Previously:

Suddenly a bright light was filling the room.

He closed his eyes and blinked just in time to see a white flash coming in his direction.

"John! Watch out!"

John didn't have time to react at all. Hell, he wasn't even able to move a muscle. Just when he thought the dazzling thing would hit him, it bounced against a wall that had appeared in front of him.

There were no words to describe the simple beauty of the shelter.

Thousands of different colored lights formed a shield, solid enough to fend off any kind of magic.

John lowered his arms, which were purposely positioned in front of his face for protection and raised his head to see Sherlock bringing down his right arm and running towards him.

"Are you alright, John?"

The other man never thought he would see something as close as concern on the Almighty´s face.

"Me?..uhm...Yes. Yes. I'm alright. Sherlock, what the hell was that?"

Molly, who slowly recovered from shock, answered him with a shaky voice.

"You could have died, John. If Sherlock hadn't reacted in time...that was an imprinted curse..."

"Imprinted curse?"

Sherlock let his hands wander across John's shoulders and chest to check, if he had suffered any injuries. He felt tingly in those places, where the Almighty had touched him.

"That's a curse, which is imprinted on a corpse. Back then, they were used to prevent people from molesting the deceased. Nowadays, it is forbidden to create an imprinted curse because it's considered dark magic. I have to admit, I'm worried that someone is creating and implementing them."

John saw his bondmate wrinkling his forehead as if he were absorbed in his thoughts.

When Sherlock saw the signs of the curse on the dead body, it was already too late to prevent it from forming.

He knew if John would have been hit with the flash, his life would very soon be over.

Unknown fear had gripped his heart as he instinctively raised his arm and demand his magic.

He didn't have time to hope. Didn't have the privilege to pray for it to work but that was not necessary.

Within a second he felt his power rushing through him. A familiar feeling of prickling warmth was leaving his fingertips. His shield appeared just in time in front of John Watson. Sherlock let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

He was at John's side in an instant. When did he start to care so much about the other man?

"Are you alright?"

He only heard John muttering something incoherent but it eased his heart a little bit to see that there weren't any external wounds visible on the other man.

An imprinted curse.

Very powerful dark magic. Suddenly he was very glad that his magic returned just in time to save his bondmate.

"Hey...your magic is back. That's brilliant!"

He stopped thinking to see John's face light up.

"John...you almost died minutes ago. And all you care about is my magic?"

"Yeah..but it's good, isn't it? I thought there was something wrong with it, seeing that you were bonded with me...I mean...I'm so glad that you are able to use magic again. I really am, Sherlock."

The younger man looked at him with honest joy. Confusing. John Watson was confusing.

"Yes. It's good, I guess."

For a while nobody said anything.

They told Molly to be careful and she promised Sherlock to contact him immediately if there were any changes on the corpse.

The rest of the day was spent in a relaxing manner.

John tried to gain more information on the magical world. Apparently, there were more magical creatures living side by side than only Almighties.

He could have sworn that he saw fairylike creatures dancing on the flowers of their garden.

Time went by.

Sometimes he heard odd noises coming from Sherlock's room but he knew they were only experiments to investigate the case of the dead bodies, as his bondmate tried to convince him.

John didn't mind, as long as the other man wasn't trying to blow up the house.

Spending time with Sherlock Holmes was getting more and more a thing of habituation.

He even had to admit that the few times were the Almighty accompanied him on his meals, were his favorite moments.

He couldn't get enough of Sherlock's childhood stories. At first the other man seemed to be reluctant about sharing them but he soon realized that John's delighted face and laughs were worth it. Maybe it was because he had never experienced such a close relationship in his family or with anyone before.

After several stories, John learned that Mrs. Hudson would always secretly give Sherlock some chocolate when he was a little boy because his mother had forbidden him to touch anything sweet that could ruin his teeth.

He also found out that Sherlock once turned Mycroft into a dog, forcing him be his playmate. His parents only found out after they wondered about their son's absence and noticed that the "newfound" dog was suspiciously very fond of biting on an umbrella, which was Mycroft's favorite item at that time.

John laughed so hard that he almost choked on his tea.

"And what happened after they turned him back to normal again?"

"Nothing at all really, my parent's assumed that someone had played a trick on him. And Mycroft was too ashamed to confess that it was his little brother, who put a spell on him. He might've gained more weight, though. During the time he was a dog; he would just sleep and eat all day."

Sherlock grinned a little.

"He's still trying to get rid of the extra fat. Speaking of Mycroft, we have an appointment with my brother tomorrow."

"Why?"

"It seemed like he wanted to know how our training was going."

John dropped his fork.

"But we haven't practiced at all!"

"We don't need to. Mycroft just wants to be annoying as usual."

"Sherlock. John."

John tried to hold back his grin as Mycroft greeted them. He couldn't get the image of him as a dog out of his head.

