Irene ushers the men out of the house. "They will text you the location. Did you put a bet at least Dr. Watson?" She asks him.

"Yes, I did." He tells her, he did it when they went upstairs. "Are we sure Maddy is going to be there?"

"Did you see how Zoe went after the man?" She asks in return, answering his question.

"Just wish I'd gotten there first," He mutters. "Next time…next time I will save her."

"And that next time will be in 24 hours." Irene says, she hails a cab and it stops by them. Opening the door, she says before getting in; "My debt here is paid." Then looks to Sherlock, "But do give my love to our Zoe dearie."

Sherlock opens the door wider for her, telling her to get in silently.

She gives him a wink and gets in. The cab drives off as John turns to Sherlock and asks "What did she mean by 'her debt was paid'?"

"Long, boring story and you know how I feel about boring." Sherlock answers.

"Does it have to deal with when you saved her from those terrorists?" John asks again as he hails a cab.

As the cab pulls up, Sherlock answers right before getting in "Possibly."

"And how do we free them?" John questions as he closes the door and Sherlock tells the driver to head back to Baker's "Especially Zoe before she has to kill to survive?"

"Get in with the staff, the waiters, the service." Sherlock says as he looks out the window. "Slip in unnoticed, right under Hunter's nose."

"And Maddy?"

"Hunter likes pretty things. The decorations were expensive, his guests were beautiful, the food and drink rich, and Maddy…lovely." Sherlock describes as he remembers what he saw. "He will keep her close this time, show her off but keep her close. You need to become his best friend, charm him. Once you have, you request some time alone with his pretty one."

"But there was something else," John points out. "All the ones that were going to fight had 'servants' as well. Do you think that Zoe will let him?"

"Do as I say John," Sherlock tells him as the cab comes to its destination and John pays for them. Getting out, Sherlock opens the door and says "Focus on charming Hunter. God knows you're likeable but you need to be charming if you want your Maddy."

"Right," John says as they go up the stairs.

Secret location- Hunter's party

After being locked in another room after the bets were done, Zoe asks Maddy "You ok May?"

"Brilliant," Maddy says as she takes off her heels. "You?"

Zoe takes off hers as well and sighs, "At least you weren't forced back on stage and have to stand for 2 hours."

"Did you see John and Sherlock?" Maddy asks with hope. "My heart practically stopped."

"At least they didn't make a scene. I thought that John was going to kill someone."

"Kind of wish he had," Maddy comments.

"And got us all killed?" Zoe points out to her. They don't need to lose their focus because of their emotions got in the way.

Maddy shrugs, "I just…seeing him…he makes me feel safe. Anything to get me away from Hunter."

Zoe makes a face at his name, "Remind me to punch him before we get out of here." After some time, she tells her "May, you'll need to fight your way out of here. You know how to read a situation." After all the practicing that they went through, Zoe is confident that Maddy can hold her own.

"First of all, if anyone gets to kick the life out of Hunter; it's going to be me." Maddy tells her. "Second of all, I'm not going anywhere without you."

"I'll be a little preoccupied to help you out May," Zoe reminds her.

"Sherlock and John will get us out before then."

"If they don't, we need a plan just in case." Zoe says. Then she starts to walk around in the room.

"Alright, how about this," Maddy says. "I'll use one heel to stab Hunter in the neck and the other I'll use as a Frisbee that I'll toss at whoever you're fighting. And then we run."

Zoe laughs at the idea, making Maddy shrug again.

"Sounds like a good plan," Zoe tells her; still walking around, but not pacing. "But I think you can do better than that."

Maddy sighs, "What if we try and slip out as the guests are coming in?"

Zoe shakes her head, "No, it'll be too guarded. Plus, I still have this," She fingers the collar.

"Knock out the goon with the keys to the collar. Get if off and slip out a window."

"Then what?" Zoe questions her, "Remember that it's at another location."

"We'll hail a bloody cab!" Maddy says in frustration. "You're the brain, why don't you come up with something then!"

Zoe smiles sadly at her friend, when she stops walking. Both know that it won't work out. "Be strong Holloway."

