Chapter 23: The Great Game Part 3
the next day past by quickly and as evening started to draw in Scarlett, decided she had had enough of missing Sherlock. He walk to 221b was quiet and though it had started to rain she didn't pick up her pace simply continuing down the room as she pulled her collar up against the wind.
She knocked on the door and Mrs Hudson answered ushering her inside and away from the rain. Quickly she greeted the older woman before making her way upstairs and into 221b's living room.
"No, no, NO! Course he 's not the boy's father. Look at the turn up on his jeans!" shouted Sherlock's voice from inside the flat before Scarlett pushed the door open and poke her head inside.
"I knew it was dangerous." said John not looking up from his laptop, clearing writing more on his blog.
"Hm?" Sherlock questioned.
"Getting you into crap telly" said John.
"Not a patch on Connie Prince" said Sherlock. Scarlett coughed a little and John looked up to her and smiled.
"Hi, Scarlett. You OK?" John said stopping typing and looking at the woman in the doorway.
"Yeah I'm fine just missed seeing both of your faces so I thought, I'd come round see how you both were" said Scarlett as she pulled off her coat and dumped it onto the sofa, Sherlock looked up at her and she smiled, he returned it before turning back to the telly.
"Yeah, sorry been really busy with this bomber case, now we think its Moriarty so that's all quite interesting" said John as Scarlett continued to hover by the door.
"Who's Moriarty?" Scarlett question which prompted John to give her a quick over view of Moriarty and the current case they were working on. Apparently the bomber was sending Sherlock puzzles to work out, in an allotted time all the while someone somewhere is hooked up to enough explosives to take a house down. The flat that Scarlett had seen on the news was linked and she nodded sadly when John explained it was all because the old woman started to describe the bomber.
"So why is he doing this, I mean what the point" Scarlett said as she sat down on the sofa.
"I can't be the only one who gets bored" said Sherlock and Scarlett looked at him strangely sometimes her love for him, blinded her from seeing just how removed from normal life Sherlock was.
"Have you given Mycroft the memory stick yet?" John asked Sherlock as Scarlett sat taking in everything John had just told her.
"Yep. He was over the moon." said Sherlock and Scarlett looked at his face, unreadable as his mask covered all.
"Threatened me with a knighthood... again" said Sherlock and Scarlett grinned she couldn't imagine Sherlock being knighted.
"You know, I'm still waiting" said John continuing to type.
"Hm?" said Sherlock again.
"For you to admit that a little knowledge of the solar system and you'd have cleared up the fake painting a lot quicker." said John and Scarlett smirked.
"It didn't do you any good, did it?" Sherlock quipped.
"No, but I'm not the world's only consulting detective" said John turning his slightly towards Sherlock, before shutting the lid of his laptop.
"True" muttered Sherlock.
"I won't be in for tea." said John shuffling around in his chair.
"I'm going to Sarah's. There's still some of that risotto left in the fridge" said John as he stood.
"Milk, we need milk" said John as made his way to the door.
"I'll get some" said Sherlock and both John and Scarlett shot his a astonished look.
"Really?" said John stopping and looking back at the other man.
"Really." said Sherlock not looking up from the telly, John and Scarlett shared a look.
"And some beans, then?" said John and Sherlock nodded a response a simply mm escaping his closed lips.
"Right then, sorry to rush out like this on you Scarlett, but I'll catch up with you later." said John and Scarlett only smiled and nodded before the doctor left.
"Are you going to eat?" Scarlett asked as she stood room her seat, but Sherlock didn't seem to be listening as he quickly pulled his laptop out from beside him and pulled it open.
He began to type a small smile gracing his face for a split second but was soon gone, he shut the lid of the laptop and finally he looked up at her.
She smiled and he returned it, for a few hours the sat together, quietly Sherlock was not really in a talkative mood but she didn't mind as she just wanted to be around him. At around 9, Scarlett ordered pizza but Sherlock refused to eat, claiming he had eaten a few days ago and so did not need any yet.
"No wonder your so skinny" Scarlett said with a laugh and he smirked slightly. When she returned from putting her pizza box in the bin, Sherlock looked up at her strangely and some how he looked incredibly vulnerable.
She walked over to him and he pulled her onto him so she was sitting across his legs, she laughed but he did not smile. He kissed her and she returned it before he pulled away and again he looked at her strangely.
