(A/N: To be fair, I have been writing this story but mostly just the outline and some later chapters. DAMN this is hard to write, but it's fun. On top of all that I'm about to move across the planet (again) so it'll take ages to get the next chapter up. I am SO sorry about all of this delay. Bear with me and I'll soon have a full story. Much love!)

Chapter Sixteen - Yang Min Ho

"You're crazy, you know that, right?" Sally Donovan asked, setting down a casserole dish on my counter.

"You think so?" I asked, putting my thoroughly brushed hair into a braid down the side and sitting in my living room.

"Yes, I do." Sally put a stack of classified files next to the casserole dish, "If Lestrade knew what I was doing, I could lose my job."

"Well, he won't find out. Besides, you're helping me overcome my cabin fever."

"Are you sure?" Sally asked, following me into the living room and sitting down carefully.

"Positive."

"Well, it doesn't seem like it. You seem to go out a lot."

"Do I?"

"With a certain army doctor what is." she smirked.

"I know, I know." I laughed, "I can't help it. We're having dinner here tonight."

"Oh, you're having 'dinner'?" Sally put air quotation marks around the word dinner.

"Maybe not at first." I shrugged and got up to start a pot of tea for us.

"So, this isn't the first time?"

"Clearly not. How's the department holding up?"

"I wish I could say we were doing just fine without you, but Lestrade is in over his head."

"It's his own damn fault." I shrugged, getting two mugs from the cabinet.

"What do you mean?"

"My back doesn't hurt." I turned, setting the mugs on the counter.

"Could it be shock?"

"No. I'd know if it was shock. I feel fine, and yet..."

"How bad is it really, Alex?"

"Donovan, I-"

"Alex, you're shaking." she put a hand over mine.

"It hurts, alright." I turned away and got spoons from the drawer, "I can't lay on my back or lean on anything and I am constantly thinking I feel blood. However, this case is personal and I am going to work it."

"Alex, I'm so sorry."

"My family is gone, Sally. I need to do this. It might hurt me to go through daily life, but I'm going to power through it because it's what I do." I said pointedly.

"Alright, how about this, I'll research some of these names for you an get back to you in a couple of days." Sally picked up the list from the counter as I poured the tea.

"You'd do that?" I asked, handing her her mug.

"Of course. You deserve that much."

"Thank you, Sally."

"Listen, I don't have much longer. Lestrade needs me on a case here in a few minutes, so I've gotta run."

"Don't worry about it."

Sally and I talked for another few minutes before she left for work, leaving me with the old files and a casserole for dinner. As I tend to do, I sat on my couch and spread everything out in front of me with an empty notebook for notes. I looked through the files of the 미녀 and took careful notes of information I could use to find them somehow. I read each profile carefully and made sure I didn't miss a single detail.

At about three in the afternoon, I was drowning in a swirl of names, destinations and facts. Everything was making a little bit of sense and I was starting to figure out what they were doing. They were doing two different things. One thing was Hye Sun's doing and the other was something that the 미녀 was doing. I was coming closer to figuring out what they were inevitably up to.

Each woman who was still in the 미녀, had a degree in theater. Each degree was from different schools and each one had a different rank, granted, but they all had a degree in theater. What that meant, I wasn't quite sure, but something was up and I wanted to know how deadly it was. It was theater so it probably wasn't too deadly, but it still concerned me. Why show their faces now? It makes no sense.

"Alexandria!" I heard a familiar voice outside calling my name. For a moment, I thought it was Sherlock Holmes, but then with a rush of fear pooling in my stomach, I realized that it was Frankie.

"Frankie?" I called, hurrying down the stairs, "Is everything alright?"

"No." He said when I opened the door, "Vanessa is gone."

~!~!~!~!~!~

Frankie sat on my couch with a hot mug of tea and all of the doors and windows were locked. He had full access to the TV and I moved my deductions into the bedroom to continue working. I told him that he would have to take the spare bedroom upstairs at about five thirty so when John got here at six it was a little less awkward.

Frankie told me that this morning, Vanessa had gone downstairs to get the paper but never come back up. He heard a scream and when he got there, she was gone. All he knew to do was find me, so he did. Whoever this Hye Sun girl is has me to deal with now and as far as I'm concerned, she's not leaving this battle alive. She's taking all of the people I care about and if that's the way it's going to be, well, what can I say?

Maybe I did kill or put away someone important to her, but revenge isn't the way to go. If she dies, it's because she put herself into that position. My life has been invaded and I'll be damned if she thinks that I'm not going to do anything about it.

Just before five thirty, I moved Frankie up to the spare bedroom and began heating up dinner. It was that casserole that Sally brought over, but after a small taste, I decided to add my own spices and heat it up before John arrived. As the oven heated up, I prepared my wine bucket, filling it with as much ice as I had before finding a good bottle in my wine cabinet and putting it in. Once the casserole was in, all I had to do was wait.