"No, I'm tired of this," Maddy tells her friend. "I'm tired of having to watch my back because our crazy math professor has some kind of grudge against your boyfriend. I'm tired of having to be careful because your 'brother' is a nut. I'm tired."

Zoe walks to her and hugs her. "Shut up Maddy, you're being too emotional." Saying with a weak laugh.

Maddy pushes her away, "Whatever."

"Might as well get some shut eye, who is taking the first watch?" Zoe asks her.

"Me."

"Ok," Zoe nods and walks to the adjoined bedroom. "Wake me in 3 hours."

Maddy nods after her. After 3 hours, she goes and wakes up Zoe.

Shaking her, Maddy says "Wake up."

Getting up, Zoe says as she exits the room, "See you in 3 hours."

Maddy lies down and falls asleep. After another 3 hours, Zoe goes and wakes her up. They walk together into the living room, just in time when Hunter comes in.

"Time to get going," He tells them. "You have a wager to win for me."

They are dragged out again. Zoe gets shoved into a room to change into a dark navy tank top, black cargo pants, boots, a jacket to give her minimum cover from the fighting, and a combat knife.

She is expected to fight hand to hand combat, making it a lot messier than just to give them a gun and shoot their way out.

"Know how to use that?" Cooper asks her once he walks into the room after she is done changing.

Without batting an eye, Zoe unsheathes it and holds it against his neck. He smirks at her and holds up a hand before the guards come into the room and shoot her.

"Cocky aren't we?" He says and pushes down into the knife, drawing blood. "Go on; do it. Do you have the guts to?"

It would be so much easier to. Slit his throat, watch him choke on his blood while she then throws the knife into a guard, uses him as a body shield before using the guard's gun on the other guards and get herself and Maddy out of there.

Zoe looks him dead in the eye and says very calmly, "No, this is too good for you. When you do die, I will be there and make damn sure it'll be slow." She draws the knife away from him and sheathes it.

Hunter smirks and walks out to the hallway, let Maddy come into the room.

Zoe beckons her with her hand. When she gets close, Zoe takes off her dad's dog tags and the ring that Sherlock gave her, that was chained with the dog tags as well. She hands it to Maddy, "Just in case."

"You've got to be kidding, I'm not taking it." Maddy exclaims.

"May, I will lose it in the fight." Zoe argues with her. Knowing that one of the places that they will attack her is the throat and chest. "Tell Sherlock-" Zoe can't really say the words, "Tell him, thank you." Knowing that he will get the more than one meaning.

"You're going to make it out of this. Sherlock and John will come for us. But…" Maddy pauses and takes the chain from her. "I'll hold onto them until you're done with the fight. She places it around her neck.

"Don't you dare lose it," Zoe jokes weakly.

"Don't forget to come get them back from me." Maddy tells her as well.

They hug each other tightly. Then Hunter comes in, "How sweet." He spats out.

As the guards come in to take Zoe away, she tells her in Maddy's ear "Remember your training. Find John and Sherlock, don't you dare come after me."

"Come along darling, time for the show." Cooper says in a bored tone.

Zoe is then blindfold and the guards escort her out.

221 B Baker Street

30 minutes till the fight

"Sherlock, we've got to go. Hurry up," John calls out from the living room, fixing his tie that he is wearing over the suit.

Things are thrown around in his room, accompanied by a swear word here and there. "Got it!" He says triumphal; finally found what he was looking for.

"Got what? Hurry up now." John says agitated.

Sherlock walks out of his room, fully disguise in his costume.

"What in, good God….." John says as he takes in Sherlock's look.

He is dressed as one of Hunter's men. Fixing the gun belt and looks himself in the mirror to make sure that everything is alright.

"When you have Maddy, call Lestrade. Mycroft will already have the team ready." Sherlock tells him and straightens out the uniform.

"Sure, alright." John says.

They walk out of the building and into a car that is waiting for them, from Mycroft. He knows what has happened as well, but not that Irene helped out Sherlock.

"Good of your brother to help out," John tells him as the driver drives the car to the location.

Sherlock snorts, "More like trying to appease the Americans. The FBI and the CIA have been wanting Cooper's head for months after he scammed them," After reading the file that Mycroft first brought it to his attention, he spent all night going over the blue prints of the arena and exits of the house that the betting parties will be, watching it on the telly. "He has promised to 'share' with them."

