. It still doesn't feel right doing it like this, though.]

How's Caroline meant to find us once she sees he's missing?

[howdull]

I wasn't particularly subtle in arranging this house or when I collected her son, she'd have to be significantly stupid to not be able to follow those clues.

[He follows John to the kitchen, the discussion with him more interesting than Molly or the sleeping boy.]

When she arrives you and I can jump her, restrain her, and deliver her to justice rather neatly.

[jumpthegun]

[John can't help pausing and looking over at Sherlock, incredulous. He lowers his voice, but it's now more annoyed.]

You should've told me that's what we were planning to do. I wouldn't've brought Molly!

[howdull]

Why not? She's proven vaguely capable in the past, and I doubt she'll be squeamish if this ends in bloodshed.

[He frowns over at John.]

This isn't some ridiculously outdated sense of 'chivalry', is it?

[jumpthegun]

No! [Yes.]

Her arm's broken. And she was just kidnapped and traumatized by a bloke who was supposed to be her boyfriend.

[howdull]

I was kidnapped and will suffer seizures the rest of my life, and you were blown up and falsely accused of war crimes. Why would Molly get special treatment?

[It's so because she's a woman, and he wants John to admit it.]

[jumpthegun]

[Never.]

I'm a soldier who went to war and you're some bloke who runs around and nearly gets killed weekly. This isn't exactly her line of work.

[howdull]

She's been working with me and the police for longer than you have, and she's exceptionally capable.

[He's not dropping this now.]

Were you this patronising about the women in your unit?

[jumpthegun]

No. They were soldiers.

[He's being a bit rougher with the tea than it really deserves at this point, putting mugs down with more force than absolutely necessary.]

Molly's a competent lab tech and partner for interrogation, maybe even stakeouts. She's not trained for fighting. Certainly not with someone who's got a gun.

[howdull]

Neither am I.

[It's mild, and utterly pedantic considering that he's definitely more capable of handling himself than Molly.]

How can you be sure that Molly hasn't trained herself for this type of eventuality, just as I have? You're judging her based on her sex, John, seeing her as the damsel in distress.

[jumpthegun]

[John starts to sputter.]

You are nothing like Molly. She's nothing like you apart from being clever, thank god. [And reckless. And morbid. And adorably awkward at odd moments. Pressing on.] Anyway, it's different with you and guns. You're around mine all the time. You've been shot at. She hasn't.

Stop making it a sex thing.

[It's absolutely a sex thing and he wishes Sherlock would stop picking at it.]

[howdull]

How can I stop making it a sex thing when it is, undeniably, a sex thing?

[There's no way he's going to stop picking at it now, not until he gets the satisfaction he wants.]

If Molly were a man, we'd not be having this same conversation. You would far more readily accept 'his' capability to handle danger and potential violence.

[jumpthegun]

D'you really want to put an untrained civilian and a little boy in the line of fire, Sherlock? Because that's what this comes down to. I already got Jake shot through the stomach because of Caroline bloody Matthews. I'm not going to have it happen again. Not to Molly.

[John leaves off the tea and turns fully to face Sherlock, glaring up at him, even as he tries to slide around the point that the younger man is making.]

[howdull]

Caroline isn't going to shoot her own son, the boy isn't in any danger, and Molly is far more capable than you're giving her credit for.

[His eyes are laser focused on John.]

Is this about Harry?

[jumpthegun]

[John was bristling before, but now his hands are balling into fists and holding.]

Leave it, Sherlock.

[howdull]

You feel as though you failed to protect her, the role that society attributes both for a brother to a sister and a man to a woman, so now you're transferring that guilt and wish to redo what you see as a mistake to Molly. She's the closest woman you have a bond with, so now you're unnaturally protective.

[jumpthegun]

[Count to ten. Count to ten and don't punch this man in the face. Don't punch anything because it's going to hurt.]

Would it be so bad if that were true? [The words are spoken through clenched teeth.] People around me keep dying or suffering, Sherlock. Sorry if I get a bit odd about it.

[howdull]

Of course it's true.

[An offhand wave.]

But it would make more sense for you to encourage them to protect themselves, as the ones you try to protect are the ones who keep dying.

[jumpthegun]

[That stings more than it really should, and the hurt shows on John's features as momentary shock. He masks that quickly.]

It's because she's a woman. You're right. Go sit down or something and keep an eye on the door. Or the kid.

[URGH.]

[howdull]

[He looks a mixture of smug and guilty. Why he should feel guilty for hurt feelings he has no idea, he very rarely has before.]

John.

[A low voice, between them.]

Molly is not Harry, and your protection wouldn't have changed what happened, the fault isn't yours.

[jumpthegun]

[John just takes a breath and goes back to finishing up with the kettle, putting it on to boil for the tea.]

I know. [His voice is tight.] But she still died because of me. I'll get over it, Sherlock. [He probably won't, but he can pretend in the moment.] We've got more important things to think about.

[howdull]

Of course.

[He's had his moment of apology, of attempting comfort, and it's best to move on as quickly as possible.]

We only have a limited amount of time before Moriarty is inevitably released from custody, we ought to actively draw her out. The best way to do this will be using you as bait, be seen near the foster home of her son and she'll assume you have him.