Glass: Reader Requests

Quarantine

For jodiecxmer

Day one

Margaux sat perched on the edge of the couch, resting her chin on her fist, the tv remote in her other hand. The light from the screen reflected in her wide amber eyes as she watched intently and there was a pit in her stomach that she couldn't quite place.

Sherlock walked into the living room with his face buried in his phone. He looked up for just a moment, his eyes darting between his wife and the television.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Who's that?" she looked up at him with confusion before pointing at the screen. "Sherlock, that's the prime minister..."

"He looks like an idiot."

"Mm, well you're not wrong."

He began to speak but she shushed him quickly, waving her hand and gesturing for him to sit down. She turned up the volume and watched quietly.

'From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home.'

"Why is his desk so small?" said Sherlock. "And what's wrong with his hair?"

"Shush, Sherlock. I think he's announcing a lockdown."

"Well yes, he is - Mycroft told me about it earlier."

"And you didn't think to inform me?"

"I was about to." He held up his phone, revealing a text from his brother. "But you kept shushing me."

"Oh... sorry."

'You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No. You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home...'

"Poor Mrs Hudson's going to be by herself," said Margaux as she chewed the nail on her index finger. "Your mum and dad won't be able to see the kids."

"I can't see John," he said. There was a slight gasp in his voice, horror in his tone.

'And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives. Thank you.'

The screen faded to black. Margaux took a deep breath.

"If he was truly concerned about saving lives, he'd have enforced these measures weeks ago," said Sherlock before walking into the hall and taking his coat off the hook.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she followed behind.

"I'm going to Baker Street. If I'm to work from home for the foreseeable future then I'd like to go and get my things and bring them here."

"Love, you can't. That's the point. You can't go out, you can't go into other people's homes - you have to stay inside."

He stood quietly for a moment, the realisation slowly blooming across his face, creating lines in his forehead, wrinkles on the bridge of his nose.