"What's wrong" she asked and Sherlock looked at her again.
"Nothing" he said and she search his face for an answer but there was none, so instead she snuggled into him, kissing his neck lightly as the pair continued to watch telly.
At around 11, Scarlett rose, stretching slightly.
"Do you want tea or coffee" she asked but again Sherlock did not reply, his eyes fixed to the TV.
Scarlett only laughed and shook her head as she made her way into the kitchen, she had expected Sherlock to be like this after-all he was still in the middle of a big case.
"Is there going to be another head in this fridge when I look, just so I'm prepared" Scarlett asked with a small laugh, but there was no response.
"Sherlock?" she said peering around the doorway of the kitchen but Sherlock was not there, his laptop lay abandoned on his chair, the lid shut. Down stairs she heard the front door slam shut.
Rushing to the window with the kettle still in hand, she peered out but Sherlock was already across the street and walking away from the flat.
She pulled her phone from her pocket and texted him quickly.
Where are you going?
No reply came, and Scarlett sat down heavily in Sherlock's chair, she had a bad feeling about this, so she would wait her from him to return.
At midnight she stared out the window, waiting for any sign that he was coming back soon, but the streets were quiet and no body was outside, she sat back down in front of the telly, her 2nd cup of black coffee in hand.
In some way Sherlock had expected it to turn out this way as he saw John standing in front of him, covered in a vest of explosives. Sherlock aimed the gun at Moriarty, who stood at the other end of the pool, but Sherlock dared not shot or the sniper with his sight on John would shoot and not only John but he would likely die too, but he did not lower the gun.
"I've given you a glimpse, Sherlock, just a teensy glimpse of what I've got going on out there in the big bad world. I'm a specialist, you see. Like you." said Moriarty in a tone of complete nonchalance.
"Dear Jim, please will you fix it for me, to get rid of my lover's nasty sister? Dear Jim, please will you fix it for me to disappear to South America?" said Sherlock angrily at him, but Moriarty smiled and continued to approach, Sherlock nonetheless.
"Just so." said Moriarty a coy smile on his face.
"Consulting Criminal. Brilliant" said Sherlock.
"Isn't it?"replied Moriarty. "No-one ever gets to me. And no-one ever will."
"I did." said Sherlock as he cocked the gun.
"You've come the closest. Now you're in my way." said Moriarty.
"Thank you" said Sherlock smugly, the gun in his hands still aimed at Moriarty.
"Didn't mean it as a compliment." said Moriarty with a sly smile.
"Yes, you did" said Sherlock simply.
"Yeah, OK, I did" said Moriarty shrugging his shoulder at Sherlock.
"But the flirting's over, Sherlock. Daddy's had enough now." said Moriarty in a playful sing song voice as he continued to approach the detective.
"I've shown you what I can do. I cut loose all those people, all those little problems, even 30 million quid, just to get you to come out and play. So take this as a friendly warning... my dear. Back off." said Moriarty his voice low and calm.
"Although I have loved this, this little game of ours. Playing Jim from IT. Playing gay. Did you like the little touch with the underwear?" Moriarty said with a small grin as shifted from foot to foot like an excited child.
"People have died." said Sherlock gruffly.
"That's what people DO!" shouted Moriarty madly.
"I will stop you." said Sherlock calmly.
"No, you won't." said Moriarty shaking his head.
"Are you all right?" Sherlock asked looking to John, who dared not speak.
"You can talk, Johnny boy. Go ahead." said Moriarty walking to John and leaning over John's shoulder slightly, but still John did not speak, instead he merely nodded quickly to Sherlock.
"Take it." said Sherlock turning his sights back to Moriarty and handing him the memory stick in his outstretched hand.
"Mm? Oh.." said Moriarty looking at the memory stick in Sherlock's hand curiously.
"That?" he said walking past John and reaching out for the memory stick in Sherlock's hands.
"The missile plans." he said taking the memory stick happily and raising it to his lips and kissing it quickly.
"Boring!" he said looking down at the memory stick in his hand.
"I could have got them anywhere." he said throwing the memory stick into the pool nonchalantly. In seconds John had grabbed Moriarty from behind and held onto him tightly.
"Sherlock, Run!" he demanded as his hold on Moriarty tightened.
"Good!" laughed Moriarty as John pulled him back an arm around Moriarty's throat.
