It'd been a month since I moved out of my flat & I had finally found a nice little house outside of London, just like I'd been dreaming of since I moved there. The rent had gone up & I couldn't really afford the place without a flatmate anyway. John had suggested I share with him & Sherlock but I explained to John that for his sake it would be better not to have both Sherlock & I as flatmates, as it was likely the number of things getting set on fire or destroyed in experiments would likely only increase. We'd both laughed at the thought but I could see he knew I was right. The place I found was small, only two bedrooms & one bath, but it had a large living room with a bay window looking out over the backyard garden & the front of the house was lined with a large, screened in porch.

I was standing with Sherlock on my porch & we were holding hands. He was staring at me & I watched as the sunlight play on his neck & back & the light breeze ruffled his hair. We leaned in to kiss each other & we were so absorbed in the moment we didn't notice a car pull up.

We were both suddenly alert as we heard a laugh then a gunshot ring out somewhere behind us. Sherlock spun around & I looked around him. I gasped as I saw Jim Moriarty & Sebastian Moran striding towards us. Moriarty had a look of childlike mirth on his face but Sebastian's was stony as ever. I thought briefly about the last time I had run into them (there had been several occasions). I had a short conversation with them but nothing especially malevolent.

However, I didn't have time to think about how or why they had arrived there before I was shaken out of my thoughts by several more gunshots. Sherlock grabbed my arm & dragged me to the floor as bullets peppered the wall behind us. I heard Moriarty's gleeful laughter again, much closer this time. I let out another gasp of surprise as a pistol & a box of bullets landed right near my hand. I grabbed them up quickly as I saw Sebastian toss a gun to Sherlock as well. I loaded the gun as quickly as my shaking hands would allow & wildly looked around for Moriarty. I looked around behind me just in time to see the flash of a gun & Moriarty's grinning face & jumped out of the way as a bullet flew past me. I pressed myself against the wall & fired several shots out toward him thinking vaguely that they weren't trying hardly at all to actually hit us.

It was a game.

I looked around for Sherlock & found he was now outside of the porch, trying to sneak up on Sebastian. I looked over & noticed that Moriarty had spotted Sherlock. He sent a few more shots my way then aimed towards Sherlock. I twisted around to try to get a better shot at him when I suddenly noticed Sebastian was now staring at me intently with his gun pointed dead at me. I jumped up from against the wall & sent two shots at him. I had been aiming for his shoulder but aimed too high & the bullet went through his throat instead & he collapsed with blood spurting from his neck & a spot where my other bullet had grazed his hairline. I whirled around just in time to catch Moriarty who was now staring wide-eyed at his fallen partner. My gun was nearly touching his forehead & I stared at him with blazing fury until he lowered his gun from Sherlock. Sherlock whipped around & pointed his gun at Moriarty as well.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not here to harm your little boytoy," Moriarty drawled with a smirk. Then his eyes lit up. "I just wanted a little chat with you my dear, maybe a little foreplay first. In fact, I suggest Sherlock leaves right now, wouldn't want him listening in on our private conversation."

Sherlock glared at him, not moving an inch. "I don't think you're in any position to give orders right now Jimmy boy," Sherlock smirked.

Moriarty laughed. "Oh I think you'll find that I am, my dear Sherly," he said with a Cheshire Cat grin & suddenly little red dots appeared all over our bodies. "Now, please leave so I can talk to . It's so rude to be a third wheel after all."

Sherlock shot me a worried glance. I nodded my head to affirm that he should comply. He glared back at Moriarty. "If you hurt her I will kill you Moriarty, make no mistake."

Moriarty looked positively brimming with amusement. "I wouldn't dream of it!" he said in a mock hurt tone, though he still looked amused. "Now there's a good boy, I'll let Melissa call you as soon as we're finished as long as she promises not to tell you anything."

I rolled my eyes. "It's alright Sherlock, just go," I said.

He looked at me worriedly for a moment then turned on his heel & strode off.

"You just have all the guys falling for you, don't you?" Moriarty remarked as Sherlock walked away.

"What do you mean?" I snapped.

Moriarty sat down, legs crossed on the floor of the porch. I joined him reluctantly. "He loved you, you know," he said absentmindedly after a while, gesturing to Sebastian. When I looked at him his expression was almost innocent but just underneath the softness in his eyes I could see the cruelty lurking there.

I scowled lightly at his lifeless body & nodded, complying with the relaxed expression on Moriarty's face. "Sure had a funny way of showing it," I said.

All the times I had been around Moriarty & Sebastian, he had made his passions quite clear in his own, rough way. I hadn't appreciated it at all, especially after starting a relationship with Sherlock. I briefly thought back with disdain of images of Sebastian grasping my arm roughly, dragging me into an alleyway to confess his feelings with a harsh, vulgar kiss & on the other times he'd groped me in passing. I shook my head to rid the flashbacks from my mind. I turned back to Moriarty, whose expression had turned a little more dangerous, twisted, insane. It was subtle but I couldn't mistake the malevolence there. Yet somehow I wasn't afraid, I felt almost at ease talking to him, even understanding. But not trusting, never trusting.

"So what exactly was the point of this little game?" I asked finally with simplicity.

Moriarty's eyes lit up a little. "Seems you've been spending a wee bit too much time with your consulting detective dearie, don't tell me he's starting to influence you already?" Moriarty let out a barking laugh & then settled his gaze back on me. "I have a little bit of a favor to ask of you, and now it's cost me my right-hand man I should think you'd be more than obliged to help."

I shot him a skeptical glare. "A favor? You have countless people to do your dirty work for you, why do you need me?" I said, though my voice wasn't as demanding as the question implied, still maintaining a relaxed air.

He hummed bemusedly. "True. But it wouldn't be near as much fun that way. No, It's just a simple job that needs to be done. There's good money in it but it's so dull I couldn't stand simply doing the job. So of course I decided to pay you a little visit & include you in the fun," He said, his eyes harder now but his voice still easy.

"Lucky me," I muttered. "What is it you're wanting me to do?"

Moriarty donned a gleeful expression. "A bank robbery. Simple enough..." his sweet voice trailed off for a moment & his expression turned vaguely malicious. "...If you do what I say."

I sighed. I should have known Moriarty would sweep me into his depravity sooner or later. I hadn't exactly sought it out but I definitely hadn't avoided it. This is what I get for playing chaotic neutral, I thought to myself.

When I looked back up at Moriarty he had a ravenous expression. "What exactly do I have to do then?" I spat.

"All in good time, my dear, all in good time. Wouldn't want to give away the surprise just yet would you darling?" He giggled & brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

"Fine, have it your way," I said crossing my arms & pushing his hand away.

"I always do," he replied in a low, dangerous tone.

I rolled my eyes but my muscles stiffened slightly at the coldness in his stare. It only lasted a moment though before he licked his lips & the casual grin was back in place.

"It's such a shame you waste your time with Sherlock Holmes," he said suddenly in an airy tone. "You & Sebby could have made such a dangerous duo. The way you shot him when he hesitated to shoot at you, it was downright cold."

"I didn't kill him on purpose! I was aiming for his shoulder," I said indignantly.

Moriarty hummed. "Maybe so," he considered. "But you don't seem too hurt that you shot a man stone cold dead either. You would've made a wonderful assassin with a little training."

I scoffed but I suddenly felt a surge of unease. "Look, I'll go along with your little plan, but only because I'm certain that I don't have a choice in the matter. I don't know what you're playing at making me do this but if it's to try to get me on your side you're not exactly going about it very well, it's quite unlike you I must say."

"Of course you don't have a choice. But as I said, I had a job to do & I wanted to make it more interesting so I called you out to play," said Moriarty, standing up now, brushing off his suit.

I took the hand he offered to me & stood with him. I went to walk away but realized with a tug at my arm that Moriarty hadn't let go of my hand. "I'm afraid I can't just leave you dearie," Moriarty grinned. "Wouldn't want you telling little Sherly about our game. No, you'll be staying with me for the time being."

I breathed an exasperated sigh. "Can I at least get some clothes or something?"

Moriarty shook his head happily & tugged me along, skipping down the driveway to the black BMW by the road. "Come along Sebby, we've got work to do," he said, kicking Sebastian in the ribs as we went by him.

I looked at Moriarty confused then whipped my head around when I heard "Yes boss," in Moran's low voice behind me. I let out a gasp as Sebastian Moran jumped up swiftly & followed us as if nothing had happened.

"How? But I- I saw, & you were-," I stuttered, still gaping behind me as Moriarty dragged me along. He let out a long, maniacal laugh.

Sebastian shrugged, staring at me intently. When we reached the car Moran pulled open the back door & Moriarty shoved my head down & pushed me into the car.

