John was taking a long time. Sherlock put the baby into her swing and turned it on. She still wouldn't take her bottle. Roxanne had even give it a try but she just didn't seem hungry.
Sherlock walked into the kitten and was making himself a cup off coffee when his phone beeped. He turned the machine on.
He walked into the living room and picked it up. There where three picture text. He opened them. He was surprised to see pictures of John on the phone.
He was in a Mcdonalds standing in line and he was talking to someone. Sherlock couldn't quite see who it was. He clicked to the next picture.
That one was closer and Sherlock could see it was a woman. A harder look at it told him it was Sarah. Sarah. John's ex-girlfriend. What was she doing there?
Sherlock didn't believe John was the cheating type. Chances were they had just run into each other and were talking.
John would never hurt him. He didn't have it in him.
Who had taken these pictures? Perhaps one of Mycroft's men. Sherlock deleted the pictures and closed his phone. There was no way he was going to ask John about them. If John wanted to tell him he saw Sarah that was up to him.
He got up to fetch his cup of coffee. He noticed John's suitcase open next to the table. He flipped open the lid and saw a half crocheted baby blanket. Very well done too.
He didn't know John knew how to do that.
He closed the bag. Apparently that was something John wanted to keep to himself. Perhaps he thought Sherlock would make fun of him.
He smirked. Too cute. His John could crochet, cook, and clean. At least they knew who was the woman in the relationship.
Of course he didn't mean it in a bad way and he wouldn't tease John about it. He just thought is was cute.
-
John walked into the apartment and set the food down on the coffee table. He didn't see Sherlock or Isabell anywhere. The telly was on so he couldn't be far.
"Sherlock?" he called.
"In the kitchen," Sherlock said. "Trying to get Isabell to eat some oatmeal."
"Any luck?" John asked getting out his food.
"A bit," Sherlock said. "What did you get to eat?"
"Mcdonalds," John said sitting down. "I know it isn't your kind of thing but I like it."
"Anything interesting happen while you were out?" Sherlock asked.
"Not really," John said.
"Really?" Sherlock said walking out of the kitchen with Isabell. "Nothing."
John paused eating and looked at him. Did he know he had run into Sarah? How could he know? Of course it was hard to get anything past Sherlock.
Sherlock knew at once John was tense. His face was tight. He was pressing his teeth together harder than he needed to. His hands were even shaking. Something was seriously bothering him. He was trying to hide something.
"I did run into Sarah," John said.
"Oh," Sherlock said putting Isabell on her play mat.
She lay on her back looking at the little animals hanging from above her head.
"You knew that didn't you?" John asked.
"Of course," Sherlock said. "Did you tell her about me and Izzy?"
"Yes," John said raising his voice a bit. "Of course I did. What in the world are you trying to get at?"
"I just don't want you sneaking around with one of your ex girlfriends," Sherlock said.
"I wasn't sneaking around," John said setting the food down. "I ran into her getting us food. I told her all about us. I showed her a picture of Isabell. I wouldn't hide our relationship."
"I don't want you hanging out with her," Sherlock said snarling at him.
"I wouldn't care if you were hanging out with one of your exs," John said shaking his head. "That is if you had any!"
"Sorry that I didn't sleep with everyone I met!" Sherlock yelled.
Sherlock ran into their room and slammed the door.
"Shit!" John cursed putting his face in his hands.
How could he have said that? What was he thinking? Sherlock was just a bit uneasy. This was his first serous relationship. Hell. John didn't think he had ever had a girlfriend or boyfriend before.
The baby began to cry heavily. No doubt the yelling scared her. John got up and picked her up.
"Sh," he said rubbing her back. "It's OK. Don't cry honey."
John walked the length of the apartment trying to calm the child. No doubt she wanted Sherlock. He was usually the one who calmed her when she was upset.
Sherlock plopped face first down on the bed. He pushed his face into this pillow.
How could he have been so stupid? There was no way John could just forget his past. Was he insane to ask him to?
He could hear Isabell crying. John was trying to calm her and wasn't having any luck.
He just couldn't lie there and let his daughter suffer. That would self centered. Yet, he knew he couldn't face John. They both said things that they regretted.
Of course Sherlock would never admit he had said anything wrong. It just wasn't like him.
John had started this whole thing by not telling him he ran into an old girlfriend. Of course Sherlock might not have ever known about it if it hadn't been for the pictures.
Oh who was he kidding?
It would have taken him a whole thirty seconds to see after John walked in. He was wearing all the signs of hiding something.
After a couple of minute Sherlock couldn't take the sound of Isabell crying anymore. He got up from the bed and walked out the bedroom.
He found John and Isabell standing in the kitchen looking out of one of large windows.
"Want Daddy?" Sherlock asked Isabell holding out his arms.
Isabell cried louder when she saw Sherlock. John handed her over and she stopped crying.
"Sherlock," John said. "I should have told you I ran into Sarah. I guess I would want to know if you were-"
John didn't bother to finish his sentence. Sherlock was walking away from him. John sighed watching his retreating back.
Sherlock went back into the guest room and shut the door.
The doctor really was at a lost for what to do. He wanted to apologize to Sherlock but he didn't even want to hear it. Maybe he just needed his space.
John fetched his half finished crochet project and went to the living room to work on it. Working with his hands always helped him think.
Sherlock laid out on the bed with the baby next to him. She was half asleep curling up against him. Sherlock's phone beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the text message on the screen.
Now. Now. Whatever will you do.
There was no signature at the bottom and it was from a blocked number. Sherlock took a deep breath and closed his phone.
It made sense now.
Someone was trying to get him and John to fight. If they were fighting each other there was no way he could focus on the case.
Dammit!
Why hadn't he thought of that when he got the pictures?
Someone took those pictures and sent them to him to start a fight. It was someone who knew him well enough to know how he could react.
He picked up Isabell and ran out into the living room with her. He knew for sure that HE was back. He needed to talk to John so they could figure out how to lure him out of hiding.