I'm sorry for the delay, but I had lots of homeworks and projects to make. I'm not done with all of them yet, and this chapter was written already a week ago, but I didn't have any time to check it. And do you know how hard is to create a case? :) Anyway, here's the next chapter finally, so enjoy the reading! :D

Story: (Un)hidden Love
Chapter4: A Message
By: Mischel


As John realized, Sherlock was already downstairs, opening the doors for their client. And as soon as their client was upstairs, Sherlock gave him a chair and sat happily into his armchair, eyes sparkling. John smiled at that. Sherlock was extremely happy today. And he was glad for it.

Their client was a man in middle age. He had brown short hair, blue shirt with a brown jacket and jeans. That was as far as John could tell. But Sherlock surely noticed all the folds on his jeans and jacket, the state of his hair, he'd know when the man went to sleep yesterday, where was he before that and what had he for breakfast.

"Hungry?" John asked politely, 'cause the man looked scared and tired. As if he wasn't sleeping the whole night.

"Of course he's hungry, John," Sherlock said suddenly "He didn't have breakfast today, and not even the dinner yesterday," he smiled, and John just rolled his eyes.

"Show off," he muttered.

The man was staring at Sherlock confused. Then he opened his mouth, closed it again, but finally he said:

"So it's true," he paused for a moment, looking at Sherlock "It's all true what people say about you,"

"And what do people say about me?" Sherlock asked, even when it was obvious that he knew the answer.

"That you are incredibly clever, and can deduce everything," the man said, looking at Sherlock. Then he looked at John "No, thanks, even when I'm hungry I wouldn't eat anything,"

"Of course not," muttered Sherlock.

"Shut up," John said quietly, so Sherlock could hear him. Then he looked at their client and asked "So, what is your problem, what happened? And what's your name?"

"My name is David," the man looked down on his hands, and suddenly had tears in eyes, but he tried his best to control it and wiped them into his sleeve. "M-My... my boyfriend disappeared," David said. John just raised his eyebrows. Sherlock looked at John, and adjusted himself in his armchair, so he can sit more comfortable and coughed a bit during the process. He knew of course that the man is a gay, but he hoped that the case wouldn't be about his boyfriend. Another love case. he was a bit bored with these ones.

"Boring," Sherlock sighed and perhaps wanted to stand up again, but John's hand on his thigh stopped him and he remained sitting. He knew he was supposed to solve that case, but with John's hand on his thigh it was much harder. He couldn't focus and all he could think of was John's hand on his leg. The gentle touch. That heat of his hand... Fortunately, as soon as John saw that Sherlock remained sitting, he put his hand back and looked at the man in front of him to encourage him to continue with his story.

"Yesterday morning, I... I woke up and..." The man looked down again, took a deep breath to prevent tears and continued with a bit thick voice "I wanted to go to my job, but then my phone rang, so I picked it up."

Sherlock just rolled his eyes to show he was bored, but John ignored it and let David speak, so he continued: "Some man was calling, and I had no idea who it was, so I asked who's calling. But the man said just that he wants to have a dinner. I refused, because I had to go to my work and I had a boyfriend, so I said that I have a boyfriend and-" David sniffed a bit and continued: "And then the man said one sentence I won't ever forget."

"What sentence?" John asked and the man looked up at him, and at Sherlock and said "'You don't have your boyfriend any longer'," David said and had to take a tissue to blow his nose. He was a bit crying now, but did his best to not burst into tears until he said everything what happened. But he was rather scared, and afraid about his boyfriend than crying. He still had no idea what has happened to him. And he was desparate to know. He swallowed and continued with his story: "I was afraid, yes, but I didn't understand how did he mean it. What did he mean by it. So after work, I went to Nick, eh" he coughed a bit "That's him, my boyfriend," he said and smiled a bit as he imagined his smiling face for a second.

"I went into his flat," David said: "I opened the door, but it was unlocked. Nick always locks the door, even when he's inside. I went there, and walked throught his whole flat. Kitchen, bathroom, livingroom,..." he paused for a moment and took a deep breath again "But Nick wasn't there," David said with a bit shaky voice. He swallowed "I called him on his phone but he didn't pick it up. I ended the call. Then, his telephone in his livingroom rang suddenly," he looked at Sherlock and then at John, very sad "I carefully picked it up, and said 'hello'. A man on the other side said nothing, but then I heard somewhere in the distance in the phone Nick's confused words. 'Who are you' he had said. And some other man answered 'Noone you need to know' and it was that man. That man who called me yesterday morning and said he wanted to have a dinner."

David started to speak a bit faster than it was needed, but John listened properly and so did Sherlock. Maybe he started to like this case. "His voice was so gentle, almost young, but... but his words sounded so evil, mockingly..." David stopped and was quiet a while. He wanted to remember the exact words of that man who was threatening him.

