Mistakes We've Made

Tracey double checked the address slip she had received and looked at the door of the flat. She took a moment to collect her nerves. She could feel her mobile phone vibrating in her pocket. Knowing it was Sherlock, she ignored it. Finally, Tracey knocked on the door. There was a shout from inside the flat.
"No soliciting! Can't you read?"

"Please, I'm not a solicitor. I'm from the local newspaper. I'm here to get readers opinions for an article I'm writing," Tracey lied

"I'm not giving my opinion!"
"Please I would just like your opinion on the detective Sherlock Holmes"

There was a short pause.
"Why?"
"Well I would like to know if people think he's any help and if they think he's really as good as they say he is."

"Oh he's not really."
"Well sir if you could please just let me in so I could ask you some more questions…" Tracey hoped that she wasn't sounding too anxious.

After a long pause the voice called, "Fine."

Tracey heard a click and the door unlocked. Jim Moriarty opened the door and looked down at her.

"Make it quick," he said. Tracey walked inside, sat down in a chair and took out a small notebook with a pencil.

"So how do you know Sherlock Holmes?" Tracey asked.

"Old friend," he replied. Tracey wrote down his tone, movements, and any other observations she made about him and his flat. 'Brownish, redish stains, mostly cleaned up. Someone was killed here. Maybe 2 months ago. Dust on tables looks about 3 weeks old, this flat hasn't been used in a while. Focused eyes despite movement, he doesn't trust people easily' Tracey wrote. Jim circled around the room like a vulture. She found this a bit unnerving, but Tracey was determined to maintain her cover.

"So what do you think about what Sherlock has done recently?"
"I said 'old friend'. We haven't spoken in a while."

"Oh…" Tracey wrote more observations about Jim in her notebook "Um what about his relationship with Dr. Watson?"
"Intimate," Jim said plainly. Tracey couldn't help but let out a small laugh. She thought the same of her uncle and Sherlock's relationship. Getting a little too nervous for comfort, she cleared her throat and stood up

"Well I think that's everything I need. Thank you."

"What newspaper is this for?" Jim asked getting suspicious.

"Oh, um, just the local one." Tracey walked to the door and opened it, hoping to avoid further questions from the consulting criminal, but before she could walk out, Jim grabbed her wrist. She felt her heart rate quicken.
"What did you say your name was? Ashley?" Jim asked
"Why do you need my name?" Tracey responded, trying not to sound nervous.
"I want to keep a look out for your article."
"Tracey. May I have my wrist back?"

"Of course" Jim let go of her wrist and allowed her out the door, then shut it behind her. Tracey felt a flush of relief. She quickly took out her mobile phone and gave an irritated sigh at the 27 missed texts from Sherlock. She dialed his number so he would stop bugging her. He picked up quickly.
"Sherlock, before you say anything, I'm fine," Tracey started, "In and out, just like I said I'd be."

She listened as Sherlock lectured her,

"Hey it was your idea!" she defended as Sherlock called her stupid. "And it doesn't change the fact that I won the bet and now you owe me." She listened again as Sherlock tried to change the subject. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him...Use me? Ha, please. Sherlock he can't use me. He doesn't even know who I am...Yeah, yeah we'll talk when I get there. I'm heading back to your flat right now." Tracey hung up the phone. She was not aware that Jim Moriarty had been listening to her phone conversation with Sherlock. Moriarty opened the door back up and yanked Tracey back inside. Tracey yelped as Jim pulled her back in. He promptly pushed her against the wall and put his hand over her mouth.
"You know it's rude to make phone calls outside of people's doors. It could disturb them," Jim said. "Now, who are you and how do you know Sherlock?" He moved his hand so Tracey could speak,
"I-I don't know Sherlock, I'm just doing a story on him," Tracey lied

"Mhm, liar. What's your full name?"
"Tracey."
"FULL NAME!"
"Tracey...um Tracey Ashworth"
"Liar!"
"Oh what like you know my real name!?"
Jim smirked and twisted her arm. Tracey let out a pained screamed.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Tracey Ashworth and I'm just doing a story on Sherlock! I don't know him!"
"Hm, I don't appreciate being lied to" Jim said as he twisted her arm even more. Tracey screamed again,
"Stop it! Please!"
"This can all end if you tell me the truth"

"I am! I don't know Sherlock!"
"Liar..."
"I'm telling the truth!"
Jim twisted her arm to the point where it was close to breaking

"Ow! Ow! WATSON!...My last name is Watson." Tracey breathed heavily as Jim smiled his cold smile and let go of her arm. She cradled her arm. "There, I told you what you wanted. Now let me go."

