Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own any of these characters. They belong the genesis' Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. Good job guys!

Authors Note: Hello my Sherlockians. Welcome to chapter three. Glad to be back. I loved writing Raz last chapter, and you're going to see a bit more of him this chapter. I don't want to spoil too much, but we're going to be going a little deeper into John and Mary's relationship. Enjoy!

Raz lead me through so many back alleyways, I wouldn't be able to find my way back even if I wanted to.

"You know," I said slowly, "We could just take the Main Street to wherever we're going."

"Take the Main Street? No bloody way!" He replied, an annoyed look on his face. "There's cops up there, and I ain't gunna get caught. Now keep quiet, I didn't bring you 'ere to make a new friend"

Oh I really missed this! As much as I hated this Raz guy, I couldn't help but admit I had missed solving cases. Somehow. through the rush of it all, I managed to forget about Sherlock for the time being.

Savour it while you can, you're stuck with me. Ah, there was my favourite smart arse. Lost in my head, I was oblivious to Raz calling out my name.

"Hey! Old man! Turn up your hearing aid! We're 'ere." He explained snarkily. Still fighting the urge to punch him, I brought my attention back to the case.

"So this man, you're about to introduce me to, what's his deal?" I asked. "Does he just kidnapp people as a pastime?" A small smile spread across my face, but quickly faded when I noticed the lack of a smirk or chuckle from Sherlock at my sarcastic remark.

For the record, I did laugh.

I wish I could have heard it.

"No idea, never heard tell of this person doin' anything like this before" Raz answered, ignoring my remark. We walked a little while longer, trying to pick him out in the group of people. This place, where all these people hang out, it was like a cavern. All the walls were covered with graffiti, some of it just random nothingless, others, beautiful works of art.

"Well, 'ere she is John." She? I followed his eyes to see who he was looking at. A girl. The kidnapper is a girl. A pretty cute girl.

Focas! Don't underestimate her, remember The Woman?

Right.

Raz walked over and started talking to her. She had jet black hair, up in a high ponytail. Her jeans were denim and ripped, and her shirt was a black tank top, with a black leather jacket overtop. Her ears, nose, and lip were all pierced. Wearing an annoyed look, she and Raz made their way back over to me.

"John, this is my brat sister-ow!- Teressa" he introduced her in a fake politeness.

"Sister...you have a sister?" I asked, a shocked look on my face.

"Yes he does, hello!" She bit sarcastically. "And if I ever hear you call me Tereassa it will be the last thing you say. It's Tess."

Told you not to underestimate her.

I could almost hear the I-told-you-so in his voice.

Shut up.

"Right. Tess. I don't want to cause any trouble, I just want to ask some questions" I stated calmly.

Bad move, you have to show her you're the one in charge.

Shut up.

"Well get on with it then" she demanded. I looked around the area and tried to see if anyone was in hearing range. Tess gave me an annoyed look, clearly growing impatient. I suddenly felt bad for how I treated Lestrade earlier. I took out Leatrade's phone and showed her the picture of the spray paint.

"Recognize this?" I asked.

"Ohhh you're here to bother me about the kidnapping" she sneered. "Why didn't you start with that? We could have been done by now!"

"Wait, you actually kidnapped someone" asked Raz. I turned to face him. He has been so quiet I had forgotten he was there.

"Why would I tell you?" She asked, bitting her lip.

"Please Tess, this doesn't have to be difficult. Just tell me what you know and we'll be done in no time at all" I spoke, trying not say anything that might trigger her temper.

"Well I don't know nothing. And you should stay out of other people's business. One day it'll get you killed." She stated, like it was a completely normal thing to say. I should have known this wouldn't be as easy as coming here, getting the victims, and leaving. It's never that easy. Sherlock always made this look so easy. I'll never know how he did that. Always knowing what to ask, what to do, what to say. I knew none of that! I was about ready to break down. I don't know what to do, I thought.

Tell her that you don't want to bring her to the police station, but will if you have to.

