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Sherlock Holmes ([info]ifimnothungry) wrote in [info]colligo_threads,
@ 2012-04-07 19:22:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:mac taylor, sherlock holmes

WHO: Sherlock Holmes & Mac Taylor
WHAT: Sherlock has been called to a crime scene at perhaps the most inopportune moment.
WHEN: April 7th; Evening
WHERE: A crime scene
RATING: PG-13
STATUS: In Progress

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. There had been a mix of motivations that had compelled him to tumble off the wagon. Pain, spite, fear, all of these things had been washed away by the barbiturates that he'd pumped into his system. Laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, Sherlock didn't have to think about his own stupidity, Mycroft's anger, or the possibility that he had probably lost his brother for good. As much as Sherlock always made it seem as though he didn't want Mycroft around and did his best to push him away, it was simply because he wanted to interact with his brother on his terms not the overprotective way that Mycroft always insisted on. But now, well, now, Sherlock wasn't really sure whether either would even be an option now.

Roused from his stupor by the buzz of his phone alerting him to a new message, Sherlock rolled over and squinted, staring at the message until he was able to make out that it was from Mac. There was a case that had to be attended to, and while Sherlock considered, for the briefest of moments, telling the forensic detective that he was otherwise occupied, Sherlock knew he'd solved just as many cases like this as he had clean. Hand moving down to the small stack of various pills and vials that he'd purchased, sorting through them until he found what he needed. It was like riding a bike, figuring out the sort of drug combinations that he needed to seem as though he was 'normal', and dumping the pills out into his hand, Sherlock popped them as he rolled out of his bed. Three Adderall would balance the lethargy in his system, give him the ability to work at the same speeds that he did when clear headed, and while he'd be working at double speeds as soon as his system washed out the first round of drugs that he'd taken, he didn't think it would strike anyone as an obvious change.

Slipping the pill vial into his pocket and grabbing his coat from where he'd tossed it by the door, Sherlock grabbed a cab to the scene, taking the ride to focus himself, and as he stepped out of the cab and walked the last few yards into the closed off crime scene, Sherlock took a deep breath and ducked under the crime scene tape, "What have we got?"


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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-08 03:45 am UTC (link)
Explain. It was such a simple request, but it was always one that Sherlock had found the greatest joy in. The only better question in his mind was why, purely because it was more difficult to puzzle out the motives than the means, but as Mac stared at him intently, Sherlock shifted from the doorway, taking a step forward and extending his arm out as if placing a hand on someone's shoulder, "Because you don't stand like this and talk quietly with a stranger," He said, a flash of delight in his eyes as he spun away from the doorway, dancing past the body and backing up as he motioned to the dead mother. "Think about it. You're an abductor. If you're going to take someone, an opportunity snatching, you're going to grab the kid without caring about anything else. You're certainly not going to step up to the mother to talk to her. This was planned, thought out step by step with the intention of both abducting the child and getting the mother out of the way in the same stroke," He said, moving back towards the road with a slight smile.

"The path isn't from the car to the girl and back, it's from the car, to the house, to the girl, and back," Sherlock said, pointing at each position in turn with a gleam in his eye. "We need to be checking a wider circle."

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[info]notasir
2012-04-08 04:07 am UTC (link)

Too fast.

That was all Mac could think as he listened to Sherlock ramble on. Yes, it was true that Sherlock tended to speak at a rapid pace that could, at times, be difficult to follow. However this was too fast. Too much. Frowning lightly, he did his best to keep up but wound up lost somewhere in the middle. That, too, wasn't typical. Normally Mac was close to the same page as Sherlock when it came to his deductions. Perhaps not quite on par - no one that he knew was that gifted, save the man's older brother, who was not in the habit of helping to solve crimes - but Mac was always just a half a step behind or so, give or take.

Not this time, though.

"Sherlock." The name was spoken with a hesitation, as though Mac couldn't believe what he was thinking much less what he was about to do. Silently he slipped his flashlight out of his pocket and cupped it in one hand, using the other to gently grasp the man by the shoulder and turn him away from the curious onlookers. "Look at me."

Shining the light in his eyes, Mac's forehead furrowed even more at what he saw. Instantly he snapped off his light, taking a step back as he replaced his flashlight in his pocket and spoke the words he never thought he'd have to say to a man who had been one of his childhood heroes.

"What are you on?"

