Chapter 23
Disclaimer: Not mine
AN: This story is almost over.
Jim stared at the door for a few moments before turning and walking down the hallway. He paused momentarily to pull the wax paper from his upper lip and then his lower lip before making his way down the stairs. Jack approached him. "Everything is ready sir. We can leave whenever you wish."
Jim nodded. "And Molly's family?"
"All in the cellar with Mrs. Cumberbatch sir."
"Excellent. I'll be in the car. Have Seb bring Molly down immediately." Jim said as he walked towards the door.
"Yes sir." Jack said making his way up the staircase.
Seb watched Molly and Jim as the car drove far away from the house that they had resided in for the past few months. Jim looked lost in thought while Molly was crying softly. He still didn't really understand what had happened between them. All he could gather through Molly's heavy sobs and slurred words was that Jim had supposedly recorded something awful and Sherlock would hate her for always.
Recorded what with what?" Seb thought to himself. That old camera in the corner of the room had been broken since they had moved in that place. The damn light flashed incessantly even though the blasted thing was broken!
At first, he had thought Jim had attacked Molly. Especially from how upset she was and the fact that her underwear was lying beside her on the bed, but upon inspecting the sheets, he found no evidence of any sexual activities. So what in the bloody hell had happened? And why the hell was Molly seemingly drunk? And why would she want to do something foolish in her despair as Jim had alluded to.
"Jim." Sebastian said breaking the silence unable to contain his questions any longer. "What in blazes happened?"
Jim looked at him and raised his index finger to his lips to shush him. Seb rolled his eyes and turned his head to look back out the window.
It was late into the night before they reached their destination. It was another old house not unlike the one that they had just vacated. They would be spending the night there before leaving the continent by plane the next morning. Sebastian carried an emotionally exhausted Molly inside the house and up the stairs to one of the empty bedrooms. He placed her sleeping form gently on the mattress and stared down at her. For the briefest moment he thought of waking her and asking her what happened, but in the end what little compassion he was capable of having decided against it. He would leave her in peace.
Sebastian made his way back down the stairs and into the large study of the old house knowing that is where he would find Jim. Jim had just poured himself a drink and upon seeing Sebastian enter the room, poured another.
"Alright Jim, what did you do to her?" Sebastian asked taking the drink from Jim.
"I think the more appropriate question is what does she think that I did to her?" Jim said making himself comfortable on a leather arm chair. "She thinks that I raped her."
"What do you mean she thinks you raped her? You either did or you didn't." Seb snapped already annoyed at Jim's cryptic answer.
Jim laughed. "Oh Seby, you have no imagination. It was actually Dr. John Watson who gave me the idea. I do so enjoy reading his blog. Now what was that case…ah yes, it had something to do with a hound or wolf or something along that line. Anyways, I got the idea from that."
"What idea?" Seb snapped.
Jim sighed. "Really Seb do try and keep up. I got the idea to use a psychotropic drug and I found the most delightful little man from the orient. He had such a wonderful little collection of various hallucinogenics, opiates, and psychotropics. It was hard for me to pick just one so I had him concoct something special that contained something of all three."
"So you drugged Molly?"
"Yes bravo Seby, now you're catching on. I did indeed drug her."
"How? There were no marks on her body and I checked her over when I was in the room with her. I knew she had to be blubbering about something vile that you had done." Seb remarked dryly.
"Molly is too much of a lady to blubber Seb. She was merely crying. And I didn't use a needle, which would be much too obvious. Besides, I needed her to NOT realize that she had been drugged. I had the drug absorbed onto wax paper and when I kissed her, the contents of the paper were delivered unknowingly and most efficiently."
Seb nodded thoughtfully. "Okay I'll buy that, but why would she think you raped her?"
"Because I made her strip down, lie down on the bed and spread her legs for me." Jim said simply as if the answer should have been obvious to him.
Sebastian shook his head. "You what? What on earth did you do that for?"
