Dancing With The Devil (part two)

Chapter 65: Climax

The Watson-Holmes were a sweet little gathering. The expanded group all sat at John's large round dining table, eating Christmas leftovers and talking about everything. John and Sherlock were, of course, next to each other. After their outing at the park John sat next to his daughter who was gossiping away to her new friend, who's mother sat in between her daughter and her old landlady, who was grilling her for facts about her love life after Jim's 'death'. Greg was sat next to Mrs. Hudson, half listening in, and half shovelling pigs in blankets down his gob. Finally, Molly was sat, smiling shyly next to Sherlock, every time their eyes met she would smile slightly and look back to her food, whilst Sherlock just smirked gently, yet not coyly. Astrid smiled and leaned towards Mrs Hudson.

"What's going on with Sherlock on Molly?" she enquired as Mrs Hudson finished her story of her husband's execution.

"Oh, I'm not sure, dear," she hummed, "Sherlock never tells me anything," Astrid nodded as the landlady looked her, "what about you? I hear your husband died? I'm sorry."

"Oh it's fine. He was nice," she smiled flatly, "died before Astrid was born."

"Has it been hard?"

"Not particularly," she smiled, "we weren't exactly connected, and I've got Seb."

The lady grinned, "who's Seb?"

"He's just a friend," Astrid smiled with a reassuring nod, "I've not been with anyone since Dom," she smiled, "not properly anyway."

"Ah, I understand," she smiled then frowned, "what about Moriarty?"

Astrid gulped, "what about him?"

"What was your relationship?"

"Umm," she looked for a better way to describe it than just 'pure sex' and when she struggled for an answer, Mrs Hudson laughed and nodded her head, "it was very... physical."

"I understand what it's like to be in deep with bad people."

Astrid shook her head, "nah, James Moriarty's network is nothing like what you've been through," she said, with no aggression, "Being in deep with him, is something entirely different," she smiled, "he manipulates you. Makes you care about him, makes you see his greatness. Makes you fall in love with him. Then leaves you with no explanation. Leaves you rotting, all alone, crying over his dead body. Without a single note."

Mrs Hudson didn't respond. She just looked down at her hands as Greg, who had been listening to every word, dropped his fork and gave her a wide eyed look.

"Jesus."

Astrid bit her lip and nodded, "but I'm not bitter or anything," she chuckled, lightening the mood. Greg shook his head as Astrid smiled and turned to face her daughter.

"Moriarty really did a number on her, eh?" He said quietly to Mrs Hudson who brushed it off.

"It's been ten years, I'm sure she's over it."

Astrid smirked to herself as she listened to their attempt at being private.

The rest of that evening was spent in the front room playing board games and making jigsaws and just having a decent time. The two younglings began to grow tired at around eight o'clock in the afternoon and John and Astrid took them upstairs to set them up in Grace's room. By the time they were tucked up it was nearing half past nine, and John and Astrid went back downstairs. They settled back down in the front room with a glass of sherry with the rest of the found group. About fifteen minutes before midnight, Astrid got a call from Seb. She excused herself and stood in the hallway to take it.

"Seb," she greeted, but the reply wasn't Seb.

"Hi." Came her husband's Irish voice and she smiled, slipping her hand into her back pocket, "how's it going."

"Like clockwork." She could sense his smirk over the phone, "the kid's are asleep and the adults are talking about plans for the new year. Sherlock's going on about how he hopes the criminal class 'ups it' in the new year, otherwise he's going to have to resort to drugs."

"Well, his health will remain in tact then."

Astrid laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Is everything in place for the climax of 2021?"

Jim laughed at her use of vocabulary, "yes. In about half an hour there's going to be a big bang."

"Yes dear, I know, I was in the meetings."

"Some of them," he remarked and Astrid scoffed in offence.

"I was in all the meetings that your pervy stupid friend wasn't," she said, "speaking of which, by the time I get home, that man should be tied up in the basement."

"It'll be a late Christmas present for you, my love."

Astrid grinned, "I'll be anxiously awaiting it." She heard Jim chuckle over the line and smiled, "when we discover that the bombs have gone off in the same places as ten years ago, I'll embrace my inner Stanislavsky and give a method performance of a life time."

"I'm sure you'll have it all under control."

"That I do."

Astrid heard a noise from above her, and she turned around to find her daughter hobbling down the large stairs. She grinned at her as she reached to be picked up. Grace held her on her hip with the phone between their ears.

"Hello daddy." she yawned quietly into the phone.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Jim asked with fake disapproval.

"I'm not tired."

"It's okay, you can come and sit in the front room with me," Astrid smiled, "we better say goodbye, everyone else will be wondering where we are."

They bid Jim farewell, before returning to the front room. Upon seeing the child in her arms, almost everyone in the room gave a sweet sigh. Astrid explained that Grace wasn't tired and said child jumped out of her arms and perched down onto the floor to continue with the 'Dora the explorer' jigsaw they had started earlier that day.

As it got to thirty seconds before New Year, the congregation began to stood up, preparing to make toasts for the New Year. Astrid picked up Grace again, not bothering to hide her excitement. To everyone else, it seemed that she was excited for the new year... well, in some ways she was.

Ten

Nine

Eight

Seven

Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

Bang!