Dancing With The Devil (part two)

Chapter 29: Jim's Stupid Shit

The journey back to the small village in the outskirts of oxford was nothing if not awkward. Astrid was sat at the wheel, shoulders hunched over uncomfortably, sat upright and tense. She didn't once look to her left at the man who was sat next to her. All she could do was fight back tears.

Dominic was sat down too comfortably, too at home. He was leaning back on the door, his body twisted to face Astrid. His right foot was propped up on the seat, carelessly spreading mud over the passenger seat, whilst his left foot was in the footwell. His chin was wresting on his right hand, which also held Sebastian's gun. He wasn't exactly holding the gun in a tight grip, but it was pointed directly at Astrid.

After a while she broke the silnce.

"Why are you doing this?" she chocked out, not wanting to start crying, "I really cared about you, I didn't lie."

"I'm glad to hear it," he smirked, "coz' if you said that you didn't like me, I might have to use this."

He gestured to the gun and Astrid shook her head, "you're not supposed to kill me?"

"I'm not gonna kill you, doesn't mean I won't use this."

"I'm not gonna run."

"I know."

Astrid looked away from the traitor next to him. The end of the drive was filled, again, by silence. They finally arrived at Astrid's safe house, she pulled into the drive hoping to get the antidote and get back to her friends as quickly as possible, but her plans were disrupted by the person who was stood in her porch.

"Oh for fuck's sake." she said under her breath as she turned off the engine.

"Is that Sherlock Holmes?" he laughed, "today just keeps getting more and more interesting, doesn't it?"

Dom got out of the car, reluctantly followed by Astrid. Sherlock was facing the door and Dom raised his gun up to his back, causing Astrid to jump forward and push his arm down.

After he put the gun down she cleared her throat and Sherlock turned around She looked him in the eyes widening hers causing Sherlock to frown, yet nod, knowing there's something wrong.

"Sherlock, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm surprised you have to ask that question, given the recent events."

"You already know that Jim's dead, Sherlock," Astrid sighed, "what do you want, I'm busy."

"Is that your rebound." he looked at Dom who smirked at the man's obliviousness to the situation they were in.

"I'm surprised you even know what that means, Sherley," she sneered and walked past the detective and opened the door of her house quickly. Dom followed her closely behind and Sherlock stormed into the house after him, "please just leave, Sherlock, I told you not to come back here all those years ago, and I meant it."

"Was it you who did it?" he questioned, "was it you who put up Moriarty's picture?"

"No, it wasn't." Astrid answered quickly, "why does it matter anyway, you've already pronounced him dead, twice. Seems like your starting to doubt yourself."

"I'm merely double checking."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, James Moriarty is dead."

There was a pause.

"Aren't you interested in how I came to my conclusion."

"Not really, but do enlighten me." She walked up the stairs followed by Sherlock and Dominic.

"I used my mind palace to go back to a scenario back in the 19th century where a woman shot herself in the head yet returned the next day to kill her husband. I imagined what it would be like to solve that crime myself in order to get an idea of how Moriarty- brought himself back from the dead-"

"Why?" Astrid said as she entered the closet in the back of the room.

"because I needed to get a sense of-"

"Yeah but how could u have come to the conclusion that he's dead?"

"Moriarty was in my flashback, and he opened my eyes."

"I bet he would have loved to hear you say that." she said, rummaging through some boxes that she had pulled out from the bottom of her closet, "was I in your flashback?"

"No." He said, possibly too quickly and Astrid smirked, "yes."

"I'm honoured," she said rifling through the box, "I bet I looked wonderful in a corset."

"You weren't there for very long."

"Did Jim mention me, when he opened your eyes."

"Possibly," he continued, "I assumed that it would have been you who put his face up on every screen in the country."

"I was just as shocked as you were." She then smirked, weirdly interested in his flashback, "what did Jim say about me?"

"He said that you were his prized possession."

"Were we together?"

"I mean, not physically," he sighed and Astrid nodded.

"Shame."

"You disappeared for a bit but came back towards the end."

"That's me to a 't'" she smiled, the detective unaware of how true that would be. 

"You don't seem very up set." Astrid frowned and he continued, "you don't seem upset that he has done this to you... dies for three years and pretends to come back."

"Oh because you know all about that don't you Sherlock," she said, continuing to look  through the boxes, "something's come up and I haven't had a chance to think about it. I'm dealing with my own stupid shit before I have to deal with Jim's stupid shit."

"What are you looking for?"

"None of your business." She found what she was looking for. Her eyes scanned the paper, making sure it had everything on it and folded it up.

"What's that?"

"None of your business," she stood up and walked out of the closet to where Dom was standing, "I've got it. Let's go."

"Right then." They left the house and went back to the car, Sherlock stood at the window of Astrid's car with raised eyes, "I've told you what I know, Sherlock. Please just move on. Jim is dead, that's all there is to it."

She pulled out of the driveway, leaving Sherlock stood alone in the empty drive.