Once John left, Sherlock looked at Melody as he dried and put away the dishes. "I suspect he's on his way to get... uh."

"Sarah." Mel supplied, rinsing her last dish and handing it to him.

"Right. Sarah. So we have about fifteen minutes before we have to leave for the circus."

"I feel bad for crashing their date." She admitted, drying her hands.

"Well, technically John was going to crash ours, we just have an extra person now. What do you call it again? Oh! A double date." Sherlock said, smirking at her.

"Wipe that smug look off your face, Holmes. You still owe me a date."

"I fully intend to take you on one. But for tonight, this will have to do."

"I suppose." she said, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Fifteen minutes, eh?" she teased, winking and raising her eyebrows.

Sherlock's face grew red almost instantaneously. "I-uh-we-you uh." He sputtered.

"Relax. I'm only kidding." she assured. "I don't expect you to do anything you don't want."

He cleared his throat and nodded. "Right."

Mel realized his discomfort and stepped back, removing her arms. "I'm really sorry, Sherlock. I truly didn't mean to freak you out. I was teasing, and I should have been more mindful." she apologized sincerely.

His eyes grew wide and he reached out for her hand. "Melody, I'm not upset. You simply surprised me." he assured her. "You know that this is my first relationship, and I am simply not used to that type of teasing. I just need you to be patient with me. I promise one day I won't be so surprised. Just bear with me." He said, pulling her close.

She nodded, still ashamed of herself. "I'm still sorry." she said as he pulled her to him, her face pressed to his chest.

"I know. But I don't want you to be. I don't want you to ever feel like you have to apologize to me."

"Patience?" she asked.

"Patience." He agreed.

After another minute, Mrs. Hudson knocked on the doorframe and they stepped apart. "Come in." they both called.

Mrs. Hudson entered with a plate full of chocolate chip scones. "I brought you a plate of scones. I hope chocolate chip is alright."

"That's perfect, mum. Thank you." Mel said taking the plate from her mother and kissing her on the cheek. "We're getting ready to go meet John and Sarah for a date. We'll probably be back a bit late."

"Have fun, dears! Do be safe."

"Will do. Thanks again for the scones, mum."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson." Sherlock said with a small nod.

As Mrs. Hudson descended the stairs, Mel turned and placed the plate in the microwave. "Right. Ready to go?"

Sherlock nodded. "When you are. I'll grab your coat." he offererd.

"Thank you."

Even though Sherlock had assured her that she had no reason to be sorry, she could tell that there was a slight air of tension between them now. She cursed herself for being so forward with her teasing.

The entire cab ride to their destination was silent, neither of them wanting to break the silence first.

When they arrived, Melody pointed out that John and Sarah had just entered. Sherlock offered her his arm, which she took with a small smile. They made their way inside towards the box office, where John and sarah stood, trying to collect their tickets.

"Actually, I have four in that name." the box office manager said as the pair approached closer. He handed John an envelope with the name 'SHERLOCK HOLMES' on it.

Sherlock had readily surrendered his card for John to pay for the date, stating that "If the date went poorly and they needed to leave early, it would be out of his pocket.".

"Oh, no. I think that's an error. We booked two." John countered.

Sherlock saw his opportunity and stepped forward. "And then I phoned back and got two for us as well."

John didn't need to turn around to know his date had been crashed.

Sarah turned to see Sherlock and Mel standing behind them in the queue.

"I'm Sherlock. This is Melody. Pleasure to meet you."

Once they thanked the box office master, John turned to Melody and whispered. "Would you mind to take Sarah to the loo or something? I'd like to speak with Sherlock for a minute or two."

"Sure thing. But, John? Try not to kill him." Mel said, before turning to Sarah. "I think it might be a good idea to use the loo before all of this starts. I have no clue how long it'll last, but I don't want to miss anything. Do you mind coming with me? I hate going off by myself, even in small crowds."

Sarah smiled brightly. "Absolutely. The loo may be a good idea anyways." she turned to the boys. "Melody and I will be right back."

The pair linked arms and began walking, when Sarah looked at Mel. "So, you and Sherlock?"

Mel, smiled and nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty new. Still, uh, feeling things out. He's just a bit new to the whole...relationship thing. Sherlock isn't exactly conventional with emothins and such." she explained.

They entered the bathroom and both finished up, then washed their hands. When they exited the loo, Melody could hear John's voice coming from a stairwell next to them.

"Whilst I'm trying to get off with Sarah!" he practically shouted.

Melody cleared her throat, causing John to whip around and force a smile. "Ready?"

The four made their way into the main area of the derelict music hall. There were no seats, so the audience simply stood in the empty space. A ring of candles surrounded the room, providing a slightly spooky aura. In the centre of the room stood a tall tripod covered with a black cloth.

