Chapter 2
Thank you so much for your reviews they mean so much to me please keep them coming as I love to know what you think of this. I am sorry that Sherlock seemed a little mean in the last chapter but he is pretty cold with John at times even when he does care. He is a little nicer in this chapter but not nice as sadly I don't think Sherlock ever comes under the category of nice. Anyway on to the chapter hope you like it and please review! Sorry guys posting this again as realised I made a silly typo thanks toIsayan and I realised I misspelled Moriarty's name the whole way through so that's been sorted now!
Disclaimer
Sadly I still don't own Sherlock, or Benedict or Martin it really is depressing!
John looked at Sherlock expectantly as he finished speaking. "Come on that's got to be it hasn't it?" he said as Sherlock declined to respond.
"No, not even close," he said with a slight smirk.
"What...really, alright, well it must have something to do with..." he began before Sherlock cut him off.
"Alright John that's enough, new rule only one theory per day I don't think I can listen to any more than one of your theories a day. Especially if they are all going to be of the same quality as the one involving two cars and a bus was it? Come on John think it really isn't that difficult," he said.
"Then help me Sherlock give me a clue come on we can't all be as brilliant as you," John said
"Fine at the end of each week I shall give you a clue," he agreed.
"Week? What you think it is going to take me weeks to work it out?" John demanded.
"Yes, why do you think you will work it out sooner?" Sherlock asked.
John thought about it a moment before answering. "I suppose not, no," he conceded.
"Anyway we have more pressing things to address," Sherlock said moving to take a much needed drink of coffee he still felt horrifically tired he thought that would have worn off by now. He could also feel another headache starting to build behind his eyes but now wasn't the time to focus on that as he'd said there were important things to address.
"Hang on, can I just ask you one thing?" John interrupted.
Sherlock gave a sound of agreement willing himself not to shut his eyes and give into the tiredness and headache.
"Why did you want me to think you were dead? Why did you put me through that and you can't try and say that I don't matter you said yourself that I'm your friend," he said quietly.
"You needed to believe it to keep Moriarty's men away from you. I had to keep you safe. I had to keep you believing until you were caught remember I already told you that he never works alone," he said.
"Where are they now? Moriarty's men I mean?" John asked.
"Gone, now that they know Moriarty is dead they have all gone underground any motivation for the to carry on for him is gone, nothing in it for them now so problem solved," he answered.
"Right, so that's it then it's all over with Moriarty?" he asked.
"For now yes but you should never make assumptions or jump to conclusions it can be dangerous," he said.
"Right, right I'll remember that," John said.
"Oh and John," he said after a while.
"Yeah?" he asked turning back to look at him.
"I'm sorry, you know for...everything," he said uncomfortably he really wasn't good at things like this.
"It's alright, it's eh, it's good to have you back," he said.
"Right so we best get started we've got a lot to do," Sherlock said.
"We do?" John asked.
"Of course we've got a reputation to rebuild, my reputation to rebuild you've seen the papers," Sherlock said with an air of distaste.
"Yeah, yeah I have," John said carefully he wasn't quite sure how he could recover from that.
"I had to it was the only way, it was all part of the game but now the world needs to know that it was all part of the greatest game ever played," Sherlock said.
"Why did you let that happen? Why did you let him destroy everything?" John pressed thinking there had to be a greater plan that Sherlock just hadn't shared with him.
"It was the only way I could keep you safe I had to keep everyone...I had to keep you away from me you had to believe I was dead and a fake or they would have killed you," he said wearily. For a second John noticed just how tired Sherlock looked, infact he looked almost ill. He wanted to ask him about it but knew right now wasn't the time though a niggling worry in the back of his mind increased when he remembered Sherlock had said himself that he had been in hospital.
"You, you did all that to save us...to save me?" John asked very quietly.
"Yes, obviously I need my blogger don't I? Now can we please get on with the case in hand, restoring my reputation," Sherlock said.
"Right...yes well how do you plan to do that?" he asked.
"The media of course, well that is not strictly true we wont just be using the media of course. I will prove that everything they published about me was untrue," he said.
"Maybe not everything they said was untrue," John said with a trace of a smile causing Sherlock pause.
"What do you mean?" he demanded.
"What was it the Mirror said again, oh yes an arrogant show off, I believe it was," he said with a smirk as he looked at Sherlock. "No truth in that?" he asked.
"Oh shut up," he said though returned the smile as their eyes met John noticed again just how pale and utterly exhausted he looked and he looked even thinner than normal.
"Sherlock are you..." he began before he was cut off.
