A/N: I was supposed to work on another project first but this final chapter of this second part of the series just pushed its way through. (chuckles)

THANK YOU, so very much, for your incredible reviews! You seriously know how to usher a author on, even from the brink of a massive writer's block. So thank you! (hugs)

Awkay… This is the scary part, right here. (gulps) I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy this one! I hope that you're in for a tough ride…


Zugzwang


Sheer terror grabbed a hold of Aaron as he stared at Spencer's unmoving, lifeless form on the floor. There wasn't even the slightest bit of movement. There wasn't even one sign of life.

"He must've been wondering the small scar he received to the back of his neck the last time we… Well." Eveleen Moriarty's eyes flashed with satisfaction. "I could've killed him at any second since then. But somehow making one of his friends do it felt far more satisfactory."

"What the hell happened?" Aaron demanded, hating the way his voice cracked. His desperate eyes kept staring at Spencer, only to spot nothing.

"You gave him a nice little electric shock, that's what happened. I'm quite sure that his heart wasn't entirely pleased with it." She gave him a sharp look. "Now leave. I was gracious enough to spare your annoying son. Walk away before I change my mind."

He looked at Spencer, feeling a bout of grief and fury. "I'm not going to just leave him."

"He's nothing but a corpse." Eveleen's voice was sickeningly sweet. Her eyes were anything but. "He just gave his life for your son, no matter how involuntarily. Surely you wouldn't want that sacrifice to be in vain?"

For a couple of more seconds Aaron stared. Then, with a impossibly heavy heart and feeling sick to his stomach, glanced towards the screen to see Jack. The boy was crying but very much alive and breathing. And he'd make sure that it stayed that way.

For Spencer.

"I'll hunt you down", he hissed upon beginning to leave. "And one day… One day I will kill you. Skin you alive."

"I know that you'd like to." Eveleen sounded very unconcerned. "And yet the next time I ask you for a favor to keep your son alive you'll come running like a well trained puppy."

The door slammed closed. Aaron would've given a lot if he would've had the chance to scream, holler at the top of his lungs. There in the dark he allowed some tears to roll.

Tears of grief over Spencer. Over Jack. Over the life that he'd never, ever get back after all this.

It took what felt like ages before he managed to move, without even the slightest idea of where he was going.


When Sherlock walked into the hospital's waiting room he wasn't very surprised to find Irene Adler there. There was a unreadable look in her eyes when they rose to meet him. "So, have you made your decision, Mr. Holmes?"

He nodded, not bothering with words.

"Good." Irene reached into the pocket of her coat, which was a long black one that looked quite a bit like his. Light shone on the tiny glass bottle she pulled out. "I was told that you might want this. Just keep in mind that John needs every single drop to see another day. So no silly games."

Sherlock's eyebrow rose. "How can I be sure that it won't do more harm than good?"

She shrugged. "Right now every ticking second brings John closer to death. How much worse do you imagine that this would make things?"

Not rewarding her with an answer he accepted the bottle harshly. Their eyes locked and held. "Karachi… was a lot of fun", she confided. "It's a pity that it must all come to an end this way."

There was no change in Sherlock's expression. Not even when he felt a brief wave of something strong and unwanted. "I've been reliably informed that sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side. I would've imagined that you're above such."

She sighed, taking that as her cue to leave. "I imagined the same about you. It seems that we're both fools, then." Not quite accidentally her hand brushed, or perhaps rather caressed his face. "Be careful. You don't know who you're playing with."

Sherlock's eyebrow arched once more. His hold on the small bottle became so tight that he nearly damaged it. "Whatever gives you that impression?"

Irene gave him a nearly sad little smile. Without a single glance backwards she began to walk out of the room. Out of his life as well, without a doubt. "Goodbye, Mr. Holmes. And thank you." The door didn't make a sound after her.

For a couple of seconds Sherlock stared at the bottle, dangerous thoughts circling around in his head. Then, with a newfound determination, he gritted his teeth and left as well. There was no hesitation in his steps although he knew that he was on the road to hell.


JJ had gone out to get some fresh air. She was just planning on going back inside when her cell phone began to ring. She blinked once upon noticing who the caller was. "Morgan?" When only silence answered fear made her stomach knot. "Are… Are you okay? Is Spence…?"

