It was one of those rare evenings tonight. The sort where he actually wanted to spend time with her. He wanted to sit still in the same stationary spot with her and relax.

Moriarty relaxing was rarer than than a blue moon. But occasionally he surprised her. Though normally it meant something was coming. Maybe it was a plan finally secured and in place, perhaps a strong contract had been secured, more than likely a job had already been dispatched and perfectly achieved. No matter what the reason, it was always work related and it always led to the night following the same pattern.

They were still in the first stage at the minute, happy mood and irregularly normal. But Katherine was on edge, awaiting the progression into phase two; touchy and twitchy.

"Katherine?" Jim spoke so softly he could barely be heard over the television which played reruns of The Simpsons. It was a strange amusement to him, little yellow cartoons going on pointless adventures. But Katherine didn't say anything, she too found it unusually entertaining and if it kept him still and quiet she would allow it.

"Hmm?"

His head turned to her, chin brushing the top of her head as they sat so close. Her head was laying against his chest and her hands were playing with the strings of his loose jogging bottoms as Jim's toyed with the ended of her underwear, arm draped around her waist. His other hand took turns between playing with one of her own and drumming a rhythm on his own thigh. Every time their fingers brushed she would grin, small but smug, and he felt it every time. It warmed his chest, feeling her reaction to such simplicity, at least it did until he remembered who he was then the warmth turned to a suffocating ash.

Clearing his throat, Moriarty distracted himself from the tightening by moving a hand to play with her hair and speaking down to her. "Hand in your notice on Monday. We are no longer in need of Mycroft's Holmes inside intel."

"Really?" Katherine eyes were wide but full of glee. She could be so cute when he was in the mood to tolerate her. When she wasn't crying or whining she was positively, excruciatingly darling. When it was just the two of them, she was perfect.

"Mmmhmm." The words were hummed, but never the less they came out as a song. It was teasing and full of jest, but never the less the vibration of his chest calmed her. She would have shut her eyes, had Jim not have tightened the arm which wrapped around her hips and tugged her on to his knee. "Come here." He found it easy to manipulate her limbs and settled her across his lap, straddling his hips.

With a face bare of any make up, she looked angelic. There was no dark smudge beneath her eyes and her lips hadn't been painted a blood shade of red. She was just her, just Katherine. No doubt that when she was made up she was stunning, she was his queen. But like this, for him she was simplified excellence.

"You're in a very non Moriarty mood tonight." The smirk could have been seen from the next room once it spread fully across her face. She wasn't wrong though, Jim would admit it himself. He was in a very good mood. All his plans for Sherlock were slowly fitting into place quiet nicely, partly due to the woman who was ever so subtly grinding her hips against his. His plan had been for her to be his ace, and although it was just the beginning, she had already surpassed expectations.

If she could make him, a man incapable of hearing the word "love" feel at least a glimmer of something, just imagine what she could do to The Virgin. Imagine all the ways she could meddle with his mind, all the ways she could get to him. Everything she could be used for to burn them to the ground. Just picturing it drove him wild.

But he was in the mood to play with her, which in the sense was very "Moriarty" of him. "Am I?"

"Undoubtedly."

Katherine leant down until her lips ever so slightly grazed his. Her breath was light on his mouth. He could smell every monocle of her scent. To anyone else, she would have been toxic. Completely suffocating.

"How much notice do you have to give?" Jim almost choked on his words, her lingering closeness making it hard to focus on anything other than the pressure on his lower half, caused by her balance.

"Four weeks I think...but I have all my holiday..." Pants broke her speech as Katherine smiled and started paying more attention the t-shirt he was wearing, specifically the bottom lining of it. But he wasn't ready for her just yet. He didn't need her to get distracted so easily. No. He wanted her to be begging for him, he wanted to hear from her own lips how much she needed him, how much he was to her.

"We should take a break, the calm before the storm..." He knew exactly what he was doing, what reaction he was trying to get from her with such subtly words. And it worked.

The sudden quirk of her brow was obvious. Katherine smirked, but behind it lay wonder which was not necessarily good. It was fuelled with worry and apprehension. "Storm?" Her voice had dropped to be more subtle, just like the movement of her hands on his lower abdomen.

