Chapter Thirty-six: Trapped in an hourglass

My hands shook as I pulled on a long sleeved, deep blue dress over my head. I grabbed a pair of heels and had just gotten my feet into them when I heard Sherlock walking rapidly upstairs to his flat. I jumped up and raced out of my flat and hurried downstairs.

I arrived in his flat to see that he was sitting at the table with his laptop on. "Four assassins living right on our doorstep. They didn't come here to kill me; they have to keep me alive." He is completely focused on something, so I debate showing him Moriarty's text or not. "I've got something that all of them want, but if one of them approaches me."

John commented from his position by the window. "The others kill them before they can get it."

Sherlock grunts in agreement. "All of the attention is focussed on me. There's a surveillance web closing in on us right now."

I asked. "So what do you have that's so important?"

Sherlock thinks for a moment, and then runs his finger along the table before looking at his finger. "We need to ask about the dusting." He then shouted loudly. "Mrs. Hudson!"

I groaned. "I'll get her."

Sherlock shook his head. "She's watching the telly; she'll be up in a moment."

John glanced at me. "How are you feeling?"

"Creeped out."

"I mean any improvement from today?"

"Oh! Uhm, I guess so."

Mrs. Hudson appeared in her nightdress and dressing gown. Sherlock is checking for dust. He begins stalking around the room, checking all sorts of places. "Precise details, in the last week, what's been cleaned?"

Mrs. Hudson looks a little stunned, but she catches on quickly. "Well, Tuesday I did your lino."

"No, in here, this room." Sherlock cut her off. "This is where we'll find it, any break in the dust line. You can put back anything but dust." He twirls his finger dramatically in the air. "Dust is eloquent."

"Is that why you don't dust your flat yourself?"

He ignores me and Mrs. Hudson looks at John. "What's he on about?"

John shakes his head and I watch as Sherlock begins climbing on the furniture to look more closely at the top shelves. "Cameras." I walked towards him. "We're being watched."

"What? Cameras?" Poor Mrs. Hudson cringes in embarrassment. "Here? I'm in my nightie!"

The doorbell rings and she hurries out of the room and John follows her. "I hope it hasn't been there long since you and I've been...christening the furniture."

"I doubt it's been installed for more than a few days, so you're safe." Sherlock has climbed down from the left bookshelf and now begins to examine his skull, and then he climbs onto small tables to look at the other bookshelves. As he begins checking the books on the top shelf, I stand behind him, placing a hand on the small of his back. "Tammy."

"I don't want you to fall."

Sherlock begins to wiggle a book and his eyes narrow. He removes the book and hands it to me. "Here." I take it, but still keep him braced with my other hand. I hear footsteps and turn around as Greg comes into the room with John. Sherlock is concentrating on removing the camera, but he still knows who is in the room. "No, Inspector."

Greg frowns. "What?"

Sherlock steps down with the small camera in hand. "The answer's no."

I frowned at the cat and mouse game going on between them. "But you haven't heard the question!" Greg said.

Sherlock frowned. "You want to take me to the station. Just saving you the trouble of asking."

I frowned in confusion. "Why would you need to go to the station?"

Greg sucks in a breath. "Sherlock."

"The scream?" Sherlock interrupts him.

"Yeah." Greg nods.

I look to John. "What scream? What's going on here?"

"Who was it?" He asked. "Donovan? I bet it was Donovan. Am I somehow responsible for the kidnapping?"

I stared at them. "What?"

"Ah, Moriarty is smart." Sherlock said as he approached Greg slowly. "He planted that doubt in her head; that little nagging sensation. You're gonna have to be strong to resist. You can't kill an idea, can you? Not once it's made a home," he reaches forward and places a finger on Greg's forehead, between his eyes. "there."

Greg sighs. "Will you come?"

My mouth drops open. "You can't be serious Greg!"

"I'm afraid so Tammy." He looked tired. "I've got to."

Sherlock turns away and sits down at the laptop. "One photograph, that's his next move. Moriarty's game. First, the scream, then a photograph of me being taken in for questioning. He wants to destroy me inch by inch." Sherlock looks at Greg for a moment. "It's a game, Lestrade, and not one I'm willing to play." He looked away. "Give my regards to Sergeant Donovan."

