When the bell perched on top of the door jingled, Mycroft looked up from his salad in time to see Sherlock hold the door open for John, and smiled. Sherlock sat down directly opposite in the booth, returning the smile with a grimace. John slid in beside him.
"Why not our flat?"
"Because I am hungry, and because I prefer not to dine on Indian food delicately seasoned with the essence of human thumb."
John cracked a wry smile.
Sherlock didn't respond. He kept his eyes fixed on the small padded envelope sitting on top of a manilla folder on the table. John glanced at it briefly before turning his attention to the two brothers, who now appeared to be having yet another trademark conversation without words. He regarded the menu with exaggerated interest.
"You will both be pleased to hear that Aldebert Gruner is in custody. He had a small, red notebook on his person with several helpful notations. We were able to make quite a few additional arrests over the past few months."
Sherlock nodded. John gave Mycroft a quick glance before returning to the list of the day's specials. "Lunch is on you, then," John said.
"And just to catch up on old times, Sherlock, AGRA has a brand new member now." Mycroft tapped the file twice in rapid succession. "Goes by 'The Colonel'. He mentioned that you and he had a little heart-to-heart during your visit to Moldova." Sherlock nodded again, eyes still on the envelope. "If you were, in fact, such good friends, you will be pleased to know he came to work for us just in time. It seems a terrible accident befell his former place of employment... the very next day. Myriad ruined files, some of which he had been meticulously safe-keeping for years. The Colonel told me he was fortunate enough to have located a solitary backup copy which had been preserved for a few key items. He wanted me to give you this." Mycroft slid the package forward so it was directly in front of Sherlock, who only nodded once more in response.
Mycroft's phone buzzed and he looked particularly annoyed by the text. "Duty calls, I'm afraid. Looks like I'll have to owe you both a suitable meal at another time. Farewell. Good to see you, as always." He rose from the table and headed out to a waiting car.
"I believe I'm in the mood for thumb pag paneer, and it doesn't seem to be on here," said John.
"Always a favourite of mine," Sherlock replied. He slipped the package into his coat and they headed back up to 221B.
END FILL 24/24 138 (John in slave auction) '
***Epilogue***
When the bell perched on top of the door jingled, Mycroft looked up from his salad in time to see Sherlock hold the door open for John, and smiled. Sherlock sat down directly opposite in the booth, returning the smile with a grimace. John slid in beside him.
"Why not our flat?"
"Because I am hungry, and because I prefer not to dine on Indian food delicately seasoned with the essence of human thumb."
John cracked a wry smile.
Sherlock didn't respond. He kept his eyes fixed on the small padded envelope sitting on top of a manilla folder on the table. John glanced at it briefly before turning his attention to the two brothers, who now appeared to be having yet another trademark conversation without words. He regarded the menu with exaggerated interest.
"You will both be pleased to hear that Aldebert Gruner is in custody. He had a small, red notebook on his person with several helpful notations. We were able to make quite a few additional arrests over the past few months."
Sherlock nodded. John gave Mycroft a quick glance before returning to the list of the day's specials. "Lunch is on you, then," John said.
"And just to catch up on old times, Sherlock, AGRA has a brand new member now." Mycroft tapped the file twice in rapid succession. "Goes by 'The Colonel'. He mentioned that you and he had a little heart-to-heart during your visit to Moldova." Sherlock nodded again, eyes still on the envelope. "If you were, in fact, such good friends, you will be pleased to know he came to work for us just in time. It seems a terrible accident befell his former place of employment... the very next day. Myriad ruined files, some of which he had been meticulously safe-keeping for years. The Colonel told me he was fortunate enough to have located a solitary backup copy which had been preserved for a few key items. He wanted me to give you this." Mycroft slid the package forward so it was directly in front of Sherlock, who only nodded once more in response.
Mycroft's phone buzzed and he looked particularly annoyed by the text. "Duty calls, I'm afraid. Looks like I'll have to owe you both a suitable meal at another time. Farewell. Good to see you, as always." He rose from the table and headed out to a waiting car.
"I believe I'm in the mood for thumb pag paneer, and it doesn't seem to be on here," said John.
"Always a favourite of mine," Sherlock replied. He slipped the package into his coat and they headed back up to 221B.
END