"I can't wait for you to see what I have planned for tomorrow"

Sherlock couldn't sleep with the memory Moriarty's words still ringing in his ears. He turned on his side and picked up his mobile from the beside cabinet to check the time, it was three o'clock in the morning. He sighed to himself and sat up, pushing aside his duvet, a cold chill hit him as he stood up. His red robe was hanging up on the door and he reached over and put it on. He tiredly paced across the room, his curtains we're half pulled and the light of the cresent moon shone through. His desk was topped with experiments, Bunsen burners and flasks that glowed in the moonlight. He looked out onto the street below, a few cars passed slowly but otherwise it was silent. The snow was still falling, building up a thick carpet on the street below. It had started snowing earlier while he and Molly were watching some crap tv show together. He remembered how she leaped from the armchair at the sight of it and insisted they go outside, Sherlock wasn't very interested, but she had persuaded him. Sherlock smiled at the memory of Molly dancing through the snow outside 221b, as if all their problems had disappeared.

But the problems weren't so easily forgotten.

Sherlock walked back across the bedroom and out into the living room. Molly had gone to bed a few hours before, the flat was now silent. As he walked into the kitchen, he subconsciously looked at Johns chair and was slightly startled when he saw Toby lying there, sleeping and purring. Sherlock missed John, there was no denying it, he wondered how he was doing, they hadn't spoken for about a week now and this worried him. He almost picked up his mobile to call but he thought better of it, John would probably give out to him for calling him so early. He promised himself he'd call him tomorrow, he did promise to keep him updated after all.

As Sherlock filled the kettle and took the coffee from the cupboard he thought of Moriarty. His mind filled with absolute hatred just by the mere mention of his name. 'What is he planning?' He whispered to himself. "Duplicating murders..what's that about?"

After a few minutes, Sherlock sat down on his armchair holding his mug of coffee, he looked across at Toby who was half awake, staring at him with dozy eyes. Sherlock grabbed Molly's laptop that was sitting on the coffee table in front of him. He waited a moment for it to turn on before bringing up a new internet tab, in which, he searched:

The brighton barge murders.

There were quite a few results. Clicking on one, he read:

The Brighton Barge Massacre was one of the biggest homicides in british history when

serial killer by the nickname of 'Gibs' kidnapped twenty one people of different genders and

age groups and proceeded to stab them with a cutlet knife. He then dumped the bodies

in an abandoned barge and sent it cruising down the River Thames where it eventually

ran a ground on the east bank..Gibs was never found..

Sherlock stopped reading. it was all the same, the bodies, the genders, the barge, there must be something that he's missing, some clue that could point him towards ciphering what Moriarty had planned. He returned to the search engine:

Britain's most horrific homicides

Sherlock skimmed through the results before clicking on a 'police journal' blog.

There have been many horrific homicides over the past hundred years

here in Britain. But it seems that the worst of them have been committed

by murderers that the police were never able to bring into custody.

Jack the ripper being a fine example...

Jack the ripper? Sherlock thought...No, he wouldn't be so obvious.

He skimmed down the page.

Another example being the murderer known by the name

of 'Gibs' who was infamous for his brutal murder of twenty one people and then

discard the bodies in an disused barge...

"You're awake" Came a quiet voice from the door.

Molly was standing in her pink dressing gown watching him in interest. He nodded and looked back at the webpage.

"Find anything helpful..to help stop..him" She yawned as she walked into the kitchen and put on the kettle. "Tea?"

"No and no" Sherlock said, still looking down at the laptop.

"Couldn't sleep?" She said, coming over to him. He looked away from the screen and glanced at her. She was standing beside him, looking down at the webpage. He shook his head. "Do you think he's copying murderers that were never caught?" She said, pointing at the article. "That could narrow it down"

"Just a little" He said, picking up his coffee which was now cold.

"Here I'll get you some more" She said, taking the mug from his hand, smiling sweetly.

"Thank you Molly" He said, grabbing her wrist as she walked away and pulling her back playfully. She giggled and knelt down beside his armchair. He looked her in the eyes, how was it that she still looked so beautiful even in the middle of the night? She pulled him in and kissed him gently before getting up and walking back into the kitchen. Sherlock closed the laptop and placed it back on the coffee table, watching her.

