The next few days were silence in the flat. John still insisted that Calvin say with them in 221B, but Calvin and Sherlock refused to talk to each other. She slept on the couch, even when John told her that she could have Sherlock's vacant bed, and he acted as though she wasn't there.
"Okay, I don't know what happened between you two," John said, breaking the silence late on Tuesday night while he typed on his blog, Sherlock was watching the telly, and Calvin was reading Half Blood Prince.
"But you're acting like teenagers. The sexual tension is stifling." he continued. Sherlock didn't look up from the TV and Calvin snickered on the couch, glancing up from her book.
"Sexual tension. That's funny." she said, leaning back in the couch as her eyes returned to the words on the page.
Sherlock glanced over her ruefully before crossing his arms in a huff, watching the telly with his brow furrowed. Silence fell over the apartment again, save for the soft voices on the TV and John's light typing.
"No, no, no!" Sherlock suddenly exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "Of course he's not the boy's father! Look at the turnups on his jeans!" John glanced over at him with an amused smile that mirrored Calvin's as her eyes peeked up from her book again.
"I knew it was a bad idea." John murmured, going back to his blog.
"What?"
"Getting you into crap telly."
"It was my idea." Calvin piped up, grinning at John. "I sincerely apologize... but it keeps him from shooting up walls so that's something." The two met eyes and shared the joke. John shut his laptop, saying "I'm going to Sarah's." at the same time that Calvin said, "I want some take-out."
"There's still some risotto in the fridge... and I'll need to get some milk." John continued, looking at Sherlock, who was still enthralled in whatever crap sitcom he was watching.
"Unless you want some take-out?" Calvin offered, trying to be diplomatic.
"No take-out for me. But I'll get the milk." he offered in return, still staring at the TV. Both John and Calvin seemed surprised by the offer.
"And some... beans, then?" John continued, and Sherlock nodded in agreement. John smiled in disbelief.
"I'll be back in a half hour." Calvin told him, though he didn't seem to care much. She shrugged and followed John down the stairs.
"Where are you going? Wanna share a cab?"
"Eh, Sarah's is only a few blocks away. I'll walk this time, it's nice out." John said, hailing a cab for Calvin. "Don't let him watch too much telly, eh? I don't want him getting any sort of... ideas from it."
"Alright, mum." Calvin teased, getting into the cab. "See you tomorrow morning. Have fun with Sarah." John exchanged grins with Calvin before the cab pulled away from the curb.
OoOoOoOoOo
Please collect. The Pool. Midnight.
Sherlock entered the pool area, poised and alert for whoever this mystery man was behind the hostages. He was certain that it was a man. He looked around the darkened room before holding up the jump drive.
"Brought you a little, 'getting to know you' present." he called into the seemingly empty pool area. There was no answer, so he continued.
"That's what it's all been for, isn't it?" he said into the still-empty pool room, looking around with the jump drive held high. "All your little puzzles, making me dance. All to distract me from this."
He turned as he heard the door open behind him. He turned with a slightly smirk on his face that disappeared immediately as he spotted John, wrapped in a large coat.
"Evening." John said. "This is a turn-up, isn't it, Sherlock?"
"John... what the hell...?"
"Bet you never saw this coming." Sherlock took a few steps closer, horror masking his face as he realized what was going on before John even revealed it, opening his coat to show the explosives strapped to his chest, a little red sniper dot shaking on his chest.
"This isn't all though, Sherlock." he continued ruefully as the door he had come through banged open again, with Calvin stepping through this time. Her face was blank, and she opened her much smaller coat to reveal a single explosive, strapped in the middle of her chest. A dot flickered at her chest and at her forehead. She was shaking, her jaw jumping as she set it with fear. John reached over and grasped her hand with his, hoping to comfort her in some way.
"Isn't this lovely." she ground out, obviously speaking for the man behind the microphone. "What would you like me to make them say next? What would you like me to make them... do next?"
"Gottle of geer. Gottle of geer. Gottle of - ." John started to say as Calvin began meowing.
"Stop it." Sherlock demanded, looking around the pool area, hoping to find the man behind this.
"Nice touch this, the pool," John started.