"I heard that your magic returned to you, little brother."

"Yes, it has."

"Now, don't let me pull everything out of your nose. What happened?"

He looked at Sherlock expectantly.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? I don't believe it. There must be some improvement in your power. Maybe a little bit more stamina, concerning the difficult spells?"

"Nothing."

John could see some signs of disappointment on Mycroft's face.

"Excuse me. Should there be something happening with Sherlock's magic?"

"Usually the magic changes when the owner gets bonded. But this doesn't seem to be in Sherlock's case. What a pity. I have to be honest, I expected something more."

John watched Mycroft rolling his umbrella between his thumbs while the other man was thinking about something.

Sherlock was unnerved by his brother's interrogation.

Sure, his magic didn't seem to have developed to a higher level but that doesn't mean that it hadn't changed at all.

He didn't want to tell anybody that it has become more difficult for him to gain access his magic. It didn't necessarily mean that he had to put in a lot of effort to cast a spell. It was more like as if...something was holding him back.

He didn't want John to worry, though. Let alone Mycroft. He was not a little child anymore.

"Well, that makes it more difficult to handle the upcoming situation. You don't have the ability to combine your power. Sherlock's magic hasn't shown signs of improvement with your bond. I seriously don't know how we should deal with the problem. Have you two practiced at all?"

John looked at Sherlock, who didn't move a bit and seemed to have no intention of answering his brother. He sighed.

"No we haven't."

"Are you out of your mind?! This is not a joke. You should take this seriously, especially you Sherlock. There is a reputation to lose if you should fail. Imagine all the other households looking down at us." His facial expression turned into a grimace.

John tried his best to keep the older Holmes calm.

"What would you suggest we do?"

After a moment of consideration Mycroft answered him with a voice that didn't permit disobedience.

"Go to the MEC. Sherlock is familiar with the building. I really hope you know what you are doing brother. Good day."

John saw Mycroft disappearing into the air before he looked at his bondmate.

Sherlock grinned. And John couldn't help but to smile back. Older siblings. They could really be a pain sometimes.

John watched his bondmate, as they were going to the MEC.

"What's this thing? The MEC?"

"It's short for Magic Exercise Centre. It's a place where you can practice your magic. And it helps bondmates to find their balance with their new found power, too."

"Did you often go there to practice?"

"What do you think, John? Going into a building where hundreds of Almighties are throwing their spells around, paying a so called expert to keep blabbing their advices. There are better ways to waste your time."

Even though Sherlock didn't want to admit it, it was time for them to pay the MEC a visit. With his magic being restrainted and John not having magic at all, it was getting difficult to be able to succeed in the competition.

They were approaching the Magic Exercise Centre when someone put their hand on Sherlock's shoulder, hindering him from moving on.

Sherlock felt his magic reacting. There was this feeling, as if the other one's power was able to consume the entire environment around them.

"Sherlock. Sherlock Holmes. What an utter surprise!"

He turned around to face a smaller man with raven hair.

A smirk on his face. Obviously trying to pretend to know him. Coat and shoes. Expensive. Not worn out. From his overall impression maybe someone from the household Moriarty. They were known for their bells and whistles to impress others.

"Do I know you?"

He studied the other man and something told him that this man should be familiar to him.

"Really? Do I know you?"

John wrinkled his forehead in confusion as the small man imitated Sherlock's question in a mocking tone.

"I am so disappointed, Sherlock. I really am."

John thought the other man didn't look disappointed at all, given the fact that he was still grinning so wide that his upper teeth showed.

"..Moriarty. James Moriarty," Sherlock mumbled more to himself than speaking directly to the other man.

"Ahh...I knew it. You couldn't forget someone like me, could you? Little Jim in the library. You made such a great impression on me. What a pity I didn't seem to have made one on you... And look at this!"

John could barely react as he felt cold fingertips grabbing his chin to lift it up. Sherlock let out a growl. He felt the need to slap the hand away, which was touching his bondmate far too intimate for his liking. Uh...when did this happen?

But Moriarty let go of John after he examined him for a few seconds.

He started to laugh. In John's opinion it sounded as if someone was scratching their fingers against a blackboard.

"A bondmate! Sherlock Holmes got himself a bondmate, who would have thought?"

Now John was getting really angry.

"Hey! I don't really know how you know Sherlock but don't speak of me like that! I'm not a pet."

He saw James Moriarty's grin spreading wider in delight.

"And sooo brave." Within seconds he dropped his smile and his eyes were suddenly staring at them with malice.

"But you should really watch your mouth, such a pretty mouth. It would be a waste if someone would rip it off your face." He emphasized the last words and John saw some of Moriarty's saliva landing on Sherlock's coat.