"Wanting to get to work, yes," he said in a tone that suggested the only thing he was going to talk about right now was work. John took the hint for now but planned on keeping a close eye on him and refused to allow him to continue to neglect his health he had already lost him he didn't want to go through that again.
"How do you plan to get the media on your side then Sherlock because no offence but you are not always the best at getting on with other people," he said carefully.
"That's because the rest of the world are so incredibly slow and dim witted," he said dismissively.
"See that, that is exactly what i'm talking about," John said wearily.
"Right okay well how about I get the proof and we can send it to the papers you can put some of it up on your blog seeing as people seem to read that and I'll include include it on my website that ought to get the cases flowing in again," he said.
"Alright but we still might want to work on responses to the press if they ask you anything about this because you know they will," he said.
"I'll just be myself," he said with a shrug.
"No! No that isn't the best idea you remember what happened the last time you were yourself," John warned.
Sherlock gave a slight sound of reluctant agreement before answering. "Then what do I say?" he asked slightly wearily he was starting to find it difficult to keep his usual level of intense concentration on their conversation.
"Sherlock are you sure you're alright?" John asked getting ready to go into full 'doctor mode' as Sherlock referred to it as.
"What? Oh i'm fine," Sherlock said forcing his mind back onto the conversation. He didn't have time for this especially not right now he couldn't be betrayed again by his body. John wasn't sure he quite believed him but knew Sherlock well enough to know he wouldn't get any more answers out of him.
"We need to think of a good statement for you to make to the papers," John said thoughtfully. "We need to think of something for you to say before you can provide them with the proof they need then something for you to say after you have shown them the proof, what is this proof by the way?" John asked curiously.
"You'll see," Sherlock said making the face that John found so frustrating yet a few weeks ago would have given anything to see.
"No Sherlock I wont see. You need to tell me. If you want me to help you, you need to stop acting so damn mysterious and tell me what you are planning," John stated.
"Fine," Sherlock said willing his mind to focus. His mind was his best asset he refused to allow his body to get in the way of that the fuzzy feeling invading his mind was getting harder to ignore but he had to fight past it. He had said to John before his body was just transport he refused to let it get in the way of what he did best, his work. "We can disprove everything that Moriarty said well of course not everything he said that would just be ridiculous," he said pausing a moment to try and regain his thoughts.
"Sherlock?" John prompted as he fell silent for a bit too long. Long silences were common for Sherlock but he wanted to know what he was planning.
"Sorry," he said dragging his attention back getting increasingly frustrated with himself. "We can disprove his biggest stories that he worked in children's television one call to a few television networks can disprove that. Television companies keep extensive records of all their employees so we email them Moriarty's picture to see if it matches anyone on their databases which will of course have pictures, come on it is television afterall. Then we can disprove he ever worked in television or any other kind of media using the same procedure then when of course this comes up blank it shows he never was a failed actor. Simple really and again it shows the great incompetence of our police force but what do we expect really when they employ people like Anderson," he said.
"Is that going to be enough though?" John asked.
"It is enough to get people wondering isn't it? People are never too sure of me are they so it should be enough to get things back to where they were before all this," Sherlock answered he was really struggling to think. He knew that alone wasn't going to be enough to restore his reputation but it was a good enough start the rest would come with the next case.
"How will you convince the police there is no way Lestrade is going to let you near a crime scene now," he pointed out.
"They know the cases I solved were not fake they have the evidence infront of them they have admitted themselves they need me and once I have the media have me onside again they will come back," he said confidently.
"You really think the police are so easily swayed by the press?" John asked sceptically he couldn't see how it could all be so simple how such a simple thing could turn all this round not when he had been at the centre of the ruins.
"Of course they are," Sherlock stated.
"Why would it be such a simple thing that can disprove everything he said about you Sherlock? If he wanted to completely destroy your reputation why would he make it so easy to resolve?" John asked.
"It's all still part of his game don't you see? Stupid question of course you don't, he muttered.
"Then for God sakes tell me!" John snapped.
"Moriarty is still alive and wants to play a new game at some point, but I had to see this game out to the end with the death and now you know the reasons why," Sherlock said forcing the weariness from his voice.
"Wait, Moriarty is still alive?" John asked panic leaking into his voice. If he was still alive then what was the point of all this.
"All part of the game John," Sherlock said quietly.
John was quiet a moment as he watched him wondering how much he knew about Mycroft and how he would or did feel about it their relationship was impossible to decipher it could keep his psychologist occupied for weeks. Sherlock, John thought wryly a psychologist's dream...or worst nightmare.
