Author's note- I am sorry for not updating in ages. If I'm honest, school has been keeping me busy most of the time and I just can't find the time to really sit down and write out a chapter. But here we go! Thanks for being patient and for 60 reviews!

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Chapter 22

"Wait, what?" John all but exclaimed in disbelief at Sherlock, who raised an eyebrow at him with mild amusement. "Excuse me, what?" John said again, "Mr and Mrs Patterson? Just... what? They're supposed to be dead!"

"Oh bless him," Jim said mockingly, "He is confused." Moriarty's eyes flickered over to where Lucy was still crying, unable to stop the constant flow of tears as her hands shook on the gun pointed at her head. "I'm rather enjoying this though."

"Just stop it," David Patterson spoke up for the first time, his voice was tight.

"We've done what you wanted, now can you let us all go?" Lily Patterson added.

"Ha," Moriarty burst out into a fit of laughter, "Oh you naive people, you thought you would get your happily ever after? You really thought that I would just let you go once I had my fun with you? No. I'm seeing this through to the end." His eyes glinted with malice.

"What is it you want?" Sherlock said before anyone else had a chance to speak.

"I think you know what I want." The consulting criminal replied, sounding bored. He turned to Lucy, "Oh just hurry up would you? I do have other things to be getting on with!"

"Don't listen to him Lucy," Sherlock said at the same time as Mr and Mrs Patterson. Lucy looked at them all, but ignored her parents, and instead turned to Sherlock.

"I can't," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

By this point, both Sherlock and John had edged over towards her, still keeping watch on Moriarty and David and Lily.

"Give me the gun," John said gently to her.

"No! Leave me alone," she yelled, her voice choked.

"Lucy please," Sherlock said as he crouched down to her level, Lucy's eyes locked onto his, "Don't give in. Don't let him win- because you know this is what he wants. And I think you've known all along that this was what he wanted in the end. Please, trust me." But the teenager just sobbed, bringing the gun into her lap while gripping it even tighter.

"Can you not," Moriarty interrupted their little moment with a look of annoyance.

"You really are insane," Sherlock Holmes growled at him as he stood up straight again; leaving John beside Lucy and he took a few steps closer to Jim and the two murderers.

"Oh thank you! I didn't think you'd notice," Jim said as though Sherlock had just complimented him on a new haircut. The consulting detective rolled his eyes at the childish behaviour his nemesis was putting on just to piss him off.

"And you two," Sherlock suddenly turned to glare at David and Lily (if looks could kill they would have dropped down dead by now,) "You two are just as bad! Killing all of those people. How on earth, do you think your 'daughter' is supposed to cope after all you two have done! You can barely call yourselves parents, you're pathetic." He was getting more and more angry at them, his voice rising with each word.

"We did it because we had to," David held his hands up; "He was going to kill us and Lucy if we didn't." Suddenly though, Lucy yelled:

"And you would have rather died than help him!" Hatred flashed in her usually mild eyes. "You would never have done any of this."

"Lucy dear, you have to believe us," Lily spoke up, "Either we all died, or we helped him and we could be a family again."

"No! That's not true, because his goal all along was to kill me and you must have known that. You'd rather save your own skins than save your only daughter." Lucy brushed the tears away furiously.

"Now this is much more exciting," Jim said, looking amused at the scene before him.

"Right now, no-one dare talk." Sherlock snarled, glaring at them all in warning, "Lucy, listen very carefully to me. And trust what I say." He looked at her with such caring emotion, she felt compelled to listen. Sherlock just hoped that what he would say would be enough to stop her from using that gun on herself.

"Finally," John muttered under his breath, "An explanation. I was wondering when I would finally understand." The consulting detective shot him a look, which silence the ex army doctor with a smirk. Moriarty lifted up one corner of his mouth, but otherwise let his enemy take the stage.

