Well, here's another chapter! Thanks for the follows/reviews/favorites! I haven't finished the next chapter yet, so it may be a little bit before I update. This week at work is going to be madness and my big sister is having her baby shower this weekend, so we'll see if it works out. Anyways, without further ado, here's Chapter 19!
Chapter 19
The next few days were incredibly dull and slow. There were little to no cases. Well, there were cases, but none that Sherlock felt worthy enough of his time. So now they were stuck inside with nothing to do except increasingly get on each other's nerves. John had snapped at Sherlock for using the coffee pot as an incubator for some weird experiment he was doing. Sherlock had pouted and refused to clean out the pot or buy a new one so John could have a cup of coffee. "Speedy's is right next door, John!"
John had even snapped at Addie for leaving her books and journals lying around. John was sick of tripping over them and trying to navigate his way through the mess all the time. Addie ignored him and rolled her eyes. She needed some way to occupy her time and it was better than shooting holes in the wall like Sherlock. "I'll clean it up later, John. I'm not nearly as bad as Sherlock."
John was reminded of how difficult it was to live with two Holmeses. Especially when they were bored. Sherlock and Addie were also at each other's throats. Not that that was any different than usual. But it was getting to John more than it ever had. They were driving him mad! He needed to get out. Desperately.
"Sherlock!" Addie yelled from her room. "Where the hell is my green scarf?"
"Oh, was that yours?" Sherlock asked with fake innocence.
"That's the one Tom bought for me!" she yelled walking to the living room.
"Oops. Sorry," Sherlock said, not sounding the least bit sorry.
"Where is it?"
"I'm afraid I seem to have misplaced it. In one of my experiments. Terrible accident."
Addie let out a frustrated scream. "God, you're so irritating! You only think of yourself!"
"It's for science, Addie. It's for the greater good. The wool in the scarf happened to work well with the chemicals I was using. You should be glad you contributed to my research."
"You think you're so slick. You're just a prat! No wonder no one wants to work with you! You're impossible!"
"Oh, and you're the perfect picture of charisma? You might have a way with people and can convince them you're so smart and charming, but you're just as arrogant and difficult as I am. At least I don't pretend."
"At least I have the courtesy to ask before taking things that don't belong to me! What if I needed that scarf or wanted to use it?" Addie asked.
"I'm sure your precious Tom will buy you a new one," Sherlock snarked.
"That's not the point, Sherlock!" Addie yelled.
"Oh god, it's the Barbie incident all over again. Are you going to cry for hours now and refuse to speak to me? Just be glad I didn't use the fur from your favorite teddy. Harvey, is it?"
Addie went silent. "I…I don't have Harvey anymore," she said hesitantly.
"So, that bear-shaped mass of stuffing I saw by your bed the other day was a figment of my imagination?" Sherlock sneered.
"Well, what the hell are you doing in my room?"
"Hmm…defensive and avoiding the question. Still have the bear and obviously embarrassed about it, seeing as you felt the need to hide it," Sherlock said.
"You went snooping through my room?"
"Still finding comfort in a childhood toy, then. Interesting. Tell me little sister, do you still suck your thumb? Or wet the bed like you used to when you were a kid?"
Addie gaped at him. "Sherlock!"
"Do we need to get you a night-light? Keep the scary monsters away?"
"Shut up!"
"Do you need me to tuck you in tonight? Read you a bedtime story?"
"Stop it!" Addie growled and advanced towards him.
John had had enough. This was juvenile and petty and he needed to end it.
"Just stop it, you two! That's enough! Don't make me put you in the corner," he threatened, half teasing, half serious because they were behaving like children. John felt like a parent far too much with these two.
"You wouldn't dare," Sherlock said.
"Watch me."
Suddenly, John's phone went off.
Tell them to sit on opposite sides of the room and work out their own problems. Turn the telly on or something. Helps them start conversations.
-MH
John looked confused then turned to the bookcase where he knew the camera was hidden. He texted back.
Why don't you just come here and tell them that yourself? I'm not your babysitter."
-JW
And my presence there would help matters, how? You're fine. They listen to you. They'll get over it soon.
-MH
I get the feeling you've had plenty of experience with this.
-JW
Mycroft never texted back but John could picture the smirk on his face. He looked up and saw Sherlock and Addie glaring at each other from across the room. At least that step was done for him. Now to turn on the telly.
"Right, well I'm going out for a bit. To regain my sanity. You two can sit here and work out your own problems. I hope it will be resolved by the time I get back," John said, walking over to the TV and flipping it on.
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Mycroft's been schooling you in the art of how to handle our fights." He stated.
"Yes, the TV was always his favorite move. Said it started conversations between us," Addie said.
"It may have worked when we were kids, but it's not going to work now. So Mycroft can shove it. I'm not giving him the satisfaction of knowing he was right," Sherlock said.
"Alright then," John began. "Sit here in silence the whole time. Or tear each other apart. I really don't care. I just need to get out. Just don't destroy anything valuable." He waved them off.