"Such a gentleman," I muttered sarcastically, rubbing the back of my neck.

Moran slid into the seat next to me & Moriarty threw a towel at him roughly.

"I've already had your blood cleaned off these seats three times this week, if I have to have it cleaned a fourth I'll really give them something to clean," Moriarty warned Sebastian.

"Sorry Boss," Moran said, wiping the blood that had partially dried around his neck. When I looked I realized that I hadn't hit him as directly as I thought & the bullet had merely grazed him. He had apparently just lost consciousness for a bit but had decided to wait for Moriarty & I to finish our conversation.

"Didn't think it'd be that easy to finish me off did you girl?" Moran said slyly, turning to me.

"I- I wasn't trying to, I just wanted to-," I started, but Sebastian roughly placed a finger to my lips. I simply scowled & jerked my head away.

"I don't give a fuck what you were trying to do," Sebastian said, then a smirk flitted across his face & the finger that had been on my lips traced down my neck, down the main artery, I noticed. "Besides, I like a girl who can shoot."

"Don't fuck the girl in my damn car Sebby," Moriarty said in a saccharine voice. "I already told you what happens if you mess up my seats again, you lose your head."

"Yes Boss," Moran mumbled, snatching his hand away from me.

Moriarty's eyes had a horrible coldness to them for a moment until his & Sebastian's eyes actually met & they softened a bit & his lip curled slightly as if he were about to start laughing. I watched the silent conversation curiously before Moriarty turned suddenly to me. He threw a cell phone into my lap & I picked it up gingerly.

"Go ahead & call your little pet if you must," Moriarty said lazily with a wave of his hand. Then he looked at me warningly. "But don't go ruining our fun." He giggled a little with a tilt of his head.

I nodded & dialed Sherlock's number quickly. He immediately picked up.

"Melissa?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it's me. It's ok, I'm safe," I said.

"Can you tell me where you are?" he asked knowingly.

"No, I can't," I sighed. "Honestly, you'd think he'd have better things to do than torment me."

Moriarty shot me a devious grin.

"This isn't funny, Melissa. I know you say you're not in danger but just, be careful," Sherlock replied urgently. "I've got the Yard helping to find you already."

Sure enough, I could hear the bustling of people in the background & the occasional police siren.

"I know, Sherlock, I'll be careful," I said quietly, a lump forming in my throat. "Listen, just, don't do anything rash trying to find me ok? I'm alright so just, be careful yourself."

"Obviously," Sherlock replied exasperatedly. Then he sighed. "I love you, my honeybee."

"You too, babe," I closed the phone loudly, my face felt flushed.

Moriarty caught the phone easily when I threw it at him. Then he giggled again, maniacally this time. "This is turning out to be more entertaining than I thought! You even have pet names? How sickeningly adorable! If I had known how hard Holmes had fallen for his little "honeybee" I would have done more to up the ante. I'll have to take this into account." He seemed to be buzzing with excitement. "Even got the Yard involved already. You really are making this too easy."

I felt my cheeks grow hot & I glared at him. "Look, all I want is to get this sick fucking game of yours over with."

"Oh don't be so dull, my dear," he cooed soothingly, reaching out to stroke my hair. "Besides," he grabbed my hair where he'd be stroking it & pulled me towards him. "The fun is just beginning."

I sighed & resigned myself to looking out the window, though they had been tinted so darkly I couldn't make out much even in the bright sunlight. When we finally stopped Sebastian grabbed me & pulled me to him & tied a silk blindfold tightly over my eyes. When he was satisfied that I couldn't see he dragged me out of the car. He tried to simply guide me with a sinewy hand on my back & shoulder to our destination but after I tripped over a curb & then a step he picked me up & slung me over his shoulder. I let out an exasperated sigh at that, which seemed to amuse Moriarty, for I heard him laugh not far from me.

"That's not really necessary you know," I said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Moran replied, hoisting me with a lurch further onto his shoulder.

I wondered vaguely how Moran was managing to carry me up the stairs we were now ascending with fresh bullet wounds in his neck & scalp. I don't wonder long, however, for the hand that had been tightly gripping the back of my knee was now snaking its way up to wrap itself around my inner thigh. I tried to wiggle away a bit but Sebastian just laughed & shoved his hand further up my leg. Luckily, I soon heard a jiggling of keys & the opening of a door. Not long after that I felt myself get thrown onto a gloriously soft couch. The material seemed to be a mixture of plush & velvet. A moment later the blindfold was yanked unceremoniously from my eyes.

The room was of a very modern architecture with large square windows with black frames & were covered by heavy red curtains & the floor was recently waxed cherry wood. It was a sparsely decorated room with only a couch, a couple armchairs & a low, long coffee table. The furniture though had an antique, Victorian quality to it that gave the room a partially vintage look. The couch I had been dropped onto was a deep crimson & was indeed a lush velvet. The frame of it was some dark, intricately designed wood. The intriguing contrast between the modern, minimalist design of the room & the warm, delicate furniture was disconcerting yet lovely. I simply stared around the room in awe for a few minutes before Jim Moriarty dropped down heavily in a spindly armchair beside me.

"Like it?" he asked with a grin.

I nodded. "You definitely have an interesting sense of style," I said slowly. "Reminds me a bit of my own place actually."

A smile flashed over Jim's face. "I noticed," he said simply.

"You didn't do this on purpose did you?" I asked, looking at him strangely.

He laughed. "No, hardly," he said. "I did notice our similar taste though. Oh, what I'm sure you could do with a budget like mine instead of that of a musician."

I shrugged. "It suits me well enough," I said. "I do love this though. Is this where I'll be staying?"

"I'll be on the floor above this one," he replied with a nod.

"What is this floor for?" I asked.

"Guests," he said curtly. "Most recently one Irene Adler."

My breath caught in my throat. I had heard about her death. Seeing the look on my face Moriarty laughed softly for a good while.

"I won't kill you," he said smirking. "As long as you, obey."

"That's a relief," I said sarcastically. "You still haven't told me exactly what I'm doing yet."

"Of course not, my dear," Moriarty said in a disconcertingly cheerful voice. "I wouldn't risk you finding some way to contact your little hound doggy to track me down." He shot me a cold look.

"To be honest, I'm still more curious than anything at this point. I'm in no rush to leave really," I said casually.

Moriarty perked up at this. "I'd counted on that. Curiosity killed the cat though you know, darling."

"Only the domesticated one," I smirked.

Moriarty laughed. "Clever! But what would poor Sherlock Holmes think about his dear honeybee practically willingly taking part in all this?" he remarked in a melodic tone.

"He already knew about my dealings with you before. He knows where my loyalty lies though," I said.

Moriarty looked annoyed. "Loyalty, how quaint. Just when I start to think you might be interesting you go & change my mind again," he pouted.

"Doesn't take much to do that though," I remarked.

"No, but what's the point in being consistent? Where's the fun in that?" he retorted with an odd smile.

I shrugged in agreement. "Fair point," I said. "So anyway, I'll be staying on this floor all by myself?"

"Mmm, no, couldn't trust you that far," Moriarty said lazily. "Sebby's going to be keeping you company."

I sighed. "Fuck, that's lovely. I'm guessing it'd be a moot point to ask that you tell Sebastian not to touch me," I complained.

"Not entirely," Moriarty mused. "Like I said, as long as you obey, I'll make sure Seb keeps his distance, maybe. Then again it could be fun."

In spite of my annoyance at that I couldn't help but smirk a little. The situation almost struck me as absurd.

"Well I really must be off now, work to be done yet my dear," Moriarty remarked energetically, leaping out of his chair. "Do let Seb know if you need anything," he added with an odd smirk & a wave of his hand. He bounced a little on the balls of his feet before turning quickly & striding out the door.

When the door closed behind him I laughed a little & pressed my hands to my face, staring up at the ceiling. I was still in disbelief at what I'd gotten myself into. After a moment I remembered that Sebastian Moran had perched himself on a chair near Moriarty, silent again as before. I glanced at him uneasily, not exactly sure whether I should talk to him. For some reason I never knew what to say to Sebastian.

"How's your neck?" I asked, noticing it was still bleeding a little.

He wiped the blood hastily away from his neck as though he'd just noticed it flowing down to his collarbone. "Oh don't fucking play nice like you give a shit," he said sarcastically.

"I'm not- ," I huffed. "I'm not 'playing nice', I didn't mean to shoot you, I just didn't want you to shoot me," I said defensively.

