His Great Game (Sherlock x Reader)

Chapter 36: The Oncoming Storm

(Your POV)

July 1st

 Not Guilty.

It had been 2 months since the court's decision to release Moriarty scot-free back into the city. There had been nothing since then. No signs of Moriarty, no messages, nothing- just an apple with IOU carved into it which we had thrown out long ago. None of us hardly brought up his name anymore, but we were all thinking about him. Constantly. Sherlock, most of all.

If you ask me, he had become more closed-off than ever. Not rude necessarily, just more work-centered. He spent every waking moment with a case- hardly slept, hardly ate anything. The effects of running around at ungodly hours in the morning was starting to become taxing on all three of us. Sherlock didn't seem to mind.

So when Greg and Sally showed up at the flat with yet another case, it was no surprise that Sherlock took him up on it right away.

"Kidnapping. Rufus Bruhl, the ambassador to the U.S." Greg handed over a folder of evidence to Sherlock, whose calculating eyes began to sift through it.

I frowned from where I was standing next to Sally. "Isn't he in Washington DC?"

"Not him – his children," he clarified, "Max and Claudette, age seven and nine." He handed me a photograph and I studied it carefully. Cute kids.

"Sherlock?" We all turned as we heard John coming up the stairs. "(Y/n), something weird..." He stopped as he saw us all talking in a circle. "Oh, uh, carry on."

Greg went on explaining the nature of the case, but I headed over to John who was looking downright confused.

"What's going on?"

"Kidnapping," I explained. "Some U.S. ambassador's kids."

"Oh Jesus, that's horrible! Are they alright?" Curiously, he glanced over at the files Lestrade was currently showing Sherlock.

I shrugged and sighed deeply, rubbing my eyes to keep myself awake. We had all had a late night last night. Potential bombing threat, which we stopped of course. "I guess we'll find out. So... what was it you were going to say when you came in?"

"Hm? Oh, that!" He held out an opened envelope to me. "I found this on our doorstep."

I furrowed my brow. "Fancy seal. It's empty, though. What about it?"

"When I opened it?" I nodded to tell him to go on. "There were bread crumbs inside."

I stared at him incredulously. "...Bread crumbs?"

"Yeah I know, strange. And we have a bunch of bloody murders moving in all over this street."

"Jesus. We should probably tell-"

"Excuse me, (Y/n)!" I stumbled back as Sherlock barreled in between us and took off down the stairs, grabbing his coat on the way and leaving the rest of us standing around in a moment of awkward silence.

"The Reichenbach Hero." Sally rolled her eyes and followed him downstairs.

Greg looked at the two of us expectantly. "Isn't it great to be working with a celebrity?"

I giggled at the underlying sarcasm in his voice. "Thrilling, I'm sure."

"After you," he grinned, gesturing the stairs. I grabbed my cardigan off the rack and trotted down, Greg and John following closely behind.