Squish was sleeping soundly. He could hear that her breathing was slow and even. It was beginning to become light outside but the clock read only 7:00. The whole room was peaceful and quiet Sherlock thought as he reached out a hand to shake her awake.
"Sherlock? What the fuck?" she said sleepily as she sat up and pulled her hair into a ponytail.
"Squish, get up." He replied as he pulled open the curtains, "we're out of milk, bread and tea."
Squish stared at him in disbelief, "You noticed? You, as in you, actually noticed the lack of groceries?"
He sighed, "Yes squish and we need to go shopping."
With that remark she leapt out of bed and opened the door of the wardrobe.
"Give me five minutes and I'll be by the front door, wait for me there." When he didn't move, she turned as she pulled her t-shirt over her head, "Go on, Sherlock Holmes shopping? This I have to see!"
An hour later Squish was pulling him into a coffee shop.
"We've just been shopping" Sherlock whined, "why do we have to go and get something eat?"
Squish pulled out a chair from underneath the table, "because I haven't eaten for over 8 hours and you haven't eaten in 2 days so we are eating cake for breakfast ok."
Sherlock sighed and took up a menu, "fine but if we get a case then I will be blaming you for making me digest."
"What can I get you" a voice said from above them.
"Hi, thanks I'll have the" Squish's voice dies in her throat as she looked up at the man who was taking the order. Sherlock also looked up and he felt his muscles tighten. The game was on.
Squish's whole body felt like it was on fire as Jim slid into the seat next to her so he faced Sherlock. Sherlock by comparison seemed to be almost enjoying seeing his enemy, God he terrifies her sometimes.
"Well it's not often we get to meet face to face, is it Sherlock" Jim said, as he stared into Sherlock's eyes.
"Not without some sort of hostage situation." Sherlock replied smoothly. Jim laughed
"Haven't you seen who I'm sitting next to?" he asked, "meet my hostage."
Sherlock raised an eyebrow coolly, "She's sitting opposite me and you have no hold on her, I hardly think she's a hostage is she?"
Jim frowned, "I can see how this will be confusing without full knowledge of the facts, but I am a little disappointed that you didn't think of this. But I suppose you are worried about your child so maybe I'll let you off." He turned in his chair and tapped the table behind them "Sebby darling. Will you come over here a second?"
Sebastian Moran sat down on Squish's other side, "Beginning to see it yet?" he asked. Squish was surprised to see that he reached around the back of the chair and caressed the back of Moriarty's head. "So Jim from I.T wasn't completely a lie then?" she asked as calmly as she could, when you're sitting next to a psychopath and his violent sniper of an assassin.
"Why put labels on things darling?" Jim purred, "I mean both and you and your daddy here are delicious but I'm sorry to say that it's your dear Papa that I'm interested in at the moment."
Sherlock spoke again, this time though there was the tiniest hint break in his calm, "Let her go Jim, she doesn't give you anything that I don't have already"
Jim cocked his head to one side and gave a little giggle, "Even if I didn't already know that I need some sort of physical leverage for you to play the game, little Squishy here has already been made a player in the game. Not a major one but I had to give Seb here a reason to play when I have no intention in sharing your lovely self."
Seb nuzzled the side of Squish's neck, and she was unable to stop herself from stiffening as a shudder of revulsion ran through her body.
"I believe that you promised something to do with scarring?" he whispered, his breath hot in her ear and all she could do was watch and try and keep calm as Sherlock's face changed as a look of anger and panic crossed it.
Jim laughed and stood up, "shall we get this show on the road then?" Sherlock deliberately stood next to Squish as they were led by Jim out of the café with Seb bringing up the rear. A black car with darkened windows pulled up and Jim motioned for the pair of them to get in the back. Sherlock nodded at Squish to do so and quickly followed her in. He looked at her white face and gently took one of her hands in his and squeezed it gently, she turned her eyes to him and gave him a small smile. It was shaky, but there and he took some comfort in it as they drove off in a cloud of smoke and tyre squeals.
They drove for a long time and eventually pulled up outside a warehouse. The car hadn't quite stopped before Jim got out. He held put a pair of blindfolds from his pocket.
"Tah dah" he smiled at them, "It's time for the game to begin"
They allowed the blindfold to be placed over their eyes. Squish reached out her hand and feeling Sherlock's long fingers with their callused tips from long hours playing the violin, and grasped them tightly in hers. She felt his thumb reassuringly stroke the back of her hand as a reminder of his presence. They walked for a while and the floor sloped downward and Squish realised that they were in a tunnel. She knew roughly were their starting point had been and utilising her knowledge of the London Underground (both present day and abandoned Sherlock was nothing but thorough) realised that they were still in the city but heading towards central London. She knew that Sherlock knew as well probably to a much more specific location and she knew that Moriarty would know that they knew and that scared her more than she had ever been scared in her life.
Eventually they began to ascend once more and she could see a glimmer of light behind the blindfold. A hand pushed her through a door and she could feel someone behind her. The blindfold was taken off and she was in a small room with fluorescent lighting. Seb was standing behind her with a smile.
"Hey there baby" he said
Sherlock stood in front of her, "Leave her alone Moran" he said, his baritone voice heavy with that special Sherlock charm that said don't be so stupid I know so much more then you can even dream, but Moran just stood there unblinkingly
"You aren't always going to be there to stop me." He told him flatly and blew a kiss at the pair of them before leaving. They were in a small room with white painted walls and a metal door with a flap in it, the floor had recently been concreted over.
Sherlock prowled around the room like a caged bear and began to talk to himself.
"No one in here for at least two days. Floor recently been concreted over, why? Of course so I couldn't deduce anything."
He threw himself onto the floor in exasperation, Squish sat down next to him and laid her head on his arm. Surprisingly he didn't move her away but instead put his arm around her shoulders.
She looked up at his face, "It fucks you up doesn't it? Being blind?" He nodded distractedly, "I'm not used to not knowing everything… It's disconcerting"
She nodded, "Sherlock. Will you do something for me?" He looked down at her puzzled,
"Anything"
"Tell me we'll be ok. Please tell me it'll be allright." He pulled her into his chest.
"We're going to be fine you little idiot." He looked down at her, "I promise we're going to be all right and I'm never wrong." She nodded and he could feel her falling asleep on his chest.
"It'll be allright" he whispered. It had to be.