Sebastian walked into the kitchen & pulled out a first aid kit. He applied some alcohol to the wound & wrapped a bit of gauze around it. "This isn't Sherlock fucking Holmes you're talking to you know. You wanted to shoot me. I know that look. You wanted to cause me harm. Maybe not kill me but you still got what you wanted didn't you?" Sebastian looked at me intently with an intense, unwavering stare.

I looked down at my feet & swallowed nervously, not knowing what to say again. "Yeah, maybe I did," I said quietly, looking up at him with a hard expression.

He gave a satisfied smirk at that.

I glared at my feet again. I was about to reply to Sebastian's smirk when the door burst open again. Moriarty stalked into the room, hands in his pockets.

"Changed my mind," he explained cheerfully. "Thought we should go have dinner."

"Dinner? Why?" I asked suspiciously, sitting up a bit.

The criminal laughed. "Let's just say I think you'll find it, beneficial. And if you're done flirting with Sebby you'll find clothes in your bedroom down the hall," he said promptly, then his expression turned somewhat cold but a smile still played across his face. "You'll be ready soon won't you?"

"Yes sir," I said sarcastically.

His expression didn't falter & he turned & skipped out of the room again.

I rolled my eyes & got up & made my way down the hall. "Which bedroom is mine?" I shouted to Sebastian, staring at the two doors next to each other.

"First one," he replied.

I nodded & opened the door. It wasn't an especially large room I found myself in but it had an ornate charm. There was a queen sized bed in the corner near a large window with flowing champagne colored curtains. The bed had a frame similar to that of the couch in the living room & the bedspread had a paisley pattern that went with the curtains. There was a delicate ice blue armchair near the door & a small wooden chair next to it. Most of the furniture in the room was a cream or champagne color with scatterings of that same ice blue. There was also a beautiful dresser with mirror on top & a lovely chair in the same dark brown wood. There was a full length mirror in the corner with a frame a similar type of wood but somewhat lighter.

Despite the harmony of the room, suggesting attention to detail, there was a lack of personality to it, much like something you'd see in a furniture catalog. I made my way to a closet door next to the mirror. When I pulled the door open I was a little taken aback at the sight. I was sure that the amount of clothes in this closet was double the amount I'd owned in my whole life. And they were all rich, beautiful fabrics in a wide array of colors & styles. I questioned to myself why there would be so many clothes of such expensive taste in a guest bedroom. I wondered suddenly if these had been Adler's clothes but cast the thought from my mind as I examined the clothes, realizing they were in many sizes. The thought confused me even more though, as I wondered how often Moriarty did this sort of thing.

I sighed & picked out a black blouse with a red overcoat & a flowing, asymmetrical skirt, just barely knee-length. I sat down at the dresser & flicked on a little light next to the mirror. I opened one of the drawers to discover it was filled with all kinds of make-up. I took out a tube of lipstick & some blush & applied a bit of it lightly. As I did I wondered how formal wherever we were going was going to be. I wiped off the lipstick, figuring it would be better to appear a little more casual since I had no clue what Moriarty had in store. I sighed & slipped on a pair of elegant looking flats I'd found in the closet. I walked out into the living room again where Sebastian was sprawled across the couch, flicking through a hunting magazine.

"You're not going?" I asked, noticing he was still wearing the white wife-beater & jeans.

Sebastian shrugged, not looking up from his magazine. "Probably."

"Oh. Well I figured you would have changed considering there's blood all over your clothes," I laughed.

Sebastian simply glanced down at his clothes & shrugged again.

I shook my head & sat down casually in an armchair. I didn't have to wait too long after that before Moriarty walked into the room again.

"Good thing you didn't keep me waiting, I do hate waiting," he remarked, flashing me a threatening smile.

"Yeah I figured."

"Not coming Sebby darling?" he asked Sebastian, ignoring my reply.

"Do you need me to Boss?" Sebastian set down his magazine finally.

"Hmmm, not this time my dear. But do get yourself cleaned up. As much as I enjoy seeing you covered in blood I do have a little job for you while daddy's away & you'll need to look professional," Moriarty said, his eyes glinting with excitement.

Sebastian nodded. "Sure thing sir," he said standing up.

Moriarty walked over to him & handed him a crisp, white sheet of paper that had been folded perfectly once. As Moran took the paper Moriarty's hand brushed his in a way that was clearly meant to be sensual, though it didn't show on either of their faces. Moran opened the paper & read it quickly. He glanced up at Moriarty with a half nod then turned on his heel & walked down the hallway & through the door next to mine. I looked confusedly at Moriarty who seemed amused at my expression. He said nothing however & simply offered his arm which I took gingerly in my own. He half pulled me down the steps & when we neared the bottom he slid the silk blindfold out of his pocket again. I sighed as he tied it around my eyes.

"This again?" I asked crossly. "I'm certain you're aware I'm not going to tell anyone where I'm at, I probably could've figured it out by now if I really wanted to. Wouldn't want to spoil your fun & all that."

"You're spoiling it now," he observed coolly.

"Of course I am."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit you know," Moriarty retorted in a sing-song voice as we stepped into a waiting car.

"Yes, but it's easier to simply be sarcastic in a situation like this I think," I smirked. "Is it annoying you?"

"Greatly," he replied, removing the blindfold once again.

"Fine, I'll try to tone it down," I said rolling my eyes. "Where is it we're going anyway?"

Moriarty smiled at this. "We're going to see a who's the manager of a certain bank," he hinted playfully, nudging me in the side a little. "And from now on you're my date." He draped his arm over my shoulders.

I bit my tongue to hold back a sarcastic remark & simply smiled at him & nodded.

He gave a smug smile. "You are training up to be a good little pet, behaving just for me," he mocked.

"Not for you, I'm just really curious to see how this turns out," I objected in an annoyed tone.

"You'll find out soon enough dearie. Good things come to those who wait," he replied in the same mocking voice.

"I'm sure the result won't be 'good' but I still want to know," I replied pointedly.

Moriarty smiled & traced his fingers slowly along my shoulder. I shivered even though his fingers were only touching the jacket I was wearing. I felt a sudden surge of unease wash over me & I tried to stare out the window. Something about being stuck in a car with Moriarty made me nervous, yet not all together bad. It edged on excitement almost. Or was it excitement? The thought was pushed from my mind & I felt another surge of unease as Jim Moriarty pushed back the coat a little & caressed my neck with his oddly soft fingers. I glanced over at him & saw he was looking straight ahead & with a grin that didn't quite meet his eyes. I didn't edge away from him, knowing he wanted me to react to his fingers stroking my neck. I sat quietly & continued trying to stare out the window the rest of the way.

"Well that was an easy way to get you to shut up," Moriarty commented as the car stopped finally.

I opened my mouth in surprise & anger, trying to find a witty retort, but closed it again when I couldn't think of anything.

The criminal laughed & ran a finger up my neck to my chin, using it to forcefully turn my face towards his. "You've underestimated me, my dear," he said softly, his eyes cold.

I glared at him as he led me through the door of an expensive looking restaurant, the name of which I didn't have time to catch. The place was quiet & cozy, reminiscent of a cigar or hookah lounge. There were few tables in the middle of the room & large, cavernous booths lining the walls. I assumed that this place was largely used for business, thus the seclusion of the seating arrangements. Jim Moriarty stepped away from me to have a brief conversation with the Maitre d'. After another moment a waiter was called over to them. I walked to where Jim was standing & he lead me with a hand on the small of my back to a booth on the back wall of the restaurant in step with the waiter, rather than following behind him. At that moment I was very aware that this was all likely a regular occurrence for Jim Moriarty. I felt as though I had been swept in from the tide into some peculiar place; I'd fallen down the rabbit hole. I suddenly looked around me at the men & women in suits & business attire & at Moriarty dressed in an elegant Westwood & I felt even more out of place. He must have felt the tension in my back or the hesitation in my step for he turned to me & gave me what appeared to be a genuine smile. That did nothing to calm my nerves however & in fact I couldn't help but laugh softly at the look of confusion I must have given him.

When we finally reached our table I looked at the man we had come to meet. He was an older, portly gentleman, though not all together out of shape. He wore thin, frame less glasses & had grey hair, though he couldn't have been more than in his early 40s. I also noticed as I shook his hand how unusually rough they were for a bank manager. Jim & I sat down across from him & I observed that he had a kind face but shrewd eyes. I studied Wesley, as he had introduced himself, with interest until a waitress brought us all menus. Considering the amount of strangeness that had occurred I found myself unsurprisingly without an appetite so I ordered a Caesar salad & a glass of wine. attempted to persuade me to order more, assuming that what I had ordered was a reflection on some insecurity about my weight. I laughed & lied that I'd already eaten earlier even though all I'd actually had that day was my usual two cups of coffee. We all chatted lightly while we waited for our food & when it came the conversation turned towards business. Moriarty was posing as a potential client of the bank, something that greatly interested due to Jim Moriarty's large income.

