Promises Series

Promise of Home - Cigarette Daydreams

The title of this chapter is "Cigarette Daydreams" by Cage the Elephant.

"Julia." Sherlock put his hands on the girl's shoulders. She didn't respond. "Julia, you're in shock. That's okay. That's perfectly fine. You should go downstairs, to Mrs. Hudson's. John and I will meet you there. I'll- I'll explain everything."

Sherlock knew Julia wasn't listening. She turned and walked upstairs. Sherlock sighed and turned to John. He rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

"No," John replied scathingly. "I'm not bloody 'all right.' My wife just shot herself in the head because of you-"

Sherlock backed away quickly. He put his walls back up and kept his arms at his sides.

"Of course. I am truly sorry for your loss, John."

John's eyes widened as he shook his head. "I didn't mean that, Sherlock. You know I didn't."

"No, John, I understand. It is my fault she killed herself," he answered, pulling out his phone. "If I had known she was working under Moriarty, I would've come back sooner and killed her myself ages ago."

"You wouldn't have."

"Would that have been better for you?" Sherlock went on. "To come home from work one day and find her missing? Would you spend the rest of your life waiting for her to walk through your front door like nothing had happened?"

"You bastard," John said quietly. "I loved her. I really did, Sherlock, and I thought she loved me too."

"She was a very convincing actress, wasn't she, John? And weren't you two trying for a child? I suspect she was taking contraceptive pills."

"Shut up!" John yelled. "Stop talking. Just stop."

"Sherlock," Mycroft greeted blandly after letting the phone ring for the proper amount of time to indicate that he was busy, yes, but not so busy as to ignore his brother when he actually called. "What is it you wa-"

"Who do you have watching the flat?"

"Sherlock, don't be petty."

"I know you have cameras outside the flat," Sherlock answered. "I know you monitor them continuously and without fail. I know you have someone assigned to watch the feed. Whoever it is, fire them."

"What's happened?"

"I need people here, now."

"Care to explain why?"

"Well, we missed one, and she broke into my flat and tried to kill me, John, Julia, and then me again."

Mycroft paused. "You took care of it?"

"Obviously."

"Someone will be there soon."

"Glad to hear it."

"Are you really?"

Sherlock sighed and hung up the phone. He tossed it on the couch and ran his hands through his hair, trying to steady himself. The missions didn't shake him easily, but Mary had been something different from all of them. It had been personal. She'd threatened both John and Julia.

He'd taken Mary's wrist-

Moriarty grabbed his hand-

-put the gun in her mouth-

-and pulled the trigger.

Sherlock shook the thought out of his head.

"You should clean that shit off your face before you go up to see her," John advised. The door downstairs slammed shut with a bang, and Sherlock closed his eyes, wondering how in the world he managed to ruin his relationship with John just after he'd started fixing it.