"Very good." he said still laughing as Sherlock aim still held.
"If your sniper pulls that trigger, Mr Moriarty, then we both go up" John growled.
"Isn't he sweet? I can see why you like having him around." said Moriarty looking to Sherlock his face blank.
"But then, people do get so sentimental about their pets. They're so touchingly loyal. But whoops!" Moriarty said his voice loud and insane.
"You've rather shown your hand there, Dr Watson" said Moriarty gleefully as the sniper's aim appeared on Sherlock's forehead. John eyes widened as he watched the tiny red dot dancing along Sherlock's skin.
"Gotcha" sang Moriarty and John let him go stepping away from his hands slightly raised.
"Westwood." said Moriarty with wide eyes as he brushed down his suit.
"Do you know what happens if you don't leave me alone, Sherlock? To you?" said Moriarty.
"Oh, let me guess. I get killed" said Sherlock cockily.
"Kill you?" said Moriarty grimacing at Sherlock.
"No, don't be obvious. I mean, I'm going to kill you anyway, some day. I don't want to rush it, though. I'm saving it up for something special. No, no, no, no, no. If you don't stop prying, I'll burn you." said Moriarty calmly.
"I'll burn the heart right out of you" he growled his face contorting madly and his voice breaking slightly as though he was going to cry.
"I have been reliably informed that I don't have one." said Sherlock his aim still on Moriarty.
"But we both know that's not quite true and I'm sure Scarlett would agree" said Moriarty with a coy smile and Sherlock's eyes became wide.
The clock ticks seemed to get louder the longer Scarlett waited, her mind had gone though every possible reason as to why Sherlock would rush off like that. But her heart raced even more, when Sarah had called looking for John, who had not arrived at hers and she had began to worry.
She was worried sick, she was not on her tenth cup of coffee, the TV was still playing but the sound was low as Scarlett stared out the window, praying to see him walk around the corner any second now.
"Please be OK" she said quietly her breath steaming up the glass slightly.
"Please please"
"Sorry, boys. I'm so changeable!" said Moriarty repapering from the door at the end of the pool again.
"It is a weakness with me, but to be fair to myself, it is my only weakness." said Moriarty loudly.
"You can't be allowed to continue. You just can't." said Moriarty shaking his head.
"I would try to convince you, but everything I have to say has already crossed your mind." he continue his voice inflecting strangely at the end.
"Probably my answers crossed yours" said Sherlock turned and pointing the gun at Moriarty, but slowly his aim lowered to the bomb covered jacket on the floor. Sherlock prepared to shoot and Moriarty kept his eyes contact sternly.
'Staying alive' by the beegee's began to play somewhere and Sherlock's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Moriarty's eyes shut in annoyance and he sighed heavily.
"Do you mind if I get that?" said Moriarty awkwardly.
"No, please" said Sherlock motioning with the gun slightly. "You've got the rest of your life."
"Hello" said Moriarty into the phone his voice confused slightly.
"Yes, of course it is. What do you want?" said Moriarty with annoyance, before mouthing 'sorry' to Sherlock and shaking his head slightly. Sherlock shrugged mouthing back 'it's fine'.
"SAY THAT AGAIN!" Screamed Moriarty into the phone.
"Say that again, and know that if you are lying to me, I will find you, and I will skin you." said Moriarty his voice deadly serious.
"Wait." he demanded to the person on the other end of the phone, before he pulled it away from his ear and looked to Sherlock, before slowly walking towards the detective.
"Sorry... Wrong day to die." said Moriarty slowly.
"Oh, did you get a better offer?" asked Sherlock.
"You'll be hearing from me, Sherlock." said Moriarty as he began to walk away, he pulled the phone to his ear again.
"So if you have what you say you have, I will make you rich. If you don't, I'll make you into shoes." said Moriarty to the person on the phone and then he clicked his fingers, before he disappeared through the door to the pool. The sniper marks disappeared and Moriarty was gone.
Scarlett had retreated from the window, and now sat in Sherlock's chair her legs pulled to her chest as she tried not to imagine Sherlock's dead body. She had concluded that the only reason Sherlock would have left at 11 at night was to meet someone, and the only person interesting enough to bring Sherlock out would be Moriarty, whoever that was. With the little they knew of Moriarty, Scarlett was worried sick.
