Wow I'm really sorry for the delay in this one. Life just kind of took over and got a bit away from me for a bit. I had a tournament for my little brother's baseball team then I had my orientation for college. Any other delays were from working on other fics. Hopefully I can get back on track now that I've gotten my groove going again. Anyways I hope you enjoy!
"Madison is back?" Natalie asks. Dylan paces up and down the center of the room almost determined to burn a hole into the ground.
"That's impossible." Joan mutters from her place on the couch. She'd been checked out of the hospital a few days ago with minor burns but no concussion. Sherlock hovers behind her on his phone. "Madison Lee was a former angel who went insane after an accident where she almost lost her life." She explains to her partner.
"Did you check out her son?" Sherlock speaks up. Dylan comes to an abrupt halt spinning, eyes wild.
"Did you just say son?"
"Yes." Joan takes the phone from him inspecting the photo he'd pulled up. "Like Watson, Madison Lee also used a pseudonym. Her real name was Natalie Duke. She married Lucas Duke, a year after the two had a son named Henry." Joan scrolls through the missing person's report filed by her ex-husband after, according to the claim, she didn't pick up Henry from school. Dylan runs a hand over her face. "Henry dropped out of college and disappeared."
"We need to get Pete and Nomi to a safe house. They're not safe out in the open. Not even at his parent's house." Dylan nods walking off to make a call.
"Look at this." Natalie tosses her phone to Joan. It's an invitation to a gala tomorrow night with Henry Duke listed as a main speaker. "Apparently our mystery man is a CEO. Shocker. Rich white man is a suspicious character." She frowns looking at Sherlock. "No offense."
"None taken."
"So we go undercover. Alex and Sherlock will a married couple interested in investments. I'll be a waitress and Dylan will be the bartender." Natalie pitches in.
"We'll need someone to take watch during the night. He obviously knows where you live."
"I'll take first shift." Sherlock is the first to speak up unsurprisingly. "I have some more investigating to do."
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"A molar mic." Sherlock shakes his head. "I'll need a list of your gadgets to add to the ever growing list of things I apparently didn't know." He sighs adjusting his tie. "Honestly I am a class detective how could I not-"
"We can all hear you." Dylan cuts him off in their earpiece. "It was classified information. The only reason my fiance even knows is because I rescued her while on a mission."
"Sooooo romantic." Natalie's smile is evident in her tone. Joan rolls her eyes adjusting the gown so the tear away wasn't obvious. The long sleeves allowed her to hide a switchblade and a collapsible baton in her sleeves and the flowy skirt tears away in case a chase is necessary. A pistol is safely tucked on her thigh.
Sherlock's arm settles on her waist awkwardly. She almost rolls her eyes at him. Who can be capable of speaking six different languages but acts like he's a stick man around public demonstrations of affection.
"We should split up. Spread across the crowd and try to get an understanding of how Duke operates." Joan suggests. She steps out of Sherlock's embrace almost missing the warmth of his body pressed against hers. She shakes it off moving across the crowd.
"Mhm. That's the reason." Dylan teases making her throw a glare towards the bar.
She sifts through the crowd mentally taking notes of everyone she sees. The crowd mostly consists of middle aged white men losing their hair. On their arms were young women with wide fake smiles. Of course there was the odd rarity where they had wives fitting their age but sadly not common. She narrows her eyes carefully studying faces. The majority being a little tipsy from champagne. Light weights…
"Joan Watson." She spins around at the foreign voice. The man wears a fake smile like a mask. He looks barely over twenty, a stark contrast from any other man in the room. She partially wonders how long he'd been following her. "A pleasure. Henry Duke." Static echoes in her ear along with garbled voices. "EMPs are handy little things huh?" He waves the palm of his hand in front of her face to show off a device he'd concealed in his palm. Her heart beats faster in her chest as she takes his hand.
"Where's Charlie?" She asks between clenched teeth. She couldn't make a scene here. To do so would draw attention to the both of them. He'd warned Natalie early if police had gotten involved she'd never see Charlie again. Joan is determined to keep this as quiet as possible.