He knocked on the door and I ran downstairs to open the door, but when I got there, Sherlock Holmes was opening in the door, John in tow. He looked smug about ruining my perfect night with my boyfriend, but John just looked exasperated as if it happened to him all the time. Sherlock walked past me and up the stairs and John gave me an apologetic look before continuing up after him. I followed with a sigh, just in time to see Sherlock striding around as if he owned the place, sniffing the air.

"What a divine smell, what is it, Crystal?" Sherlock asked, emphasizing my name, which seemed a bit odd.

"It's a family recipe. I was planning on having dinner with my boyfriend here before watching a movie, but it's clearly not going to happen." I sighed, going to adjust the wine.

"No, it's not." he declared, "I want dinner and answers."

"I can only give you one of those. Would you like to guess which one?" I asked, leaning on the counter next to the stove, careful not to let my back touch. Dinner was the more plausible option, but I wasn't going to give him any of that either.

"Crystal, I don't have time for this. I have questions that only you can answer."

"Fine, I'll give you answers. What do you want?"

"Who are you?"

"A history student." I responded simply, "I've already answered this question. Next?"

"Why are you dating John?"

"Because he's nice and funny and we like each other. Are you looking for an ulterior motive?" I replied, confused, "Next?"

"Why are your family and friends being kidnapped?"

"I..." I trailed off and turned around to lower the heat on the oven, knowing that this could go on and on, "I don't know. I want to know why they're being taken, too. I mean, the only thing they have in common is me."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." I noticed that John was standing way back and casually staying out of this conversation.

"Crystal Greene, why can't I stop thinking about you?" Sherlock asked and John took this moment to intervene and put a hand on Sherlock's shoulder.

"Excuse me?" I took a step forward, my heart leaping and my stomach doing summersaults. Sherlock... can't stop thinking about me?

"Sherlock, you're way over the line here." John pronounced.

"You confuse me, Crystal." Sherlock stepped out of John's grip, "I don't understand who you are or what you're doing in my life, but you're sure as hell not a history student."

~!~!~!~!~!~

"I am so sorry about that." John apologized over their candle lit dinner. John had been embarrassed about Sherlock's behavior since he left once dinner was ready. Sherlock left by himself, bored with John and I already.

Once dinner was ready, John helped me prepare the table. As I turned off the lights, John lit the candles and we sat down. I broke open the wine as John took his first bite of the casserole that he didn't know I didn't make. His eyes widened as he chewed and I smiled, pouring him wine. It was obvious he liked it, and I couldn't wait to see how it turned out. As soon as we were eating, John apologized.

"It's okay, John. I'm sure it's weird for him to have your girlfriend be your neighbor as well." I assured him.

"Still, it's no excuse. It's stupid for him to be all up in your business."

"Has he done that with any of the other girls you've dated?"

"No. He usually ignores the girls I've dated in the past."

"Maybe he knows I'll be a special one." I winked and John laughed.

"I hope so." he whispered taking my hand and staring at me over the table and we smiled at each other.

"John," I pulled my hand away so I could use both hands to eat and get a sip of wine, "why do you trust me so much?"

"What?"

"I mean, we first met when I had a different name, and as soon as you realized that I wasn't who I said I was you just went with it."

"I suppose I did." John chuckled, sipping his wine, "I guess I just knew you were very special and I guess under the circumstances, I understood why you did what you did and I just went with it because I knew you could be trusted."

"What if it happened again?"

"I'm sorry?"

"What if I were to change names and professions again?"

"Like what?" John inquired, smiling as if he was getting ready to tolerate a million years of shit.

"I don't know, I just want to know whether you still thought I was trustworthy. I mean, it would be the second time I, basically, changed identity."

"It sort of depends, I suppose. Are you secretly a rockstar or something?"

"I wouldn't say that." I eyed the pile of folders on the living room table.

"What would you be then? I need a bit of context, Crystal."

Deep down, I was beginning to hate the name. Crystal Greene. It was a thorn in my side and I couldn't wait to be rid of it. I longed to tell John who I really was, but the time wasn't right. It didn't feel right. I knew that I would tell him eventually, but tonight wasn't that night.

"Just forget it." I waved it off, "How's the casserole?"

The night went rather smoothly, and after dinner, John helped me wash the dishes and midway through, he splashed me with the disgusting water and I dipped my finger in it and dragged it down his cheek. From there, he dipped his finger in his wine and flicked it at my shoulder. I declared a truce as we went back to the dishes, but I took a glass of wine with only a few drops left and poured it down the back of his shirt with no warning whatsoever.

He jumped when the soon-to-be sticky liquid hit his skin and he pulled his hands out of the sink, spraying water everywhere. I shrieked as the water landed on me and John decided to dry his hands on my sides. I tried pushing him away, but he pulled me closer, arms around my waist, and ended up kissing me. My arms found their way around his neck and we started back towards my bedroom.

