As I returned home, luckily in a private car courtesy of Mycroft, I hadn't been able to stop the tears, mascara running down my face like rivers of tar. I was so heartbroken at what he'd done. I got out of the car and the driver collected by bag form the boot.

"Thanks George." I sniffed.

"Anytime Miss Percy. You go and get in the warm."

Angie frowned and asked. "What's wrong?"

I smiled bitterly, the tears still falling. "He destroyed it."

"What?"

"Jim completely burned down my flat. I've lost everything I didn't bring with me."

Angie frowned and hugged her. "Oh, I'm sorry." I sniffed, nodding.

I pulled away and shrugged. "I guess he couldn't handle the memories." I glanced at Angie, hoping we weren't going to argue after I divulged this next bombshell. "We were actually…living there together."

Angie just looked at me, a blank expression on her face. "And now he's burned it." Which caused me to start crying again.

Angie shook her head. "He just has a fascination with burning things. I think he's a pyromaniac. Emphasis on the maniac."

I frowned Jim wasn't a maniac. "He's a spoiled brat who doesn't like being told no. And I told him so in no uncertain terms. I also confronted him about the incidents with you and John and Sherlock, which cause some words to be exchanged and me to punch him."

Angie smirked a little. "That's definitely your policy. When all else fails, deck 'em."

I smiled for a second. "Well, he was being very rude and wouldn't shut up, so I punched him! It was the first time I have. But he offended me, you and Sherlock." I thought for second. "He actually likes Mycroft."

Angie frowned. "Well, at least it wasn't the other way around. Although, he says he doesn't like getting his hands dirty."

"True, he'd never lay a finger on me. I'm lucky in that sense." I was upset, but just thinking about him made me smile.

Angie looked at her. "Are you alright, though? Considering."

I sighed. "I'm fine. Royally annoyed, but fine. I stormed out of the flat grabbing a few more things and went to meet some friends from Uni. Stayed with them Friday night went back to the flat Saturday morning to find Greg there with the lovely Sally. Delightful woman, by the way, I see what you mean about her and Anderson. Anyway, there was a gas leak. No one was hurt, thankfully."

Angie rolled her eyes. "Gas leak. His trademark. He did that to a flat right across the street from us to get Sherlock's attention."

I frowned. "Yes, I heard about all his little escapades toying with my family. Wrong move to make. Anyway, I have some information for Sherlock."

"He's in the kitchen, doing some experiment."

"He's not making a mess, is he?"

"I don't think so. There aren't any chemical stains anywhere so far."

"Good, my parents would kill me if he messed it up."

"Well, I'm going down to the store. I'll see you later."

I smiled as she headed to the kitchen. "Okay."

"Sherlock, Mycroft wanted me to give you these." I handed a folder.

"Fine. Put them over there." He gestured somewhere behind him. "Thanks Angie."

Too stunned to respond, I put the folder down and left.

About a week later, I was having an extremely bad day. I had spent all morning on the phone trying to sort out the insurance on my flat. Jim was being completely useless, which I knew he was doing to make me go back to London. He was behaving like a toddler. I phoned Mycroft for help, who told me he was too busy and that I should be more careful. The insurance company said I didn't exist, all of this because of my surname changing. I was on the verge of exploding. I threw the three folders I had just re organsied of the table. I was then surrounded by a mass of paper. I gave up and marched over to see Angie.

"Dealing with insurance companies is an absolute nightmare! Why are these people so unhelpful?!" Was my opening for the day's discussion.

Angie winced. "Oh, about the flat?"

I flopped down on the couch. "Yeah." I knew I was pouting like a child, but I didn't care.

"Mycroft's not helping this time?"

"Not really, no. Apparently, it's partially my fault because I didn't tell him whom I was dating, so he couldn't take measures for damage control. He also doesn't want the press to get wind of anything about him. Basically, he's being utterly useless. And then Jim has conveniently lost his insurance details for the flat, which we bought together, so I'm stuck. It's just great. I see why Sherlock shoots the wall."