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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-08 04:23 am UTC (link)
"Nothing dangerous," Sherlock said, blinking as he stared at Mac and swallowed against the fear raising in his gut. Lestrade had always known. Lestrade had been well aware of his habit, but he'd never actively called him out on it at a crime scene. His statements had always been off to the side, quiet concern expressed about Sherlock's health, about how he couldn't burn this hot without suffering the consequences, and offers of advice and information to try and help him clean up his act. It was why a drugs bust had been the go to strategy for the Detective Inspector when he needed to get into Sherlock's flat. But Mac was no Lestrade. Sherlock had known him long enough here to know that he wasn't going to look the other way in the situation now that he'd spotted something being off. "I keep a firm track of the dosages, Mac. I'm fine."

Fine. Fine was hardly what he was. He might not be in a danger zone as far as an overdose was concerned, but his mind was clouded, his judgement flawed, and while he was certain that he was right in what he was saying, he couldn't make all of the connections as firmly as he might have been able to clear minded. But all the same, Sherlock was not going to admit to knowing that he was impaired at the moment, not when there was work to be done that nobody else could do.

"I'm fine."

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[info]notasir
2012-04-08 04:31 am UTC (link)

"Like hell you are."

The statement was said with as much frustration, disappointment, anger, and disgust as Mac would have used had he discovered any of his team under the influence of something while working a case. Instantly his mind flipped over the legalities of what was going on. It was tricky enough, allowing someone who wasn't an actual law enforcement officer or crime scene investigator to have access to a crime scene. The defense attorney of every criminal that Sherlock helped to capture had an effort to have his expertise tossed out of court. Thus far, the district attorney had been lucky and had managed to convince the judge - often through Sherlock's own stunning testimony and ability to make even the smartest of men feel like idiots - to let the unorthodox investigative techniques stand. But with Sherlock high? There was no way any judge in his right mind would stand for anything he touched to be permissible.

With a heavy sigh and a muttered curse under his breath, Mac scrubbed a hand down his face then met the man's gaze with a sharp one of his own. "Have you any idea what you've done?" he snapped, allowing his feelings to bubble over for the briefest of moments. "Dammit, Sherlock!" Grasping the man by the upper arm, he all but hauled him away from the crime scene and down the sidewalk a few steps, well out of the hearing range of anyone nearby. Making sure to keep his voice down, but certainly no less severe, he continued.

"This entire crime scene is compromised now. Everything you've touched, everything you've just said, is null and void." He paused, his stomach churning as he realized what he was going to have to do. The fact that Sherlock had assured him that it wasn't anything dangerous that he was taking, versus nothing illegal, really said it all.

"Empty your pockets," he finally snapped, nodding his head at his department issued vehicle directly behind them on the street. "On my hood. Now. All of it. Whatever you have on you. Let's go."

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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-08 04:43 am UTC (link)
But. Lestrade had never said anything about something like that. He only had a cursory understanding of the legalities involved in evidence collection and all those things that Lestrade, Donovan, and Anderson dealt with at the end of the day, so the idea that him being like this would do anything to affect the case was news to him. Jittering at being forced to stand still for so long as Mac talked, Sherlock glanced back at the car when it was demanded her empty his pockets before looking back at Mac and screwing up his features. He considered refusing for the briefest of moments before exhaling and turning back towards the hood, digging in his coat pockets and depositing the empty barbiturate bottle that he'd used earlier on the hood along with a variety of pills and powders including the Adderall and a few more...dubious substances.

"It's fine," Sherlock repeated, glancing back at Mac as soon as his pockets were empty. "I didn't take it all."

As if that made everything better.

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[info]notasir
2012-04-08 04:54 am UTC (link)

As soon as Sherlock had emptied his pockets and Mac had glanced over at them, he could feel a headache starting to form. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. There was an innocent child out there, somewhere, whose life hung in the balance. That was what his focus needed to be on right now. Not this.

However, even as he thought such things, Mac was already reaching for his handcuffs. His stomach was churning heavily yet he knew he had no choice in the matter. The integrity of the police department, of the crime scene itself, was what was most important right now. His own feelings about Sherlock were secondary. Especially when an innocent life hung in the balance.

"Good," he said quietly, tone resigned. "That saves us a trip to the hospital, at least." Then he sighed softly, the noise punctuated by the clicking of the handcuffs as he expertly snapped them open. Reaching out, he grasped Sherlock by one arm and snapped the cuff into place over his wrist before pulling the arm behind the man's back and doing much the same with the other.