"Oh no, no, no, Miss Watson. Now you're leverage"

"L-leverage?" Tracey asked as she slowly inched away.
"Yes, leverage."
Tracey's blue eyes widen and she raced towards the door. Unfortunately, Jim moved too fast and grabbed her before she got far. Tracey screamed and kicked, trying to get away. Jim once again placed his hand over her mouth and turned her around so she faced him.

"Shh, shh, shh. There's no use in struggling. I've got you now." He dragged her over to the closet which she looked at in fear. She shook his hand away from her mouth.
"N-no, please. No." Tracey begged

"Ooh, claustrophobic are we?"
Jim shoved her inside and locked her in. Tracey proceeded to bang on the door and beg for her release. Jim rolled his eyes and made a few calls to his associates. By the time he was done, Tracey was hyperventilating but still pleading. Moriarty quickly yanked open the door to the closet and hit Tracey on the head with a gun. She dropped to the floor, unconscious and bleeding from her forehead. Jim smiled wickedly as he snapped a picture of her and sent it to Sherlock. He then dragged the knocked out girl by her wrist out to a car that he had called. As he did, she started to awaken and gave a small tug in an attempt to get away. Jim stopped and looked down at her.

"You're trying to get a concussion aren't you?" Jim asked, and then proceeded to hit her over the head with his gun again.

The next time Tracey awoke, she was lying on a cold damp floor. Her head was lying next to a pool. She wasn't tied up, and she would've run, but Moriarty was crouched down next to her, waiting for her to wake up. Tracey waited for her adrenalin to kick in so she could run, but she just lay there, exhausted from the loss of blood. Her eyes drifted up towards Jim.
"Oh good, you're up," Jim said. Tracey looked away, scanning the place for any possible escape.

"What exactly is your relationship to John Watson?" Moriarty asked her

Knowing that there was no use in denying who she was anymore, Tracey replied with a weak voice, "I...I'm his niece...Did you drug me?"

"Nope, I just hit you really hard in the head and you lost just enough blood to disorient you."
Tracey groaned, "Whatever you're trying...it's not going to work you know."

"I liked you better unconscious."
"Whatever." Tracey was starting to move more and Jim could tell she was slowly regaining strength.

"Come now dear..." he said

Tracey had just enough time to say "Huh?" before he grabbed her by her blonde hair and forced her head underwater. The chemicals in the pool seeped into and burned her open wound. Out of instinct, Tracey screamed, despite being underwater. That's when her adrenalin kicked in. She started to struggle against Jim's hold and tried to pull her head to the surface, but the pain was disorienting her and Jim was too strong. As quickly as it came, the adrenalin left Tracey's body and she began to fade into unconsciousness once more. Just before she completely passed out, Jim pulled her head from the water and made sure he was the last thing she saw before passing out.
Jim smiled wickedly and hissed, "Sweet dreams," With that, Tracey was unconscious again.

When Tracey woke up again, she was laying on a dirt floor. She realized she was in an abandoned tunnel. She looked around and saw that Moriarty was standing a little distance away with his back to her, talking on the phone. Tracey, though still exhausted, saw this as an opportunity to escape. She started to slowly crawl toward the end of the tunnel, in the opposite direction of Jim.

"Stay where you are dear," he called to her. She froze, but just for a few seconds. Once she felt Jim wasn't paying attention to her anymore, she began to crawl once more. Jim moved his phone away from his mouth, and shot his gun towards her, but purposely missed. "I SAID STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"

Tracey froze again. She waited for what seemed like forever to her, before trying to escape once more. Jim walked over and stepped on her back.
"You don't know how to listen do you?" he asked rhetorically as he pointed the gun down at her. He finished his phone conversation without getting off of her back. Suddenly there were footsteps coming from the other end of the tunnel, heading towards them. Jim quickly got off of Tracey and yanked her up by her hair and pushed her forward

"Run," Jim commanded. "Scream, and I shoot." He kept his gun pointed at her. She had no choice but to run. She ran down the tunnel, despite being extremely tired. Jim ran behind her, but his gun never strayed from her back. When they got to the end of the tunnel, Jim shoved her inside a car and told the driver to drive.