"You're a bright young lad, I can tell that," said cheerfully, waving a fork at Moriarty. "You're doing the right thing coming to our bank to invest. A smart move indeed, m'boy."

"Thank you sir, I've heard great things about it," Moriarty replied jovially. "Forgive me if this seems rude but, do you often have clients, like myself?" The sheepish look on Moriarty's face was so amusing I had to force myself to stare down at my salad to keep from laughing. I was also partially amazed at his transformation into the charming, yet shy philanthropist I saw before me with the soft brown eyes instead of the cold, hard ones.

The banker hesitated in confusion. "Oh, you mean as wealthy as you?" he laughed. "Yes, we have plenty of clients of the same status as yourself, no need to worry about that."

Jim sighed in relief. "I told you there was nothing to worry about darling," he said sweetly, turning to me with a warm smile, laying his hand on mine.

"Of course, you're always right dear," I replied just as sweetly, though having been a little thrown off by the sudden inclusion in the conversation.

He took my hand & rose it to his lips, kissing it softly while his eyes were fixed on my intently. I must have shown some sign of nervousness at this gesture for I noticed the coldness return to his eyes momentarily. He turned back to , who didn't seem to have noticed anything odd.

"What a lovely couple," he smiled. "By the way, I'd like to hear a little more about you , if you don't mind."

"Not at all, & please, it's Abigail," I cooed.

"Very well," chortled. "Are you looking to open an account with us as well?"

"Yes, I think that would be wonderful," I said after a glance at Moriarty.

"Excellent, excellent," nodded approvingly as we nearly finished our meals. "And could we possibly be expecting a joint account from you & James here?"

I looked at Moriarty, unsure what to say.

He smiled broadly. "I should hope so but I'm not sure if Abigail & I are ready to be thinking that far ahead yet."

"Naturally, don't want to rush things of course," replied . "Now , is there some reason you should be doubting our bank as James mentioned earlier?"

I laughed. "Oh not particularly, I just had never heard of your bank before & I wasn't sure how safe it was security wise I suppose," I said this casually but I could tell that thought it an out of place thing to say for he crooked his head slightly. "Just my worrying nature, I do have a terrible habit of it," I added quickly.

cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I can assure you our security is top notch, nothing to worry about there," he smiled a little uncomfortably.

I glanced at Moriarty whose expression was just as pleasant as before. "That's just what I told her ," Moriarty said, shaking his head bemusedly. "Abby does love to fret over the silliest things." He squeezed my hand with a smile.

I laughed softly.

"Quite alright my dear, happens to the best of us," joked as the bill was brought around to us. "Now what to do you say to taking this matter to the office, if you're serious about becoming clients of course?"

"We'd be delighted!" Jim Moriarty assured happily, taking up the bill & promptly paying for the meal.

"Wonderful! I have a car outside for us," said enthusiastically.

As we all stood & left the restaurant I thought briefly about how glad I was that I wouldn't be alone in a car with Moriarty again for now, especially after momentarily arousing 's suspicions. I noticed as we walked that Moriarty was gripping my hand much harder than necessary. I winced slightly & tried to remove my hand from his grasp but he only squeezed it tighter. When we stepped out into the cool London air a white car pulled up silently next to us. opened the door & ushered us inside it. I was glad to actually be able to stare out the window to distract myself while Moriarty & chatted casually.

"Something wrong Abigail?" said suddenly, shaking me from my thoughts.

I laughed. "No, no, I just love the way London looks just before sunset, don't you?" I said with a hint of unease, but I managed a genuine smile.

"Oh yes, quite lovely," noted, his face still showing some concern.

Moriarty squeezed my hand tightly again & I smiled more sweetly, despite the pain shooting from my hand. After that I joined in the conversation politely, making small talk about my fabricated relationship with Jim Moriarty.

Finally we arrived at the bank & showed us inside. It was a very large place, the architecture made to resemble that of a Greek temple with a mixture of Gothic architecture. I scowled at the Greek columns lining the walls as led us to the opposite end of the room through a plain looking hunter green door. The door opened into a cramped little hallway with a dark green & gold carpet & eggshell walls. We walked silently down the hallway until we reached a door emblazoned in gold with "Brandon Wesley" & in smaller letters "Bank Manager". Mr. Wesley's office was a large one. It had two windows on the right wall, the heavy green curtains now shut, two large house plants in the corners furthest from a large mahogany desk. The desk was neatly organized & surrounded by a leather desk chair, two smaller leather chairs in front of it, & a grey filing cabinet behind it in the left corner that looked somewhat out of place. To the right, in between the two windows was a smaller wooden table on which sat several stacks of papers in various colors. I noticed as we sat down in the chairs around the desk that the ceiling was rather low for how large the office was.

"She is a distracted one, isn't she James?" said, noticing me looking about the room.

Moriarty smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I have somewhat of an interest in architecture is all. This room has some interesting features," I said cheerfully. "Is this bank very old?"

"Quite recent actually, only been here 20 years," replied with a smile.

"I thought so," I said pensively. "Fascinating."

"Along those lines , I was wondering what you could tell us about the bank's history?" Moriarty interjected. "I'd love to know any information regarding the bank itself & some of its clients, if that's alright. I don't like to make investments of any sort without knowing exactly what I'm getting into," he smiled mischievously. "You should have seen when I met Abby's parents."

We all laughed, though I was distinctly beginning to feel a slight twinge of sickness from the whole ordeal.

"Well , I could run upstairs & get a few documents about the bank's history from , won't take but a moment," said smiling broadly.

"I think that would be sufficient, if it's not a bother of course," Moriarty replied.

"Oh not at all m'boy, you two wait right here & I'll just pop upstairs & get those documents," hopped up from his desk & walked out the door.

I watched the door close behind him then glanced over at Moriarty who had been watching the door as well. Jim crooked his head towards me & his lips curled into a sneer. His eyes were the coldest I had yet seen them, yet I didn't avoid his glare. I stared defiantly back at him.

"Oh come on, you're not mad about that little slip up are you? It was fine, he barely noticed," I said in protest to his glaring.

Moriarty stood up & walked slowly to stand in front of me. He put his hands in his pockets & leaned forward, an inch from my face. "All you had to do was sit there & be quiet," he whispered.

"Well I was just trying to help, & I couldn't just sit there & say nothing the entire time," I said, not nearly with the confidence of before.

Moriarty laughed quietly. Suddenly he dumped me out of the chair onto the floor. Before I could get up he straddled me, pinning me to the floor with his hips.

"You are not here to do my job," Moriarty said sweetly, absentmindedly pushing my skirt up with both hands. "You are here," he pressed a hand to me through my lace underwear. "To look pretty," he grinned & shoved two fingers into me roughly. "And shut the fuck up," he growled & started fingering me roughly while I tried to suppress my pained moans. "If you slip up like that again," he leaned forward, biting my lip just short of making it bleed. "I might just have to call Sherly out to play. Do you think he'd mind if I played a little rough?" he shoved a third finger in me & I cried out, making him laugh.

"If you, hurt him I'll-" I breathed.

Moriarty giggled & fingered me rougher. "Oh, you'll what exactly? I seem to have you in quite a compromising position already, my dear," the amusement fell from his face & those black eyes stared into mine intensely. "Just don't fuck up again." The air left my lungs at those words & the room seemed to grow cold from the tone with which he said them.

I winced & bit my lip & nodded, my eyes watering from the pain of him fingering me so roughly. Seeing the defeated look on my face he gave a satisfied grin & pulled his fingers slowly out of me. I let out a sigh of relief as he stood up & I pushed myself carefully to my feet, adjusting my skirt & underwear with an annoyed air. I almost laughed when Moriarty took a tissue out of his suit pocket & wiped his fingers off then used the hand sanitizer on 's desk, but the cold expression still on his face made me stop. I bit my lip again, this time noticing the pain from where Jim had bit it. I huffed & sat down heavily in my chair, folding my arms.

"Do sit up straight, it's so, unprofessional to slouch like that," Moriarty said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes but attempted to look more put together. Jim resumed his spot in his chair & crossed his legs, grinning with satisfaction again. At that moment walked in the door looking somewhat flustered. Jim Moriarty smiled politely & I followed suit, running a hand through my hair to make sure it wasn't messed up.

"Took a little searching but here you are," smiled, handing Jim the documents. "Everything you want to know should be there, if not feel free to call us with any questions you have."

"I most certainly will," Jim said pleasantly. "Would it be alright for us to schedule another meeting here tomorrow after I've given these a look over?"

