AN: Hi everyone! This Chapter will be posted in two parts. I'm still writing the second part and will post it as soon as I finish it. :)

And yeah, this Chapter and next is for my friend; user name:MrsCumberbatch. She had asked for a chapter with John's POV and well, here it is! :)

NOTE: I just wanted to say that sometimes I make minor grammatical and sentence corrections after I have posted the story... Nothing major; just small things which strike me only after I have posted the chapter.

Well, I'm saying this now because if you have read the previous chapter on the same day I posted it, you may find that the letter Mary wrote to Sherly is a bit different. The essence of the matter is the same but I have just changed a few sentences in that which seemed to fit better. :)

CHAPTER 10

BACK TO CHASE!

PART-1

Few weeks later:

The fact that Sherly had entered into her second trimester was announced loud and clear to everyone who knew her... err literally. Because at exactly 12 AM on one fine Monday night in London, everybody whose phones Sherly could get her hands on, went off with an alarm singing, "Woohoo! Freedom at last!" customised in a funny version of their own voice.

Oh yes; Sherly surely did know her way around the modern wonders of computers and mobile phones much to the ire of everybody whose phones blared at the most inconvenient times possible and of those poor souls who lost their sleep...

...

Lestrade, who had been in deep sleep, perfectly happy snugly cuddling with his new girlfriend; all complete with kitty and bunny printed pajamas, projecting a picture of complete family bliss; was rudely awakened by that creepy sounding voice. But his sleep addled mind did not seem to make anything of it.

But his girlfriend who had unfortunately just gotten up to drink some water, clearly heard it and asked him: "Greg, if you didn't want to cuddle up; you should have told me so. Actually you know what? I should have known that you being a tough detective inspector and all, you would find all this snuggling and cuddling in Pyjamas quite silly... I'm sorry. I really don't want to you to think I am the smothering kind." She paused for a second awkwardly not knowing what to do next.

Then she added diffidently, "May be I should go..." And only when he heard the last part, Lestrade actually got his wits back. Then sat up suddenly and then cried out, "What? What are you talking about? I didn't say those things. I really don't know how that horrible thing came into my phone! And my singing is not as bad as that! And hey, you are not going anywhere; do you understand? You cannot leave me; and especially not because of something as silly as this." Saying so, he pulled her back into the bed and hugged her from behind.

And just when a somewhat calm silence had settled in, he snarled with realization. "Sherline Holmes! This must surely be her handiwork. I'm not going to leave her! That phone stealing, technological whiz git! I am never going to give her any case from now on; no matter how many threatening messages she sends me. Humph!"

His girlfriend who was still unsurely leaning back into his embrace suddenly felt a lot better on hearing that and started to chuckle. And it was so infectious that both of them started to laugh out loud at their stupid predicament. He then pulled down to a lying position and snuggled into her saying, "And Hey I may be a big bad Scotland Yard DI and all, but I simply like to cuddle and snuggle with my girlfriend... so what the hell, sue me!" Earning another round of merry chuckles from her.

...

In another part of London, John was at the Bart's giving a bad news to an old bossy lady regarding her husband's condition; when the alarm went off. It earned him one of the dirtiest glares a 75 year old lady could give. And she may or may not have also said some unsavoury words because John didn't hear a word after the alarm went off. He was too busy plotting revenge on his best friend all the way back to his cabin.

He was thinking that he should look up on the internet and find out the most boringly nutritious diet and replace them with all the delicious cookies in the flat! He decided that a 'healthy diet torture' was the best when one Sherline Holmes was concerned.

But before all that, he was going to call her up and yell at her first.

...

Mycroft on the other hand was on a totally different hemisphere of earth, when he heard his own completely mutilated voice singing the wretched words: "Woohoo! Freedom at last!" And as expected, he was in an important meeting. This time it was with the Nobel peace prize laureate and newly elected opposition party leader of Burma; Aung San Suu Kyi. And as very much expected, a completely awkward silence had settled upon the whole meeting room after that.

But Mycroft wouldn't be in the position he was now, if he didn't how to handle some minor glitches like these. And that too especially when one has a sister like Sherline Holmes, one needs to be quick witted in-order survive all the embarrassments that are most definitely going to come your way.

So Mycroft just casually smiled and nodded to his phone and said, "Ah, that was my little sister reminding me to congratulate you and your supporters on her behalf on at last gaining freedom to express your views against the Military Junta*, after so many years of constant struggle, Ma'm." He paused for a second and then added in a low tone," She just has this different sense of humour, that's all."

