A/N: A long overdue 221b written for Day 6 of Sherlolly week. I thought this was based on a prompt from somewhere but if so I can't find mention of who it was for.
Spoilers: all of S2
She almost deletes the first without reading, half sure the sms from unknown sender will be another one about PPI.
"They say I'll be home in time for Christmas."
It has to be from him, she's 90% sure. Who else would send such a thing? It takes her days to figure out what it reminds her of, from school too long ago. What they said about WW1. It isn't hopeful like she'd thought, it's what he wants but they know isn't true.
Mycroft visits once. Smiles grimly at the tea he accepts. Abusing many words saying absolutely nothing. She deciphers it as this, he is worried and no one else is left to listen.
"You have to die a few times before you can really live."
It's always a quote of some sort. Untraceable in its commonness, no hint of personality to make it identifiable. Anyone could pick out things like this, spam, a bot. Meaningless, except she is learning to read into them.
She never dares reply usually. She doesn't know if it's safe to. He is just as likely to have tossed the SIM as soon as his is sent. She takes them in, works them out, knowing all he can't say, his brilliance captured in other people's words. Once she gives in.
"Man is made by his belief."
1st quote – paraphrased common knowledge quote about the troops belief the war would be over by Christmas 1914.
2nd quote – Charles Bukowski
3rd quote - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe