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It was John.

Shock and disbelief clearly visible on his face.

It was almost as if the whole room was holding their breath as they watched the scene. Sherlock was only peripherally aware of them still being present. His whole world had focused down on John, as he desperately tried to deduce what had happened in the three years they had been apart.

Nervously… Cautiously… As if John expected the vision in front of him to disappear at any moment, he reached out and placed his hand on Sherlock's neck.

For a few heartbeats they stood there. Only connected by John's fingers on Sherlock's carotid artery.

Then John's hand slid up so that his palm was in front of Sherlock's mouth. Not quite touching, but close enough to feel the warmth of his breath.

They stayed like that for a few breaths.

John's hand fell back down to his side. His breathing was loud in the silence. Sherlock thought that were it possible he would hear John's heartbeat. His dear friend was visibly shaking and visibly shaken.

Several times John opened his mouth to speak only to lick his lips and close them again.

"My dear John." Sherlock spoke first.

"Sherlock." John managed to get out, his voice only audible due to the extreme quiet around them.

Sherlock would later swear that he never saw the fist that impacted with his face. Nor the second blow that probably broke his nose and landed only seconds after the first.

"Take him away!" John snapped, "I don't want to see him. Put him wherever you've been storing him. I need a drink."

With that John turned, with a military snap and precision. He marched away, hand running through his hair.

Sherlock noticed the man who had stood by John's side throughout. It was A-Dale. The one who had identified him despite his disguise.

"Throw him back." A-Dale sighed, "John will want to see him later."

"Agreed, old boy." Another nodded, from his position just off to one side, "I had best go moderate TC's alcohol consumption. I for one, have no desire to relieve the incident that occurred last time. Will you be joining us A-Dale?"

Sherlock lost the last part of the conversation as he was dragged away from the group. His compliance this time was more due to shock and confusion than anything else.

His mind was desperately trying to piece together what he knew to be true with what he had been confronted with.

John had not been party to Moriarty's conspiracy. The man was as honest and as true a man as Sherlock had ever met. He also had no skill in deception. And had put his life literally on the line many times simply for Sherlock's sake.

John was no criminal. Too honest. Too caring. Too innocent. Too pure.

Sherlock was revaluating every piece of hard won data that he had collected over the last two years, eleven months and five days.

New information could, and in this case did, invalidate previous conclusions. However correct those conclusions seemed based on the data available at the time.

TC was not the man who had stepped into Moriarty's position.

It was impossible to even consider it.

If, as it seemed was the inevitable conclusion, that TC was John, then all information about TC leading a criminal organisation could be dismissed.

Because John was not a criminal.

Sherlock barely registered when the hands left him and he was locked back in his cell. The cuffs still firmly on.

When the realization that he was alone sank in, he moved to the back of the cell and sat down on the floor, easily manoeuvring, despite the cuffs.

He was trying to get comfortable. He was also still trying to put the pieces together and get a coherent picture. He had begun back at the beginning… Allowing every impossibility he had eliminated to be reconsidered in light of his new data.

Absently-mindedly he rang his tongue over his split lip, tasting his own blood.

He looked up as the door opened again, half expecting to see John there.

"He hasn't had an easy time of it, you know." A-Dale remarked, leaning against the door-jam, "You nearly broke him. I'm not entirely sure you haven't."

"Then you should be with him. Not me." Sherlock replied, "This is not the logical step."

"Yes it is." A-Dale sighed, "Because I'm not his best friend. I'm not his closest friend. I've known him the longest, but… Well, I'm not what he needs. Not right now. But I am what you need. Or at least I have what you need."

"Information." Sherlock conceded.

"Correct." A-Dale nodded, "As I said, he hasn't had an easy time of it. Harry died. Three months after you. Drunk driver. Hit and run. We always knew it would be the drink that finished her off in the end. Just never expected it to be someone else's."

"Who killed her?" Sherlock demanded.

"Oh we caught the guy. Not too hard. His partner freaked out the next day at the sight of the car. Turned him in… The true irony? She was going home after an AA meeting. Her second. Five days sober."

"I did not know she had died."

"But you know the funny thing?…" A-Dale seemed to be ignoring the fact that Sherlock has spoken, "It didn't affect him half so much as your death. He was a wreck after that. Had to call in a few of the cousins to help us. If TC was a weaker man, you would have broken him. Or don't you care?"

"Caring is not an advantage." Sherlock spoke steadily.

"Who told you that? Your brother?" A-Dale laughed, "He's wrong. When you care about someone you give them a little piece of you. And when they care about you, you get a little piece of them. We are all the sum of those pieces that those who care about us have given to us. TC would not be the man I know if he didn't care. And through caring comes courage. From courage comes strength… And that allows John to be the man he is. That is what allows him to keep going when others would fall. Don't fool yourself. Don't believe that a small group of people who care can't change the world. It is the only thing that ever has."

"It is not an advantage. I do not care. I never have."

