Relationship(s): Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Greg Lestrade, Superintendent Thomas Nevereux (OC), David Nevereaux (OC)
Tags/Warnings: Torture, Blood, Violence, Blood Drinking, Vampires, Original Characters, Mild Blood Play, Swearing
Summary: John is kidnapped. Torture by angry vampire ensues.
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Mercurial- Part 1
John rubbed his hands over his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up. He had already had three cups of tea and one cup of coffee but being awake for 48 hours straight was catching up to him.
Sherlock was pacing again. John always found it amusing more than anything because everything that he had ever read about vampires said that they liked to stand as still as statues when they were lost in their own thoughts. But then again, Sherlock was never anything near ordinary.
John took another sip of cold coffee and opened another browser tab. He already had one open on blood coagulation and fingerprints but he needed more information on vampire sleeping patterns.
There was a crash behind him and John turned his head to see that Sherlock had knocked over a stack of books without even bothering to try and make a grab for them. If John had to bet he would say that Sherlock probably did it on purpose anyways.
"It's been three weeks John. Why hasn't there been another corpse?" Sherlock ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and wandered off into the kitchen without waiting for a response.
John was use to it. Sherlock had been hurling questions that he didn't expect answers to since Tuesday and John had simply taken to ignoring him now.
John closed the website on fingerprints and stood up to take a minute and stretch. As soon as he found his legs though his phone buzzed impatiently from his pocket.
Sherlock appeared soundlessly beside him and glanced over his shoulder. John opened the text. Sherlock was out the door and down the stairs before John had even finished reading it.
"I see you got my message." Lestrade lifted the tape and John ducked under it easily as Sherlock merely glided by. "A clerk found him about an hour ago. Said no one usually frequents this end of the alley. He was only out here because he needed some fresh air."
John stepped over a broken doll and a banana peel. He could see the body ahead but half of it was obscured by a pile of empty boxes. He could see Sherlock's lip curling up in distaste at the smell and John made a mental note to remember the mint cream next time they went out. It helped to lessen the smell for both of them and made Sherlock less irritable at the same time. It was win-win really.
John knelt down and observed the state of the body. The young man was well-dressed. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and bordering on the edge of obese. His eyes were closed. If John could only see him from the neck up he might think that he was sleeping. Unfortunately John wasn't that lucky and neither was the man.
A large section of the man's abdomen had been pulled open and his liver had been drained dry. Other organs had been pushed around or removed entirely so that there was a messy pile lying on the other side of the body.
John could only imagine what the clerk had done when he saw that.
"He looks the same as the other ones." John stood up and watched as Sherlock bent down to take his own look. He watched as his eyes scanned the body first and then the surrounding area. They settled on a darkened corner of the alley and John could practically feel the moment that Sherlock figured everything out.
Sherlock stood abruptly and faced Lestrade. "Who else has been down here besides the clerk, yourself and us?"
Lestrade didn't miss a beat. "No one. I haven't even let my team down here yet. Why?"
"You're sure that no one else has entered this alley?"
"Yes Sherlock. Positive. Why?" Lestrade was getting agitated now. John could see the tense set of his shoulders and the tightening along his brow. If his time with Sherlock had taught him anything it was reading the emotional strain of others (usually because 95% of the time Sherlock was the one causing it).
"I've just solved your case. Tell me; is your Superintendent still at the Yard?" Sherlock was already halfway up the mouth of the alley. John shrugged at Lestrade and they both followed after him.
"Yes, he's been working as much overtime as the rest of us on this one."
Sherlock stopped abruptly and made an about face. "Does he work during the day?"
"Yes of course he does. He's got a partner named David that he drinks from. Sherlock!" Lestrade shouted at Sherlock's retreating form but the consulting detective didn't even break his stride. Instead he lifted the tape and headed off in the direction of New Scotland Yard.
John paused at the border of the tape and exchanged a look with Lestrade. "You better hurry. I don't think he'll wait for you to get there before he starts interrogating your Superintendent." Lestrade visibly paled and nodded wearily as he barked orders for one of his Sergeant's to bring around a car.
Sherlock had long since disappeared from view and John couldn't help but sigh. He looked around at the bustling officers and decided that it would probably be just as easy to walk to New Scotland Yard as it would be trying to convince someone to give him a ride. A cab was out of the question because he had forgotten his wallet by the computer back at the flat.
At least it wasn't raining.
He lifted the tape and started down one of the side streets that would take him around the back way. It was relatively quiet at this time of night and John took a second to enjoy the silence as he made his way around a bicycle stand.
The silence was soon interrupted by the sound of a car engine coming up the street behind him. John kicked a pebble out of the way and turned to take the next left. Headlights reflected off the walk in front of him and John's skin began to tingle.
He was about to shrug it off when he heard the sound of the engine die and a door open. The sound of footsteps made him turn. An older gentleman with blonde hair was making his way up the walk towards him. He waved gently and John stopped walking.
"Can I help you?"
"I certainly hope so. I think I'm lost." The man smiled openly and John's stance relaxed a little.
"Where are you trying to go?" John turned fully as the man finally caught up to him. Up close the man looked younger than he originally thought. Maybe mid-thirties instead of mid-forties. He was still smiling and John felt the tiny hairs on the back of his arms stand up. The man wasn't wearing a jacket even though the air was edging on the wrong side of chilly.
