*NO REAL SPOILERS FOR A SCANDAL IN BELGRAVIA FOR ANY FOREIGN READERS.*

Chapter 13

"Oh really?" Esme said sarcastically as she started to feel her blood begin to boil "And why exactly would he be in Switzerland? Seeing the sights perhaps?" She mocked as she rolled her eyes at Sherlock's a-typical stupidity. "Irene Adler." Mycroft replied simply while John's eyes grew wide in shock. He never thought he'd be hearing that name again. "Who?" Esme spun around on her heels to face both Mycroft and John, who faltered under her gaze. "John. Who is this woman?" Esme asked slowly, punctuating every syllable. "Perhaps he could explain once we reach Baker Street?" Mycroft suggested, much to John's relief, as he motioned towards the sleek black car that glided to a halt in front of them. Reluctantly, Esme agreed and slid into the backseat, followed John and Mycroft. The journey was lengthy and silent, mainly due to the fact that Mycroft had refused to uttered a word in case the driver was listening or the car was bugged etc.

"Irene?" John whispered hastily under his breath. Mycroft shrugged and then produced a key from his top pocket, John couldn't say that he was surprised that he had one, and opened the door to 221B Baker Street. "I heard you two." Esme stated as the trio climbed up the seventeen steps to the living room. Mycroft wrinkled his nose at the messy but cosy room and proceeded to push away the papers in front of him with a flick of his foot. He laid his umbrella by his side, as he settled into Sherlock's armchair, Esme and John sitting on the couch opposite. "Mycroft or John. Would either of you like to explain to me who Irene Adler is?" She asked as a question, but it wasn't a question. It was a demand. "It would probably be best if John told you, seeing as he was there more than I was." Esme turned to him with an expectant face. "Me and Sherlock were working on a case for the royal family. One of it's members had allowed some compromising photographs to get into the hands of a certain dominatrix. Miss Adler." Esme could feel her temperature begin to rise again. "That doesn't explain why Sherlock is in Switzerland." John sighed. "I'm sorry Esme. But I can't tell you anymore." Esme stood up sharply. "Why?" She stared at John harshly, causing him to avert his gaze. "I signed an official secrets act saying that I will not disclose the contents of that case apart from to those who were directly involved. I also...promised Sherlock that I wouldn't tell you about her." John kept his eyes firmly fixated on the ground. "What did he do with that woman?" Esme pronounced each syllable clearly. "Perhaps, I could help the situation?" Mycroft straightened his neck upwards "While I cannot tell you the details of the case, I can you that I have evidence that suggests that Sherlock is currently in Switzerland with Miss Adler." He coughed sharply "I should leave you interpret that as you wish." Mycroft said simply.

"Interpret that as I wish?" She repeated his words mockingly. "My boyfriend is in Switzerland with a prostitute, I don't think there are many conclusions to come to." Mycroft shrugged, refusing to disclose anymore information. Esme looked back and forth between the two men before turning away. She grabbed her coat off the back of the couch and heading towards the front door. "Well if neither of you are going to tell me what's really going on,. then I'm just going to have to find out myself." She shrugged, looking for a reaction. "How?" John asked, with a worried expression on his face. "I'm going to Switzerland." Esme disclosed, before running out of the flat to hail a cab. "Bloody hell... Esme wait!" John shouted out, also picking up his jacket. "You can see yourself out, Mycroft!" He called out behind him, slamming the door shut.

"Everything is falling into place."

...

"Don't you think you're being just a tad rash?" John said carefully, trying not to cause any conflict. "No." She replied, saying no more. "You do realize that I can't let you go to Switzerland by yourself. Sherlock would skin me alive." John ran a hasty hand through his dusty blonde hair. "Fine then. You can come with me." She continued staring blank-faced out of the window. "Esme, I have a job! What about the surgery and the flat too! I can't afford the rent unless Sherlock pays his half." John said astonished, Jennifer would kill him if he ran off to Switzerland with some woman in search of his AWOL flatmate. "Call them now. You have some temporary disease that's hard to diagnose and has left you house-bound." John gave her a look. She turned around to face him. "Come on! You're a doctor, think of something." John sighed, about to take out his phone, when he remembered the other problem. "And the flat?" He saw no way of getting around that one. "I own my house. I'll arrange for your stuff to be moved to my house and then Mrs. Hudson can rent out the flat for a bit. Problem solved." John shrugged. "That's means I need to go back now and get some clothes. How long do you think we're going to be there for?" He honestly had no idea and apparently neither did Esme. "I'm not sure. 2 days, 2 months, 2 years? I just need to...to find Sherlock. This isn't some get away holiday from London." Esme turned back to her window.

"Just bring enough clothes for a while, ok? Anything else that you need and I'll buy it for you there." John furrowed his eyebrows. "How much money do you have to spare?" He wondered, mostly to himself but John guessed it was old family money, like Sherlock and Mycroft's. "A lot more than any young woman should be trusted with." She muttered quietly, with a dark undertone. "I'll stop here." She said, climbing out of the cab which had stopped near her house. "You can take the cab back to Baker Street to get your stuff but I need you to meet me at Heathrow in an hour, prompt." And with that, she turned away and started to make her way down the road to her abode.

MEANWHILE, SHERLOCK WAS IN ITALY

"Ms Gables, I do believe that you have something to tell me." Sherlock asked politely, with a slight scathing tone under his breath. "What would that be?" She asked quickly, avoiding the steady gaze from Sherlock's grey eyes. "That fact that your son is alive and well and currently in hiding from absolutely nobody." Sherlock continued to stare straight ahead at her.

"I don't think I understand." Ms Gables replied, running a lofty hand through her soft blonde hair. "Oh, I think that you do." Sherlock gave out a dark chuckle "You told your own son that he was being hunted down by the Mafia. He believed you because of the dodgy drugs that he's been sell to God knows who but the Mafia doesn't care about him." Sherlock waved his hand, as if batting away the idea.

"He's just a small fish in a very deep ocean. So why would you fabricate an elaborate tale to me and send me on a wild goose chase around Italy for a month?" He cocked his head to the side and stared into her eyes. "Why?" He repeated again. "Protection? No. Family? No. Money? Hmm, maybe. Blackmail? Oh yes, definitely blackmail." She tore herself away from him. "Get out of my house. Samantha, come and show Mr. Holmes out please!" She called out for her servant loudly, doing anything to get away from Sherlock."

"I know the way out."

Ooooh, so what do you guys think of that? I'm trying not to give anything away in my little Author's notes :P As per usual, thank you so much for reading this chapter, next one is written and just needs to be typed up ;)

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for reviewing ;) You guys rock my socks LOL It helps a lot as it tells me if the FF is going in the right direction, if people are reading and enjoying it and your general comments :')

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