"It's… It's me. I was… He gave me his phone, so I can call." Was Will… actually crying? That alone was more terrifying than anything else about the situation. "Jayje, I… I'm so, so sorry. I've messed up so badly."

JJ stiffened completely. Cold rushed through her body. "What are you talking about?"

It took some time before Will had found his composure and managed to speak again. "They… They took the kids. Our babies. Told me… me that if I didn't do what they said they'd…" A shuddering breath could be heard. "So… I had to. Remember that, yeah? Whatever anyone says."

JJ took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. It didn't work. "You're scaring me."

"They… They say that they can see you. Go to a nearby alleyway. Quickly. Our kids… They don't have a lot of time left."

JJ sprung to action immediately, those words offering her fuel she hadn't expected to find. Doing as ordered she sprinted into the ominous looking alley and looked around. In a moment she spotted a small package lay on the ground. With furrowed eyebrows she approached. Her heart skipped a beat when she finally saw.

Two small, black devices, both of them with timers counting down that had the exact same amount of seconds left. Each item had a small red button. One of them had a picture of Will, the other a snapshot of their children.

She gasped. Her trembling hand flew to her lips when nausea nearly overflowed. "Will…!"

"You need to let a bomb explode or you'll never see your kids again. Remember? You can't save us all, so… You have to save them, do you hear me?" Will was definitely crying. "Just… Just press the button, and the bomb is harmless. Quickly, before their time runs out."

Tears of helpless rage ran down JJ's face. She attempted to speak although she could barely breathe. "I'm not going to let you…! I can't…!"

"Yes, you can. And you will. For them. Because you're a good mother who'd do anything for her children. That's one of the things that I love about you." Will wasn't crying anymore. There was only a hint of sadness in his voice. "It's… It's alright. Everything's going to be fine."

JJ cried out once, the hand on her lips muffling the sound only slightly. Through blurry eyes she could just see that there was only ten seconds left. "I… I love you. I love you so much." She needed to have those words be the last ones he'd hear. Wanted them to comfort him before…

"I love you, too. Always."

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut JJ slammed the other button all the way to the bottom. Memories – of them meeting, their wedding, all the good and bad they shared – rushed through her head, like sand slipping through her fingers. And then there was nothing but the sound of a explosion.


Not all that far away from Will Derek, who'd been all but threatened at a gunpoint to go to safety, kept running forward although a large part of him would've wanted to spin around and run back. Especially when all he found from the maze of hallways was more hostile attackers. He took them down with ease he hadn't expected and continued on until he realized that he was a bit lost. With a deep breath he made a solemn decision to find Spencer and leave the whole hellish place behind before it was too late. To try and save what he still could.

Somewhere in the depths of the building a explosion sounded. Derek fought his hardest not to think of what it meant. He tried to convince himself that JJ hadn't been forced to hear it as well.

Derek didn't know how long he'd been wandering until he came across a yet another shadow. He was just about to pull the trigger until he was able to distinguish a familiar face. His eyes widened and the hand holding the gun faltered. "Hotch…?"

Aaron looked back at him with slightly wide, moist eyes that he couldn't recognize. "You… She didn't say that you'd be here, too."

Derek frowned. "'She'?" A heavy feeling began to set in when he took in how the unit chief's hands were trembling. "Hotch, what the hell have you done?"

Aaron took a deep breath. For the slightest of moments the man Derek had grown to know and trust was there before disappearing once more. "I'm sorry." It wasn't much more than a breath. "Tell them that I'm sorry." With that Aaron walked right past him.

"Sorry about what?" Derek demanded, feeling like he'd been screaming at the shadows. There was no answer. Nothing but the hollow claps of fading steps.

Derek stared at the older agent disappearing with his heart hammering madly and his head spinning. Stared, and wondered if they'd ever meet again. Wondered just how deep into the shadows the other had fallen.

So deep in thought Derek was that he didn't see the new shadow approaching him. Fortunately someone else did. There was a single gunshot. When the mocha skinned agent whirled around there was a dead man less than six steps away from him. David Rossi stood not much further, his gun still fully ready to be used.

"We need to go." The older man's eyes were full of remorse and the voice sounded unnaturally tight. "Right now."