"Mmm." Moriarty gave a simple hum and pulled her forward so their chests were almost touching. At first she looked unsure but settle into him gently, smiling ever so silently as his arms started rubbing up and down her highs. "You'll learn in time." It was too early to tell her everything but she needed to be aware something was coming. He had to know her guard was up, that she was trying her hardest. He had to know she'd be prepared once he finally brought her in.

The delay in notifying her wasn't because he didn't trust her, but because he didn't need her yet. Her knowing as well as her premature involvement and work would only be a bother for him and Katherine herself, she didn't need to have that widget on her shoulders just yet. It would be a long road, and a dangerous one at that, she deserved the peace while it could be taken.

"Italy. We should go to Italy." Jim's mindless comment came out as a whisper as he wound a strand of her hair around his finger.

"You just returned from Italy." Katherine pointed out, however the smirk which spread across her lips was a perfect identification into how much she wanted him to be serious.

"And I want to take you there. You'd like it, it's pretty. Full of flowers and dainty little things." With his fingers leaving her hair, they danced across the skin of her waist. "We will go in two weeks, use your holiday." Her face contorted into a smile which too the wrong viewer could be considered as sinister. He'd pleased her. She was happy. Getting any wanted reaction from her now would be easy.

She wasn't smart enough to think on her own. Without him she would be...useless. Like an abandoned puppy. She's be all hyper in the first instance and then she'd start to pine, within days she'd be wasting away, morphing into prey. She needed him. Getting her up to speed with his business had been almost too easy, but making her stay balanced at the point to which she didn't exceed enough to become wise was difficult. Jim had to keep her just behind him, just vulnerable enough for his own amusement. He could have her become too good after all.

"Are you happy?" He spoke so innocently it surprised Katherine even more than she already was. But her brow faltered as she really considered his question. Was she happy? Was she satisfied with a life filled with constant mood swings, violence, crime and unpredictability? Did she enjoy being shot, tortures, abused, humiliated? Being asked to follow men more corrupt than her own husband? Did he make her happy?

"I'm very happy." She answered before her thought developed any further. Because it was the truth. She loved him, and she was happy. There was no question about it. "You make me happy."

"Do I?" Moriarty's voice was filled with amusement as he pulled her closer to him and lay his palm over her hip, encouraging her slowing rhythmic movements.

A short giggle left her barely parted lips, accompanied by a small gasp. "Of course...do I not look happy?" He ignored her however, and stood from the sofa, taking her with him and walking until he could set her down on the liqueur cabinet, sanding between her thighs.

"Listen to me." Katherine's expression straightened as Jim took her face between his hands and glared into her eyes. He wasn't angry, this wasn't like all the other times, but something had him riled up. "Things are going to change very soon, things are going to get bigger than you could imagine. Bad things, but also good. And I'm going to need your help darling." He took her chin between his fingers and seemed to study her closer than he had in a long time. All thoughts of making her bed had been abandoned and Jim found himself enraptured by the thoughts of his plans. "I need you, if I'm going to do this. You don't know how important your are. You have no idea what I have planned, what you're going to do, how much you're going to do for daddy." Dropping her head down, Katherine's forehead pressed against Jim's harshly. She had no idea what he was going on about, he was speaking in passionate riddles. But it was clear it involved her, he made that much obvious.

"Then tell me." A breathless whisper, that's all it took for his passion to melt and for his grin to return, making her stomach turn in thinking she's said something out of line.

"I love you darling." Jim laughed, pushing her hair away from her face but keeping her close. "You've got to remember that, through what's to come." As he laid a kiss upon her temple, the skin wrinkles under his lips as Katherine tried to comprehend his admission. She hadn't meant for him to tell her that, but he knew that. Like always, he was just keeping her in the dark until it was too late and she had to learn on the job.

"I love you too." Her lips were otherwise preoccupied from that moment on. No more opportunities to question him and no more attempt to probe him allowed. Instead, there was no time for talking for the rest of the evening, Jim made sure of it.