"Whatever his motive, I am glad that he is helping." John tells him. Not caring about the political part of it.

Sherlock spends the rest of the ride looking out the window, not really taking in everything like he usually does. The car stops a half a mile away from the main house.

"Don't cause a scene if you can," Sherlock tells John before he gets out.

Zoe wakes up from whatever they stabbed her with when they blindfolded her. Opening her eyes, she sees that she is in one of the offices that Copper has upstairs. Putting a hand to her head, she slowly sits up. Taking a few deep breaths to combat against a headache, she hears raised panicked voices coming from down stairs as the lights go out. The backup generator is turned on, but the lights are not on full lightening since it's just the emergency lights that are on.

She stands up slowly and makes her way through the dim lighting to the door. Zoe opens it with ease and draws her knife, just in case as she walks through the shadows carefully. Like the way Moran taught her when they went hunting in Alaska. She hears Cooper barking orders from downstairs; it was throughout the entire building.

Hearing footsteps near the landing where she is at, Zoe backtracks into the hallway again and goes into a different room. There she sees John rummaging around.

"John?" Zoe asks, surprised to see him there. "What are you doing here?"

"Zoe!" He says in relief and hugs her. "It's a rescue mission," Then he shrugs. "More or less."

Zoe looks over his suit; it looks like what the guests downstairs are wearing. "Yeah, more or less. Maddy isn't here though." She tells him, knowing that he is looking for her.

His shoulders drop and a sad look comes into his eyes. "Hunter's got her doesn't he?" But then he quickly asks "Has he hurt you or her? Are you alright?"

Putting her knife away, she taps her neck. "That moron shocked me with this freaking collar."

Rage replaces the sad look. "That bastard! Let me have a look." John tells her as he goes into captain mode. "Maybe I can change the wires around."

"No!" Zoe tells him and backs away from him. "This sick twisted game is still going on. If they know that someone has tampered with the collar, the guards will come. I told Sherlock the same thing." Looking around the room, she asks him "Where is he by the way?"

"Running around with Irene somewhere, we separated." John tells her.

"She's still here?" Zoe asks in surprised. Not jealous that the Woman is somewhere around with Sherlock, but the fact that she's even helping at all comes to a shock to Zoe.

"I'm just as surprised as you, but she wanted to help you girls." John says.

"Or there is a difference between wanting to be a Good Samarian and blackmail," Zoe tells him. Yeah, that did sound more like Adler.

"It being Irene, I wouldn't be surprised." John says in agreement.

Hearing voices in the hall, he tells her "We need to get out of here and find the others."

"YOU need to get out of here." Zoe corrects him. "Go, I still have to fight."

"Why must you? Come with me now." John begs her. "We can find Sherlock and get Maddy too."

Zoe gives him a look, "Have you forgotten who took us?" She then pushes him to the door. "Leave, go get your girl Watson."

He turns around and kisses her head. "Be careful. Sherlock and I will be around. We will come for you Zoe."

She nods and watches him leave. Hearing another set of feet coming to the door not long after John left, Zoe turns and runs to the table. She jumps over it and hides behind it, pushing the chair out of her way a little. So she can get in and still see who it is if she peaks her head out as well.

The lights turn back on full power and Zoe draws out the knife. Just in case she has to fight her way out.

She sees that it's Moran as he closes the door and pulls her head back under the table and keeps quiet. He looks around the room to find a good place to take a shot if needed. Zoe sees his black pants and military boots as she lowers her head to the ground to see from the space between the ground and the desk, giving her a 3 inch view of him.

"Do this Seb, shoot this person Seb. Do my bidding Seb, help Zoe and Maddy; Seb." Moran says in a mocking Irish voice. "Blooming little git, do it yourself for once."

Zoe would've laughed if her life wasn't on the line. She wouldn't have thought that he would ever mock or say a bad thing about his boss.

Sighing, Moran says "Right then, help the little sister." He then sets up his gun, facing one of the windows that overlook the grounds.

Zoe lowers her knife slowly onto the carpet without making a sound, planning on waiting it out. He continues to set up the gun, but decides this room is too far from where the fight is.