Jim frowned. "Well, initially I had decided to do it for Sherlock, you know, as a practical pleasantry. But I had forgotten that blasted camera didn't work until the deed was over and done with. I had planned to just leave it, but then I got very angry with Molly."
"Why was she crying?" Seb asked quickly losing patience with Jim's round about explanation.
"Because she thought I had raped her remember. I merely moved against her leg. The implications of the words I used along with her being nude, me on top of her and her drug idled brain did the rest. When I was done with the adolescent display, I rolled off her fully intending to tell her that I had not actually raped her, but only wanted Sherlock to believe that I had when she started sobbing loudly. I became a bit offended that she would carry on so when I hadn't even truly touched her and I wanted to…upset her."
Sebastian burst into peals of laughter. "Let me get this straight, you were offended because she thought you had raped her and she didn't want it? That my friend is priceless."
"No!" Jim snapped. "I was angry because she couldn't accept me. Why can't she accept me? Am I so loathsome? Would it be so terrible to be mine? What does Sherlock have that I do not?"
Sebastian managed to calm his laughter somewhat successfully. "Jim, you crazy absolutely insane bastard, you know that I love you right? But you are an idiot. You have kidnapped this woman, made her think her family was dead, unleashed your psychotic little prick of a brother on her, and pretended to rape her while threatening to inform the man she loves of a betrayal that never even happened."
Jim regarded him with a serious expression. "Yes? So what is your point Seby?"
Sebastian was overcome with another fit of giggles as Jim's expression turned befuddled.
"I still don't see what is so funny Seb." Jim fumed.
Sebastian wiped the tears from his eyes. "Wow…that is…why does that not surprise me? Are you going to tell Molly that nothing happened? She hates you and will probably hate you forever, but if she knows that you didn't actually violate her…well…you still did violate her in away. Humping her leg when she's naked is sexual molestation and traumatic in its own right, I mean, even I find this whole thing disturbing. But if she knows that you actually didn't penetrate her and that it wasn't recorded, maybe it would lesson some of the hate she feels for you."
Jim sighed. "I suppose so."
"You do know that she will never love you and that she will never forgive you. You also know that she will never let you touch her willingly right?"
Jim swallowed hard. "Yes, I know." He said softly.
"Then why not let her go." Seb asked
"Because I will never let him have her, not ever. I'd rather suffer her hatred forever then to know that she is in his arms even for one moment." Jim hissed.
Seb sighed. "You will grow to resent her hatred and then what? You will shoot her, surely you see that."
"I would never kill her Seby. I love her." Jim protested.
Sebastian didn't press the matter. He knew there was no point in arguing with a delusional psychopath. He was sure that Jim probably did actually believe that he loved her. He stood and poured himself another drink. The entire situation was really quite pathetic and he could feel the barest twinges of pity for Molly. Jim was insane. Sebastian knew he was insane; he had always been insane as far as Seb could tell. But despite this, Sebastian felt a certain affection for him and felt fiercely loyal and protective of him. He knew that this was not going to end well for Jim or for him. It was probably not going to end well for any of them. Sherlock Holmes was never going to let this go and he was never going to let Molly go. Of that Sebastian was certain and if Jim was blinded by his own ego then that was just a bitter pill that they all must swallow. Perhaps he should just end the girl's misery and put a bullet in her head himself, but he wouldn't do that to Jim or Sherlock Holmes. Let them both destroy the other or attempt to anyways. Seb was tired of this game of cat and mouse between the two of them and poor Molly and he always seemed to be stuck in the middle. As far as he was concerned, if Molly made it out of this alive, she should wash her hands of both of them
"Are any of them well enough to answer a few questions?" Barnaby asked the EMT.
"Best to leave it for now gov, the mother and daughter had to be sedated. The father is well enough I suppose but he's comforting the child sir. The little boy became very frightened when we sedated his mummy." The young man answered.
"And Mrs. Cumberbatch? The old woman, how is she?"
