GN: If anyone would want to be a beta, or someone to bounce ideas off of I would welcome you to the team.
If you asked John how this all happened, he probably wouldn't be able to tell you.
"The truth about Sherlock Holmes." Sherlock voices as he stands in Kitty Riley's apartment. He gives John the hairpin and begins to pace. "The scoop that everybody wanted and you got it. Bravo" Kitty shakes her head.
"I gave you your opportunity. I wanted to be on your side, remember? You turned me down,"
"And then, behold, someone turns up and spills all the beans. How utterly convenient. Who is Brook?" John listens to part of the conversation as he picks his own handcuff, "What were his credentials? Why did you believe him?" John pauses as the cuffs fall off his hand. Kitty stands. Sherlock turns. There in the doorway is Jim Moriarty, except it's not Jim and it's not Moriarty.
"Darling, they didn't have any ground coffee so I just got normal..." He freezes, and it's a deer in the headlights look Moriarty would never have. "You said that they wouldn't find me here. You said that I'd be safe here." It's not Moriarty who's scared, but it's not Jim who is yelling. John feels something in him lurch.
"You are safe, Richard. I'm a witness. He wouldn't harm you in front of witnesses."
"So that's your source? Moriarty is Richard Brook?!" John turns to Kitty. John has to be angry, nothing else makes sense right now.
"Of course he's Richard Brook. There is no Moriarty. There never has been."
"What are you talking about?" Why is Sherlock so quiet?
"Look him up. Rich Brook – an actor Sherlock Holmes hired to be Moriarty."
"Doctor Watson, I know you're a good man." John glares as he feels fire erupt in his veins. "Don't ... don't h... Don't hurt me."
"Weren't you the one who was going to hurt me? Aren't you the one that beat me, kidnapped me? We've met, remember? You were gonna blow me up!"He left out so much, but he couldn't give their history in mere seconds.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Moriarty gestures towards Sherlock. "He paid me. I needed the work. I'm an actor. I was out of work. I'm sorry, okay?"
"You are an excellent actor, but this isn't the truth."
"Oh, it isn't?" Moriarty speaks as he stands and tilts his head. Kitty shakes her head, Sherlock swallows and John grits his teeth. "This Moriarty, that he created, is the truth?" John swallows. "Or am I the truth?" Jim says with a small tilt of the head. "The truth is what he made me make it, all tailored to you."
"Sherlock, you'd better explain, because I am not getting this." John doesn't take his eyes off of him.
"Oh, I'll be doing the explaining." Kitty hands John a folder and he shifts his attention to it. "Conclusive proof."
Sherlock does not move, he does not speak, had he not needed to he would not have breathed. He stares at Moriarty, whichever version he's getting, as he plays out his hand. He's been planning this for a while, has been sowing doubt into people's minds or the last twenty-four hours. There's only one thing left for him to do. Discredit Sherlock. The best way to do this would be to have him confirm this with no way to take it back, to… to…
Ah. So the plan is to die.
Moriarty spots the recognition in Sherlock's eyes and flashes a devastating smile.
"For god's sake the man was on trial!" John exclaims and Kitty explains away perfectly, trying to weave little wisps of doubt in John, no doubt that he's on the cusps. Sherlock will realize this and attack, and then John should take that outburst as proof that Sherlock is the criminal here.
"I'm on TV. I'm on kids' TV. I'm The Storyteller." Not enough " I'm ... I'm The Storyteller. It's on DVD. " John continues looking through the folder. Moriarty is surprised John hasn't already turned on him, but daddy's had enough now.
"Just tell him. It's all coming out now. It's all over." Sherlock does nothing so Moriarty frantically continues "Just tell them. Just tell them. Tell him!"Sherlock growls and bears his teeth, like an animal in a cage. Jim takes a small step back and Sherlock starts to walk towards him.
"It's all over now-NO!" He puts as much fear into his voice as he can. "Don't you touch me! Don't you lay a finger on me!"
"Stop it. Stop it NOW!" Sherlock yells and John clears his throat. Jim falls onto the stairs. John's heart stops. No. Sherlock takes a step towards him. Sherlock couldn't be…
Suddenly like clarity, John sees all the pieces. As Sherlock begins to chase Moriarty up the stairs the evidence falls into place and of course he would think Sherlock is the criminal. Look at how the evidence has been presented to him. Look at which pieces were shown to him.
"I think that's enough now." John says lowly and Sherlock turns to John, frantic. He takes a few steps towards John as he speaks.
"John, I swear to you, I…" Sherlock trails off, reading something in John's body language. John moves his gaze from Sherlock to Richard.
Moriarty, still gripping the rail frantically, calls out to him. "This act is never going to fool me. Moriarty. You've paid Kitty."
"I haven't been given a dime, I swear it." She interrupts. She isn't lying.
