Past Sheriarty, I regret nothing. Mentions of torture. AU-ish, set after TRF but season three is ignored completely because I wrote this before it aired. So the main difference is that Anderson is still a dick and Mary doesn't exist. Yes I shipped Sheriarty long before TEH I was just never gutsy enough to admit it. OOC probably, but people change after torture right?

John walked back into 221B and groaned at the sight of police officers rummaging through their stuff.

"What did Sherlock do now?" He asks Lestrade with a glare.

"He stole a bunch of cold case files and won't give them back" Lestrade replies.

"Can't you just call me and I'll get them off him instead of staging a drug bust?" John snaps.

"I mostly do these to make sure he's clean as well" Greg turns to where Donovan calls him.

"Boss I think I've got something!"

John follows him into the kitchen and lays eyes on a small black box that he's never dared to touch before; Sherlock is possessive about the box yet never opens it.

"Lestrade, Sherlock will be back in a minute and he can explain the box but could you send everyone else home? Trust me, you'll want to." He says warily.

Lestrade takes one look at John before saying, "Everyone but Donovan and Anderson leave!"

"Donovan and Anderson?"

"They wouldn't leave even if I told them to" Lestrade answers.

"Ah"

As soon as the other officers leave, Sherlock enters the room and his eyes lock firmly onto the box.

"Give that to me now" He snarls in a low voice.

"Look Sherlock, under the suspicion of drugs, we can't leave it." Lestrade sighs.

"There aren't any drugs in that box, just something I'd rather you didn't all poke your noses into" Sherlock snaps.

"Sherlock just let them look inside the box, show them that there are no drugs and send them on their way" John tries to reason.

After a minute of silence Sherlock speaks, "100887" before walking out of the kitchen and sitting in his chair.

"What?" Sally asks.

"I think he just told us the code to open the box" John takes the mystery box and puts the numbers into the lock.

There's a click and it opens.

"Okay... Well someone open it" Anderson speaks up.

John flips the lid and looks in surprise at the one thing that occupies the inside of the container.

It was an envelope from about the 1990's at a guess, Sherlock was written on the front in black ink.

Carefully he picked it up and looked inside, there was a letter and half a dozen old photographs about the same age and a little older than the envelope.

He pulled out a photo from the envelope and almost dropped it went he looked at the picture.

It was a young boy about the age of 14, sitting by a lake. That wasn't what shocked him, what shocked him was that the boy in the photo was Moriarty.

"Moriarty" He murmurs, reaching in the envelope for another picture, this one made him drop the metal box.

It was of a teenage Sherlock kissing a teenage Moriarty.

"Sherlock what the hell is this?!" He chokes.

Sherlock scowled but pulled himself out of his chair and stalks over, "What is what?"

"This!" John passes him the photo.

The expression in Sherlock's eyes sadden but the rest of him remains composed, "It's a photo"

"You know what I mean Sherlock Holmes, why do you have a photo of you kissing Moriarty!"

Lestrade, Donovan and Anderson freeze.

"What?!" Anderson exclaims.

"Work it out" Sherlock huffs before going back to his chair.

John hands the photos to Lestrade before taking the letter and reading it.

Locky,

I was told that I could send someone one letter before they start with whatever I was kidnapped for and there is no one I'd rather see than you right now. I miss you so much Locky, I miss sneaking out and swimming in the lake and the way you'd just hold me when I was attacked by father and tell me it would be okay.

Don't go doing something stupid to try and get me back Sherlock, I could not bear for you to suffer too. You and me, we were the best and worst pair. Remember that night we snuck out and got on a train to London? It was new years eve and we found this house that had a roof facing the London Eye so we sat on roof and watching the fireworks go off, you grinned and slipped off only to come back two minutes later with my favourite type of pizza. We ate, laughed and ended up lying next to each other looking up at the stars long after the crowds bellow left. That was the first time you told me you loved me, I knew but hearing you say it up on that rooftop as we watched the stars was the best moment of my life.

I will never see you again and we both know that. So I just wanted to tell you one least time how much I love you. Now listen to me, you're smart and you know it, you're beautiful and you know that too. You are not a psycho, never think you are and let my years of defending you go down the drain and one last thing, remember this line?

We were made for each other. So, I'll meet you, in the next life.

I love you,

James.

"Sherlock..." John looks from the letter in his hand to the man who had moved from his chair to the sofa, "Lestrade, I think it's time you all left. There was not any drugs and I want to speak to Sherlock"

"Uh sure John, see you later. Come on guys" Lestrade walks out of 221B with Donovan and Anderson following.

Once the door closes he turns to Sherlock, "How could you not tell me this?"

"It was never necessary to inform you of my past with James Moriarty" Sherlock replies, rolling over to face the back of the couch.

"Not necessary? Sherlock he kidnapped me, strapped a bomb to me, aimed a gun at me, it was his fault that I had to go through two years of grief thinking you were dead and you're saying it wasn't necessary?!" John cries.

Sherlock sits up and faces him, "Okay John tell me this, if you have a girlfriend or wife who you loved more than anything get taken away from you and tortured to the point where they think even you are their enemy then re-appear to try and mess up your whole live and kill your best friend, would you tell people?"

John let the reality of everything sink in for a moment before grabbing Sherlock in a hug.

Tensing up Sherlock squirmed before asking what he was doing.

"I'm giving you a hug Sherlock, you need one"

After hearing the reply, Sherlock relaxed into the hug.

"Thank you John, thank you"