She was bored. He was being boring. For the past week all he had done was sit in his office and Katherine hadn't been allowed a peep in. He woke up in his office and slept there practically, when he decided to sleep. As the years went by, she became more and more convinced he didn't actually need to sleep. In fact, he showed evidence to not needing to conform to any such human behaviours. But that didn't matter to her, what mattered right now was how he was neglecting her from such 'important' business plans when she had nothing else to do. The idea of going to Italy had been disregarded quicker than it had been suggested. She had handed in her notice, used up her remaining holiday...then nothing. She was forced to sit around like a spare part.

"Sebastian!" She called out after catching the sniper passing the doorway to the lounge. But she could practically hear him wince as he was forced to stop and return into her line of sight. He'd been trying to keep out the way upon seeing her growing irritation. The more days that passed without Jim's attention, the more pathetically grumpy she grew and Sebastian didn't want to be the one to tip her over the edge. "Where are you going Sebastian?" She asked once the man stood in the doorway, shoulders pulled forward.

"To see the boss, you require anything?" There was a long pause, during which he revised his words over and over and wished he could had arranged them better, the last thing his staff needed was an irate mistress.

"Tell him, your boss, that his wife is leaving." With that she stood from the lounge chair and forcefully pushed past Sebastian to make her way from the stairs. Before he had a chance to respond, she shouted back over her shoulder. "Should he acquire her assistance, she'll be staying in the City. Alone." As she disappeared Seb was in two minds about whether to chase after to or run for Jim...he chose the prior.

"Katherine-" As he accented the stairs he could already hear cupboard doors slamming and wire clattering as she writhed her clothes out of the walk in closet.

"And she'll be taking his car." She screamed, already zipping up the small overnight bag which was pretty much empty. But she was only taking it for dramatic effect, she had enough belongings at every house to last her a month. Makeup, shampoo, you name it and Moriarty supplied it wherever she went.

"Katherine." Sebastian tried but once the bag was over her arm, she used it as a shield to push him out of the way. "Katheri-shit." He had to stop her, for the sanity of himself and his staff, he had to stop her. "Katherine, think rationally. Jim won't appreciate this." He ran past her on the steps but she didn't faulter, causing him to walk backwards until he blocked the front door. It was only then that she stopped and looked at him.

"Then maybe he should learn to appreciate me." Her voice was small, but not broken. She couldn't be broken, not after what she'd been through over the years.

She was becoming unpredictable, over the years it slowly started to creep in but over the past few weeks, in fact ever since the shooting, she was dangerous. Katherine didn't give many things a second thought, she no longer considered the consequences. She acted without fear and she acted quick without a care to what the punishment would be. Maybe it was cause she'd been close to death, maybe it was because she loved Jim more than she feared him now, maybe it was the loss she didn't even know Sebastian had knowledge of. Whatever it was, it wasn't good especially when it was going to make Jim bat shit.

"What are you doing?" She was just stood there, staring through him like he wasn't even there.

"Leaving." As her voice became quieter and her stance faltered, he almost thought she was going to turn around. Drop the bag, return to her seat in the lounge. But he was wrong as she took one step forward.

"And what will that achieve? Huh?" Seb pushed, stopping her again and placing his back against the door. "He's not going to run after you. You're just putting yourself at risk." It was a long shot, trying the scared her, and it failed like he knew it would.

"I can take care of myself." With a slow shrug, Katherine stepped forward, placed her hand on the door handle and looked towards Sebastian, waiting for him to move. Unwilling to lay a hand on her, he did as she pleased and let her open the door. As always, one car was sat ready in the drive way should Moriarty need to get away quick. "I don't need him to keep me safe."

"Miss Reine. Please." Sebastian called out once more, watching her make a beeline for the drivers seat. But she didn't even look at him.

As he stood on the top step, Katherine threw her back into the back seat and then climbed behind the wheel. But it wasn't until she started the engine and rolled out of the driveway, onto the country road outside the property that it dropped. Then his blood ran cold.

"Jim!"

It had been days since she'd left. A decision which left her currently residing in the penthouse apartment in the centre of London. It was probably a stupid choice given all of the property's she could go to, but this was the only one she knew how to navigate too, the others were private even to her as all she normally did was sit in the backseat watching the scenery.

But as soon as she had arrived. As soon as she'd had to carry her own bag up in the lift and was greeted with the cold, silent air, Katherine had regretted it. She'd almost turned back, got in the car and drove home in the hopes he hadn't even noticed. But she didn't. Her ignorance and stubbornness forced her to stay. And stay she did, for 7 whole days.

