Face the Odds

Chapter 10: AGRA

Sherlock sat in his thinking position in their flat as Marie silently tended to the bruises on his face.

He'd skimmed through the memory stick before lapsing into thought, and Marie had let him as she simply pressed ice and smoothed ointments onto his bruises. Sherlock vaguely noted that Marie seemed very unhappy about his decision, but as she stayed silent on the matter he didn't press it either, taking her silence as a grudging agreement.

As Marie finished, he stood up, picking up the memory stick he'd been fiddling with as he went, when Marie finally touched his arm. He looked at her instantly, his attention trained on her as she looked up at him seriously.

"Sherlock, be careful with this one." Marie warned him softly. "AGRA was infamous, back in their day. Jim even considered hiring them at one point, they were that good."

Sherlock nodded slowly, but he noted: "You're not just worried about my safety."

Marie stiffened in surprise that Sherlock had noticed, and his lips twitched in a sheepish smile. Finally, he'd managed to surprise her, though the trick had been simple. Her eyes had been filled with an uncertainty quite unlike the strong woman he knew, and they had betrayed her to him.

"What is it?" Sherlock questioned, and Marie exhaled sharply.

"It's him." She gestured at the memory stick unnecessarily as she continued: "Ajay."

"What about him?" Sherlock asked curiously, and Marie said in a low voice: "He's like that video of Moriarty – proof that we can never outrun our pasts. And that..."

She trailed off, but Sherlock understood exactly what she was feeling. Her eyes had flickered to the back, to their room where their children currently slept peacefully, unaware of the battles their parents were facing.

Sherlock gently took Marie into his arms, pulling her in close though he kept enough distance that he could maintain eye contact with her as he promised softly: "Nothing will come back to harm you; I promise."

Marie stared at him, her eyes unreadable as Sherlock said softly: "I vowed I'd look after you, and that includes our family now. Just as it includes John, Mary, and their baby."

Marie continued to stare at him, almost unnerving him though he met her gaze earnestly.

Finally, she sighed and she asked softly, a hint of something akin to sorrow in her voice: "How can you be you, clever, sharp, consulting detective Sherlock Holmes... and yet still be so naïve?"

Sherlock frowned at that, but before he could ask, they heard the front door open downstairs and hasty footsteps bounding up the stairs. Marie released Sherlock, stepping back, and he sent her one last frown before turning as the flat door opened and Lestrade burst inside.

"Well?" Sherlock demanded, immediately cutting to the chase and interrupting whatever Lestrade had been about to say.

Lestrade shook his head regretfully, adding hopefully: "He can't have got far. We'll have him in a bit."

Marie shook her head while Sherlock replied simply, switching on his phone: "I very much doubt it."

"Why?" Lestrade asked, frowning as he glanced between Sherlock as the man texted something quickly, and Marie who's brows had knitted anxiously.

"Because I think he used to work with Mary." Sherlock told Lestrade as he sent his text and met Marie's gaze.

She nodded, and Sherlock's eyes tightened with determination as he nodded back at her once before he swept out the door, heading swiftly away. And Marie's face filled with worry once more as she glanced back to where her children slept, anxiety filling the pit in her stomach as she clutched her left hand, holding her wedding ring close to her heart.