"Absolutely! Did you have a time in mind?"

"Oh sometime tomorrow afternoon would be fine," Moriarty replied casually.

"How's three?" asked

"Perfect," Jim smiled. "Abagail & I will be here."

"Do you have anymore questions while you're here?"

"Well if you could just give a quick tour of the place that would be wonderful," Jim said.

"Certainly, certainly, I was about to suggest it myself," said with a broad smile.

He lead us out of the room & we all walked down the hallway through the door we had entered earlier. When we were back at the front of the bank walked proudly with us past the front desk & through another door. This door lead to a wide hallway with a large number of doors along its walls. Each door had a window with a title underneath it for the different departments. puffed up with pride as he jovially explained each door. Finally at the end of the hall was a big, ornate looking wooden door.

"Would you like to see the vaults?" asked, his hand on the gilded door nob.

We nodded & he opened the door. The room we stood in was simply put, large. It had a high, vaulted ceiling, with massive desks scattered around the center of the room. On the furthest wall were impressive silver vault doors with huge bronze locks & next to them was a caged door leading to the smaller safes & deposit boxes. Moriarty walked over & began studying the vaults with a look of deep interest while I continued to gaze in wonder around the room. It made me feel small to stand in the vast room but as I glanced at Jim he seemed completely unaffected & I could tell he was too busy thinking to even notice the room.

"Rather impressive eh?" remarked, chortling at the look of awe on my face.

"Yeah, definitely," I muttered, staring up at the ceiling.

When I looked back at Moriarty I became intensely interested in wondering what he was thinking about so hard. I had an idea, of course, & I knew it had something to do with me, but the details I couldn't yet figure out. Moriarty being as twisted as he was, it was unlikely to be anything simple. I suddenly felt that same unease creep over me again as I watched him & before I realized it I had taken a couple steps back away from him. hadn't noticed my sudden distress however & I saw him walked over & engage Moriarty in conversation. Moriarty's expression had changed from the cold, calculating one to a warm, friendly one in way that it seemed absurd that shouldn't notice. hadn't noticed it though & he talked animatedly with Jim for quite a while until they finally made their way towards me.

"I'm very much looking forward to seeing you both here tomorrow," said, ringing Moriarty's hand.

"Can't wait," I said cheerfully as turned to shake my hand as well.

He lead us back out of the room & down the hall into the main room of the bank. He waved goodbye to us again as we walked out the door into the cold night air. The familiar black car pulled up & we got into it again.

Meanwhile the Scotland Yard was busy as a beehive & at the center of it was Sherlock Holmes & Greg Lestrade. It had been four hours since Moriarty had kidnapped Melissa & they had found out little in the way of finding her. Sherlock had taken to nervously pacing Lestrade's office, while Lestrade was at his desk on the phone.

"-I don't care! You do realize a girl's life is at stake here? Fine, yes, just, do something! Jesus Anderson, I don't need to tell you how to do your job!" Lestrade shouted into the receiver. He hung up angrily then let out a resigned sigh & leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his face.

Sherlock stopped pacing momentarily & looked up at Lestrade expectantly. Lestrade looked up at him & shook his head frustratedly. Sherlock rolled up the sleeve of his shirt & pulled a nicotine patch out of his pocket & stuck it onto his forearm beside four others.

"Do you have any more of those?" Lestrade asked.

Sherlock tossed him one, which he caught without looking.

"Have they tried tracing her mobile again?" Sherlock asked as he started pacing again.

"Yes, Sherlock, they don't know what happened to it. You searched her house yourself for it," Lestrade replied once he'd placed the patch on his arm.

"I know, I know, I just don't know what else to do. He & Moran arrived in a black BMW, they'd obviously both been out in the sun a good deal that day. The last I saw of them was Moran unconscious & his boots had mud on the top that matched mud that had splashed on the tires of the car. It was such a common mud though, there's a dozens areas it could have been found. So let's see, they had been somewhere where it had been bright out most of the day but then it had rained recently enough for them to not bother cleaning the mud from- oh. Of course," Sherlock sat down & looked up at the ceiling, bringing his hands up & steepling his fingers underneath his chin.

"What? You know where they are?" Lestrade leaned forward & looked at him seriously.

"Possibly," Sherlock said thoughtfully. "When John gets back he & I will have some investigating to do, but it's possible."

"What did you figure out?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

Moriarty smiled. "Hmmm, a few things," he said coyly.

"I noticed you thinking pretty hard when we were in the vault room," I remarked.

"Oh yes, that. Merely making a few calculations," he replied. "Being a math major can be so useful."

"Wish I were better at it," I huffed. "I couldn't do algebra to save my life."

Moriarty raised an eyebrow.

"No, it was just an expression, not a challenge," I said hurriedly.

He laughed. "Shame, we could've had such fun with it. You'd learn math in no time then," he mocked.

"Well, as effective a teaching method as that might be, I'd prefer if we didn't try it," I said nervously.

Jim rolled his eyes. "Oh don't be such a baby. You're going to die eventually anyway. And as long as you pay attention you wouldn't have anything to worry about. Just learn quickly," he said with an odd emphasis on the last sentence.

I glared at him. "Why not test your theory out on Sebastian? I'm sure he'd be a more suitable candidate," I suggested.

"Honestly, I thought you'd be more fun than this. You're boring just like everyone else, so worried about their precious lives," he whined, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well I think I've been handling this a lot better than most would. Most people would be freaking out, begging you to let them go or something. But you know that my curiosity's got the best of me & I know you're using that to your advantage. And I don't mind," I said, a little surprised at my own words.

"I can see why Sherlock likes you," Moriarty said in an amused tone. "You are a clever little bird. However, just because you realize that I'm using you doesn't make you any better than the ones that get used without ever knowing it."

"Well it's not as though I'd have much choice either way. I can either go along with your plans & watch them unfold with interest, or you could drag me along behind you kicking & screaming. I simply prefer the former," I reasoned.

Moriarty laughed a harsh, cold laugh. "Good. very good. At least you're keeping up," he said with mock praise.

I pursed my lips & glared at him again. I was about to retort when the car finally stopped & I let out a resigned sigh as Moriarty pulled out the blindfold again. I turned & he tied it around my eyes then helped me out of the car.

"I see the animal is getting used to its cage," he whispered as he lead me up the stairs.

"Very funny," I said, trying not to trip. "I prefer to look at it as Alice getting used to Wonderland. Much less cliche."

Moriarty laughed coldly again & I felt his hand trace slowly up my spine, making me shiver. When we finally reached the top of the stairs I heard him unlock the door & he pushed me into the room. He removed the blindfold & shoved it back in his pocket.

"Need that for later do you?" I asked sarcastically.

Moriarty raised his eyebrow again & flashed me a dangerous look.

"Forgot about the sarcasm, sorry," I muttered angrily.

Moriarty gave a grin of satisfaction. "Now do get some sleep, we've got a big day tomorrow," Moriarty said with an almost giddy air.

"Of course," I swallowed to hold back a sarcastic comment again. "I'll try," I sighed.

Jim flashed me another grin then walked out & closed the door in one swift movement. I groaned in frustration & flopped down onto the couch. I was partially frustrated that I was in such a mad situation but also frustrated with myself for seeming to enjoy it. Maybe not enjoy it perhaps, but I was intrigued by it.

I wondered if this was why Moriarty had brought me here in the first place. He probably knew all about the inner turmoil I was experiencing & was doing all this to see how much he could fuck with my head. In all honesty I thought though, he was probably just as interested in seeing the effect my kidnapping was having on Sherlock. Surely, Sherlock was either doing all he could to find me or trying to keep his cool as much as possible. Either way that would be of interest to Jim Moriarty.

I buried my face in my hands at the thought of how stupid this whole situation made me feel. No matter what I or Sherlock did it would be an advantage to Jim Moriarty. Anything to keep the consulting criminal from being /bored/, after all. I removed my hands from my face & took a deep breath, deciding it wasn't worth stressing myself out trying to over-analyze the situation if no matter what Moriarty would always have the upper-hand. Besides, I figured, Moriarty assuredly had some sort of surveillance installed in the flat so moping about wasn't going to do me any good in that case.

I went into the kitchen to see if there was any tea & was delighted to find a box of Earl Grey, my favorite, sitting in a pantry amid a vast assortment of other teas & coffees. When I grabbed the box I smiled, noticing my favorite type of coffee as well, Kona, & resolved to try it first thing in the morning. I would have thought that those were placed there on purpose if it weren't for the fact that there was nothing exceptional about my choices. Kona was rather expensive yes, but that made it seem even more fitting. I was just glad at the moment that if I was stuck in such a mad house I could at least do it with relative comfort.

