Sherlock hadn't just been talking about the girl.

It was too similar.

An 'educated guess.'

He'd been self-analysing—but did he even realise he was doing that?

If he didn't, then...

John was starting to get an idea.

It was a wild, crazy, far-fetched shot in the dark that might explode in his face at the slightest slip in wording or acting, but at the same time it was the best idea he'd had so far.

Maybe.

He spent over two hours poring over his email, trying to phrase it just right and make it sound as innocent and believable as possible. Whether any of that would work on the most observant man in London was no sure bet, but he could try.

At last he typed out the final word and sat there staring at it for a few minutes, reading back over every detail.

"Dear Mr. Holmes,

I am contacting you about a problem I have. It's not exactly a typical mystery, but it's a mystery to me, and they say you're the best, so I've decided to ask you for help.

My problem is this: I have an addiction.

I know that sounds like my own personal problem, and it is, but I don't know how to stop it. It's very harmful and I've tried to quit, but things from my past keep coming back and haunting me, and make that very difficult.

I never was very good with people, but that wasn't a reason for them to taunt and attack me when I was younger. I think they were afraid of me because I was different.

I need to know what to do about this. I need to know why I can't quit.

Maybe I could if I knew.

Thank you,

Mr. Anonymous"

This was a bad idea.

Sherlock would see right through it. He wouldn't be fooled for a second, and he would most certainly think—

John looked up as the door opened and Sherlock came in, and his mind temporarily went blank.

No time to rethink things now.

Last chance.

Go for it.

Good luck.

"Hey, Sherlock?" His voice was steadier than he'd expected it would be, which was heartening. "Um... I've just been checking the blog, and there's one that's a little strange, so I thought you might be interested. You could probably figure it out without even leaving the flat."

"A prospective client? Hmm... I could do with a little entertainment... What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, John began to read the message out-loud, keeping his fingers crossed.

A slight frown had begun to cross Sherlock's face as he listened.

"...I'm not a therapist. This isn't a case. Why the hell is he asking me?"

John exhaled heavily, but tried to disguise it as a cough.

Maybe this was so far-fetched it didn't even occur to the detective that it could be him.

Thank god.

"Well, it's... Different. I think you could do well with this one. Probably wouldn't take all that long. I think you should try it."

"I don't have time to waste on such mundane—"

"You don't have anything else going on and you know it. Surely something in here stands out to you. One deduction. Just try."

"He's an idiot." Sherlock spoke matter-of-factly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What? Why?"

"He just is. If he were better at life, perhaps he wouldn't be in this mess."

"That's... I mean, I don't expect empathy from you often, but that's really cold."

"It's the truth. Facts are often cold. Now, it isn't my job to fix broken things, so I would suggest you tell this 'client' to take his problems elsewhere. Maybe a good psychologist, if there were such a thing."

"Can't you just try? I feel really bad about just leaving this one alone."

Sherlock frowned. "Why? What special thing has he done to deserve your sympathy?"

"He's a human being. He has feelings. And I'm sure he's very important to somebody, even if he doesn't know it."

The detective was beginning to look sceptical, and more than a little confused. "So? It's still all his fault."

"No it isn't!" John's fists clenched. "It's not his fault at all, and he didn't deserve any of it, though I'm sure you think he did! He's innocent, okay? Leave him alone!"

"John? Why are you getting so worked up about this? It's just a client."

"Yes, but he's very important, too! He matters!"

"Not really. In the grand scheme of things—"

"Fuck the grand scheme! He needs help, and I—we should give it to him!"

Sherlock stared at him, raising an eyebrow. "Well… if you insist… I could try. But you're getting strangely passionate about this. You know him, don't you?"

"No, he's… just a client. I just think it sounds a bit sad."

The detective shrugged and crossed the room, assuming a prone position on the couch, fingers steepled under his chin thoughtfully. "Fine. I'll need more information."

"I can get that for you." John had to think quickly. "I'll just email him back, and I can probably find out whatever you need to know. See? Not that hard."

Sherlock sighed dramatically, eyes shut. "I need to know what his addiction is."

"No you don't."

"Hmm?" He opened his eyes and looked at him questioningly. "Why not?"

"Because… they're all the same, in essence. You can figure it out without knowing that. Besides, he… probably would rather you not know. For privacy's sake, you know."

"Hmm… strange. But yes, I probably could. Then… I need to know what makes him different. People's hatred of him could be justified, in which case there's nothing I can do for him, short of putting him out of his misery."

"Don't say that."

"Which part?"

John took a deep breath.

Calm.

Be detached.

It's okay.

"…Nothing. I'll see if I can find out for you. Anything else you need to know?"

"Yes… why is he contacting me instead of a professional? I would say he has trust issues, but I'm a complete stranger. It's possible he's just looking for attention; lonely people like him are often show-offs making desperate bids for any scrap of admiration or sympathy they can beg from the rest of the world, when in reality no one actually cares, and they'd be a thousand times better off doing something really useful. Ordinary people value that."

"So… people would only care about him if he was useful?"

"Is some part of that difficult to understand? The world is a cold place, and if he's not used to it by now then that's not my problem. If you can get me that information, I'll see what I can do, but if it's boring I'm quitting. Understand?"

"…Yeah. I understand."