"I don't believe this, Sherlock doesn't believe it. Just stop this. Right now." Moriarty runs through every possible scenario he had for this, and none of them end with him winning, so it would be best to cut his losses. Suddenly, Moriarty drops the act. John can practically feel the shift in the air. Kitty takes a step back as Moriarty frowns and nods.
"She really wasn't paid." He insists before raising his left hand and snapping his finger. Glass shatters and Kitty drops to the floor. John ducks under the TV stand but Sherlock just takes a step towards Moriarty.
"She was very pushy, always asked about mummy and daddy." Moriarty grimaces. John checks Kitty to see that it was just a tranq.
"Is the right one for me?" Sherlock tilts his head and Moriarty shakes his head.
He can't kill Sherlock yet, John still believes in him.
Fuck.
"Now why would I want to kill you?" Moriarty begins flirting as he circles Sherlock. "I love you." Sherlock blinks in shock and John frowns. "You complete me." Moriarty leans into Sherlock's space as he looks up and down the other's body. John feels the need to clear his throat. "What do you measure a hero against if not his villains?" He murmurs, standing inches from the other.
"So you are the hero now?" Sherlock locks eyes with Moriarty, who grins.
"I'm the people's hero. I give them what they want, you send them to jail." He teases, "It's all about perspective."
"That's ridiculous!" John interrupts. Moriarty takes a step back, the trance broken.
"What's ridiculous, Johnny boy, is sitting on the floor while the rest of the grownups are talking." Moriarty chastises. John shakes his head in disbelief but stands.
"What was all this gallivanting for, anyway?" John spread his arms, "all this to make people believe Sherlock's a criminal?" Moriarty shifts his attention.
"Sherlock is a criminal. He just hasn't been arrested yet-Oh wait. You've got quite the record that the Iceman keeps locked up. Some require a bit more persuasion to see it." John turns his head to the side and Moriarty snaps his fingers again. More shattered glass. Sherlock doesn't move. John grabs the dart in his neck as he begins to fall and when he hits the ground Moriarty turns to Sherlock.
"You couldn't do it. Even if you do kill me now he'd still believe in me." Sherlock doesn't glance to the fallen form of John. Moriarty grins.
"Sherlock, I would never kill you, not when you're perfectly capable of doing that yourself."
When the dart pierces Sherlock's skin he grimaces, but otherwise appears unfazed. Moriarty sighs as he looks to John.
"I wouldn't worry too much. John doesn't believe you're a criminal." Sherlock falls to his knees, arms grabbing at the couch to keep him upright. "But he can still lose faith in you." Sherlock slips from the couch and his vision blurs. Moriarty walks away.
"There are many roads to the same destination."
…
Sherlock and John groan as they wake up in Kitty's sitting room. Sherlock crawls over to John before letting himself fall on the carpet.
"What does Moriarty want?" John asks as he slowly sits up.
"It doesn't matter," Sherlock smiles, before he starts laughing, "because you didn't give it to him." John turns to Sherlock who is now sporting a huge smile and closed eyes. "John Watson," he shakes his head, starting to laugh again, "the man who cannot be beat."
"You knew?"
"I couldn't interfere with your decision to believe me or not. That would ruin his game, and he'd count you the loser and kill us both." John grabs the pillow on the couch of Kitty's apartment. "I thought for sure you-oof!" John whacks Sherlock with the pillow as hard as he can.
"You idiot!"
"John!" Sherlock raises his hands to defend himself but John has a few more hits in him.
"Prick!"
"Ah!"
"How come no one ever says John Watson, this is what's happening!?"
…
"You done?" Sherlock asks after leaning against the wall, his clothes ruffled and his hair a mess. He looks to the left, where John is also sitting, pillow held loosely in his left hand. John looks up to Sherlock and lets out a breath before hitting him once more in the head with the pillow before letting it drop.
"Okay. Now I'm done. " John seems to sober up glancing around the apartment. "Where's Kitty?"
"The reporter? I don't know. She could be dead."
"Then we are alone in a dead woman's apartment who offered to spill the beans on you being a criminal."
"Right then, we should go." They run out of the house but Sherlock pulls John into the shadows as soon as they are outside. John's face sinks in realization.
"Can he just do that? Completely change his identity, make you the criminal?"
"His story just went to print. It's already done." Sherlock slows as the realization of what's really happened sets in. "He's got my whole life story. That's what you do when you sell a big lie; you wrap it up in the truth to make it more palatable."
"Your word against his."
"He's been sowing doubt into people's minds for the last twenty-four hours. There's only one thing he needs to do to complete his game, and that's to" no, he can't tell John.
"To?" Sherlock doesn't respond. "I didn't believe him, wasn't that the whole point?"
"There's something I need to do." Not when you can do it yourself.
"Can I help?"
"No. On my own." He briskly moves away from John. Moriarty will likely threaten John, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrade. He'll likely threaten his parents, and, and Mycroft.
"John Watson THIS is what's going on." John angrily replies, referring to his earlier outburst. "Oh, thanks Sherlock!" he sarcastically replies to himself. Sherlock pauses and turns back to him.