Once I made my tea I walked over to a bookshelf I hadn't noticed before in the corner. I scanned it with little interest as it was filled with mostly romance novels (I wondered how sophisticated Moriarty's female guests really were by this selection) but towards the bottom of the shelf was a small collection of books on various philosophy. I picked out one at random that turned out to be by Aristotle & sat down on a chair & flicked through it, sipping my tea all the while. It was dry reading but it still held some interest so I read for an hour or two, having to stop every now & then to make a fresh cup of tea. I had finished several chapters & was considering going to bed when Moran came in barefoot, clothes once again stained with blood, though clearly not his own this time, judging by the splattering.

"What happened to your boots?" I asked, looking up from my book.

"They were soaked in blood, didn't want to track it inside so I left them in the hall," Moran shrugged, heading towards the bathroom.

"I don't suppose it would do me any good to inquire as to how you got so covered in blood in the first place, would it?" I asked loudly, looking over my shoulder. "I mean, you just shoot people don't you? No real contact generally right?"

I heard water running in the bathroom. "No, it wouldn't do any good. Let's just call it a happy accident," Moran replied, his voice echoing slightly from the bathroom.

I looked at the door perplexedly then shook my head & turned back to my book. "Fine, don't tell me," I joked.

I heard the shower in the bathroom start up shortly after & I figured I'd have time to make one more cup of tea before bed so I set my book down again & headed into the kitchen. I hadn't even finished making a cup, however, when I heard the shower shut off. Sebastian walked out a moment later with a towel wrapped around his waist. I didn't react to the sight except for a slight smirk.

"That was fast," I said casually. "Do you want some tea?"

I glanced up in time to see a flicker of what looked like disappointment on his face at my lack of reaction to his mostly naked body. He walked into the kitchen & leaned upon the bar counter, staring at me intensely. "A cuppa sounds good, thanks," he said with a friendly smile.

I barely suppressed a snort. I couldn't believe Sebastian was actually trying to be charming. I wondered if this was some suggestion from Jim as I made a second cup of tea for him. He must have noticed his act wasn't working, for when I turned back to him his typical serious facade was back in place.

"You didn't really think that would work did you?" I remarked, handing him the tea cup.

"It was worth a shot," he said, taking a large gulp of the tea. "Besides, Jim won't let me use my usual methods, otherwise I'd be fucking you on the floor right now."

"Oh, he did talk to you about that then? I didn't think he would," I said coolly, trying to ignore the last part.

"He said he didn't want me causing you to find some way to contact Holmes. He knows you're partially with us right now," Moran explained.

I nodded. "Yes, well, I hate to say it but if I hadn't met Sherlock it's likely I'd be a full participant," I said in an uneasy tone. "Not like I have to tell you this though, you're a sharp judge of character."

"Knowing how people will react is part of my business," he said blankly.

I drained my tea & set it in the sink. "Well, goodnight then, big day tomorrow right?" I said with a half smile.

Sebastian said nothing & I walked past him silently & made my way to my room. I made sure the door was locked securely before changing into a pair of chocolate colored silk pajamas I found in the closet. I turned the light out & wandered over to the bed. The blankets were much softer than they appeared I realized once I was under them. Despite how comfortable the bed was, however, my mind was still reeling & I laid there in the darkness thinking for a long time before drifting finally into an uneasy sleep.

I could have sworn that once or twice I awoke to the sound of the lock being picked but being only half conscious I couldn't be sure I'd actually heard anything. Besides that, my dreams were a jumbled mess of pictures & sounds flashing through my mind. Jim Moriarty's maniacal laugh ringing out, his twisted sneer, at one point I even envisioned Sebastian standing over me, watching me with some concern in the darkness.

When I woke with tinges of morning light just seeping in through the sheer curtains it was to find that I had tangled & re-tangled the blankets in my sleep from tossing & turning. I sat up & looked around for a few moments, trying to remember exactly where I was. Then I groaned & threw the rest of the blanket that had still managed to stay on me aside & walked over to the closet. I slipped on a dressing gown to match the pajamas & tip-toed out into the hall.

I walked into the bathroom, which was small & covered in stark white tile lined with black walnut molding. I went to the sink & opened up the mirror that doubled as a cabinet to find an array of toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, soap, & several kinds of pills. I picked out a green toothbrush & a berry flavored toothpaste.

When I finished brushing my teeth & hair (there were several types of hairbrushes under the sink as well) & washing my face I walked sleepily into the kitchen. I yawned while starting a pot of the Kona coffee I'd spotted the night before. I turned around to lean against the bar while waiting for the coffee & noticed Sebastian was already awake, sprawled lazily on the couch cleaning an old looking pistol. I noticed with interest the focused, loving attention he paid to the gun as he cleaned it & amused myself with the idea that Sebastian likely loved his guns more than he loved people.

When he realized I was watching him he simply stared at me defiantly, as if daring me to say anything. I didn't, however, since I was sure I'd given the same look to my guitars many times. Instead I returned the glare with an understanding smile, which seemed to soften the glare slightly, then turned to pour myself a cup of coffee.

After fixing myself a cup of coffee I strode over to the armchair Jim had been sitting in the day before & sat down, tugging the dressing gown with a flourish around me as I did. Sebastian set his gun gently down on the table & looked at me expectantly as I sipped my coffee with a slight smirk.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"You always have something to say," he remarked sarcastically.

"Actually, I wasn't going to say anything," I said bemusedly. "I get it, you like your guns, you're proud of them, I feel the same way about my guitars."

Sebastian rolled his eyes & picked up his gun & returned to cleaning it, though looking slightly more annoyed than before, but I could tell he was also somewhat glad that I understood.

"So what kind of gun is that? What's it best for?" I asked interestedly, holding my coffee mug close to my face & letting the steam from it warm my nose & lips.

Sebastian gave me surprised, almost suspicious look, as though he were trying to detect a hint of sarcasm on my face. Having satisfied myself that I was serious he looked back to the gun. "This is a Luger P08 Pistol," he said, holding it up a little so I could see it better. "it's a toggle-locked, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol that was used by the German army in WWI."

I perked up a little at this. "Really? I've always found World War I fascinating. Where did you get a gun like that?" I leaned forward a bit.

Sebastian smiled a little & I could tell that obviously he didn't get the chance to discuss his passion with other people often. "I stole it," he said with a smirk. "I was on a job in New Zealand where some Nazi bastard was hiding out. When I got to the house I saw the gun collecting dust in a case in his study. So I took the gun & was about to shoot him with it but I got attacked by a couple of his mates or bodyguards or whatever they were. I hit one in the back of the head with the butt of the gun, knocked him out cold. The other got me into a headlock but I elbowed him in the stomach & shot him right through the eye when he fell on the ground. Then the man I was hired to hit was trying to escape through the back door but I shot him in the back of the head before he even made it all the way out of the door. The last thing he said before I shot him was: 'mein Männer wird dich finden!', which means 'my men will find you!'," Sebastian told the story with a casual air, rarely looking up from his gun, but there was a hint of excitement in his voice that I might have missed if I hadn't seen a glint in his eyes as he spoke.

For a moment I was speechless, taken aback by Sebastian's beautiful German accent. "Did they?" I asked quietly when I was able to focus again.

Sebastian smirked. "Oh yeah, a couple days later I ran into this strange girl at a cafe & that night when I went back to the hotel I was staying in, there were about 5 or 6 of his men waiting for me," he said.

I looked at him expectantly, holding my breath waiting for him to finish his story. He looked up & let out a laugh at my deeply interested expression.

He shrugged. "It wasn't much of a challenge really," he said, waving the gun a little. "I did end up with a broken nose, a few nasty cuts, & a cracked rib or two, but I'd say they got the worst of it, thanks to this gun here," he said, looking at the gun with a crooked little smile. Despite the nonchalance in his voice he was still obviously bragging, a fact I couldn't help but smile at.

"What?" he looked up at me.

"Nothing," I smiled. "It's just, you don't get to tell those stories often do you?" I set my coffee cup down on the table.

He shook his head. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you why."

A gave him an understanding half-smile. "Well, I'd been waiting for you to tell me that one anyway, ever since that night I met Jim. Sometimes I wish I was brave enough to do those kinds of things though," I laughed & shrugged my shoulder. "But I still wouldn't give up music for it."

Sebastian rolled his eyes with a small scowl. I didn't say anything about it however, for a moment later Jim Moriarty walked in, looking extremely pleased with himself. His timely presence made me certain, if I wasn't before, that he had surveillance installed in the flat.

"Aren't you dressed yet?" he said excitedly, walking over to us. "For fuck's sake, I do have other things to do you know. Now go put on something nice & be quick about it."

