|| Be Her Guard || Sherlock Holmes x Reader

|♢| Chapter 15 |♢| Flawed Judgment

"...Apollo is in jail..."

"What?" John raises an eyebrow, not sure if he had heard right. Even if he did, he doesn't understand with the lack of context granted.

"Apollo's in jail, John! As in he's still incarnated in the states!" Sherlock growls loud enough to get his anger across but quiet enough as to not alert you of anything again.

One could practically see the wheels turning in the shocked doctor's head, taking their time processing what he's just been told," how do you know...?"

"Do you not listen to anything I say?! I had a video chat with the warden of his prison. I suspected that I'd only be confirming that Apollo's not being held there, not that I'd end up talking to him myself! I saw him behind bars!" Sherlock continues to pace to the point that he might begin wearing out the carpet, his mind trapped on the new revelation," he can't be. The letters, the package- He said he had other inmates send them, but...It can't be that simple; not with him! There must be something more I'm not seeing, but what?!"

John listens to his friend's restless rambling while trying to do his own bit of thinking on the matter, although, anything he comes up with will surely be nowhere near as complex as Sherlock's inner thoughts.

Throughout the years that they've been working together, he's learned that there are often solutions to even the strangest of crimes. No matter how improbable they may seem to himself, Sherlock always has a way of uncovering the truth rather promptly. Perhaps that's why it's so concerning to see his current muddled state, maybe even offsetting in a way. It isn't necessarily unheard for an occasional criminal to stump the detective, after all, Moriarty had led him on several twists and turns when they first met, but it's a rare sight, nonetheless.

To see Sherlock be at a complete dead end with no understanding on how to turn around is shocking indeed, and it's a feeling that he hates with a burning passion. He's not meant to be wrong, other people are. He's supposed to be right about his theories especially when it comes to Apollo. If he can't solve this case of all cases, he might as well be as simpleminded as someone like Anderson!

"Maybe he has a secret twin that's been hanging around and giving the letters to (Y/n)?" John suggests hopefully, only realizing how absurd it sounds when hearing himself speak yet there's no taking it back. Voicing his thoughts is the only way he feels he can help in this stressful moment anyways.

"Come on, John, it's never twins!" Sherlock huffs, not hesitating to dismiss the terrible idea.

Silence passes with Sherlock finally plopping onto his seat again, glaring across the room at nothing really, merely thinking long and hard about everything that's happened in the span of a few minutes. He wants to disappear into his Mind Palace to fine where he went wrong, but John keeps talking.

"You saw Apollo's behind bars, right? And you said that he claims to have had other prisoners send (Y/n) the letters, so let's assume his word's true-"

Sherlock directs his glare to the doctor, shaking his head sternly,"-we can't just 'assume' Apollo is telling the truth."

"Well, when you think about it, it isn't that farfetched, Sherlock. Anyone can make friends behind bars and ask them to send mail to someone else," John takes the opposite seat, his head falling into his hands before he sighs while rubbing his temple," look, what I'm trying to say is...Apollo could've never been out in the first place. Maybe that's all there ever was to this case. This entire time he's just been having other inmates send those letters as a way of messing with (Y/n)'s mind without ever putting her life in any real danger again."

Sherlock says nothing. He's too torn. He hates to admit it, he really does, but there is a chance- a small one- John's right, but he refuses to believe it; he doesn't want to believe it. Maybe to everyone else the case is already solved now, but it can't be that simple. He's spent two weeks worrying over your safety, following leads and clues that might lead him to an escaped Apollo. He can't accept that it's all been just some wild goose chase; that this entire time you could've been living your life safety as you normally would. A certain question racks his brain, but now's no time to be concerned over that.

The first thing he needs to do is ensure that the prison puts a permanent stop to Apollo sending letters to you by any means even if through other inmates. That'll be a start. If the letters do stop, then that's that; the Great sherlock Holmes was wrong for once and you've never been in any real danger this entire time. With Apollo behind bars, you'll be safe and you won't need to remain at his side for protection anymore.