Author's note: I can't believe it. More followers, more reviews, and even some favourites! You guys are unbelievable. Seriously. I can't believe somebody actually likes what I write. Thank you all so much.
This chapter is dedicated to my mother, who I can now proudly announce is one of my readers – thank you for the years of support and love, and I hope the distorted way I make John act makes this seem less cliché, I know you hate that.
On with the story. We have now arrived at The Blind Banker.
Days go by. John and Sherlock get to know each other (well, at least that's the expression; Sherlock is convinced he knows everything thing about John – and he's right if you don't consider the whole "controls London criminal underworld" thing important – and John is sure he knows everything about Sherlock, though the man continues to amuse and surprise him.)
John – who's never really had to explain to anyone where he's going and what he's doing (no surprise there; his mother lived in her own world, after all, his father and Harry had been very happy as soon as he'd put a bottle in front of them, and he's always been careful never to live with any of his sexpartners, or girlfriends, as they'd liked to call themselves) – has to make up stories, and convincing ones at that, so that Sherlock and/or Mrs. Hudson and/or Mycroft never suspect and/or wonder about anything. It's novel and it's fun, and he soon learns which of the seventeen steps from the flat creak and how best to navigate himself out of the window of his room (of course he can climb, in his early days as the spider, he had a few narrow escapes).
Dear dead Harry is a good excuse too, if he wants to "officially" leave the building, and he makes sure to now and then yell into his phone and pretend she's drunk again (maybe she is, if there's a heaven and they have a wine cellar, who knows?). In a way it's ironic, he muses, on one of his "visits" when he's actually just slicing open the wrists of a foreign business man who'd decided to try bargaining when John had wanted his money (make sure it looks like suicide if you don't want any complications, and when it's about foreign businessmen, even he doesn't want problems; Mycroft Holmes can indeed be very very annoying, something he and Sherlock agree on): Harry is definitely more useful to him now than she ever was alive.
Note to himself: make certain Clara will never file a missing person report. Could cheer him up when he's down, making her disappear.
At the moment, however, he's enjoying his game. He is actually enjoying it more as the days pass, making sure Sherlock eats and sleeps (always the concerned doctor), having tea and watching telly with Mrs Hudson (he thinks that, had his mother been like her, he might actually have turned out a fairly decent bloke, and then cringes from the thought because it sounds utterly boring), and meeting Lestrade in the pub now and then (the poor man seems convinced he's Sherlock's saviour and will turn him into a better man; he lets him cling to this illusion because it's amusing and, despite himself, he still respects the DI in some way).
Big Brother pops in now and then, of course, or more often, kidnaps John; if only he knew who'd killed the three diplomats last years, it would make the meetings even more interesting, though not necessarily more fun, because having someone like Mycroft Holmes trusting John is a joke in itself.
The idea to get a job is born in moment his card doesn't get accepted in the supermarket, and he doesn't have to act this time, he's always hated this bloody chip and pin machines, and he remembers that he can't really use the money he has while he's playing the game, because then probably even the little grey morgue-mouse (he doesn't remember her name, just her infatuation with Sherlock) would realize something's wrong.
Luckily, he doesn't spend the whole morning thinking about this (that would be dull, dull, dull), because, although Sherlock didn't take the case of the missing diamond (isn't he sweet as he tries to hide the evidence from the fight), he gets an email from an old "friend".
It's a pity about the diamond really, seeing as it's in the stomach of a goose right now, but that's Sherlock's bad luck. John has enough fun when he realizes who their new client is (he should, he's helped him embezzling money from the bank for years), and once again thanks his stars that he never revealed his identity to anyone (well, except a few people who can't really talk anymore now).
He recognizes the code immediately and decides he has to get in contact with General Chang this evening. Why hasn't he been told the Black Lotus has a problem? How stupid of her; he could solve it, whatever "it" entails, in an hour, most likely.
But at first he lets Sherlock do his magic and grins to himself as he wonders how long it's going to take the detective to figure out it's an old Chinese number system.
Of course, the one who is threatened turns out to be Eddie Van Coon – really, now, John hopes it wasn't just a threat, if Van Coon did anything stupid; after all, John was the one who arranged his business trips for the Black Lotus. To his delight, he is in fact already dead, and to his even greater delight, Sherlock notices it wasn't a suicide, doesn't see the tattoo though, because this annoying Sergeant won't let him have a closer look. Oh well. There'll be enough time.
In the meantime (Sherlock most likely won't even realize he's gone out, he is like that when he's thinking, a personality trait that certainly comes in handy when John has to solve certain problems), John goes job hunting and is successful. He actually gets the very first job he applies for, and, even better, he can flirt with his rather pretty new boss. Sherlock still seems to be completely asexual (yes, that is a pity, John freely admits this to himself), but John would now and then like a little sexual intercourse.