Angie sighed. "Well, Moriarty is supposed to be dead, so that probably wouldn't help anyway. And Sherlock shoots the wall because he's bored. The only reason he hasn't done it lately is because I took his gun away. Anything I can do to help? I could hack into the insurance company's computers."

I laughed bitterly. "That would be funny. But it's because my name has officially changed, it's causing an admin nightmare. Luckily, I had moved the precious things with me. I feel like I'm going through some crazy divorce."

Angie winced. "Bad timing for the name change. You know what you need, you need some chocolate ice cream." She got up and headed to the kitchen.

I smiled, comfort food sounded really good. "You actually are a saint! But I have to go back to my house. There are bits of paper all over the living room. I may have had a bit of a temper tantrum."

Angie smiled. "Okay. I'll see you later."

Over the last week I had been feel rotten. If I didn't know better I'd have said I was pregnant, but seeing as that's an impossibility, obviously it isn't. It started out with light queasiness in the mornings, then stomach cramps. I didn't eat anything for a day and the symptoms appeared to dissipate. I washed some fruit the next morning for breakfast and within the hour, well, I was rather ill. My symptoms started to ease when I stopped drinking water, which I couldn't keep down, and moved onto flat cola. I phoned Angie needing moral support and company.

I smiled from the couch. "Thanks for coming over. I feel awful. I feel like it's the plague."

Angie winced. "I'm sorry. It's weird, I got it a couple days ago. I don't know what it is."

I shrugged. "Who knows, but it's vile. Has Sherlock gotten it? Mycroft's been fine."

"No, Sherlock's fine. Of course, if it's food related, he very rarely eats or drinks." She frowned. "In fact, have I ever seen him eat anything?"

I laughed. "That is so odd! What, is he a robot?" I had an image of Sherlock being a Cyberman form Doctor Who, or maybe a Dalek!

Angie smiled. "Well…"

I moaned as I tried to laugh. "I have never felt so ill. How are you feeling?"

"I'm a bit better. Still a little run down. And now Sherlock is determined to test everything in the kitchen. Although, I think he's just bored."

I shrugged, not really caring as long as the house stayed in one piece. "Maybe he'll find something. Just make sure he doesn't make anything explode. Mum and dad rather like that cottage."

"I'll try to keep him under control. Right now, I'm trying to keep him from throwing stuff at the wall. He's used to going to Bart's and using their microscopes."

I smiled, reminiscing on the day I broke into Barts. "Oh, Bart's has great equipment! I broke into the morgue as a dare in my first year at Uni. There was a really sweet girl who worked there, she was so scared at seeing a living person, and it was quite funny. I know that's mean, but it was so funny!"

Angie smiled. "You must mean Molly. Yes, she's very sweet. Poor thing fancies Sherlock, who never looks twice at her. She helped Sherlock pull off the whole 'dead' stunt. At least, I'm assuming she did. Sherlock won't tell me anything." She glanced at Percy. "Oh, and she was dating Moriarty at one point. And then he acted like he was gay."

"Oh, that's Molly! Did she ever tell you about what happened on those dates? Or how they broke up? I can't work it out. It's annoying, Jim won't tell me anything of use."

Angie sighed. "Uh, he started dating Molly right when we broke up, and told both of us that he worked in I.T. at Bart's, which is supposedly how he met Molly. I think Molly just started dating him to make Sherlock jealous, which didn't work, and that was the 'first contact' between Sherlock and him. I wasn't there, I was mad at Sherlock about one of the cases, but they explained it later on, and Sherlock said he was gay, and he had apparently left his phone number next to Sherlock. And then he almost blew the three of us up. And later on, Molly told us she ended it after a few dates, she didn't say why. And then Moriarty almost killed Sherlock."

I frowned. "Well, I can tell you how it ended. Jim and I had got back together, and…um…well…she caught us in his office…in a compromising position."

