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]

[Molly looks concerned when John jumps to the conclusion of Caroline, chewing her fingernails anxiously as she waits for a response.

The cab actually comes before a reply does, and when it does come, it's only one word.]

FROM: SHERLOCK
TO: JOHN

Babysitting :)

[jumpthegun]

[That's an indescribably ominous message. John gives the cabbie the area.]

FROM: JOHN
TO: SHERLOCK

Brilliant. We really are going to need you to be more specific on your location, at least. I'll text you when we're close. I don't want some cabbie murdering us for trying to do a runner on the fare.

[He sighs heavily and looks over at Molly. Poor Molly in her pyjamas and nothing else. Maybe... they should have waited for morning.]

D'you want to stop off at your place first? Let you grab some clothes?

[Sherlock can maybe wait a few more minutes.]

[gallowshumour]

[The reply eventually comes that he's at 17 Kentish Town Road, which is an apartment rather than any of the public venues that are open all night in that area.

Molly is shivering a little, her pyjamas are thin for this time of night, but she shakes her head resolutely.]

No, if he needs us to come quick -- that's what you said in the hospital -- then we should get there as fast as we can.

[She's worried! Surely John wasn't over-inflating the situation just to get out of the hospital, was he?]

[jumpthegun]

[He wasn't... consciously doing that. John just nods and shifts so that he can work his jacket off while giving the cabbie a more definitive address. He'll offer Molly the jacket.]

Here. You bought it, anyway. Only seems fair.

[John can live with being cold.]

[gallowshumour]

[She gives him a small smile, touched, as she shrugs the jacket on over her shoulders.]

Do you know anything about what he needs us for? Is he, um, he's not hurt, is he?

[jumpthegun]

He didn't say. 'Babysitting,' whatever that means for him. I think he might have a lead on Caroline.

[Because he really can't imagine what else the man is looking after for this case.]

Maybe he found where Jim's stashed her? Or where she's scarpered now Jim's been captured.

[gallowshumour]

Uh, I guess maybe that's what he means? He wouldn't actually be babysitting, would he?

[She didn't think Sherlock knew any children, not even taking into account how late at night it was.]

[jumpthegun]

I don't think anyone would trust Sherlock with their kid. D'you?

[He likes Sherlock... most of the time. But John's well aware the mans ability to deal with adults is subpar, let alone children.]

[gallowshumour]

[That's an excellent point, not even Molly would trust Sherlock with children and she's his biggest supporter. She doesn't get a chance to reply, though, because the taxi is pulling up outside of the address given and the cabbie is turning around.]

That'll be sixteen fifty.

[Molly glances sideways at John.]

Didn't Sherlock say he'd be out here to pay?

[jumpthegun]

Yeah. Um... yeah. Let me just... Take a look for him out of the cab, Molly. I'm gonna call him.

[He dials Sherlock's number.]

[howdull]

[The cab driver doesn't look very happy about one of them getting out without the fare being paid, but since he still has one of them in the car he doesn't make any vocal complaint.

John will be able to hear the phone ringing, both from his end and from just around the corner as Sherlock jogs into view with a small boy resting on his hip. The boy is half asleep with his head lolling on Sherlock's shoulder.]

Alright, I'm here. Wallet's in my back pocket, you can get it.

[jumpthegun]

[As Molly looks about like she might faint is she starts reaching into Sherlock's pockets, John hauls himself out of the cab and goes for it. He grabs Sherlock's card and hands it in to the cabbie to ring them out on the fare.]

Sherlock, who does that kid belong to?

[howdull]

[Sherlock grins, like a boy committing mischief.]

Caroline Matthews. I borrowed him from his foster home.

[jumpthegun]

You what?!

[John takes the card back from the cabbie and the man, perhaps wisely, drives away. The doctor stares at the little boy.]

Sherlock, we are putting him back. Now.

[howdull]

No.

[He just turns and starts to walk up the street again, confident that the two others will follow.]

He's been very helpful so far, and nobody will miss him.

[jumpthegun]

His foster home will miss him. [John shoots Molly a look of 'what the hell do we do?' before hurrying to catch up with Sherlock.] Where are you even keeping him?

[howdull]

[Molly's look back is equally lost and concerned, how does anyone stop Sherlock when he's running at full tilt into bad decisions?

Sherlock turns into a grubby front door that leads up some steps to a dingy little flat.]

Borrowed this place from one of my associates, there's tea in the cupboard.

[jumpthegun]

Have you tested it for meth?

[Christ, Sherlock. John's glad he's pulled himself together enough to be appalled by all of this.

John will let Molly go first, then follow her inside, shutting and locking the door behind them.]

This is a really bad idea. Are you trying to lure Caroline out with him? He's just a kid, Sherlock. We shouldn't be using him like some sort of pawn.

[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?