Chapter IV – The Empty House

He was standing at the top of the staircase, a candle in his hand, still so in love with the mysterious.
'Your brother told me you weren't a ghost, remember?' John folded his arms in front of his chest. 'I just came to tell you that I made my decision. I'm glad you're not dead and I hope you'll be able to clear your reputation. But whatever you plan for your future, I won't be at your side. Not anymore. Twenty months ago, Moriarty did everything to destroy my morals but I resisted him. You were by far more successful.'
The silence between them seemed to last for ages. He was just standing there, the candle in his hands, his face hidden in twilight.
'It's time to go now, Higgins', he finally whispered and the cheeky leader of the Irregulars vanished without protest.
'Please come up here, John. I have to show you something.'
'I don't follow your orders anymore.'
'You have never followed my orders. I just want you to understand something. Please.'

John almost cursed himself when he finally ascended the staircase to follow him in the room above. The flat was deserted. No furniture, no curtains in front of the small window. John looked outside curiously. Baker Street was covered in twilight slowly turning into darkness, but the windows of 221B, their old flat, their home, were illuminated.
'Right, what's going on? There are no new tenants and I doubt Mrs. Hudson is throwing a house party. She was just as upset as I when she found out you're alive.'
'Although she decided to hug me, not to curse me. In fact, she is throwing a party, but there's only one guest invited.'

The curtains of 221B were cast aside and John almost couldn't believe what he saw. Sherlock Holmes was sitting in his chair by the window, the lights of his TV flickering.

'Either this is a long lost twin brother or…'
'A wax figure, designed by an old friend of mine in France. Brilliant, isn't it?'
'As soon as Scotland Yard sees this, they will make a run on the house to arrest your doppelganger.'
'Not if they think one of their best Detective Inspectors has everything under control.' The door to the next room opened and Lestrade grinned at them widely.
'Greg!'
'Evening, John. Before you start shouting at me, I didn't know he was alive. Thought I was overworked when he came to me. But now it's just like old times, eh?'
'The Detective Inspector was kind enough not to tell his colleagues about our meeting. In fact, he wants to prove them wrong about me being a fraud.'
Lestrade cleared his throat. 'Wanted to repay my guilt. Twenty months ago, everything happened so quickly. I should have trusted Sherlock. I thought it was at least partly my fault that he was dead.'
'If you had refused Anderson and Donovan, you would most likely not be an DI anymore. But we need you tonight, Lestrade.'
John was getting unpatient. 'Would anyone bother to tell me what's going on or…'
'I told you Moriarty was dead. He killed himself to ensure I would die myself. I also told you that I vanished to stay away from the revenge of his associates. In the meantime, Mycroft and I were not idle. We needed time to learn more about Moriarty's network and now the time to strike has finally come. There were quite a few conflicts among his men but finally, it was his former second in command who took over the empire. The Conduit Street Comanche is back in London, united again in the name of Sebastian Moran, a war veteran and the best heavy hot shot the Commonwealth has ever produced. A few mysterious murders with his handwriting all over them have brought me upon his trail. He's not half as cunning as Moriarty and despite the fact that his death has made him commander in chief, he seems to…well…' He looked at John more than just meaningful. 'My sources told me he was desperate after his master's death. Jim…I mean…Moriarty might not have cared for any of them, but nonetheless, Moran and the Comanche are still surprisingly loyal towards him.'

John started to understand. 'You think he wants to kill you as soon as he finds out you're still alive.'
'Why would he do that, Sherlock?' Lestrade protested. 'Moriarty did everything to make the world believe he was a lie, that he was in fact an actor. We were not aware of the fact that his criminal empire even existed, so why would this Moran fellow risk to be caught?'

'I told you I have my sources. They let Moran know about the encounter between us, Inspector. He thinks that Mycroft's influence made the police forget the resentments against me. The Prime Minister himself owes my brother a thousand favours and Kitty Reilly is now a correspondent in Asia, tracking down stories far more interesting for a newspaper with a far better reputation. Moran thinks I wouldn't know his empire is strong again in London, he thinks he's as clever as his master.' Sherlock blew out the candle in his hand. 'He thinks he would get away with yet another murder. He doesn't know we're waiting for him.'