“How did you do it?”
Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, Greg Lestrade and John Watson sat at a table. They were at a press conference, some might say against their wills. Sherlock rolled his eyes.
“Solving a case is never easy. But it’s my job.” He looked at John, and the man smiled, nodding, encouraging him to continue. “They pay me for it, now.”
“Not that we want to.” Sally Donovan said from the side, and the crowd laughed.
"And the kidnapper… Edward Clark, was it?” A woman with black hair and glasses asked, notepad poised and ready. “Where is he now?”
“We cannot say, for legality reasons…” Sherlock said. “But we know where he is, and the police have put their best operatives forward. We’re close.”
“John Watson, what do you plan to do, going forward?” A male reporter asked, signalling the camera operator next to him. The camera zoomed in on John.
Flustered by this, John coughed and then looked into the lens. “In truth, I do not know. Solving cases was always Sherlock’s forte."
“But you are a great team, wouldn’t you say?”
John smiled at that.
“I agree…” He looked across the table, at the other three men, and turned back to the camera.
“But it was the four of us working together, and of course James’ quick thinking (credit where credit’s due), that saved him.”
“And as I understand it..” A woman with cropped brown hair looked at her notes, “Greg Lestrade ran a coffee shop for some time? Is that still running?”
Lestrade laughed. “Yes, I am still operating the shop. Sherlock works there when there isn’t a case, but as you can imagine, he is more in demand now than he’s ever been.”
"I can speak for myself, you know."
The crowd laughed again, and Sherlock, a little bemused but pleased nonetheless, laughed too, scratching the back of his head.
“We ask that the Grant family is given their privacy at this time.” Mycroft explained. “They have been through unimaginable turmoil, as you know.”
“Wrap this up, boys,” Donovan said.
“We thank you for your cooperation – we will be leaving now.” Said Sherlock. “Excuse us…” And he stood up, motioning for the other three men to do the same.
The crowd clamoured with more questions, but Lestrade put a hand up, silencing them. The four men walked into the back room, where a coffee and tea dispenser was waiting for them. Sherlock immediately picked up a paper cup, and poured out some coffee.
"Here.” And he passed it to John. “You look like you need it.”
“Thanks.” Said the Doctor, and he blew on it to cool it down.
It was much quieter without the noise of the reporters, the flashes of cameras, and Sherlock was grateful.
“Well,” Lestrade said, exhaling. “I could do with a beer.”
“Oh my word.” Mycroft said. “Don’t take Sherlock. He’s a mess when he’s drunk.”
“I am not!”
I could get pissed, actually,” John said, looking at the Detective Inspector.
“Then it’s sorted. You’re coming with me, John, and we’re going to get monumentally pissed.”
"Hmm." Was all Sherlock said
"You want to, don't you." Mycroft teased.
"It is fun." The detective admitted.
"Come on then, let's do it tonight. Lestrade said. "I know just the place."
"I'll have to keep an eye on my brother..." Mycroft said.
“No you don’t,” Sherlock grinned. “Drink with us, just this once. It could be fun.”
And the four men stood together, their minds made up – for there were adventures ahead, and avenues to explore. People to meet. Challenges to overcome.
Life was theirs, and it was endless.
YOU ARE READING
The Coffee Shop
FanfictionImagine a coffee shop AU with a twist. Sherlock Series 4 came to television on Jan 1st 2017. This is set after that. It's an AU which stands for Alternate Universe; the change to canon is that Mary does not have a child and John is moving on with hi...
