Like any other member in the Holmes family, Eve kept her secrets. Her secrets, however, seemed to revolve around a criminally insane psychopath, and her feelings for the aforementioned man. After the pool incident, not only had James Moriarty continued to text her, but she continued to text back – it was not a rare occurrence. Eve was not more observant than any other normal person, but even she could tell there was something about the way Sherlock looked at her now that was different: not quite like he didn't trust her, but not quite like he didn't want to tell her anything. It was strange, and their relationship was already strange enough as it was.

Eve was sitting on the couch in the flat, idly twiddling with the phone in her hand. Sherlock was God knows where (Eve supposed he was hunting down Moriarty; the man did little else), and John at the desk, typing up another story to submit to his ever-popularizing blog. When Eve's phone vibrated, both she and John looked over at the object that had broken the dead silence in 221B.

I'm bored. Come and play. –JM

Eve huffed, rolling her eyes at the more than predictable text. John eyed her wearily for a moment, before turning back to his laptop, becoming seemingly immersed in the words he was typing. Eve took the opportunity to type back a hurried reply.

Fine. But only because I've really got nothing better to do. –EH

The response was almost immediate, as it almost always was.

Good. I'll send a car for you then, my dear. –JM

The Holmes girl slipped her phone in to her pocket, before reaching over to her bag and pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a small lighter "I'm going out for a smoke" she said calmly as she stood. "Are you?" John asked, not bothering to pull his attention away from the computer screen in front of him. Eve stopped in her tracks "What d'you mean?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. The doctor shrugged "You seem to be going out a lot lately. And for some reason, I doubt it's to feed your addiction" he told her flatly, finally turning to face her. "Sometimes I start out smoking and then end up walking around town. It's not unusual" she replied. If there was one thing she learned from her brother, it was how to lie. "You know you can tell me anything that perhaps you don't want to tell Sherlock… I know he's not exactly the best with people…" John told her, trying to be delicate about it. Eve simply laughed under her breath "Not the best with people? That's an understatement… At any rate John, thanks for the concern, but really, I'm fine" she smiled, before quickly making her way out of the flat.

Outside, there was a black car waiting for Eve, a car she knew a little too well. Eve opened the door and slid in to the back seat, eying the men in black suits carefully. This had been her fourth meeting with Jim since the pool, and Eve would rather die then and there than tell either of her brothers that. The first meeting had been partially out of Eve's fear, considering Jim's 'invitation' had more or less been a threat. The meeting which followed were purely of her own free will, because she just felt a little better when she was with Jim. Felt a little less like Sherlock Holmes' little sister and a little more like Eve. None of this, however, meant she was any more comfortable being in a shady black car filled with men in suits carrying guns.

About fifteen minutes in to the drive, one of the men blindfolded her, as she normally was (she supposed it was so she had no clue how to get where they were going and tell Sherlock, not that she really would have anyways). It was a very mixed set of emotions that hit her then – she was, in a way, betraying her own brother. But, at the same time, it felt exciting. The car slowly came to a stop, and the blindfold was removed from her eyes, which was Eve's cue to get out of the car as fast as she could manage to. They did not always meet at the same place, and today the car had dropped her off in front of an old, run-down, seemingly abandoned flat. "Charming…" she muttered, looking the place up and down before climbing the front stairs and pressing open the door, not caring to knock.

"Most people knock"

Eve smirked a little "I'm not most people" she shrugged, shutting the door loudly behind her. "You most certainly are not" Jim agreed, walking slowly towards her in his usual Westwood suit. For a completely changeable psycho, sometimes the man was delightfully predictable. Eve walked forward a little, looking around the shabby room "I would've thought you'd opt for a place that had a little more… class" she shrugged, noting the cracked ceiling and the peeling wallpaper. Jim rolled his eyes "Yes, a life of a consulting criminal can sometimes be rough" he said dramatically "The bedroom is much nicer" he winked, stepping closer to her, the height difference suddenly very evident to the slightly shorter girl. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass on that one. Somehow I don't think my brother would appreciate it"

"Ah, but does your dear brother know where you are now?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, but if you're asking me if I've told him, then no"

"Then what does a kiss or two matter, Evie?"

Eve groaned "I told you not to call me that"

"And what makes you think I obey your every wish, my dear?"

"Touché"

And then he kissed her. Eve didn't even have time to register that he was kissing her, for a soon as he kissed her, he pulled away. "Don't you think that trick's getting a little old, Jim?" she asked wryly with a hint of sarcasm. Moriarty simply smiled and chuckled darkly "Sometimes the old tricks are the most reliable" he pointed out, adjusting his sleeves. Eve opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by her standard ringtone. Jim raised an eyebrow as Eve took the phone back out of her pocket, noting that the caller was of course, Sherlock. "Fuck…" she muttered under her breath. "So sorry, am I keeping you?" he asked dryly, to which Eve rolled her eyes "Try not to get bored and kill half of the city, will you?" she said quickly, before going out the door, not even waiting to hear Moriarty's response.

Once outside, she walked to the nearest main street, before hailing a cab with little difficulty and riding back to the flat, where there were two police cars parked outside. Eve swallowed hard, hesitantly paying the cab driver with the money she had planned on buying a new lighter with, as she stepped out of the cab and slowly walked in to 221B. She tried to make her footsteps quiet, unsure of what to expect, especially when she saw Detective Inspector Lestrade standing beside John, with two other police men behind them.

Everyone's attention turned to Eve the moment they heard her enter the room, and suddenly she became very self-conscious. "Hello Detective Inspector" Eve said a little awkwardly, not having known Lestrade very well or for very long – they'd met briefly the last time she'd seen Sherlock. The inspector nodded to her in acknowledgement "Evangeline". Eve could tell from the way John was looking at her that something wasn't quite right, especially when Sherlock appeared from around the corner, his hands clasped tightly behind his back "And where were you, if I may ask?" he said, a tone in his voice telling Eve that he definitely knew something. "Smoke" she shrugged, casting a little glance over at John. The doctor turned his head away, occupying his gaze with everything else in the room except Eve.

"Oh, I hardly believe that" Sherlock tutted, as though scolding her for even attempting to lie to him. "Really now?" Eve said, suddenly becoming defensive "And tell me, oh great consulting detective, what you believe I was doing" "I don't believe you were doing anything; I know you were" he corrected. Eve huffed "What was I doing then?"

"Why don't you ask James Moriarty?"

A/N: I apologize for the delay in getting these chapters out, but I can promise you that I will not give up on this fic until it is finished. I also apologize for how I wrote this chapter, since I know it is written a little differently from previous chapters; I haven't had the mental capacity to write for a while, and I'm just trying to get back in to the swing of things. Thank you for your patience!