It didn't take long for Sherlock to recover since all he needed was a good rest and something to eat. It also helped that he was undisturbed by nurses and doctors after Mycroft had told him that his brother technically didn't need any real medical attention. John on the other hand was a different story. As soon as Mycroft had landed and knelt down so John could be lifted from his back he was rushed into surgery where frantic surgeons worked non-stop for three hours to stop the internal bleeding and remove some of the burnt flesh. John was currently in the intensive care unit surrounded by tubes and beeping machines, seperated from Sherlock while he healed. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion to stop Sherlock from sleeping beside John. To set him at ease Mycroft had been forced to agree to lay outside John's room in gargolye form, despite the complaints from those who had to step over him, to set Sherlock's mind at rest. Lestrade had also agreed to protect John. As a result Sherlock was in a room completely on his own because everyone had figured a phoenix shape-shifter was able to take care of himself.

Sherlock was regretting the desicion now as he stared at the figure standing in the doorway of his room. "Well I suppose you had better come in hadn't you." He said, his orange eyes intent. "After all I was wondering when you were going to turn up Moriarty."

Moriarty was silent as he walked towards the bed in human form. He didn't look quite as sure as he usually did for now he walked with a limp and his immaculate clothes were filthy. Though Moriarty's head was bent Sherlock was able to see the black leather collar around the consulting criminal's neck. Sherlock frowned, confused. These past few months had just been getting steadily more and more out of control.

Moriarty hissed and bared teeth with sharp points. "I wouldn't be quite so cocky if I were you Sherlock." Reaching up he scratched at the collar and made a small noise of frustration.

Sherlock sighed and rolled his eyes. "What do you want this time? Let me guess, you have either come to threaten John again or you are here to beg me to be your little pet again." He pauses and a sly expression settled on his face. "Though by the looks of it you are already someones pet." Sherlock said, glaring at Moriarty. If he dared to lay a finger on John he would attack.

Moriarty's answer however never came because instead a harsh, grating voice echoed from the doorway of the room. "You are almost correct Sherlock but there is one very important detail you got wrong. You see it was never Moriarty's intention to make you his pet-it was mine. I was just using him to see how you would react to the idea."

Sherlock tensed and flexed his shoulders. In reponse to the movement his wings emerged with a whoosh and spread out behind him, the golden red feathers igniting with a fierce fire. He looked over at Moriarty and was shocked to see that the consulting criminal looked scared. Sherlock's eyes were drawn back to the collar and his mind began to whir, putting together all the peices. "Obviously, whoever you are, you have a degree of control over Moriarty. What I don't understand however is who you are or what you want with me." Sherlock said, keeping his eyes fixed on the door. For a moment his thoughts went to John but he relaxed when he remembered that his brother and Lestrade were on guard. Because his mind was elsewhere it was several moments before he realised there was another person in the room.

At first sight you could be mistaken for thinking the person was nothing more than a shadow until they stepped forward, revealing themselves to be a tall man dressed in a black suit with the brim of the top hat they were wearing obscuring their face. In one hand he carried a cane which he swung at Moriarty, catching him in the back of the knees. Moriarty snarled quietly but otherwise but didn't say anything. Slowly the man approached Sherlock, stopping a few metres away. For a moment there was silence but then the man swept off his hat and sank into a low bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you again Sherlock Holmes, I have wanted to do this for a long time." The man said as he straightened back up, allowing Sherlock a glimpse of the scars disfiguring the left side of his face. He smiled a lopsided smile when Sherlock gasped. "Maybe you recognise me Mr Holmes because, after all, it was your fire that burned me."

Oh Sherlock recognised him alright and shocked realisation dawned on his face. "H-how did you survive?" He stuttered, unable to believe his eyes at this spectre returned from the dead. His eyes flicked towards the door. Maybe if he was quick enough he would be able to escape.

The man standing in the doorway rolled his eyes at the detective's ignorance and guestured for Moriarty to shift into dragon form and block the door. Once he was satisfied no one was getting in or out he turned his attention back to Sherlock. "Now Mr Holmes, why don't we get down to business." He said, leaning in his cane. "Because unlike my pet here and his pathetic mind control serum I have a much more persuasive proposal for you."

