That Christmas Eve
Sherlock had found a small red package on the mantelpiece, glanced at it for a brief second, excused himself and walked out of the room, leaving his guests staring at one another in confusion.
Lestrade, glanced at John. "John?" he started.
"Give me a moment." John said as he got up and followed Sherlock out of the room.
"Oh dear, so much for our party..." Mrs Hudson sighed.
Molly, still in shock at Sherlock's abrupt apology, took another gulp of wine to try and calm her jittery nerves. She looked over at Lestrade.
"Is it true?" she asked softly.
Lestrade looked at her, puzzled for a split second then realized what she was asking. "No, it's not," he said.
Both Mrs. Hudson and Molly looked at him with that tell tale expression of pity in their eyes. He heaved a tired sigh, setting his drink down.
"Look, have you ever glanced at something, came to a logical conclusion and discovered you got it all wrong? Sherlock isn't always right, you know. He may be able to get all the details correct, but every so often, rarely I admit, he gets the wrong answer. Plus he doesn't know Anne's heart. That's my bailiwick. I know my wife." He said with certainty.
"But he said a PE teacher?" Molly couldn't help but ask. "She was sleeping with a ..." she trailed off, her face tinged pink with embarrassment.
Lestrade shook his head, eyes closed wearily in resignation. "He's right. Anne is seeing a PE teacher, but not because she's having an affair with him."
"Then..?" Mrs Hudson started, but Lestrade just sighed.
"The PE teacher in question is a physical therapist as well. If there's any chance of her returning to the Ballet she has to stay in condition. If one looks at the situation with a casual glance, like I'm sure he did," Lestrade jerked his head towards the hallway. "It would seem like Anne is 'seeing' another man. She actually has been spending more time with him than me, considering our jobs. Rest assured, she isn't having an affair. She's in Dorset with her Dad waiting for me to join them for holiday. Everything is fine."
He could still see the looks of skepticism on the ladies faces at his explanation. "And I am not just saying this to avoid the truth. Anne and I have our moments, but one thing we agree on. We're married, for better or for worse."
"So how did Sherlock know he was a PE teacher?" Molly asked.
"He works for the Royal Ballet School, with the kids. Anne's still dealing with those injuries from last Spring. She's trying to stay fit in order to return to her job."
"Oh dear, the poor thing." Mrs. Hudson sighed, "That whole horrible nonsense."
"Besides," Lestrade let a slight, ironic smirk drift across his lips and he could see Molly get ready to ask another question. "The therapist popped the question to his boyfriend this week, they are getting married next year. I can safely say I have nothing to worry about where Anne is concerned."
Copyright Notice
1. The characters and stories of Sherlock are Copyright © of Hartswood Films, Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffet and the powers that be at the BBC and are used here without permission or license. No claims to the above copyright are made by the author of this work. This work is for non-commercial use ONLY, and is produced for the enjoyment of fans only. 2. This work is the expression of the author and the depiction of the Sherlock characters herein are in no way represented to be a part of Sherlock as depicted by the authors and copyright holder(s).