AN:This will be the last chapter, then there will be an epilogue. Thank you to anyone who has read and kept up with this story :)
"Will you go then?"
"Oh yes, sorry Sherlock. I'll go after I've drank this" he poured out his cup of tea. "Do you want one?" he added the milk he had bought (the teabags had already been in the cupboard) and stirred in the sugar.
"No. I wish I could go back" Sherlock neglected to tell John about the cameras as taking them down would only mean that John's absence was prolonged. Then he changed his mind, remembering his promise "Mycroft put up cameras there"
John had never heard Sherlock wish for anything before, but then again he always got what he wanted. " For goodness sakes. That man is ridiculous and I know, love. It won't be long now. You've made astounding progress" John walked towards the sofa with his cup, Sherlock following him again.
"You're right" Sherlock complimented himself, a few seconds later he added "Thanks," .They sat in silence for a while as John drank and Sherlock thought, their hands entwined and resting on the seat between them.
"Bye Sherlock" John said getting up to leave, but before he could even take three steps towards the door Sherlock reached up and pulled John down again for a kiss.
"Sherlock" he mumbled against Sherlock's lips "I…have…to go"
"Please be quick" Sherlock pleaded, pulling away. "I need the information. I also want to carry on with this… Oh could you get me some of your clothes too,love?" Sherlock hadn't forgotten this before, he had figured out that John would be more willing if he asked for the things separately.
"Why my clothes?"
"If I wore my own I wouldn't be as recognisable, I'll need them for tonight"
"Okay, I think I have something that will fit you. Bye." John walked out of the door looking slightly dazed from the kiss, leaving Sherlock completely alone. He was already beginning to miss his John.
He had nothing to do, he couldn't find Tolviska without going to Newcastle and he couldn't get any further with Moriarty until John came back.
He was bored.
He turned on the TV. Boring. The programs he had flicked through before were over and now there were DIY and Antiques shows. Which in Sherlock's opinion, were both completely pointless.
He found some books in the back of the bedroom but he didn't find them interesting enough. They were mostly crime novels, and the writers dragged them out far too long. The detectives were far too stupid. It was as if they didn't even look at the criminals or the body sites.
He took a shower (Mycroft had actually stocked this part of the house with sufficient shower gels, shampoos and conditioners) trying to make the whole process last a lot longer in an effort to keep away the boredom for as long as he could. It didn't work.
For the rest of the time he needed to wait he paced the apartment thinking about John. He should have asked for his gun too.
"I'm back" John announced unnecessarily. He was carrying the violin and laptop cases with a small sports bag, presumably containing clothes so he wouldn't need to leave again.
Sherlock snatched the laptop from him. "Thanks" Sherlock said, while waiting for it to load, remembering how John liked it when he said thank you.
John dumped the violin and on the coffee table, he himself had changed while he been out, but not into his clothes, he was wearing Sherlock's purple shirt, which hung loosely, too long for him and some of his own black lent over the back of the sofa to watch. "I changed the password pass let me-"
But Sherlock was already in. "Why did I even try?" he laughed.
"You should really come up with something less obvious. Favourite colours are so easy to figure out. Why are you wearing my clothes?" He asked he looking fondly at John then turned to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"When did I tell you my favourite colour?" he ignored the Sherlock's question.
"You didn't. I could tell"
"Little conceited aren't we?" John teased.
"I was right"
John's password was the combined colours of Sherlock's eyes.
"Why then?" Sherlock demanded.
"I thought seen as you were wearing my clothes, I might as well. "
Sherlock laughed at John's childish ways. "You do look rather lovely in those"
By this time the laptop was fully loaded and Sherlock was doing a very basic Google search of Sebastian Moran.
Idiot. He had Facebook.
Sherlock got into his account, it wasn't even set to private. And fortunately for Sherlock, some inconsiderate 'friend' of Moran's had put "When are you back from Sweden Sebby?"She hadn't gotten a reply from 'Sebby' but this was far more than enough for Sherlock to know he had found the right guy.