"What the matter? Sherlock catching up?" Tracey asked. He glared at her and forced his hand over her nose and mouth so she couldn't breathe. He kept it there until she was passed out, but not dead...yet.
The next time Tracey awoke, they were at the pool again. She was being held in the standing up position by the collar of her shirt. This time her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were bound together. She was also gagged so she was unable to speak. She looked to her left and saw the pool and to her right she saw Moriarty holding her by her collar. She heard footsteps echoing through the pool. She turned to face straight forward in the direction of the footsteps and through the doors came Sherlock and her uncle John Watson. As soon as her uncle saw her, he began to run towards her. He stopped to a screeching halt when Jim swiftly pulled out his gun and rested it on Tracey's temple. All Tracey could do was stare at her uncle and Sherlock with fear in her eyes. Sherlock calmly walked up next to John.

"Why so hasty Dr. Watson? Lost something?" Jim asked accompanied by a cold chuckle.
"Please, don't hurt her," John pleaded to the consulting criminal.
Jim laughed again. "It's a bit too late for that" He pushed Tracey's hair aside with the barrel of his gun to reveal her wound from being hit on the head.
"Just give us the girl," Sherlock said plainly. Despite being scared out of her wits, Tracey glared at Sherlock as if to say "the girl has a name and this was your idea".
"Hmm I don't know. I've grown quite fond of her. Might keep her as a pet," Jim said with an evil grin. John got nervous because he couldn't tell if Jim was joking or not.
"Oh come now, don't be ridiculous. Who would want to keep her?" Sherlock asked. Tracey glared at Sherlock once more. "I mean she annoying and always in other people's business. If it weren't for her being John's niece, I might let you keep her." Tracey looked as though she was ready to punch Sherlock. Although he was probably lying to try to get Jim to release Tracey, she sensed a bit of truth behind his words.

After what seemed like forever, Jim grinned evilly. "For once you're right Sherlock, I've had my fun. I'm done with her..." As he said this, Jim shoved Tracey into the deep end of the pool and proceeded to walk away. Tracey was rapidly drowning, so Sherlock quickly took of his coat and anything else he didn't want getting wet and dived in after her. He quickly brought her to the surface of the water and set her on dry land next to her uncle before climbing out of the pool himself. John untied Tracey, then took Sherlock's coat and wrapped it around his shivering niece.
"...for now..." Jim's voice echoed from somewhere within the building.
Sherlock and John quickly took Tracey back to 221B Baker Street. Tracey went to bed almost immediately. Right after her uncle was done scolding her and Sherlock for their stupidity. But he tucked Tracey in with an "I love you" and a smile to show that he was just glad that she was back safe with him.
That night after John had gone to bed, Sherlock entered Tracey's bedroom, knowing full well that she was awake.

"Can't sleep?" he asked
"Nah," Tracey said flipping on a lamp and sitting up. "Every time I close my eyes, I see his face, and when I do fall asleep, I'm almost immediately woken up by a nightmare of him. And I'm always afraid I'll wake up somewhere else and he'll be waiting." As she spoke, Sherlock sat on the bed next to her. "Oh god Sherlock, I've really screwed up haven't I? Uncle John will always be worried about my safety now won't he? And he'll never have a peaceful nights rest again will he?"

Sherlock could tell that Tracey was genuinely scared, as she should be. After a long pause, Sherlock spoke. "Tracey, John is always worried about you and he always will be whether you had met Moriarty or not. What happened today was regrettable and I wish you hadn't gone through it, but you did and now you know, Moriarty is a dangerous man and he will kill you. You should be very afraid of him. But you also have John and me to look after you."
Tracey rested her head on Sherlock's shoulder as he spoke. "But don't worry, I'm sure Moriarty won't come after you again and has probably forgotten about you already." Sherlock knew this was a lie, but he told it to Tracey anyway. "Now promise me one thing Tracey, one proper genius to another..."

"Anything," she replied. Though she would never admit it, she cared greatly about Sherlock. And she looked up to him.
"Promise me you'll never go looking for Moriarty again," Sherlock requested.
"I promise," Tracey told him.

"Good, now get some rest." Sherlock flipped off the lamp and walked out the door.