When the front door slammed shut downstairs at half past one, Scarlett jumped.
"Sherlock!?" she called but no response came, she stood from her seat and waited as the footsteps approached.
John was first through the door, and Scarlett rushed to him.
"What happened? Are you OK?" she said panic striken a the sight of him, John only nodded but Scarlett did see it as she spotted Sherlock making his way up the stairs. She pushed past John and onto the landing as Sherlock made his way to the door, she threw herself at him, holding him around the neck.
"Oh Sherlock" she cried holding onto him.
"I was so worried, I didn't know where you had gone and I kept thinking the worse had happened and you were lying dead somewhere" she said her voice higher than normal and she refuse to let him go.
John thought he was going mad, after the ordeal as he watch on.
"I'm fine" said Sherlock to her gruffly, but still she held on.
"Scarlett, I'm fine, I promise" he said pulling him away from himself and looking at her and small smile gracing his face.
"Oh good" Scarlett sighed and then she stood on he tip toes and kissed him fully on the lips and Sherlock returned it.
Though Sherlock had admitted his love to Scarlett to John, and John and heard Scarlett say she loved Sherlock somehow it hadn't really sunk in, after all this was Sherlock Holmes. But as he watched Sherlock kiss Scarlett he knew it was true and his looked of shock turned into a smile.
"If you two are done, I'm gonna make some tea" said John as he made his way into the kitchen, Scarlett pulled away and smiled and Sherlock smiled back before kissing her on the lips again quickly before walking past her and into the flat.
It took a while to recount what had happened at the pool side that night to Scarlett but she has listened intently the whole way through.
"So someone called him and he just left" said Scarlett looking at John, while she sat on the arm of Sherlock's chair, the detective's hand in her own, her other hand made idle movements along his open palm, her eyes unfocused as the thought about the possibility's of that phone call. For a moment there was silence between the three of them.
"So what about you two then" said John smirking slightly and Scarlett's hand stopped its movements along Sherlock's and she looked at him, her eyes focusing again.
"What about us" said Sherlock suddenly and John only smirked.
"So your together, boyfriend and girlfriend" said John
"Yes" said Sherlock simply.
"OK, fine. That's good. Going well I hope"
"Yes, very thank you, John" said Sherlock looking up at the woman sat on the arm of his chair and he smile, it was a smile John had never seen before, it was so open and so honest.
"Right good, good" said John quietly and he sat back in his chair thinking. For a long time their was silence as all three were consumed by their thoughts again.
At around 2 John stood and stretched.
"I'm going to bed" he said.
"I assume you are staying here tonight then, Scarlett" he said looking at the raven haired woman.
"Well, yes it's late, but I promise we will be quiet" said Scarlett with a smirk and her eyes brows rose suggestively, next to her Sherlock snickered and John grimaced and without another word, he left.
Scarlett turned to Sherlock and his grin faded.
"I was really worried about you" she said seriously to him and he nodded.
"I know and I'm sorry I left in such a way, but I knew if I told you were I was going you would have tried to stop me or worse you would have tried to come along. I couldn't let you do that, I couldn't bare the thought you might get hurt." he said his gazing into her soul.
"I love you" she said as she kissed him softly. He hummed into her kiss happily and she pulled away.
"I think it may be time for bed, Mr Holmes" she said standing up and stretching, her top pulled up slightly revealing her mid-drift to him, and he reached out and ran a finger along it. A shiver ran through her and she looked down at him, he stood and towered over her. He lowered his face to hers and ghosted her lips with his own.
"Yes, Miss Monroe, I think your right" he said against her lips gruffly and she quivered, slowly he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly, before the two made there way, towards his bedroom.
Morning light flooded the room and Scarlett turned over and looked at Sherlock, he was still asleep and his chest rose up and down slowly, he looked so peacefully. For a while she just laid watching him sleep, after a few minutes Sherlock's eyes twitched open and he looked at her and smiled and she smiled back.
THE END
This is the end of Curiosty Can Kill but I will be looking into writing a sequel that covers the events of the second series, however I have not yet begun writing as I have a lot of other things on my plate, plue there are a few story lines that I am not sure how I'm going to tackle such as Irene Adler.
So please review if you would like to see Scarlett again and if you have any ideas as to how to handle Irene.
Thank you all for coming along for the ride of my first story on and I hope you've all enjoyed it.