Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I've been really nervous about posting it, and it was only once my wonderful beta reader told me she loved it that I decided I would post it. I hope you like it!

And thank you so much Lemony Prescott! This chapter wouldn't exist if it weren't for you!

Chapter XXXXIX

After Lestrade left and John had torn a strip off of Sherlock, the consulting detective sulked off to his room, muttering about stupid reports on his way. As soon as his bedroom door slammed, John let out a long, tired sigh. Ariel put a hand on his shoulder.

"Tea and biscuits?" She asked. John nodded gratefully and took a seat in his armchair. He listened as Ariel moved around the kitchen and thought about her. The more he thought, the more he realized he didn't know about her.

Though John was sure Sherlock knew her inside and out, he didn't and that was slightly scary. As Ariel passed him a cuppa and set a plate of biscuits on the small table beside him, John resolved to fix that gap in his knowledge.

"Tell me about yourself Ariel." John asked, putting his cup to his lips. Ariel made herself comfortable on the sofa across from John. She stared at the cup in her hands for a moment before replying.

"What do you want to know?" She asked, watching the steam rise from her cup.

"Where did you grow up? What is your family like? When did you move to London?" John asked. Those weren't the questions he really wanted answers for, but perhaps the answers to these questions might give him insight into the answers he wanted.

"I grew up just outside Bristol, on the coast. My family lived in a rather large house, with a large yard and hardly any neighbours. I had quite the quiet childhood." Ariel recalled, a smile on her face.

"My family was fairly normal. Nothing too interesting. I moved to London when I was 18. I craved the big city. Shortly after though, I joined the military. I served as an Aviation IT Systems Operator." John chuckled lightly at that.

"What?" Ariel asked, looking hurt. John shook his head.

"Nothing. Just, I remember, there was an IT I had to give a physical to. He was a regular carrot top with good sense of humour, that lad." John recounted, laughing. Ariel smiled.

"Sorry, continue." John said, calming down. Ariel nodded and went on.

"I did one term and came back to London for schooling. I went to uni and was trained to be a report and journalist. I always thought that's what I wanted. But my first job, well, me first real job, all I was doing was making lies believable.

I quit shortly after, had a few other jobs here and there, and eventually found work for a company designing webpages. It's wasn't fabulous, but it paid the rent. Then I got an offer to be a reporter, a real reporter, for an online newspaper.

The best part was, I was printing real news and truth. I've been working with them for years now, so I've worked up the ranks so that I have people gathering the info and I just compile it now. And as long as I get it in on time, I get paid." Ariel said, grinning. John smiled back.

"So that's why it seems like I'm unemployed. I can work when ever and where ever I want." Ariel laughed. John chuckled along for a minute.

"So... What else did you do? I mean, between the army and now?" John asked carefully. Ariel picked up on his hidden interest. He wants to know about it. Ariel thought, staring at her hands in her lap. She knew she would have to do this sooner or later, she had just really hoped it had been later. With a deep breath, she started.

"I work for the government. Small job, not much more then office work, really, but still, secrets passed through my hands. Not that I always knew it. My boyfriend at the time, he... well, he tried to get me to tell him things. The secrets I knew. Secrets that could bring the whole world crashing down around our ears.

I let one or two slip, and the next day, people were dead because of it. I found out the hard way that my boyfriend was a stone cold killer. He dumped me a few months later when I refused to give him access to my files anymore. I'm lucky he didn't kill me." Ariel recalled, a sad look clouding her eyes.

"It wasn't long after that I worked for a particularly striking figure of the British government. One Mycroft Holmes." John spit his tea out before his jaw dropped.

"Mycroft? You knew Mycroft?" John stutter out. Ariel giggled lightly.

"Yes. Remember? I told you." Ariel said, obviously enjoying the confused look on Johns face as he tried to connect the dots. Suddenly, a flash back hit him.

At the restaurant, the first time he'd heard from Ariel in years. The text, dinner and the way she had described Sherlock perfectly. She had said "I've had... dealing with men like him before." Of course! Mycroft fit that same description perfectly.

"Got it, then?" Ariel asked smugly as she watched Johns face dawn with realization.

"You... worked... for Mycroft?" John asked disbelievingly.

"Well, I wouldn't say worked. More like, was forced to help." She clarified, a look of disgust on her face.

"Is there any other way to work for a Holmes?" John asked with a well meant chuckle.

"That's true." Ariel responded in kind, a playful smile on her lips. "Anyway, we parted ways shortly after. Nothing more then a simple acquaintance."

"Why'd you quit that job? Must've paid well." John said before sipping his tea.

"Because I had to." Ariel said coldly, giving John a look that could only mean "I was fired".

"Oh." He said quietly. A moment of silence passed, and in it Johns playful spirit rekindled.

"What was it? One to many flirtatious winks in the hallway? Or did he just not like how you made his cuppa?" John chided. Ariel gave him a look that could cut through steel, but her reply was gently.

"It was because of my old boyfriend." Ariel said in a low, sad sounding voice. John let that sink in. The older Holmes brother had fired her because of a past relationship. John knew Mycroft was heartless at times, and cold the rest of it, but surely a girls mistake couldn't make her worthy to be let go... Could it? John suddenly began to wonder just how dangerous her past boyfriend could be.