I rolled my eyes & stood up. "Fine, just keep your damn pants on & I'll only be a few minutes," I glanced over at Moriarty who was glaring at me but I didn't wait for him to reply before scurrying off to go get dressed.

When I walked in my bedroom I found a light blue dress with large dark brown buttons going up the front. I threw on a quick layer of powder blue eyeshadow to match & was just slipping on the heels that went with the dress when I heard an odd clicking sound behind me. Just as I was turning around I heard the door open & before I knew it Moriarty had walked over & tied the silk blindfold over my eyes again while Moran tied my hands together with another piece of silk. With an annoyed scowl on my face I wordlessly allowed Sebastian to lead me out of the room before slinging me over his shoulder again to carry me down the stairs.

"Come on boys, I know you love your dramatics Jim but do we have to do this?" I reasoned, a little breathless from being slung onto Moran's shoulder.

"Seb, she's ruining it again," Jim whined.

I heard Sebastian sigh & I felt him rummage around in his pocket for a moment. "Open your damn mouth," he ordered, but didn't allow me to comply before taking a hand & squeezing my jaw to force my mouth open then shoving a piece of cloth in my mouth.

I mumbled angrily for a while then stopped, knowing it wouldn't do any good. I heard a car door open & suddenly felt myself get thrown inside. I shifted myself around to a more upright position before Moriarty & Moran got in beside me.

"Now just relax," Jim said softly in my ear. "Maybe if you're good I'll remove the gag." He giggled.

I tried to mumble a reply but it was too muffled to understand.

"My, my, I could hear the sarcasm in that without even actually hearing what you said. I suppose it's doing its job then," Jim sounded gleeful.

Suddenly I heard Jim's ringtone & couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh through the gag as he answered it.

"Is everything ready? Oh for- I said: Is everything fucking ready? Good. Ooh, wonderful, this /is/ turning out to be fun. See what you can do with a little creativity? Alright. Well hurry the fuck up. Oh, & if there are any mistakes, I mean any little, fucking, slip up, & I'll have Sebby demonstrate all 50 forms of torture I invented & you'll be the fucking test subject. Do I make myself clear? Good," I heard a beep signifying him hanging up.

I moved around, trying in vain to get more comfortable in my seat. The confinement of the car coupled with being blindfolded, bound, & gagged was making me feel increasingly uneasy & suffocated. Moriarty either didn't notice, or more likely didn't care, until my restlessness must have been quite distracting, for after a while he yanked the gag roughly from my mouth.

"Are you ready to behave now, my dear?" Jim whispered in my ear.

I nodded.

"Good, I don't want to hear another word out of you, am I understood?" his voice was low & dangerous & I felt sick as his hot breath tickled my ear.

I nodded again & Moriarty removed the blindfold. I glanced over at Moriarty, who was now texting away on his cellphone. Then I looked over at Sebastian who was texting as well. I figured they must be texting each other so I wouldn't be inclined to eavesdrop. I opened my mouth to comment on the absurdity of leaving me in the dark over this whole thing I was being forced to participate in but thought better of it & simply glared at my feet.

Lestrade sat impatiently on the edge of his desk, tapping his fingers. Sherlock had texted him an hour ago saying he knew where to find Moriarty & yet Sherlock still wasn't there. Lestrade stood up & walked around the desk, fumbling through the top drawer until he pulled out a bottle of aspirin. He tipped out two of the little pills onto his hand & studied them contemplatively for a while before taking them with the bottle of water sitting on his desk. He sighed & rubbed his temples with the tips of his forefingers & middle fingers. It was bad enough that there was a woman kidnapped, but now there was this bank robbery he knew nothing about & without Sherlock here to inform him what was actually going on there was nothing he could do. He sat heavily in his chair & stared frustratedly at the ceiling, thinking, when suddenly he was jolted out of his thoughts & nearly falling out of his chair, by Sherlock bursting excitedly through the door closely followed by John.

"You said you found Moriarty?" Lestrade asked wearily.

"Oh, much more than that Lestrade!" Sherlock said, walking around the room quickly, eyes blazing.

"What about this bank robbery? You just said there was one, you haven't told me anything about it," Lestrade said, looking at Sherlock expectantly.

Sherlock stopped pacing momentarily. "Oh yes, that," Sherlock stared pensively at the floor then looked back up at Lestrade. "It would seem Moriarty has changed his mind. We'll need a bomb squad now."

"A bomb squad? Why?" Lestrade asked urgently, sitting up.

When the car finally stopped I was pulled out & with a quick glance around me I realized we weren't at the bank at all but at a large empty warehouse. I looked questioningly from Moriarty to Sebastian but neither of them gave any indication that anything out of the ordinary was happening. Sebastian roughly grabbed my arm & lead me into the warehouse where several tough looking men were standing around holding automatic handguns & rifles.

Sebastian sat me down on a stack of bricks near a wall & called over two of the men. One was tall & burly with dark orange hair & had an eyepatch & a mean face. He was wearing a black turtleneck with a grey, collared jacket & worn out jeans. The other man was short with neatly combed & black hair & sharp, angular features, & a cold, calculating look. He had piercing green eyes that were covered by round glasses & wore a black suit with a grey waistcoat. Moriarty handed the shorter man a blue jacket which had something attached to the inside of it that I couldn't see. He then walked up behind me & I felt his fingers tracing up my arm gently. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain & I turned to see Moriarty had stuck a needle into my arm & was injecting an unknown substance.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked in a panicked voice. "What was that?"

The last thing I saw clearly was Moriarty grinning down at me before I felt a sudden lurch like I was falling forward & the pressure of a sinewy hand on my chest, then a snatch of yellow & when I looked around again everything was hazy & I couldn't focus no matter how hard I tried. I vaguely felt the pressure of more hands on me & saw blurred faces in front of me but I couldn't think properly to know what was going on. I felt something heavy get slipped on me & more hands running over my body. Finally I felt myself being pulled to my feet but my knees buckled & I almost collapsed but I saw the snatch of yellow again & my balance was restored. I was half aware that I was being lead somewhere very slowly but where I couldn't tell.

When my mind & vision cleared again I guessed I was still in the warehouse but another section of it. I looked down at the bulky blue jacket I was now wearing & studied it confusedly before realizing what it was & why my knees felt weak: explosives. I took a panicked step backwards & looked around. No one was in this room but Moriarty, sitting calmly in an old desk chair. He was wearing an expression of quiet interest as I gained my senses back & panic crept slowly through me again.

I looked up at Moriarty again who hadn't moved but was looking increasingly amused. "Care to explain what the fuck is going on?" I asked angrily. "When you asked for my help I didn't expect, this," I gestured to the jacket.

"I know," Moriarty smiled. "I thought this would be much more entertaining, don't you?" He giggled.

"No I really fucking don't," I said loudly. "How exactly do you expect this to work anyway? I can't just walk into a bank with a jacket full of explosives, I wouldn't even get in the door."

"Oh I think you will," Moriarty said, his eyes bright. "Planning that was the fun part actually. I had planned something a little less, flashy, but when I discovered our darling Sherlock Holmes was indeed on our track I couldn't simply have you in the background as I originally planned. No, no, no, now there needed to be a show. With you as the star attraction."

I didn't say anything for a long while, trying to process my emotions. What had started out as curiosity & a vague sense of danger was now replaced by waves of anger, frustration, & helplessness. "So what am I supposed to do then?" I said finally with a long sigh, trying to control the wavering of my voice.

Moriarty seemed to be basking in my reaction like a lizard in the sun. "All you have to do is walk up to the counter, my men will make sure the police don't interfere, & hand them this slip of paper," he pulled out the same sheet of paper I'd seen him give Sebastian earlier. "And tell them if they don't give you exactly the contents of these 5 safes then the explosives will be detonated. And while you're doing that I'll be letting Sherlock know that one wrong move & boom," Moriarty giggled manically at this.

I looked at the piece of paper Moriarty handed me. "What's so important that's in these safes then? I mean, it has to be something really big for you to go through all this, it can't just be money," I said.

Moriarty grinned at me then looked interestedly around the room. "Did you know this warehouse used to store scrap metal to be melted down to make guns during WWII?"

"Are you purposefully ignoring my question or was that supposed to be some stupid hint?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

"Figure it out darling," he replied in a low growl, greatly contrasting to his normal lilting voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course. So what made you change your mind anyway? About all this?" I asked, sitting down on a wooden stool.

"You did. You were starting to change your mind about playing my game weren't you?" he tilted his head owlishly.

"I- I don't know, maybe," I sighed.