"Then why can't you leave?" A-Dale retorted, "I have no illusions. Those chains on your wrists? They're not what is keeping you here. It's John. The simple fact that he's here keeps you here. You are a prisoner of your own emotions. You care. You just refuse to acknowledge it."

"If the cuffs are not necessary, then remove them."

"No. They're not necessary. But I don't particularly like you right now. If I can cause you some discomfort I will. Just not to the point where it would harm TC. He needs you to have this information. Just as you need to have it. As much as it pains me to give you anything."

It was clear that A-Dale was not particularly fond of Sherlock. But his devotion to John went beyond his hatred of the Detective.

"I'm not really surprised you did this… TC told me about HOUND. Seems to me that for all John cares for you… You don't care anywhere near the same amount for him."

Sherlock kept his mouth shut.

"I mean, I can sort of understand what you did. God only knows our cousins have had some of their own pull that one before. And they forgave them… But you? You made him watch! That was unnecessary."

"It was necessary. His reaction needed to be believable."

"No. It wasn't necessary." A-Dale fired back, "You did more harm than you know. He's seen enough of his friends die. And he thought that was all behind him… But you did it again! You know, he nearly broke. That man is the most honest, brave, strong men I know. And you nearly broke him. That man… He is a man I am proud to have call me his friend. Not proud to call him friend. Though I am. Proud that he calls me his friend. And he deems you his best friend… Something… Something I would probably deem to be the greatest honour in the World. More valuable than any medal I could ever earn. And every single one of us here would probably agree.

"If it weren't for the fact that I know he needed to see you more than I needed revenge or an outlet for my anger and outrage… I would have killed you and disposed of the body so that no-one ever found you. And I could of. Don't doubt that. I may not be as smart as you. But I know people. People who wouldn't blink if I asked them to dispose of a body. There wouldn't even be a shred of evidence linking me to you. After all, who tries to find the murderer of a man who committed a very public suicide three years ago?

"It seems to me that I value John more than you. He's a good man. And you hurt him. There's quite a few of us, who take that quite personally."

"You call him John. You knew him before he got his nickname."

"Yeah, I did. I underestimated him. Just like you did. Only worse. I knew him back when he was just John. Just plain, little, ordinary John. Only he wasn't so plain. He wasn't so little. And he certainly wasn't ordinary… I was the one who named him TC."

Sherlock's eyes narrowed slightly. A-Dale's hand had risen on his shirt to stroke a particular patch sewn on the sleeve. It wasn't the only patch. But it was clearly newer than the rest. But also in the middle of several others. Judging by the slightly different colour of fabric around it…

It was a replacement. For a previous patch of identical size and shape, yet not quite positioned in exactly the same place when it was sewn back on. This wasn't the first replacement either. There were several shades visible. The other patches were still there, but they were basically faded almost into obscurity. Little tears and stains marring them.

This patch was cared for. Replaced when damaged. Colours still bright and shining… Possibly even removed before the rest of the shirt was washed and replaced each time.

It was hand sewn. Not quite perfect.

It was also a perfect match to another patch Sherlock had seen before.

"That patch." Sherlock frowned, "It's not one I recognise. John was wearing one."

"It's not official." A-Dale shrugged, "There's less than thirty of us who have one. The Three Continents Division. We only ever had four rules."

"I take it that they were important. Else you would not mention them."

"Yes." A-Dale nodded, "One, no fighting among ourselves. Three, no one nicknames Jane Doe. Four, no one hides an injury."

"You missed one."

"Two, John is in charge because he is a scary, scary guy."

Sherlock almost smirked at the answer.

"We all thought he was just a Doctor. Red Cross, I thought. Just another ordinary doctor. He saved our lives. It was dark in the cell where they kept us. Dark, apart from what little light came through the window in the door. So we noticed, despite our exhaustion when that light went out. We heard fighting, but no gun shots. Then footsteps. We didn't know if it was the guards or a rescue. Then the door opened. And he stood there. Alone. Armed… That's when everything changed. I'd thought of him as a friend before. Someone I cared for. Someone I respected. But ultimately? Someone weaker than me. Someone for me to protect. Someone who needed my help to get out of the situation we were in.

"He didn't need me. Never did. Not that time, at least. He gave me a weapon. Told me to follow… I followed. Things have gotten in the way. But I've always known that he could call on me as his Iolaus, but not just for as long as daylight lasts. Any time. Any where.

"He always says nothing important ever happens to him. And he's right. It doesn't.

"He's the fulcrum around which things turn. Without him? Things don't happen. He makes the important happen."

A-Dale looked into Sherlock's eyes.

Sherlock could see the intensity. The loyalty. The devotion. The friendship.

"Then why were you not there when he was discharged?" Sherlock challenged.

"He pushed us away. Didn't tell us where he was going. Hid himself. He got a bad psychiatrist. One who thought that because John didn't talk that he had trust issues. That because John had known nothing but the Army for years that he needed to adjust to civilian life, without the ties to his Army past. And John obeyed."

