Moriary's Game: American in white

Chapter One

The blistering summer of 2014 lasted through till the end of September, followed not by a mild and wet autumn but a vicious winter which left almost all of London in chaos, ice and snow. Within London reside the infamous Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson, though not living together at present, both still spend copious amount of time in 221B Baker Street. John and his wife currently lived in central London in a small flat equidistant from the pairs respected places of work, though 221B Baker Street was no longer John's workplace. After the events of the November previous John had chosen a quieter home life living in domestic bliss with his other half, while Sherlock remained at Baker Street. The two still spoke and occasionally worked together, but with a child on the way and a wife to support their projects together seemed to decrease in frequency each month.

In fact the only cases John and Sherlock ever seemed to work on where the cases involving Jim Moriarty, though dead, he was still leaving a web of cases to solve which just kept cropping up. So far the two had thwarted several blackmailing schemes funding Moriarty's underground criminal network, which seemed to continue as if he were still alive, though now every case seemed to have less and less flair they had once had with Moriarty at the top of the hierarchy. John and Sherlock had bit by bit disabled what seemed to only equate to an arm of the vast organisation.

Needless to say they had been busy enough for Sherlock to retain what one could only guess was his sanity but little enough for it to not interfere with John's home life. Among the blackmailing schemes brought to a stop, the two had also solved cases involving smuggling operations, human trafficking and several moles within the police and army had been caught and prosecuted. Sherlock was convinced that he could abolish all of Moriarty's monstrosities and continue to help the rest of the world, though John was more inclined to think that Sherlock would be happily occupied till the unfortunate day someone put a stop to his interfering. Mycroft Holmes was also inclined to think this way and constantly attempted to put seemingly more interesting cases in front of Sherlock, both directly and more discreetly with the help of his dear Watson, with whom he had become quite close with in the last 12 months, for they shared a mutual interest, the well fair of Sherlock, which seemed to become endangered more and more with every case. But Sherlock was not easily swayed and had become obsessed with breaking down everything that smelled remotely of Moriarty.

Both John and Mycroft had been planning an intervention till Sherlock turned up at Johns flat and insisted that he stop, days before said intervention was supposed to take place. John and Mycroft where currently back to square one and had no clue what step to take next.

"I don't know how he figured it out, I didn't say anything, nothing at all. Honestly sometimes it's like he's telepathic." John was not calm or collected, during the planning period, he and Mycroft had met in last minute locations, which differed by miles from the locations of Sherlock. They had used "burn phones" for every communication, used alias email addresses and had even taken to using coded messages within all electronic communications.

Both with mugs of tea at speedy's café, they had decided that trying to hide anything was futile. So had decided subtlety was pointless, John had even told Sherlock minutes before that he was going to have tea with Mycroft and suspected that he would make no effort to join them nor find out what the meeting was about, though with Sherlock you never could tell, he could be sitting mere feet away in some kind of elaborate disguise, quite possibly the rather large black woman sitting by the counter. Mycroft sipped his tea, which he had ordered in a tea cup and saucer.

"And don't look at me like that, I know what that look means, with your eyebrow all raised and lips pursed. I was careful, for God's sake! Everything that came out of my mouth was censored, so censored in fact that it felt like I was actually working for the British government and I'm sorry Mycroft, but that's your job. I have no idea how he found us out"

"You may have censored my dear John, but perhaps other things gave you away while trying not to reveal our plans" Mycroft put his mug down and twisted it so that the handle faced right.

"What other things" John had taken offence and was getting more and more riled up by the mess that had become of the intervention.

"Perhaps you chatted, you have never been one for idle chatter john. Those with something to hide tend to become more nervous and ramble on aimlessly about the price of cabbage while all the time avoiding anything even close to the subject which they are trying to hide from the person they are hiding it from. Did you at any point in the last few months ask about Sherlock's health? Appetite?" He stopped here as though he was about to touch a nerve and quickly took a sip of tea. "Emotional wellbeing?"

"Of course I have, I ask him every time I see him, alright Sherlock? Hungry, fancy a Chinese? Oh and how do you feel about me moving out to be with my wife and leaving you all alone because you left me thinking you were dead? This last question was less sarcastic and angrier than the previous two, he had even stood up, balled his hands into fists and supported himself against the table with them, making his tea spill slightly onto the white table cloth.

"Sit down John, you're making a scene, I was merely indicating that any change in your usual behaviour may have tipped Sherlock off to the fact that all was not well" Mycroft did not rise to Johns emotional outburst, merely softened his own voice to manipulate the situation, though his queried had had the intended effect.

"Well all is not well! All has not been well since he chucked himself off St Barts and walked back into our lives as though nothing had happed with barely so much as an apology."