The days were longer than those she'd spend in the company of Mycroft Holmes. No word came from Moriarty, not a whisper. Sebastian had been right. He hadn't ran after her, he hadn't called, he hadn't even sent someone for her. He'd let her live out her grump until she began to grow nervous that he was never going to come and that thought was more humiliating that any action. Being forced to drive home, alone, after a week and walk into the house like nothing ever happened.

But she wouldn't do that. If he wanted to see her again he was going to have to make the effort. And until then, she'd live off James Moriarty's money. Fuelling her energy with high tea at the Rits, organising personal shoppers at Selfridges and taking daily visits to Dolce and Gabbana. It was stupid, anyone could have got to her, but she was sick of living her life in Jim's shadow.

She didn't escape a life of imprisonment to be his prisoner and the more she acted out the more she realised that's what she had become. Each day, the longer she walked the streets alone, the more people passed and received smiles off, the more confident she became that there was no one after her. They were fictional and they were Moriarty's version of the bogeyman.

By the time the seventh day rolled around, Katherine may have been bored but she felt better than she had in months. A new leas of life was roaring behind her eyes and there was a new swagger in her hips as she walked.

At least there was until she returned from her sixth shopping trip on the afternoon and found the door cracked open. She was sure she'd locked up, she wouldn't have forgot.

Trying not to make a sound, Katherine pushed open the door and placed her shopping bags down. Then, she stepped slowly through the second door, which led into the hallway. The whole apartment was silent, without realising it her palms had grown sweaty.

The only sound was her hard to control breathing as she approached the first door, leading into the vast modern lounge. But as soon as she rounded the corner, her shoulders dropped from their tense position and her brow furrowed. The bastard.

"Good day?" He was sat on the sofa with a tray of tea laid out in front of him on the coffee table. With a teacup delicately balanced in his hand, Jim raised a brow and looked up at her. "Hmm? Looks like it." As he said that, he gestured towards an array of photographs lying next to his tea, each one of her from that morning from a different stage of her shopping trip. "What have I told you-Don't speak!" He screamed, smashing the teacup against the tray and standing the second Katherine squeaked, in an attempt to confront him. She jumped, eyes shutting momentarily, before she forced them open to watch him. She would show him her new found bravery, she wouldn't let him win, not this time. "What have I explicitly told you, time and time again? Never, be boring or an irritation." Jim took long, deliberate steps towards her until she could feel his breath against her cheek. She could feel the warmth radiating from him. All of a sudden, she realised how much she had missed him and she wanted to reach out. But she didn't, that would have been boring. "Well, news flash, this is irritating. This is irritation at its finest." Moriarty surveyed like prey, moving his head one way as his eyes went another. He was a snake, suffocating her with a look. He waited for her to give, and the minute her eyes fell to the floor he pursed his lips with a snigger. "You're going to turn around, go downstairs and get in the car. And if by some miracle, you manage to do it without screwing up...There's a chance that when we get home, you won't be mopping up your own blood off the marble floor."

But she didn't move. Something deep in her gut would not let Katherine move. And it angered him more than she could ever anticipate. A low growl radiate from his throat, daring her to do the opposite. "Go." Moriarty was practically kissing her cheek he was so close. So close, that her skin grazed his nose when she shook her head.

"No." It was cute to him, really it was. It was the last stand of defiance.

"Excuse me?" He laughed and it hurt. It hurt to know he didn't respect her the way he worked to make others respect her. It made her angry that he built her up on a high horse but didn't follow through. She was his wife, his queen...so why didn't he fucking treat her like one. "What did you say?"

"N-" With one strong push, Katherine fell against the wall and slid to the ground. It was an action too familiar to her over the years.

"Get up. Come on, get up." He kicked her thigh with enough force to cause a bruise but when she didn't more, he took her wrist and twisted it, pulling her body up to stand. "One more chance, go to the car." As she squirmed in his grip, he didn't second guess that she'd pull away and do as he said. That's why he was smirking at her. But little did her know, that look caused a fire to spread. Her pain turned into anger and with a smirk of her own, Katherine brought her face close to Jim's and snarled.

"Fuck you."

