A Wife for Sherlock Holmes

by tavingtonsbeauty

Seems impossible, but the man known as Sherlock Holmes is easily bored. That boredom drove him to the arms of a highly intelligent woman who could keep up with him both physically and mentally. However, when a child is thrown into the mix, Sherlock steps up, to the chagrin of the woman, and they marry. With so much baggage on both sides will it work or be a match made in hell.

28. The Shadow Game

A Wife for Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 28 – The Shadow Game

It was nearly an hour later when John was perched on the edge of the coffee table as Sherlock wearing black trousers and a white shirt and was putting his jacket on walked across the living room.

John had a bemused smile on his face.

So…it's just a guess but you've probably got some questions."

"Yyyyeah, one or two, pretty much." John said.

"Naturally." He turned and looked towards the kitchen. John followed his gaze as Janine who also was fully dressed. She walked into the bedroom.

Smiling, Sherlock sat down.

"You have a girlfriend?"

Sherlock glanced toward him. "Yes, I have."

John grinned.

Sherlock looked towards Janine again and then turned to John, looking more serious. "Now, Magnussen. Magnussen is like a shark…it's the only way I can describe him. Have you ever been to the shark tank at the London Aquarium, John…stood up close to the glass? Those floating flat faces, those dead eyes ... That's what he is. I've dealt with murderers, psychopaths, terrorists, serial killers. None of them can turn my stomach like Charles Augustus Magnussen." Sherlock said making a face.

"Yes, you have."

Sherlock looked startled. "Sorry, what?"

"You have a girlfriend."

"What? Yes! Yes, I'm going out with Janine. I thought that was fairly obvious."

"Yes. Well ... yes." He cleared his throat loudly. "But I mean you, you, you ... are in a relationship? With someone other than your wife."

Sherlock blinked at him. "Yes, I am."

"You and Janine?"

"Mmm, yes. Me and Janine."

"Care to elaborate?"

Sherlock drew in a long breath and looked up thoughtfully. He then puffed out his cheeks as he breathed out again. "Well, we're in a good place. It's, um ..." He looked down thoughtfully and then turned to John. "... very affirming."

He smiled at him. John pointed back at him.

"You got that from a book."

"Everyone got that from a book." Sherlock said looking at him quizzically.

John looked round and smiled as Janine came into the room. "Okay, you two bad boys, behave yourselves." Sherlock smiled happily at her as she sat down on the arm of his chair. He put his arm round her as she turned and leaned close to his face. "And you, Sherl, you're gonna have to tell me where you were last night."

"Working." Sherlock said looking at her.

John stared at them.

"'Working'. Of course. I'm the only one who really knows what you're like, remember?"

"Don't you go letting on." Sherlock said softly. He gently ran his finger down the tip of her nose in a playful gesture.

John blinked. He had only seen him do that to Lizzy once when he was teasing her.

Sherlock then laid his hand on her arm. They stared deeply into each other's eyes.

John grinned, apparently still unable to believe what he's seeing.

"I might just, actually." Janine said softly back. She tore her eyes away from Sherlock and looked across to John, as did Sherlock following her gaze. "I haven't told Mary about this. I kind of wanted to surprise her." She said as Sherlock idly caressed her hip.

"Yeah, you probably will." John agreed.

"But we should have you two over for dinner really soon!" Janine said.

"Yeah!" Sherlock agreed.

"My place, though…not the scuzz-dump!" She punched Sherlock affectionately on the shoulder and they both laughed.

"Great, yeah! Dinner! Yeah." John said.

Janine then stood up. "Oh, I'd better dash. It was brilliant to see you!"

"You too." John said also standing up.

He turned and watched as Sherlock escorted Janine to the living room door. Once there, he opened it for her in a gentile way he had done only a couple times for his own wife. John blinked.

"Have a lovely day. Call me later." Sherlock said looking at Janine.

She turned back to him and fiddled with the edge of his jacket. "I might do. I might call you…unless I meet someone prettier!" She said teasing him.

They kissed, while John quickly turned away with his mouth in a startled 'Ohhh!' shape. As the other two continued to kiss noisily, he stared pointedly towards the window nodding his head. Never had Sherlock kissed Marion so. In fact their love was more expressed in soft glances and words. Sherlock had never been so public with his affections, but John had walked in a couple times on them kissing softly. Marion had always blushed scarlet.

Janine pulled back a little and whispered softly to Sherlock, their noses still touching. "Solve me a crime, Sherlock Holmes." Grinning, she turned and left the room.

Sherlock smiled as he watched her go. Then once she was down the stairs, his smile abruptly dropped and he closed the door.