Derek's eyes narrowed hazardously. No! No way he was going to…! "I'm not leaving without Reid!" he spat.

David sighed. "I don't want to, either. But we're outnumbered and outgunned. We'll be no help for him if we end up dead. So we need to go, for now." Seeing the storm on his face that mirrored the older man's own the other agent went on. "We'll get him back, I promise. But we need to retreat for now."

That was when Derek heard the steps. At least ten pairs of them. In a matter of seconds they'd be surrounded. He gritted his teeth, then nodded sharply. "Let's go."

Don't worry, pretty boy. We'll come back for you. I promise. He wished that he would've been able to actually say those words to the one who needed to hear them. Just hang on tight, okay? Because we're coming back. I'm not abandoning you, not ever again.


For Sherlock finding a set of protective clothing and making his way into a strictly isolated, carefully monitored hospital room was child's play, even without Mycroft's help. Facing John… Now that was the hard part.

Up close John appeared even more fragile than he had before. Or perhaps the unknown threat had simply advanced further in the doctor's bloodstream. Those breaths weren't John's own. Machines were aiding the ailing physician. The man's blood pressure wasn't even close to what it should've been.

Swallowing against the horrific taste lingering in his throat Sherlock moved his hand slowly to touch John's forehead. As he'd expected it was entirely too warm. John's system was working on overdrive before it'd shut down entirely. If Sherlock wouldn't act now, while the doctor would still be able to fight…

"I… don't think that you can hear me." Sherlock hated the way the mask he was forced to wear made his voice sound. If these were really the last words he'd ever get to speak to his blogger he would've wanted to sound like himself. "But… I'm not sorry. Not if this is what it takes to keep you alive. I just… wish that I didn't have to…" He trailed off when the patient's eyelids fluttered but the dreamless sleep continued. The detective inhaled, only to discover that it hurt. "You said that you believe in me. I… don't have any idea why, but… Thank you. For trying."

Time was limited. And so Sherlock gritted his teeth, then began the work. With his past preparing the injection and finding the correct spot to inject it was easy. He plunged it in slowly, with his eyes constantly monitoring John in case of complications or unpleasant side effects. Nothing happened. John kept sleeping with a frown on his pale face.

In less than a minute it was all over. Disposing of the needle carefully Sherlock stood perfectly still for a moment, feeling uncharacteristically lost. The last time he felt like this was seconds before he spread his arms and fell.

Sherlock's eyes stung hellishly when he looked at John for a one last time. For what was most likely the last time ever. "Just know that I believe in you, too. You need to fight this, do you understand? Because giving up now… It would be unacceptable." He breathed in and out, slowly but not quite steadily. "Goodbye, John." And this time he meant it.

When he turned around and walked away with stiff, reluctant steps Sherlock had no idea that John's hand twitched, as though trying to reach out for him.

Right outside the room Sherlock found Mycroft and Emily Prentiss, who were talking quietly. They went silent as soon as they noticed him. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to approach.

Mycroft had never been one to circle around. The man's eyes were full of something Sherlock had never seen in them before. "I'm aware of the deal you've been offered."

Sherlock snorted, turning up the collar of his coat. He hadn't expected anything different. "Of course you are."

Mycroft sighed, like a parent who was watching their child making a disastrous mistake. "If you go there I won't be able to help you. My connections run deep but not that far."

Sherlock nodded. Something deep within him was aching so badly that his brother's words barely touched him. "I'm aware." He gave a curt, small nod. "Goodbye, Mycroft."

Mycroft only nodded back, his eyes a great deal darker than usual.

Sherlock focused on Emily. There was still a one more thing he needed to do. "Look after John, make sure that he gets better. And when he does make sure that he doesn't come after me."

Emily sighed. There was a great deal of sadness in her eyes when she pocketed her hands. "How do you expect me to do that?"

With a knowing look he allowed his eyes to flicker briefly towards her still deceitfully flat stomach. The one she was struggling not to shield with her hands. "Because, agent Prentiss… you, in fact, may be the only one who can."

Feeling no pride over the look of shock that crossed her face he began to walk away. Leaving the life he'd just found again and now barely remembered behind him in flames. It took all he had not to look back towards John's room.


