Chapter 7: Moran
A deep, heavy sigh thick with thought filled the air. The room was otherwise filled with empty sound. An eloquent silence laying over the only two occupants in the room. Moriarty was sitting in a very comfortable, decadent seat and he ran his fingers gently over the soft fabric as Moran stood silently in front of him, hands folded together over his lap. Moriarty glanced up at Moran and allowed a wide smile to play over his face, edging its way to his brown eyes that glimmered in the dim light. "I need to speak to Aggy." He hummed out.
"She is incommunicado at the moment, sir."
"Oh well that's just lovely, isn't it? That's just lovely for her. How nice it is to have a vacation. So nice. Wish I could have a vacation. But that wouldn't do at all, would it?" Moriarty rambled as he allowed his head to lull from side to side, his fingers still grazing along the soft fabric of the chair. He looked back up to Moran who stood calmly in front of him. He then stood very abruptly then began to shout, "Bring her back! Vacation time is over!"
"Sir, you know as well as I do that she's not on vacation, but she's on a very important mission." Moran calmly reminded his employer.
Moriarty sat back in his seat, "Send someone else to do it. I don't care who. Preferably someone expendable, send Markus and Randall. They'll do the job just fine." Despite having a vast web full of people he didn't care of, Moriarty knew the names of each and every one of his employees.
"The point of sending Aggy on this particular mission was because she can keep it under wraps. I can't say the same for either Markus or Randall."
"So we'll have them killed after they complete the mission! What does it matter? Just do it." He practically sung as he waved his hands in front of his face in a shooing manner, his face growing serious. "Get it done. Get it done now. I need Aggy for… for an errand." A malevolent smile spread itself across Moriarty's face and he watched as Moran turned from him and took his leave.
Moran stepped out of the door and allowed himself to widen his eyes momentarily in aggravation. It was going to be very difficult to call Aggy back, and to organize Markus and Randall. Despite being slightly unreliable in the keeping of secrets, they're not exactly dumb. It would take a fair bit of consideration to find a way to do this without them suspecting, or escaping. Moran decided it would probably be best for him to do that specific part of the job himself.
"Moran!" His name was being called, he allowed himself a quick roll of his eyes before he re-entered the room in which his employer was currently sitting- or not sitting, as he noted once he opened the door. Moriarty was standing directly in front of the door, gazing at him intently. "Moran, I don't like it when you get annoyed with me. Don't do that."
Moran fought the urge to say something stupid, being too sarcastic was not a good idea with this employer, instead he simply stated, "I'm sorry sir. It won't happen again, sir."
Moriarty smiled a devilish smile then reached his arm around Moran's middle section, barely managing to grasp at his farthest arm, "Moran, do you know how these past two and a half years have been?"
"I would imagine that they'd been quite boring, sir."
"Boring! So boring!" Moriarty's voice was high and melodic as he drew Moran closer to him, "They've been so boring! So boring without my Sherlock to really play with. He had my web, or what he thought to be it, and he had his return, the terrorist plot. But what did I have? What did I have?"
Moran just stood and listened as Moriarty proceeded to maintain the physical contact he had established.
"Nothing." Moriarty removed both hands from Moran as he made a sort of disappearing gesture with them, then replacing them on his arms Moriarty continued, "Absolutely nothing. But I don't have nothing now. I have Sherlock again, and his dear doctor." His voice grew dark with nothing but pure loathing, "and that silly man has thought it a good idea to go and reproduce." Moriarty walked across the room, away from Moran who barely managed to keep the scowl from his face before Moriarty turned back to him, "With little Mrs. Mary Morstan of all people. Such a shame how she just had to die." Moriarty made an 'oh well' face then sat back in his seat, "We're going to have a lot of fun, Moran. Fetch me my computer." He said as he made a subtle 'give-me-give-me' gesture with his hands. Moran picked up the computer from the small table that was right next to where Moriarty sat and handed him the thin lap top.
"Will that be all, sir?"