"That's not what I was trying to convey John, but perhaps you should think about who we are talking about here, it's not you. And if you are two bitter to help your friend then I understand, but you are of no use to me in this state. If I'd have known that you still had all of this residual anger, I would have never pulled you away from your darling wife to help me."

John stared, dumbfound. "You think I don't want to help? Really? Mycroft, he's going to get himself killed if he carries on like this, you saw how powerful Moriarty was when he was alive, just think about all of the failsafe options he had put in place in the event of his death. He said it himself, the only reason he kept Sherlock alive was because he completed him, I bet he made tonnes of arrangements on how to keep Sherlock busy while he was dead. So he wouldn't see it coming when someone was sent to kill him. And I can't go through that again, I won't!"

Mycroft quietly finished his tea and stood up, placed his coat on his arm and picked up his umbrella. "It's nice to see that you are still as dedicated as I John, I'll be in touch. Oh and do tell Sherlock I sent him my regards." He minced out of the café and got into the back of one of his government issue cars and was driven off. John was left in his cloud of emotions, head in hands and shivering.

"ding, ding" He recovered himself and retrieved his phone from his pocket, he had a text: "Come to Barts if your done plotting, SH" and seconds later "Bring me a sandwich and a tampon" By this point in time John had realised that it was quicker and easier if he simply complied with Sherlock's many demands without question, so he purchased a sandwich to go from the café and headed to a nearby Lloyds pharmacy, being married and the devoted husband that he was he had no qualms about buying female feminine hygiene products, though he was curious as to what possible use Sherlock could have for them, if he had a nose bleed surely he could find the appropriate apparatus within a hospital at mid-day without anyone batting an eye lid.

Still he got into a cab and was glad that his position at his local doctors surgery paid so well, seeing as he took so many cab rides when on errands for Sherlock, the thought that his wife was surprisingly less expensive than his friend sent him on a rather disturbing train of thought till the cabbie announced that they had reached their destination, or was it the sat nav? Either way he paid his fair and headed down to the mortuary.

"He's not there" Molly chimed.

"Lab six?"

"No nine, one to seven are still being refurbished, he's not pleased. Oh would you wait a second, he asked for a cup of tea, would you take it to him, I'm a bit busy." Ordinarily John would have offered to make it himself to save Molly the undermining task, the poor girl didn't deserve to be treated like that by him, nor anyone else for that matter, but he was still quite dazed from the discussion with Mycroft that he simply nodded was waited.

"Is everything alright?" Molly handed him the chipped hospital mug and smiled sweetly, she looked as though she'd been there all night and morning.

"Fine, absolutely fine, you"

"Oh you know, the usual. Terrible weather"

"Yes, yes quite terrible, awful in fact" he paused "Our heating's on the blink as well. Must remember to call an engineer, I think it's the boiler. Hot waters not as hot as it should be either"

"That won't be very good for the baby will it? Whens the due date?"

"Oh, um, June I think, mid-June, but you know what babies are like, come when their ready. Probably be just as awkward as its mother." Molly wasn't quite sure how to respond to this sudden overshare so attempted to change the subject.

"You're both settled into the flat? Well moved in I mean"

"Oh yes, everything's there, all except the heat" he gave a half laugh then straightened up "Anyway, I should be going, don't want his tea to get cold, give him something to whine about."

"Hum, bye bye" Molly nodded smiled and scurried off, reminding John of a rodent, she was certainly quiet enough and skittish, she had been another fallout last November, John couldn't remember the last time he had spoken to her 100% civilly then had a pang of guilt, after all it wasn't her fault, Sherlock had a way with people when he needed to. John stepped off the elevator and looked for the LAB009 sign, it had be a while since he had been on this floor and wasn't certain where everything was, but of course he heard Sherlock before he entered the room.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid" Sherlock was fiddling about with what looked like paper towels and toilet paper tubes.

"Ur Sherlock, what are you doing?"

"Trying to concentrate in this abominable laboratory, honestly how long does take to fix up a few rooms, it's ridiculous! And where have you been? I've been waiting for you for…" he checked the clock on the wall "45 minutes, don't you understand how important my time is? Don't just stand there give me the bag" John sighed and handed his former roommate the speedy's carrier bag. "This is Egg and cress, I don't like egg and cress, get me another one" He held out the sandwich and waited for John to take it, he did.

"You do like egg and cress Sherlock, it's all you ate when my in-laws came to the flat before I moved out, you remember hogging the plate while mentally throwing daggers at my wife?"

"No I don't, the memory has put me off them, and I honestly don't know why you bothered, she can't cook if her sandwiches are anything to go by"

"Sherlock you can't say… oh never mind I'll go to the canteen, I don't suppose you will be paying for the second sandwich?"

