Lost and Found (Sherlock x Reader)

The Empty Hearse (Part 3)

He sounded so sad and you almost went back on what you said. Almost.

"Thank you."

You listened for the sound of his footsteps as he walked away. When you were sure he was gone, you let out a long sigh before turning back to your flat.

"Time to face the day, I guess."

***

Two days later—the third day after Sherlock had revealed himself—you still weren't talking to him. You could barely even look at him. On this particular day, however, your perspective began to change.
You had just gotten back home from work. As you stepped inside the flat, you nearly ran into someone. You gasped and jumped back, hoping to be out of the way for whoever it was. When you finally looked up at who was standing there, you were very surprised.

"Mrs. Holmes!" You exclaimed. "Mr. Holmes!"

Sherlock's parents stood before you. They stared at you uncomprehendingly for a minute.

You motioned to yourself. "It's me, y/n."

Your name clicked in their minds and they gasped. "Oh! Y/n, dear!" Mrs. Holmes squealed excitedly.

You laughed as she pulled you into a hug.

"How have you been, Miss y/n?" Mr. Holmes asked.

"I've been all right," You answered.

"We just came to see Sherlock," Mrs. Holmes informed you.

At the mention of the consulting detective, your smile faltered. Neither of them seemed to notice, though. Mrs. Holmes immediately went into a spiel about how wonderful it was that her son was back in the world.

"The news was saying such horrible things, but now it is all forgotten."

You did your best to continue smiling and nodding.

"It makes me so happy to see him again. I assume you feel the same way. From what Sherlock has told us, the two of you have grown quite close, have you not?" She stared at you expectantly, waiting for your answer.

You quickly came up with something to say. "Oh, yeah. Of course!" You then sighed, your shoulders drooping. You knew you couldn't keep lying to them. "Although, it has been a bit hard," You admitted.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Holmes asked.

"Well, he lied to us for two years. He made us think he was dead," You explained. "How can I just forgive him for that?"

Mr. Holmes stepped forward and placed his hand on your shoulder. "Knowing my son, he did it for a reason."

"Will that really change my mind? Will that make it better?"

Mrs. Holmes shrugged. "You'll never know if you don't ask."

You took in their words, thinking on them long and hard. You weighed the possibilities of the future.
On one hand, if you didn't talk to Sherlock, you'd remain angry and bitter for who knows how long.
And on the other, there would be a chance for things to go back to the way they were. There would be the chance of forgiveness and healing. Looking up the stairs, you considered taking the elderly couple's advice. A small smile started to form on your lips—a genuine smile.

"Maybe you're right," You said. "Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime dear."

Mrs. Holmes pulled you into one more hug. Mr. Holmes offered his hand for you to shake, which you gladly accepted.

"Hopefully we can have you over sometime. It would be just like old times," Mrs. Holmes said.

You nodded. "I'd like that."

The three of you then said your goodbye's and parted ways. You ascended the stairs to your flat. Before you entered, you paused and glanced at Sherlock's flat door. With a burst of courage, you decided to go see him. You hesitated at his door, though.
Instead of simply walking in, you knocked. A moment of silence passed and you were just about to reach for the handle when the door was suddenly pulled open.

"What now?" Sherlock asked quite annoyedly. His eyes met yours and he gasped. His expression softened immediately. "Oh, y/n...I thought you were my...I-I mean, I wasn't expecting to see you...it's...I uhm..." The consulting detective fumbled over his words nervously.

You thought it was rather adorable. "It's all right, Sherlock," You said.

He stared at you in shock. "It is?"

"Yes." You nodded. "I'm guessing you thought your parents were coming back up to bother you."

Sherlock laughed once. "Well, yes."

A silence fell upon the two of you. You suddenly felt nervous about asking him to tell you the truth and began to rub your arm awkwardly.

Taking a deep breath, you began to formulate the question. "Anyway, I was just coming up to ask you..." You trailed off when you saw John just inside the flat. It occurred to you how weird the situation would probably be with John here. You shook your head. "Nevermind."

You began to walk back down the stairs. Sherlock followed after you though.

"Y/n, wait!" He grabbed your hand just before you reached your flat. That tingling sensation shot through you when he held your hand. "Please, I want to make things right between us again," He pleaded.

You faced him. "I do too, Sherlock. In fact, that's why I was coming to your flat. Your parents made me realize that there must be more to the story."

"What story?"

"Yours," You answered. "I wanted you to tell me why you jumped off that roof."

Sherlock let go of your hand. "I see." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that's a bit difficult to explain-"

You held up your hand. "We can talk later. For now, I'll let you and John get back to what you were doing."

You opened your door and stepped inside. Sherlock still stood there, staring after you. A smile spread on your face and a moment later, he snapped out of his daze and smiled back.

"The game is on, Sherlock."

He nodded and turned towards his flat. "Yes. The game is on."