"Illogical conclusions. The fool was correct about the limp being psychosomatic though. However the tremor was not due to PTSD."

"I don't think John could get PTSD if he tried."

"Apart from the psychiatrist being incompetent, what was your objection?"

"She wasn't cleared. Not for any of John's missions. The ones that really mattered. So he couldn't tell her anything. Couldn't write about it either. Her methods didn't work, because John couldn't do them. He's no traitor."

Sherlock took that in. It made sense. John had never really talked about his time in the army, apart from veiled references. Such as the one to "bad days". Sherlock had appreciated it at the time. It hadn't been relevant. John's past wasn't what interested Sherlock. It was the then and there. The constant reliability, the unquestioning loyalty, the devotion. Those were the important things about John. John's past had always been just that, the past. Irrelevant. Not necessary.

Yes, it had formed John, but it hadn't been there. John had walked away and never looked back.

Until he had to, Sherlock realized.

"Of course not." Sherlock nodded, "He's my friend."

"Was that so hard to admit?" A-Dale smiled, "Not that I think you're a very good friend. Your friends don't really get a good bargain with you."

"I don't have friends." Sherlock stated.

"But…" A-Dale frowned.

"I only have one." Sherlock was firm.

"And if he's the first one you've had," A-Dale rubbed his head, "It might explain why you've screwed up so badly… Don't think this gets you off the hook. We're still mad at you. But it does explain a fair bit. Don't go anywhere. John will want to see you later."

"You are sure?" Sherlock was confused. "I thought…"

"He told us to put you back where we had been keeping you." A-Dale laughed, "John's a tricky one to read, but I know him. He'll forgive you. Even if you don't deserve it. Man cannot keep a grudge for a crime committed against himself. Even when he should. He's mad, yes. He's angry. And we probably could have picked a better time, than when he'd just been debriefed from a tough mission… Look, you may know how to read a scene. To read a person. I know motives. I know emotions. And most importantly, I know TC. Better than you. Because TC and John? They're the same. But they're different… You'll learn. I still don't like you, by the way. I still don't believe you deserve the honour you have been granted. But there's nothing I can do about it. Never will be."

With that last remark, A-Dale turned around and left the Detective in his cell.

Sherlock took in the information he had been given. And went back to the beginning.

Conclusions drawn based on the facts available at the time were not incorrect conclusions, simply conclusions made without all the facts. They were not invalid. Simply, not true.

Fact: Moriarty was dead.

Fact: Members of Moriarty's Web had been turning up dead or arrested across the globe.

Fact: Members of a military style organisation had been spotted in the same areas as the incidents at about the same time.

Fact: Several members of the organisation had made mentions of TC.

Fact: Crime had gone down around the globe.

Fact: Sherlock had led to the arrest of several high level members of Moriarty's Web.

Fact: John was TC.

Fact: John was recently abroad.

Fact: John was loyal.

Fact: Several members had made threats against Sherlock's person regarding his treatment of John.

Fact: John was often referred to as a Captain.

Conclusion: John had been taking down members of Moriarty's Web with the help of this organisation.

Conclusion: John was not the leader of the organisation.

Conclusion: This was a military organisation that John was a part of during his Army days.

Conclusion: John was a highly respected member of the group.

Conclusion: John had not been kidnapped.

Conclusion: John had gone to these people for help.

Tentative Conclusion: Maybe John didn't need him anymore.

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Please Review.

Thank you to all my lovely reviewers:

Lady Juse – Hope you didn't injure yourself.

IzzyDelta – German? Wow! Glad you liked. And yes… I am horrible for Cliffies.

Rose O' Sharon – Lemon cake and veggie lasagne greatly appreciated. Thanks! And thanks for the comments about my characters. I'm having to base them off books, other fanfics and people I know well.

Johnsarmylady Hope you enjoy.

Daughter of Jehova – Well, he didn't say anything stupid to John. But John still punched him… Twice.

Peaceful Defender – Explanations are coming. Just hang on in there.

GabrielsDoubt – Nope! John knew nothing. That's the problem.

Pyro-Neko-Isis – Glad you enjoyed. Thanks.

The Miss America – Hope this was soon enough for you.

Ayara012 – Thanks.

Keltic Cat – Yep! John's not too happy right now.

YYHfan-KB – Sherlock certainly wasn't expecting this.

Djburnham – Screaming?

Casse01 – Satisfied?

Min23 – I hope the reaction was okay for you.

DarkJediQueen – Sorry. But at least it came quickly.

Gyreflight – Word of mouth? Really? Wow! Thank you.

Kiwi8fruit – Well, it probably wasn't quite what you were hoping for. But I hoped you enjoyed.

Angelwings23123 – Thanks a lot. Glad you enjoyed it.

Guest – Please don't die on me.

Thank you.