He walked back across the room. "You know Magnussen as a newspaper owner, but he's so much more than that." John frowned at him. "He uses his power and wealth to gain information. The more he acquires, the greater his wealth and power." He sat down at the table and opened his laptop. "I'm not exaggerating when I say that he knows the critical pressure point on every person of note or influence in the whole of the Western world and probably beyond. He is the Napoleon of blackmail ..." He pulled up a photograph of Magnussen's home, together with a blueprint of the building. "... and he has created an unassailable architecture of forbidden knowledge. Its name ..." He turned the laptop to show the screen to John. "... is Appledore."

"Dinner." John said.

"Sorry, what, dinner?"

"Me and Mary, coming for dinner ... with ... wine and ... sitting." John blinked. "Without Marion or the kids…"

Sherlock turned and stared at him for a moment. "Seriously? I've just told you that the Western world is run from this house ..." He pointed at the screen. "... and you want to talk about dinner?" He blinked.

"Fine, talk about the house."

Sherlock threw him a look and then turned back to his laptop while John looked towards the door as if he still can't believe what he just witnessed, but eventually he turned back.

"It is the greatest repository of sensitive and dangerous information anywhere in the world ..." He looked over his shoulder at John. "... the Alexandrian Library of secrets and scandals…and none of it is on a computer. He's smart…computers can be hacked. It's all on hard copy in vaults ..." He pointed at the rotating blueprint on the screen. "... underneath that house; and as long as it is, the personal freedom of anyone you've ever met is a fantasy."

There was a knock on the living room door, followed by Mrs Hudson's familiar, 'Ooh-ooh!'

The door opened and she came in. She looked at Sherlock pointing at the stairs. "Oh, that was the doorbell. Couldn't you hear it?"

"It's in the fridge. It kept ringing." Sherlock answered.

"Oh, that's not a fault, Sherlock!" She said wringing her hands.

"Who is it?" John asked.

Mrs. Hudson drew in an anxious breath.

Shortly afterwards she went down the stairs to the bottom. She looked nervously at the men waiting in the hall. She was clearly frightened by them because she flattened herself against the wall and almost cringed as three men in dark suits walked up the stairs.

As a fourth person walked towards the stairs, he regarded her and information appeared before his eyes.

MARTHA LOUISE HUDSON

(nee SISSONS)

LANDLADY

WIDOW (SEE FILE)

SEMI-REFORMED ALCOHOLIC

FORMER 'EXOTIC DANCER'

(SEE FILE)

FINANCES: 21% DEBT

(SEE FILE)

STATUS: UNIMPORTANT

and underneath, flashing in red:

PRESSURE POINT:

MARIJUANA

Upstairs, the three men…clearly security men, as they were all wearing earpieces, walked into the living room.

Sherlock, now standing by the fireside with John, sighed and unfolded his arms. "Oh, go ahead." He said wearily. He spread his arms and allowed one of the goons to frisk him. Another one walked over to John while the third generally looked round the room.

The second man said to John. "Sir?"

John glanced over to Sherlock and then looked back to the man. "Can I have a moment?"

Sherlock lowered his arms from his frisking and looked across to the man. "Oh, he's fine."

The man glanced at Sherlock and then knelt down in front of John and started frisking him.

"Er, I ... right. I should probably tell you ..." John started.

The man reached into John's jacket pocket and took out Bill's flick-knife.

"Okay, I ..." He pointed to the knife. "... That."

The man pulled John's jacket open.

"And ..."

The man stood up, holding the tire lever he had just taken from John's jeans and looking at him sternly.

Sherlock looked startled.

John stepped closer to the man and spoke confidentially. "Doesn't mean I'm not pleased to see you."

The man did not look amused.

"I can vouch for this man. He's a doctor. If you know who I am, then you know who he is ..." Sherlock started, but then he turned his head toward the door as Magnussen walked in and stopped just inside the doorway. "... don't you, Mr. Magnussen?"

John's security man stepped to John's side and faced his boss while the other one stood at Sherlock's side. The third waited in the kitchen.

"I understood we were meeting at your office." Sherlock said looking at Magnussen.

Magnussen looked round the room for a moment. "This is my office." He walked slowly toward the sofa, then stopped and turned to look at John.

Information appeared in front of his eyes:

JOHN HAMISH WATSON

AFGHANISTAN VETERAN (SEE FILE)

G.P. (SEE FILE)

PORN PREFERENCE: NORMAL

FINANCES: 10% DEBT (SEE FILE)

STATUS UNIMPORTANT

flashing red underneath:

PRESSURE POINT: HARRY WATSON (SISTER) ALCOHOLIC

MARY MORSTAN (WIFE)

"Well, it is now." Magnussen said. He continued on to the dining table, picked up a newspaper from it and then went back and sat down on the sofa.