On the way back he makes contact with the Black Lotus; the Empress jade pin is missing and they don't even know if Van Cook or Lukas took it; he certainly would have expected more from the General. Well, at least John has his fun.
He comes home to find that Lukas has been taken care of as well, and of course Sherlock and he have to dash off again. Even Dimmock has to admit now that he has a small problem of unsolved murder, and Sherlock finds a library book, and in the library, John finds the dead-man-code. He knows how the Black Lotus works, after all, so he knows where the most likely place for the graffiti is.
His day gets even better when Sherlock needs help and in the end John gets arrested. He wishes he could laugh, just for a little bit, because the irony of him sitting in a police station and only being threatened with a ASBO is just too much.
Once more on the way back, he makes sure the General understands that he doesn't want Sherlock Holmes killed. Under no circumstances. Then his whole game would be over. And he'd have to destroy the Black Lotus organization just to make a point, and that would be dull.
By the time he gets there, Sherlock has worked out the two cases are connected (seems to be a bit slow today, the connection is .obvious, but he enjoys Sherlock dancing around) and he sends John to Scotland Yard.
Because John doesn't want to run pointlessly around London, he writes the address of the Lucky Cat down in Lukas' diary in the journalist's handwriting and promptly bumps into Sherlock on the way there.
Thankfully, thinks get more interesting once Sherlock finds out about the number system; breaking into a flat and leaving John to stand stupidly outside while he's almost strangled to death and John can rant and rant and rant, now that certainly makes up for John's disappointment in him earlier. He whole-heartedly forgives him not having caught on about the connection earlier.
He is still disappointed in the General though; writing the message down where everyone can see it – and it's not a very difficult code to crack, after all. Well, at least he gets to dance with Sherlock (and the detective really wonders where the rumours come from?) and see him speechless. He must remember to achieve this more often; his expression is priceless.
Later, they find Soo Lin Yao; even John is impressed, she is certainly good at hiding, but because he is still a good business associate, he lets the General know where she is. Plus, it makes for a good chase.
At least she's told Sherlock that it's a book code, and John has always enjoyed reading, so after convincing Dimmock (with help from the little morgue-mouse, isn't it practical to have a pet?), he spends most of the night doing exactly that, after he's made sure that the London A-Z isn't in any of the boxes (that was quite clever of him, taking a book that's not really considered a book by most).
One can't hold it against him that he falls asleep after the third patient with a cold, though; nobody knows, of course, but by the time Sherlock got the case he'd already been awake three days because he'd had to close a deal with a Russian drug syndicate, and those Mafia bosses love to take their time. He gets a date out of it, though, so he won't complain.
And not only that, but Sherlock tags along (acting exasperated is one of the most amusing ways of acting, he loves that he gets to do that a lot) and maybe acts a little jealous (no, he's not yet given up hope, if he could feel hope, that is, the detective is too good looking). And he gets a fight out of it and just when he thinks the greatest fun is over for the night, he is kidnapped.
And the General mistakes him for Sherlock.
Oh Brave New Game, that has those glorious moves in it. He will never get tired of reliving this memory, he's sure.
John had noticed the Black Lotus trailing after them, sure, but he hadn't realized how wonderfully, beautifully, amusingly stupid they were. He must remember this: every time someone wants to build up an international smuggling ring, check their IQ first. May save some trouble, if Sherlock Holmes isn't there to make things fun, that is.
Of course they save the day, and of course Sherlock later finds the hairpin (John isn't surprised it was Van Coon, would've found out it was him if he could have been bothered to think about it; those City Boys, their fingers always in someone else's honey pot, eh, Sebastian?).
And just the way the Black Lotus paint their "warning, detective" sign in front of their door – oh joy, joy, joy. He suspects he may never get tired of this game.
In the evening, he chats a bit with the General and makes sure she won't ever reveal his identity (or be stupid again). After all, there are a lot of criminals, and the Black Lotus can easily fill the gap. He's sorry he can't do it in person though; he would've loved to see her face.
He also makes a few comments on his blog as Bill Murray, Harry and Anonymous (because he just loves being sneaky and weird sometimes, he can't help it).
While he's at it, he sends Sherlock a new coded message: "Hi Sherlock, SOMNEHCCGTEKOTYRIMOOLAIGU. You'll never find out who I am. I live off the grid. Cheers xx". This is a form of grid cipher and means „I am coming to get you".
And he truly lives off the grid – he lives off it because he lives very visible on it, simple as that.
He then begins to plan his next move. Maybe it's time for Sherlock to meet Moriarty.
Yes, that sounds like good idea. One that involves more moves than one, in fact, but why not?
He's always ready for more fun.
Author's Note: I've always wondered how John finds the cipher in the library so quickly... well, in the episode, I suppose he had luck. But in my little story...
Hope you enjoyed the chapter an please review.