"As I said before, he was a stone cold, heartless, killer." Ariel said, reading Johns mind. John raised an eyebrow at her, asking her silently to continue. She sighed before beginning.

"Do you remember the bloke who kidnaped Sherlock and I?" Ariel asked. John nodded.

"His name was Sebastian Moran. One of the worlds deadliest snipers, and at one time, my boyfriend." Ariel paused to let that sink in. Johns mind was racing. The guy who nearly killed Sherlock was Ariel's old boyfriend?

"We were over seven years ago, but it seems he found an ally. Jim Moriarty." Ariel said.

"What?! The bastard that kidnapped you and tried to kill Sherlock was in league with Moriarty?!" John yelled. That was it. He wished he could go back to blissful ignorance now. Or kill the right bastard.

There was a muffled "shut up!" from the direction of Sherlocks bedroom. A moment of silence ensued.

"Calm down John. It's alright. Moran's in prison and Moriarty is dead." Ariel reminded him and something in her tone reminded John of the cold, distant tones Sherlock used when people were being utterly stupid.

"Right. Right." John said, drawing in a deep breath. "What else did you do?"

"You won't like it." Ariel said after a moment of thought.

"Come on, how bad can it be?" John said with a small, lighthearted chuckle. But the moment he saw Ariel's sad, broken eyes, he knew this was no laughing matter.

"You can tell me." John reassured her comfortingly. Ariel drew a deep breath, steeling herself for the admission she had hoped she'd never have to make.

"I... I killed people. Not always knowingly, but I do have blood on my hands. Innocent blood. Blood that would never have been spilt if I hadn't interfered." She turned to face John with watering eyes. "Some of them were good men and women. Some were my friends. But the closer they got to me, the more likely they became a target, until..." Ariel broke off as silent tears rolled down her pale cheeks.

John was frozen for a moment. How could this beautiful, sweet, caring girl be a killer? He was confused, to say the least. What should he think about the girl living in his flat now?

"The ones I was forced to kill, I could always put the blame on someone else. But, the ones I took because I thought it was right... Their faces haunt my every dream." She whispered, wiping her tears stained cheeks.

"It's alright." John tried soothingly the only words that would come out.

"No, it's not alright, John." Ariel said in a deadly low voice. "I murdered innocent people and I felt absolutely no remorse. No mercy. I am a horrible human being."

With those words, Johns mind was made up. No more sitting on the fence; John Watson had chosen a side and he was not going to let this girl down.

"Ariel, listen to me. At the time, you had a reason, your reason. But the point is now, now you realize you made a mistake. Now you are remorseful. Maybe not the best time for it, but better late then never." John said, laying his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him with watery eyes.

"That doesn't change what I did." She whispered.

"No, you're right, it doesn't. But, you have changed your ways. I don't think you'll ever kill again, will you?" John said softly. Ariel shook her head as a small chuckle escaped her.

"No, no I won't." Ariel said simply. She looked at John, who was smiling at her.

"Do you trust me then?" She asked. John gave her a sad smile.

"We've all done things we later regret. So long as you promise not to hurt me or my friends, I trust you." John stated simply.

"I promise." Ariel swore. And never in her life had she been more determined to keep it.

XXXXXXX

Sherlock listened intently to John and Ariel's conversation. He was rather disgusted to find out that Ariel had worked for his pompous, obnoxious brother, but at least it was in the past.

Sherlock was intrigued to learn Ariel's history. He also compared the new facts with the old ones and made corrections in his memory. For instance, Ariel had, indeed heard gunfire before, and the reason she was so scared during the shoot-out in the ally was because it brought back horrible memories.

Sherlock tried hard to make sense of things as he lay on his back in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking. He came out of his mind palace hours later, a thousand unanswered questions still in his mind. Sherlock decided that the only way to get his answers would be to go to the source of the problem - Ariel.

Sherlock flung himself out of bed and yanked his door open, pausing briefly to let his eyes adjust the small glow coming from the kitchen light. He briefly looked into the living room, noting Ariel was not there, and swept down the flight of stairs to the main level.

He quickly and silently made his way down the hall, opened Ariel's flat and walked in. He stopped short when he saw her, laying on the low framed mattress in her new bedroom. She looked so peaceful, almost happy.

Sherlock thought back to the conversation he overheard - could this really be the same girl? Sherlock plopped himself down next to Ariel on the bed and sat there, just looking at her. Questions that had been flying around in his head finally seemed to settle down, now becoming only a faint murmur in his mind.

He didn't understand it. All the test showed there was no change, everything was exactly the same. Every experiment and test he could think of to put himself through, he had done and nothing showed up in the results. Except the increased levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. But surely, he couldn't... could he? It wasn't possible... Was it? Sherlock sat there, contemplating, when a warm hand gently stroked his arm.

"Are you going to lie down or what?" A happy, groggy voice whispered. Sherlock smiled in the dark and lie down next to Ariel, allowing her to curl up next to him. Eventually, they fell asleep, Sherlock contemplating the mystery that was Ariel.

Well, what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Have questions? Let me know and please leave a review! I love you all!