Author's Note: hi again to any and everyone, sorry this one took a while but i had a bucket (for use of a better word) load of work to do at school, which i am still putting off, so i havn't had much time to edit my material. a usual big up to Alburna Skulbaka (please say i spelt that right) who is not only a better writer but also who helped me write this as an RP to begin with. please ask any questions or say your ideas in a review or PM, all hatred of me accepted if you dont like it!
"In what way? If this won't yield any results in helping me get John back..."
"does the game mean nothing?"
"It's not the game that I'm concerned about."
"and there we differ."
"Obviously. You live for games." Sherlock straightened as his back started to ache from bending over.
"and you for John."
"He is only part of it." Sherlock didn't deny it; what was the point? Jim was just as observant as him.
"and the rest?" "I live for the cases, too, not just for John." Moriarty blew a bubble which burst in Sherlock's face before leaving to go into the living room. Sherlock sighed and picked up his violin and bow again, his fingers running over the strings in a sort of apology for letting Moriarty play it. He took his time following Jim into the living room, closing his eyes and thinking while he did so. Sherlock played a few notes before finishing it with a flourish. He carefully returned his violin and bow to its rightful place to keep it safe. singing, yet again, Moriarty summoned Sherlock,
"Sherly!" He closed his eyes for a moment. He detested that nickname.
"Yes, Jim?"
"is it time to move on yet or are you still stuck?" He waved a hand, keeping his back to Jim.
"Just continue. Perhaps I will receive some insight if we do so."
"maybe. what next Sherly?" Sherlock turned to face him, a look of mild surprise on his face.
"It's your game. You tell me."
"you know what you have to do, find out the who, how and why. the rest as all you Sherly." jim winked at Sherlock, grinning.
"Who: the skull. Why: to spite me, to show me that 'the man with the key is king', to prove yourself. And how..."
"wrong."
"Or did you want a little something to remember me by, since you couldn't have me?" Sherlock chuckled. Jim smiled and shook his head. his eyes suddenly became dark and ominous, and his voice came as a growl, "no."
"Don't worry, it hasn't affected my ego. John's inflated it enough with his compliments on my deductions."
"no, no, no." Moriarty had been ignoring Sherlock for some time now but had just in fact been given some worrying information.
"'No no no'? That couldn't have answered something I said... Something else has happened."
Moriarty got his phone out of his pocket and texted several people at once muttering furiously, "why am I surrounded by idiots? she's and idiot, John's an idiot and now even Seb makes mistakes? what is wrong with the world..."
after a few minutes, he put the phone in his pocket again, sat in Sherlock's armchair put is face in his hands. Sherlock stared at him, his eyes flicking over him.
"Some thing's happened. Something big if you're calling Seb an idiot. Something to do with John, perhaps he managed to get one over on you; he is an ex-soldier, so he has a tactical mind. As for the 'she', I can't say who 'she' is, but no doubt she works for you and 'she' also made a mistake."
"ah, Sherly, you and you little theories" he chuckles and shakes his head, staring out of the window, "I'm pleased to say John isn't involved."
"Good. But then why did you call him an idiot? To lead me astray? It's a good tactic."
"I called him an idiot" his voice was loud and gruff at this point,
"because he is a blithering, idiotic normal human!" Moriarty raised both hands to his face again and recomposed himself.
"He's smarter than you think. Are you going to tell me what happened?"
"no, it has nothing to do with you or your precious John."
Could this be an indirect hint...?
"Ah, but I think you'll find I can be quite helpful when I want to be."
"its only a small...complication, nothing to worry about." Jim turned his head round until he was facing Sherlock, giving him a huge grin.
"A complication for you or a complication for me?"
"depends how you look at it I suppose..."
"Ah, so it could be either? Interesting."
"to you maybe..." Jim sounded bitter, he was a little upset.
"so Sherly, where is it now?"
"Where is what?" he asked dully.
"oh dear Sherly, you do have a short attention span." Jim's own attention drifted slightly, "almost like a puppy. the skull.."
"I'm a little distracted, Moriarty. I don't know where it is, that wasn't one of your questions."
"wasn't it?" Moriarty raised an eyebrow.
"No. It was what, why, and how."
"okay, fine, so why?"
"I don't know!" he snapped.
"I don't know. Because you wanted to prove that you can get anywhere? You wanted to show that you can get others to do your work for you? Because you wanted to display how little you care for other human beings?"
"no need to snap Sherly, that wont do any good." Moriarty took out his phone again and started to text. Sherlock paced back and forth again, ruffling his hair with both hands, as if by doing so he could shake the answer into his head.
"You try being put under pressure, then see how that feels."
"do you really think I've never had a problem in my life Sherly, I just don't let them get in the way."
"Either be useful, Moriarty, or be silent. I don't have time for your nonsense." John, John, John, why can't you be more careful? Moriarty's features became darker as he looked up,
"nonsense?"
"Yes. Nonsense. John is in danger, I have to think things through, and I can't do it if you're twittering away spouting nonsense," Moriarty added a few extra lines to his text loudly while staring at Sherlock and pressed send, grinning pointedly.
"What have you done now?"
"nothing you need to know." Sherlock rolled his eyes,
"No doubt it was something else to distract me from the task at hand."
"not you. I have things to deal with as well, Sherly." Sherlock sighed and turned away, running a hand over his face in a tired motion. What he wouldn't give to have John safe in 221B, instead of where Moriarty was holding him, but there was only one way for that to happen...
"The skull was real all along. It wasn't a fake, but it wasn't my skull."
"and how did that happen?" How? It was a good question. Sherlock scanned the room, thoughtful. "You were here before me. It would have been a simple matter to switch them."
"wrong Sherly." Sherlock made a sound that was like a growl before pacing again. He crouched on the carpet to study the fragments skull, mostly for something to do, and besides, he hadn't looked at them closely yet. And... there it was.
Everything fell into place.
If only he'd looked sooner, he could've saved John the trouble...
"Oh. there, did you finally notice?" Jim's eyebrows had shot up into his fringe as Sherlock examined the fragments.
"Yes. This..." Sherlock gestured at the pieces of the skull. As he had been staring at the pieces, it had all suddenly made sense: this couldn't be his skull. He had seen the post mortem, this really couldn't be his skull.
"It isn't mine, this skull doesn't have those hairline fractures. It doesn't have any from 'the injury'. You know the rest from there." Sherlock stood, brushing off his jacket with a pleased look.
"I knew that, I wouldn't make it too hard for the iccle Sherly"
Sherlock was himself again, now that it was clear to him. "Now... John, if you please."
"Oh no, this isn't the end yet Sherly. In fact, this is only the first Act"