With a sigh, Greg turns and heads off down the stairs. I stare at Sherlock and John for a moment before going after Greg. "Greg?" I call and he stops halfway down. "What's going on?" I ask as I approach him. "I need to know."

He exhaled. "Sherlock found the children."

"That's good."

"And…the girl," he shifted uncomfortably. "she, started screaming, the moment she saw Sherlock. No reason at all."

I stared at him for a moment as his words sunk into my mind. It took me less than thirty seconds to have figured everything out. I replied calmly. "My husband," I put special emphasis on my term of endearment. "is a very clever man. And if he were involved with the kidnapping, he certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to incriminate himself by walking into the room with his victim after she'd been rescued." I turned and hurried back up the stairs. "Tell that to Sergeant Donovan."

"Hang on," he said. "I thought you and Sally were friends."

"You said the perfect word Greg. You said 'were' and that's exactly it. We were friends." I spoke seriously. "But I can never, ever, be friends with anyone who speaks against my husband in any way, shape or form. She's gone too far this time."

I walked into the flat and shut the door. John walked over to the window and looked outside. I could just imagine Greg getting into his car. Sherlock was the first to speak. "They'll be deciding."

John asked. "Deciding?"

"Whether to come back with a warrant and arrest me."

I stared at him. "You're kidding!"

Sherlock didn't even look up from his laptop. "It's standard procedure."

"Greg walked me down the aisle at our wedding! There is no way he'd actually arrest you in front of me!"

"People can't afford to be sentimental in their jobs." Sherlock stated conversationally.

I groaned. "Why are you always so calm in situations like this!?"

"You should have gone with him." John said. "People will think-

"I don't care what people think." Sherlock stated.

"Obviously." I said as I sat down in his favorite chair, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You'd care if they thought you were stupid or wrong." John pointed out.

"No. That would just make them stupid or wrong."

"Sherlock," the words burst out of John. "I don't want the world believing you're-

John stopped, catching himself. But he'd caught Sherlock's full attention now. "That I am what?" Sherlock's voice is quiet and cautious.

John is silent for a long time, before he replies. "A fraud."

Sherlock studies John before exhaling and rocking back in his seat. "You're worried they're right."

"What?"

"You're worried they're right about me."

"No." John shook his head.

"That's why you're so upset. You can't even entertain the possibility that they might be right. You're afraid that you've been taken in as well."

"No I'm not."

"Moriarty is playing with your mind too." Sherlock slammed the table with his fist and he shouted at John. I jumped out of my chair, ready for anything if the situation escalated. "Can't you see what's going on!?"

But it didn't. John stood there calmly, with all the façade of a heroic soldier looking death in the face. "No," he said calmly and firmly. "I know you're for real."

John looked back out the window while Sherlock looked back down at his laptop. "A hundred percent?"

"Nobody can fake being such an annoying dick all the time." John added hastily. "Sorry Tammy."

"Accepted."

Sherlock turned to me. "And what about you Tammy? Are you entertaining the possibilities as well?"

"The last time you doubted something Sherlock Holmes, we had our first fight. Don't you dare start doubting me, or we'll have the biggest fight of our lives."

"Don't avoid the question. Answer me."

I stepped towards him and kissed him. He was hot and tense, I could feel that. But I also felt some of the tension leave his body at my kiss. I pulled away and ran my hand down his cheek. His eyes studied me with an intense gaze. "No one Sherlock, not even you, could convince me to doubt in you Sherlock Holmes. You're the most intelligent man I've ever known. Granted, you're a little stupid because you doubt how deep John and my devotion to you is. John is your best and most loyal friend you'll ever have. Me, I'm your wife, your helpmeet, and nothing can break the bond between us. Believe that. I love you desperately, and it would have to be God himself who could cause me to doubt you."

I walked away from him and went to the kitchen. I brought him a water bottle and handed it to him. He stared at my hand for a while before taking it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." It was then I remembered my message from Moriarty. I pulled out my phone and showed him the message. "I got this right before you got home. It's from him."

Sherlock studied the phone and he was silent before responding. "You are involved now Tammy. Part of the final problem."

"Why does he call it the final problem?" I asked. "What does he mean by final?"

Sherlock didn't answer me and his silence told me what my heart all ready knew. This was a duel of the minds and only one would survive. I now realized that we were trapped in an hourglass, with only so much time to break free before we ran out of time.