"Don't worry. He's unharmed and being well taken care of." He smirks. "Hell I'd go as far to say the little bugger is happy." He laughs. "Children are so gullible you know that? Adults are so much harder to fool. Nomi is providing quite the challenge." Joan raises her hand but he catches her wrist in a tight grip. "Ah, play nice. Wouldn't want any reason for little Charlie to get scared now would we?" She winces slightly as his fingers grip harder. "I get what I want, the boy is returned to his father without harm."
"What do you want?"
"Is it not obvious Joan? Or is it Alex? That was never clear to me. Apparently not to Sherlock either." She stomps on his foot with her heel but his grip didn't relent.
"Bastard."
"Not nice." He growls pulling her to him. "I want you angels to burn." He shoves her away now nearly stumbling into the person behind her. "Oh and don't worry about Jamie interfering with our little game. She's a little… preoccupied." A chill runs down her spine quickly contrasted by the press of a warm body from behind her.
"There you are." Sherlock greets nearly startling her. "Let's go catch some air shall we?" Joan can only nod slightly as he drives her away, his hand pressed insistently on the base of her spine. He drives her towards the door where cool air drift through. It's almost relieving. She hikes the sleeves of her dress up removing the concealed weapons and leaving them abandoned on the sidewalk.
"He's dangerous."
"No really I didn't get that from the fact that he kidnapped a child or that he's threatened your life on multiple occasions." He states sarcastically.
"He got rid of Moriarty so she couldn't interfere Sherlock!" She snaps. "The only people who know where she's being held is us and the guards!"
"Damn." He curses pacing up and down the sidewalk.
"You need to get to a safe house. You, Marcus, Gregson…" She's rambling now. Panic runs rampant through her bones pictures of people she cares about dead before her eyes.
"Watson get a hold of yourself." He grips her by the shoulders but she just snatches herself away again. His eyes catch sight of the bruise quickly forming on her wrist. "Did he do this to you?"
"I'll be fine."
"A man is threatening your life nothing about this situation is fine."
"You need to go."
"I'm not leaving you Watson." He insists pressing closer.
"I've done without you before." She snaps immediately regretting her words as he recoils as if she'd slapped him in the face. "Sherlock I-"
"I get that you've been a spy but it has been a long time since you've done this sort of thing Watson. We catch the murderers, we don't hunt them down. I don't know you. Apparently I never have."
"You keep throwing this in my face but you've kept plenty of things from me before Sherlock!"
"But I've told you! You kept this from me and intended on keeping it that way."
"And this is the exact reason." She frowns. His lips twist into a grimace before he storms away. Perhaps it's for the best. Footsteps echo announcing Dylan and Natalie before they even reach her.
"Alex! Are you okay? We couldn't reach you and we panicked oh my god." Natalie envelops her into a bone crushing hug. Over her shoulder she sees Dylan, eyes red rimmed from panic. "Don't disappear like that."
"Charlie is safe. He won't hurt him. That's not what he wants." Natalie lets out a relieved cry clutching her tighter.
"What's wrong?" Dylan's eyes are studying her face intently as Natalie releases her. Joan swipes a hand across her cheek. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying…
"I hurt him." Realization sets into both of the women as they hug her once again. Her shoulders tremble under the weight. "He was shouting and I-"
"Did he do this to you?" Dylan grips her arm raising the bruise to the light. Anger rushes through the red head's gaze no doubt thinking of 32 different ways she could make his life hell all at once.
"No!" Joan denies quickly. "Sherlock would never hurt me. Not intentionally." She says quietly.
"You saw Duke." Natalie breathes. "That's why we couldn't get a hold of you."
"He had an EMP. Apparently his mother taught him a few tricks before she left." Dylan wipes a stray tear off of Joan's cheek forcing her to look the woman in the eyes.
"We'll catch the bastard okay? We'll talk to Sherlock too. From your stories, he won't leave."
"You don't know that."
"But you do." Natalie assures. "Now let's get out of here. We have some planning to do."
Joan nods allowing the two girls to wrap their arms around her protectively as they guide her down the dark sidewalks.