Then the door opens, brining both of their attention to the man at the door, holding a bottle in his hand. Zoe can't see beyond his black slacks and shoes. There is something off about him, a thought enters Zoe's mind, but she ignores it and focus on the exchange.

"Oh excuse me sir. Was looking for a restroom, one too many Champaign," He says and chuckles.

"What are you doing here? Don't piss about with me mate." Moran tells him, not believing the man.

Rolling his eyes, he says "Whatever" and throws the bottle at him.

It hits Moran in the chest, making him drop his gun.

With his disguise ruined, Sherlock attacks him by throwing a punch into his chest and then his throat, making him unbalanced and loosing focus.

Moran gets his focus back and hits him in the side and throws him on tops of the desk. Making the chair gets pushed back and the table shakes from the impact. Zoe covers herself with her arms, afraid that it would collapse and would be discovered.

"Where's your little live in pet?" Moran asks him as he pins Sherlock to the desktop. "Surprised he isn't here helping. Though, I guess he is too busy looking for his pretty little bird."

Hearing Moran talking that way about his friends, he narrows his eyes and throws a punch against his jaw that Moran isn't blocking. He stumbles back and hits the wall.

Sherlock gets up from the desk and gets his breath back.

While Moran is still trying to gain balance from the hit, Sherlock spies the gun on the floor on the other side of the desk. He quickly goes for it, reaching down to get it; he meets the eyes of the American he had come to love. Taking the gun in his hands, he motions for her keep hiding and stay quiet.

Zoe has a small moment of panic when she sees someone going for the gun. Picking up the knife, she has it ready and was going to attack, but seeing Sherlock; she stands down and follows his directions and says where she is at.

Sherlock then aims the gun at Moran, seeing it; he laughs.

"Going to kill me with my gun, huh?"

"I would be doing society justice if I did." Sherlock tells him.

Moran shrugs and nods, "Aye, not denying that. But let's think Mr. Brain. Who is more dangerous at this point? Me or Hunter Cooper?"

"Correction- your BOSS and Cooper." Sherlock answers, his hold on the gun not wavering.

Smiling, Moran then says "Alright then, between the two. Which one is forcing my sister to fight? Which one is perverting little Maddy? Which one would you rather kill at this moment?"

Sherlock tightens his grip on the gun at him mentioning Zoe as his 'sister'. "Both, then everyone can rest easy tonight."

Rolling his eyes, Moran says "For being a self proclaimed know it all, you miss quite a bit don't you? We're on the same side tonight git! You want Hunter gone and so does Jim. You want the girls safe and so does he. So why don't you go back out there with your stupid disguise and do something productive?"

Moran then glances down and sees the sharp end of the blade sticking out, the lights glittering off the metal and he chuckles. "I should have known we had and audience. Alright little one, hide and seek is over. Out you come."

Zoe rolls her eyes at the nickname that he gave her since he first met her. But she still comes out from under the desk and puts the knife away.

Smiling upon seeing her, he comments "There she is! Cooper's champion, hmm?"

"Shut up Moran," Zoe spats at him.

"Oh save that bite for the fighting darling." He says back to her.

Not liking on how Moran is talking to Zoe, Sherlock says "I think I'll shoot you now."

"Don't," Zoe tells him, walking to Sherlock from behind the desk. "As much as I hate him being right, he is correct about all of this."

Moran smiles widely, gloating that Zoe said that he is right.

Sherlock turns and glares at her, but keeps the gun on Moran.

"You heard her," Moran tells him. "Bugger off."

"Both of you should learn how to play nicely," Zoe says, before Sherlock can make a sarcastic remark.

They look at each other and eye on another.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Sherlock asks her.

"Do we have any other option?" She asks him.

He reluctantly agrees.

Wow! Sorry about not updating in like a month! Had to take care of finals and now looking for a summer job.

So none of you all figured out the Sherlock novel I mentioned? I'll give you another hint, it's during the time of the 'hiatus' and Sherlock is in Paris during the 3 years he's been "dead". Trust me, it's NOT a phantom of the opera character (even though they do have the same name, Christine is from the Sherlock book that I hinted at).

IM me if you figured it out. And Happy Memorial Day to all of my American readers! =)