Hello! Here is one more chapter before the new year, I've been requested to keep writing which is good because I was planning on doing that anyways :P anyways thank you very much for reading and I'm so happy about how this story is going and how much has been written, last time I wrote something I barely made it past 6 chapters so this is a great improvement! Anyways thank everyone who has read, favourited, followed and reviewed and I hope you continue to like it!
"So what is it?" Sherlock turned to John in the small warm cab, he felt much better riding along with John but, he was still very uneasy about being back in a cab and he still constantly checked to make sure they were going in the right direction.
"What's what Sherlock?" John huffed still annoyed to be out so early; not only was it freezing morning and the poor doctor's coat with thin against the harsh winds but he had hardly slept, so now he was cold, tired and not to mention hungry.
"Don't be so moody John. My case, what is my case about?" he asked again the curiosity eating at him, he started tapping his foot on the floor impatiently "Murder, kidnapping, theft? Has somebody mysteriously disappeared? What is it?"
"I'm allowed to be moody! I don't know the details but Greg said it was murder and theft, someone killed their maid and stole something precious to the family" John replied flicking through his phone deleting old texts. Sherlock gave a small nod in response but he knew John hadn't seen it, he was curious about the case, usually he would get information before thinking of accepting it, the idea of going in blind intrigued him, he only hoped it wouldn't be a waste of time. When they climbed out of the cab they were invited in to a large house they looked around, walking under the police tape.
"John, Sherlock!" Greg called out jogging over to them, Sherlock looked quickly noticing Sally and Anderson weren't there "Good to see you two back together now, John calm down, I didn't mean it like that! Now this is the house of the Jacksons last night they were robbed, a painting of one of their ancestors, a painting that costs over a million so clearly they want it back as soon as possible, not only that but their long-time family maid was strangled."
"I wanted an interesting case John" he turned to John frowning at him before sighing following Lestrade into the large house, John trailed behind them quickly.
"It is interesting Sherlock, you're just being annoying, as usual" John rolled his eyes smiling still, they walked into one of the study rooms seeing the corpse John and Sherlock quickly turned serious staring down at the body, John sighed knowing he wouldn't miss the sight of dead bodies, or the smell. "What's her name?"
"Sheila, she had worked for the Jacksons for around forty three years we've been told that she started working for them when she was twenty two, so she was sixty five when she died." Lestrade answered looking down at her, he frowning sadly at the older woman "Anything to add to it Sherlock?"
"No, why would I? She isn't important at all." Sherlock waved his hand uninterested looking away from her and turning to face Lestrade. "I need to see the room the painting was in now, there is no use staying here any longer nothing is here, does the room have any windows?"
"Not important, Sherlock how is she not important?" John yelled at him everyone in the room stared at him shocked although they all felt the same, just none of them had the guts to question Sherlock, no one else would dare, knowing that they would be yelled at, or insulted somehow, meanwhile Lestrade answered his question with a quick nod.
"Because the thief didn't want to kill anyone, he didn't plan on it so he only brought equipment he thought he'd need for the robbery, he obviously thought no one would be here so he could just sneak in and out, but then he found the maid and he panicked, killing her quickly not even bothering to hide her body, his big mistake." Sherlock replied calmly "She is not important to this case."
"She is Sherlock, you can use her to find that killer right? A stray hair or fingerprints? You could fine anything and you know it." John replied angrily. "You can't say she isn't important.
"Fine." Everyone looked at them staying silent as the tension in the room rose, they all moved out of the room Sherlock not allowing them to go further as he and John went into the next room as some others took the old woman away. Sherlock investigated the family's gallery walking around with his small magnifying glass. "John?"
"Yeah what is it?" he asked while he was watching Sherlock work, every now and then walking around searching the room himself never finding a thing unless you included the large missing painting.
"I need you to go to the bank Mr Jackson owns, find out who their biggest rival company is, then go see them, find the owner and ask them what they were doing last night, tell me every detail. I believe whoever it is their rival is also the killer and thief" He said not looking away from the window focused on everything he could find, he turned to Lestrade again "Whoever they were they escaped using the rope that killed the maid; there are pieces of it stuck right here in the frame."
John left the house quickly, walking further down the street to try and get a cab, he went to the bank but wasn't able to see Mr Jackson, he left the bank walking around London, he thought about what it would have been like if he never met Sherlock, if he didn't decide to go for a walk that day, if he went to the café instead of walking through the park, if he didn't talk to Stamford about flat shares.
