Chapter 24
Thank you all so much for your reviews they mean so much. I can't believe this is the story finished! I had so much fun writing it! I plan on starting another full length Sherlock story soon so feel free to check that out. In the meantime I have a range of other Sherlock stories both completed and on going if you fancy checking any of them out. Enough from me on with the concluding chapter and as always please review.
Disclaimer:
Sadly it's still not mine.
"It's done," Mycroft said disconnecting the call instantly. Sherlock rolled his eyes slightly and people called him a drama queen? He wasn't the one that liked to sound and act like a member of the Mafia.
He wasn't sure how he felt about this. He knew he had done the right thing. He had done what he wanted to do but he still couldn't quite believe it was done. Although in the end, he as always had been the one in control though it still felt like everything was spiralling out of control. He didn't like that feeling he liked and needed control. That had been the point in this, he was getting control back and that was what mattered.
He wanted nothing more to do with Moriarty so his brother had got rid of him. One shot and he was gone. It disturbed him that it had been so easy given everything that had happened when he had confronted Moriarty. The truth was he knew it could have been that easy for him to deal Moriarty himself. One shot, like the one arranged by his brother would have been all it took. He had never done it because he had enjoyed the game too much, until it went too far forcing him to terminate the game. He knew Moriarty would get the message of what he had done and why if he had not even bothered to deliver the fatal shot himself. He allowed himself a slight smile, he had won because unlike Moriarty he knew when to end to game.
"Are you going to tell me what is going on?" John asked again.
"It's over John.," he said simply.
"Well that told me nothing," he said confused.
"No John, it told you everything," he said quietly.
"Care to tell me a bit more anyway?" John ventured. He knew he was missing something big here and it was starting to really concern him. He could tell there had been some big shift that he had somehow managed to miss.
"Things change John."
"Sherlock would you stop being so bloody vague and tell me what the hell is going on. Are you okay?" he asked. He looked closer at Sherlock sometimes that disconnected way he was being was the sign of an oncoming seizure and sometimes it was just Sherlock being Sherlock.
"Fine John."
"You sure? Everything okay with, you know?" he asked carefully. He knew he hated being fussed over or his actions defined by his condition. He had to know as he had told him he was his friend and was going to look out for him something he amazingly seemed to very grudgingly starting to be accepting of. It was an amazing shift, one he never thought he would see in him. Ironically this realisation was worrying him more. There was definitely some big change had had missed.
"Fine John stop fussing and jumping to conclusions," he said a slight edge to his tone.
"Looking out for you like I told you I would, remember? Long as everything is alright with that you know...been doing everything that you should?" he asked.
"If you are going to talk about it at least do so properly rather than talking about it but never actually saying it. I believe the sentence you were looking to say goes something like : is everything alright with your epilepsy? How are you feeling? Do you think the new dosage and medication working any better for you? Would that be right? Was that what you were attempting to ask?" he asked.
"Something like that yeah," John conceded.
"Then say that John. I have epilepsy it's not a secret you know now so please if you are going to talk about it do so properly or not at all."
"Alright, then how is your epilepsy? How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I feel alright," he said purposely giving an evasive answer.
"You can be a bastard you know that?" John asked seeing what he was doing which earned him a slight smirk in return.
00000
"Sherlock we are going to have to tell them something," John said carefully as the noise outside their flat increased.
"Nothing to say and if I don't say anything I am sure they will thing of something on their own," he said taking a drink of tea.
"Yeah and that's the problem. Jesus Sherlock the last thing you need right now is another scandal!" John said.
"I am aware of that John," he said calmly.
"Then why wont you talk to them? Or better yet before you tell them something, anything to shut them up how about you fill me in on what the hell is going on," John hissed.
"I'd have thought that was pretty obvious," Sherlock commented.
"Which part that Moriarty is dead or that there is a sea of reporters outside our flat, again. This time they are more persistent they are outside our flat, they leave messages demanding a story.," John said stress showing in his face he was sure a small crowd of them had followed him to work a few days ago.