"- where little Carl died." Calvin finished.
"I stopped him."
Calvin swallowed hard and hesitated. She flinched as she gave in and said what she was bade. "I can stop John Watson, too." she whispered, unable to look at either John or Sherlock. "Stop his heart."
"And I can stop DianaBaker." John told Sherlock, having a same type of reaction as Calvin as he said it. Calvin flinched noticably, either from her name being said or the threat on her life. Probably both. John squeezed her hand. "But then you'd never know her little secret."
"Stop it." Sherlock snapped, stepping closer still and glancing at every corner of the room. He couldn't even spot the snipers hidden in the higher floors. "Who are you?"
A door opened and Sherlock braced himself. Who was it this time? Molly? Lestrade? Mrs. Hudson? Who else was this man going to dangle in front of his face?
"I gave you my number." the man's playful voice exclaimed, and Sherlock knew immediately who he was. This was the man behind it all. He turned, but could only see a sliver of his face behind the wall. "Thought you might call."
He sauntered out slowly, garbed in a nice suit. "Is that a British Army Browning L9A1 in your pocket," he started, moving further into the room. "Or are you just pleased to see me?"
Sherlock pulled the gun the man had named out of his pocket, training it on his head. "Both." he answered. Calvin stared at the gun. It wouldn't do any good against this man.
The man seemed unperturbed by the gun pointing directly at his face. "Jim Moriarty." he said, hands in pockets and completely at ease. "Hi!" Sherlock's brow furrowed in confusion at the aloof nature of the man that had threatened hundreds of lives with his public explosive hostages. Calvin had been right about that, though Sherlock hadn't taken into account how right.
Also; Jim. It was the same Jim that had been dating Molly. 'Gay' Jim.
"Jim?" Moriarty said with mock realization. "Jim from the hospital?"
Something in Calvin's mind clicked. The voice. The voice, in her earpiece. She had known that it sounded familiar, but there was something about having your life threatened that made one forget some details. It was obvious, when she thought about it. And frightening. If he was able to so easily slip past her radar, much less Sherlock's legendary deduction skills, then who was this man?
Sherlock said nothing, only lifting his left hand to the gun as well, training it more expertly on the Moriarty's face as he walked slowly closer.
"Oh, did I really make such a fleeting impression? But... then, I suppose, that was rather the point." he continued in the same amused tone. The dots flickered on Calvin and John's bodies, and Sherlock glanced at them.
"Don't be silly. Other people are holding the rifles." Moriarty said, as if the idea was completely preposterous. "I don't like getting my hands dirty."
"I'm a specialist, you see." he explained after Sherlock stayed silent, gun still pointed straight at the mad man. "Like you." He smiled slightly.
Sherlock mirrored the smile with one of his own as it all clicked into place. "Dear Jim, please will you fix it for me... to get rid of my lover's nasty sister."
Jim stepped forward, grinning now, as Sherlock became fully aware of what game was being played here. "Dear Jim, please will you fix it for me to disappear to South America?" Althougn Calvin had not been present for much of the case, she still was understanding by what she read in John's blog and what John had told her himself.
"Just so."
"A consulting criminal." Sherlock said with a smirk as Calvin thought a similar explanation silently. "Brilliant." he said, much softer.
Jim chuckled lightly, as if he were bashful of the compliment. "Isn't it?" he said, obviously not actually bashful of any sort of praise. His tone suggested that he was currently eating it up. Calvin longed to turn around, but the red dots on her chest warned her not to dare.
"No one ever gets to me." Jim told them. "And no one ever will."
"I did." Sherlock declared, cocking the gun.
Jim still seemed unperturbed. "You've come the closest. Now you're in my way." he said.
"Thank you."
"Didn't mean it as a compliment."
"Yes you did."
Jim grinned. "Yeah, okay, I did." he conseded, shrugging. "But the flirting's over, Sherlock. Daddy's had enough, now!" His voice turned suddenly sing-song that sent shivers down Calvin's spine. John glanced at her, sharing her fear in the exact way.
"I've shown you what I can do. I cut loose all those people, all those little problems." he continued. "Even thirty million quid just to get you to come out and play. So, take this as a friendly warning, my dear. Back off."
