Chapter Thirty-seven: The grand escape

The tension was killing me; Sherlock sat in his chair quietly, deep in thought. John moved from his chair, to the window, to the kitchen, and then back to his chair. When John's phone rang, I almost fell off the arm of Sherlock's chair. He reached out, grasping my hip and steadied me without turning a hair.

"Hello." John's face grew serious and he nodded. "Right. Thank you." He lowered his cell phone from his ear and turned it off. He turns to Sherlock. "So, still got some friends on the Force. It's Lestrade. Says they're all coming over here right now, queuing up to slap on the handcuffs." My heart jumped up in my chest. "Every single officer you ever made feel like a tit, which is a lot of people."

As always, Sherlock appears to be taking no notice of John. I turned towards him; he wasn't planning to get out of that chair, much less run away.

Mrs. Hudson knocked on the door, causing me to jump. She seems a little oblivious the tension in the room. "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting?" Sherlock rolls his eyes and looks away, so she addresses John. "Some chap delivered a parcel. I forgot. Marked 'Perishable' – I had to sign for it." John takes the package from her and I immediately recognize the wax seal over the flap.

I stand up. "Sherlock, that's the same seal from the kidnap case."

"Funny name." Mrs. Hudson says. "German, like the fairytales."

Sherlock walks forward, as John pulls out the contents of the package. Outside, I now hear the sounds of sirens and several approaching vehicles. I'd beg Sherlock to run, but that's not his style. In John's hand is a large gingerbread man but it's burnt.

Sherlock studied it before responding dryly. "Burnt to a crisp."

John as always, didn't really see the picture. The sirens have stopped and I hear people getting out of the cars, slamming doors behind them. "What does it mean?"

"Time's up." I reply quietly at the same moment the doorbell rings and the police officers begin pounding at the door.

"I'll go." Mrs. Hudson offers. She turns and hurries down the stairs.

John turns and walks out of the flat to join Mrs. Hudson and to give Sherlock and I some privacy. Sherlock calmly turns around and picks up his scarf and loops it around his neck. "You're taking this rather well." He said.

I bit my lip. "I am crying, just…on the inside."

"I'm surprised that you haven't asked me to take off out a window."

"I have," he turns and looks at me. "in my mind, not out loud. I know you, I know you'd never run from anything. You know what you're doing and I trust you. But...I'm having a hard time regardless anyway."

He smiles faintly and gets into his coat. I step forward and button up his coat. John is apparently blocking the stairs halfway up. "Have you got a warrant?" he demands angrily. "Have you?"

Greg snaps. "Leave it, John."

Moments later, Greg stands in front of him and reads him his rights while an officer attaches handcuffs to his left wrist. "Sherlock Holmes, I'm arresting you on suspicion of abduction and kidnapping." The officer pulls Sherlock's left hand behind his back in order to cuff his other wrist.

"Is this necessary?" I demand.

"He's not resisting." John said.

"It's all right, John." Sherlock turned towards me. "It's all right."

"He's not resisting. No, it's not all right." John just wouldn't give up though. "This is ridiculous."

Greg surprised me by actually getting into John's face and pointing at him. "Don't try to interfere," he said sternly. "or I shall arrest you too." He turned towards me, with the same expression on his face. "That goes for you too Tammy."

Greg addresses the officer who's got Sherlock. "Get him downstairs now."

The officer spins Sherlock around and roughly marches him towards the door. All my efforts to be brave threaten to crumble. "Greg! Wait! Just a minute! Please! Can't I even-

"No." he says firmly.

I make my request again. "I'd like to kiss my husband goodbye."

"No." he repeated firmly.

Greg!" I pleaded as tears filled my eyes. "Please!"

"For God's sake," John shouted. "it's not going to hurt anything! Have you forgotten that you walked her down the aisle at their wedding? You've just arrested him in front of her! After all he's done for you, don't you have any decency to grant her 30 seconds to kiss her husband goodbye?"

I watched as Greg exhaled and called. "Hold it!"

Sally stared at him. "You're not actually-

"Shut up." John snapped at her. "It's not going to do any harm."

The officers came back into the room, with Sherlock in tow. "All right." Greg said. "Step aside, let her kiss him goodbye."

Sherlock's brows rose as I threw my arms around Sherlock's neck and hugged him. "Always a dramatic moment Tammy?" he said. "You even have an audience."

"You didn't think of kissing me goodbye and I don't know when I'm going to get this opportunity again."

