TheDarkestShinobi: I always think I'll write when I have time and them time flies away. Enjoy!

John looks up from his book at the sound of the door opening. Jim's standing at the door in a full blue suit and a yellow file folder in his hands. John lowers the book and wonders about the purpose of this visit. David lowers the newspaper from the other couch and quickly picks up his things as Jim jerks his thumb towards the door. John tilts his head in departure before using the cover as a bookmark and putting the book on the table.

Jim watches the door close before he turns back to John and lifts the file folder in his hand. John stands to take it.

"Here you go!" Jim exclaims with glee as he throws the folder towards John. He catches it with confusion but doesn't look away from Jim to look at it. He tilts his wrist to raise the file.

"What is this?" He questions. It could be anything, it was relatively big for the patients and Jim hadn't given him anything on those before. He also never told him more than who to send where for the missions, and those meetings were never in his room, always in Jim's.

"Everything Mycroft needs to stop the bomb." John immediately breaks eye contact and opens the files. He looks at all the faces and tries to commit them to memory, no telling how long Jim would let him look.

"No need to memorize them." He sounds amused and John looks back up. Jim rocks his head back and forth as he pulls his lips back in what could be a smile with raised eyebrows "You're going to go deliver it to him." Jim nods with his words as if that made them true. "He'll be back at the palace in" Jim lifts his arm to look at his bare wrist. "47 minutes." John furrowed his eyebrows and looks as if he's about to say something but pauses.

"A promise is a promise," Jim turns away from him and walks towards the one window in John's room. "Now, it's not as fun as a promise of pain but…" Jim trails off and shrugs before turning back to John and smiling.

"So, I-I'm free?" He was always good at showing his hand.

Free? Jim lets the word echo in his eardrum and fights the urge to scream at John. Never. They crossed his path, tried to get in his way.

"Ask me again when you get back." He finally responds and listens as John turns on his heel to face his closet and starts walking over. "Have one of the men take you." He instructs and is sure John is nodding.

"Who?" He loves that John doesn't fight him anymore; he was right in that it would not need more than a month to acclimatize John to him; to listen to him the way he listened to Sherlock. It was like a dog taking to a new master. The next step had Sherlock burning John. Then-Jim lets a wide grin take his face.

"Whoever is best, they are your men, Dr. Watson." Jim doesn't look at him to judge his reaction but he knows it contains wide eyes and a confused expression before John shakes his head and decides to go with it. He listens to John pull the coat on and walk out the door before bouncing on his feet and leaving himself.

It would be David then.

…

John takes David and tells him to be 'bloody quiet cause I've got a lot on my mind' so he can think on the ride over. Jim was trying to give him some sort of messages, and John only knows that much. The only thing John could come up with was that Jim wasn't going to let him go. John had known it was a possibility from the start, but he hadn't expected it. He tells David to stop as soon as they get as close and gives him instructions on where to wait to pick him up. The sooner this was over the better as far as John is concerned. He hasn't had to see Mycroft since that first time and he doesn't want to know what the man thinks of him now.

He straightens out his suit as soon as both feet are on the sidewalk and buttons the last button on his jacket. He grabs the folder tightly before looking up to the palace. Here he is, sneaking in again. He knows Jim wants it that way so he walks around the back to the place he was shown last time. Best to do it all exactly how Jim wants it, especially being so close to having it over. No point in angering him now

"Mycroft." John listens to the other man stumble before turning on the light in the room he assumed was empty. John is sitting in a chair in front of a table, fingers touching each other as he reclines in a relaxed and intimidating position.

"John! What are you doing here? Did you escape-" John doesn't say a word, simply tilts his head to get Mycroft to stop talking.

Mycroft notes the similarities to Moriarty instantly, and in ways he knew John didn't even know yet. Moriarty's using John even more than they all knew. He's shaping John to be something that Mycroft dreaded and would destroy Sherlock. Couldn't John see that and stop it. He takes in the suit and the perfect tailoring. There is a manila folder on the table that was considerably thick and is obviously the reason for the visit. Mycroft walks towards John.

"What is this visit for?" Because this isn't John, this is Moriarty's messenger.

"There is a plane that is leaving London in seven hours. Her majesty will be on it." Mycroft pales; that was secret information and John doles it out like it had been on the headlines. "There will also be seven men you hadn't planned for and a bomb."

His voice is calm, too calm; too cold. What had Moriarty done in that month since they saw John? Sherlock already hated Mycroft for letting Moriarty hold John, but now…

"How can-" Mycroft is again cut off by John raising his hand; he then points to the folder on the table.

"As per the arrangement, there are all the files necessary to stop the attack." Mycroft snatches the folder up but waits to look at the contents.

"Is that it then, are you done?" John doesn't answer at first. He wonders briefly what would be okay to say, nothing to give anything away, and nothing he didn't know. As Jim said, he had plenty more threats so don't mess up.

"I'm going back now." He settles on as he stands. Mycroft stares at him and draws his head back to stand at his full height. His lips settle into flat lines at his observations as John turns around and walks away.

…

"I seriously believe we need to keep an eye on her."

"She's a fan." Lestrade stresses again, "I'm sure he'll drive her away soon enough."

"No." Sally is firm. "She's a fanatic, and this is going to end in something drastic if we don't."

And Sally is right, for at the very moment he is insulting her and telling her to get lost. He's already deleted her, and she's determined to do anything to make him remember her and love her.

…

John had snuck in, he had been perfect. Moriarty is positively giddy. He takes out John's phone and tosses it in his hands a few times before tapping it against one hand.

10 seconds later he sends two text messages and a picture.

…

"You think it's his husband. Just back from the war, to his true love, and the first things he does is try to kill her" Much like John knocked him out, right? "Let's review here," because normal people don't act like that. Sherlock uses his arms to hold his body up as he hops into the sofa chair, his ribs protesting softly, but he pushes through that. John wouldn't have liked that. Lestrade shakes his head with annoyance but turned to listen to him. "There were no signs of forced entry. That means she either let the attacker in or he had a key. Sounds like someone she was intimate with. Based on her state, they were intimate today, may even get a semen sample if they didn't use protection or a used condom in the bedroom. Now the toilet seat in the bathroom of this apartment is up so unless you want to tell me something about her that you haven't we know there was a man here recently." Lestrade's look shifts and Sherlock just knows he's going to bring up the husband being the killer or an intruder. Sherlock let out a huff.

"I doubt the killer would stop to use the bathroom, Lestrade." Sherlock lets his fingers touch each other under his chin. "So the phantom" and the word is said with mockery "stopped by." He looks up to the detective. "There were two wine glasses missing from the set of six over the sink. She shared a drink with him before they left to see a movie." He glances at the floor. "around 5:30."

Sherlock closes his eyes.

"They get back around 9, and she tells him her husband is coming back." A tilt of the head. "Her lover doesn't like that and so he grabs the nearest thing," Sherlock points to the bookcase "her missing MVP basketball trophy and bludgeons her with it." Lestrade begins to shake his head. "He took the glasses which had his fingerprints on them and made a hasty retreat."

"10. Husband comes home." He walks to the door. "Drops bag here as he opens door. Freezes at the sight and turns swiftly on his heel to call the police. He wanted to hold her, but he's smart man. He didn't interfere with the crime scene and it's going to save him jail time." Sherlock turns to a wide eyed Greg. "Find her lover, a 200 pound athlete by the state of her sink, and you have your killer." He gets up and walks away then, taking out his phone as it vibrates.

I've missed you – JW

Sent you something – JW

There is a picture attached, and Sherlock is sure he doesn't want to open it.

TDS: reviews are love!