A female performer entered, dressed in the make up and robes of the Chinese opera. A drummer quietly began to bang out a monotonous beat on the Dagu drum. A sound that was eerily familiar and sent a shiver up Melody's spine. It was the same drum they heard at the museum. Sherlock looked down at Mel upon feeling her shudder. She looked up at him and he knew exactly what had caused her reaction. He reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together. She gave him a small nod and squeezed his hand, then looked forward. The opera singer pulled off the cloth to reveal that balanced on the tripod was an evil-looking ballista. At one end was the long metal shaft, ready to fire. At the other end sat a metal bowl on a chain, dangling from the trigger. From her robes the opera singer produced a lethal-looking crossbow bolt, then put it in the ballista mechanism and cocked the spring. A wooden plank cut into the shape of a man was strapped to the apron of the stage with the ballista pointed straight at its imaginary heart. The opera singer raised her hands for silence, and the murmuring from the crowd automatically hushed. She extracted a white feather from her head-dress and gently, she dropped it into the metal bowl. The mechanism was so sensitive that the weight of the feather pulled the trigger down and released the spring. The deadly dart fired straight into the plank, eliciting gasps from most of the crowd. The woman retrieved the dart from the plank and replaced it in the ballista. A masked warrior entered, dressed all in black.

"I think I know what's coming." John said as the warrior stood against the plank.

The opera singer tied the warrior with thick chains so he was unable to move.

"Dear God. What are they going to do now?" Sarah gasped.

"Ancient Chinese escapology act. The crossbow is on a delicate spring. The warrior has to escape his bonds before it fires." Sherlock explained.

"Well, that sounds like ideal entertainment for a Friday night." John quipped.

A sudden crash of cymbals caused Mel, who was already on edge, to jump. Sarah also jumped again and clutched John for comfort. Sherlock released Melody's hand and placed his now free hand gently on her back.

The ballista spring was pulled back, then a long golden rope was lowered from the ceiling. Attached to the bottom end was a sandbag. The rope ran up and over a beam, and attached to the end in the roof was a metal weight, shaped like a teardrop.

"They split the sandbag so the sand pours out. The weight is gradually lowered on to the bowl. Classic Chinese circus act." Sherlock whispered quietly to his companions.

"I would have been happy with a bit of juggling and a couple of clowns." John said, not looking away from the spectacle. A loud crash on the drums caused Sarah to hug tighter to John. "Then again..." he mumbled.

The masked warrior was finally in place, strapped to the plank. The opera singer took out a knife and cut a gash in the sandbag, causing the sand to start slowly pouring out. Slowly, slowly it rose to the ceiling, spinning all the while. On the other end of the rope the metal weight gradually lowered towards the waiting bowl. The warrior in black struggled in his bonds, the chains not seeming to budge. The sandbag was almost empty, rising higher and higher as the metal weight dropped down, almost touching the bowl. Then, after struggling for an eternity, the warrior seemed to be loosening some of his bonds. In a matter of seconds, the sand ran out, the weight landed in the bowl, and the warrior pulled away and ducked. The ballista was triggered, and the dart fired into the plank as he stepped aside and it missed him by a whisker. The crowd broke into spontaneous applause.

"How about that...?" John said, turning to Sherlock, only to find Melody standing alone as she looked for the man as well. She turned to John with wide eyes and shook her head. He had simply vanished! John pulled her closer to himself and wrapped a comforting arm around her. "I'm sure he'll be right back." he assured her.

A new circus act began, the opera singer coming center stage to announce what it was. "Ladies and gentlemen, from the distant moonlit shores of the Yangtze river, we present for your pleasure... the deadly Chinese bird spider."

Ambient recorded music began playing, and from the ceiling dropped a large length of grey silk. Dressed from head to foot in grey a tall, angular man entered and climbed the rope. His movements were swift and effortless as he climbed thirty feet in the air and expertly wound himself into the silken banner. Then, using fluid and balletic movements, he gently abseiled down the silken train and hovered just above the heads of the audience.

"Were you expecting anything like this?" Sarah whispered in awe.

"Actually yes." John admit, looking at Melody, who had now gone pale.

She made eye contact with him and let out a shaky breath. "It's him, Zhi-Zhu. It has to be." She whispered, gripping his sleeve tightly.

Sarah simply stared in oblivious wonder at the man as he effortlessly scaled the huge skein of silk, soaring over them.

Suddenly, two figures came tumbling straight through the black curtains and into the auditorium space. The crowd was momentarily stunned to see the Chinese warlord wrestling on the floor with Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock called out for John, who dove into the brawl. The audience scattered, screaming, running for the Exit signs. The warlord landed a punch on John, sending him careening into a curtain, which he tore down and landed in it with a cloud of dust. The candles were extinguished making everything significantly darker. In the gloom, Zhi-Zhu scuttled down his silken skein and disappeared into the shadows. Melody grabbed Sarah and pulled her to a pile of scrap wood to keep her from being trampled. She held up a sizeable plank and tested its weight.

"Go help John. I'm gonna take care of this guy." Mel informed, to which Sarah nodded.

