Chapter summary:

A misstep in John and Sherlock's investigation lands the two in hot water...very, VERY hot water.

CHAPTER WARNING!

I don't want to spoil anything, but I don't want anyone stepping on triggers accidentally either. So, this chapter contains;

- drugs
- kidnapping

Please proceed at your own discretion!

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CHAPTER 21: The Buyer

By the fourth time John and Sherlock infiltrated into the fight club, they had met most of the regulars. In the meantime, the body of the fox hybrid they saw in the first fight had turned up dead, tossed into the Thames. Many of her injuries from the fight were still present, but the killing blow had been her slashed throat. It looked like something had simply torn her jugular out causing her to bleed to death.

They kept an eye out for Sandy, the owner of the fox hybrid, but she kept didn't attend anymore fights until the pair went in for the fifth time. This time, she was there with a wolf hybrid, drinking a cocktail at the bar.

"You're Sandy, right? Your hybrid's fight was the first one I saw," John smiled at her as he approached.

She looked him over and shrugged.

"Where is that little hybrid? She was cute, you know, the fox one."

Sandy checked her nails completely disinterested.

"I got bored with her. Sold her."

"Oh...that's too bad. Who did you sell her to?"

She shook her head, ginger locks falling gently around her shoulders.

"Some guy. I think he's here today, saw him earlier."

John and Sherlock immediately felt a rush of excitement. The man buying the hybrids who then turned up dead was here, if they played this right, they might get to meet him.

"Really? Is he around now?"

Sandy's perfectly shaped brow raised and she looked suspiciously at John.

"What's it to you?"

"I-I was thinking I might want to sell Sherlock here. Need some extra money, you know. If this guy pays well, then I might consider it."

She sighed and looked around but shook her head.

"I don't see him now. He had short hair, wearing a suit, blue I think. With a tie. You can try over in the holding room, he might be there looking over the hybrids on the schedule to fight tonight. If you do try to sell, drive your price up. That guy smells like money."

"Thanks for the tip."

John and Sherlock headed off, trying to see if they can find this man. Tonight Sherlock was dressed in a see-through purple shirt with trousers that were a shade darker. They headed for a corridor that led to the bathrooms. At the end, there was an opening where a door should be, but instead there was a beaded curtain. Inside was a holding pen where several hybrids rested, waiting for their turn in the ring. As they neared the room, Sherlock caught a whiff of a familiar smell. It was faint, but he had definitely smelled it before although where exactly escaped him. John pushed the curtain apart and walked in, drawing the attention of the guard.

"Sorry, I'm looking for someone. Man, blue suit, tie, has he been here?"

The guard just shrugged and shook his head, although several of the hybrids raised their heads at the description. John noticed and gave Sherlock a small nod before stepping closer to the holding area, peering in.

"These are the ones fighting tonight? Any of them look promising?"

While John engaged the guard in speculating about the matches, Sherlock crawled right up to the pen, peering in between the metal bars.

"You know the man my owner's looking for?"

He whispered to a young rabbit hybrid. The girl had curled up to the edge when she heard John earlier and Sherlock had a feeling she knew something.

"N-no," she replied timidly.

Sherlock reached a hand in and petted her fluffy ear. This one isn't going to stand a chance in a fight.

"My owner thinks he's doing bad things to hybrids. If you know where he is, it can help stop him."

She looked at him with wide brown eyes, clearly frightened.

"I...I saw him earlier. He came in to look us over. He smelled awful, like blood."

"How long ago was he here?"

"I don't know...about...an hour? M-maybe. He kept touching me and some of the others. Said we'd make great prey, the way he said it was horrible," she shuddered and closed her eyes.

Before they could talk more, a man peeked his head in to call out the next two fighters. The guard hustled John and Sherlock out and the pair headed back to the main room. Just as they got to the mouth of the corridor, however, Sherlock froze. The scent he had smelled earlier suddenly slammed into him and a flood of memories followed.

"H-He's here...," Sherlock whispered, body on full alert. His eyes flew around the room, trying to pinpoint the source of the smell, his arms crouching down like a cat preparing to leap into action.

"Sherlock? What is it?"

The sensitive nose sniffed and finally sharp eyes spotted the man. Slicked back hair, blue suit, stripped tie, sitting by the fighting ring with a male hybrid draped over him. As if the man felt Sherlock's attention on him, he looked over, eyes widening as he recognized the brunet. He stood up and straightened his shirt, tugging on his own hybrid as he strode over with a wide smile. Sherlock backed up a few steps, pulling on the leash and making John frown. The doctor watched the man approach and glanced at Sherlock who was clearly agitated by his presence.
"Sherlock? Who is he?"

"Why look who it is! Baby, darling, I've missed you!" The man's voice boomed before Sherlock could respond, "Is this your new owner?"

John instinctively stepped between the man and Sherlock, eyes narrowed. He didn't know who this person was, but if Sherlock didn't like him, then John wasn't going to let him near the pale hybrid.

"Yes. John Watson. You are..?"

