A/N- Many absolute and sincerest apologies for the massively long wait for this chapter... I'll explain at the end but please stick with it XD
Not edited yet...
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Darcy's POV
Fuming was an understatement.
After my somewhat solemn talk with Scott where we parted ways, I marched back to the flat to see Sherlock playing his violin and John sat reading his book once again. The door slamming open caused them both to spin around swiftly and John almost dropped his book in surprise.
I held up my phone and glared at them both. "She's alive?! Did you know?! Because if you did and you didn't tell me, I will not be happy!"
"I thought you wouldn't want to know." Sherlock answered simply, a frown on his face as he put his violin down gently.
A face like thunder, I took a step further into the room and gripped my phone a little tighter. "Then you seriously don't know me. What is she comes back for me? What if he comes back?"
"He hasnt yet has he?" Sherlock answered and wandered over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder somewhat comfortingly. "As I keep telling you, we won't let that happen." He took his hand back and went to sit in his armchair.
I huffed and flopped onto the sofa, putting my head in my hands. "How was Scott?" Sherlock asked nonchalantly.
My head shot up and I frowned over at him, furiously. "What?"
"You heard me." Sherlock stated and John seemed to hide behind his book, only reaching out to take a sip of his drink.
I rolled my eyes and slouched in my seat. "Fine. I'm not going to see him again but otherwise he's fine."
"Why not?" John asked suddenly and looked at me over the top of his book.
"Because I'm not, alright?" I huffed and stood. "Sherlock?" He hummed and looked up at me. "Are you sleeping?"
In reply he picked up his violin and shook his head sharply. "Nope."
I didn't bother to ask why not and just made my way over to his bedroom. I'd need a goodnights sleep after today, it was late and I wanted to sleep it off.
Once I was in my comfy pyjamas and in bed I scrolled through my messages with Scott, a slight smile on my face as I did, when another message came through and dropped down in my notifications.
Scott- Goodnight, D. Missing you, already. X
My smiled widened in the glow of my phone as I typed a reply.
Me- Goodnight. Miss you too. X
I dropped my phone onto the pillow next to me and closed my eyes to sleep. As I drifted off to sleep I heard the door open and then voices.
"Yeah, she's asleep." I heard John say quietly, I'm assuming to Sherlock.
I smirked and snuggled further into the pillow. "And she can hear you, so shut up and let her sleep."
John chuckled. "Night, Darcy." I mumbled in reply as he closed the door and walked away.
There was no way I was getting up early tomorrow... today? Put it this way nobody would be seeing me until at least mid-afternoon.
---------------------
"Is that a phone?" Molly asked and both Sherlock and myself looked up from what we were doing.
We were at St Barts, Sherlock was x-raying Irene Adler's phone and I was texting Scott who was at work with his Father. Sherlock hadn't asked me to go with him but with hardly any cases coming through and John being at work I had nothing better to do.
"It's a camera phone." Sherlock answered simply and continued to look at the computer screen with the phone x-ray on.
Molly frowned at the screen and then over at me, I gave her a nod and a smile. "And you're x-raying it?"
"Yes, I am." He answered plainly again.
I shook my head and went back to my phone in my hand.
Scott- Kill me. Just call a hitman and have me murdered. Please, I'm begging you. X
"Whose phone is it?" I heard Molly ask and I glanced up at the two of them before chuckling to myself.
Me- Be careful what you wish for, Livingstone, I know people. ;)
"A woman's." Sherlock then said and I turned my gaze away from my phone as the tension in the room seemed to grow.
Molly looked uneasily between us. "Your girlfriend?"
I spluttered a laugh and Sherlock glared over at me. "You think she's my girlfriend because I'm X-raying her possessions?"
"Wouldn't put it past you." I commented in a sing song tone and smirked cheekily at Sherlock as he glared again.
