Hey guys, I know it's taken me a while to update and I do apologise for the wait, I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with the ending, yes I'm sorry it will be ending soon, but not just yet…
Chapter 20: Back To The Start
A week alter after all of Styck's affairs had been put in order and her family seemed to be returning to their old selves Nancy and Holmes left, they sat in the carriage together, Holmes' arms were wrapped around Nancy as they sat on the long journey. When they arrived back in London fog filled the air and it was eerily quiet, Nancy felt unsettled as they walked down the street back to the house, it all felt wrong, something was definitely wrong. The house was silent as they entered but light flickered under the living room door, Nancy and Holmes looked at each other and shared a kiss before they entered the room. Watson was sitting at the table, a stack of newspapers in front of him, one of Lestrades men was asleep in a chair by the fire, Watson looked up as they entered,
' Thank god you're back'
' What's happening Watson?' Nancy could see concern flickering in Holmes eyes,
' There have been more murders'
' How many?'
' 12 that we know of'
' Who are our victims?' Holmes sat at the table picking up one of the newspapers; all of them were covering the murder stories,
' All of them are either women from poorer parts of London with no family, or ladies of the night'
' Have they all been identified?'
' Yes we've managed to get names for all of them and contacted any family they had, London's in uproar Holmes, they've all been killed and found in the same position as Lenore'
' It's him' Nancy whispered weakly, they hadn't been back five minutes and already they were pulled back into his game,
' Yes' Holmes said quietly, he looked at Nancy,
' You're to stay with Watson or myself at all times, I don't want you going anywhere alone' Nancy merely nodded
' Holmes I hope you understand why I didn't contact you straight away?'
' I understand completely Watson' they had one of their moments where Nancy was always sure they were communicating telepathically, even she understood Watson didn't want to drag Holmes away from her at that difficult time and leave her alone as an easy target.
The three of them sat at the table going through the newspapers and the police reports, Nancy understood what he was doing, he was calling her out, the murders would stop if she handed herself to him on a silver platter,
' Don't even think about it' she looked to Holmes who had spoken, his eyes hadn't left the page he was reading but she knew he had instantly read her mind,
' You know as well as I do what this is about, it's all for my benefit'
' Yes and I will not use you as bait in a police trap to try and catch him, there is always another way'
' Well I cant see one' he gave Nancy a look that told her to drop the subject, she knew it made him angry but she couldn't help thinking that is she gave herself up to him it would save a lot of girls dying, Watson had stayed silent through the exchange before putting a paper down and rubbing his face,
' We'll think of something Nancy don't worry' she nodded and continued to read but couldn't help thinking that while they were reading and thinking of alternate ways to catch him, he was torturing and killing another innocent girl who had nothing to do with any of this.
They were up all night going through the paperwork, Nancy finally went up in the early hours of the morning, she went to Holmes room and peeled her dress of her aching body, she hadn't realised how tired she was, she pored some water into a wash basin and began letting it sooth her tender muscles as she let the water trickle down her bare torso, she felt hands wrap around her stomach, she knew it was Holmes, he kept one arm round her waist and moved the other so his hand could stroke the top of her arm, and he rested his head against her shoulder,
' Penny for your thoughts' she said smiling as best she could
' I don't want to lose you' she smiled genuinely and moved so she could place her hands on his and relaxed against him,
' You won't'
' He's clever Nancy, he's avoided capture for years and he's killing women on Scotland yards doorstep and getting away with it, he knows what he's doing'
' So do you' she felt him smile against her shoulder
' That's true I am rather good at my job' she smiled and rubbed his arm, he was cold and she knew he was tired; she pulled him over to the bed and he sat down running his fingers through his dishevelled hair, she pulled one of his spare shirts over her head and the two of them lay down, Holmes fell asleep instantly but Nancy was now wide awake.
After an hour of lying still and making certain Holmes was in a deep sleep Nancy crept out of bed, quickly dressed and left the room. She picked her coat up from the living room and left the house, London was still, no one was out, Watson must have left when Holmes had come upstairs, and she was now alone. She walked through the bitterly cold mist letting her feet lead her, they knew where to go, after half an hours walking she came to the familiar street, she took a different route that led her to the back of the houses before finding the gate she needed, she didn't have to try hard to open the gate, a slight rust made the handle squeak as she turned it but there was nothing obstructing her path, she walked slowly through the overgrown garden until she came to the back door, she looked closely to see it was slightly ajar before pushing it open and returning to where it all began.