"Sherlock..." John began not really sure how to bring this up to him or what to say.
Sherlock looked up. "John, if this is about Mycroft, I know," he said quietly.
"You know?" John asked in disbelief.
"Yes, of course I know," he said calmly.
"How do you feel about it, are you okay?" John asked.
"Of course i'm okay, I told him to do it," he answered.
"You what?" John asked in disbelief.
"I told him to do it, I knew what Moriarty was planning and I knew what I had to do," he said calmly.
"Right so, the press what do we say to them?" John asked still trying to get his head round this.
"I thought you would be better at working that out while I get to work on providing the proof," Sherlock answered getting himself to a stand.
"Right, alright," John agreed nodded. "Sherlock!" he called before he could leave the room.
"What?" he asked.
"I thought I'd make sandwiches for dinner," John said.
"Sandwiches?" Sherlock repeated.
"That's what I said isn't it," John said with a slight smile. He was determined to help Sherlock eat a normal amount. Eating smaller meals regularly was the most advised method so he was determined to give it a try.
"Bit different for you isn't it?" Sherlock asked.
"Yeah, well I thought it might be nice," he said shrugging.
"Or you thought you would try to get me to eat more by trying the age old trick of eat little and often. Come on John you are a doctor and a good one at that you can surely come up with something better than that and as I have already told you eating doesn't interest me," he stated.
"I don't care if it interests you or not Sherlock you need to eat!" he snapped he was worried by how desperately gaunt he looked.
"I'm fine!" Sherlock said again heading towards his room.
"Sandwiches for tea alright, or I go into full doctor mode, you know Sherlock not eating correctly affects the human body in many different ways including..." he began with a smile.
"Alright, alright," Sherlock said waving his hands to make him shut up though couldn't help smiling a little perhaps John had learned something from working with him afterall. He went into his bedroom leaving John to work.
He knew he had to get to work on providing the proof that would kick start his work again but he couldn't focus right now. He had been trying to fight it all day but it was getting stronger and it was getting harder to focus. He sat on the edge of his bed not really sure what he was doing anymore or how much time had passed. He could feel himself starting to panic as the tingling feeling spread through his body and the smell, the smell was back with the strange taste in his mouth. He was trying to control his breathing he knew harsh breathing wasn't going to help this. He was starting to feel more and more confused as coherent thought alluded him.
"Sherlock, dinner come on you know the deal," John called as again Sherlock failed to respond. "For God Sake," he muttered eventually knocking on Sherlock door. "I know you can hear me so would you just bloody answer," he said. He was starting to get a little concerned now as he still failed to answer. "Sherlock? Sherlock are you alright? Right i'm going to come in okay?" he said opening the door.
He gasped as he saw Sherlock. He was sitting rigidly on the edge of the bed , his whole form was shaking horridly. His skin was horridly white and beaded with perspiration and his breathing was horrifically off kilter.
"Dammit Sherlock," John uttered as he hurried over to him. He knelt down beside him. "Sherlock, Sherlock can you hear me?" he asked trying to get him to focus on him. "Sherlock what have you done? What is it, what's wrong?" he asked pausing as he heard Sherlock trying to speak.
He frowned slightly as Sherlock wasn't making a lot of sense it was clear he was very confused, a very disturbing thing to see in Sherlock Holmes. He was starting to seriously consider phoning an ambulance if he couldn't get him to come round soon.
He felt panic grip at his chest as he his eyes fell on a few orange pills that surrounded his bed and feet. He remembered Lestrade hinting to the fact that Sherlock had a drug problem but naturally Sherlock had refused to talk about it and he had never seen anything that suggested he had a problem with drugs. The biggest addiction he had in his opinion was to cigarettes. He leaned over and picked up the tablets to examine them close. It couldn't be...what was going on here...he looked at Sherlock with fresh faced determination now he was more aware of what was wrong with him.
Sherlock jerked suddenly as he slowly became more aware of his surroundings. "John what are you doing in here?" he demanded not liking the disadvantage he was at.
"Sherlock just sit or better yet lie down alright," John said quietly.
"No," he snapped.
"Sherlock, what's wrong?" John said as he sat opposite him in the living room as Sherlock had been too stubborn to stay in bed. He needed to take the tablets but he couldn't as John wouldn't leave him alone for two minutes.
"Nothing is going on would you just leave it," Sherlock snapped.
"No I bloody well won't leave it Sherlock," he said as he showed him the pills in his hands. "Now will you tell me what the hell is going on?" he said looking at him.