Scott- I know that's why I asked. Livingstone Sr. keeps bringing up girls he wants to set me up with. X
Molly let out a nervous laugh and I put my phone down as I started to get a headache, with everything happening at once. "Well, we all do silly things." She giggled.
Sherlock's head shot up and his eyes widened. He'd been trying to unlock the camera phone for ages, he hadn't succeeded in cracking the passcode so he had tried to resort to forcing it open.
He looked at me as he had a lightbulb moment. "They do, don't they? Very silly."
"What are you thinking?" I asked quickly and abandoned my phone on the workbench.
I followed Sherlock over to the x-ray machine as he took the phone. "She sent this to my address, and she loves to play games." He commented and brought up the locked screen.
"She does?" Molly asked.
I laughed and nodded my head. "Oh, yeah." I watched as Sherlock typed 221B into the spaces on the screen. A warning beep came from the phone and a message appeared on the screen.
WRONG PASSCODE
2 ATTEMPTS REMAINING
"Dammit." I said quietly and wandered back to my side of the bench as Sherlock looked exasperatingly at me before sitting down as well.
Molly just looked confused as Sherlock practically threw the phone onto the bench. He ran his hands through his hair before straightening it out along with his suit.
"Thank you, Molly." He said and headed over to the door. On the way he grabbed his coat and I knew that meant we were leaving.
I swiped my phone up from the bench and went over to Molly. "See you later." I gave her a little hug and she seemed surprised so didn't hug me back.
"Darcy!" Sherlock shouted back into the lab.
I rolled my eyes. "Coming! See ya, Molly." I put my coat on and opened the door.
"Bye." I heard her say in reply, albeit quietly as I was halfway down the corridor.
"So, two attempts remaining." I commented as I caught up with Sherlock and put my hands in the pockets of my coat.
He hummed somewhat angrily. "It would seem so."
"You'll get there." I reassured him and he shook his head as we left Barts. "And hey, until then, we can solve some cases. You know, small ones like stolen rabbits or the occasional bank robbery."
Sherlock grimaced as he flagged down a cab. "I hate rabbits."
"Well, a lost dog then." I shrugged as a cab pulled up and Sherlock opened the door for me.
"I am more of a dog person." He mused and I chuckled as I got into the back of the cab. The driver greeted me cheerily and I looked uneasily at him through his rear view mirror.
Friendly cab drivers still creeped me out a little bit.
As soon as we were sat, Sherlock told him our address and he set off. Sherlock took his phone out immediately and I rolled my eyes before doing the same.
I read over Scott's text and smiled slightly.
Me- Is one of those girls me? Because if not, that's just rude. X
He replied within an instant and I chuckled to myself, getting a look from Sherlock.
Scott- Of course it is, love. If that's what helps you sleep at night ;)
And it did.
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Irene Adler. Who was that again? The name seemed vaguely familiar but I can't put it to a face.
Obviously I remembered but it had been so long since any of us had spoken of her that it seemed as though she had never existed. She hadn't texted Sherlock or me again.
Which was good since it made me happier in myself, safer. That I wasnt being followed or watched.
True, it had only been a couple of months. One or two. But it felt so much longer.
Scott had kept in contact, he called me every so often but went away with his Father for work quite a bit and had to go off the radar. I hated to think he was getting involved in something illegal, something a bit more illegal than what he was already involved in.
John and myself had kept Sherlock busy by giving him cases, even he had let go of the camera phone puzzle. We were just coming home after solving a case regarding vandalism of shop fronts.
Put it this way, I was not happy about having to go talk with Raz the Graffiti-ing Yobo again who was even more insistant on getting my number than the last time we met. But anyway, we solved the case and it turned out Raz was the culprit. So, he's spending a couple of hours doing commnity service much to my absolute delight.
I was helping John up the stairs with the shopping we'd picked up on the way home. Sherlock had raced off into the flat before us, not bothering to help at all and more interested in sitting in his armchair whilst staring moodily into the kitchen.