Sherlock had photos now, this would be too easy. He now knew where Moran lived, he and John were going to see Moran's parents later. He told John of his plan and John agreed to go after nightfall.
In the meantime, Sherlock needed entertainment.
"Do something John. I'm bored"
"I'm not a performing monkey, Sherlock. Watch something on TV"
"Boring"
"Read?"
"Nothing to read"
"There are stacks of books in the bedroom"
"Boring"
"What do you want me to do?"
"Come here" Sherlock moved the laptop away and pulled John towards him.
"We should have slept a little, considering we have to do almost everything late at night" said John. They were outside, walking towards the address of Moran's parents (luckily it was very close), their hands interlinked.
"I enjoyed how we actually spent that time a lot more that I would have sleeping."
"Me too, love. You can't imagine how much. But still we need at least 8 hours.." John said, his inner doctor obviously kicking in.
Sherlock cut him off. He was wearing a stripy jumper of John's and some jeans that had been a present but John had never worn as they were far too long. "Fine. We'll sleep late then?"
"Yes, okay. I like you in those, you look so cuddly"
"They smell like you" he replied bluntly
"Thanks." John said sarcastically.
"No, they smell wonderful" Sherlock said truthfully, not intending it as a compliment. This made John's cheeks turn faintly pink.
They walked on in a comfortable silence, occasionally turning their heads to gaze adoringly at their partner.
"Here we are. Down there" whispered Sherlock, stopping suddenly and pointing. He wouldn't usually have commented on where they were going- he would have just expected John to follow him- but he felt this way would make John more at ease.
John hadn't expected the place to look like this; it was an alleyway which he would never have spotted if he was alone.
He followed Sherlock through the dark alley, almost blind. There were no more lamp posts to light there way now.
They came up to a large house, and Sherlock walked up and knocked on the door boldly.
There was a brief scuffling sound by door and it opened "Ah is Sebby here?" Sherlock asked confidently, scratching his ear.
"No he's in Sweden" the woman who had come to the door was about 50, and wore a very tight lipped expression.
"Oh of course, with Dianna, in Stockholm" Dianna had been listed as his girlfriend on the social networking site.
"He's in Halmstad and they broke up. I'm sorry who are you?" said the flustered looking woman.
John continued to stay silent, watching Sherlock
"He's home tomorrow right?" Sherlock persisted.
"No he and his friend are going on to Germany next Friday, then they're coming back next month. How do you know Sebby?"
"Fine. Bye." Sherlock said briefly and rushed off down the garden, pulling John with him.
"Wait-who are-?" the woman shouted after them, but they were already out of the gate.
"That was fantastic Sherlock. I didn't think it would work with everyone"
"Oh it does, and it's very simple too. People are so stupid" Sherlock was going to get Moran as soon as they came back, but if he wasn't back at the time his mother had said, he would book plane tickets in John's name (he had acquired a fake passport a long time ago), and with a small disguise they go unnoticed on their way to go and find the two men.
"As you say." Said John, slightly downhearted.
"You're different." Sherlock traced circles on the back of John's hands consolingly.
"How? I'm no where near as smart as you and you say that everyone who isn't is dumb"
He wound his arm around John's waist. "You're so much better. My intellect isn't always a gift, I may notice things that no one else would ever have seen but I often miss the simplest the things. You see, I have no idea about emotions or the way I should feel"
"How do you feel Sherlock?"
"I don't want to do anything, go anywhere without you."
John blushed, sending Sherlock's heart rate up.
"I feel exactly the same way. I love you" John replied.
"I love you too".
"The last few months….they were the worst of my life, being without you. Worse even than the time I spent in Afghanistan ."
"I'm sorry. I hate myself for doing this." Sherlock had never felt like that before, he always felt proud of what he had done. He also never cared how his emotions affected others.
"You know, Sherlock…." he murmured, stopping in the street and standing on his tip toes for a kiss.
"What?" asked Sherlock pulling away to look at John properly.
"I still can't believe you're really here. "