Prologue

Sherlock gripped a mug of tea between his hands as he sat across from John.

"Where have you been?" John asked gingerly, concerned about his friend's distant behaviour. Sherlock looked at him with a slight smile. "Old school colleague of mine moved to Australia but he has a small flat in Thornton Place. I got his permission to use it."

"So who was taking care of you? I mean, you look like you've been eating so someone's been at least cooking for you."

"A young woman I knew from a while ago. She...found me."

"How did you meet her?"

"It was a long time ago, about 3 months before you and I met. Lestrade needed me for a string of thefts. This thief was beyond anything ever seen. He consulted me after a ruby, diamond and onyx necklace, bracelet and ring were all stolen off the Duchess of York whilst she was wearing them. She didn't notice until she saw herself in the bathroom mirror."

"You sound like you admire him."

"I did. You can't deny the brilliance and daring involved."

"True, but I still see him as a criminal."

"Dull." Sherlock said quickly, taking a long drag of his tea before continuing. "I spent a week tracking down all the people at every party, staff and guests, and found one young woman, a Miss Erika Butler, who was either waitressing or ushering at every party. She was the only one who could have done it. Of course there were others who attended them all but she was the only one who had direct contact with the guests each time. Following this, I discovered where she was next meant to work and flattered my dear brother until he got me an invitation.

"I arrived early in the evening and saw her almost immediately with a tray of champagne glasses. I took one ensuring she saw the ring on my finger, white gold with emeralds, my father used to wear it, and moved away from her. I stayed there for several hours talking to various dull people but she didn't appear to make any attempt to steal my ring. I was about to leave when I looked down at my finger. The ring was gone.

"I scanned the room without catching sight of her and assumed she had taken it and disappeared, intending to sell it. I knew Mycroft would execute me so I headed home to my residence at the time, intending to track her down the next day. I turned on the light and there she was, sitting at my desk and holding the ring out to me on a thin silver chain.

"Impressed, lowered my gaze, trying to find any details that would tell me what she was doing here but found none. I said to her, 'most people run away after they steal something of value.'

She simply smiled at me and put the ring on the desk and stood up. She looked me up and down, and then said, 'Mr Holmes, I am not most people.'

She made to walk out the door but I grabbed her wrist. She turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. I asked her, 'Why would you return it? You could have disappeared with it.'

"'I have no use for it. Now, please, would you let go of me so I can leave you and your friend, 'she nodded to my skull which sat on the desk beside my computer. 'Alone.'"

"'Why shouldn't I have you arrested for robbery and breaking and entering?'"

"'No real reason. But if you have any real compassion, you won't.'"

"She stood back so that I could observe her and I saw in her the detail that told me if I had her arrested, it would be a life sentence."

"You couldn't have known that," John said quickly. "She would have gone away for five years, tops."

"As I said, a life sentence."

John was about to argue when the impact of his words hit him. "She was dying."

Sherlock nodded taking a long drink of his tea. "Cancer. She was at the start of her chemotherapy at the time."

"Continue," John said simply.

"In any case, I couldn't bring to have her arrested. Such brilliance would have been wasted in a cell. So I made her a deal. 'Don't repeat the act and you can leave.'

"She smiled at me softly and nodded. 'I swear it.'

"Then she made to leave but I grabbed her again and opened her hand. Into it I dropped the ring with its chain. 'A small reminder. Now, leave.'

"She looked me in the eye and smiled, genuine and warm. 'Thank-you.'

"Then she fled. A part of me expected to find her in custody in Scotland Yard but it would appear she had kept her promise to me and given up her ways. I told Lestrade that it must have been an insurance swindle but he didn't believe. I assume he thought I'd been unable to find her."

"But you said that all this happened almost two years ago. So you met her again."

"Yes," Sherlock answered quietly. He took a deep breath of air before he continued.