That...actually isn't a half bad idea. If I have to deal with his voice in my head, I might as well put it to good use. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again. I was facing Tess, but this time, I saw Sherlock beside her. He gave me an encouraging nod.

"I don't want to bring you to the police station, but I will if I have to." I told her, trying to give my words a commanding tone.

"I'm not going nowhere with you" she sneered at me. I probably would have exploded at her if it wasn't for Sherlock standing beside her.

"Tell her that if she answers your questions, she won't have to go anywhere" Sherlock suggested. Well, more like instructed.

"If you answer my questions, you won't have to go anywhere" I insisted. I took a step closer, trying to intimate her. "And besides, if you're innocent, you should be able to answer my questions with nothing to hide."

"Nice touch" Sherlock remarked. It took everything in my willpower not to respond to him.

"For once, I actually agree with him" Raz stated. "If you've got nothin' to hide, you should be able to answer his questions." Tess looked shocked. From what I can make out, Raz and Tess are very close. It must have come as a shock to her that her brother was taking someone else's side.

"Raz! You're supossed to be on my side!" She said, sounding a little hurt.

"You were right, good deduction." Sherlock commented. I smile to myself. I couldn't help but be a little proud of myself. Even the great Sherlock thought I was doing good. It's not really him, said a little voice in the back of my head. That was all it took to being my attention back to the case at hand.

"And you're not supossed to kidnapp people!" Raz shouted back at her. "Now answer the bloody question!" Tess was silent for a moment, unsure what to say. After a moment or two, she spoke.

"Fine! You want to know what I know? Ask away!" She fumed. Well, I guess it was progress.

"Thank you" I stated, trying to decide what to ask. Great, I went through all of that and I don't even know what to ask.

"Ask her if she sold the spray paint to someone or if she put the mark there herself. That will force her to give you a straight answer" Sherlock instructed. I turned my attention over to him for a moment. I didn't reply, just nodded.

"What are you lookin' at" asked a confused Raz. I quickly snapped my attention back over to Tess.

"Nothing" I replied, almost to quickly. They seemed suspicious, but let me keep talking. "Anyways, uhm, Tess, did you sell that spray paint to someone, or did you put the mark there yourself?" She let out a frustrated sigh before answering.

"What do you think" she asked, sounding defeated.

"So...you really kidnapped that woman, didn't you" asked Raz, staring her in the eye. She looked away before saying "Two people actually."

"There has to be more to it" commented Sherlock.

I couldn't help but agree with Sherlock-er, his voice. There was more. Raz said that she has never done anything like this before, or so he knew of. She didn't just kidnapp two random people. There had to be a reason, but what?

"Why did you kidnapp those two people" I asked. I didn't expect an answer, but it was worth a shot.

"It's how I make a living." Raz and I both had a look of utter shock on our faces. "People come to me, pay me to kidnapp someone who pissed them off, give them a good fright."

"Neat." I had to stop myself from yelling at someone who wasn't even there.

"Why" I asked. She looked confused, but I continued anyways. "Why "M"? You could have put any letter, why M?"

"My employer asked me to put it there" she stated. I was afraid I knew what was coming next, but I had to ask.

"Your employer...what's his name?"

"His name..." she started to say slowly, "is Moriarty." I stood there, frozen with shock. He's dead. How could it be him. He can't be back. He just can't. I saw his body, he blew his own brains out. So how could he be back? If you looked at me now you would have never guessed I was in the army. I was panicking...I was scared. I can't face Moriarty, not without Sherlock. He was always the clever one. Who was I to think I could take his place, solve this case. It was a bigger game, it always was. It was a bigger game I wasn't ready to play.

"John, calm down. Breath. Fear is just wisdom in the face of danger, nothing to be ashamed of!" Sherlock was trying to calm me down, which was quite out of character of him. Never the less, it worked, so I was grateful for it. I can't let Moriarty distract me, not now. I took a deep breath, regained my wits, and turned my focas back on Tess. I was about to ask where the victims were, but Raz beat me to it. "The victims, where are they?" I was surprised with him, I've never seen his responsible side. "Ya'know what? I don't care. Just go get em' and bring em' to John."