Calvin glanced at Sherlock, whose face was hardened and blank. "Although, I have loved this, this little game of ours, playing Jim from IT, playing gay. Did you like the little touch with the underwear?" he was sauntering closer with every word and Calvin began violently shaking. Her anxiety was taking over and she was about two seconds away from having a panic attack. The only thing keeping her grounded was John's hand squeezing her own, showing his fear with the sheer force he was gripping her with.
"People have died." Sherlock reminded him seethingly.
"That's what people DO." Jim yelled, his voice starting off completely aloof and transforming to livid and mad at the last word. Calvin flinched hard at the tone, while John closed his eyes to try and relax himself. The word echoed throughout the pool.
"I will stop you." Sherlock promised.
"No you won't." Jim replied a-matter-of-factly.
Sherlock turned to John and Calvin who had been standing quietly. "Are you alright?" he demanded. The two stayed quiet, not wanting to risk disobeying the 'rules' with answering his question.
"You can talk." Jim told them in his unsettling sing-song voice. He leaned in close to John as his hand skated over Calvin's shoulders. "Go ahead."
They both opted to nod, unable to get worthwhile words out. Jim smiled, amused. He crossed over to stand just in front of Calvin, who took a good look at him. Eerily attractive with a gleam in his eye that warned anyone to stay away. He caught her eye out of the corner of his.
"See something you like, pretty lady?" he asked softly. She immediately cast her eyes to the ground, not answering. He grasped her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"And you are pretty, aren't you?" he exclaimed, moving her face around forcibly to get a good look at her. Her blue eyes stayedfixed on the ground until he leaned close, demanding her eyes to be on him.
"Have you taken advantage of our pretty little Diana yet, Sherlock?" he asked, not turning to look at him just yet. He kept his eyes locked on Calvin's, who felt exposed trapped in his gaze. "No? Well, maybe John has. They look pretty comfortable holding hands right now."
He released Calvin's chin and turned on heel to step closer to Sherlock, standing in front of John now. "If you need help getting her in the sack, I can help with that. She'll do an-y-thing I say, strapped to that bomb. I have to warn you, though, the climax might be a little... explosive..."
"Take it." Sherlock interrupted, having heard enough. He held the flashdrive out to Moriarty.
"Hm? Oh! That!" he exclaimed, stepping closer. "The missile plans..." He took the piece of plastic from Sherlock's hand, who returned his hand to the gun still aimed at Moriarty. He kissed it lightly.
"Boring!" he sang, throwing it into the pool. "I could have got that anywhere!" John took the initiative to run forward and wrapping his arm around Moriarty's throat. He dragged Calvin behind him, shielding them both from the gunmen with Moriarty's body.
"Sherlock, run!" they both yelled in unison, Calvin saying it out of instinct and John saying it as result of the plan he had concocted, standing there silently. The dots frantically moved across Moriarty's torso, trying to find a place to shoot John or Calvin without blowing their boss up.
"O-ho! Good!" Jim laughed, not struggling. "Very good!" Sherlock did not run, but kept the gun trained on Moriarty, unwilling to leave John or Calvin although they both had opted to give up their lives for him to leave.
"If your snipers pull those triggers, Mr. Moriarty, then we both go up." John hissed, tightening his arm around Jim's neck.
"Isn't he sweet? I can see why you like having him around." Jim teased. "Diana, though, she's a bit dull."
"I just don't fancy touching you again, Moriarty." Calvin said haughtily, rubbing the place where he had gripped her chin in disgust. She was feeling a bit more confident now that they were more in control. But as she looked up at where the snipers were poised, she knew the next move in this game of chess.
He chuckled at her response before continuing. "People do get sentimental about their pets. So touchingly loyal but... oops."
"John, John,the snipers are going to aim for Sherlock." Calvin whispered in his ear, her eyes still watching the rafters for any signs of the men with the guns.
"You've rather shown your hand there, Dr. Watson." Jim continued, watching the red dot as it, indeed, landed on Sherlock's forehead. "Gotcha!"