"Well, shall we make it one that they remember?"

I shook my head and kissed him stretching up on tiptoe and pressing my fingers into his shoulders. Sherlock traced his tongue over my lips and I parted my lips, granting him access to my mouth. Suddenly, he used his chest and pushed me back against the wall, pinning me against the wall. For a brief few moments, I forgot about the audience, there was just us. I groaned as he worked his mouth hard against mine. Handcuffed or not, he still could make me melt in his embrace. Then someone, either John or Greg cleared their throat. I shook my head as I moved back so our foreheads touched. "I can't believe this is happening!"

Sherlock nuzzled my face with his nose. "It's all right Tammy. Everything's all right." He whispered. "Trust me."

"Take him away." Greg said.

As the officers stepped towards us, I straightened Sherlock's hair a little before grabbing onto his coat lapels, kissing him quickly, and biting him firmly on his lower lip. I felt him jump under my touch and his eyes widened as we were pulled apart. I felt John's hands on my shoulders, keeping me from following after him.

"You better get out of this mess fast!" I called after him, my voice cracking with tears that were desperate to fall.

"Look after her Mrs. Hudson," Sherlock called over his shoulder. "be sure that she takes her medicine."

I covered my mouth and turned aside as tears poured down my cheeks. "Oh, that man!" I turned to face John. "Every day, a little death."

John offered me a hug and I accepted it. I closed my eyes as he swayed me back and forth. John was stronger than Sherlock, but he couldn't make me feel safe and secure like Sherlock could. I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun around to see Greg.

I didn't say a word, I let my eyes speak for me and Greg took his hand off me. "I am sorry Tammy." He said quietly. "You know I wouldn't hurt you for the world."

"When you don't want me to die for the world, let me know." I said tightly. "Because if this isn't hurt, it must be death."

John murmurs quietly. "You did very well. I'm proud of you."

"I didn't want him to see me cry."

John turns to Sally who is standing near the door. "You done?"

Sally looks smug and to pleased as punch as she walks into the room. "Oh, I said it. First time we met."

John glowers at her. "Don't bother."

I frown. "What did she say?"

"Solving crimes won't be enough. One day he'll cross the line." Now, ask yourself," she looks pointedly. "what sort of man would kidnap those kids just so he can impress us all by finding them?"

Mrs. Hudson gasps and John isn't able to stop me as I launch myself at Sally, grab ahold of her hair and pull. "You crazy, bloody, witch!" Sally screams as I pull. Greg grabs ahold of Sally; John grabs ahold of me. Both men shout at us, while they pull us apart. As I'm pulled away, Sally is definitely missing a handful of hair in one spot. "How dare you!" I shout. "Get out! Get out now!"

"Look, calm down."

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down Lestrade!" I shout. "Bloody hell, are you really all such idiots?! Can't you see what's happening?"

"Donovan?" I spin around to see a strange man intruding. If I'd thought anything negative about Mycroft, I mentally took everything back as I saw this man. He was the definition of the word snob.

Sally straightens and brushes her clothes back into order. "Sir." She hastily wipes her eyes, I can't keep the smile off my face in pleasure that I'd caused her some pain.

"Got our man?"

I shoot Sally a glare and she takes a step back "Yes, sir."

"Looked a bit of a weirdo, if you ask me." I turn my anger towards that man. "Often are these vigilante types."

"Why you bastard! You bastard!" I flung myself at the fat man, ready to hit him in the nose and kick him right between the legs but Lestrade caught me. "Oh, let me go!"

"No." He said as he struggled to get me to calm down. "I won't!"

"This is my flat!"

"It's really Sherlock's." Lestrade reasoned.

"My husbands!" I shouted. "I will not allow anyone to remain in my flat any longer! You arrested him! Now everyone, get the Hell out of here now and take this snobbish, bean-belly, fat, pompous, tub of lard out of my sight!"

The man drew back from me as if I were insane to attack him because he called my husband a weirdo and vigilante in my presence. "What are you looking at?"

I looked up just as John threw a punch, hitting the man square in the nose! I laughed as the man groaned in pain. "Thank you John!" Blood came instantly flowing out of the man's nose and down his shirt.

"Pleasure Tammy." He said flecking his knuckles before hitting the man again.

Greg groaned and snapped. "Why'd you have to do that?"