"I've been bordering on the edge of knowing who the killers were for some time, but it was just finding the proof." Sherlock Holmes, the great detective started, "But how do you get proof when the murderers are supposed to be dead? No one would believe me if I said who it was, so I had to keep it to myself. But how did I know it was Lucy's parents? Well, how else would they have gotten that video you showed Lucy when Sebastian Moran kidnapped her? Originally I- as many others- thought that it was filmed when they were still 'alive,' six odd months ago. But it couldn't be. After all, it was painfully obvious that the video was fake." Lucy looked at him in confusion so he elaborated: "The video itself had decent acting done by both Mr and Mrs Patterson, but it was their tone of voice and facial expressions that gave it all away. Both of your voices wavered, as though you didn't really want to say those things, and at one point it sounded like you- Lily- forgot your lines a little. Now, onto your facial expressions. Both of your eyes were tight and body posture was rather rigid. It was as though you were perhaps being threatened to do this- perhaps held at gunpoint or something like that. And at the end- Lily your eyes betrayed you. And judging by your broken finger I'm guessing you were punished for it." Sherlock's eyes glanced at her left index finger- which was slightly crooked; as though it had been broken and poorly re-aligned. Lily Patterson winced, but Sherlock had no sympathy for her, "Your eyes Lily, they watered and tightened and became red at the end as though you were about to cry. The eyes are supposedly the gateway to the soul- and yours were the biggest giveaway." He looked over to see how Lucy was, and her hands were still shaking, so he continued, "From then on I knew that either you were being forced to do this, or that you were doing this willingly."

"I got a note." Lucy said to Sherlock, as she retrieved it from her bag. "When Moriarty gave me the gun, this note was with it." She passed it to him and he read it.

"Here's a gun sweetie. Should you still be alive, it may be a good idea to end your pathetic life x," Sherlock read the note aloud before saying: "And that is presumably your father's calligraphy as well, so if that doesn't seal the deal then I don't know what else will." He smirked at them. "Clearly you don't care about Lucy, after all, why would you have done all of this willingly? And you did do this willingly, because why else would you have done all of this? A real parent would rather die than harm their children in any way. But you did all this willingly and uncaringly. The world is better off without you two."

"Oh I do love it when you deduce things," Jim said, lightening the mood in an ironic way. He was clearly enjoying this, which make Sherlock and John sick to the stomach.

"Hang on," John Watson said, still frowning, "They were supposed to be dead though? What was the blood and gunshots Lucy heard and saw six months ago. How did they die... but not die?" He sounded confused at his own question, but Lucy also seemed to want to know this answer as she turned to Sherlock- her flatmate and friend- expectantly.

"Easy peasey," Sherlock said, with a grim smirk. "When David went outside to answer the door, he was dragged onto the road away from sight. It was all part of a plan that they had pre-arranged, am I right?"

"Indeed," Moriarty confirmed with glee. David and Lily just nodded bitterly at being found out. Sherlock ignored them and continued.

"At that point, David would yell in fright which would signal to Lily that she was to go outside as well. Then, when Lily went outside- she would go out of sight near where that black Mercedes was parked. Yes, there were real gunshots- but they were both fired into the sky in quick succession out of harm's way. Simultaneously, blood would be poured from packets most likely taken from David and Lily beforehand in an unauthorised blood test. At that point, Mr and Mrs Patterson would get into the black Mercedes- Lucy wouldn't be able to see them through the darkened windows and the car would drive off." Sherlock looked pleased with himself. "Then, the next day, two bodies would be mysteriously found in a warehouse and then Lucy would have to go in to identify them. I'm guessing you- Jim- killed two people with slight resemblance to David and Lily and then altered their appearance; perhaps putting on prosthetic masks for identification. And there you have a perfect murder plan." Sherlock finished with a flourish. Glancing around at everyone's faces he said: "Have I missed anything?"

"I'm impressed Sherlock, I'm really impressed." Jim gave him a little round of applause in his mad way, "Did you like my elaborate plan? I was quite please with myself to be honest. What better plan than to turn people's caring nature into a nature of disinterest towards their daughter." He laughed manically, "Sometimes I do marvel at my genius. And it took you a while to get your conclusion didn't it Sherlock? You had to wait until Lucy decided to give up until you could get all of your evidence. How does it feel to be at mercy to a teenage girl?" His grin turned nasty, "How does it feel to have all these emotions for her." He spat the word 'emotions' in disgust. "Really Sherlock, you care far too much for her. John can't help his caring nature; his little mind is too clogged up with ordinary human things to worry about the real stuff. But I'm a teeny bit disappointed in you Sherlock. I thought you were better. I didn't realise you were so... weak."