"Ah, Mr. Watson, pleasure. My name's Sebastian Wilkes. I was his owner too at one point, lost him in a poker match though. Shame really, he was such a lovely pet. Have you had him give you some service with his mouth? He does the most amazing thing with his tongue, and if you pull his hair just right, the sounds he makes are exquisite."

John was close to strangling this man right then and there. So this was the guy, the human garbage that had put Sherlock through all that pain. The doctor's hand itched to pull out the gun stashed at his waist and put an end to his miserable life, but he bit down his rage.

"It's Doctor Watson, actually. Sherlock is...a wonderful companion, yes."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at John's tense reply, peering around the man to look at the hybrid behind him. Sherlock was huddling back, head down. He tried to keep himself from shaking, but it was difficult. Years of conditioning made him cower just hearing Sebastian's voice and to have him so close was frightening. He kept repeating in his mind that John was here, that John wouldn't let anything happen to him, that he was safe, but Sebastian's cologne was overwhelming and all if did was bring back wave after wave of memories he thought he had buried.

"Well that's a most interesting name you've given him, Doctor. I never bothered, waste of time giving a name to a bedroom pet. You know, if you're interested, Dr. Watson, perhaps we can have some fun with him together? I would love for my pets now to see how a pro does it. It took a bit of training, but we managed to get him broken in so wonderfully, didn't we baby?"

Sebastian reached out, ready to pet Sherlock, but John's hand immediately shot out and grabbed his wrist. The doctor's mind was racing, trying to push his feelings aside so that he could think straight. Sebastian was the man buying up the hybrids that ended up dead. He must be connected somehow to the killings. If they could find out how, they can put the man behind bars for good.

"Actually, Mr. Wilkes, I have a better proposal. I'm entertaining the possibility of selling Sherlock, need some cash. Would you be interested in buying him back?"

The brunet whimpered and John prayed he hadn't taken the words to heart. Please let Sherlock realize he was acting, please.

Sebastian's eyes widened and his lips twisted in a smile.

"Is that right? Well...that certainly is an interesting proposal. How much were you thinking?"

John shrugged and looked back at Sherlock as if assessing him.

"A few hundred at least. Like you said, he is very...good."

Sebastian tapped a finger to his lips, thinking it over. He stared down at Sherlock, then up to John.

"May I inspect him? Have to check the goods."

Gritting his teeth, John nodded.

Sherlock held still as he felt the man approach closer. Sebastian squatted down and ran a hand over the lean back, pulling up his shirt to check his skin. A hard hand felt around the base of his tail and Sebastian frowned feeling the scar. Then, he pulled at the back of Sherlock's neck making him choke in surprise.

"Up," he commanded.

"Yes, sir," Sherlock replied without thinking, his body on autopilot.

John was halfway to telling Sebastian to fuck off before Sherlock's eyes met his. He gave his head a small shake, indicating for John to not interfere as his ex-owner's hands ran down his chest, brushing over a nipple and pinching it. Sherlock's breath caught but he kept still, cheeks flushing with shame at the fact that John was watching all of this.

Without warning, Sebastian snapped his fingers right beside Sherlock's ear.

"Present," he ordered sharply.

The slender back bent forward and Sherlock went down on his forearms, raising his rear into the air, just like he had done the first time he thought John and him were going to have sex. He hadn't even realized he was doing it until he was in position already and his ears pressed to his head in despair. He thought he had gotten past all his training already, he thought John had managed to erase all of it, but his body still remembered. All it took was a word, a tone and down he goes. Sherlock buried his face in his arms, shaking. He felt like crying, but he couldn't, not here.

That was the limit for John. He knelt down and ran his fingers gently through the soft curls, glaring at Sebastian.

"I think that's enough, Mr. Wilkes."

Sebastian laughed a bit, petting his own hybrid as his eyes gazed hungrily at Sherlock.

"Well, he's still as obedient as before. Come with me to one of the back rooms and we can talk about the details of the deal, it's too noisy here."

Another fight had started and people were cheering and applauding. John nodded his agreement and followed after the other man. He actually hadn't been aware there were other rooms, but Sebastian led them down a hallway that had only one door at the end. He opened it and motioned for the doctor and his hybrid to go in first, following after and closing the door behind him.

The room was better lit than the arena area. There was a queen sized bed in one corner, canopied and quite elegant looking. Out in front there were two velvet sofas facing each other with a coffee table set between them.

In the bright lighting John noticed that Sebastian's hybrid had a ball gag in his mouth. A rope was tied to the back of his collar and it trailed over his naked back, running parallel to his spine. It disappeared under the waistband of his pants and John didn't want to think where the other end was tied to. His ears were triangular with a fully, bushy tail, pure white and quite beautiful.

"Arctic fox hybrid," Sebastian explained, catching John's puzzled stare.

"Oh...interesting."

"Yes, cost me an arm and a leg to get him. Still needs some training, but he's getting there,"

Sebastian sat down on one of the sofas and looked at his hybrid expectantly. John watched as the pet crawled out in front of his owner and the man swung his legs up, resting them on the hybrid's back like a footstool.