"Sherlock Holmes," he murmured, doing his best to avoid the stares of the crime scene team, as well as officers, present. "You're under arrest for possession of a controlled substance and possession of an illegal prescription. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you..."

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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-08 06:48 am UTC (link)
Sherlock had been arrested before. It had been awhile, but it didn't take much to remember how to slack so that having the cuffs put on him didn't hurt nearly as much. Taking a deep breath at the words, Sherlock closed his eyes. This wasn't really the situation he'd imagined coming out of this. He thought he'd make Mycroft angry the second that John noticed what had happened, that the two of them would team up to make sure that something like this didn't happen again, and that his big brother would start talking to him again.

Instead, he'd probably ruined not only his standing with the police department here in Colligo, but maybe gotten a little girl killed as well. Probably not. His instincts told him not. But maybe. And now, he wouldn't know.

As Mac finished reading him his rights, Sherlock nodded dumbly at the customary statement requesting him to confirm his understanding as he turned and glanced out of the corner of his eye at Mac. Even as the stimulant was charging through his system, making his body shake, and his hands tremble, the shook of the situation had knocked a dull tone into his voice. "I didn't know," Sherlock said. "I didn't know that it compromised anything."

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[info]notasir
2012-04-08 06:58 am UTC (link)

Ultimately, it was the dullness of his tone that made Mac sigh softly and, ever so slightly, lower his guard that he'd just raised. He met Sherlock's gaze, in part because it was the right thing to do and in part because he wanted to make sure the man wasn't on the verge of an overdose despite his claims that he hadn't taken enough for it to be lethal. He didn't speak, not at first, but instead focused on getting the man into the backseat of his car. Once Sherlock was seated, he finally spoke with a short, clipped tone.

"Integrity is the foundation of what we do, Sherlock. Any defense attorney worth his retainer will jump at any opportunity to discredit anyone involved in an investigation," he stated. "We have to not only follow the law, we have to be above it. Better than the average citizen and certainly better than the criminals out there. The minute that changes, the system becomes stacked against us and the bad guys get away. You'd do well to remember that."

Shutting the door, Mac slowly made his way toward the driver's side and climbed inside. Adjusting the mirror so he could see the man handcuffed in his backseat, he asked with legitimate concern in his voice, "Are you sure you didn't take too high of a dose or mix drugs that you shouldn't? If you did, now's the time to speak up so we can get you to a hospital and reverse whatever damage it caused."

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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-08 08:33 pm UTC (link)
Sherlock leaned his head back against the seat the second he was in the car. Even as he was fidgeting despite himself, he could still feel a heaviness settling into his limbs at the same time. "It's nothing I haven't done before," Sherlock said as his eyes tipped up towards the ceiling. "There's a slight risk in mixing uppers and downers, but with the proper dosage and extended time in between the two, the risks are reduced by at least half. Well, perhaps a third," Sherlock said with a sigh.

"And I never had to deal with anything like that," Sherlock said. "A private detective doesn't have those sort of restrictions even a consulting one. Lestrade always dealt with the law, the restrictions, whatever they might be. He...kept me out of all of it," He said as he looked up at the rearview mirror to try and catch Mac's gaze. "I didn't know that this would change anything. You can't spend five years pretty much doing exactly this, and come into a similar situation thinking anything about it has changed."

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[info]notasir
2012-04-08 08:41 pm UTC (link)

You can't spend five years pretty much doing exactly this...

The words caused a cold knot of dread to form in Mac's gut. Gripping the steering wheel, he glanced to make sure he had a clear lane then pulled the car over to the curb. They hadn't made it more than a block or so, but it was far enough that there wouldn't be prying eyes while he dealt with this situation before reaching the station. And, putting the car into park, he turned in his seat with the intention of doing precisely that.

"Is this the first time you've come to a scene in this city under the influence, Sherlock?" he questioned without any preamble whatsoever. A brief pause and he tacked on, "Don't lie to me. I need to know the truth on this." Because if Mac really had misjudged his character that much, if he had shown up high at other scenes before now, they were well and truly screwed. Every criminal he'd ever helped to put behind bars would have a veritable free pass.

