Distraction - Sherlock Fanfiction

Jade Hairpin

The four arrived back to 221B from the police station. Beth walks further into the room and sat in Sherlock's black armchair, "I'm not built for fights." She muttered, leaning back in the chair, and folding her arms. The boxes of books still lined the room and they were blocking Beth's view to the pictures on the wall, she could however, see Sherlock's tall frame.

"Somewhere in this message it must tell us." Sherlock said staring at the pictures for any sign of a hint as to what the code is. The room was a comfortable silence for Beth to close her eyes in exhaustion before that comfort was broken by Sarah.

"Well, I think perhaps I should leave you to it." She announced.

"No, no, you don't have to go. You can stay.

"Yes, it would be better to study if you left now."

"It's getting pretty late."

John, Sherlock, and Beth all spoke simultaneously. Beth and Sherlock's responses made John turn to look at them with frowns.

"They are kidding. Please stay if you'd like." John reassured to Sarah in hopes that she would stay. She did. Beth wouldn't have minded Sarah's stay if she wasn't so tired and irritated because of the tiredness. She could hardly handle John or Sherlock in this state.

"Is it just me, or is anyone else starving?"

"Oh, God." Sherlock sighed in protest.

John left to go search the kitchen for food whilst Sherlock sat at the table desk beside a visibly tired Beth, to sort through the pictures in more detail. Sarah is stood looking at the photos still stuck to the mirror.


"So this is what you do, you three. You solve puzzles for a living."

"Consulting detective."

"Oh."

Beth twisted her body in the armchair so she was facing towards Sherlock in hopes that what he was doing with distract her from snapping at Sarah in her tired and irritated state.

"What are these squiggles?" Sarah asked Sherlock, pointing at one of the pictures with the Chinese writing.

"They're numbers." Sherlock's eyes flicked towards Beth, who did the same but with an eye-roll. "An ancient Chinese dialect."

"Oh, right! Yeah, well, of course I should have known that" Sarah reached out to pick up one of the photographs, "So these numbers – it's a cipher."

"Obviously." Beth snapped using a Sherlock-type quote. Her eyes closed in hopes of sleeping but her bodies over irritable state could feel Sarah lurking.

"And each pair of numbers is a word." Sarah said, either oblivious to Beth's mean tone or simply ignoring it.

"How did you know that?" Sherlock said, his tone making Beth open her eyes to watch what would happen next.

"Well, two words have already been translated, here." Sarah leaned down to show Sherlock her findings.

"John."

"Mmm?"

"Come look at this. Soo Lin at the museum – she started to translate the code for us. We didn't see it!" Sherlock stood up from the chair, scrambling to take to photo out of the bag, "Nine," "Mill."