Tess was shocked with her brother. "I was just trying to make us money Raz! We would have starved!" Raz was having none of it. For the first, and last time, I was actually on his side.

"We would have starved with honour. Not as kiddnaplers. Go. get. the victims." He spoke with the confidence of a thousand men, Not breaking eye contact for a second.

"Raz please! You have to under-" she tried to speak, but he cut her off.

"NOW" he shouted, drawing the attention of passerbys. She walked away, tears in her eyes. Raz and I stood in silence, until I dared to speak.

"That uhm, what you did, that was very responsible of you" I stated, trying to show my appreciation.

He turned to me, forcing eye contact. "We have a code, and my sister is not going to be the one to break it. I'm sorry for all the trouble she caused you." And those were the last words spoken until we got back to Mary.

...

"John, you're back! I was worried. How did it go with that uhm, Raz guy?" Mary was the first to see me arrive back at her friends house. Surprisingly, they were all still there. But what she didn't see, was who came out of the car after me.

"I'm fine Mary. Everything went fi-" I tried to speak, but was quickly cut off

"Mary!"

"Layla! You're alright" Mary shouted back, running towards us. Layla. That was her name. I wonder why she couldn't tell me it before. The two women reunited with a hug. Mary was clearly trying not to cry, but Layla was sobbing all over her. All of the laughing, crying, and hugging, attracted the attention of Lestrade. Once he reached me, he immediately started asking questions.

"John! You're back! Where did you go anyways? Was that Raz guy helpful? Well obviously he was." Lestrade rambled on. It took me a moment to finally get his attention.

"Greg! Slow down" I insisted. I would have given him the details if it wasn't for Raz, Tess, and the other man who was kidnapped coming out of my car. Well, more like Raz dragging Tess out of the car, and the kidnapped victim trying to stay as far away from Tess as possible. "I'd like you to meet Raz, his sister Tess, and your other kidnapping victim."

"Jesus. This Raz guy, is he the kidnapper" Lestrade asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"No. It's his sister, Teresa" I commented. Funny, how everyone always assumes it's the man who's the one to blame. I couldn't help but smile. I solved a case. Not only did I solve the case, I solved it in one day.

"Teresa, you're under aresst for the abduction of Layla Smalls and Jared Gray" Lestrade spoke these words he's probably spoken so many times before. He snapped his handcuffs on her, and brought her over to his car, where he placed her in the back seat. I watched him drive off, and realized I still had his phone. I didn't realize that Mary had took a place beside me.

"Thank you" she said, staring off into the distance. I turned my head to reach her eyes.

"You're welcome" I replied. "Is your friend, Layla, is she alright?"

"Yes, just a little shaken up" she said, with a soft smile. We stood for what felt like hours, but must have only been a couple of minutes. I felt the need to say something, but I had no idea what. I was always the one the break the silence with Sherlock, and now I can't even hold a decent conversation. After a little while longer,, Mary spoke.

"I was thinking.." she started to say. "Maybe we could go out to dinner, you know, to celebrate!" Dinner. She was asking me to dinner. Wait...was she asking me on a date?! A date...with Mary. Normally, I wouldn't hesitate to say yes, but this time, something was different.

"Go out, to dinner..." I stated slowly. "Like...on a date?!"

Mary laughed. "You don't have to look so scared." I didn't respond, just smiled. When Mary realized I wasn't going to respond, she spoke. "Goodbye John. I hope we'll meet some other time, on better circumstances." I watched her catch up to Layla, linking arms with her. Was I missing out? Declining her date offer. She's an amazing woman really, but my gut told me to run away from her and never turn back. I have to make a decision now, I thought. Trust my gut, or my heart.

"Screw it" I cursed to myself. I ran towards Mary, calling out her name. When I caught up to her, she looked surprised to see me.

"John? What are you doing" she asked.