Sherlock clenched his fists, barely managing to stop himself from lunging at the man before him. The last time he had come up against him it had almost killed him and, so Sherlock had believed, destroyed the person now standing before him. A shiver ran down his spine. "I will never help you Magnassum." Sherlock said, his voice hard. Flinging aside the bed sheets Sherlock stood, his golden wings stretching out behind him and touching the ceiling.

Charles Augustus Magnassum glared at Sherlock with hatred, he also was remembering the last time they had met. "You should be careful how you address me Mr Holmes because I know your pressure point." He hissed, his disfigured face distorting in anger. He paused and took several deep breathes in order to calm himself down. "Now my proposal is simple, I would like a companion to help me as I carry out my lastest plans. Moriarty is an alright pet but he doesn't have any spirit or freewill after I broke him in a little too well...anyway I require someone smart who is able to think on their feet. You Sherlock would fit the bill rather nicely and of course there would be certain-benifits. So what do you say My Holmes, will you join me?"

Sherlock crossed his arms. "I still say no Magnassum and nothing you can do will make me change my mind." He said sharply, his eyes flicking towards the door again. Maybe if he attacked without warning he'd be able to overpower Moriarty...

Instead of being angry a nasty grin spread across Magnassum's face. "Bad desicion Mr Holmes." He said before he spun on his heel to face Moriarty. "I think you should pay a little visit to John Watson." He informed the dragon who nodded in response and flexed his claws as though eager to shed blood.

Gritting his teeth Sherlock cursed under his breath. Damn, he had forgotten how good Magnassum was at manipulating people. Sherlock clicked his fingers, summoning a fireball, and prepared to throw it at the person who he'd already burnt once. "Leave John out of this, he's been through enough." He snapped, his orange eyes glowing with a fierce light. He hissed when Magnassum took a step towards him. "Come any closer and I will kill you."

Magnassum shook his head. "Oh I don't doubt that Mr Holmes but you didn't exactly have much success last time did you?" He said with a small shrug. "Agree to join me or I will take great pleasure in personally killing John Watson." Sherlock opened his mouth to speak but Magnassum cut him off. "And no your big brother won't be able to stop Moriarty because he is only a gargoyle and stone can easily be smashed."

A feeling of despair swept through Sherlock and he hung his head in defeat. He didn't have any idea how he could win this time, not with John and Mycroft's lives on the line. He sighed deeply before replying. "If I agree to join you will you leave John alone and promise not to hurt him?" He asked, all the fight gone from him.

A smirk spread across Magnassum's face as he watched Sherlock close his fingers around his fireball aand extinguish it. At last he had finally managed to defeat the great detective. It was going to be great to have such a powerful shape-shifter by his side. Why, with Sherlock under his command, all of London would be forced to surrender to him. "Of course Mr Holmes, you have my word." Behind him he heard a quiet snigger from Moriarty and glared aat him until he shut up. "Will you be leaving with us now or do you wish to say goodbye to your loved ones?" Magnassum taunted, no longer afraid of what Sherlock could do to him.

"At least let me say goodbye." Sherlock said with a sigh, his gaze drifting towards the door. A slight smile appeared on his face but he hastily composed his face again into a serious expression before Magnassum could see it.

Though neither Moriarty or Magnassum were aware of them Lestrade and a number of his officers were waiting outside the door to make their move, tipped off when Sherlock had pressed the call button on his mobile, alerting Lestrade to the fact that something was wrong. After everything that had happened of course they weren't going to leave Sherlock completly unprotected. Lestrade motioned at one of his officers and pointed in Moriarty's direction. The officer nodded in acknowledgment, swallowed nervously and edged forward with a syringe of strong tranquilizer clutched in one hand. In order to put Moriarty down in dragon form the officer faced the daunting task of walking around and plunging the syringe into Moriarty's soft underbelly. Muttering a quiet prayer under his breath the officer lunged forward and jabbed the needle into Moriarty. The dragon roared in anger and spat out a torrent of fire which narrowly missed the officer as he threw himself to one side. To Lestrade's relief it didn't take long for the transquilzer to work and before a minute was out Moriarty was lying on the floor, fast asleep.

