CHAPTER TWO: THE GAME IS ON
There was a tap on John’s office door. He pretended not to hear it, as if the person on the other side would just go away if he refused to acknowledge them. John had quite a bit of paperwork to do if he wanted to have the weekend off. Someone covered his eyes from behind, and it took everything John had not to use Amelia’s self-defence training lessons on the intruder. However, he relaxed as his nose caught whiff of the familiar scent of Clair de la Lune.
“Guess who?” Mary Morstan’s voice said, sing-song.
“Mm…Amelia?”
“Nope.”
“Lestrade?”
“Guess again.”
“Oh! I know! It’s Huckleberry Finn!” John said, spinning around in his chair to face his girlfriend. “Oh, no, look, it’s Mary. Shame. I really was excited to meet Huckleberry Finn.”
Mary swatted his shoulder lightly. “You’re horrid.”
“You love it.” John said, placing a knuckle to his bushy moustache. “You know, speaking of Ames, I really should call her…”
“I’m sure if she wanted to hear from you, she’d call you, yeah?” Mary said with a slight tilt of her head. “She’s Amelia—it’d be best to give her space. You know how she gets.”
“Mary, I understand that you two aren’t exactly close, but she’s my sister.”
“Yes, sorry.” Mary said. “She just seems like she’s always hiding something.”
“She works with Mycroft, Mary. She’s always hiding something. It’s part of her job.” John sounded exasperated, and Mary could hear it.
“Sorry, just forget I ever brought it up.” Mary said, shifting on the spot. She rubbed her shoulder, “I’m going out for lunch with Martha, and Jacob, and the others. Do you want to come with?”
John shook his head. “Sorry. I can’t. I’ve got to finish this. But,” He got to his feet, “I promise I’ll be free for the weekend to do whatever you want.”
Mary laughed. “Alright, you.” She shook her head, still chuckling. “I’ll see you in a few, alright?” She placed a kiss on his lips, then tied her scarf, and walked out of the office, calling, “He can’t come, guys!”
There were a few mutters of disproval, and one person, most likely Jacob, said, “Maybe you should try harder in bed, Mary!”
“Oi!” the blonde shouted back but was unable to stop herself from laughing. “You shut up!” She stopped at the door, turning back to John. “Love you.”
John smiled. “Love you, too.” He turned back to his work, drumming his fingers on the keyboard but typing nothing. After a moment of hesitation, John opened up his blog. He hadn’t posted anything on there in a while. He’d been attempting to write up their old cases, and would run them by Amelia before posting them—she had a far better memory than he did.
John’s phone buzzed, and he looked down at the screen to see a message awaiting him.
John,
I know I probably should’ve told you in person, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from staying if I had. I’m moving back to New York. The CIA has a job for me, and I think I should take it. Everything reminds me of Him. I’m sorry. –Amelia
♠
“What the hell do you mean you’re moving back to New York?” John demanded into his phone minutes later, all his work forgotten.
“John—” Amelia started.
“No, Ames, you listen to me.” John cut her off. “I know you’re struggling, and I know it’s hard on you, trust me it’s hard on me too, but d’you honestly think that moving back to New York will change any of that?”
Amelia didn’t know how to respond to that, and the lack of words frustrated her. Everything seemed so silent nowadays, and tensely so. There was a sort of silence that was comfortable, almost familiar, but the silence that seemed to haunt her after Sherlock’s fall was heavy, and threatened to suffocate Amelia’s very being. She could barely breathe, and every breath she did take crushed her ribs, and never seemed to fill her lungs.
Shakily, Amelia took a seat in one of Mycroft’s armchairs, fingers tapping against the fabric. “John,” she started slowly, “I think what I said was pretty clear. John, I’m staying with my dead fiancé’s brother. You don’t think that’s the slightest bit odd? Not to mention the fact that he’s also my colleague, not to mention my almost brother-in-law, and my rehab coach.”
John grimaced. “Ames, you can’t just constantly run from your problems.”
“No, instead, I should stay so that everyone I love ends up getting killed. Lovely suggestion, thank you, John. Best advice I’ve ever heard from you.”
“Amelia,”
“John,” Amelia shot back. “Listen, I’m spending all of my days with Sher…” She couldn’t get his name out, “with Mycroft. I…I know that moving back to New York is not ideal, but I’d be doing something important there, rather than moping around the office all day, and dealing with the false sympathy from the others.”
“I’m not going to be able to stop you, am I?”
Amelia let out a sigh, pushing her hair away from her face. “I’m sorry, but I think I’ve already made up my mind. You’ve got Mary now, Molly’s got Tom, Mum’s in the retirement home, and I mean Mycroft’s not exactly the friendliest flatmate. Even compared to…”
“To Sherlock.” John finished, solemnly. “Yeah. I understand.”
“Can I take you out to dinner before you go? Is tonight okay?” John said. “Ames, please. We haven’t talked at all in the past two years.”
“Three years.”
“Two and half.”
“Practically three.”
John huffed. “Ames, I know you don’t get on with Mary, but come on. It’s just dinner. Surely you can’t get into much trouble over dinner. It’s not like you have Sherlock and his stupid ideas.” John bit back a groan as soon as the words left his mouth. “Ames, I’m sorry. That isn’t how I meant it.”
“You meant about his way of getting the waiter when we first met, right? It’s alright. I understand.” Amelia said. “You know, I really have been trying to move on. I went on a date yesterday.”
John smiled slightly. “And how’d that go?”
“Horribly. I don’t understand how people enjoy that sort of thing.”
John chuckled. “Ah, well, most people are pricks, aren’t they?”
Amelia let out an airy laugh; it ended as soon as it had started. “They say that the average person falls in love twice in their lifetime. I think I’ve used up all of my chances. Still, wasn’t a horrible way to spend my life, right? The two that I did actually fall in love with were utterly…remarkable. Even if I don’t like Mary much, I’m glad you found her. You two are good together.”
“Thank you.”
“I damn well hope you’re inviting me to the wedding.”
“You’re paying for the ticket back out here.”
“I’ll send the bill to Mycroft.” Amelia rubbed a knot out of her neck. “Well, I better see if I can still book tickets.”
“When are you going?”
“Day after tomorrow, I think. I’m going to stop by Baker Street tomorrow—Mrs Hudson will have my head if I don’t say goodbye to her at least. I’ve got to move on, John, and I can’t do if everywhere I look I see him. I need…I need a place that’s already home, but that has no memories of Sherlock in it.” Amelia said, voice pained. God, how she didn’t want to leave. London had been her home for all these years, and the thought of leaving was practically unbearable.
But one did what one needed to do to survive.
“Fine.” said John. “I won’t say anything. I won’t try and stop you. I won’t do anything but you have to answer one question for me.”
Amelia said nothing.
“Do you think it will help?” John asked. “Do you honestlythink moving to New York will help?’
Amelia thought for a long moment. Certainly, she’d have to settle back down again, but it would keep her busy. She wouldn’t have time to worry over lovers lost, or of the days she had spent with the two people closest to her at her side. She closed her eyes, and breathed out, “Yes. I think it will.”