I stood there, puffing, trying to catch my breath. "Mary...today's been...very...hectic..." I said, taking deep breaths in between words. "But maybe...we could have...dinner...some other time..."

"You asked him out to dinner?!" Layla asked, hitting Mary in the arm. She threw her a "Get-lost" look. Laughing, Layla threw us one more mischievous grin before walking away. I could tell they were close, probably known each other for their whole lives. Mary just smiled. They reminded me of Sherlock and I. No matter how much of an annoying jerk he was, I could never stop lov-...er, I could never hate him. That's just who he was...my best friend.

"I would love to have dinner some other time" Mary responded. She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote her phone number on it. I tentatively took the paper from her, and stuck it in my back pocket. We stood there for a moment or two longer, just looking at eachother, smiling at eachother. Last time I felt this content was with...Sherlock. I pushed that thought away from my head. I would not have Sherlock ruin another one of my relationships. God knows he's already done that enough times. Lost in thought, I almost didn't hear what Mary said next. "I better get going. Layla's demanding that we spend the entire night together, finishing the movie we were watching when she got kidnapped."

"Right." I said with a small smile. "I'll see you, some other time."

"Some other time." She responded. She turned and left, and I was left standing, alone, in the dark of the night. I looked around. Raz, he must have left with his sister. I hoped everything would turn out alright for them, they're good people, behind all of their walls. I headed for my car, but on my way there, I couldn't help but look up at the stars. Seeing the billions of stars out there, you couldn't help but feel small. I remember a tale my mother used to tell me when I was younger. She told me that when you die, you join our ancestors in the stars. When my mother died, I would look up at the stars every night and try to find her, or at least some sign that she was up there.

"Are you up there Sherlock...?" No answer. He barley ever answered me when he was alive, I don't know why I expected things to change now that he was dead. A tear rolled down my cheek. It felt as if a ball of darkness had swallowed up my heart. "I miss you." No response. I choked on a sob. "Dammit Sherlock! You didn't have jump. Why did you jump..." I could barely get out words that sounded relatively like English. Now that no one was around, I didn't have to stop the tears that were flowing down my face. "You didn't have to jump" I sobbed. I was about to tear my eyes away from the sky, when I shooting star flew by. Strange, they weren't normally around this time of the year. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and made my wish.

"Don't be dead."

...

"John, you're back!" I had just arrived back at the flat to find Mrs. Hudson in my sitting room.

"Well of course I'm back, I live here don't I?"

She gave me a dissapointed look. "I was worried!" She exclaimed. "I didn't know if you were coming back or not."

"Why wouldn't I be coming back?" Was I missing something? I had just gone out on a case, why was she so worried?

"Well...you've just been so sad lately" she started to say. "And I noticed your gun was missing, I could only assume the worst!" There is was. She thought I had gone off, ditched the case, and did myself in. I wanted to tell her that I would never do that, that I had never, once, thought of doing that, but then I would be living a lie. Sherlock was-is-one of the most important people in my life. Of course I had thought of doing...that! But I couldn't. I thought of all the people who care for me, who I care for. I told myself that it hadn't even been a week, that it would get better. It hadn't got better, but I still held onto hope. I suppose today was the first day, since Sherlock, that I had actually smiled. Not just a fake smile to fool someone into thinking I was alright, but a true, genuine smile. I took a step closer to Mrs. Hudson, and wrapped her into a hug.

"I'm sorry I worried you. It won't happen again." She stepped out of my hug, and looked at me with a warm smile.

"Good. Get some rest now, I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Once she had left, I sat down in my chair. It was silent, and I was left to my own thoughts. I looked across from me, at the empty chair that was once Sherlocks. When I closed my eyes, I could see him, looking right back at me. He looked concerned, and that's how I knew he wasn't real. The real Sherlock never hadn't that look on his face, at least not very often.

"Go to sleep"

"You never slept"

"I'm not you. Go to sleep"

I stood up, dragged myself up the stairs, and practically fell into my bed. "I miss you" I said to the darkness. The last thing I heard before I passed out, was a quiet "I know."