TheDarkestShinobi: Going to upload the first three chapters at once, but I have no promises for anything else, in fact, my 30 list, is back upstate in my apartment, so I can't even start this until I get back on the 25th. That being said, any and all suggestions for names, murders, clues and scenes are most welcome

Start

The sitting room is empty but for the two of them, John and David. The two sit in comfortable silence as David skims the paper and John makes more progress in the novel he started yesterday. John briefly glances at his watch; it's just shy of 1. David, across the room, runs a hand through his hair as he lets out a breath. The headline on the newspaper reads "Angel's murder case proves he is anything but!" John tongue comes out of his mouth to wet his lips as he turns the page. He hears footsteps approaching the door, but that's not unusual at this time, most people liked to go for a walk around midday.

John and David look up from their readings at the sound of the door opening. Jim's standing at the door in a full blue suit holding a thin yellow file folder in his hands. John lowers the book using his pointer as a short term bookmark and looks to the folder in his hands. He wonders about the purpose of this visit and what in the file was for him. David glances between the other two and lowers the newspaper before placing it on the table. He quickly picks up his things as Jim jerks his thumb towards the door and David lifts a hand with a short wave before leaving the other two to their business. John tilts his head in departure before using the plastic cover as a bookmark and putting the book on the table. John tilts his head, crosses his legs and interlaces his fingers.

Jim watches the door close before turning back to John and lifting the file folder in his hand. John stands to take it.

"Here you go!" Jim exclaims with glee as he tosses the folder towards John. John catches it, his confusion clearly written across his face. He doesn't look away from Jim to look at it. Instead he tilts his wrist to raise the file.

"What is this?" He questions. It could be anything, it was relatively big for the patients and Jim hadn't given him anything on those before. He also never told him more than who to send where for the missions, and those meetings were never in public rooms, always in Jim's.

"Everything your friend Mycroft needs to stop the bomb." Jim walks closer and John immediately breaks eye contact and opens the files. He looks at all the faces and tries to commit them to memory; there was no telling how long Jim would let him look.

"No need to memorize them." Jim sounds amused and John looks back up. Jim rocks his head back and forth as he pulls his lips back in what could be a smile with raised eyebrows "You're going to go deliver it to him." Jim nods with his words as if that made them true. "He'll be back at the palace in," Jim lifts his arm to look at his bare wrist, "47 minutes." John furrows his eyebrows and looks as if he's about to say something but pauses.

"A promise is a promise," Jim turns away from him and walks towards the one window in the study. He cups one hand in the other behind his back as he looks out of it. "Now, it's not as fun as a promise of pain but…" Jim trails off and shrugs before turning back to John and smiling.

"So, I-I'm free?" John was always good at showing his hand.

Free? Jim lets the word echo in his eardrum and fights the urge to scream at John. Never. They crossed his path, tried to get in his way. They would never be free. He would always be tugging on their strings as a master puppeteer. He gave them a chance to walk away and they didn't take it. Friendly warning, my dear. Their only freedom would come in their death. A slow and painful death? Maybe Seb would make quick work of them? Jim tilts his head in thought, he could plan their demise later, maybe he can get Irene to come and play with the Virgin while he takes apart the Soldier.

"Ask me again when you get back." Jim finally responds and listens as John turns on his heel to face the door and starts walking over to his room. Jim follows then leads. "Have one of the men take you." He instructs and is sure John is nodding behind him.

"Who?" He loves that John doesn't fight him anymore; he was right in that it would not need more than a month to acclimatize John to him; to listen to him the way he listened to Sherlock. It was like a dog taking to a new master. The next step had Sherlock burning John. Then-Jim lets a wide grin take his face as they enter John's room.

"Whoever is best, they are your men, Dr. Watson." Jim doesn't look at him to judge his reaction but he knows it contains wide eyes and a confused expression before John shakes his head and decides to go with it. He listens as John pulls his coat on and walks out the door before bouncing on his feet and leaving himself.

It would be David then.

…

"What did he want?" David asks without turning away from the sink. John leans on the door, file in one hand and his head in the other. David rinses his teacup without a response from John. "Right. Secret." David opens the dishwasher and places the cup on the top shelf before closing it and turning to John. "So, what do you need me for?"

"I need you to drive me somewhere." John holds up a pair of car keys and David nods glancing at the folder but not asking. John wouldn't tell him anyway, but he would always be curious. John and Big M had an interesting relationship to say the least. The walk over to the parking lot is silent, and David can't help but be worried. John is always talkative. David tries three times to start a conversation, but John is not in much of a talking mood anymore.

"Talk to me John." David starts as he unlocks the car. John gets in the back seat.

"No. And I need you to be bloody quiet 'cause I've got a lot on my mind," David glances in the rearview mirror before pursing his lip and nodding. John is one of the best people he had ever met, so whatever was going on needs John's full attention. David pulls the car out as John sighs and looks out the window.

Jim was trying to give him some sort of messages, and John only knows that much. The only thing John could come up with was that Jim wasn't going to let him go. John had known it was a possibility from the start, but he hadn't expected it. He tells David to stop as soon as they get as close and gives him instructions on where to wait to pick him up. The sooner this is over the better as far as John is concerned. He hasn't had to see Mycroft since that first time and he doesn't want to know what the man thinks of him now.