"I am not weak!" The consulting detective yelled, getting close to his enemy's face. "Just because I've grown to like someone does not make me weak. Yes, I care, but I wouldn't say that's a disadvantage. Not when that person is willing to stick around and help you. Lucy has a good mind, she's intelligent. She's much better than you. You, Jim, are the ordinary one. You're just like all the other criminals." He saw the flash of anger in Moriarty's eyes and feeling that he was close to winning- he continued with joy, "You kill for fun, you help others in criminal activities for fun. Because you enjoy it. You do it because you are mad... you're mad, like all the other criminals. And you know what? I thought you were different." Sherlock stepped away from him in triumph, "You're like all the rest. You act like you're something better- like you're someone you're not. How dull. Moriarty. The consulting criminal. You're like a little schoolboy- fantasising about being rich and famous. So go on, play out your little fantasy because you know that you will never beat me. Despite your elaborate plans and your sadistic ways, I have been able to solve your little puzzles in an astoundingly short time. So what must that say about you? How rubbish must you be to be defeated so easily? I don't care how many people have died to catch you, because in the end, I will always catch you. So run. Enjoy it while you still can."

Sherlock stepped back on last step and opened his arms with a smirk in victory. The look on Moriarty's face said it all. It was obvious that he hadn't expected the consulting detective to say that. A worried glance to Lucy made his body fill with relief. She had stopped clutching the gun- which was now lying beside her, but she was still on the floor. However, her tears had stopped and she was smiling at Sherlock.

"There was no point to all of this," Sherlock said, to both Moriarty and Lucy, "Not really." He looked towards Jim's pissed off expression, "You did this because you were bored- you had nothing better to do than toy with people's lives. Now really, you have thought of much better plans than this." To tell the truth, Sherlock was bluffing just slightly, of course this was a rather brilliant plan, but he may as well keep the blows coming when Jim Moriarty was still weak.

"Why bother interfering if it clearly wasn't good?" Moriarty questioned as he tapped something out on his mobile.

"How else was I to save Lucy in the end?"

"Why do you care so much about her Sherlock?" Moriarty asked, his tone both angry and interested. "I mean, really. You've known her for a good few days- but how on earth has a teenage girl come to mean so much to you?"

"I don't really know." Sherlock admitted truthfully- more for everyone's benefit to hear than just Moriarty's. "It's like how I came to care for John so quickly. Lucy accepted me for who I was without judgement. Call it sentiment or whatever, but I don't care right now. When not many people will like you for who you are you tend to value those who do. And... I see some of myself in Lucy." He frowned, trying to figure out his words. He turned to Lucy with a small smile, "How you remind me of who I once was Lucy. I understand you in a way. I know what it's like to be deep into an addiction, and to feel so hopeless as though no-one is there who really cares or that there's no-one who will truly listen to you. And you're my friend. You're my family as Mycroft once pointed out." He stopped himself, "And this is getting far too sentimental even for my own liking." Suddenly, his normal self was in place.

"Don't lose yourself in sentiment Sherlock," Jim said as the sound of helicopter blades sounded nearby. "It really isn't a good look for you." As the sound approached, he said: "You'll be hearing from me again Sherlock. Don't think you've won this time, because you haven't. You will never truly win. If that means we are stuck in a stalemate forever then fine! I'm not finished yet." Suddenly, the volume of the sound of a helicopter dramatically increased as from above, a small helicopter came into view. It approached closer until it was directly above them. Putting a pair of sunglasses on, Jim nodded to Sherlock once and glanced at Lucy before walking to the edge. As everyone's hair blew from the wind of the flying vehicle, a rope ladder flew down which James Moriarty stepped onto.

John stood up and ran to Sherlock, but Sherlock held his arm out to stop him.

"He'll get away." John said.

"Let him. We won't be able to stop him regardless." He nodded his head up to the helicopter- pointed to the snipers stationed inside just in case. "Besides, if we were to catch him, even jail can't contain a man with connections like that."

