AU

[i_favour_you]

Follows this.

It wasn't until he found the beach that he realized they had made it to Cape May. Of all of New Jersey, this was possibly his least favorite place. It was so nice here. Cosy shops, happy people, and homes that cost far too much money.

Also, art supply stores. Sherlock purchases the needle, thread, alcohol, and some glue. Can't look too obvious, even with the blood under his fingernails and the tears in his tee-shirt. Not long after, he parks the stolen car in front of a chain hotel and goes in as calmly as possible to book them a room. His body is vibrating with panic. He can't remain this calm for much longer. Watson is bleeding. She's injured. He has to smile and wait in line and be bloody calm.

He pulls a coat out of the bag of clothes to put over Watson's shoulders once he gets back to the car.

"There's a vending machine and room service," he tells her. "We can get you orange juice and water for the blood loss."

Comments

[formersurgeon]

Joan drops the phone she used to call the precinct in the trash, drops the pad of paper with the officer's name into the bag, and fishes the third phone out of the bag and slips it in her pocket. She hurries to his side, looking around, watching for anyone approaching or sticking their heads out of their doors to see what the hell all the racket was.

[i_favour_you]

Sherlock doesn't care. He doesn't care if everyone sees him leaving the room. He just wants to be out. He wants to be out and away from the thoughts in his head. What he really wants is to be high, to be free of it. It won't help, he tells himself, and he can't handle more of Watson's disappointment. He walks to a car and pulls the door open. Unlocked. Why wouldn't it be? In a small town like this. He begins to hotwire the car.

[formersurgeon]

The car is unlocked. There's a moment when she wonders why. Wonders if they've been directed to this car somehow, if they meant for them to take this particular car. But she can't see how it's anything other than wholly random.

There's a faint whine of a police siren, coming closer. It's going to be this car or none, apparently. She gets in, closes the door, pulls on her seatbelt.

[i_favour_you]

He starts the car and tucks the wires away. His hands go to the wheel and he freezes.

"You should drive," he says, firmly.

[formersurgeon]

She shoots him a look, but she understands. He's clearly not in the best condition to do much of anything that requires even, rational thought.

"Okay." She takes off the belt and climbs out. The sirens are getting louder. "Hurry."

[i_favour_you]

He moves quickly, getting out of the driver's seat but leaving the car running. He's tempted to wait for the police, but then Watson will wait, and she'll end up like Gregson. Another corpse in his wake.

He gets into the passenger seat and stares straight ahead.

"Drive normally," he warns.

[formersurgeon]

"Yeah," she answers, quickly buckling her seatbelt before pulling out of the spot, slowly, like she was just heading out for a jug of milk, not running from the cops. She slowly goes through the lot, heading for the exit on the other side of the hotel from the sirens. She turns onto the road and accelerates smoothly, glancing at the rearview mirror to see faint flashing lights arriving at the parking lot they just left. They got away. Good.

She directs her attention forward again, staying calm and collected despite the deep, black ache inside her. Gregson had been her friend, someone she respected and admired, who had done so much for both of them, and now she'd never see him again.

But what she said to Sherlock is true. Right now, the only thing they can do is get away. Stay alive. Nothing else helps.

[i_favour_you]

He stares straight ahead. He fantasizes about the bubbling in the spoon again, but it doesn't calm him. Nothing calms him. He aches. No neurochemical in the world could stop that.

"You're all I have left," he says, as calmly as though he were talking about the traffic.

[formersurgeon]

She answers by reaching over to take his hand, just briefly, squeezing it tight before letting go and returning her hand to the wheel. She's not sure what conclusion he'll draw from that fact. Will he keep her close as all he has? Realize that Gregson died when they were hundreds of miles away, so sending her away would not necessarily protect her? Or would he decide that he's dangerous, that he must push her away to save her?

The former makes a hell of a lot more sense to Joan. But she strongly suspects Sherlock will turn to the latter.

[i_favour_you]

He hurts. He wants to run, fast and hard, away from this place. Away from every place.

"They're all dead," he says. "What's next? Everyone I ever talked to? Everyone I've ever met?"

[formersurgeon]

"We need to think more about who's doing this." Her voice is calm, quiet. She hopes it will help calm and quiet him. Start his logic working, maybe it will help.

"I mean, you've put a lot of people away. Plenty of people would want to see you dead. But this? This is different. Someone with the ability to do all this. This isn't payback. This is revenge."

[i_favour_you]

"It's him," Sherlock says, with complete conviction. "It can only be him, no one else has the reach."

[formersurgeon]

She glances at him, then back at the road.

"Moriarty. Okay. But why now?"

[i_favour_you]

Sherlock narrows his eyes. "I don't know. We must be missing something."

[formersurgeon]

"Maybe we were close to something he's planning. So he ran us off. Except...then why did he kill Gregson? We're gone, we're running. This is more than just a case."

She shakes her head slightly. Why was this so personal for Moriarty? He killed Irene, fine. He drove Sherlock away from London, drove him to addiction. But now? Now it's beyond just making Sherlock go away.

[i_favour_you]

"I've done something," he says. "Put everyone at risk. Or worse."

He stares out the window for a moment before he speaks again.

"We're skipping the bank. Going to Baltimore."

[formersurgeon]

"This isn't your fault. They're the twist," she says softly. It hurts to repeat Gregson's words. "Not you."

When he says they're skipping the bank, she frowns and glances his way again.

"What's in Baltimore?"

[i_favour_you]

"Our new passports," Sherlock says. "We're going to London." He sighs. "We were always going to London, but it's going to be done a bit less subtly than before."

[formersurgeon]

Her hands tighten on the wheel.

"Subtly. Subtle for their benefit, or for mine? When were you going to mention this?"

[i_favour_you]

"Neither," Sherlock replies. "I was hoping to avoid my father. Now I think...conversing with him and my brother might actually be for the best."

Mycroft's influence is strong, though he tends to have a deep disinterest for the younger Holmes.

[formersurgeon]

She relaxes a little.

"It's gotten that bad, huh?" She tilts her head frowning. "You've never mentioned a brother."

[i_favour_you]

"Yes, because he's normally irrelevant in regards to my life," Sherlock says. "But right now, he may be the only person with the resources to help us."

Help him. Protect Watson.

[formersurgeon]

"What resources? What does he do?"

It's got to be more than just money. Sherlock's father has money, and he's turned to him before when he just needed cash. Never to his brother.

[i_favour_you]

"He's got his fingers in all of the pies," Sherlock replies. "Highly influential politician, though he'll tell you he's got a minor role in the British government. He's to be utilized for his influence, but not trusted. And my father has money. It's enough."

[formersurgeon]

The corner of her lip twitches. "Wow. You're related to a politician. I'm not surprised you never mentioned it. So, your brother's influence and your father's money. What's the plan?"