Moriarty didn't respond as his full attention had been turned to the lap top. Moran nodded and showed himself out of the room. He walked down the hallway and made his way through the building, eventually exiting it he walked across the car park where he found his car. He had been deep in thought, considering how he was to call Aggy back, how he was going to dispatch of Markus and Randall that he almost didn't notice he was being watched. He wasn't sure who per se was watching him, he just knew that he was in fact, being watched. Moran's shoulders sagged for a moment as he sighed and rolled his eyes, he wished he could just take his gun out and deal with all these little annoying problems quickly, without tact. But he knew that would bring him nowhere, so he just had to deal with everyone's bull shit. At least for now.
It didn't take him long to shake his tail loose, a black town car. Mycroft? Was he still trying to buy his services? Moran was temporarily entertained by the notion, shouldn't Mycroft have learned by now? He wasn't going to just leave his current position for the highest bidder, which would have to be pretty high. He had worked to get where he is now, and that should count for something. Not to mention, he really did enjoy his work, and possibly even his mad employer. All though this obsession with Sherlock was clearly not leading anywhere good for anyone, Moran included. He found himself momentarily wondering what Mycroft's new deal would have been and for a moment almost scolded himself for losing the tail.
He didn't want to work for the government though, at least he and the people he worked with knew that they were ass wholes; so many people in the government were and didn't even realize it, or at least they wouldn't acknowledge it. Before he realized it, in his contemplative mood, he had driven himself to 221B Baker Street. Moran made an indifferent frown, shrugged then got out of his car and crossed the street to knock on the door of 221B Baker Street.
An older woman wearing a conservative purple dress answered the door with a wide smile lighting up her face. "Hello dear, are you looking for Sherlock?" Moran shook his head and the elderly woman continued, a little more confused, "What are you here for, dear?"
"I'm here for John, John Watson? I heard he was back living here, and I found myself in the neighborhood so I thought I'd stop by for a visit." He shrugged to drive home the point that this visit had not been planned.
The woman smiled, "Oh! John! He'll be so happy you stopped by! I'm Mrs. Hudson by the way," She stretched her hand out to shake his, which he accepted.
"Sebastian Moran, I was in the army, I served with John on a few occasions." He allowed himself a genuine laugh, "That seems like it was ages ago." So much had happened since then.
"Come on up dear, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you."
Sherlock had been bouncing Isabella on his knee when a very large man entered the door, escorted by Mrs. Hudson. He practically dwarfed her, he was over 6 foot 3 and was of a muscular, sturdy build. Though he couldn't see most of it, Sherlock could tell the man hid a rather large and very impressive tiger tattoo beneath his right shirt sleeve. Both sleeves were rolled up to just above the elbows and Sherlock could see just the tip of an orange and black tail over a blue background that swirled with various shades of green.
"Where's John?" Mrs. Hudson inquired.
Sherlock didn't respond, simply stared at the tall man standing in the doorway. Fortunately, John looked around the corner from the kitchen then his face lit up with surprised delight. "Sebastian?" he rounded the corner and stood straight, leaning back slightly with his head angled slightly to the side, taking in the grand sight that is Sebastian Moran.
Moran nodded, "John! It's been an age!" he pulled John into an unexpected bear hug which lasted only a few seconds, which from Sherlock's perspective was far too long. Sherlock noted how John seemed so small in Moran's grasp. Clearly Sherlock was a better fit for hugging John than this Sebastian character.
Sherlock stood from his seat, carefully cradling Isabella in one arm, held out his hand and introduced himself, "Sherlock Holmes." His voice was flat and thoroughly unimpressed, as if to say, how dare you touch my John.
Sebastian took Sherlock's hand without hesitation and shook it firmly, "Sebastian Moran. I knew John back when we were in the army. I was in a different division, but we still saw a bit each other."
This Moran character was all smiles and unhesitant physical contact, everything about him exuded confidence. Sherlock didn't like him and he subconsciously shielded Isabella from this strange man's presence.