"So what, we're left having to keep stopping him?" John Watson sighed.

"Pretty much." Sherlock grinned and laughed slightly, "For now, we've won. Let's leave it at that."

Lucy stood up, taking hold of the gun again in her hand. Her parents made a move towards her, but she stopped them with a venomous look. This wasn't how she imaged seeing them again. Instead, she walked on shaky legs to where Sherlock and John stood.

"Nice one," she said to Sherlock Holmes, who gave her a smile in return. Flipping the gun in her hand once, she gave it to him, "I don't think I'll need this anymore."

"Glad to hear of it," The consulting detective said. "But before we do anything else, how about we phone Lestrade, as I imagine he's dying to know what's going on." Sherlock strode over to the edge of the rooftop and looked down. Below, he could make out the figures of DI Lestrade, and his brother Mycroft. Another two police cars had arrived since they had left and were all standing around in anticipation. Greg spotted Sherlock looking down and he gave a short wave. Sherlock returned with one of his own as he felt his phone vibrate.

"Lestrade, fancy having you call me," Sherlock Holmes said.

"I'm guessing that was Moriarty in the helicopter," Greg said.

"It was, but we have the murderers." He looked back at David and Lily who had pretty much given up. Sherlock felt a surge of hatred for them. They had barely said anything for the whole time. They hadn't even said sorry to Lucy, they had barely tried to defend themselves. But maybe they realised they were in the wrong and were just accepting their fate with quiet silence. Either way, he didn't care what happened to them as long as they were found to be guilty.

"And who are the murderers?" Lestrade asked, "Do I get to find out now?" Sherlock huffed out a single laugh.

"Mr and Mrs Patterson. Lucy's parents."

"Wait, what?" Greg exclaimed.

"That's exactly what John said," Sherlock replied, amused.

"Are you coming down to the station tonight so I can find out everything?"

"Tomorrow would be better."

"Fine, tomorrow then." Lestrade had a smile in his voice. "How is Lucy?"

"I think she'll be just fine," Sherlock told him with a grin as he looked at her and John standing side by side, both of them glaring at her 'parent's.'

"I'm glad," he said, "Can I come and arrest them now? Mycroft also appears to be dying to have a go at them. But I'm rather worried he will kill them."

"Oh he will kill them if he feels like it." Sherlock laughed.

"Remind me never to get on the wrong side of him."

"I'll do that." Sherlock muttered, "Come on up, otherwise I have a feeling that either John or I will kill them- or we will soon make the expression 'if looks could kill' become literal."

With triumph in their eyes, they watching with amusement as Lestrade arrested Mr and Mrs Patterson. They didn't say anything, they just looked like robots. But as they were being led away, they turned to Lucy.

"I'm sorry it came to this," David said, but otherwise ignored her.

"Goodbye sweetie." Lily murmured, but she knew that Lucy would snap if anything more was said. Lucy merely nodded in acknowledgement, feeling that her life would be much better without them.

"Are you going to be alright?" Sherlock asked gently once they were back outside the hospital watching Mycroft go with Lestrade to take her parents away.

"I think I'll be okay now." Lucy looked up at him, "Now that I know what was really going on- after you explained everything, I just felt okay. I didn't understand before. And it nearly killed me... literally. But I think I'll be better off without them anyway. I have you and John, if you'll still have me, and that's all I need."

"Of course we'll still have you," John told her and she gave him a hug. "You, know," John started with a glint in his eye, "When Sherlock couldn't find you, he looked absolutely terrified." Sherlock flushed with embarrassment.

"Shut up," he mumbled. Lucy just laughed and wrapped her arms around Sherlock, who gratefully accepted and returned the hug.

"Thank you," Lucy said to them, "If it wasn't for you two, I wouldn't be here." Sherlock smiled as he hailed a cab.

"Well, things still get pretty mad with all the cases anyway, you get used to nearly dying after a while," John joked.

"Don't scare her off; I need someone around with half a brain." Sherlock frowned.

"Oh cheers," he said sarcastically.

"Trust me Lucy," Sherlock said, "Trust me when I say that everything will be okay."