The young man smiled. "She's a tough old bird sir. She has a few bruises, but besides that isn't any worse for the wear and she's been demanding action ever since you blokes showed up."
Barnaby smiled not at all surprised by the young man's words. He started to make his way over to the lady when Mycroft appeared by his side. "My man has already contacted us. We know exactly where Moriarty has taken Dr. Hooper and we must leave immediately. There is a plane awaiting their departure in the morning and it is leaving the continent."
"Where is Sherlock?" Barnaby asked when he didn't see the younger Holmes.
"Upstairs I believe searching for clues or whatever it is a consulting detective does." Mycroft said dismissively, his mind already moving on to the task at hand, stopping that plane before it was too late.
"Sherlock we have to go now. Mycroft says he knows where…" John's voice trailed when he saw Sherlock.
Sherlock was sitting on the edge of the bed staring in front of him. He had something crumpled in his hands that he held tightly to his cheek.
"Sherlock? Has something happened?" john asked approaching cautiously.
Sherlock turned his head to look at him and released his vice grip hold on the cloth. He held it out to John.
John could feel the bile in his throat, but he forced it down. He calmly looked at Sherlock and spoke as gently as he could. "That doesn't mean that he hurt her Sherlock. You know how Moriarty is. This looks staged to me in order to upset you."
"Of course it was fucking staged!" Sherlock roared jumping from the edge of the bed. "He left this here for me so that I would know what he has done to her!"
John remained calm and shook his head. "We still don't know if he…did that. It could just be a ruse to…"
"Say the word John. You and I both know what happened here. He violated her and he wanted me to know that he had. I couldn't save her John. I couldn't stop it from happening." Sherlock said sitting back down on the bed. He looked up at John with unshed tears in his eyes. "What if we can't get her back? What if he's already taken her to God only knows? I can't John…I won't be able to live knowing that he is hurting her…that he is violating her and she is helpless to stop him."
"Sherlock that is what I came to tell you. Mycroft's man has already contacted him. They know where Molly is Sherlock. We can still save her."
Sherlock crumpled Molly's panties back into his fist and stood. "I'm going to burn him alive John. I'm going to watch him wither in agony and listen to his screams as I burn him."
John didn't say anything as Sherlock shoved passed him out the door. John took one more look around the room and silently prayed that Moriarty had not done what Sherlock suspected. That it had only been another mind fuck to torment Sherlock.
"John!" Sherlock yelled from down stairs.
John quickly left the room and closed the door behind him.
I know that the subject matter is difficult and it is triggering and for those of you that it upset, I appreciate that you just skipped what would upset you, but still supported the story. I also appreciate that when a particular subject did trigger you, that you contacted me by PM to discuss it and talk to me like a person, telling me how it made you feel and wanting to understand why I chose to go down that particular path. I appreciate that you treated me with respect and did not attack me.
So I am bringing this story to an end and am glad to be done with it. I want to thank those of you who still support me and don't hate my writing. I also want to say thank you to Rocking the Redhead, freeway girl, glitterlove, and I am sherlocked for your constant and always steady support. Thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin, my curveballs in the plot, and trusting me.
To all of you who reviewed, followed, and favorited, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for your support and enjoying my story. I really appreciate it, even if I do not hold your favor now, I still appreciate it. I did have a great time writing this up until this point and always looked forward to hearing from you all and brining you all some joy and happiness.
If anyone has anything hurtful or mean to say, please refrain. As I have said before, I never intended to upset or hurt anyone, but as a writer, I will never shy away from any subject matter. But I will try to be as delicate as I can be while evoking the emotion that I am attempting to evoke. I love happy endings and will always end with one.
I do mean thank you so much to all of you! This story had a huge place in my heart and having you all with me meant a lot. I am being very sincere with my thanks.
PS. I know that I left some things unanswered and I'll try to wrap that up next chapter, like how Jack got in touch with Mycroft and so on. After the last chapter will be an epilogue.