Stupid Law 19

A/N: I can't believe people are still reading this…Thanks Moriarty is not at all happy now!

Moriarty was not happy. Sherlock and John had gotten the better of him once again but this time they had involved the media. It had Sherlock written all over it and he was going to make sure that Sherlock would suffer worse than before. There was just one more piece he needed to complete his little puzzle. John Watson.

John and Sherlock were sitting in Angelo's having something to eat after examining a crime scene for Lestrade. Well John was eating and Sherlock observing. After twenty minutes of silence on Sherlock's part he stood up, put on his scarf an announced that he had a lead to follow. John asked if he was needed but Sherlock shook his head before disappearing out into the busy London Street. John just sat there used to Sherlock antics by now.

He finished his meal and attempted to pay Angelo who refused yet again. He pulled on his jacket as there was a chill in the air and began the familiar walk back to 221B. Before he reached his destination, however, a black car pulled up beside him. John was acutely aware of what this meant and without so much as a second's hesitation got into the back seat.

What John was not expecting was a cloth bag being placed over his head before he had a chance to react as well as his hands being bound together in front of him. He realised pretty quickly that this was not Mycroft but someone ten times more terrifying.

"Well well, Johnny boy…Looks like Sherlock left someone all alone. Did he finally get bored of your stupid little brain?"

The drawl was unmistakable. John had walked straight into Moriarty's trap and there was no way he would be getting out of it easily. He only hoped there was nothing too sinister behind his motives.

Sherlock had returned to find Baker St. deserted. He had expected that John would have been back before him as he had spent most of the evening at Bart's. However, the flat was empty and there was no sign that John had been there since the morning. Sherlock gave him a quick text:

John where are you? Need you for an experiment. Could be dangerous!

There was still no reply an hour later. Sherlock was worried now and decided to call Lestrade to ask if he had seen him. Halfway through the call, however, the television turned itself on and the figure of John Watson occupied the screen. He hung up immediately leaving a very confused Lestrade on the other end.

There was a message on the screen, scrolling across like a breaking news story. Sherlock read it as it passed into his vision.

"Dear Sherlock…how could you have left John all by himself? Now he is going to pay. Also this video is going to be sent to every news channel I can find! Enjoy the show"

Sherlock assumed the worst and could only watch hoping that John could avoid this almost certain attempt on his life. A second figure entered the room and Sherlock braced himself on the sofa. How could he have been so stupid? He knew that Moriarty was going to be annoyed after the France incident but he never imagined that he would abduct John in revenge.

The figure placed a small table in front of John and placed on it what appeared to be several hundred envelopes and a corresponding amount of stamps. Sherlock was confused and the fear which had gripped him moments before seemed to recede slightly.

It all began to make sense when the camera angle changed to a close up of the table. John was being forced to place each stamp on an envelope upside down. Each stamp was emblazoned with the image of the Queen.

Sherlock relaxed and actually let out a laugh at Jim's handiwork. Yes, John was going to get into trouble for this and yes, Jim would be getting revenge but Sherlock didn't care because this was one of the most ridiculous and stupid laws he had researched over the last few weeks.

Sherlock thought he imagined it at first but he could have sworn that John himself was grinning while working with the envelopes. Two minutes later, however, he had his conclusion as he heard John's trademark giggle coming from the live feed. He was finding this just as funny as Sherlock. For some reason this made Sherlock laugh even more.

John was still laughing when the authorities showed up to arrest him on the charge of treason for placing a postage stamp bearing the image of the monarch upside down on a few hundred envelopes.

Sherlock picked John up at the police station where he had just been clearing things up on the case they had been working on that morning.

"Well John it would appear that Moriarty is losing his touch slightly. That was not half as bad as I thought it was going to be"

"I think you're right Sherlock…although you have to admit that it was pretty funny and a really stupid law"

"Indeed it was" consented Sherlock and the boys walked out of the station in fits of laughter attracting the attention of several passers-by.

Jim Moriarty sat in a hideout in London and watched the footage back. This had been the perfect play and he was going to enjoy the look on Sherlock's face. What he saw confused him and made him feel like a complete idiot. From what he could see John Watson actually found the whole experience enjoyable and didn't flinch when the police entered to arrest him.

He had failed and he realised that he had been outclassed. It was time to end the distraction and get back to more pressing matters in America.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. Sure let me know in the comments this one is for all my colleagues in the Erasmus Light project!