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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-08 09:08 pm UTC (link)
"I've been clean," Sherlock said, a certain amount of desperation in his voice. "I have. Two years without much more than a single cigarette. This is... Yes, this is the first time," He said as he closed his eyes. There was a knot twisting in his stomach, guilt from disappointing someone he didn't want to, by putting them all in this position, and risking that little girl through his own stupidity. Maybe he could salvage something, maybe. They were away from the crowds, and Mac would be the only one to hear him in there, the only one to know that this information had come from him.

"I would look at the father," Sherlock said with a quiet sigh as he opened his eyes again. "He obviously didn't do this himself, but there's something about the abduction that just reeks of a familiarity. Even if the mother didn't scream... Why didn't the girl?"

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[info]notasir
2012-04-08 09:40 pm UTC (link)

Mac wanted to believe him, he really did. He wanted to not only believe that he wouldn't be such a terrible judge of character, or so easily fooled, but that Sherlock really wouldn't lie to him when it mattered the most. However, this wasn't Mac's first time dealing with someone who clearly had an addiction problem and he knew better than to just take them at their word. Especially when their back was against that proverbial wall.

Sighing, Mac scrubbed a hand down his face then nodded. "At least we can investigate the father without it being fruit from the poisoned tree," he said before pinning Sherlock with another look. "And that's it. No more discussing the case. One wrong word, one lead in the right direction, and I can't use it." Because Mac wouldn't compromise his integrity. Not even for something like this.

Turning back around in his seat, Mac put the car back into drive and carefully pulled away from the curb. "So," he said after a few more seconds, glancing briefly at Sherlock in the rearview to make sure the man wasn't have any adverse affects to the various drugs he'd taken. "It's fairly obvious you've been arrested before so I'll save you the trouble of explaining what's going to happen. Just know that this is going to be by the book, Sherlock." He paused for a second to switch lanes before adding, "Although I will make sure they put you in your own holding cell."

Because they last thing they needed was for Sherlock to wind up in the very same containment area as the very criminals he'd helped put away. Especially in the condition he was currently in. And, with any luck, he wouldn't be held for long. He was most certainly going to get bail as he wasn't a flight risk, and Mac would make sure he saw the judge as soon as was possible. Which reminded him. Another glance in the mirror and he curiously asked, "Do you think John will bail you out?"

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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-08 10:01 pm UTC (link)
"Probably not," Sherlock said. It was the most honest answer he could think of. John would be so angry that he'd let himself slip. Whether or not he'd actually bail him out, at least immediately, was questionable. Sherlock had hope that Mycroft might come through, but with the way things had gone there, he wasn't going to hold his breath for that. "But it wouldn't be the first evening I've spent in a jail cell, Mac. It'll be the first time in awhile that it would have happened, but it'll be fine."

Fine. Fine. That was Sherlock's opinion of the situation. It was all screwed up, an utter mess right now, but it would be fine. It would work itself out in the end even with as much danger as it probably would do in the meantime.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

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[info]notasir
2012-04-08 10:11 pm UTC (link)

Mac knew there was every possibility that Sherlock was right, that John wouldn't bail him out. At least not right away. Hell, if Mac were in John's position, he wouldn't come to the man's rescue either. He was never going to learn his lesson if people kept enabling his behavior, after all.

Still. He didn't really like the idea of Sherlock having to just sit in a jail cell all weekend until a judge decided to release him on his own recognizance come Monday morning. Then again, he didn't particularly like any of this. It was one giant mess that could have easily been prevented. And now... well, now Mac wasn't sure there was any way to truly fix it all. Especially once he told Nate what had happened. Because if there was anyone who was even less likely to be understanding of Sherlock's choices, it was the police chief.

He sighed quietly at the apology, knowing the man meant it but finding it hard to really accept at the moment. He was just too frustrated, too disappointed. But at the same time, he understood that none of this had been Sherlock's intent and that did count for something.

"I know you are," he finally replied with another quick glance in the rearview. "It doesn't change anything, of course, but I do know that much." He was quiet for a moment longer before shaking his head slightly.

"Cocaine." Realizing that maybe just saying a drug's name without any context wasn't the best way to have this conversation. "In the books penned by Doyle, your character had a habit of using cocaine and morphine." He met Sherlock's gaze in the rearview mirror. "It bothered John's character then, too. But it never cost them their friendship and I don't see that being any different this time. For what it's worth."

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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-08 11:07 pm UTC (link)
"One to dull the raging mind, another to excite the unoccupied senses," Sherlock said, a deep knowing in his tone as he laughed, a sad nervous laugh. "It's been awhile since I've bothered with things like that. The worst John's had to deal with in practicality is an intense nicotine addiction. He knows about everything else. Mycroft has told him the signs to look for, the places I tend to hide things, but it's never resulted in anything worse than him messing up my sock index. This is different."