"I was looking for this cute little chip shop that my friends were telling me about. But for the life of me I can't remember the name of it."
All of John's alarms were going off now but he still couldn't pin down exactly why. The man looked friendly enough, acted friendly enough. And that was when he saw it.
The man had turned his head at the sound of a passing car on the next street over and his shirt collar shifted. Right over his pulse point were two neat pinpricks. Old, not fresh.
The man's gaze shifted back to him and John realized that his face must have changed because the man's smile immediately vanished. He cocked his head to the side and then shook it as if John was being a foolish child.
"You should have listened John. I didn't want to have to do this the hard way."
John tensed and reached for a weapon that wasn't there. Much like his wallet he had left his pistol back at the flat. He straightened his posture and made a quick assessment of the street. Then he made another assessment of the man. He looked like he wasn't in poor shape but John could probably outrun him if it came down to it. Or he could wait for someone else to pass on the street. But first John wanted some answers.
"Listened to what. Who are you?"
"That's so disappointing John. I thought you were clever. Maybe not as clever as your vampire, but clever enough." The man took a step closer and John responded with a measured retreat. He made sure to keep his getaway clear though.
"Enlighten me."
The man smiled again except this time it was far from friendly. He looked like a shark circling its prey and John felt a distinct drop in his stomach.
"I told you that you were in over your heads. But you just didn't listen."
John's eyes widened in understanding and he knew that it was time to make a hasty retreat. Whoever this man was he had managed to sneak into their flat without himself or Mrs. Hudson noticing.
He had also managed to stump Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock had spent a week analyzing the blood on the door but even with Molly's permission to use the lab he hadn't been able to isolate the different compounds that were mixed with the blood. All he had learned from it was that the blood was from a deceased person and it was A positive.
Whoever this man was John knew that he didn't want to face him alone. John took a deep breath and relaxed his body. The man narrowed his eyes at him and then lunged.
John feinted to the right and took off across the street. The sound of rapid footfall from behind kept him going. The light coming from the windows of New Scotland Yard lit up the night in front of him.
His feet faltered awkwardly as he practically ran into the guard booth. He paused for a minute to catch his breath. The man had disappeared.
John's legs were shaking uncontrollably as he gave his information to the officer. After a quick call to confirm he was who he said he was John was allowed to enter the building.
He made his way across the lobby and toward the lift. After he had pressed the call button he gave into the luxury of leaning against the wall for support. His heart was still beating a kilometer a minute and even though John knew he wasn't out of shape he certainly hadn't had to sprint for his life recently. It was not an experience that he wanted to relive again anytime soon.
At least now he had something of his own to report to Sherlock and Lestrade. If not a name then at least a description. The lift doors opened and John stepped in.
Since it was late there was only one other person inside. John nodded at him briefly before he turned and pushed the button for Lestrade's department.
The lift started rising and the man behind him cleared his throat loudly. John glanced back at him and took in the paleness of his complexion and the quicksilver color of his eyes. John shifted marginally out of instinct and smiled politely. The man smiled back and flashed his teeth. John stopped smiling.
Following societal norms, vampires flashing their teeth could mean three things. The first was that they were trying to intimidate you. The second was that they were flirting with you. The third is that they were going to eat you. John didn't particularly like anything of these possible scenarios and he stepped a little closer to the lift doors.
"It's John isn't it?" The man's voice sounded posh and smooth. It slithered like a snake down John's spine and pooled in his ribcage. John turned to face him.
"Have we met before?" The lift sounded behind him indicating that they had passed another floor. John's breathing increased.
"I don't believe so. My name is Thomas Nevereaux. I believe you met my partner earlier, David."
John's racing heart stuttered in his chest as Thomas reached around him and pressed the button for the tenth floor. The safety of Sherlock and Lestrade waited up on the fourteenth floor.
"I'm afraid we didn't get a formal introduction, what with the running for my life and everything."
Thomas chuckled quietly and leaned in. He hovered over John's pulse point for a moment before inhaling subtly. "I am sorry about that. David does try so hard to be thorough. If it helps he was trying to make it easy on you."
"Yeah he mentioned something about that." John swallowed convulsively. His spine was starting to protest the rigidity that it was being subjected to.
Thomas flashed his teeth again. It was decidedly more terrifying when it was happening centimeters from his neck.
"I'm afraid I won't be so gentle."
The lift doors opened and Thomas placed his hand on John's lower back to guide him out. "You'll never get away with this. Any of it. Sherlock has you all figured out."
They started down an empty corridor full of closed office doors and John's eyes kept looking for the nearest escape route. Unfortunately he wasn't holding out much hope that he could reach one even if he found it. Thomas' hand was still a lead weight at his back.
"I'm aware of that. Unfortunately for you that means I need a bargaining chip. And what better chip is there than you?" Thomas' eyes roamed his face then and John almost shivered from the complete lack of humanity there. Where Sherlock and Mycroft's eyes were warm and mercurial Thomas' eyes were muted and steely. John had no doubt that if he called for help he would be dead.
Thomas steered him into an office at the far end of the corridor and over to a window before he stopped him with a tug on the back of his jacket.
"This is the tricky part."
John raised an eyebrow in confusion and turned to ask him what he meant. He didn't even get the chance to open his mouth before everything went dark.