While Derek walked slowly and reluctantly out of the building, followed closely by David, they had no idea that there was already a gun aimed at them.

Eveleen Moriarty's eyes narrowed, locking aim on David, and for a moment her finger squeezed. Then, so quickly that it would've sent shivers through anyone observing, a smirk appeared instead and she lowered her weapon. "See you later, love. If fate shall be so kind."

With no further words or sentiment she turned away and made her way to a small, carefully isolated room that'd been transformed into a nursery. Waiting for her was Irene Adler, with a far from pleased expression on her face and a crying baby in her arms. A baby who'd been named Danny Reid. "When you hired me this wasn't a part of the deal."

Eveleen shrugged. "Things have changed." She ran a perfectly steady hand through her hair. "Is our guest where he should be?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good. I'll go and greet him, then." With a chilling smile on her face Eveleen caressed the little hair Danny had. The child only began to cry harder. "Oh, darling, enough with the tears. Now be a good boy. Mommy and daddy… are going to have a little talk."

She was very fast and eager to reach a heavy, tightly guarded door. It was opened as soon as the guards recognized her. In a matter of seconds her eyes adjusted to the room's dim light. Enough so to see a battered, beaten and gagged Spencer chained to a chair. Fury flamed like a inferno in his eyes.

Eveleen smirked. "Well hello. We haven't really met since you sent me to prison, now have we?" Her eyes flashed. "We're going to have so much fun together."


Sherlock had been waiting impatiently for what felt like ages, pacing around like a trapped wild animal, until he finally received a text message. All it said was 'Up'. He knew what it meant. It only made sense.

This whole nightmare truly began on a hospital's rooftop, and obviously it should end on top of one as well.

His steps were firm and perfectly even when he slipped through a small door to the rooftop, his eyes scanning around carefully. The only person he saw was the one stood by the edge, arms casually behind his back and staring at the city spreading below. "Hi, there", James Moriarty greeted in a sickeningly sweet tone. "What took you so long?"

Sherlock paused right beside the other. His hand was itching to grab the gun hidden underneath his coat. "I'm here now", was all the answer he provided.

They remained in silence for a few moments. James was the one to break it. "I'm truly sorry about Johnny boy." That voice was quite far from sincere. "But sometimes a war requires innocent casualties."

Sherlock's eyes flared while fire sped through his veins. The poison filled his mouth seconds before he spat out the words. "If John doesn't make it through this… I will end you with my own bare hands", he hissed.

James chuckled. "Kill me? Don't be dull, Sherlock. Surely your life is much less boring with me around."

Sherlock bit his teeth together so hard that it hurt, focusing on the traffic down below. The whole situation was beginning to feel entirely too familiar. "I found a way out of your web once. I can do it again."

James looked at him for a moment, as though trying to determine whether he was joking or not. Then burst into a loud laughter. "Oh, darling… Look at you." The man shook his head with a pitying look in his eyes. "You don't know even half of what's going on. How are you supposed to make it out of a spider's web if you're running around blind?"

Right there, so unexpectedly that Sherlock actually recoiled a step, a gunshot rang out.

At first the two of them stood absolutely still, staring at each other in a furious attempt to understand. A breath later James slumped down unceremoniously, like a puppet that'd had its strings cut. Fell for the last time with a hollow sigh from his Westwood suit. Leaving Sherlock face to face with what could've been his mirror image.

Ivan Rimakov smirked, pocketing his gun while walking closer. "Well, Locky… It's certainly been a while", the man mused in their very own language that Sherlock thought he'd buried into the darkest chapters of his childhood. "I've been waiting for this for a very, very long time."

Sherlock blinked once. His face never once lost the cool mask, not even when the pieces began to slide together. "So it was you all along. Pulling the strings. Running things from the shadows."

"You can't even imagine how much I would've wanted to let you in on my little secret earlier. By the pool. When you fell. While you headed to your silly little quest to take down my empire." Ivan sighed with a frosty little smile. "I'm quite honestly disappointed that it took you this long to figure out. Of course it was me."

Sherlock frowned. It took a lot of willpower not to react when his replica was just two steps away. "Why do you reveal yourself to me now?"