"Molly.." he said, more seriously.

"Mmmhmm" She responded, with her back to him as she made her tea.

"It's so maddening...just waiting like this..."

"It's a game remember, We'll figure it out and the sooner we do, the more lives we'll save.." Molly said, looking back at him. He liked the way she said 'we' when she spoke, it made him feel so much less solitary.

"It's just, I don't think he's playing a game Molly...he doesn't want us to figure it out. The last time he gave me clues..he gave me time limits, but now.." Sherlock said, his voice full of doubt. Molly walked back over to him and handed him his coffee. Sherlock was silent for a moment, figuring out what to say next and how to say it.

"I let one slip past me Molly" He said finally, as looked up at her, confessing. "one of his criminals.." Molly shifted Toby onto her lap as she sat down in John's chair. She watched him in fear and interest.

"Go on" She said, nodding. "I won't judge you Sherlock"

"His name is Moran, Sebastian Moran. Every moment I would almost catch him, he'd escape..run back into the shadows. It would take me months to find him again. He was assigned to shoot John, on the day of the fall, he was going to kill him if I didn't jump. I searched for him, everywhere...Serbia was the last straw, he was seen there, so I went to find him... there was no trace of him, None!" Sherlock knocked the coffee table with his fist, looking at her in regret and self anger. Molly got up and knelt in front of him, she put her hand comfortingly on his knee. After a minute, Sherlock continued:

"He helped Moriarty...he helped him return, he could be locked away right now, left to rot in some Serbian prison..but I let him run, I gave up and came running back to London, like a fed up child" He was trying to fight his tears.

"Sherlock, we will catch him. We will not let him run again, it will be fine, I promise" She smiled at him, putting her hand on his cheek, he put his hand on top hers. "I know how you feel"

"Do you?" he asked in a quiet, accusing voice.

"Yes Sherlock I do" Molly replied sternly "Two years ago, on the day of the fall. After I examined you, Moriarty was wheeled in...you may have been told that I conducted his post mortem."

"Didn't you?" Sherlock interrupted, confusion written all over his face. She shook her head in defeat.

"No Sherlock...I didn't. I was sent home, it was a emotional day..I"

"Who did it? The post mortem." Sherlock interrupted again.

"Some guy called Gibley...i think..I hadn't heard of him. Sherlock, I'm sorry, I.." She said, as tears began to run down her face "I shouldn't have left, I should have done the post mortem..if I did then maybe it would be different.."

"No, Molly, It wouldn't be different. Please, please, don't blame yourself for this"

"Oh, Sherlock.. I could say the same thing to you" She said sincerly, smiling weakly. "It's not your fault that Moran got away, Moriarty was protecting him, you couldn't have known" They were silent for a moment, looking into each other's eyes.

"We're both screw ups Sherlock Holmes, we're both broken, but, the past is in the past" She said. He smiled weakly at her and pulled her in for another kiss. Molly blushed, she will never get used to the feel of his lips on hers, it was like a dream. After a minute, they pulled apart. Sherlock smiled at her, his expression full of compassion. He pulled back a piece of hair that fell upon Molly's cheek and placed it behind her ear.

"I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you Molly Hooper" He said sincerely.

Molly shook her head. "Like I said, Sherlock, the past's in the past, don't worry about it, please." Sherlock smiled at her, with a expression of relief.

"If we find Gibley, we'll find Moran and Moriarty" Sherlock said, an edge was back in his voice, a confidence that he didn't have before. He jumped up and started heading back towards his bedroom.

"Sherlock" She called after him, he turned back. "Moriarty..he said he had something planned for today, is there any hope, that we'll find out what it is before he does it, i mean, will we be able to stop him?" Sherlock sighed and looked at her with a tenacious expression.

"I don't know Molly." He said. "but at least now we know where to start" Molly watched him as he walked into his room and closed the door. She took a sip from her tea and sighed, what ever Moriarty had planned, Molly was dreading finding out.

'How is it possible to feel so happy and so terrified at the same time" She thought, touching her lips lightly. It really was a bittersweet feeling.

Molly walked across the living room and looked out the window down onto the snowy street below, no cars whizzed past, everything was so silent.

"Well this is it..." She whispered "The calm before the storm"