Angie just looked at her, slightly shocked.

I glanced at her. "We had a very passionate relationship. I had met Molly a few times before; I thought she was one of his assistants. He's rubbish at pretending to be gay, it's always so funny." She laughed.

Angie frowned.

I sighed. "You're still upset about it?"

Angie shrugged. "I can't help it! It's the story of my life. I do a case, almost get killed by Moriarty. I meet someone new, almost get killed by Moriarty. Meet someone else new, they get killed by Moriarty. Get married, they get killed by one of Moriarty's henchmen. Start dating again, they get 'killed' by Moriarty, and then Moriarty ruins their reputation."

I nodded, feeling a bit exasperated about the topic being rehashed again. "James is a bit eccentric. I don't think he always realises how deep he gets into situations."

Angie frowned. "Oh, he knows."

I looked at her. "He really can be lovely, he's such a romantic. I'm probably not the best person to be rational about him, though."

"Honestly, no, you're not. Believe me, Percy, he's just a very good actor. He seemed really sweet and shy with me, then the next time I saw him, he was a complete monster! Oh, and then when he was living with Kitty Riley and pretending to be Richard Brook, the children's television actor, that was brilliant acting!"

I frowned, a bit confused. "I honestly thought that Kitty Riley was another assistant."

"Oh, and then the trial…"

"I was at the trial. The whole thing was a joke, that wasn't him." It had been a total farce, what were they trying to prove that they had incapable and amoral staff at these venues of security?!

"Oh, he's certainly pulled the wool over your eyes. Either that, or you're just being immature again."

I glared at her, now she was crossing a line. "I'm only 25, Angie, I can't help the way I am. At least Jim never treated me like a child. I don't need protecting; I can make my own decisions. I could say the same thing about Sherlock. He's volatile and dangerous. He's emotionless and uncaring. He blunders into dangerous situations without thought for those around him. He's faked his death once; you don't think he'd do it again? Or die for real? They are so similar in so many ways, I actually confuse them in my head."

Angie stared at her. "Sherlock and Moriarty are nothing alike! Sherlock isn't a maniac who gets his kicks from watching people die and manipulating people! I just don't want anything to happen to you. You're practically like my sister."

"I did a lot of growing up when you got married. I don't need looking after. Everyone in my life tries to protect me and thinks I don't understand! I saw more and understood more of what was happening around me than you can imagine. You have no idea how many things didn't happen. So James made some bad decisions. We all have, we all make mistakes. I've done things I'm not proud of, so have you and I know Sherlock and Mycroft certainly have."

"Percy, those aren't mistakes Moriarty's making. He does it on purpose; he knows that he's doing. And if you're so mature now, why don't you stop acting like an adolescent and stop overreacting? And now you say that you were involved in the things he was doing?! And as regards you 'stopping' him doing a few things, that's not him. If that did happen, he let you stop him!"

"I am not overreacting or behaving like a teenager! And you have no idea about my relationship with James. When you truly love someone, you can forgive them, see past the bad and see the person underneath. And Jim never let me do anything! We agreed situations as a couple. I helped him he helped me. He made me stronger; he got me through some really dark times when you left me. I had no one else."

Angie stared at her. "So all of this is the result of my leaving?! That's a bit selfish and childish, isn't it? I had just lost my memory in a really bad car accident, my sister was going off the deep end with the alcohol, my brother had just left for Afghanistan, and you're still upset about the one thing that made my life a little brighter at that time?!"

I roller my eyes. "This is ridiculous. You left with Jesse and were so happy. Why do you think I followed you to the airport? I couldn't stand the thought of being trapped in Brecon alone. You were the only person who didn't pick on me or think I was insane at school; you treated me like a human being. I totally understand that your family life got in the way. Mum and Dad mentioned what was going on. I had gone off to Uni by then. I tried phoning you, I got nothing. I emailed you, and never got a response. I even had Mycroft look for you, I was so worried you'd got bored and left me." She sighed. "I'll admit I was jealous when you got married. When you came back into my life, I was so happy to see you! But before that, James was there. We were both lonely people in a cruel world."