"Mr. Magnussen, I have been asked to intercede with you by Lady Elizabeth Smallwood on the matter of her husband's letters." Sherlock said.

Magnussen appeared to be ignoring him, paying more attention to what seems to be the uncomfortableness of the sofa. He looked at the newspaper in his hand.

"Some time ago you ... put pressure on her concerning those letters." Sherlock continued. Magnussen looked up at him, leaning back on the sofa. "She would like those letters back."

Magnussen looked at him silently as Sherlock looked at him.

Information appeared in front of his eyes:

SHERLOCK HOLMES

CONSULTING DETECTIVE

PORN PREFERENCE: NORMAL

FINANCES: UNKNOWN

BROTHER: MYCROFT HOLMES

M.I.6 (SEE FILE)

OFFICIALLY DECEASED 2011-2013

and underneath in red:

PRESSURE POINT:

IRENE ADLER (SEE FILE)

JIM MORIARTY (SEE FILE)

REDBEARD (SEE FILE)

TESSA HOLMES (SEE FILE)

MARION HOLMES – SOON TO BE EX-WIFE (SEE FILE)

ELIZABETH AND KERRIN HOLMES

HOUNDS OF THE BASKERVILLE

OPIUM

JOHN WATSON

"Obviously the letters no longer have any practical use to you, so with that in mind ..." Sherlock said. He broke off, perhaps noticing something about Magnussen's expression. Magnussen gave a quiet snort. "Something I said?" Sherlock said in quiet exasperation.

"No, no. I-I was reading." He adjusted his spectacles. "There's rather a lot."

Sherlock frowned.

In front of Magnussen's eyes, the white list of information vanished and the red list cycled rapidly. ''Redbeard.'' He said.

Sherlock blinked and his mouth opened slightly.

"'Tessa'" Magnussen said. "Such a tragedy." He said almost sincerely. He looked up. "Sorry." He shook his head. "S-sorry. You were probably talking?"

"I ..." He paused for a long moment and then cleared his throat. "I was trying to explain that I've been asked to act on behalf of ..."

Magnussen turned his head to the security man beside John. "Bathroom?"

"Along from the kitchen, sir." The man said nodding to the right.

"Okay."

Sherlock tried again, this time more firmly. "I've been asked to negotiate the return of those letters."

Magnussen took off his glasses and looks toward the window.

"I'm aware you do not make copies of sensitive documents ..." Sherlock continued.

"Is it like the rest of the flat?" Magnussen asked gesturing to the rest of the flat. He looked at the security man.

"Sir?" The man near John asked.

"The bathroom?"

"Er, yes, sir."

"Maybe not, then."

"Am I acceptable to you as an intermediary?" Sherlock asked coming in.

Magnussen met his eyes for a moment and then looked toward the window again. "Lady Elizabeth Smallwood. I like her." He turned his eyes toward Sherlock and popped his lips a couple of times.

"Mr. Magnussen, am I acceptable to you as an intermediary?" Sherlock repeated.

"She's English, with a spine." He smiled a little. "Much like your wife. I hear the lovely Mrs. Has decided to be with a peer rather than you." He looked around the flat and sniffed. "I am starting to understand why." He smiled a little. He lifted his right foot and put it against the side of the coffee table. He then pushed the table away from him.

Sherlock frowned slightly.

Magnussen stood up and beside Sherlock, the second security man turned and stepped forward to the fireplace, taking the fire grate away from the front of the unlit fireplace.

Sherlock glanced over his shoulder.

"Best thing about the English ..." Magnussen said. He walked over to Sherlock and John. He looked at them one after the other. "... you're so domesticated. All standing around, apologizing ..." He nodded to Sherlock and then walked in between him and John toward the fire. "... keeping your little heads down." He stood in front of the fireplace, facing it. The sound of him unzipping his trousers could be heard. "You can do what you like here. No one's ever going to stop you."

He looked down and the sound of him urinating into the fireplace could be heard.

John blinked as if appalled and half-turned his head toward him.

Sherlock kept his head facing forward, his eyes fixed on the opposite wall.

"A nation of herbivores." Magnussen said as he continued urinating. He half-glanced over his shoulder. "I've interests all over the world but, er, everything starts in England." He looked down again as the last of his urine splashes on the grate in front of the fireplace. "If it works here ..." He jiggled up and down as he 'shook off' and then zipped up his trouser. "... I'll try it in a real country." Looking at himself in the mirror for a moment, he turned and strolled back in between Sherlock and John.

