Michael Holmes: Secret Son of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 4: It's still a secret

Sherlock, John and Mary got kicked out of the restaurant and went to a café. John and Mary sat on a chair with Sherlock, waiting for an explanation.

"I calculated that there were thirteen possibilities once I'd invited Moriarty onto the roof. I wanted to avoid dying if at all possible." Sherlock continued to explain. 

"The first scenario involved hurling myself into a parked hospital van filled with washing bags. Impossible, the angle was too steep. Secondly, a system of Japanese wrestling..."

John interrupted. "You know, for a genius you can be remarkably thick."

"What?" Sherlock asked.

"I don't care how you faked it, Sherlock. I want to know why." John was getting a bit impatient now.

Sherlock thought of it as a very straight-forward answer. "Why? Because Moriarty had to be stopped."

John sighed. "Oh. 'Why' as in..." Sherlock realised. " I see, yes. 'Why?' That's a little more difficult to explain."

"I've got all night."

"Actually, um, that was mostly Mycroft's idea."

"Oh, so it's your brother's plan?" John glances at Sherlock.

"Oh, he would have needed a confidant..." Mary said. Sherlock nodded.

John continues to question Sherlock. "But he was the only one... The only one who knew?"

Sherlock closed his eyes. "Couple of others. It was a very elaborate plan – it had to be. The next of the thirteen possibilities..."

"Who else?" John asked. "Who else knew?"

Sherlock hesitated for a while. "Molly."

"Molly?" He almost went into full-blown mode again. "Molly Hooper – and some of my homeless network, and that's all."

His friend started to calm down now. He turned to Sherlock. "Okay. So just your brother, and Molly Hooper, and a hundred tramps."

"No! Twenty-five at most." Oh, Sherlock.

And that's it for John.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The three of them have been kicked out of the café and now they went to a kebab shop. This fight was more serious than the previous one- Sherlock now has a cut on his lower lip. He took a piece of paper tissue and pressed it on his lip.

Sherlock 'tried' to lighten up the mood. "Seriously, it's not a joke? You're really keeping this?" He pointed to his top lip again.

"Yeah."

"You're sure?" 

"Mary likes it." John said, looking at her.

"Hmmm. No, she doesn't."

"She does."

"She doesn't." Sherlock kept persisting.

John looked at Mary and she apologised. " I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you."

"No, no. This is charming!" John's anger level shot up once more. "I've really missed this!" He said sarcastically. "One word, Sherlock. That is all I would have needed. One word to let me know that you were alive."

"I've nearly been in contact so many times, but..." Sherlock said. "I worried that- you know, you might say something indiscreet."

"What?" 

"Well, you know, let the cat out of the bag." 

This is so not helping things.

JOHN stepped closer towards Sherlock. "Oh. So this is my fault?!" Mary laughs again.

"Why am I the only one who thinks that this is wrong – the only one reacting like a human being?!" John's anger level is at its highest point now... and it could blow up any minute, Sherlock. 

"Over-reacting." Sherlock muttered. 

Almost about to explode now. "Over-reacting!?"  

"John!" Mary tried to calm him down. But he continued shouting at his incredibly ridiculous friend. "'Over-reacting.' So you fake your own death..."

"Shh!" Sherlock whispered.

"...and you waltz in here large as bloody life..." Any minute now.

"Shhh!" 

John didn't listen. "...but I'm not supposed to have a problem with that- no, because Sherlock Holmes thinks it's a perfectly okay thing to do!" He got louder and louder with every word that comes out of his mouth.

Now Sherlock started shouting. "Shut up, John! I don't want everyone knowing I'm still alive!"

John shouted back. "Oh, so it's still a secret, is it?"

"Yes! It's still a secret!" Sherlock looked at the other people staring in the kebab shop. "Promise you won't tell anyone."

"SWEAR TO GOD!" John took a long breath. Seeing that John has not exploded or attacked him yet, Sherlock immediately spoke quietly to John about the new case he had, acting like he didn't just disappear for TWO YEARS and hurt his best friend's feelings. 

"London is in danger, John. There's an imminent terrorist attack and I need your help."

"My help!?"

Sherlock smirked. "You have missed this. Admit it. The thrill of the chase, the blood pumping through your veins, just the two of us against the rest of the world..."

And 3... 2... 1. 

John grabbed Sherlock's lapels, pinned him to the ground and went for the kill.