"I wonder who gave Moriarty my life story?" he questions out loud, leading John down the path that will be the safest.
"Mycroft." John seems to growl.
John leaves without learning Sherlock's plan and that Sherlock anticipates that this is the last time they will see each other.
…
"She has really done her homework, Miss Riley – things that only someone close to Sherlock could know" John opens and Mycroft lets out a resigned sigh
"Ah."
"Have you seen your brother's address book lately? Two names: yours and mine, and Moriarty didn't get this stuff from me"
"Are you certain, you do spend a lot of time in the man's presence lately; what kind of entertainment do you provide him?"
"How dare you. You know what little control I have over that."
"John…"
"So how does it work, then, your relationship? Do you go out for a coffee now and then, eh, you and Jim? Your own brother, and you blabbed about his entire life to this maniac. "
"I never inten… I never dreamt"
"So this ...th-th-this..." he looks through the newspapers again "is what you were trying to tell me, isn't it: 'Watch his back, 'cause I've made a mistake.'" He slaps the papers down on the table beside his chair and sits back, clearing his throat as he tries to stay calm. "How did you meet him?"
"People like him, we know about them; we watch them. But James Moriarty ... the most dangerous criminal mind the world has ever seen, and in his pocket the ultimate weapon: a key code: a few lines of computer code that could unlock any door."
"And you abducted him to try and find the key code?"
"Interrogated him for weeks."
John hates this; he's bitter and angry and Mycroft has the audacity to say sorry?
"Tell him, would you?" John opens the door to turn away before stopping at Mycroft's gasp. "He knows." Mycroft stands and slams his hands on the desk. "He sent you here."
"What of it?" John snaps and freezes at the look on Mycroft's face.
"Oh no. He's planning to kill himself."
"Are you kidding?" John begins another rant but Mycroft has rushed past him, phone to his ear and John's stomach sinks. He follows after, even as his own phone rings.
"What happened? Is she okay?" John answers. Mycroft pauses. "Oh my God. Right, yes, I'm coming"
"What is it?"
"Paramedics. Mrs Hudson – she's been shot."
"What?"
"Well, probably one of the killers we managed to attract ... Jesus. Jesus. She's dying,"
"Ignore it."
"Are you-Ignore it-you."
"No, she isn't dying. I would know. That's a distraction. Sherlock is the source. We have to find him." There is a car waiting outside and John jumps in, unsure of why he believes the brother after everything.
"Bart's." he just knows this is where is all would end. It is where it all began, isn't it?
…
John is running into Bart's when he sees him and in a flash of anger he reacts. John wraps his hand around Jim's throat and slams the other into the nearest wall. The few people around the hospital scatter.
"Where's Moran?" John growls out and Jim wheezes. Jim's arms claw at John's.
"Not here, was sent to watch you at Baker Street." So Mycroft was right. John squeezes and Jim wonders if this is it, if he's going to be killed by the man he thought would save him.
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now." The coloration on Jim's face indicates he's not talking anytime soon so John let's his throat go before throwing him against a different wall. "Talk." He demands.
"It's Jim! I'm Jim!" Jim gasps out as soon as he can and John freezes in his motion of winding back a punch. "Moriarty's framing Sherlock. Ah!" He grabs his head and falls to his knees and John takes a step back, hands still clenched.
"I know." John growls, "Why are you here?"
"To say sorry and to warn you." Jim groans as his body is being ripped from it. "Moriarty plans to make Sherlock kill himself." Jim whimpers in pain, kneels to rise and grabs John's shirt. "Stop me!"
John does the only thing he can think of, which may not have been the smartest.
John punches him in the face hard enough to knock him out, and holds him until Mycroft arrives with Sherlock.
…
Moriarty groans as he wakes up. He realizes he's back in Mycroft's cage and John is sitting at the other end of the table.
"So that was it? Your big plan? Have Sherlock kill himself. It would never work."
"YOU RUINED IT!" Moriarty shouts, ignoring John's question as he lunges forward, held back by restraints. "ARGH!" John lets Moriarty yell and knows if Moriarty ever gets out, he's going to kill him. It makes him bold.
"I stopped you."
"No one else ever could." Moriarty seems to calm dangerously quickly. "John Watson." He leans forward so much that his restraints are the only thing holding him up. "You were the only one who could stop me." John says nothing. How could Moriarty still scare him in a position of helplessness? "That's why Jim chose you. He could tell, even then, what a danger you would be to me."
"Moriarty." John starts.
"You won't get anything out of me here, but I'm done for now."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I'm done."
"Giving up? Seriously?"
"I can't fight three wars at once, Dr. Watson. "I beat myself. Had Jim not interfered Sherlock would be dead, and you a poor widow on the pavement." John clenched his hand.
"This isn't working you know, I'm not sympathizing." Moriarty lets out a laugh.
"I don't want you to sympathize. I want you to be afraid."