"Just put the bags on the table, we'll sort them out after we've had a cuppa." John told me as we entered through the kitchen door.
I looked down the corridor to see Sherlock stood in the door of his room. "Sherlock...?" I called out to him as John put the kettle on.
"We have a client." Sherlock answered.
John looked over at me and chuckled. "What, in your bedroom?!" I laughed and we headed over to the room.
I stopped short as I noticed what we were looking at and who this client was. "Ohhh."
"Fantastic. Brilliant." I commented quietly and marched out of the room. Irene Adler. Irene Adler was there. Sleeping quite peacefully in Sherlock's room. Well, more like my room but still.
I stormed into the living room and threw myself onto Sherlock's armchair, crossing my arms and pouting. How dare she just waltz in here and settle down as if she owned the place.
"Are you, er, going to give me a hand?" John asked from the kitchen as Sherlock stood in the doorway, looking the slightest bit befuddled and also angry that I was in his chair.
I huffed and sank further into the chair. "Nope."
"Right. Fine." John stated sternly and sighed at the sight of all the shopping he'd have to sort out alone.
Sherlock turned around sharply as a muffled sound came from his bedroom. I glared at Irene as she left Sherlock's bedroom with all the confidence in the world. "Is it alright if I take a shower?" She asked, still sounding rather seductive even in her tired state.
"Oh sure, go ahead." I said sarcastically. "Make yourself at home." I continued to glare as I put my boots up on the coffee table and pulled my coat tighter around myself.
Irene just smiled and pointed to the bathroom door questioningly, I nodded and she waved a little before going into the bathroom. "I hate her." I stated quietly to Sherlock who smirked and took his coat off.
He moved over to the dining table and pulled out a chair to the side. "Aren't you going to say anything?" I asked him angrily as he took a seat calmly.
"I wasn't planning on it." Sherlock replied and unbuttoned his suit jacket, crossing his legs one over the other.
I rolled my eyes and stood, taking my coat off and hanging it up on the coat hook. John wandered through from the kitchen and stood with his hands on his hips. "How are we feeling?" He asked me under his breath.
"Like shit." I mumbled and slumped onto the sofa. John ran his hand through his hair and snatched up his laptop before sitting just opposite Sherlock at the dining table.
None of us spoke for a little while and the only sound was John typing and the shower in the bathroom. Sherlock was faintly tapping his fingers on the table and I was leant forward on my knees.
Our heads all whipped around as a door opened and out came Irene, dressed in one of Sherlock's dressing gowns he must have left in there. "I hope you don't mind but I borrowed this."
Nobody answered and I just glared at her continually as she sauntered across the room to Sherlock's chair. When she sat she did so in a similar position to what I was in and so I leant back and slouched a little.
"Why are you here?" I asked her harshly and she glanced over at me, so I narrowed my eyes back.
Irene smiled a little and shrugged. "I'm being hunted. I needed a safe place to be and you seemed to be doing alright here." She looked at me questioningly and I nodded slightly, letting her know I was indeed alright.
"So who's after you?" Sherlock asked and Irene turned her gaze to him.
"People who want to kill me." She answered and sat with a smug, yet slight, grin on her face.
I rolled my eyes. "Who are they?" I asked and John glanced down at me.
Irene smirked and shrugged a little. "Killers."
"It would help if you were a tiny bit more specific." John said, somewhat sarcastically and I quirked a slight smile at his tone.
"So you faked your own death in order to get ahead of them." Sherlock stated. It wasn't a question but a statement since he knew that he was right as he always did.
Irene smiled. "It worked for a while."
"Except you let John know that you were alive, and therefore me." Sherlock argued although his tone didn't change from one verging on boredom.
I crossed my arms and added, "You texted me. I probably wouldn't have known otherwise."
"I wanted you to know. I knew you'd both keep my secret." Irene replied, sounding sincere as she spoke.