He straightens out his suit jacket as soon as both feet are on the sidewalk and buttons the last button on it. He grabs the folder tightly before looking up to the palace and letting out a deep breath. Here he is, sneaking in again. He knows Jim wants it that way so he walks around the back to the place he was shown last time. Best to do it all exactly how Jim wants it, especially being so close to having it over. There is no point in angering him now. When John finally makes it and sits in the chair in the dark he lets out a sigh and tries to calm himself and prepare for the upcoming meeting. John hears the doorknob rattle and spreads his legs and sits up.

"Mycroft." John greets as the door opens. He listens to the other man stumble before turning on the light in the room he assumed was empty. It makes John want to giggle, but Jim could be watching. John is sitting in a chair in front of a table, fingers touching each other as he reclines in a relaxed and intimidating position. Mycroft quickly scans the room before walking over towards him.

"John!" He sounds both pleased and worried. "What are you doing here? Did you escape-" John doesn't say a word, simply tilts his head to get Mycroft to stop talking. It works. John is surprised but not very.

Mycroft notes the similarities to Moriarty instantly, and in ways he knew John didn't even know yet. Moriarty's using John even more than they all thought. He's shaping John to be something that Mycroft dreaded and would destroy Sherlock. Couldn't John see that and stop it? Mycroft takes in the suit and the perfect tailoring. There is a manila folder on the table that was considerably thick and is obviously the reason for the visit. Mycroft uses his umbrella as a walking stick as he walks towards John.

"What is this visit for?" And the friendliness is gone, because this isn't John, this is Moriarty's messenger.

"There is a plane that is leaving London in seven hours. Her majesty will be on it." Mycroft pales as he draws his head back; that is secret information and John doles it out like it had been on the headlines. "There will also be seven men you hadn't planned for and a bomb."

John's voice is calm, too calm; too cold. What had Moriarty done in that month since they last saw John? Sherlock already hated Mycroft for letting Moriarty hold John, but now…

"How can-" Mycroft is again cut off by John raising his hand; he then points to the folder on the table.

"As per the arrangement," the nasty arrangement that caused all of this, "there are all the files necessary to stop the attack." Mycroft snatches the folder up but waits to look at the contents.

"Is that it then, are you done?" John doesn't answer at first. He wonders briefly what would be okay to say, nothing to give anything away, and nothing he didn't know. As Jim implied, he had plenty more threats so don't mess up.

"I'm going back now." He settles on as he stands. Mycroft stares at him and draws his head back to stand at his full height. His lips settle into flat lines at his observations as John turns around and walks away.

…

"I seriously believe we need to keep an eye on her." Donavan stresses as she crosses her arms.

"She's a fan." Lestrade stresses again, shaking his head "I'm sure he'll drive her away soon enough."

"No." Sally is firm. She knows there is danger there. "She's a fanatic, and this is going to end in something drastic if we don't."

And Sally is right, for at the very moment he is insulting her and telling her to get lost. He's already deleted her, and she's determined to do anything to make him remember her and love her.

…

John had snuck in, he had been perfect. Moriarty is positively giddy. This is unexpected, and it takes quite a bit to surprise Jim, but it is not an unpleasant discovery. He takes out John's phone and tosses it in his hands a few times before tapping it against one hand.

10 seconds later he sends two text messages and a picture.

…

"You think it's his husband. Just back from the war, to his true love, and the first things he does is try to kill her?" Much like John knocked him out, right? "Let's review here," because normal people don't act like that. Sherlock uses his arms to hold his body up as he hops into the sofa chair, his ribs protest softly, but he pushes through that. John wouldn't have liked that. Lestrade shakes his head with annoyance but turns to listen to him. "There are no signs of forced entry. That means she either let the attacker in or he had a key. Sounds like someone she was intimate with. Based on her state, they were intimate today, may even get a semen sample if they didn't use protection or a used condom in the bedroom." Sherlock fiddles with a ruler that he picks up from the table next to the sofa. "Now the toilet seat in the bathroom of this apartment is up so unless you want to tell me something about her that you haven't we know there was a man here recently." Lestrade's look shifts and Sherlock just knows he's going to bring up the husband being the killer or an intruder. Sherlock let out a huff.

"I doubt the killer would stop to use the bathroom, Lestrade." Sherlock lets his fingers touch each other under his chin. "So the phantom," and the word is said with mockery "stopped by." He looks up to the detective. "There were two wine glasses missing from the set of six over the sink. She shared a drink with him before they left to see a movie." He glances at the floor, "around 5:30."

Sherlock closes his eyes.

"They get back around 9, and she tells him her husband is coming back." A tilt of the head. "Her lover doesn't like that and so he grabs the nearest thing," Sherlock points to the bookcase "her missing MVP basketball trophy, and bludgeons her with it." Lestrade begins to shake his head. "He took the glasses which had his fingerprints on them and made a hasty retreat."

"10. Husband comes home." He walks to the door. "Drops bag here as he opens door. Freezes at the sight and turns swiftly on his heel to call the police. He wanted to hold her, but he's smart man. He didn't interfere with the crime scene and it's going to save him jail time." Sherlock turns to a wide eyed Greg. "Find her lover, a 200 pound athlete by the state of her sink, and you have your killer." He gets up and walks away then, taking out his phone as it vibrates.

I've missed you – JW

Sent you something – JW

There is a picture attached, and Sherlock is sure he doesn't want to open it.