Mel ran towards where the warlord and Sherlock were fighting as Sarah ran over to John. She raised the plank up and brought it crashing down on the head of the warlord, successfully stunning him long enough to kneel on his chest. Sherlock ripped a shoe from the man's foot and gazed at a tattoo on the man's heel. The Black Lotus. The warlord finally shook off enough of his fuzziness and kicked out at Sherlock and practically flung Melody across the floor. He staggered to his feet, dizzy and still brandishing a sword.

Sherlock rushed over to help Melody up, then made frantic eye contact with John, who nodded. The warlord was still advancing, half-concussed, but flailing with his sword. They all quickly turned and ran off into the dark, not wanting to potentially get sliced.

The four of them went straight from the theatre to the police department to report what had occurred to Dimmock.

Melody and Sarah sat in the chairs, while Sherlock and John stood behind them respectively.

"I sent a couple of cars. The old music hall is totally deserted." Dimmock said with a heavy sigh.

"Look... I saw the mark at the theatre. The tattoo we saw on the bodies. The mark of the Tong." Sherlock insisted.

"They were part of a smuggling operation. One of them stole something - when he was in China. Something valuable." John continued.

"These circus performers - they were gang members, sent here to get it back."

"And when we got in their way, we became targets. Just like Lukis and Van Coon." Melody added.

"Get what back?" Dimmock asked after a few minutes.

"We don't know that." John admit, sheepishly.

"You don't know?" Dimmock leaned back, sighing again. "Mr. Holmes - I've done everything you asked. Lestrade - he seems to think your advice is worth something... I gave the order for a raid. Please tell me I'll have something to show for it. Other than a massive bill for overtime."

His request was met with silence. There was nothing Sherlock could say to mollify him.

On their way out the door, Melody looked down the street to see a familiar black car. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her jacket pocket. The screen showed a message from Croft simply reading: "Important. Please get in the vehicle. Just you." Melody stopped and turned to Sherlock. "Your brother is here to pick me up. I'll see you at the flat later, yeah?"

He looked at her and gave a short nod. "Be safe. Text myself or John on your way home, yes?"

"Of course." she said with a small smile. She turned to leave, but a hand gently grasping her wrist made her pause and turn back around. She looked back to Sherlock, her brows scrunched in confusion.

"Thank you. What you did with the plank and the warrior was amazing. I, uh... thank you." he said, releasing her wrist.

Mel smiled warmly and stepped forward and softly kissed his cheek. "I'll see you in a bit, yeah?"

He nodded, watching as she walked over to the car and slid into the back seat.

Once she was inside, she was unsurprised to see Andrea tapping away at her mobile. "Where are we headed today?" Mel asked.

"The house. He wants to check on you after what happened at the museum. He's worried, you know." Andrea said, looking up at Mel with a small smile.

Mel laughed. "Mycroft knows I can handle myself. He's worked up over nothing."

"Oh? let me see your neck under that sweater."

Mel frowned. "Alright, maybe not nothing."

As they pulled up to the house, both girls got out of the car. When she wasn't working, Mycroft had set aside an extra room for her to stay in. "I'm going to my room. Call for me when you're ready to go home and I'll ride with you, yeah?"

"Absolutely. If you're asleep, though, I can ride home myself. You deserve a bit of rest."

"Alright. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Absolutely."

Melody made her way through, into the kitchen where Mycroft usually waited for her when he sent for her. Sure enough, he sat at the table with a steaming cup of tea for each of them. She took her coat off and put it on the back of her chair, then sat beside him, wrapping her hand around her warm mug. "Before, you ask, I'm alright."

"Your voice is scratchy, and I've got it on good authority that you're hiding something underneath the neck of your sweater." He replied, looking over at her.

Damn it, Andrea. "It's healing. My voice is better than it was, and while I can't say much for my neck, I just have to be careful about keeping it covered." Melody assured him.

"May I see?" he inquired.

She nodded, pulling down the neck of her sweater to reveal some dark, hand shaped bruises. "I also have a bump on the back of my head. Nothing I can't handle, though."

Mycroft sighed, running a hand over his face. "I must say, I'm rather displeased that this happened. However, I trust that my brother and the doctor have taken care of you. As long as they continue to do so, and you stay out of trouble until you heal, I suppose I won't have to do anything drastic to ensure your safety. Now, tell me about this case you're on."

They spent the next hour and a half discussing the case and everything that had happened, until Mycroft got a phone call. "Pardon me, dear, I need to take this."
he said, stepping away. Less than two minutes later, he came back to the table and stood tensely behind his chair. "There's been an incident. I hate to cut our evening short, but I assume that your company would be greatly appreciated by Sherlock and Dr. Watson. Ive had a car pulled up for you, It will take you to them. I assure you they're both alright, just slightly unnerved."

Melody stood quickly, grabbing her coat and pushing her chair in. "Thank you, Croft. And thank you for checking on me. You Holmes boys always take good care of me." she said, hugging him tightly. He returned the hug, patting her back.

"Right, well, time to go see my Baker Street boys. Thank you again, Croft." Mel said, dashing out the door and to the car that sat idling in the drive. She slid in the back, her knee bouncing nervously. What exactly had happened to the boys?