(In the morning, Sherlock’s POV: )

Alice sat up quickly, breathing heavily and sweat beading on her forehead. She was supporting herself with her arms behind her as she tried to catch her breath.

“John is going to ask you.” I started, looking at her from the chair.

“I’m not telling him.” She answered inbetween breaths. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and finally began to calm.

“He won’t accept that.”

“Don’t care. He’s not knowing.”

“What’d you dream about? You woke John.” I asked, opening my eye a crack but not enough for her to see me do so. She froze for a moment.

“My past.” She said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing her forehead.

“Who’s ‘Jacobs’.” I said, sounding like it was more of a statement than a question.

“Part of my past.”

“How come you didn’t react when I said John was my only friend?” I questioned. She was surprised by the question.

“Because John is your friend. I am nothing more than an add-on.” She replied casually. I was a little hurt at the fact that she thought that I didn’t have room for two friends.

“I- I didn’t mean exactly what I said.” I replied. She looked at me.

“It’s okay, Sherlock. I know how you work. I’m perfectly fine with being an unspoken friend.” She assured. I didn’t like that, but I hid it. She got up and went to shower before I could say anything else. As soon as she was in there, I swiped her mobile and looked at the messages from the anonymous number. I sent a message on my behalf to him, and then deleted it after it sent. I sat back down, feeling pleased with myself.

(DAY TIME, CROSS KEYS INN, SHERLOCK’S POV: )

John was sitting at one of the outdoor tables with Alice as I was getting our drinks. Alice was doing very well in her acting, as if I wasn’t me, I would be completely fooled and would think that she had no problems whatsoever. I exited the pub and went out as Billy walked away from giving them a vegetarian equivalent of a hearty English breakfast. I expertly brought over three mugs, balancing them, ‘like a boss’ as Alice would say, and put two down on the table. Alice happily took her coffee and practically swam in it.

“So they didn’t have it put down, then – the dog.” I began.

“Obviously.” He began, mocking me subtly. “Suppose they just couldn’t bring themselves to do it.” He finished, tucking into his breakfast as I stood next to him and drank my coffee in a much more respectable manner than Alice.

“I see.” I tried.

“No you don’t.” Alice argued, smiling and taking John’s comment.

“No, I don’t. Sentiment?” I asked.

“Sentiment!” John replied.

“Oh.” I said, rolling my eyes. I sat down on the bench next to John, across from Alice.

“Listen: what happened to me in the lab?” My blogger asked.  I looked at him for a moment, then turned around and reached for a box of sauce sachets, worried about how I was going to explain all this. Alice looked down into her now-empty coffee cup guiltily.

“D’you want some sauce with that?” I asked, ignoring his question.

“I mean, I hadn’t been to the Hollow, so how come I heard those things in there? Fear and stimulus, you said.” John reasoned, glancing at Alice.

“You must have been dosed with it elsewhere, when you went to the lab, maybe. You saw those pipes – pretty ancient, leaky as a sieve; and they were carrying the gas, so... Um, ketchup, was it, or brown...?” I replied nonchalantly, rummaging through the sachets.

“Hang on: you thought it was in the sugar.” John announced. I stared at him, trying to maintain a neutral expression. “You were convinced it was in the sugar.” He continued. I looked away again.

“Better get going, actually.” I avoided, looking at my watch.

“There’s a train that leaves in half an hour, so if you want...” Alice began. John turned his head away as he began to realize what we- no, I did.  “Oh g*d. It was you. You locked me in that bl**dy lab.” He sighed.

“I had to. It was an experiment.” I insisted.

“An experiment?!” John shouted furiously.

“Shhh.” I complained, looking at the nearby people.

“I was terrified, Sherlock. I was scared to death.” He said, still furious but quieter.

“I helped, John.” Alice interrupted. He looked at her, not surprised.

“Yeah, thanks. I’ve got that.” He snapped.

“I thought that the drug was in the sugar, so I put the sugar in your coffee, then I arranged everything with Major Barrymore.” I explained, drawing John’s attention away from the redhead. John sighed in obvious exasperation.

“It was all totally scientific, laboratory conditions – well, literally.” Alice said, giving me a look. I thought back to her and me in the booth.

“Well, I knew what effect it had had on a superior mind, so I needed to try it on an average one.” I continued, not meaning ‘average’ as an insult. “That’s why Alice wouldn’t work.” He looked up from his plate, thinking that the ‘average’ comment was an insult. “You know what I mean.” I said. He went back to eating.

“But it wasn’t in the sugar.” John stated. Alice smiled faintly, then her mobile vibrated.

“No, well, I wasn’t to know you’d already been exposed to the gas.” I fought, glancing at her as she read the text. She was annoyed and confused. Another anonymous.

“So you got it wrong.” John said, almost triumphantly.

“No.” I replied firmly.

“Mmm. You were wrong. It wasn’t in the sugar. You got it wrong.” He said, very smug.

“A bit. It won’t happen again.” I dismissed. Sighing, John continued eating, and then looked round.

“Any long-term effects?” He asked.

“None at all. You’ll be fine once you’ve excreted it. We all will.” I confirmed. Alice put away her mobile, still irritated.

“Think I might have taken care of that already.” John said. I laughed, Alice shaking her head in disgust but smiling. I then looked across to a nearby table where Gary was pouring coffee for two other customers. He smiled apologetically across to me, who my mug on the table and stood up.

“Where’re you going?” Alice asked.

“Won’t be a minute. Gotta see a man about a dog.” I answered, smiling down at my friend…s and walking away.

Sorry it's short! We all know what's coming next! *evil laugh here* Enjoy, vote, and comment fun peoples!

Silent dedication to one of my friends, who I am  not naming.