See bottom for Authors Note


Mycroft's POV (thoughts in italics) the previous night

It was nine pm and Greg wasn't home yet and he should have been. I was beginning to get worried. I tried calling his mobile but he didn't answer, however that wasn't unusual when he was working on a case. I also tried calling his office but still no answer. Maybe he was just going to get in late; there might have been a break in the case.

Suddenly my mobile rang. The caller ID said NSY for New Scotland Yard. Hopefully it was Greg.

'Hello?' I answered with a bit too much excitement than needed, especially because I was unsure that it was indeed Greg.

'Oh thank God you answered.' It sadly wasn't Greg but Sally Donovan. She sounded a bit relieved.

'Yes, why would I not have answered my personal mobile? How do you even have this number?'

"Mycroft, shut up.' How rude! "Greg's missing!"

I didn't say anything for a good long while. My world just kind of froze. Gregory was missing. MY Gregory was MISSING. How could this happen?

"Mycroft? You still there?" Sally asked when I hadn't replied.

I cleared my throat and answered "Yes. How long has he been missing?"

"I'm pretty sure since lunchtime. He went to go get Chinese at that place on the corner and I don't think he ever came back. No one really noticed until dinner because its been so crazy around here with this case. Everyone is buried in paperwork or following leads. I just…" she paused. It sounded like she was crying but trying to keep it together at the same time. "Mike, I'm so sorry. I should've realized sooner. "

"I will be there in ten minutes. Don't go anywhere." I quickly hung up and grabbed my coat and umbrella. I then ran out to my car to leave, dismissing the fact I could have had my driver take me. It would be faster if I drove. I made it to NSY in ten minutes flat (just like I said I would). Which was an impressive feat with the amount of traffic there was.

Sally met me at the elevator as I got off on their floor. "We think this is related to the case. Greg is identical to the victim and –"

"Of course this is related to the case. Don't be stupid, Sally." I went into Gregory's office and sat at his desk. It was covered in paperwork as always. How he ever got anything accomplished in this mess is beyond my comprehension. The coffee mug that I had given him for his birthday was next to his computer screen. I started reading some of his notes, some were about the current case and some were from previous cases. The old ones obviously didn't matter. So I focused on the new ones. There was one not in particular that stuck out from the rest;

Daniel Cline

Male, 46

Grey hair, brown eyes

5' 11

(Looks just like me)

"Sally, I need to see the victim's body." I said as I got up and headed for the door.

"I can't just let you see it. You're not authorized, even if you are Greg's boyfriend." How does she know that?

"Sally, I am the government. I can do as I please. Now show me the body."

"So Sherlock wasn't lying when he said that. Alright then….This way." She said leading the way to the elevators. We went down to the morgue and Sally pulled out the victim's body. "I'm so going to get fired for this." She sighed.

I glared at her, "No you won't. Trust me."

The victim looked just like Gregory but with minor differences. His hair wasn't as grey as Greg's and he didn't have worry lines etched into his forehead like Greg. The victim also had his ears pierced. He had an athletic build, a rugby player. Another similarity. He was a smoker as well, he had nicotine stained nails and yellowing teeth. He was previously married; there was a ring tan line on his left ring finger. His eyes were almost as dark brown as Greg's.

Sally had broken the comfortable silence that had fallen as I was examining the body. "So what do you think?" she asked.

"They are profiling middle aged men. They kidnapped Greg for a reason. I'm almost betting that they took this poor fellow by mistake thinking it was Gregory. They do look nearly the same.'

"What do you think their reason is?"

"I do not know yet. But I am certain that they will treat Gregory as well as they treated this poor man. We need to find him soon." I turned and headed back to Gregory's office. I needed to check the CCTV footage and make a phone call.

Sherlock's POV

We were sitting on the couch; well I was sitting on John's lap, happily snogging each other's brains out when my mobile rang. I quickly silenced it when I saw that the ID was my cretin of a brother and went back to kissing John. My mobile rang yet again, knowing it was Mycroft I hit silence again and threw my mobile across the room blindly.

Then John's mobile rang. We both sighed in frustration.

"It's Mycroft." John said. "Do you want me to answer it?"

I took the phone from him and answered angrily. "What do you want? I'm busy."

"Your silly little experiments can wait Sherlock-"

"I wasn't experimenting, brother dear."

"I really don't care what you were doing. I need your help with something."

"What? Can't find any open bakeries?" I said with a smile, making John laugh slightly.

"No. Gregory has gone missing. I need your help finding him."

"Gregory?"

John answered before Mycroft got the chance to, "Lestrade."