"Because today… is the beginning of the end to the world you know. I'll be there to watch the new world that rises from the ashes. And although I'm still very upset with you over leaving me…" The look in Ivan's eyes was something truly chilling when they bore directly into his. "… I'm going to have you face that world right beside me. I've come to take you home, brother. Back to where you belong."


When David and Derek rushed back to the apartment that was now their unofficial base Jason Gideon and Penelope Garcia were the only ones left. They exchanged looks, took notice of all the people who were missing. No words were needed. Penelope swallowed hard and blinked back tears, the rest of them absorbed the information with solemn faces.

They could only hope that they'd get the chance to see those who were absent again.

Due to the emotional turmoil it took a moment before David realized that there was something badly wrong. He frowned at the expression on Penelope's face. "Have you two found something new?"

Penelope gulped loudly and opened her mouth. Jason, however, beat her to speaking. "We took a closer look at the footage showing Hotch going back to the car after shooting that woman. We… were able to catch a glimpse of the driver."

The arrivals tensed up. Usually new bits of information were a good thing. This time, however, there was a scent of threat in the air. "Who was he?"

"'She'." It seemed that Penelope had regained her voice. She looked at David with sad, regretting eyes. "I… I'm so sorry."

With a quite hesitant click she revealed a picture for them to see. They leaned closer, at first frowning at the small amount of blur before their eyes sharpened enough to see. In an instant all breath vanished from David. It felt like someone had kicked him down although he was still standing on dangerously unsteady feet.

The driver… A very important member of Moriarty's web… David was staring directly at the face of his girlfriend. He was staring at the woman he'd shared his bed with. At a woman to whom he declared his love only a blink ago.

David had no idea how long passed. He was almost sure that someone, Penelope perhaps, attempted to talk to him. All he could see was that picture. He'd never felt so badly betrayed in his entire life.

By the time he finally crashlanded to the present he realized that the others had disappeared. In a couple of seconds he was able to distinguish the sound of the TV. By the time he made his way there they were all staring at the screen, tense, anxious and shocked. On TV Erin Strauss stood not far from the bureau, apparently having a press conference.

Erin had a grim expression on her face as she faced the reporters. "… a terrorist attack has been targeted against the bureau. As you've all most likely heard by now it was conducted by one of our own agents. I assure you that we're all doing everything we possibly can to ensure that the culprit will pay for what he's done."

Penelope's eyes widened, some moisture filling them. She folded her arms to her chest but only began to shiver more. "Oh my God…!"

Derek swallowed loudly. "She's going to get Hotch killed."

"What about the terrorist organization that's appeared? Does this attack have anything to do with that?"

Erin gritted her teeth as hard as she possibly could. "Yes. We have every reason to believe that the agent behind the attack is working for this new, still unnamed organization. But we will stop this new threat."

None of them knew that the timer on the laptop's screen hit zero.

Erin's eyes were full of determination. She stared directly to the camera. "We will fight this. And we will survive. We won't…"

At first the sounds were like the distant echo of a thunder. It was unclear whether they came from the TV or from outside the block of flats. But then, after the first two, the third was a much louder one. Closer. And then, right before their shocked eyes, the whole bureau exploded with a deafening roar. Hungry flames rose towards the sky.


'In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate.'

(Isaac Asimov)


THE END OF PART TWO.


A/N: Awkay… Quite an end we had there! The team is shattered. Some have fallen into the hands of the dark while others are fighting for their lives. How in the world is this going to get a even remotely happy end? (winces)

This trilogy will be completed in 'A Study in Scarlet'. Some time has passed and the world around our heroes has changed dramatically. After losing one round of the game the emotionally and physically scarred group isn't sure if they can win the war. Will they manage to raise above what they've been through to save themselves and those they hold dear? Is there a road back from the darkness? Will all of them live until the end of the story?

To those worried… Despite the whisper light hints in this chapter there will be no couples in this series. (Apart from John/Mary and Will/JJ, but that's pretty much a given.) No matter what sort of… funny events may have taken place somewhere along the way. I'm sorry if I'm disappointing some of you but it just wouldn't feel honest to start creating couples at this point. There'll be plenty of brotherly love and friendship, though.

Awkay, I've really gotta get going now. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for sticking around this series until now! You guys are absolutely amazing. (BEAMS, and hugs)

I truly hope that I'll be seeing you all with part three.

Take care!