Moran returned his attention to John, "I was just in the neighborhood driving home from an errand I had to run when I remembered from your blog that you're back living here and I thought I'd stop by while you were on my mind."
"You read my blog?"
"Yea, it's fantastic stuff!" Moran smiled, his eyes lighting up with what appeared to be genuine enthusiasm, "that's how I heard about your wife, I'm so sorry mate, and about your new daughter!" He gestured at the little girl in Sherlock's arms, "She's yours?"
"It's unlikely that both John and I have relatively new born babies." Sherlock scoffed causing John and Mrs. Hudson to give him a silent reprimand.
"Oh, well if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."
"Yeah? Well thank you, I'll keep that in mind." John seemed impressed. Sherlock did not like this.
A few moments of silence passed and Sherlock looked from one man to the other. Mrs. Hudson was the first to break the silence, "Anyone want a cuppa?"
Moran smiled.
"You always did prefer the stronger stuff."
"Yeah, I'm not much of a tea man."
"Sherlock, do we have any-"
"No."
"You don't know what I was going to ask-"
"Yes I do."
Sherlock and John stared at each other for a while, and entire argument taking place through their eye contact.
"Fine, well," John turned back to Moran, "sorry I can't offer you anything else to drink. We've been kind of busy lately so the shopping has suffered a little bit."
"That's fine, I didn't' expect to come over for a party. I just wanted to say hi, and maybe meet little Isabella." Moran then turned his attention Isabella who looked up at him from Sherlock's arms with wide, curious eyes, a big smile and a small giggle.
"I would say that your objective has been successful then." Sherlock said coldly.
Moran straightened his posture with a slightly angry, very offended expression covering his face. "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I supposed to leave now?"
"You can if you want." Sherlock said indifferently as he returned to his seat.
Moran looked over to John, the insult still apparent on his face, "John?"
John, standing military straight, stepped forward and looked down at Sherlock, "Sherlock. This is my friend, an old army buddy. Don't be so rude to him."
"He's clearly not that close to you if he hasn't been in contact since seeing you in the army."
John looked almost as if he were about to murder Sherlock, "Sherlock, you need to apologize to Sebastian right. Now."
Sherlock looked up at his friend and flat mate then decided it would be best to do as told in this situation, "I am sorry that I was rude." He said, turning his head to face Moran, but never taking his eyes off John. John's body language immediately eased up slightly in response.
"That's okay, I do have to go though. Perhaps I'll talk to you later, John?" Moran sounded much less offended, but still spoke in an assertive tone, breaking into John and Sherlock's thoughts.
John looked away from Sherlock as he spoke to Moran, "Yea, that'd be great. It was great to see you. I'll walk you down." Sherlock did not look away from John even as he walked out of sight.
Sherlock's thoughts were interrupted by Mrs. Hudson stating, "You really need to be nicer to John's friends, if you two are going to work out."
Sherlock managed to suppress a smile and keep his face indifferent as Mrs. Hudson went to return to her flat.
Moran was almost out of the building when John apologized on behalf of Sherlock, again, "Sorry about… about Sherlock… he's just not very good with people."
"Its fine, I'm sure he means for the best. Which is one nice thing. I'll know he's got your back when push comes to shove."
"Yea, he is pretty good. I know I can always rely on him… for the important things."
"And that's what will count." Moran said offhandedly as he walked out and onto the street, disappearing into the rush hour pedestrian traffic. John furrowed his brow slightly and pursed his lips at the seemingly innocent comment. What did he mean by that? Probably just another couple comment, but it still struck John as being odd and slightly out of place. He shrugged it off, and returned upstairs.
Moran decided to take a very indirect rout to his car, he wanted some time to think. He couldn't help but wish that John had never gotten together with Sherlock; never gotten between Sherlock and Moriarty. Things would be better for everyone, or at least, they'd be much less destructive.
A/N: Have a good weekend everyone! I probably won't be updating until Monday. Hope you're enjoying and thanks everyone for the follows, favorites, and reviews! :)