"I didn't get bored with you! You're my best friend, you always have been! And the reason I never emailed you or anything…" She frowned. "First of all, we were on our honeymoon and we had agreed that we wouldn't use phones or anything during that. And then…then there was the miscarriage, which practically put me into a depression, and then just as I was getting over that, Jesse died. And by then you were gone, and it was just the opposite. I tried to email you and phone you, but you never got back to me. I just figured you were too busy with school. I had hoped you had made some more friends there, but obviously…" She sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to change the way I feel about Moriarty. I just can't. It's a bit difficult after he's tried to kill me I don't know how many times, and then he spent the last few months tormenting me because he was bored. I would come home, and Toby wouldn't come out right away, and I would be afraid that Moriarty had gotten in and killed him, just to torment me."

I looked at Angie.

"He told me he was trying to crack me, because he was bored since Sherlock wasn't there. Just ask him, he'd probably tell you! He loves bragging about this stuff!"

I sighed, I felt bad for Angie, I hadn't been there as much recently to keep things under control. "I'm sorry about what you've been through. You'd be a wonderful mother, and I know how much you loved Jesse, you were a wonderful couple. But you didn't see the bullying and the misery. I knew you had your own life, but the loneliness was so dark."

Angie stared at me. "What…wait, wait. What bullying? You never told me about that!"

I frowned; I really didn't want to remember this time in my life. "When you left school, I became the freak, the outcast, the girl with no friends. I wasn't good at controlling the random deductions and I used to correct people and tell them what I thought. It caused too many problems, the names and taunts, I got beaten up a few times, so I stopped, I kept quiet, which oddly made things worse, I was then the broken freak. I took my exams early and left school at 16 and stayed at home for a couple of years, then I went off to Art College, Mycroft helped me a lot. You just accepted me for who I was, never judged, meeting James made me feel like me again, not a scared little girl." I sighed. "I don't expect you to change your mind about James. He does have a name, by the way, there's no need to just use his surname. But he means a lot to me. I've been so miserable since we've been apart. I know for a fact that so has he. We balance each other and…" I shook my head. "What do you care? You just don't understand."

Angie looked at her. "I do care, I care a lot about you. Don't think like that. And despite what you think, I do understand. I understand completely what you're going through. But I got over it."

I looked at her. "How do you know, what happened that you understand?"

Angie looked away. "It's just…it's a very similar experience, before I met Jess. I…fell in love with someone, and I couldn't help being in love with him even though he was dangerous, almost as dangerous as Moriarty." She closed her eyes. "Sorry, Jim. I don't like talking about it. It was when I was at Uni, you were still in secondary school."

I looked at her exasperated. "So if you understand, then why are you being so harsh? Who was he?!"

"I don't want to talk about it! I'm not being harsh, I just…that part of my life ended up being a living hell, and…"

I looked at Angie pleadingly.

Angie sighed. "He was a killer, a hitman. And I knew I shouldn't have felt that way about him, but I couldn't help it, but it ended very badly, and I don't want you going through what I had to go through. If you don't realize what Jim really is…I know if you try to get over it now, you'll be heartbroken, but if you wait until it gets really bad…you won't want to live. And it will leave you scarred forever."

I stared at her. "He was a hitman?" It couldn't be, could it? I would think more on this later.

Angie looked down and nodded. "Please don't tell Sherlock, he already doesn't like hearing about previously relationships."

"You're lecturing me after you dated him?! I can't believe it! Jim was always very protective of me around him, he always kept me distanced, and so I don't know a lot about his past. So that's where you got the name Angel."

Angie looked at me.

"So much is making sense now."

Angie frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I know who you're talking about."

