Sorry it's been awhile...I've had a lot going on as of late. Thanks to everyone who is still following this!

Molly sat across from her husband at the breakfast table staring at him as he ignored her reading the daily news. Mrs. Hudson sat the plate of bacon and eggs in front of her. "You should eat it before it gets cold dear," Mrs. Hudson said.

"Yes do, Molly," Sherlock drawled. "I can assure you that staring as hard as you possibly can at me is not going to make me tell you anything."

"Blast you, Sherlock Holmes, "Molly snapped.

The newspaper lowered to reveal his face, eyebrow quirked and smirk firmly in place. "Goodness me, such language from a lady," he said as his smirk widened.

"I'll show you language," she shouted. "I want to know what is going on! Now! Tell me damn you!"

The smirk was replaced by a more thoughtful expression. "And I have told you nothing is going on that need concern you."

"Why is my father pretending to be bankrupt and why are you pretending to pull him out of his debt?" she pressed stubbornly. "And since I know now that you are not the horrid man that you pretended to be, why do you let that disgusting Magnusseen in your home?"

"Our home," he corrected softly. "You're not going to let this drop are you?"

"No I'm not," she sniffed.

"Very well, I'll tell you" he said. "Charles Magnussen is a corrupt business man and black mailer. He has destroyed several good men and ruined their businesses. Their families have lost nearly everything, many of them close to being put on the streets. My brother works in parliament and has very influence contacts. Magnussen's hubris has grown to massive proportions. He has now started to bring his game of blackmail and financial ruin to men in high positions."

"So why do you pretend to be just like him?"

"I will tell you if you will hush long enough for me to do so," he admonished gently. "Some of my brother's acquaintances came to him for help. He devised a plan that would include myself, your father, Henry Knight, and a few other men of business. Your father is pretending to be my dupe so as to convince Sir Charles that I am as wretched as he is. I have been invited into Sir Charles' circle along with Sir Henry."

"But what do you hope to gain by all of this?" Molly asked, ignoring the stern look he gave her for interrupting him.

"Sir Charles is not just a black mailer, thief, and bully. He is also in the business of kidnapping and illicit drugs. He owns several houses of ill repute. We have heard rumors that he had kidnapped several of the girls that he has working within them, keeping them subdued with narcotics, and forcing them into prostitution."

Molly's eyes widened and she paled considerably. "That's horrible…why can't the police do anything?"

"Because of the circles that Sir Charles travels in," Sherlock said. "He is a powerful man with powerful friends. There are others in parliament and prominent men of business who are just as wicked as he is. It is not always easy to see who they are."

"So why was it necessary for you to join in his circle?"

"Chief Inspector Lestrade needs evidence before he can do anything. And with men like Sir Charles, it takes a certain type of man in social standing to present the evidence that would be accepted by the courts. It is unfortunate, but that is the reality of it," Sherlock said. "Henry, myself, and your brother will immerse ourselves within his group and we will get the evidence that Lestrade needs to bring these men down."

"My brother…" Molly repeated. "How long has he known about this?"

"Don't be angry with him, Molly," Sherlock said quickly. "He loves you very much and was quite distraught to find out that we had used you in this plot. It was only after your grandfather and I told him what a wretched man Sir Charles was that he agreed to help us."

Molly frowned. "Sherlock, this sounds very dangerous," she said quietly. "Are you sure this shouldn't be left to the authorities?"

His smirk reappeared and Molly blushed. "Why Molly, one would think you were concerned for your husband."

"I am concerned for all of you," she snapped. "This man is an evil, dangerous man and…"

"And we are well aware of how dangerous he is," Sherlock assured her. "Now eat your breakfast."

"I want to help," she said.

"Absolutely not," he said. "Besides, you already are, playing the part of the wife who loathes her husband."

"How does that help?"

"He thinks that I am like him by how I treat you," Sherlock said. "And I don't want you involved anymore than you already are. What happened in the study must not be allowed to happen again. I cannot risk blowing my cover."

"Why should you blow your cover if you punish me as he wants," she said.

Sherlock's eyes narrowed. "Do you honestly think that I would harm you? If it had not been for my butler, all these past months of work would have been for nothing. I would never have hit you…not ever. Do you honestly think that I would have gone through with that?"

"How was I to know?" she asked. "You have played your part very well Sherlock and you do not include me. I hardly know you and you don't talk to me…we share nothing with one another. We're not even friends, we're barely acquaintances."