"That's what the media do," Sherlock said calmly.
"No, this is what the media do!" John yelled throwing the morning paper at Sherlock. The tag line asked if this was another hoax. Sherlock rolled his eyes not bothering to read any further. "We need to do something Sherlock this is only going to get worse. So will you tell me what is going on so I know what i'm dealing with," John asked almost desperately. He was also perhaps selfishly worried about the affect this would have on Mary with the press swarming about.
"They have no interest in your dull love life," Sherlock said as he watched John's eyes frantically scan the paper for any mention of his girlfriend.
"That...well, that's good but the real concern here Sherlock is what is going on, so please tell me. No more shutting me out of your plans not like last time!" he said just and no more managing to stop himself from shouting.
"Not right now John," Sherlock said.
"Fine but will you at least tell me what you are planning to say to the reporters out there?" he asked.
"I'll think of something. This is Mycroft's doing, his reward for doing me favour watching me being harassed by the press again."
"Your brother? What does your brother have to do with reporters being here?" John asked.
"He could have avoided the press if he wanted to. Now lets go as you say, they are waiting," he said with a slight smirk.
The moment they stepped outside they were bombarded with questions and pictures. The questions were being fired at him so quickly it was difficult to pick out any single one. Sherlock looked down to avoid the lights of the camera.
"If you want me to say anything stop taking pictures you have more than enough already. I need to try and keep some kind of anonymity, makes my job harder to do if my face is all over the papers again," he said.
John let out a quiet sigh of relief as the photographers reluctantly stopped but the questions started up again with an increased sense of urgency.
"I win." Sherlock stated when they were finally quiet long enough to allow him to give his statement.
The reaction this gave was actually rather impressive as a new throng of questions was fired at him most of them asking if this meant he was involved or responsible for Jim Moriarty's death.
"No I had no involvement. The trick to winning is knowing when to stop playing. Which is evident from the fact I am still here and Jim Moriarty is not."
"But how did it happen?" Several reporters demanded.
"I don't know, blame the government. Isn't that what people normally do?" Sherlock stated heading back into the building leaving John to follow behind.
00000
"Care to explain your comments to the papers?" Mycroft asked.
"Payback brother dear. You wanted the media, now you have them," he said simply.
"Why must you be so childish?" Mycroft asked sighing.
"You're one to talk, speaking of which you'd best get ready to talk your way out of this. I imagine they will have a lot of questions for you," he said hanging up.
"Will you tell me how you did it now?" John asked him again.
"Things are changing John. You and Mary, the way Moriarty worked so things have to be done in light of the circumstances," he said quietly.
"Sherlock things with Mary don't mean that anything has changed with-" he began before Sherlock cut him off.
"Things are different with her John. Things have changed and will continue to change not just with you. Only a fool doesn't adapt to changing circumstances," he said calmly.
"Adapt? You?" John asked sceptically.
"How do you think I am so good at what I do? You think I would be able to operate the way I did say five years ago? So yes John, I adapt," he responded.
"Sherlock things are not going to change with us," John tried to assure him.
"John things are going to change not just with you and it is best to accept that," he repeated.
He knew he had to get his epilepsy under control and get used to John being out of his life again or being a much smaller part of it. He knew John was going to get married and have a new life away from him. He knew John still wanted a part of this life but he wasn't sure he wanted to become just a hobby, something to help starve off the boredom. He felt that would just be an insult, it seemed he really did have to again learn to survive alone, afterall it really was what protected him. It was the way it always was, in the end.
I really hope that you liked this story. I hope that the main point of the story came across that Sherlock is at last growing up and realising the severity of his condition if he does not take control of it and the changes that are going on around him. I wanted to show that Sherlock does still believe that he is totally alone in the world and so must learn to face things that way, no matter what John says he will always try to face everything, the way he knows best, alone. I hope the main point of this story came across and that you all enjoyed seeing the change in Sherlock!