"Whats this?"
"Your set of papers you asked for concerning the two of them"
"Oh, yes. Have they been up to anything interesting lately?"
"...You may want to read this one" The smartly dressed red-headed woman handed Irene one of the later newspapers.
"Why?" Irene took the paper with one perfectly manicured hand and unfolded it to see the worlds, in bold on the front page: SUICIDE OF FAKE GENIUS, with Sherlock's picture right underneath. Irene leaned forward in her chair, uncrossing her legs. "Fake genius? They've obviously never met the man. Kate, find out everything you can thats been happening in Baker Street before and after this incident!" Kate nodded, rushing off as fast as her high heels could take her.
Irene leaned back again, crossed her legs once more and lifted her hand up to her mouth. It couldn't be real, the man was most likely in hiding, having faked his death for some case or other purpose. No, the man was not dead. But he would definitely need her help. After all, she had died twice already. She was practically an expert.
"It was Sherlock you dreamed about last night wasn't it?" She rubbed circles in his hand. "Yeah." She held it tightly. "Do you want to talk about it?" John shook his head. "Honestly, not much to tell. Started out ok, it was a dream of something that had actually happened. I get a lot of those...makes it hard when I wake up and realise he's gone." Mary leaned into his shoulder, trying to give him the comfort he clearly needed. "What was different this time?" John looked out the window of the cab.
"Blood"
"Oh John..." Was all she could say, the two sat holding each other in silence for the rest of the cab ride to the cemetery.
"Well...this is it" He knelt in front of the shining black gravestone. Mary knelt beside him, one hand over his own. John cleared his throat. "Well... I brought her. Sherlock.. this is Mary, Mary..S-sherlock" Mary place her hand on his shoulder while John cleared his throat again. "Told you I'd bring her to meet you. She's heard all about you. She's really quite something, I think you would like her Sherlock" Mary blushed and placed the small bouquet of flowers she'd brought in front of the headstone.
"Hello Sherlock. I've heard such wonderful things about you. John talks about you often. Its always Sherlock this and Sherlock that, makes a girl a bit jealous." She moved her hand back to John's and gave it a squeeze, John rolled his eyes, knowing she was only teasing. "Did the two of you really do all those amazing things? Your cases are all so incredible, they hardly seem possible and yet John says they are, and I believe every word." John's eyes were beginning to tear up.
"I'm sorry you can't be here in person, but, I like to think we would have gotten along." John nodded. "You would have, I'm sure." Mary smiled, her own eyes filling with tears at the emotions she could see and feel running through John. The poor man had lost his closest friend in the world and the pain was healing but it might never truly leave him. Such a bond, when severed before its time, the wounds to the soul can never fully heal. But perhaps Mary could help fill the hole in his heart somehow. He was the most wonderful man and she loved him with all her heart.
"I would probably have rambled along and seemed like an idiot if I did meet him" John laughed.
"It's ok Mary, practically everyone is"
"Is it my turn or yours to make tea tonight, John?"
"Mine, don't get your hopes up, I'm not much of a cook. It will probably be something like spaghetti."
"Thats ok, spaghetti sounds wonderful."
He chuckled. "It'll have to do...Sherlock and Mrs Hudson were always the cooks in our flat. Being able to mix all those chemicals in just the right order? Using that talent in cooking wasn't a difficult leap."
Mary smiled and opened his door for him. "Im sure it will be delicious, Joh-...". Mary stopped mid sentence, confusion in her eyes? "Mary what is it?" He followed her inside to see a tall woman in a short, sleek black dress sitting in the middle of his room.
"Hello John, long time no see"
"Irene?"