"Wallet's in my jacket pocket"

"You're wearing your… you know what, it doesn't matter. Drink your tea!" Sherlock watched his friend depart and reached for the remaining contents of the bag, quickly unwrapped the contents of 4 tubes and placed the tubes into identical looking beakers filled with colourless liquid with the strings dangling over the side.

"Ham and cheese alright? It's all they had without mayonnaise and in date, what on earth are you doing?"

"I'm seeing how long it would take a woman to become intoxicated during a car journey" Sherlock unwrapped the sandwich, took a bite and placed the 4 tubes on a tray

"Well normally people tend to drink it but I'm clearly missing something"

"An old friend of mine is being charged with drunk driving and I'm trying to prove that there is no way using her method that she could be over the limit in the time that it took her to drive from her home to her ex-husbands home"

"I suppose her method explains the ex-husband"

"He cheated on her so I don't see how"

"Right, hang on how do you expect to conduct the experiment, coz there's no way anyone would volunteer to insert a vodka filled tampon in their… Wait this isn't a Moriarty case?"

"We have a morgue john, and molly has supplied me with 4 beautifully fresh female corpses. And no it isn't, there are other cases you know. Moriarty's team of criminals aren't exactly going anywhere and as I said she's an old friend."

"Right well that's my cue to not follow you into the morgue, and since when did you have a friend that was a woman?"

"Fine, and since school"

"You went to an all-boys boarding school"

"I see you and Mycroft have been exchanging stories, just as I suspected really, though I would ask you not to mention my odd experience with illegal substances, but I'm sure you have already told him or you value our friendship enough to allow me some kind of secrecy with regard to my brother. Or did he offer to pay you again? In which case I expect my cut."

"Wha… Sherlock we were concerned, what else could I have done? And no I haven't told him… And no he hasn't offered to pay, though I rather wish he would if you insist on having me traipse all over London to fetch and carry everything you deem too unimportant for you to fetch yourself."

"Okay"

"Okay! Okay what?"

"If you are struggling financially John, you could always return to Baker street, if memory serves me well, which it does"

John quickly cut him off "do you really expect me to move back in? You would end up killing each other, that or I would kill myself"

"John I wasn't suggesting you move back in, I was simply suggesting that we resume working together, I have a near constant influx of cases these days and Scotland Yard pay their consultants very well if you remember. And if I was suggesting you move back in I would not extend that suggestion to her"

"Her! Sherlock, she's my wife! I couldn't just move back in with my old flatmate, shed divorce me!"

"It's interesting that that's your only excuse. If you're not coming to the morgue I suggest that you go home I could be a while, oh and if you run into Molly, tell her to come to me, I need help keeping the girls legs open, there aren't any stirrups in the morgue" John closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths and walked out of the room, he didn't want an explanation. Thankfully he did not run into Molly on his way out, even if he had he didn't think he could convey the message without wanting to jump out of the window, the thought stirred up emotions he did not want stirring up. He hadn't quite realised how cold it was till he had begun his hunt for a taxi, as he marched along the pavement, he glazed over into a trance, all he was aware of for the next hour and forty minutes was his frozen breath and the drumming of blood pulsating in his ears.

Once he realised he was home the dread of his wife set in. His mobile said 6.48pm, it was dark and he was 48 minutes late for dinner, he had forgotten the milk and TV guide and had 2 messages and a missed call from his no doubt fuming wife. Still he opened the door to the lobby and inserted his key into his front door, took in a sharp breath and walked through the door. The heat was the first thing that hit him, then the look on his wife's face hit him.

"Where the hell have you been? I've called I've texted. You were with him, weren't you? God you could at least have the decency to text me to tell me you're going to be late… John your crying, Oh my God what's happened" In an instant his angry wife had changed from the slighted wife to the doting one, she wrapped her thin arms around him and cradled his head in her chest.

"I hadn't realised I had been" John unconsciously wiped his tear sodden face with the palm of his hand and took off his coat and jacket, quickly followed by his gloves and jumper. "Who fixed the heating?" She stood, hair curly and slightly emotionally whiplashed and decided she was too tired for an argument so would pretend he was on time and she wasn't furious.

"Daddy came round, you were right, it was just one of the valves on the boiler that needed tightening, once the pressure reset itself the radiators started working"

"I can see that, it's like a sauna in here" John pulled at his collar to make his point as he sat down at the table.

"Maybe if you hadn't been gallivanting out there all day with that psychopath, you wouldn't be so cold that it felt so hot in here, it's only set to 25 degrees."

"Only" dinner was served up and the couple slipped into their routine, He washed up, she curled up on the sofa, he sat beside her with his laptop and eventually the two went to bed.