There was no time wasted not after that. With her arm pinned behind her back, Moriarty pushed her in front of him through the apartment, the destination a mystery at least until he turned her into the bedroom. Off to the right was a balcony looking down onto the busy London street below, the perks of owning a penthouse on the 30th floor.

Before Katherine could comprehend what was happening, Jim spun her around and grabbed her by the hips, sitting her on the rails of the balcony. But he wasn't jesting, and it was some disturbing lust filled action. Within a second, one of his hands was on her throat and the other on her leg to keep her balanced. But ever so slowly he tipped her back, slower and slower until she truly thought her was going to let go.

"You make me do this Katherine." He shouted over the wind, a downside to being up so high. "Don't think just because your at the top of the food chain that you're untouchable. I'm still very much you're enemy as much as I am your friend." His hand tighten over her windpipe as she slipped ever so slightly by accident. Jim's heart jumped, only slowing once she was steady. "Look at me." She couldn't, her heart beating made it near impossible to hear him and the blood pumping through her veins caused her limbs to grow numb. "I could drop you-"

"Then drop me." The words left her mouth before she could think them over. But they were true. For once she wasn't scared of him. Scared of the fall yes, but the fall would kill her and she'd never be scared of him again. Not in a million years. "Drop me and let my brain mess up the curb." Katherine's voice broke and her breath hitched. "Send one of your boys to clean it all up and pretend I never existed." As she contorted her head to look at him she saw him watching her with curiosity, trying to make sense of her words. "This is how it's going to end anyway, if not today then tomorrow, or the day after." His hand was starting to slip, but Katherine mistook his distraction with simply letting go and she scoffed. "No ones going to get to me Jim, you'll make sure of that. My life will end by your hand. Why not just get it over with?" As he watched her, Jim realised something.

He couldn't have her like this, she was going to ruin everything. If it was going to work he needed her on side. He needed her on the ball, listening to him. Not doing everything in her power to go against him and his wishes. He needed her playing in the palm of his hand. As much as he admired her bravery, her spirit and her recklessness. It wouldn't do, this wasn't why he picked her. She was meant to stay frail. She was meant to remain needy and vulnerable to him.

"Stop it." She was punching him down and he wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't kill her, he had sworn that to himself long ago. But he had to fix her, he had to bring her back to him.

"Do it. Rid yourself of the inconvenience I am." As he let go of her throat, she closed her eyes and awaited the fall. She wondered what it would feel like to fly through the air, how long it would take, if she'd be awake when she struck the ground or if she was too weak to last. It all rushed through her mind until Moriarty wrapped and arm around her waist and pulled her back down of the balcony to stand in front of him.

They could only look at each other in what was described as shock.

"Get in the fucking car. Now." Jim's eyes avoided hers, he couldn't look at her. Not after what she had said. His brain was too busy working behind his eyes. But when she dared to shake her head and defy him, it was the last straw for his attempts. So he laughed, scoffing as his own head shook slowly from side to side. "Fine. Find your own way back." His voice was weak and as he finally worked up the courage and strength to look at her, he turned away and left.

He was out of her sight for only a moment before Katherine heard the front door to the apartment slam and in a heartbeat the weight was suddenly lifted from her shoulders. She hadn't expected that outcome. She hadn't expected his reaction to be that as it was. She had not expected to be able to walk away without a new bruise. But there she was, still stood on the balcony with only an aching back from where she had hit the wall previously. She wasn't panting for breath or holding her head as her vision spun…Jim had just simply left.

The sudden feeling of regret was overwhelming as she felt the need to chase after him. To run through the building until she was in his arms and begging for him to let her return with him. But then she realised she may have possibly won something and the regret melted, soon replaced with confusion and worry. This wasn't how it was meant to go. For years they had followed a script of defiance and punishment. This did not fit the bill.

Maybe she should go back, go home. A part of her did miss him. He was her husband and through everything she did love him. She missed his heavy petting praise and his admiration and the egotistical swell in her head when she was around his accomplices or business pals. She missed feeling like his wife.

But if she could last on her own and if she could turn the next couple of days into her ultimate build of power…imagine how much better that would feel. She deserved to feel confidently independent after everything. She deserved his respect for standing on her own.

So she would stay…she'd stay until it drove him crazy.