"Wait, wait," I said against his lips and pulled away a bit, "we need to finish the dishes."

"We can finish the dishes later." John decided and pressed his lips to mine again.

John and I penguin walked slowly into my bedroom and he slowly began lifting my dress over my head. I pulled away from him just so he could lift my dress over my head before shoving him down on my bed and climbing on top of him. My knees were on either side of his pelvis and my hands above his shoulders. John was under me and I could do whatever I wanted to him and he'd have to let me.

Slowly, I lowered myself down and pressed my lips to his and I kissed him slowly. His lips were warm and soft and they wanted the urgency back, but I was prepared to make him wait. To make him beg. This evening had gone from playful to sensual in a matter of two seconds and I was loving it. I paused kissing him to push his shirt over his head as well.

I was interestingly conscious of the fact that Frankie was upstairs but that wasn't going to stop me from making love to my boyfriend. As we kissed, I found my mind wandering to places it really shouldn't be wandering. The 미녀 was an active threat and someone else could be taken at any moment. Someone I loved could die at any moment and it would be on me because I couldn't protect them.

The 'Most Important' was also going to to be taken, and possibly killed, and there was nothing I could do about it. Partially because I had no idea who was this 'Most Important' person. As I kissed my boyfriend, I began my deductions.

The people who were gone... Nicky, Mum, Maria, Molly, and now Vanessa. The people who remained... Frankie, Lestrade, John, and... was Sherlock even someone I cared about at all? If I had to guess how the 미녀 rated these people as how important they were to me, Frankie was bound to be next. I had to protect Frankie at all costs, as I was doing now. He was safe with me, in this apartment, so if they couldn't get to him, Lestrade could easily be taken instead of Frankie. Well, if I counted Sherlock then he'd be next, but I decided not to count Sherlock, as the only reason I cared about him at all was because of John.

So, in theory, the order would go something like, Lestrade, Frankie, and then... John. John's kidnapping was inevitable, despite the fact that I was doing everything in my power to protect him. He was going to be taken, it was only a matter of time.

I heard an ominous thump in the living room and I recognized the pace as Frankie and from the sound of it, he was leaving the flat. One part of me had to run out and stop him from leaving, but the other part was going to stay here with John. With a large amount of luck and intellect, I could save him if he was taken. Frankie knew the risks and I had a feeling that he couldn't stand the thought of Vanessa being there all alone.

Just as the front door closed, my boyfriend took charge of the kissing and pushed me so I was on my back and he was over me. The kissing continued and it was wonderful, but my mind went elsewhere. My mind wandered and wandered into the crevices in the back of my head and I was shocked at how deep I was going... thinking about things... and people that shouldn't be thought about during a make-out session with your boyfriend.

For only a moment, I opened my eyes to look at my boy friend and what I saw made me do a double take and push him away. With a gasp, I pushed John off of me and I sat up, suddenly out of breath. My face began to burn and I began to sweat and suddenly I felt disgusting and sticky.

"Crystal... are you alright?" he asked worriedly. He gingerly touched my shoulder but I shrugged it off.

"No, I..." I trailed off, "I need to get out of here."

"Crystal-" John began to speak, but I was already off the bed and groping my bedroom floor for my dress.

"I'm sorry, John."

"Are you alright, Crystal."

"No." I found the cotton fabric of my dress and slipped it over my head, "I don't think I am."

Once I was wearing my dress again, I felt around my closet for my jacket. Eventually, my fingers found my favorite cashmere coat and I yanked it out of the closet urgently. I hurried out of my bedroom, John following me asking a million questions but I didn't register any of them. I tripped over my own feet several times in the rush to find my shoes and keys.

As soon as I found my slip-on flat and my keys I wasted no time running downstairs and into the cold London air. Instantly, the cold air refreshed me, but it wasn't enough. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped at the touch. When I turned, John stood there looking worried and his shirt all wrinkled from putting it on in a rush.

"Crystal, are you okay? You look pale?" John asked softly.

"No, I'm not okay, John. I just... I need a minute." I started to turn but John tried to stop me, "Just let me go, John."

John let go of me and without hesitating for a single moment, I ran down the street away from my boyfriend as fast as I could. I ran blindly for what seemed like hours and I didn't care about the odd looks I was surely gaining from the pedestrians I passed on the road.

When my lungs were burning and gasping for air, I finally came to a stop on a street corner and tried to recollect my breath. I had so many things to worry about and this incident would surely just add to it. I had two things racing through my mind at once and one was a little more complex than the other.

One: Frankie was most surely gone.

Two: When I kissed John, I didn't see John when I opened my eyes.

In my imagination I was kissing Sherlock Holmes.