When he heard the thud of Moriarty hitting the floor Magnassum spun round with a hiss, baring his teeth when he saw Lestrade and his officers behind him. Rage gleaming from his eyes he rounded on Sherlock. "Damn you Mr Holmes, I should have known you'd have another trick up your sleeve." He snarled, cramming his top hat back onto his head and angling the brim so it concealed his scarred face once more. Before turning to Lestrade Magnassum hastily composed his face into a calm expression. "Hello Greg Lestrade, how nice of you to turn up." He said mockingly, holding out his hands so Lestrade could snap a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. Over by the door two officers argued about how they were going to get the the unconscious Moriarty through the small door. As he was being lead away by an officer Magnassum grinned back over his shoulder. "We shall meet again Mr Holmes."

Once he was gone Lestrade hurried to Sherlock's side, his eyes scanning the detective for any sign of injury. Though he looked relatively okay he knew that Sherlock was rather good at hiding pain. "Are you okay? Did Magnassum do anything?" He asked earnestly, playing the small black box in his pocket given to him by Mycroft with strict instructions to hand it to Sherlock with the words, "For when you need it."

Sherlock ignored his question and started to bombade him with ones of his own. "How is John? Is Mycroft still guarding him? Are his wounds healing?" He asked. "Can I go and see him?" He demanded, not caring how frantic he was sounding.

A gentle smile settled over Lestrade's face. "When I received your call John had just started to wake up and had already begun to ask for you." He explained before pulling the box out of his pocket and handing it over. "A present from Mycroft." He said in reply to Sherlock's questioning look. Sherlock cracked the box open and smiled when he saw what was inside. His brother knew him well. He nodded at Lestrade and stored the box safetly in his pocket for when he finally saw John again. Lestrade turned towards the door. "Come on I'll take you to John. Oh and by the way I would lose the wings. The medical staff are very particular about shed feathers, fur and scales destroying the sterile conditions of their wards."

There was a spring in Sherlock's step as he followed Lestrade down the corridor towards the lift. At last, with Moriarty and Magnassum out of the picture, he and John would finally be safe. Throughout the journey in the lift and the subsequent walk down another corridor identical to the first one Sherlock fingered the black box in his pocket, rolling it over and over, while he imagined the expression on John's face. When they finally reached the room where John was being treated it took everything Sherlock had not to simply rush forward and blurt the news out right away. Somehow, with a little help from Lestrade and the glare he shot in Sherlock's direction, he managed to contain himself, calmly stepping over a sleeping Mycroft. Inside the room John was sitting up in bed reading the paper and Sherlock paused for a moment in the doorway, watching his friend frown as he turned over a page with a faint rustling sound. Lestrade hung back, realising that the reunion was for John and Sherlock alone.

John glanced up when he heard footsteps approaching the bed, a wide grin spreading across his face when he saw Sherlock walking towards him. Folding the paperr he laid it on the table beside his bed, wincing a little when the movement pulled at his stitches. For a moment the two of them stared at one another, both relieved that the other was okay, and then Sherlock slowly, almost hesistantly, moved forward and perched on the edge of the bed.

"How are you Sherlock?" John asked, reaching out to place a hand on Sherlock's arm.

Sherlock sighed and took both of John's hands in his. "You know it should be me asking you that. I'm the one with the magical healing abilities." He murmured, leaning forward to place a light kiss on John's forehead just above the small cut he had gained in the fight against Moriarty. Sherlock closed his eyes. Poor John, though he was trying to hide it he was able to tell that he was still in quite a lot of pain. Even though he knew John would hate it he began to channel a small peice of his life force into his friend in order to heal the small wounds and aches he hadn't been able to before. He felt John try to pull away but simply gripped his hands harder.

"What are you doing?" John demanded, sounding anxious. He didn't want Sherlock to heal him comepletly because that was the whole point of Mycroft bringing them to the hospital. All Sherlock was doing was using up precious strength that he himself would need. "Please don't do this Sherlock. I'm fine, the doctors are taking good care of me." He protested, finally managing to pull his grip from Sherlock's. He glanced up briefly, saw the complicated expression in Sherlock's eyes and decided it was best to change the subject. "Anyway, what took you so long to visit. I've been waiting for you to turn up."