He'd already lost his big brother and probably his job, after all. Why not his best friend? It really would just be his luck.

"John didn't even know what he was signing up for," Sherlock said with a shake of his head.

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[info]notasir
2012-04-08 11:28 pm UTC (link)

Mac very nearly pointed out that the only difference between the Sherlock Holmes in the books and this version's choice in drugs was that, in the time period when the books were set, cocaine and morphine were both perfectly legal to use. Morally questionable, perhaps, but most certainly legal. Prescriptions that weren't yours, however, in this day and age, were not. But he bit his tongue, simply letting that particular part of the conversation drop for now and instead focusing on the far more important aspect.

John Watson's friendship.

"That's the thing about friendships," Mac commented. "You never know what you're getting into. You just have to take the chance and hope it works out for the best, which is arguably the best part. It's a lot like romantic relationships, in that regard." He refrained from assuring Sherlock yet again that John wouldn't turn on him completely over this screw up. Mac knew that it wasn't going to happen but maybe, just maybe, having that possibility hanging over the man's head would be enough to make him see that he couldn't do things like this without very real consequence.

Coming to a stop at a traffic light, Mac glanced over his shoulder at the consulting detective. "I know it's none of my business and you can tell me to stuff it, if you want. But what made you do it? I know the cases haven't been extremely challenging but surely boredom wasn't to blame this time around."

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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-08 11:41 pm UTC (link)
Sherlock hoped that Mac was right. He couldn't stand the idea that he would lose John on top of having lost Mycroft. It was hard enough with only Mycroft, John, and Molly here. He, beyond all sense and reason, had started to miss Mrs. Hudson and even Lestrade the longer that he was here, and being isolated from those that he did have here with him would only make that even worse.

As they pulled up to the stop light and Mac asked him would had compelled him to do this, Sherlock just smiled a sad little smile, "My brother hates me," He said. "He's been angry before, but never to the point of refusing to talk to me altogether, and now that he's gotten to that point, I can't figure out what the issue is. If he won't talk to me, we can't fix it. Whatever it is."

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[info]notasir
2012-04-08 11:54 pm UTC (link)

For a brief moment, Mac was sure he'd heard wrong. He couldn't fathom Mycroft Holmes ever hating Sherlock. Becoming frustrate with, certainly. Getting angry at him, of course. They were brothers. That was to be expected. But to out-and-out hate him? No, that couldn't be right. Not with how overprotective Mycroft tended to be and especially when Sherlock couldn't even name what it was he'd done to earn such a reaction.

As the light turned green, Mac continued to drive the car in the direction of the station. He took a few seconds to ponder what Sherlock had confided in him. Finally, he said evenly, "I doubt he hates you, Sherlock." He wasn't sure what else to say and didn't feel comfortable pressing the issue when it really wasn't any of his business. So instead he opted for a simple, dryly spoken, "Although I don't think he's going to be very happy when he hears about this. And I'm sure he will."

Not because Mac was going to tell him, of course, but because there wasn't very much that went on in the city that Mycroft didn't know about. That's just the way it was.

Pulling up to the police station, then around back to the parking garage so he could escort Sherlock inside without everyone on the street seeing it take place, Mac parked the car and turned off the engine. "All right," he stated, "let's get this over with. I need to get back to the scene as quickly as possible." He didn't apologize for going through with this. He knew, if he did, Sherlock would never believe him anyway because he really wasn't sorry.

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[info]ifimnothungry
2012-04-09 12:23 am UTC (link)
"That was the point," Sherlock said at Mac saying Mycroft wouldn't be happy. "He said he was done with me. That he wasn't going to help me again, no matter what sort of situation I got myself in, and this was the only thing I could think of that always made him do something. I'd rather he be raging and telling me how badly I screwed up than just...not saying anything at all," He said, biting his inner cheek for a moment before shaking out his head. "But I didn't mean for it to risk, risk... Something like this, any of this."

As they pulled up to the station, Sherlock nodded at Mac's statement as he glanced over at the car door, "I'll try and make it as quick as possible. I don't want to keep you from the thing that need really needs your attention at the moment," He said, biting his tongue and offering more information. Mac had already told him not to in case he ruined more leads that they could take.

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