"Did you really think this was all a game? I may be enjoying this but this isn't playtime, this is real my dear," Moriarty's voice was low again & his eyes were cold, remorseless pits.

I didn't know what to say. I opened my mouth to speak then closed it & shook my head. "I don't know what I thought," I said finally. "I knew you were fire & I was going to get burned but-," I shook my head again.

"But you're a pyromaniac," Moriarty grinned smugly.

I nodded.

Moriarty giggled. "Well, you see what you really are now, don't you? A moth, drawn to the flame," the words were dripping with satisfaction.

"Oh so that's why you decided to involve me in all this isn't it? I was initially under the impression that this was another attempt to implore me to work for you but now I see. You wanted to take my sense of safety from my neutrality & crush it. If I'm not with you I'm against you, is that it?"

"I wouldn't call it as simple as all that. And actually, yes it was initially mostly an attempt to change your mind about working for me. Sebby missed you so much after all. But you're quite right, I've allowed you to remain neutral for far too long. I couldn't let you continue to be involved with the world's only consulting detective and the only consulting criminal now could I? I could see you were starting to lose your neutrality & naturally I can't risk you letting even one word slip to Sherlock," Moriarty had stood up & walked over to stand less than a few inches in front of me.

"So what are you saying?" I asked, my voice cracking a little from the expected answer.

"Don't be tedious, darling, you know exactly what," Moriarty leaned forward so that there was no escape from his cruel, unfeeling stare.

"Why wait until now? Why not just kill me when Sherlock & I first became involved?" I asked quietly, my voice getting weaker & weaker.

Moriarty took both hands & grasped my shoulders excitedly. "Don't you fucking get it?" he asked in a maniacal whisper. "I don't to kill you, not just like that, I'd have had Seb take care of it then. No, I want to hurt you, you & Sherlock. You see, he loves you, he really does. I thought it was John Watson before, the loyal lapdog but you, oh you," he caressed my cheek. "You'll be the one to truly burn the heart out of him, destroy him. This is the price you pay for choosing love over sensibility darling."

I blinked away the tears that had been forming in my eyes as he spoke. I glared at him defiantly but rather than make me feel more confident it made me feel more helpless for it caused Moriarty to burst into a fit of giggles. So instead I sighed & tried to look as unaffected as possible, even though just under the surface my thoughts & emotions were scattered & broken up, racing a mile a minute. "Why?" I asked quietly.

"You know the answer to that by now don't you?" he said rolling his eyes. "I was bored. You & Sherlock have been a fun little project & now it's time to see all my hard work come to fruition. Up now, it's time for the show."

I hesitated so Moriarty pulled me up by my sleeve & dragged me along behind him, much like a child with its favorite teddy bear in tow. He pulled me through the winding hallways of the warehouse until we were back out blinking into the bright sunlight. I noted that it was quite a bit later than when we had arrived & I wondered how long I'd been in that drug-addled daze. My thoughts were cut short however by Moriarty pushing me back into the dark car once again. Once back in the car I thought with a slight smile that if I weren't hooked up to a jacket full of semtex I might be bored with this by now. I also noticed as the car pulled away that the warehouse was now completely empty & it was just me & Moriarty & the nameless driver riding along in silence now. Even Sebastian was gone. With a tightness in my chest I suddenly found myself worrying about Sherlock. I wondered if he was safe & then was struck by the oddness that my priorities should be focused on him when I was the one currently in danger. I heard Moriarty giggle beside me.

"What?" I shot him a withering glare.

"I didn't think you two were quite so attached. How does that happen to two self-proclaimed sociopaths?" he commented with a smirk.

"Aren't you done with your analysis of our love life by now Jim? And anyway, how can you possibly know I was thinking about him?" I asked with a suspicious glance.

"Simple observation darling. And of course I'm not done yet, that's the whole point," he said sweetly.

I looked at him suspiciously. "He's not yours you know," I said with an aggressive tone.

"Oh?" he looked at me expectantly.

I sighed heavily. "You & Sherlock are equals, I know this isn't about me, it never was. You know I'm clever but I'm not that clever. You two are the ones that are on the same level but that doesn't mean he belongs to you. You want to own him because he's the first one to come close to you," I smirked. "He'll never be yours though."

Moriarty laughed. "You don't think I love him?" he said in a cruel voice.

"No I never said that. I know you don't love. All I said was you want to own him, but you won't," I said defiantly.

"We'll see, honey," he smiled.

Soon the car stopped & I looked at Moriarty. He had his eyes closed & seemed to be relishing the feeling of his plan coming together. Finally he opened them & grinned at me. He leaned over me & popped open the door on my side & with his other hand slid a headset over my right ear.

"Still have the paper I gave you?" he asked.

I held it up & he smiled again.

"Good, now break a leg," he said & with one swift movement pushed me out of the car.

I stumbled but somehow managed to stay on my feet. I looked at the entrance to the bank nervously. I noticed that there was no one outside on the streets oddly. But I shook my head & took a deep breath & walked confidently through the doors, the sniper's lasers fixed on me the moment I did. There were actually people inside, normal citizens. At least, some of them were. I could tell some of them were Moriarty's men as they all looked bored lined up haphazardly towards the walls. I even recognized the two that had fixed the jacket up while I was drugged.

When I walked through the doors no one seemed to notice me but as I walked through the crowd, trying my best to breath normally, I heard someone shout that there was a bomb & people started to scatter. Then Moriarty's men pulled out guns & started shouting at the crowd to drop to the ground. As I walked past the cowering people somehow the fear on their faces made me feel less sorry for them but soon shook the thought from my mind, remembering that they hadn't chosen to be part of this. These people had been going about their normal, boring lives, unaware that they were about to be swept into the tide of Jim Moriarty's madness. I ignored my thoughts about them for the moment though & looked ahead at the counter I was slowly making my way to.

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion now, all the chaos. People's cries & shouts were deafened but then it all came surging back when I heard the police sirens & I turned to look at the flashing lights of the police cars & the vans of the news crews gathering outside the windows. I looked ahead again, wondering if maybe the teller at the counter had called them but I was unnerved when I realized she was smiling as though nothing was wrong. Another of Moriarty's.

Finally I made it up to the counter & handed the smiling woman the slip of paper. She hurried off & I was wondering if I was meant to follow her but as I took a step I noticed the ten or so red dots covering my body had all disappeared. I heard shouting & glass breaking behind me & I spun around.

If I had thought it was chaos around me before I was sorely mistaken. It was now a battlefield. Citizens were being led on the sides to safety as gunman & police officers alike were fighting. Most of them seemed to have forgotten about their guns & were wrestling around on the floor but the two gunmen I recognized were taking the opportunity to shoot as many citizens & police officers as they could. That is, until finally two officers had pinned them to the walls & handcuffed them. I noticed the sound of breaking glass had come from a gunman & a police officer would had been fighting so vehemently they had crashed through one of the large windows.

I looked out the window & from the top of one of the nearby buildings & I saw two figures. It was Sebastian Moran & Jim Moriarty. I only got a glimpse of Jim waving at me though before I felt someone grab my arm. I turned to see Sherlock's icy blue eyes staring into mine. I looked back at the window but Moriarty was skipping away while Sebastian folded up his tripod & turned to follow him.

"Are you alright?" Sherlock asked urgently, following my gaze. "Did he, erm, hurt you?"

"No, no, I'm fine, just, this thing's heavy," I said.

Sherlock nodded & ripped the jacket off me, tossing it aside on the floor where it was removed carefully by a few officers. He looked down at me concernedly for a moment before I hugged him tightly, burying my face into his chest. He hugged me back hesitantly at first, then ran his fingers soothingly through my hair.

"It's over now," he said quietly, putting both hands on my face so I looked into his eyes again.

"It's not," I said. "You know it isn't, don't try to placate me."

He nodded & laughed. "Yes, I do know. Did he tell you he was going to burn me?"

"Mhmm. And me as well because I chose you over him," I said seriously.

"Well now's not the time to discuss it," he looked at the swarms of people still scrambling around. "You can tell me everything when we're at Baker Street."

I smiled. "Sounds good," I said as Sherlock put his arm around my shoulder.

I wound my arm around his thin waist & we walked right through the middle of the jabbering crowd & out into the street where we were bombarded by the lights of cameras flashing, police officers offering us shock blankets, & new reporters shoving microphones towards us. Sherlock held up the crime tape for me & as we walked under it we heard Lestrade's voice calling from somewhere beside us. I looked around Sherlock to see Lestrade attempting to push through the crowd but Sherlock ignored him & led me out to the road.

"At least I got to keep the dress," I joked as made it to the street.

Sherlock laughed & looked around until we spotted John waiting for us, smiling with his hands in his pockets.