Calvin was the first to step away before John roughly, and begrudgingly, released Moriarty and put his hands up in a form of surrender. Jim straightened his coat with a look on his face that was incredulous that anyone would dare to crumple his suit. The sniper left Sherlock's forehead and returned to Calvin and John.
"Westwood." he said, dusting it off further. His face was serious again.
"Do you know what happens, if you don't leave me alone, Sherlock? To you."
"Oh let me guess. I get killed." Sherlock answered in a bored tone.
"Kill you? N-no... don't be obvious." Moriarty said. "I mean I'm gonna kill you anyway someday. I don't wanna rush it, though. I'm saving it up for something special."
"No, no, no, no, if you don't stop prying..." he continued, pausing for a moment with his mouth ajar. "I'll burn you." He told him softly.
"I wil burn the heartout of you." he said, his voice transforming from light to dark and threatening, then back to aloof again, complete with a half-smile to tie it all up. It was as if he had a double personality. Calvin cocked her head slightly, suddenly very interested.
"I have been reliably informed that I don't have one." Sherlock retorted, his eyes flickering over to where Calvin and John stood. The former of the two closed her eyes and smiled slightly at the nod.
"But we both know that's not quite true." Jim told him knowingly, his voice softer than it had ever been. He turned to glance at John and Calvin pointedly.
"Well!" he said suddenly. "I'd better be off." He turned again to smile at John and Calvin.
"So nice to have a proper chat."
"What if I was to shoot you now, right now?" Sherlock demanded, bringing the gun a little bit closer to Moriarty's face, eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the mad man.
Moriarty looked at the ceiling. "Then you could cherish the look of surprise on my face." he said, showing Sherlock exactly how that would look in a mocking fashion. He grinned. "Because I'd be surprised Sherlock, really I would." Calvin narrowed her eyes at the back of Moriarty's head. "And just a teensy bit... disappointed."
Sherlock wouldn't kill him, that was something she was positive of. He was too interested. Should he kill him? Yes. Would he kill him? No. He would wait until the glamour wore off. Calvin stared at her chest as the dots flickered back and forth between her and John. He grabbed her hand again, noticing that she was trembling once more. She gave him a shaky smile of gratitude. He hand was the only thing grounding her.
"And, of course, you wouldn't be able to cherish it for very long." Moriarty was continuing, beginning to head towards the door.
"By the way... it was just supposed to be John, you know." Jim added as he backpedaled towards the door. "But the pretty lady just made it too easy. I thought she would be a nice bonus."
"Ciao, Sherlock Holmes." He said, turning to walk away. Sherlock stared after him, gun trained on his every move.
"Catch you... later." Sherlock said quietly as the door opened. He took a few long, measured steps towards John as he did so.
"No you won't!" Moriarty sand back before the door slammed, as he was gone. Sherlock waited a few seconds, before his eyes returned to John. In a heartbeat the gun was on the ground and Sherlock was kneeling in front of John, grappling with the vest.
"All right?" he demanded, getting the latch loose. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." John said breathlessly as Sherlock removed the coat and the vest, throwing it behind him.
"Sherlock... Sherlock..." Calvin whispered, body trembling as John's hand let go of hers. SHe was going to have a panic attack. Right here. In front of Sherlock. Her breathing came in short gasps, her body flashed hot and then went cold.
"Sherlock, get it off. Please Sherlock get it off." she was whispering, legs barely able to keep her up and her voice hoarse and breathless, literally breathless, as she was unable to get suitable air into her lungs. His hands flew to her clasps, shoving the coat and vest off of her shoulders before chucking it in a similar direction, landing next to John's coat.
Calvin collapsed immediately, hitting the ground on her hands and knees and gasping for air. Her head swam with dizziness and nausea, and she felt as if all of her control - and air - had been taken away from her.
Sherlock's face was fuzzy as he appeared, on his knees, in front of her. "You're having a panic attack?" he said with some confusion. Calvin nodded, swallowing down the bile that threatened to escape her throat. His hands braced on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.