I moved off of John and sat next to him. "What do you mean he's missing?"

I'd never told anyone but I looked up to Lestrade (even if I could never remember his first name). I viewed him as a father figure almost. He was the one that helped me get clean, he was the only reason I got clean. He told me that if I got clean and stayed clean that I could help out on cases like I do now. That's why months ago I went to him for advice; he was really the only person I ever asked for advice from.

"As in hasn't been seen or heard from all day." I could tell he was rolling his eyes at the fact that he had to explain what he meant.

"How long exactly, Mycroft?"

"It is believed to be since lunch time. I last talked to him around 11:30 this morning. No one has seen nor heard from him since. He went in extremely early this morning for a case. And now he's missing because of said case." He took a deep breath, pausing, but not for dramatic effect but to gather his bearings. "I-I need your help Sherlock. I don't think I will be able to find him on my own in time."

"Where are you now?" I got up from the couch and grabbed my Belstaff. John looked at me questioningly but got up and put his coat on as well.

"I'm at the Yard. I am going to start looking at the CCTV footage to see if I can find any clues."

"John and I will be there shortly."

"Sherlock?"

"Yes?" I asked.

"Thank you." He'd never thanked me for anything in his life before this. So it kind of through me off a bit.

"Uh yeah. Your welcome." After that he hung up and John and I left.

Mycroft's POV

Sally had waited until I was off the phone to come into the office. "I thought that maybe I could help. With anything, whatever you need."

I hated when people lingered and I hated when they thought that they could be helpful when they really couldn't. But she looked so guilty, like it was all her fault that Gregory was missing. So even though I really didn't need her help (or want it) I motioned towards a chair for her to sit.

"I was going to review the CCTV footage; I suppose two sets of eyes are always better than one." She moved next to me so that she could see the computer screen as well. She took extra care not to sit too close to me but close enough to see clearly.

"He had gone to get us lunch from the Chinese place on the corner. It's one of our favourite places to eat when we are on a case like this. Quick and easy. But he never came back. I didn't notice because I was so busy. Same with everybody else." She pointed out the Chinese place as we watched the footage. "See there and look there's Greg."

There was definitely somebody following him, even he knew. He deliberately went a different direction in hopes of losing his follower but he had no luck. He went into the Chinese shop and came back out roughly ten minutes later. A large man had been waiting outside for him, as soon as he saw Gregory he started following him again. He slowly got closer to him as they walked. Once he was finally close enough he struck Gregory on the back of the head, knocking him out.

After the man knocked Gregory out, a few smaller men came out of the crowd to help move him. A large black SUV pulled up, they put Gregory in the back and then everyone got in. As they drove away I was able to get a look at their license plate. I took a screenshot of it so that we could send out an APB.

I then rewound the video to see if I could get a clear image of the man that knocked Gregory out. Unfortunately he was well aware of the cameras and their locations because I could not get a clear shot of his face.

Sherlock and John finally showed up. They joined us in Gregory's office; they both took a seat across from me. I filled them in on what we had just seen and everything from the case.

"So you say this is related to the case and that they are profiling men with similarities. Have there been previous cases that might link to this one? How do we know that they are profiling, maybe the first guy was meant to be Greg but they were wrong so they tortured and killed him." John said. Both Sherlock and I looked at him, impressed that he thought of that on his own.

"Now that you mention it, there was one other case. It was a few months back though. The victim looked a lot like our newest victim and Greg. But we closed the case, we found the killer. I doubt that that case is related." Sally said.

"I want the report on that case Donovan. Is there a point for me to look at the victim's body?" Sherlock asked me. Sally got up and disappeared to find the file.

"Not necessarily. I mean, not unless you want to see someone that looks very similar to Greg. John, can you take these photos to Sally and tell her to put an APB out. I want this vehicle found as soon as possible." I handed a few photos to John and sent him on his way. I sat back in my chair and pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. "I need a cigarette." I stood and put on my coat and headed out the door. Sherlock followed close behind.

Once we were both outside I lit up and offered Sherlock one. Gregory had told me about Sherlock breaking in a while back and how he had started smoking again. Just as I had expected, he took it.

"We will find him, Mycroft." Sherlock said.

"Yes but will we find him in time and still alive, that is the question."

"I guess caring truly is a disadvantage."

"So it may seem…" I said as I took a drag from my cigarette.


I will soon be releasing the theme song for this story. If you follow me on ig or twitter I have already shared it on there but it has not been posted here.

I also want to thank all of you for every positive comment/review that you have given me. I've nothing but positive reviews and that makes me so happy. So thank you soooo much, it means so much to me.