"I heard Nick's confused and worried voice, asking what does the man want. He said he just wanted to have a dinner. Nothing more, just dinner." He frowned a bit "That was all he asked. Then I remember he said something to Nick and Nick was quiet. I didn't understand what was he telling to Nick, but it couldn't have been anything very nice. Nick is always cheerful and likes talking. He really does. He talks almost as much-"

"C'mon, you want us to solve the case or you don't?" Sherlock asked, irritated a bit. He didn't want any kind of boring family describing. It was boring. He tried his best to ignore John's glare at him, but even when their client was talking again, he still could feel John's eyes on his face.

"Nick was far too quiet," David said and coughed a bit. "Nick was far too quiet, and that's not normal." he briefly looked at Sherlock who smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He continued: "Then I heard only one word. It was Nick who spoke. He said, 'Ok' and that was all." David's eyes started to fill with tears again. He wasn't sure how long can he still carry on. He wanted to know where his boyfriend is. He was so desperate to know.

"And what happened next?" John asked, encouraging David again.

"Then?" he asked with his eyes glistening "Then the man's sweet, but dangerous voice said some... sort of message, though I don't know who is it for."

"And what did he say?" Sherlock asked.

The man was a while silent and then quietly said: "Tell him it's his turn." As soon as the words left David's mouth, Sherlock looked at John instinctively, and his brain started to work. What if the man meant him and his John by the message? What if it was for someone David knew, and the man knew about it. What if they wouldn't ever find out for whom was the message, and what if it really was for him and John? Then the man would need to know them. Another enemy? Or some enemy they already know? Sherlock's thoughts were speeding and speeding, swirling and flying throughout his entire mind palace, when he was cut off by John's voice.

"So... your problem is that someone is threatening you and your erm, boyfriend?" David nodded a bit "And that your boyfriend disappeared."

"Yes," David said "The whole last night I slept in Nick's flat. I think I fell asleep. I didn't even have my breakfast, as Mr. Holmes mentioned before. As soon as I woke up, I headed to Baker Street."

As was John looking at David who was trembling a bit, sitting in front of him, he started to think. Nick, David's boyfriend disappeared. From the last talk, you could say that he 'wanted' to have a dinner with that bad man. That was a bit similiar to the main title in the newspapers that he read this morning. He tried to remember, but them he asked "Hey, have you read newspapers today?"

David shook his head "I didn't have time, I went straight to you both," he said.

"Wait a minute," John said and stood up. He left the newspapers on the table. He went back, sat down and started to search through them for that title. Sherlock was looking at him interested, David rather confused and sad. Once John found that title, he showed it to David and asked "Is this your boyfriend?"

David looked at the picture under the title and saw a man, lying on the ground with a lots of people around. Doctors mostly. There was a bus. It didn't move, the driver had to accidentaly kill that poor man who was lying on the ground. And then David looked at the man's face. His eyes widened; his heart stopped. He couldn't breath, he couldn't think, he couldn't do anything. He was just sitting there, looking at his boyfriend's dead face.

As soon as John recognised David's answer, he immediately stood up and went to hug him. He knew what it meant to lose someone. He had lost a few good friends in the war in Afghanistan. He still could see their faces in front of his eyes when he wants to remember. Their frightened faces. And now, this man in front of him, has lost his love. He has lost someone so close that he couldn't even imagine his life without him. They couldn't have imagined life without each other and now one of them was dead.

David's shoulders were trembling uncontrollably and he was crying so loudly that Sherlock had to go away. He didn't understand why was the man so sad. Better to not feel anything. But then, when he thought about it, he had some feelings. For John surely. He loved him with all his heart, but was too afraid to tell him. So if he would lose John, he supposed he would want to die immediately, regardless Mycroft, Molly, his parents and all other people would want to stop him. He would just kill himself, because life without John would be a life for nothing. He would lose his purpose, love, his lifeforce.

So in a certain way, he did understand his sorrow. What was his name? Yeah, David. While John was hugging and comforting David, Sherlock took the newpapers to look if there was anything interesting. He read the title and saw picture of... Nick, was it? Yes, Nick. Then he started to read it. If they would want to know who was that man who was threatening David, they had to know what newspapers say. Even when he didn't quite believe them.

And if that message that the man told David to tell 'him' was meant for Sherlock and John,... Well, he will have to find out who it was and protect John with his life. But he couldn't be so sure that it was for him. Atl least he hoped it wasn't for him.

He started to read the article; it seemed that Nick just ran out of the restaurant and jumped under a bus. Why would he have done that? Unless that man was threatening him as well. Sherlock wanted to turn on the next page, when something cought his attention. It was a smaller title, still attached to Nick. It was saying that Doctors, when they were searching the body, found a message. It was a piece of paper with big black letters. Sherlock read it and as soon as the words flew to his brain...

... his eyes widened, his heart stopped as well and his brain stopped working entirely. He couldn't breath, he couldn't think, it was as if he was dead for a while.

Because the message was:

It's your turn SH.
Yours and your boyfriend's.
JM