The security guard beside John held out a packet of wet wipes and Magnussen took one and turned to face the others. "The United Kingdom, huh? (He starts to wipe his fingers.) Petri dish to the Western world." Magnussen continued. He looked at Sherlock briefly. "Tell Lady Elizabeth I might need those letters, so I'm keeping them." Finishing wiping his fingers, he dropped the wet wipe to the floor. "Goodbye." He turned as if to leave and then turned back. He put his hand into his jacket's inside breast pocket. "Anyway ..." He chuckled and pulled out the edge of a packet of documents to show Sherlock. "... they're funny." Smirking, he tucked the packet back into his jacket and left the room.

The security men followed him. As the sound of their feet could be heard clattering down the stairs, John took a step forward.

"Jesus!" John cried.

"Did you notice the one extraordinary thing he did?" Sherlock asked.

"Wh... There was a moment that kind of stuck in the mind, yeah." He gestured towards the fireplace, but Sherlock was smiling, having not noticed him.

"Exactly…when he showed us the letters." He walked across the room, still smiling, while John closed his eyes in disbelief.

"... Okay."

"So he's brought the letters to London…so no matter what he says, he's ready to make a deal. Now, Magnussen only makes a deal once he's established a person's weaknesses… the 'pressure point', he calls it." He picked up his coat from a dining chair and put it on. "So, clearly he believes I'm a drug addict going through a nasty divorce and no serious threat." He looked out of the window where one of the security guards was closing the rear door of a car parked outside. "And, of course, because he's in town tonight, the letters will be in his safe in his London office while he's out to dinner with the Marketing Group of Great Britain from seven 'til ten." He said moving around rather emphatically.

"How-how do you know his schedule?" John asked.

"Because I do. Right…I'll see you tonight. I've got some shopping to do." He headed out the door and down the stairs.

"What's tonight?" John asked calling after him.

"I'll text instructions." Sherlock called back.

"Yeah, I'll text you if I'm available." John said loudly.

"You are! I checked!" Sherlock said.

Looking exasperated, John headed for the door. Downstairs, Sherlock went out of the front door followed by John.

"Don't bring a gun." Sherlock said.

"Why would I bring a gun?"

"Or a knife, or a tire lever. Probably best not to do any arm-spraining, but we'll see how the night goes." He raised his arm to an approaching taxi.

"You're just assuming I'm coming along?"

"Time you got out of the house, John." He ran his eyes over John as the taxi pulled up. "You've put on seven pounds since you got married, and the cycling isn't doing it." He opened the cab door and gets it.

"It's actually four pounds."

Sherlock shut the door and looked at him through the half-open window. "Mary and I think seven. See you later." He sat down on the seat and gave his destination to the driver. "Hatton Garden."

The cab drove away.

John looked at his watch and then walked off.

ZzZ

The sun was going down.

Marion sighed as she looked at Kerrin. Her son was sound asleep and snoring softly. The nanny smiled at her as she came to the door. "Hello, madam." She said softly. The woman was Scottish with a highland accent that went a long with her dark long hair and blue eyes. Her family was from Orkney and she had been hired by Marion who had found her by looking up resumes. The woman was young, only in her early twenties, but clearly she had experience with children and Lizzy adored her.

"Hello Addy." Marion said.

"Going out again?" Addy asked. She could not quite keep the disapproving tone from her voice.

"Yes." Marion said nodding. "Thank you for staying."

"Any time Madam."

"I will get Lizzy in bed for you."

She nodded as Marion walked into the next bedroom where Lizzy was sitting on her bed reading. She looked up at her mother. She sighed. "When will daddy be coming around again?"

"Soon, I hope." Marion said. "He has made some bad choices." She sighed. "I do love you."

"Lord Alex is nice."

"Do you like him?"

"I suppose. He isn't daddy."

"No." Marion agreed. She sighed. "Go to sleep. Addy will be here if you need her."

Lizzy nodded and settled down.

Marion walked to her own room and sighed. She closed the door and leaned against it and fought back tears. It was so hard to do this. She collected herself and then went to dress for the evening.

She had undressed to her bra and knickers when she saw the curtain move. She gasped and put arms up in a awkward try at modesty.

A low chuckle greeted her. "There is nothing there I haven't seen before." A rich baritone told her from the window. The form stepped from the shadows into the low light. His fierce blue-green eyes sparkled in the light. He looked appreciatively at her curves in the low light. She once again had her pre-baby body shape from her hours doing yoga, belly dancing, and Krav Maga.

