Trust in Sherlock: Book 2

Chapter 21-Maggie's POV

I glanced at her hand, hesitantly shaking it. "Margaret Jones. I'm sorry, did you say Watson?"

"Ah, you must be John's sister. How's the alcohol issue going? Any better?" Sherlock stepped out from the kitchen.

Harry turned suddenly, startled at Sherlock's sudden appearance. "Oh! Uh, sorry, how did-?" She cut off, looking at Sherlock incredulously.

Sherlock hastily shook her hand. "I'm afraid Johnny is out at the moment. Perhaps you can come by another day...or month." He muttered the last bit, attempting to get her out of the flat.

Harry didn't move. "Where is he? I heard he got married." She said, looking around the room.

"Yes, he did. Now, if you would kindly leave-"

Harry resisted, not allowing Sherlock to push her from the room. Mrs. Hudson, Molly, and Lestrade all watched from their hiding places. "I'm not leaving without seeing my brother." Harry insisted.

Sherlock continued trying to physically remove her from the flat but she fought back. Elbowing him harshly in the stomach, Harry managed to escape from Sherlock's grasp. Sherlock coughed, gripping his stomach where she had elbowed him. He didn't back down, grabbing her wrists and twisting them behind her back.

The sound of voices and footsteps made us freeze. Lestrade had come out of his hiding place, poised to assist Sherlock. He froze in mid-step.

Mrs. Hudson waved her hands. "It's John and Mary!" She whispered harshly, trying to get us back into place.

Sherlock hastily release Harry. She glared at him before slapping his cheek. She straightened her jacket and fixed her hair while the sounds of John and Mary closed in on us.

I reached out for Harry's arm, trying to get her to hide with Molly, Mrs. Hudson, and I behind the door. She jerked away, narrowing her eyes at me. She moved past me, taking her place beside a very frightened Molly and an anxious Mrs. Hudson.

I shook my head and held back a harsh comment, simply walking over to Sherlock and Lestrade in the kitchen area. The laughs of Mary and John finally approached the flat. "Sherlock? Maggie?" John called out, looking into the darkened area of the flat.

I looked for Mrs. Hudson for the signal. She grinned and nodded to me. Harry, unable to wait for the signal, moved from her hiding place and grabbed John for a hug. After years of being with Sherlock and the army, John's first reaction was to fight back.

John grabbed Harry's shoulders and pushed her back. He advanced towards her but saw her face before he did anything too drastic. "Harriet?" He questioned.

"Johnny! Has that phone I gave you been working? I've called countless times but you've never answered me." Harry asked as if nothing had happened.

Sherlock stepped from the kitchen, Lestrade and I following. Molly and Mrs. Hudson stepped out from behind the door. "Surprise!" Mrs.Hudson said with an awkward smile.

Mary looked around at us all, looking confused. She cradled the baby in her arms, holding Evangeline close to her body. "John? Who is this?" She asked.

John didn't take his eyes off of Harriet as he replied, "This is my sister...Harriet Watson."

"I go by Harry, thank you." Harriet put in. She kept her attention on John. "I'm assuming this is Mary." She glanced at Mary before her eyes landed on the child cradled in Mary's arms, fast asleep. "And who is this?"

Mary looked over at John, her eyes showing her confusion at Harriet's question.

"Harriet, uh-"

Harriet looked over at me and Sherlock. "Is this your child? She has your eyes." She nodded at me.

"Harriet, this is our daughter...Evangeline." John said quickly, straightening his posture.

Harriet stopped before looking back over at John. She looked over at Mary and finally at the baby. "What?" She asked nearly in a whisper.

John looked down. "Yes. This is Evangeline Watson." He said, avoiding Harriet's stunned gaze.

"You didn't know." Sherlock said, stepping forward.

"Sherlock-" John tried to stop Sherlock from continuing but to no avail.

"John never told you about Mary's pregnancy. He never told you about your niece." Sherlock stopped just in front of Harriet, looking down at her. "And you hate him for that."

"I don't-" Harriet tried to speak.

"Your stance is rigid and your hands are curled into tight fists. This is an obvious hint that leads to your random bouts of violence as shown by your earlier actions. These actions are triggered when you're angry or feel threatened."

Harriet glared up at Sherlock and I stepped forward, making my presence known to her. She glanced at John and Mary before walking past Sherlock. "It was nice to see you again, John." She looked over her shoulder at Mary. "Congratulations."

And then she was gone.

John turned to Sherlock, his hands clenched into tight fists. Sherlock looked at John's hands. "Ah, it seems to run in the family." He turned around and sat in his chair next to the fireplace. "Mrs. Hudson, I must say this isn't the greatest party you've put together."

"Shut up, Sherlock."

Sherlock looked up sharply at the sound of John's voice.

"That was my sister. Don't you have any sense of morality?" John asked, his voice raising in volume.

Sherlock was silent for a moment before looking away and saying, "If you're going to look for her, I'd go to the nearest liquor store. I'd expect that's where she'd go first after the...stressful situations that recently occurred here."

John shook his head, holding back a sharp retort. He looked at Mary who simply grinned comfortingly. "Go. I'll stay here." She said.

John nodded, looking over at Sherlock before leaving to go find Harriet.

The flat was silent, the tense atmosphere pressing in on us.

"Well," Lestrade said, clapping his hands together. "I should probably head for the office."

"No." Mrs. Hudson stepped forward, a hand on her hip. "This was suppose to be a nice evening. A celebration for the new baby. Now, I don't know about you but I want to have a proper party."

Lestrade nodded. Molly stood from her seated position. "Well...shall we start with the gifts?" She said, smiling.