I huffed and clenched my jaw. "You obviously couldn't though."
"But you two did, didn't you? Where's my camera phone?" Irene asked and looked over at John, thinking that he'd be the one to tell her.
John laughed under his breath and put his mug of tea on the table. "It's not here. We're not stupid."
"Then what have you done with it?" She followed up with, sounding very concerned although probably not for our safety. "If they've guessed you've got it, they'll be watching you."
I stood and looked around anxiously at the thought of people watching us. Sherlock glanced up at me before turning his attention back to Irene. "If they've been watching me, they'll know I took a safety deposit box at a bank on the strand a few months ago."
"When did-?" I started to ask.
"I need it." Irene cut me off and looked desperately up at me.
I laughed in disbelief. "We can't just toddle off and get it, can we?" Shaking my head, I dropping into John's empty armchair to sit opposite Irene who edged closer to me a little.
"Molly Hooper." John stated and looked between Sherlock and myself, seemingly inspired. I frowned and sat forward in my seat as he explained. "She could collect it, take it to Bart's; then one of your homeless network could bring it here, leave it in the café, and one of the boys downstairs could bring it up the back."
I thought his suggestion over and over in my head, trying to find any loophole. "Well done, John." I commented and smiled.
"Yes, very good, John." Sherlock agreed with a smile. "Excellent plan, with intelligent precautions."
John sat there looking pleased with himself. "Thank you." I watched as he pulled his phone out and said, "So, why don't... oh, for..." He trailed off and I frowned, looking for a reason why.
"Of course." I chuckled and shook my head as Sherlock took out Irene's camera phone. He was holding the phone up and looking at it closely.
Irene stood, no doubt in her attempt to get the phone back. "So what do you keep on here- in general, I mean?" Sherlock asked nonchalantly while John looked exasperatingly at him.
I just sat there with a wide smile on my face as Irene answered him, "Pictures, information, anything I might fine useful."
"What, for blackmail?" John inquired and Irene grimaced ever so slightly down at me at the word blackmail.
"For protection." She argued and crossed her arms, I didn't meet her eyes but instead looked straight at Sherlock. "I make my way in the world; I misbehave. I like to know people will be on my side exactly when I need them to be."
Sherlock finally looked back at me, a questioning glint in his eye before he focused it on Irene. "So how do you acquire this information?"
"I told you- I misbehave." She answered pointedly.
I let out a chuckle and shook my head. "That's what you meant wasn't it? That what you do is on a grander scale than what you were preparing me for."
"I suppose... yes, yes it was." She answered softly and could have even been confused with caring.
"But you've acquired something that's more danger than protection. Do you know what it is?" Sherlock changed the conversation.
Irene sighed. "Yes, but I don't understand it."
"I assumed." Sherlock stated and I rolled my eyes at his cocky attitude. "Show me."
I stood as Irene held her hand out for the phone but Sherlock held it out of her reach . "The passcode." Neither of them moved and they stared at each other.
"Just give her the phone Sherlock." I told him and he glared up at me before putting the phone in Irene's hand.
We all watched with bated breath as Irene activated the phone and held it purposefully away from Sherlock's prying eyes. She glanced at me as she typed in the four characters. The phone then let out it typical warning beep. "It's not working." She frowned.
Sherlock stood with a smug smile and took the phone from her. "No, because it's a duplicate that I had made, into which you've just entered the numbers one-oh-five-eight."
I smirked, it wouldn't have been that easy. It can't have been that easy for him. Sherlock wandered past her and leant down to the arm of his chair, the one she was previously sat on, and picks out the actual camera phone.
"I assumed you'd choose something more specific than that but, um, thanks anyway." He stood in the middle of the room and I moved to stand at his side as he typed in the passcode.
I AM 1058 LOCKED
The phone beeped again and the warning message appeared.
WRONG PASSCODE.
1 ATTEMPT REMAINING
"Knew it." I said under my breath and looked over at Irene who was smiling, smugly.