"I need to leave now" he mumbled to himself, if he hadn't met Sherlock he wouldn't have his life threatened every month, if he didn't go for that walk, he'd have a secure job and maybe a relationship, if he went to the café, he would have lived the rest of his life bored. But it didn't matter anymore; nothing he did or didn't do was going to change his mind.
John went straight back to the flat grabbing the last of his possessions and leaving, he paused at the door writing a quick note then leaving, going straight to the new town and staying at a hotel, he texted Harry asking her to hold on to his things until he gets a proper place, she said no of course so he asked Joel instead who agreed but wasn't happy.
"John?" Sherlock called as he finally arrived at the flat, he had discovered every single detail about the case, except who did it, he expected John to come tell him as soon as he got back to the flat, but as soon as he returned, he saw no sign of him, just like there was a week ago, he shook his head not believing it. "John, come here!"
"Where are you?" he yelled walking down stairs to see Mrs Hudson, she was baking at the moment and got a huge fright as she turned around, she placed her baking tray down and took of her overn mits. "Mrs Hudson where is John?"
"Isn't he back yet? He left a little while ago if I remember, had a bag with him; I think he's gone to go and see his sister, it's nice to hear them getting along, when he first came he used to always say such bad things about her." She smiled wiping her hands on her apron before taking it off. "What's wrong dear?"
"He's left again, and he didn't go to his sisters, he went further away" he mumbled looking at Mrs Hudson's dress, it was given to her by a man who would come in to her shop every day, but Mrs Hudson wasn't interested that being clear to Sherlock since she wore the dress for cooking and not out visiting friends. "He's gone for good this time"
"No dear, he'll be back he always comes back, maybe it's good for you two to have some time apart, with how close you boys are it's a wonder this hasn't happened before," She replied taking a cookie and handing it to Sherlock "You stop worrying dear, he just needs some space now."
"He'll never come back" he muttered walking out the room with his cookie, he made his way upstairs kicking each step as he did so, throwing the cookie out as soon as he got inside. It was nearly an hour after when he found the note, he grabbed it up quickly reading it.
Sherlock,
This isn't going to be easy
I know I said I would stay but
I should be sorry for leaving you shouldn't I? but honestly I'm not I don't see why I should, there isn't a real reason for me to stay anymore, you have more than enough money now to keep the flat for yourself and I have enough to leave I want to thank you for, I didn't mean that I was just living with you until l I had enough to leave, I did it because. Anyways I'm going away for good this time, going to try living in the country for a change. Never thought I'd do that Don't look for me Sherlock; if you do I will never forgive you. You help me so much butI don't want to see you You can forget about me Sherlock, we both know you can you've done it with lots of things, I've seen you. Good luck with the case, I wasn't able to see Mr Jackson so I couldn't help and I'm sorry for that.
Goodbye. For the last time
Sherlock read it over and over and soon he knew it completely, even the parts that were crossed out, letting all the words sink in and stain his memory, John wanted Sherlock to delete him, but it wasn't possible, Sherlock had an entire room in his memory palace for John, he was too big to delete, bigger than the solar system, Sherlock tore the note to pieces throwing it in the fireplace.
****Texting****
John, you need to come back now. –SH
*Message not delivered*
I've set the flat on fire come back and fix it. –SH
*Message not delivered*
John? –SH
*Message not delivered*
What did you do? –SH
*Message not delivered*
****Real life****
Sherlock continued to send texts all night, not sure why but it made him feel better, or it did until he saw another 'message not delivered' he told John everything about their cases together, about how idiotic John's blog was, he didn't sleep that night and in the morning he went straight to the bank and solved the case complaining the whole time about how simple it was and how Lestrade was just getting lazy now.
"Where's John? You're not this crabby with him around" Lestrade snapped making Sherlock silence instantly, Lestrade sighed "He hasn't has he?"
"Gone, to some country town. It isn't important, it's better that he has left." Sherlock said leaving the office; and Lestrade with all the paperwork. As he got back to the flat, he looked at the fireplace, seeing the pieces of paper, he ran to them feeling each piece punch a hole in him, he searched the flat for tape, only finding medical tape he put the pieces together and taped them up. "Goodbye John."
John climbed out of the train looking around the new town, he had everything sorted out, he would stay in a small hotel he found on the internet and find himself a new place, maybe even go to a bar and meet some new people, make new friends to replace the old ones, he caught a cab and they drove to the hotel, by now it was raining so he had to run in with his coat over his head, he kept thinking of the warm flat, but tried to push it away, it had to be a distant memory now.
Yeah not the happiest of things I suppose, but what can you do about it? Maybe if I get enough reviews we can work something out? Haha anyways I hope you liked this chapter and please review.