She put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here?" She asked lowly.

"Seeing you." He smiled. "That was really well played at the gala." He chuckled. "Perhaps you will win a BAFTA for that performance, my love." He smiled more and stepped to her, dipping to kiss her.

"Sherlock, is it worth all this dragging you through the mud?"

"Yes." He said softly. "The means outweigh the end." He smiled as he looked into her eyes, his face close to her own. "I do love you. Remember that." He kissed her again to prove his point. He stepped back. "Now what are you wearing?"

"Simple, elegant…" She held up a red dress that went passed her knees.

He shook his head and lifted a lovely back cocktail dress. "This." It was low cut in back and in the front. It was the cliché 'every woman should have a little black dress, dress. But it was lovely on her, she had to admit. Still…

"It is dinner with a lord that seems to be…"

"Perfect since you want his attention on your lovely breasts anyway." He said.

She rolled her eyes and pulled it on. She turned moving her hair out of the way so he could zip the back for her. He then caressed her arms lightly and leaned and kissed her neck as she looked in a mirror. He looked over her shoulder. "Perfect." He said as she turned looking at herself in the form fitting dress and her cleavage showing.

She turned to him. "What are you going to be off doing?"

"This and that?" He said shrugging. He smiled at her. He then adjusted the straps of the dress a little and bent to kiss the tops of her breasts gently. He sighed. "I would bed you here and now if you did not have your date."

"What is stopping you?"

"The scent of sex is not alluring to a rival male." He said. "Unless it is his own scent marking a woman." His nostrils flared a little. "Soon though, I promise you." He sighed stepping back from her taking her hand in his and holding it a moment as his large fingers caressed her knuckles lightly.

She smiled. "As always." She said. "Now go before you are seen."

He chuckled and kissed her once more before moving to the window. In a flash he was out on the tree outside her window and gone. She leaned out a moment and looked about and then spotted him in the moonlight three buildings over moving along the rooftop.

"Goodbye my love…" She whispered before she turned to put some make-up on.

Her phone chimed and she turned to look at it. She smiled and flicked open the lock on her phone with her finger as she read the text.

Are you ready?

Yes. Cirque du Soile is go. Marion smiled.

Showtime.

Marion smiled and texted back. The Game is On!

With that she walked out of the room, her clutch in hand and walked outside to where her Subaru was parked. She smiled and got in.

In the house, Mycroft watched her go, sipping a drink in a glass and shaking his head.

ZzZ

An hour later

Outside the great building that housed the newspaper magnate's offices, staff, private office, and penthouse flat, two forms were on a lower building to the side. Their faces were obscured by hoods.

One was in a black outfit with a harness about the rather short statured form. There were many pockets for various things.

The other turned and it was clear by the outlines, they were both short statured women.

The second handed the short form a large pistol and silencer. Next extra bullets. The first nodded and took them all grimly. "He is here?" The voice was gruff, but had a feminine sound to it. Her voice was muffled due to a face wrap about her nose and mouth. The form attached a pistol to her hip and put a silencer in one of the pouches. The form wore a stocking cap.

"Yes. He excused himself from the meeting. Apparently there were more pressing matters." Marion smiled.

"What did you do?"

"Planted a virus, an annoyance while I nicked the key card for you."

"My friend of many skills"

The second woman attached a rope to the other's belt via a harness to test it as she smiled. She then nodded to the other woman and handed her some suction cup like hand pads. She handed the other woman a contraption and smiled at her.

"This will get you into the building and up to floor ten. From there you will have to climb." Marion turned her face as the breeze blew her hair before her face." She brushed it back as she looked at the other woman. "Make us proud. Get this bastard before he hurts us or anyone else."

"You are more the roof walker than I am." The first said huskily.

Marion smiled. "Comes from years in Prague and Jerusalems."

"You learned well from the hashishiyya." The other woman said. "I will text when I need my extraction."

"I will be at that restaurant there. Do it cleanly and get out." Marion pointed around the building at a restaurant a few doors down a street. It was low with a flat roof. "I have everything ready." She smiled. "Like old times." She cocked her head. "Be safe. Hear me. Don't do anything stupid."

"Says the hothead."

"Motherhood tempers you."

"Indeed."

The two embraced and then the first woman turned and walked for the building.

Marion moved and jumped over the edge and landed in some bags of cut paper making a soft landing. She dusted herself off and smiled and walked toward the restaurant looking like she had taken a taxi on the main road and gotten out.