Nervously Sherlock cleared his throat and closed his eyes. Should he tell John about Magnassum's visit or would it be kinder to keep me in the dark? When he opened his eyes again John was staring at him intently with a searching, curious expression on his face as he waited for Sherlock to answer him. Sherlock decided that it was probably best not to place such a burden on his friend's shoulder until he was healed. Desicion made, he ignored John's previous question and reached forward to gently part the bandage stretching from around John's shoulder. He felt John shiver beneath his touch but paid him no attention. He was more concerned in finding out what condition his friend was in after his second attempt to heal him had been rejected. To his relief the gaping wound with its blackened, burnt edges was now little more than a rather nasty looking scar which would eventually heal away to nothing. He pulled his hand away and looked up at John with a smile. "How are you feeling now?" He asked.

John returned his smile and placed his hand on Sherlock's cheek, swallowing back the sudden wave of emotion which was threatening to engulf him. "I'm fine thanks to you healing me." He said, a playful tone in his voice. A moment later his face twists sharply, becoming more serious. "Next time I'm injured though please don't try and kill yourself okay? I don't know what I would do without you Sherlock- you're everything to me."

Sherlock looked sheepish for a moment before he relaxed into John's touch, savouring the warmth. "I am so sorry John." He murmured softly, shifting a little so he was able to look John in the eye. "I promise you now that as long as we both shall live I will never needlessly endanger your life again or try to heal you beyond what it is my ability to give." He said, his voice low and intense. Again his hand stroked the velvet box in his pocket and he smiled. Now was as good a time as any to give it to John. Sherlock took a deep breath and quickly, before he could bottle out, pulled the box from his pocket and held it up. He tried to speak but found himself suddenly speechless.

John frowned at him. He could tell Sherlock was eager to tell him something but was unable to work out exactly what it was despite the small box Sherlock was holding up for his inspection. "Are you okay Sherlock? You're acting strangely today." He said, leaning forward slightly to look Sherlock in the eye. Confusion flooded through him when the detective hastily looked away from him. What had gotten into Sherlock today?

Sherlock licked his lips. Now the moment had come intense nerves washed through him, almost paralysing him. What, even after everything they had been through, John rejected him? No, he was just being ridiculous. He loved John and from several intimate moments he knew that John felt the same about him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself Sherlock flipped open the box and presented the contents to John who gasped quietly and glanced up in shock. The ring was simple but elegant with a single cut diamond surrounded by six tiny deep blue sapphires and glittered brightly under the artificial lights of the hospital room. A smile spread across Sherlock's face when he saw the twin expressions of increduality and joyful surprise spreading across John's face. Technically he should be down on one knee but he didn't want to leave John's side even for a moment. "John, will you marry me?" Sherlock asked, his voice hopeful.

Tears of joy welled in John's eyes. "Yes...yes!" He cried, flinging his arms around Sherlock's neck and kissing him roughly.

The corner of Sherlock's mouth twitched up in a smile as he returned the kiss for a moment before gently disentangling himself. Then taking John's hand he carefully slid the ring onto his left ring finger. "John, you have just made me the happiest person in the world." He said, his eyes shining. From behind them came the sound of loud applause. Sherlock jumped and spun round, his eyes glowing orange for a moment, but he relaxed when he saw it was only Lestrade and Mycroft and a wide grin spread across his face. Satisfied that there were no more villians or enemies around Sherlock leant down to press his lips to John's, his soon-to-be husband. The thought sent a thrill running through his body and, unable to control himself completly, his wings materialised and curved around John, enfolding him and John in a golden feathery embrace.

Safe and warm in Sherlock's arms John relaxed and allowed the tension of the past few days to flow away. Finally he and Sherlock were safe from harm now Moriarty was gone. John sighed in contentment; he had the feeling that from now on life was going to be a lot better.

The End

Technically not the end because I am working on a bonus chapter featuring the wedding. Hope to have that written up by the 7th. Hope you have enjoyed the Heart of the Phoenix because I have certaintly enjoyed writing it.