John walked down the stairs, his mood matching the rainy weather outside. He held the file containing information about Irene Adler, the phone no longer with it. He hated lying to Sherlock, he hated it with every fiber of his being. What made him feel worse was knowing that Sherlock probably knew the truth.

He walked back into Speedy's, and Mycroft looked up at him.

"What did you tell him?" he asked, gesturing for John to sit down. John sat and wished that he could be someplace far, far away.

"I told him that she's in America," said John, holding Irene's file out to the elder Holmes.

"He took the phone," Mycroft said as he glanced at the file. "What else did he say, John?"

John shifted in his seat. "He knows, Mycroft. He has to know."

Mycroft leaned in. "What did he say?"

"Irene texted him a couple months ago. Um, her last text apparently was 'Goodbye, Mr. Holmes.' Sherlock's not stupid, Mycroft."

"No, but he played along with the lie. You could tell him the truth, John, if you feel uncomfortable."

John shook his head. "You know how he acted when she faked her death. He couldn't function. Look, I'm pretty sure that Sherlock knows the truth, but what if he doesn't? Looking back on it, Sherlock's not acting like he did at Christmas."

"John, why do you think Sherlock took the phone?"

"I don't know, keepsake?"

"My brother is rarely bested by anyone. Irene Adler beat him, figuratively and quite literally, the first time they met. I do believe he admired her for that."

John sighed. "What are you getting at, Mycroft?"
"Watch after him. I think he knows the truth, so I want you to be on the lookout for any of his old... habits."

"What about Mrs. Hudson, should I tell her?"

"Yes, I think your landlady should know," Mycroft said as he stood. "I'd better be off. Keep in touch, John."

John followed Mycroft out the door and went back into his flat. "Sherlock?" he called as he walked up the stairs. He stepped into the living room and found his flatmate staring out the window, Irene's phone in his hand, a cabinet drawer open. "Sherlock?"

Sherlock turned around and put the phone in his pocket. "Ah, John, I was just thinking about the Leeds case. It's absolutely fascinating."

John nodded and let Sherlock explain in full detail how he had solved the case. John noticed that Sherlock's hand never left his pocket. The Woman was dead, but it appeared that she would stay in their lives for quite some time.