The stony silence that settled after John left the room soon fueled into a mutual agreement to not let Mycroft win this round.
They lasted all of 20 minutes before Sherlock started answering all of the questions to the game show that was on telly before the question was done being asked. To prove his superior knowledge, he started directing the questions to Addie and pausing for her to answer. Of course she didn't and instead took to glaring at him and rolling her eyes.
"What do you think the answer is, Addie?" Sherlock asked for what seemed like the thousandth time.
"Shut up, Sherlock. That's annoying," Addie whined at him.
"It's ok if you don't know the answer," Sherlock said condescendingly.
That got to Addie, as Sherlock knew it would.
"I'm not refusing to answer because I don't know what it is. I'm refusing to answer because I don't want to give in to your stupid game."
The game show host's voice drifted over the tense silence. "The fifth and largest planet in the solar system. Also known as the "gas giant.""
Sherlock was silent.
Addie smirked. "No answer this time, Mr. Know-it-all?"
Sherlock was purposely ignoring her and glaring at the tv screen.
"Oh for god's sake, the answer is Jupiter! Do you really not know that?"
"Shut up."
"It's amazing, really. A brain like yours and you can't remember basic textbook knowledge from primary school."
Sherlock looked ready to kill. "Ok then, if you're so smart, answer the next one."
"Fine," Addie said haughtily.
"Who is the youngest Prime Minister to be elected in 198 years?"
Crap. Addie didn't know this one. How could she not know this one? It's common knowledge!
"Anything? Anything at all?" Sherlock drawled.
Addie's face flushed and she avoided his intense stare.
Sherlock rolled his eyes, looking bored. "The answer is David Cameron. Also known as the current Prime Minister. Do you not pay attention to simple politics?"
"That's not fair! He was elected when I was in-" Addie trailed off. "When I wasn't around!"
Sherlock merely raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't exactly have time to keep up-to-date on current events, Sherlock. I demand a redo!"
Sherlock heaved a dramatic sigh, "Fine."
Addie gave a smug smile. "Good."
"I bet you a week of laundry duty I can answer more questions than you," Sherlock said with a mischievous glint in his eye. He knew it was childish, but he never passed up an opportunity to show off.
Addie looked thoughtful. "I see your week of laundry and raise you three cases."
Sherlock nearly buzzed with excitement. "Oh, little sister, it is so on."
John came home an hour later to find Addie and Sherlock sharing the couch, shouting out answers to the telly as if their lives depended on it.
"The quadratic equation!" Addie yelled, then whooped in victory when the host confirmed her answer. "12 to 10, big brother. You're slacking," she said as she kicked him in the side from her slouched position on the couch.
John was pretty sure neither sibling noticed him in the room as they continued their banter.
"Bragging is not becoming, Addie," Sherlock sneered playfully as he whacked her foot out of the way.
"Ow!" Addie yelled dramatically. "I'm telling Mycroft!" she said looking angry but failing as a smile crossed her face.
"I'm so scared," Sherlock mocked, also with a smile on his face.
Addie stuck her tongue out at him and picked up the bag of biscuits from the floor, popping one in her mouth.
"Give me some," Sherlock demanded as he tried to snatch it out of her hand.
Addie squirmed away. "Say please," she teased.
"No. I'm older and you have to do what I say."
"Yeah, right."
Sherlock lunged for the bag again and missed, catching Addie in the side. Addie let out a squeal and a laugh.
"Sherlock! Stop it," she giggled.
Sherlock smirked, "Oh, I'm sorry, does that bother you?"
"You're not getting the biscuits. Let me go!"
"No. I want them," he said as he reached for them again. Addie avoided his hand and snatched them away behind her head. She was now practically hanging off the couch as Sherlock relentlessly grabbed for the bag.
"Stop! I'm going to faaa-" Addie squeaked as she tumbled to the floor.
Sherlock grabbed the now abandoned biscuits and hugged them to his chest. Addie, admitting defeat was laughing breathlessly in front of the couch with her hands still outstretched where the bag had been.
"Ok…I give…I give!" she said between breaths.
"Good. I bought them for me anyways," Sherlock reveled in his victory.
"No, you didn't," John finally spoke up from his position leaning against the door frame. "I did."
The two siblings' heads snapped to the door and they immediately straightened up.
"How long have you been standing there?" Addie asked warily.
John chuckled. "Long enough. Good to see you two have reconciled. Not quite as adults do, but reconciled none-the-less," he walked towards the kitchen. "Anyone up for some Chinese? Stopped at the take-away joint down the street."
Sherlock set down the bag of biscuits and made to follow him Addie muttered, "I still won," as she passed by Sherlock and grabbed the biscuits. There was more scuffling and a "give that back!" then Sherlock bounded into the room with the bag over his head. John smiled to himself and started serving up the chicken and rice.
Somewhere in the heart of London, in a large office and comfortable desk chair, Mycroft Holmes watched the security footage of one 221B Baker Street. He took one last sip of his tea, shook his head and smiled before turning off his computer and calling his car to take him home.