"Oh don't ask him such an obvious question." I snapped as I folded my arms across my chest. "I'd be questioning John's loyalty if he didn't break that guy's nose."

"Yeah." Sally said dryly. "Except I wouldn't go around punching the Chief Superintendent!"

The blood drained from my face. "Oh God. I'm sorry John."

John shrugged it off as two officers grabbed him and marched him down the stairs. "I'd do it again."

I groaned and turned to the others. Sally was moving towards my kitchen and I snapped. "Get out of my kitchen!"

She glowered at me. "I'm getting some towels and water."

"No." I stated. "Get out. You came here with orders to arrest Sherlock. Nothing else. This is my flat and none of you are welcome here. Nor, are you welcome to take anything. Get out! Or I shall file a complaint with Scotland Yard that several officers took things from my flat without permission."

"It's just a paper towel." Greg said.

"That I bought and paid for with my money. I didn't give you permission to help yourself to anything. You are not my guests. Now get out! Let him use his personal hankie on his nose! Now get out!"

Greg exhaled and nodded at Sally. "Let's go."

Everyone shuffled out of the room. I paced back and forth, while Mrs. Hudson looked on. "I can't believe this."

"Neither can I." I was close to blowing up. "I can't believe this! They're actually falling for Moriarty's plan!" I kicked Sherlock's table in aggravation. "I don't even know what Sherlock's got going on his mind and that's what's frying me at the moment! I don't know what's going on!"

Suddenly, there was a loud feedback and I raced to the window to see what had happened. Sherlock had a gun, which he must have grabbed from an officer in the chaos. "Ladies and gentlemen," as he began backing away, I observed that he was handcuffed to John. "will you all please get on your knees?" no one seems to believe him until he fires twice into the air. "Now would be good!"

Lestrade shouts. "Do as he says!"

John proclaims loudly. "J-just so you're aware, the gun is his idea. I'm just, uh, you know."

Sherlock switches the gun from his handcuffed hand and points the loaded gun at John's head. "My hostage!"

"Oh, please." I begged. "Don't accidentally shoot him in the head! So much for gun safety!" As they slowly back around a corner, I notice a building with a new graffiti painting on it. The words, IOU, painted in red against a pair of black angel wings, obviously a message from Moriarty. The two of them take off running and relief washes over me. "He got away!" I pound the window ledge in relief. "Oh, he got away!"

The chief superintendent shouts. "Get after him Lestrade!" he then turns and spies me looking out the window down at them. "Get her too!" He shouted. "Arrest her for aiding a criminal!"

"Right." I said to Mrs. Hudson. "Time to go. I'm going to go out a window upstairs. Stall them if you can, but please, don't go to jail."

"Don't worry dear." She said shooing me away. "Go! And hurry!"

I ran up the flat stairs, entered my flat, closed the door, grabbed my coat and ran up towards the roof. I could hear Mrs. Hudson crying that she'd fallen and hurt her hip. I shook my head, reminding myself to hug her when I saw her again.

I got out ontop of the roof and began plotting out a map in my mind. I could jump onto the opposite roof, scale down their fire escape, then use Sherlock's and my escape route that we'd used to avoid the reporters. I took off my heels, stuffed them in my pocket, inhaled deeply, took a run at the roof and landed safely on the other side. But I did trip and scrape my knee and hands.

I got up and went towards the fire escape. "I can't believe he's got me doing this again." I scaled down the escape and took the route Sherlock and I did. Once I arrived at the coffee shop, I turned around and realized that I'd actually made a clean escape. I coughed lightly. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me more than I realize." I rubbed my hands on my pants. My phone went off and I grabbed it and answered it. "Sherlock?"

The laugh that was on the other end told me that it wasn't Sherlock. Hullo Tammy.

"Go rot in hell you sick bastard! I snapped and hung up on him. My hands shook and I closed my eyes and phone went off again. I grabbed it and snapped. "I don't want to talk to you!" I shouted. "Stop calling!"

Tammy? It was Sherlock.

"Sherlock!" I exhaled in relief. "Oh God! Are you all right?"

Are you? John suggested I let you know I'm all right.

"By suggested, you mean ordered." I said. "I'm on the run. The chief superintendent wants me arrested as an accomplice."

Where are you?

"At the coffee shop."

Look, I'm going to text you an address. I've got to go now. Meet us there.

"I will!" He hung up on me and I added, even though I knew he couldn't hear me. "I love you." I then dashed out into the street to flag down a taxi.