The doctor almost laughed at himself for thinking the man would just let the hybrid curl up at his feet. Of course, why not, why not use your pet like furniture? Because clearly that is so fucking logical. He shook his head and strode over to the other sofa, sitting down with a huff. Sherlock knelt beside him, resting his head on John's thigh as the man gently stroked his hair and rubbed his ears.

"Something to drink perhaps? I have a direct line to the bar," Sebastian motioned to a phone that rested on a small table beside his sofa.

"Uh, whatever your having is fine."

The man picked up the phone and placed an order for two scotch on the rocks before turning back to John.

"So then, back to our...Sherlock was it?"

"Yes, Sherlock."

"You said a few hundred, that's a pretty big range. How does four hundred sound?"

"I have some interested buyers that will go up to seven hundred."

"Seven hundred? Hm...well, considering the time and effort I put into him, that certainly is a fair price, but I have so many hybrids these days. Would you consider a trade?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wilkes, I'm afraid that won't do."

"How about Five fifty? I'll have to send him to a hybrid house for a few months to re-train him, so I'll give you half of his earnings from there too."

"Oh I think you can do better than that. Six hundred and three quarters of his earnings."

Contemplative eyes peered at Sherlock, then up to John. Finally, the man let out a huff of laughter.

"You drive a hard bargain, Dr. Watson. Fine, you've got yourself a deal. Six hundred, plus three quarters of his earnings for four months, that sound fair? I'll have the papers drawn up and we can meet tomorrow to finish the transaction."

John nodded, his fingers trialing to the back of Sherlock's neck and giving him a soft squeeze at the collar. Sherlock was his, and even as an act the doctor felt disgusting for negotiating a price for his sale.

Just then, someone knocked on the door and a waiter came in holding their drinks. He set the glasses down on the coffee table then quickly bowed out.

Sebastian offered one glass to John and picked up another one himself.

"Well, a drink to seal our deal then!"

The two clinked their glasses and took a sip.

"You know, I've heard you've been coming to a lot of the fights recently, Dr. Watson," Sebastian smiled at him.

"A few."

"You're a military man, yes?"

"How did you know?"

"Oh, just, sources. Plus you hold yourself like one. I've got some buddies who are just like you."

"Just like me? How so?"

"Can't adjust to civilian life, always seeking that thrill they had on the battlefield. When they see blood you can see the excitement in their faces."

"Bloodshed doesn't appeal to me."

"Oh, of course not. You're a doctor, after all. Which is why it's surprising that you would come to fight clubs to seek your thrills."

"I'm just here to watch."

By now, John had downed about half his drink. The room was feeling incredibly hot and when he looked again Sebastian's smile had widened. A horrifying realization dawned on the doctor as his focus blurred and he felt himself losing his grasp on consciousness. Drugged.

"Just here to watch...as surveillance for Scotland Yard, no?"

John jolted at the question. He quickly reached back to pull out his gun, pressing the weapon into Sherlock's hand.

"Sherlock, RUN!"

He tried shouting as clearly as possible before attempting to stand up and face Sebastian, but his legs weren't working and he toppled forward, slumping across the coffee table.

"John!" Sherlock cried out, immediately checking his owner's pulse as his eyes widened in realization, "What did you do to him?!"

Sebastian's smile disappeared and he swung his legs down to the floor, rising to his full height. Sherlock aimed the gun and was just about to pull the trigger when the door slammed open and two guards barged in. One of them knocked Sherlock down, grabbing his wrist and twisting the slender arm behind his back until Sherlock yelped in pain and finally released the gun. The guard's meaty hand wrapped tightly around the pale neck and ripped his collar off along with the microphone before getting rid of his ear cuff camera as well.

The other man grabbed a semi-conscious John who tried struggling, pulling off his surveillance equipment too.

Sebastian laughed as he watched, having drawn his own gun in the confusion.

"John, wake up, John!"

Sherlock screamed, kicking and clawing even though he was pinned to the floor. Sebastian held the gun to John's head and sneered at Sherlock.

"Keep quiet, baby. We wouldn't want anything to happen to our good doctor here, would we?"

Helplessly, Sherlock stilled, knowing his ex-owner would have no qualms putting a bullet in John. He felt his hands being tied behind his back as a blindfold was wrapped around his eyes, committing him to darkness.

"Be good baby, it's going to be just like the good old day...and your darling doctor's going to watch all of it," Sebastian's voice purred right beside his ear, the barrel of the gun trailing down his back and pressing tightly at the base of his tail.

Sherlock whimpered, feeling pure fear closing around him, except it wasn't for himself. He can handle whatever Sebastian has in store for him, he had lived with the man for years, but what are they going to do with John?

"Get them out of here, make sure you're not tailed."

The cold voice barked as Sherlock was hauled up. His legs were quickly tied and a piece of tape was slapped over his mouth to keep him quiet before he felt himself being lifted and carried. He wanted so desperately to fight, but not when they had John hostage too. Silently, he threw out a prayer to anyone who might be listening, please, please, let the doctor be OK.

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CHAPTER 21 END

*Hides behind a fortress of pillows*

Um...angst warning for next chapter?