"Don't be ridiculous, you can't possibly know him." She frowned. "Although, if he is involved with Moriar…Jim, I honestly wouldn't me surprised. But you can't possibly know him!"

Percy smirked. "Oh, but I do. He stayed with me not long ago. This is priceless. So, one of my friends and my boyfriend and my brother. Anyone else you've dated that I know?"

Angie looked at her. "You mean that guy you had over when Mycroft stayed at the rental? What was his name, you said it was Seb Moran…"

"Sebastian Moran. Sound familiar?"

"No, actually, it doesn't."

"You know exactly who he is, no need to be coy. How much does Sherlock know about you?"

Angie frowned at me. "His name was Alex, alright? Alex James, not Sebastian Moran. I'd never heard of Sebastian Moran before you mentioned him, let alone met him!" She looked down. "And Sherlock doesn't ask about that kind of stuff. And I don't know a lot about his past. What matters is now. I mean, he knows I've been married before, and he deduced about the miscarriage, and the accident."

I looked at her. "Fine, but hurt my brother and we'll not be able to repair our friendship."

Angie looked back at me, hurt. "I would never hurt Sherlock. I love him now. I am over Alex; I have been for a very long time. I haven't even seen him in years, since before I even met Jesse. It's just that Sherlock doesn't like hearing about old boyfriends. He gets aggravated at the very mention of Jesse. You'd think you know me better than that."

I sighed. "I know what would happen to Sherlock if you ever left him, for whatever reason. Mycroft is different from Sherlock and I; he has less darkness in him. I know you won't hurt him deliberately, but sometimes things happen that are out of our control."

Angie smiled a little. "Well, I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon." She frowned. "If anything happens to our relationship, it'll be because Moriarty…" She glanced at Percy. "Never mind."

I smiled. "Stop worrying about Jim, I've got it under control. And if you do go anywhere, I expect to be haunted by you."

Angie laughed. "But I don't believe in ghosts, remember?"

"True, but still. It's the thought that counts."

"Yeah, when we say best friends forever, we mean forever!"

I laughed. "Well, anything less is pointless!"

Angie smiled. "I'm sorry for getting upset."

I smiled. "Me too."

After we both were feeling back to our normal selves and had a couple of days to forget our argument. I went over the cottage Angie and Sherlock were renting and I flopped down on the couch.

"Oh, I have to back into London tomorrow, wrap up the insurance mess. And before you ask, yes, I'll be seeing Jim, and then I have to do a job for Mycroft. You have the spare key to here if you need anything. Do you want me to swing by Baker Street for anything?"

Angie shook her head. "I'm fine."

Sherlock's voice came from the kitchen. "I need you to get the 50 millimeter lens for my microscope. It should be in the kitchen. Don't mess anything up."

I looked at him innocently. "Why would I mess anything up?! Don't you trust me, Sherlock?"

Angie laughed. "Feel free to stay there, if you need a place."

"No, I'm staying with Seb."

"Oh, okay." She frowned and lowered her voice. "Oh, and don't tell Moriarty…sorry, Jim, about…about the hitman that I talked about earlier. The last thing I need is him holding that over me."

I looked at her. "He wouldn't hold it over you." Confused, still, Angie had a strange view of what Jim was like.

Angie gave her a look. "Just please don't tell him."

I shrugged. "Well, it's one of those things that we'd keep between us, anyway. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks."

Sherlock didn't even look up. "What?"

Angie rolled her eyes. "We weren't talking to you."

I laughed at Sherlock's pouty face, he knew were gossiping and he didn't like that he wasn't involved, or he was annoyed that I was hogging Angie. An ambulance sped by the house, the sirens blaring.

I frowned. "That's the third time this week."

Angie shook her head. "This is some sort of epidemic or something. My parents have it. Mr. Jenkins has it, and he's never gotten sick!"

"I know! I got it again Friday night."

"Well, I think that's what Sherlock's working on. He's been testing every bit of food in the kitchen."

I laughed. "Thank God for the mad scientist."