And somehow the kind lady thanked him for the wishes and decided to move on; avoiding an awkward international event, luckily for everyone present.

Later, he sent his little sister a message which read: "Dear sister, congrats on entering the second trimester. But may I duly remind you that you are sixteen hours early in celebrating it as you clearly already know. So for now, Good night."

...

Sherly who hadn't even slept the whole night like a kid waiting eagerly for Christmas morning was annoyed as expected on receiving her brother's message and was rightfully verbally abusing him in her mind for being such a buzz-kill.

She knew that he was ofcourse referring to the exact time when she and John had gone for IVF procedure which was at around 4PM three months back. And she also knew that he was correcting her just to annoy her because all she wanted to do now was to send him a reply saying that people don't celebrate birth hour; they celebrate birth days! But since she was sure that her annoying big brother was certainly expecting an almost exactly worded reply, she grudgingly decided to refrain from doing so.

So just when she was dejectedly looking at her phone expecting a call from someone, John called. And she was so excited that at last someone had called her to join her in her happiness, that as soon as she picked up his call and he said "hello", she didn't give him a chance to say another word.

She started speaking in a rush of words in her own uniquely maniac way she usually did when was excited about something.

She said, "John! John, I'm so glad you called! I was so bored staring at my phone expecting you or somebody else to call me. Because seriously even after reminding everyone with a clever remainder message programmed into their phone; you are the only one how has called me till now. Well other than that stupid message which Mycroft sent me, that is. Even did not wish me... even though I had even kept Mrs. Hudson's tone alert extra loud. I believe she slept through the whole thing as I can't a hear any sound from downstairs. Must be because of her stupid herbal soothers; they are quite potent you know. I have to steal it from her one day."

She then took small a pause to take a breath and then continued again seamlessly...

"Well anyway, as soon as you come home lets go to Angelo's and celebrate, okay? Or wait, even better, let's order some late night Indian and watch some crap movie and celebrate here. No wait, not Indian; hmm it is too spicy for midnight snacking... Let's order Chinese from that restaurant across our street then; yes that would be fine. I am now in the mood for some fried wontons after eating boring heath food these three months. And yeah, I know... I know; second trimester doesn't mean I can eat every unhealthy thing I want to; but hey today no one is going to stop me okay? John? John, are you there?"

John who had been trying hard to keep up with the jet stream of words thrown at him, all the while thinking how stupid he had been for so long; responded with a single thoughtful "Hmm".

She then continued in a whining tone: "John I'm so bored. I want a case. Why is Lestrade not giving me any case? Johnnn..."

...

Meanwhile John felt like slapping himself for being such a fool. He ofcourse was grateful to his best friend for doing such a big thing for his sake. He knew the importance of what she was doing for him and knew that he could never repay her in kind for that. So he had decided earlier on that the least he could do, was to give them both, that is both Sherly and the baby, the best affordable comfort that he could buy for them.

But sadly, like the famously clichéd ad campaign for credit card, he had completely forgotten that there are few things money can't buy... and one for example was 'companionship'.

He was just too busy taking care of all her material comfort, that he had forgotten she needed emotional support and comfort too. He had completely forgotten that pregnancy hormones could wreak havoc on the mental and emotional state of even a certified sociopath; so then Sherly being after all only a self proclaimed one and decidedly wrong one at that, would have most certainly been affected. After all it was nature's own unique way of inciting the motherly instincts in a woman that it was almost sacred.

...

But realizing all these things now was not much useful as his shift was on till at least 6 'o' clock in the morning. And he couldn't even suddenly bail out saying some excuse since most of the other senior doctors were on off due to some new variety of flu virus doing the rounds and therefore there were only 1 other junior doctor and 1 intern on duty in the Trauma ward that night.

So as much as he hated to, John sadly had no other choice but to dash Sherly's excited hopes about having a nice late night take-away dinner and movie that night...

TBC

Military Junta*: The government run by a group of military people.

AN: I am a huge fan of Aung San Suu kyi from the time I read a lesson about her, way back in my school days. I really admire her character strength; because for a person who had been in house arrest for almost 15 years in total, she still strives to fight for the Democratic rights for her people. :)

...

Well anyways back to the FF; please do not forget to tell me your views about this first part... And yes, some of the ambiguities arising in this part, will be answered in the next. :)

And yeah, if you guys want me to write about something too, you can feel free to ask me. I will surely write if I can. :)