Vatican Cameos (A BBC Sherlock Fanfiction)

9. Lord Moran

221B. DAY TIME.
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Wearing a suit, without the usual dressing gown over it, Sherlock sits in his armchair with his eyes closed, sighing quietly and occasionally drumming his fingers on the arms of the chair. A grey-haired couple are sitting on the sofa and the woman appears to have been talking for some time.

"... which wasn't the way I'd put it at all. Silly woman. Anyway, it was then that I first noticed it was missing. I said, 'Have you checked down the back of the sofa?'" She says.

Sherlock screws his face up, then tilts his head forward a little, almost nodding off to sleep until his head jerks back up again. He steeples his fingers in front of his face as the woman looks round at her husband.

"He's always losing things down the back of the sofa, aren't you, dear?" She says.

"'Fraid so." Says the man.

Sherlock glares towards the kitchen.

"Keys, small change, sweeties. Especially his glasses." The man and the woman say the word "glasses" at the same time.

"Blooming things. I said, 'Why don't you get a chain – wear 'em round your neck?'And he says, 'What – like Larry Grayson?'" She says.

Sherlock rises quickly to his feet, buttoning his jacket as he walks towards the couple.

"So did you find it eventually, your lottery ticket?" Asks Sherlock.

He steps onto the coffee table and then onto the sofa between the couple. The woman leans to the side to get out of his way, and the man stares up at him as he starts idly flicking through the paperwork stuck to the wall.

"Well, yes, thank goodness. We caught the coach on time after all. We managed to see, er, St Paul's, the Tower ... but they weren't letting anyone in to Parliament." She says.

Sherlock frowns and looks down at her.

"Some big debate going on." She says.

The living room door opens and John and Elisabeth walk in. Sherlock looks round in surprise.

"John!" He says.

"Sorry – you're busy." Says John.

"Er, no-no-no, they were just leaving." Says Sherlock, stepping off the sofa and reaching down to pull the woman to her feet.

"Oh, were we?" She asks.

"Yes."

"No, no, if you've got a case ..." Says John.

No, not a case, no-no-no. Go. 'Bye." Says Sherlock.

"Yeah, well, we're here 'til Saturday, remember." Says the woman.

"Yes, great, wonderful. Just get out."

He herds the couple towards the door.

"Well, give us a ring."

"Very nice, yes, good. Get out."

Bundling them onto the landing, he tries to close the door but the woman turns and sticks her heavy shoe into the doorway to stop the door from shutting. Sherlock pulls the door open a little, staring down at her foot.

"I can't tell you how glad we are, Sherlock. All that time people thinking the worst of you." She says.

Sherlock glances round at John, who has walked over to the window and is deliberately keeping his back to the others. Elisabeth has taken off he coat and scarf and is sitting on the sofa instead of the couple.