"I told you that camera phone was my life. I know when it's in my hand." Irene commented in a confident tone.
Sherlock's eyes flicked onto me and I raised my eyebrows before turning away. I ran a hand down my face and put my hands on my hips, exasperated with all this.
"Oh, you're rather good." Sherlock actually complimented Irene.
She smiled and kept staring at him. "You're not so bad." Irene held her hand out and took the real camera phone from Sherlock, all the while neither of them broke their gaze at one another.
"Hamish." John stated abruptly and we all turned to look down at him. "John Hamish Watson- just if you were looking for baby names."
Sherlock frowned while I giggled and he turned his confused expression to me but I couldn't speak with laughing too much. "Excuse me." I said and stumbled into the kitchen, resting a hand on the kitchen table to calm myself down.
"There was a man-" Irene started to explain and I listened from the kitchen. "-an MOD official. I knew what he liked."
"Oh dear god." I muttered and cleared my throat, brushing my t-shirt down as I stopped myself laughing. When I'd gone back into the living room Irene was typing on her phone.
She had stepped a little away from the pair so they couldn't see her phone screen. But I noticed her face as she typed in the code.
Smile. Genuine. Happy. Pupils- Dilated.
Huh.
"One of the things he liked was showing off. He told me this email was going to save the world. He didn't know it, but I photographed." Irene continued and handed the phone over to Sherlock. "He was a bit tied up at the time. It's a bit small on that screen- can you read it?"
I edged a little closer to Sherlock, as he sat on the other side of the dining table to John, in an attempt to see what the email consisted off and he frowned before rolling his eyes and letting me see.
007 Confirmed allocation
Was at the top and then underneath was a series of numbers in a long line and smaller print.
"Yes." Sherlock answered Irene's question. I looked up at him questioningly, silently asking if he had any idea what it meant but I got no reply.
"A code, obviously." Irene explained and I turned away from the phone, crossing my arms. "I had one of the best cryptographers in the country take a look at it- though he was mostly upside down, as I recall. Couldn't figure it out."
Irene sauntered past me and I took a step out of her way, glaring at her all the while. Sherlock leant forward and concentrated on the phone. "What can you do Mr Holmes?" Irene leant over his shoulder. "Go on. Impress a girl."
John took a drink of his tea and put his mug down on the table, I moved to lean sit on Sherlock's previously vacated chair. My eyes widened as Irene leant down and gave Sherlock a kiss on the cheek. I gripped the back of the chair until my knuckles turned white.
Sherlock's eyes briefly flicked in her direction as she pulled away but then he turned his concentration back to the screen before he started to speak rapidly.
"There's a margin for error but I'm pretty sure there's a Seven-Forty-Seven leaving Heathrow tomorrow at six thirty in the evening for Baltimore. Apparently it's going to save the world. Not sure how that can be true but give me moment; I've only been on the case for eight seconds."
John's face was blank in shock and Irene hadn't even stood up properly. I, on the other hand, was glaring furiously at her and was threatening to break the back of the wooden chair.
"Oh, come on. It's not a code. These are seat allocations on a passenger jet. Look..." Sherlock said somewhat smugly and he showed the screen to John, then me.
I stiffly nodded in agreement as I quickly scanned the phone screen. John just looked a bit confused still.
Sherlock took a breath and started to speak in rapid fire. "There's no letter 'I' because it can be mistaken for a '1'; no letters past 'K'- the width of the plane is the limit. The numbers always appear randomly and not in sequence but the letters have little runs of sequence all over the place- families and couples sitting together. Only a Jumbo is wide enough to need the letter 'K' or rows past fifty-five, which is why there's always an upstairs. There's a row thirteen, which eliminates the more superstitious airlines. Then there's the style of the flight number-"
"Zero-Zero-Seven." I interrupted him and smiled cheekily as he clenched his jaw, annoyed that I'd cut him off mid-deduction.
