Sherlock stared at Mary. He leaned back in surprise, "A case? You want me to find John as a case?"
"That's what you do isn't it?" she remarked. "You're a detective. You find things."
"But why should I take this case?"
Mary gave a small smile. "I simply know that you will."
"No, sorry, I refuse. Good Morning. Be off with you. I've got some reading to do," Sherlock said shooing her away and then turning to fiddle with the mail speared to his mantlepiece."
"Mr Holmes, I know that you will take this case because you want to find John as much as I do."
"Don't you think that it would be more appropriate for us to let him think? To decide about his feelings like he said that he would in the letter? Don't you trust him to make the right decision?"
"No."
"So you don't respect his opinion?"
"Mr Holmes, I want to talk to him, to explain some things. We never had a chance to discuss...well anything. And it's Christmas. I'm afraid of what he'll do. and you want to talk to him too, don't you? You said something to him, before he left didn't you."
"I may have said one or two words to him, yes."
"Do you want those to be the last words that he hears from you when he decides that we are both two much trouble and leaves us?"
"Do you really think he will?" Sherlock asked, emotions never being his strongest subject. "You think that John plans to leave us both?"
"I don't know what John thinks! He's been acting strange for quite a while now. I thought that I knew him, but I can tell that he's hit some place. Some place in his heart where he's never let me in."
"Could it be that he's thinking about me?"
"No, I know that part of him," Mary said. "I've always known his feelings for you even when he didn't."
"What do you know?"
"That he loves you," Mary said. "That he respects you. That he admires you sometimes, and that he thinks that you need taking care of."
"So why don't you let him take care of me? Divorce him."
"Excuse me?"
"That's my fee if you want me to take the case."
Mary shook her head. "No, I could never do that."
"Why not?"
"Because John needs me," Mary said. Sherlock scoffed then and turned away from her. "Like you need John, he needs me. You've never been enough for him. Haven't you even noticed? If John was perfectly happy with you, why the string of girlfriends? If you were enough to satisfy him, why did he keep looking?"
Sherlock frowned. "I don't know why?"
"I'll tell you. It's because John needs affection, and you are a selfish, narcissistic, rude, insensitive jerk who tramples on the feelings of others."
"I'm not insensitive!"
"Yes you are."
"So you think that John would prefer to live with you? I was half out of my mind from the drugs, otherwise you would have driven me mad with boredom. John needs danger in his life. Do you think that he would be content taking care of colds and acne and coming home to listen to you prattle on about the obnoxious children that you babysit all day? I don't know how you've lasted this long? John will go insane without me. He needs me, and I will tell him so when I find him.
"So you will take the case, Mr Holmes?"
"What about the fee?"
"We'll decide it later, but divorce will not be an option."
"Alright," Sherlock agreed. "I'll take the case, and I'll have it solved by Christmas."
"Thank You, Mr. Holmes," Mary replied before getting up to make some tea.