"Have you had panic attacks before?" he demanded, pressing two fingers to her pulse point on her neck to feel her rapidly accelerating heart rate. She hesitated, but nodded again, unable to speak. John had been unable to keep himself either, though his deep breathing signalled that he was able to calm himself down. His back pressed against the wall. Sherlock touched Calvin's cheek, they felt cold and clammy but her neck was scorchingly warm.
Sherlock tried to get Calvin to look at him again, but she slid away from him, feeling smothered by his close proximity. She joined John on the wall. She was shaking violently, unable to control herself, as she pressed her back to the tile wall, burying her face in her arms.
She heard Sherlock go and check outside for Moriarty or his men before returning, gun still in hand.
"Are you okay?" John asked him.
"Me? Yeah, fine, fine, fine." Sherlock said rapidly in a way that said that he was not fine. He was as rattled by this as John or Calvin were.
Calvin was feeling overwhelmed by this panic attack, however, and coherent thought was not exactly possible. Her mind was jumbled from the violent dizzy sensation that made her stomach turn. Her head pounded with a migraine and her breath was so shallow that she felt that she would surely faint.
It was the worst panic attack that she'd had in a long time. Maybe the worst ever. She'd spent so much time bottling up her emotions, putting on a show for Sherlock and John and the rest of the world, that when her panic attack hit her at full force, they hit her hard. She was able to keep them at bay for the most part, but right now... there was no turning back. Calvin knew that it would take her hours to come back, and that was the last semi-coherent thought she had before her shaking became more violent.
"We need to get her home." Sherlock continued somewhere far away for Calvin. "And, uh, that.. that thing that you did... that you offered t-to do... that was, um, good." His voice shook and he was breathing heavily. He was as effected by this as both John and Calvin, he just tried not to show it.
"I'm glad no one saw that." John answered, shifting to the floor.
"Hmmm?"
"You, ripping my clothes off in a darkened swimming pool." he continued. "People might talk."
"People do little else." was Sherlock's rebuttal, smiling at John who returned it as he began to lift himself off the floor. The red dot appeared on John's chest, the back of Calvin's head in her crouched form, and Sherlock's forehead.
"Sorry, boys... and pretty lady!" Jim called, entering the room once more. His very voice making Calvin whimper,Sherlock's eyes turning to her. She needed medication or, at the very least, to be out of here.
"I'm soo... changeable! It is a weakness with me, but to be fair to myself, it is my only weakness!" Jim exclaimed, mirth filling his voice. "You can't be allowed to continue."
"You just can't." Jim laughed softly. "I would try to convince you, but everything I have to say has already crossed your mind." Sherlock frowned, not turning to look at Moriarty yet.
"Probably my answer has crossed yours." he said, turning and aiming the gun at Moriarty... only to have it slip down and aim at the two vests lying on the ground. Jim looked unperturbed, John was breathing hard, and Calvin's whimpers echoed across the pool.
Sherlock's eyes narrowed at Moriarty.
OoOoOoOoOo
Gawd this was fun to write. I mean I know most of it was canon dialogue, which was tedious because I had the subtitles on on Netflix in Chrome and this open in Word and I was like TYPE TYPE TYPE TYPE DAMN WHAT DID HE SAY TYPE TYPE.
But holy shit Calvin's having a violent panic attack in front of Sherlock, John, and even Moriarty? I mean, Jim already knows everything about her but if you haven't guessed, Calvin kind of has a complex about seeming weak.
I tried not to change too too much about the basic progression of this scene because Mark Gatiss is a fucking genius and his work should not be messed with, but I added in a few things concerning Calvin. But I MADE SURE to leave all of the JohnLock bromance (it's a bromance in this story, guys. It's romance everywhere else. JohnLock 5ever) But John and Sherlock's relationship is a big part of this story.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much asI enjoyed writing it. It's very long, isn't it? I'm sorry. Next chapter starts our journey with Irene, though she will obviously not really be around for a bit.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR LEAVING ME 10 REVIEWS TO WAKE UP TO! I like was so happy when I wake up. If I had 100 reviews when I wake up tomorrow I might just die of happiness. We're so close! I'd like to thank the 106 followers and 56 favoriters and of course the 88 reviewers! You guys rock!
Okay I'm gonna sleep now. Jess is tired. Good night! I love ya'll!
Jess