He gave me a stern look before continuing. "That eliminates a few more; and assuming a British point of origin, which would be logical considering the original source of information and assuming from the increased pressure on you lately that the crisis is imminent, the only flight that matches all the criteria and departs with the week is the six thirty to Baltimore tomorrow evening from Heathrow Airport."
Sherlock finished speaking and stood, lowering the phone. I shook my head as Irene looked up at him in absolute admiration. "Please don't feel obliged to tell me that was remarkable or amazing. John's expressed the same thought in every possible variant available to the English language."
"That's true." I commented and dropped back into John's armchair with a soft thud, putting my leg up on the arm.
Irene stared at Sherlock intensely and took a step towards him. "I would have you right here on this desk until you begged for mercy twice."
I looked over at John with wide eyes and he also seemed very taken aback by the topic of conversation in the room. "John, please can you check those flight schedules; see if I'm right?" Sherlock asked him but kept his eyes firmly locked on Irene's.
"Uh-huh. I'm on it, yeah." John said sounding flustered and turned to his laptop.
My eyes were flicking back and forth between Irene and Sherlock as they stared at each other. "I've never begged for mercy in my life." Sherlock stated and I rubbed my forehead awkwardly.
"Twice." Irene argued and I covered my face with my hands.
As they continued to stare I cleared my throat and threw myself from the chair, walking over to look over John's shoulder. I pointed at the screen at the flight Sherlock had said. "You're right, Sherlock. Uh, flight, double-oh-seven."
As soon as the words left my mouth an instant train of though came to mind. I was in my house in my mind and my fingers were pressed firmly against my temple.
Double-Oh-Seven. Zero-Zero-Seven. 007.
007.
007.
007- James Bond.
"Bond Air is go..."
My eyes widened and I raised my head. "Bond Air is go..." I said softly and Sherlock turned quickly to point at me.
"Yes. Of course." He said just as quietly. But he said nothing more and just wandered over to his chair, sitting down and staring into the kitchen.
"Bond Air- what?" John asked and i put my hand up to silence him.
"Bond Air is go, that's decided. Check with the Coventry lot."
I frowned in deep thought and put my fingers up to my temple again but I was drawing blank. There was something more to it. I knew that but I just couldn't think what.
"I'm taking a walk." I announced in a monotone voice and went over to the coat hook. I was still staring as I took my coat from the hook.
John stood warily and wandered over to me. "What's going on? What's wrong with you both?"
"Nothing." I reassured him and blinked so I stopped myself staring. My eyes wandered over to the phone Irene was holding behind her back.
Suspicious Behaviour.
I glared at her before heaving the door open and then looked back at John. "I need air to think. I need to-to research... just don't wait up for me. Bye, John."
With my mind whirring as I thought of how Coventry and that flight to Baltimore linked together, I'd made it out the front door and almost to the end of the street before I realised that this wasn't going to be easy.
But that didn't matter to me at the minute. I needed to find out what it all meant and that meant research. Lots and lots of research.
So, I made a beeline for the nearest library.
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Thoughts?? Massive thanks to Ariane DeVere for the script as without it I wouldn't have survived writing this >-< Okay, I cut a little dialogue out at the end but it wasn't really necessary and already way too long XD
So this took ages because I've started my second and final year of Sixth Form (school done between ages 16-18 and before University, if you're not an English reader ;) )
My workload is huge already and I usually write sort of late in an evening but I'm getting too tired what with all the coursework and revision... *sigh* I'm a pathetic excuse for a teenager XD
I'll try to update as quickly as I can, I also lost this a bit towards the middle... does it show? Hahahahaha... I need sleep >-<
Pleaassse vote and comment guys... thank you, much love ;)
-HBH xxxx
Disclaimer- I don't own any of the character, except Darcy and Scott, or any lines from the show. Those rights belong to the BBC and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.