It Started With Stealing | Sherlock Holmes

80 - Fugitive

A/N - look at the lil family photooo 😂

These are Cleo's siblings minus Ivy and Jacob because I can't find any actors young enough that I can see playing them 😂

So left to right:
- Robert - Josh O'Conner
- Chris - Tom Felton
- Theo - Joe Cole
- Jenna - Daisy Edgar-Jones

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The following morning, after Sherlock had left the night before, Elizabeth discovered that she now disliked waking up on her own.

After having slept next to the detective for ten days consecutively, the loss of his warm presence was felt deeply. She pulled the white cover over her face as she maneuvered herself into the centre of the bed. His side was cold. It still smelt like him though, albeit subtly, but the earthy, alluring smell had lingered, the only sense of familiarity. He had only been gone for one night so far and she missed him terribly. But perhaps the lovesick puppy in her was more so missing him out of the fear of losing him to Irene, regardless of his promise.

The thief sighed, shutting her eyes again, inhaling his scent once more.

She knew she couldn't stay here all day but without anyone to entertain or be entertained by, she was at a loss of what to do. Work didn't start until Thursday, she had kept on top of tidying the flat so there was no chaos to clean, John would be working and Mrs Hudson had her own plans to go out.

She could visit Rita at the hospital again...

But Elizabeth found she didn't want to, not after how their conversation had ended last time. Moral culpability now liked to hold her steady as it's wave engulfed her whole, surrounding every inch of her body with the drowning weight of responsibility for what had happened to her friend and confidant. It was her fault Jim had done this to Rita. Had she just accepted that she was his 'property' and returned herself to him, no one would be hurt - not even Sherlock as she wouldn't have been present to complete those missions for Mycroft.

The thief knew she, herself, would be hurt though.

If she had gone to Jim, she knew she would always long to be with Sherlock, but given his career path, she knew that he would turn her in without question for a betrayal such as that.

Her phone buzzed on the bedside table.

Peeking out from under the thick duvet, she looked at the phone, gently slipping her arm out from under it to grab the device. Unlocking it she saw she had a message from Sherlock:

<I love you. - S.H.>

Her lips softly curved up at the sides as she replied:

<Be careful. I love you too. - E.P.>

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Rita was sat up on her hospital bed, her bandaged legs dangling off the side as two nurses changed her bandages. The doctor couldn't bear to look down at herself, despite that morbid curiosity whispering to her that she should. All she did was held her head high and kept looking forwards, straight ahead, focusing all of her gaze into the same spot of the wall opposite her, wishing it were another certain person instead. Staring at it so intensely, she thought the white wall was beginning to churn and fizz, just like sea foam.

What she wouldn't give to be on a beach right now, sipping a piña colada, book in hand, listening to the gentle shushing of the waves as they collapsed onto the beach while taking in the sun.