The Almighty didn't seem to mind, though. Or he just didn't notice. John wondered how Sherlock remained so calm, when the man's behavior obviously crossed the line.

"It was nice to meet you, James Moriarty. Now if you would excuse us..."

"Oh no. No. Stay. I have someone to introduce you to. He won't believe his luck if he met the Sherlock Holmes today." His smile was back. John imagined it was even slightly more devilish than minutes ago.

"Seb! Come here!"

They waited for a few seconds before Sherlock saw a young man walking towards them.

"Jim." His voice was surprisingly deep and soft. The eyes were darting between Sherlock and John.

"Jim, who are they?"

Moriarty laid his hand reassuringly on the other man's shoulder.

"Seb, this is Sherlock Holmes. And...what's your name again?"

John looked at him with a stiff facial expression before he unwillingly told him his name.

"John Watson."

"...and John Watson. His bondmate."

They watched the other man's eyes widen for a second as Moriarty mentioned Sherlock before he stretched out his right hand for a greeting.

"Sebastian Moran. I'm Jim's bondmate. Nice to meet you."

They shook each other's hand. In contrast to Moriarty, Sebastian seemed to be normal. Maybe even boring.

As if Jim could read their mind he spoke again, this time his voice full of affection.

"Seb doesn't make a strong impression but you shouldn't underestimate his magic. It is very powerful and destructive. He was a soldier once, my Seb. Never hesitates to kill if the situation calls for it."

He laughed and caressed his bondmate's cheek with the back of his hand. Sebastian just stood still and let him. His facial expression didn't show any emotion at all. They made a funny pair with Jim being almost two heads smaller than his bondmate.

"Of course such an action won't be necessary. Might I ask you what your profession was, John?"

Before John was able to answer him, Sherlock already spoke for him.

"John is common. He's from the village."

John knew that his bondmate was just telling the truth but why did the description of him made him feel as if he was nothing, compared to Sebastian Moran?

Sherlock's words hurt. They shouldn't hurt.

Moriarty let out a delighted sound and he rubbed his palms together in excitement.

"A common person...bonded with you? Interesting. You astonished me, John Watson. You really do. Let me guess...You two are going to compete for the flame?"

John saw Sherlock slowly nod.

"Excellent! What a fun game we will have. Of course Seb and I will participate, too. It was a pleasure, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. We will meet again soon."

Moriarty bowed down before them. It was a comical gesture. Then he took Moran's hand in his own and walked away.

Silence.

It felt like an eternity before Sherlock spoke.

"He's dangerous."

John asked, even when he was almost sure, what the answer would be.

"Who?"

"James Moriarty. Don't tell me you didn't feel his magic?"

John paused. He really didn't sense anything apart from his insane personality.

"No. Was there something wrong with it?"

"No."

John wasn't too convinced by the short answer but he decided not to press it.

"This Sebastian Moran, he and Moriarty acted kind of...weird, don't you think?"

"Like how?" Sherlock had already started to walk towards the MEC again, forcing John to follow.

"They seemed to be more than bondmates. Someone could actually mistake them for being a couple," John let out a nervous laugh. Why was he suddenly so damn nervous around Sherlock's presence?

The other man only blinked.

"Not surprising. Many bondmate-couples actually turn into real couples. Since you have to spend so much time with your bondmate, this development in the partnership is common."

John swallowed heavily.

-"And do you think...we...?"

"Us? No. I don't think so. First of all, you must have already known that I'm not into relationships. Moreover, why are you suddenly asking me this question? It's not necessary to waste your thoughts on our bond if it's going be solved anyway."

"Yeah. You're right." John laughed. It sounded fake even to his own ears but Sherlock didn't noticed.

"But I thought it's only going to happen if we find the flame?"

Sherlock suddenly turned around, causing John to almost collide with him.

He felt Sherlock's hands resting on his shoulders. Confused, he raised his head. His bondmate smiled. It was the first true and genuine smile he saw on this face.

"Don't you have faith in me, John?"

John tried to swallow the knot in his throat. He could feel Sherlock's breath on his skin and his eyes boring into his. Were they always this piercing?

"I...I do."

"Good." As if someone had turned a switch, the Almighty was letting him go and turned to their original direction again.

"I would have been disappointed if you didn't"

Sherlock continued walking, leaving a very confused John Watson behind.

What just happened?

Sherlock didn't know what possessed him to grab John's shoulders like that.

In all the times talking with him and laughing with him, he didn't realize that John Watson had become such a big part of his life.

They stood in front of a single wooden door. There were no walls or signs of a room behind. It was just a door, standing in the middle of nowhere.

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Have you already forgotten what we have discussed moments ago? Trust me, John. This is the MEC"

And with those words he pulled the door open.

Next chapter: Magical training for J. Some revelation.

Again, thanks for your support. It makes writing so much easier. :)