The most pressing case on Sherlock Holmes' mind had been the curious case of John Watson: the lost doctor, and ex-soldier. For months, he had been observing, deducing, and failing. Although Mycroft had promised to use all the resources at his disposal to find John, Sherlock couldn't help but worry. If The British Government couldn't even track him down until now, there was a great chance that John Watson might very well be gone.
It was hard enough for Sherlock to look for him while still undercover, and on so many lonely nights he'd fiddled with his phone desperately fighting the urge to just call his friend. He convinced himself that wherever in the world he was, John would instantly pick up, and assure Sherlock that he was alive and well.
Wasting away the days he'd planned to spend on dismantling Moriarty's network Sherlock realized that he was only delaying his own return. In a split second of pure objectivity he came to the conclusion that the faster he was done with work, the faster he could return. Wishing to go back to Baker Street, and walk in through the door to find that John himself –upon hearing about Sherlock's comeback- decided to show up, and sit in his old armchair again.
Sherlock Holmes set out to finish what he'd started, using his desired reunion as motivation, he went back to detective work, and did what he does best. One by one, the remainders of Moriarty's men were falling. Sherlock began making arrangements for his own resurrection; little did he know what had yet to come…