Morstan and Adler

Nine: Mary

MARY

Two months later. Mary was about to tell Sherlock about how she knew Irene. She'd tried many times to tell him, but every time she was interrupted, or she chickened out.

Now, John was downstairs, taking a phone call, leaving her with the detective in his flat as he tried to blowtorch some eyeballs. It was her perfect chance.

"Sherlock," Mary asked.

"Hmm?" he pushed up the visor on his welder's mask and looked at her.

"How long do you think John'll be?"

"Well.... judging by his reaction the first time he heard the voice on the other end - which was fairly positive; and knowing John... I'd say at least another forty minutes. At least." He reached up to push down the visor again, the blowtorch roaring to life.

"Wait!" Mary cried.

The blue flame dissipated, and Sherlock removed the mask, sensing that she needed to talk. "What?" Sherlock tried to be polite, he was always polite with Mary, but there was some sort of weariness and annoyance hinted in his tone.

"I need to talk to you," Mary began. She gestured for Sherlock to sit down, and she did so, too.

"About...?" Sherlock inquired, sitting down in his usual seat.

"Somebody I know. You know them, too."

The detective glanced at the door. "Yes?"

"Not John," Mary said, reading his thoughts. She took a deep breath. "A certain Miss Adler."

Sherlock leaned forward. "Oh."

She told him all about how she knew Irene, starting with the night she'd tried to kill her in her house in Belgravia - although, she didn't want Sherlock to know she was an assassin, so she pretended that she'd hired a man to kill Irene, because she'd wronged Mary, and tracked his progress. She'd said that the Woman had outsmarted the assailant - and thus their journey began. Mary explained their plan to kill him (this made the detective a little uneasy) and how they thought it would bring them both money. How they'd become not just business partners, but friends. How their plan had been ruined by Irene's love for him (again, this made Sherlock uneasy) and how they'd argued. She went on to explain how the pair had kept in contact over the years, swapping stories - Mary's relationship with John and Irene's with Sherlock. She finished with explaining the text she'd received, saying that you were to return.

Of course, she missed out that crucial little detail - that Moriarty was alive. As much as she'd have liked to tell Sherlock, Mary knew that she couldn't.

"And then I met you, as you walked in on our proposal. Again, thanks a lot for that (!)" Mary finished.

Sherlock flashed her a smile, but Mary could see he wasn't focused. "Sorry."

Mary leaned forward. "I tried to tell you sooner. But...." she sighed and leaned back on the sofa.

Sherlock nodded half-heartedly. He seemed distant. Probably thinking about Irene, Mary concluded.

"Are you OK?" Mary asked, reaching out and touching Sherlock's arm.

"Hmm? Yes, yes." He took a shaky breath and stood up. "Just that I-"

"Sorry about that," John announced, stepping into the living room. "Mike Stamford. Always has a lot to talk about." He laughed, before picking up on the mood of the scene before him. "What's going on?"

Sherlock shook his head and gulped, but didn't say anything.

Mary walked over to John and looped her arm through his. "Come on, love. I think Sherlock needs some sleep."

Without another word, Sherlock Holmes trudged off to his bedroom, and his hands were trembling.