Sherlock sighed. "I am sorry Molly," he said. "This is all very new to me…I am not used to having to consider the feelings of others. I am used to working alone, making decisions alone, and acting alone. I am not used to having a female companion that actually has a mind of her own and is intelligent and very brave in her own right."

"You have had many female companions?" she asked nonchalantly.

He smiled. "I have bedded a few women in my time, if that is what you are asking. Nothing serious has ever come of it. The women were like me…from prominent families who were seeking any form of freedom from the confines of our station. Surely you have felt smothered by the stifling rules of the upper elite. Haven't you ever wanted to throw off the chains and do what you wanted to do, not what was expected of you?"

"Yes, I went to medical school if you remember," she said softly.

Sherlock frowned. "I have already spoken to the Dean of the school Molly, when this is over with Sir Charles, you will be allowed to return to university and you will be enrolled in the same year of course work as you were before I forced you to leave."

Molly's face lit into a huge smile. Her brown eyes twinkled happily as she looked at him. Within an instant she had jumped up from her chair and ran to the other side of the table to throw her arms around her startled husband. "Thank you Sherlock," she said kissing his cheek. "Thank you so much!"

Sherlock could feel the blush moving from his neck to the tips of his ears. He gently pried her arms away and held her hands in his. "I'm not all bad you know, Molly," he said softly. "And I think, considering the circumstances, that we should try to become friends. After all, we are married."

Molly laughed softly. "Yes, I would like that."

"Where are the new whores?" Charles snapped.

"They are in your discipline room, naked and strung up awaiting their whippings," Lewis said.

"Excellent," Charles said. "After I have strapped their bare asses, you can begin the injections and take them to Moore House. Two of the sluts died there yesterday and we need to replace them."

"Do you want them prepared like the others?"

"Of course," Charles said. "Once you have drugged them, take them to the house, strip them and shackle them to the bed. You can let customers in immediately. Best these little whores know now what the rest of their lives will be….nothing but a filthy hole to be plugged by a man."

Charles and Lewis made their way down the hallway to a room at the back of his home. Charles opened the door and saw two young women bent over chairs and tied at their wrists and ankles holding them in place. The women were whimpering and pleading.

Charles walked over to the dark haired girl and looked at her. "It is unfortunate for you that you remind me of my dear friend's wife," he said to the crying young woman. "I was robbed of the chance to punish her glorious ass, but you…you look so much like Mrs. Sherlock Holmes that I can imagine that you are her. I'm afraid that I will personally be seeing to your punishment and you will be with me much longer than expected."

Charles turned to look at Lewis. "Give the other girl one hundred strikes with the paddle and take her to Moore House. I'm taking this one to my bedroom."

"Yes sir," Lewis said.

Charles untied to dark haired woman and dragged her out by her hair. She screamed in pain and clawed at his hands. Charles laughed robustly. "Oh I do love it when they fight," he said. "It is a magnificent thing to see the little beasts fight isn't it Lewis."

Lewis nodded. "It is indeed sir."

"Henry, Jim," Mycroft began, "I want to both to understand perfectly what you will be walking into at Moore House. You will see the most disgusting and vile things that you could possible imagine. You will see men of business that you know very well and you will see women being used in the most horrible of ways. But you can do nothing, do you understand? You cannot intervene. If you do, it will destroy everything we have worked for the past few months. We are so close to bringing Charles and his partners down. You do not have to participate in what you see, but you do have to watch and pretend to enjoy it. Do you understand?"

Jim looked away. "I'm not sure that I can do this," he said. "One of those girls could be my sister or cousin and I…"

"Yes and just think Jim," Mycroft interrupted. "These girls are already someone's sister, cousin, daughter, friend…these girls are dying Jim and being abused in ways that are unthinkable. We must save them from this and this is the only way. We must infiltrate, gain evidence, and then we can prosecute those wretched men. We can make sure that they never destroy another family or hurt another woman ever again. Now I am asking you Jim, can you do this without responding emotionally? Charles will be watching all of you like a hawk."

Jim inhaled deeply and nodded. "If it means stopping this man and his partners, I can do this."

Mycroft nodded. "Sherlock will meet you at Moore House tonight at 9 o'clock."

Henry looked at Jim. "You must be on your guard Jim," he said. "If Charles suspects, not only would our case against him be destroyed, but the women that we love would be in danger of his revenge."

Jim smiled a strange smile. "If he ever put his hands on my sister or my cousin, there would be nothing left of him to prosecute."

So more of the plot thickens...thanks for reading!