There was never really a doubt in Sherlock's mind about how this would all end. Pointing John's gun at the Semtex vest was about as dull as a suicide attempt could be. He felt a passing flinch of disappointment as the game drew to a close. He expected better from Moriarty. Triple homicide by an explosive device seemed extremely uninteresting from this side of the police tape. He stole one last look at Dr. Watson before beginning to pull the trigger when a noise behind him made him start. Footsteps. Female, wearing trainers, naturally athletic with a slight outward turn to her gait. Leisurely pace with no hurried panic about her step so it wasn't someone running toward them from The Yard. Not sneaking up on them either. Making more noise than necessary to make her presence known so she is confident about what is occurring in the next room and taking her sweet time showing up. All of these deductions occurred within the few seconds before said female kicked open the doors behind Sherlock and John and turned to face Moriarty. Luckily, Sherlock's eyes stayed locked to Moriarty's face so he was able to catch the subtle ripple of unease that passed over his features before Jim smoothed them once more into a mask of disinterest.

"Hello, gentlemen." The woman said as Sherlock's brain whirled into action. Young, American accent, probably originally from the Midwest despite spending at least three years on the Northeast coast, relaxed if a bit irritated, history of vocal training to correct a slight lisp. "Hope you don't mind I crashed your little sausage fest."

The only thing that registered in Sherlock's mind was the rate of breathing of all four people. Moriarty: a bit tense and short. John: deep slow breaths to regulate his parasympathetic nervous system. Unknown female: normal respiratory rate with no signs of distress. Himself: a bit tense and short.

Feeling curiosity get the better of him, Sherlock shifted to get a glimpse of her. She was exactly what he expected and nothing at all like he hypothesized. His brained catalogued her quickly filing her image into neat little cognitive compartments. Female, obviously. Height: 5'5". Build: Athletic but feminine. Hair: Dark brown, past her shoulders. Thick and well-managed. Complexion: clear with just a hint of foundation and eye shadow. Eyes: somewhere between gray and pale blue. Eyebrows: Perfectly manicured but a few shades lighter than her hair color suggesting that her hair is dyed but close enough to her natural color to hide any roots. Nose: average with a slight upturn at the end. Lips: Slight upper lip, fuller bottom lip with a slight downturn to make a natural pout. Shoes: Purple trainers. Pants: Denim but comfortable. Well-worn and often washed with a slight wearing at the back of her heels suggesting that they are too long but she doesn't bother to get them hemmed because she doesn't wear them for special occasions. Top: White, male undershirt covered by trim black suit vest with slight discoloration from bleach on left shoulder. Wait…

"I hope you don't mind that I borrowed this." She said tugging on the vest with a grin revealing straight teeth suggesting minimal amounts of orthodontia. She walked over to lean casually on the stalls next to where John sat, tense. "I saw it in your closet and just had to wear it. Fits just perfect."

"Should I even bother inquiring as to why you were going through my closet?" Sherlock said evenly.

"You can certainly ask." She said with that grin. "But it's much more fun to figure it out yourself. That's what this whole thing has been about anyway, right? Solving puzzles. Figuring out who's smarter. Giant pissing contest, and all that."

A flicker of rage ran through Moriarty's expression as he took an involuntary step back. With that small movement, she zeroed in on Jim letting that grin fall away to calculated stare. There was no obvious emotion clouding her face. No rage, fear, joy. Just an objective stare almost as if studying Moriarty for a research project.

"I'm so sorry to cut your meeting short." She said, her eyes not leaving Moriarty's. "It was nice to make your acquaintance, Dr. Watson. Mr. Holmes."

She pulled herself away from the wall and stalked toward Jim, "Jim? A word?"

She grabbed the back of Moriarty's suit and tugged. Sherlock's mind spun with confusion as Jim obediently followed her out the side door without another word. Glancing toward John, he saw the same confusion mirrored in his friend's expression. Sherlock breathed out a sigh of relief as the red lights flickering over John's chest disappeared. He blurred into action grabbing his friend by the shoulders and hauling him up and out the door that woman had entered through. They were jogging quickly out of the building when Sherlock heard the sirens approaching.

"We can't stay here, John." Sherlock said when John began to turn toward the sirens. "We had a secret meeting with a criminal mastermind at my request without informing Lestrade. He might just be upset enough to arrest me for conspiracy."

"Right." John said hazily. "Right."

At the tone of his friend's voice, Sherlock turned and grabbed John by his shoulders and pushed him lightly against a wall. With the light of a nearby street light, Sherlock did a categorical assessment of his doctor.

"Sherlock." John said firmly. "What are you doing?"

"Pupils are dilated and slightly unfocused. Skin is pallid and clammy. No obvious injuries but you were drugged quite recently."

"They dosed me before dragging me into the car." He answered.

"But you're alright?" Sherlock asked brokenly feeling adrenaline seep away quickly. "He didn't…you're fine, right?"

John gave him a slight grin, reaching up a patting his arm lightly, "I'm fine."

"Good." Sherlock said pulling away slowly. "I just want you to know…that what I did…"

"Sherlock," John cut in. "Let's go home and have some tea. We can talk about all this tomorrow."

Sherlock let out a relieved sigh before starting off down the street again at a slower pace. There was no need to hurry when they were blocks away from the crime scene. Lestrade would catch up eventually but for right now, all he wanted to do was be at his home with his friend.