Hi everyone and welcome to my new story! After finishing "How The Holmes Brothers And Their Boyfriends Outsmarted Moriarty", I've already announced that I want to write another sequel in the future. Now I've started it, much sooner than expected! This story will focus more on James and Q, after Sherlock and John stood in the spotlight in the first two stories of the series. But don't worry, we'll also see plenty of the other couples! In fact, I'll try to give them equal parts in this story. There might be a little more about Q and James, simply because it also focuses on James, but they will all be there! With lots of surprises, at least so I hope!
To understand it, it would be good if you've read my two other stories in this series first, but it can be also read alone (I'll try to mention everything important that happened before again). The story is set about six months after the events in second story of the series and one week after its epilogue.
I hope you enjoy this, it would be great if you leave kudos or even a comment! Those always motivate me very much while I'm writing!
I don't own the characters or places!
"You can't be serious, Mr. Holmes!" The man in front of them exclaimed, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief. He was staring at them through wide, brown eyes and his mouth was open. That, together with his messy red hair made him even look a little ridiculous. Or at least it would have looked like that, if John surely didn't have the same expression on his face.
"You really can't be serious, Sherlock!" He repeated quietly, raising his eyebrows at his boyfriend.
Sherlock Holmes stared at them calmly, his face showing impatience and annoyance. "Why shouldn't I be serious?" He asked with a frown. "That's exactly what happened here."
The other man, Mr. Garner, crossed his arms. "So you want to tell me that my son killed himself? With a rifle? How should he have even managed that?!"
Sherlock's face lit up. "Finally, you're asking the right questions!" He said loudly and began to walk around the room, explaining how exactly Mr. Garner's son, a young man of twenty-five years, had managed to kill himself with the shotgun his father kept in a safe in the basement of the house. Surely, it would have been an utterly ridiculous story, if it came from somebody else than the great Sherlock Holmes.
"So you say that it was an accident?" If Mr. Garner had looked angry until now, the will to fight seemed to leave him the longer Sherlock talked.
The detective nodded. "Exactly."
In this moment, the door to the living room opened and Greg Lestrade came in, followed by his team. He didn't look surprised to see them there. "You already solved the case?" He asked when he took in Sherlock's expression.
John's boyfriend nodded. "It wasn't murder, if that's what you want to know, Lestrade."
"So how…?" Greg trailed off, looking at the body still lying on the ground, now covered by a blanket. Even Sherlock had shown enough sympathy to cover the body, so that the father didn't have to look at it all the time. A few years ago, Sherlock surely wouldn't have thought of somebody's feelings while being on a case. Or at all.
"Accident." John interrupted him. "Sounds completely unbelievable, but you'll hear it yourself."
"Unbelievable. I don't believe in that anymore." Greg shrugged. "Can you give Sally the details? I'm sure if the case is already solved, they'll be fine without me."
"You have a date?" John raised his eyebrows at his best friend.
Greg nodded with a grin, already opening his mouth to reply, but Sherlock stepped in quickly. "We don't want to hear any details about your relationship with my brother, Lestrade!" He turned to Sergeant Donovan and in short words, he told her what happened. As soon as he was finished, the detective turned to John. "Come on, let's go, John. We have better things to do than to stay here all day. Someone's already on the way to Baker Street with a new case!"
He didn't ask how Sherlock knew about it, too used to it by now. When they made their way outside, Greg accompanied them. "If you're interested in something exciting, we still have some open cases. The Borgia Pearl, for example -"
"NO!" Sherlock hissed. "That's BORING, Lestrade! I told you so many times before."
"But the priority of this case -"
"Is not my concern." Sherlock stated simply. "Maybe you should ask Mycroft about it."
The DI didn't look frustrated, rather amused. "I will. Most probably, he'll be more interested in the case than you are anyway."
"He's interested in everything concerning you, Greg." John threw in with a smile.
"Oh, shut up, John!" Sherlock took his hand and began to pull him away from the building they'd just left. "Let's go somewhere else. I don't want Lestrade to start raving about my brother while I have to listen to it!"
"See you later!" John waved at Greg once more, but then Sherlock had already pulled him around the next corner and his best friend was out of sight. However, he could see a black car driving in the direction they came from, surely to get Greg to his date.
"So who's on the way with a new case?" John asked while they began to walk through the city. Luckily, it wasn't far back to their flat, so they could cover the distance on foot.
"No one." Sherlock's lips twitched while he said it.
John stared at him. "You just said that to get away from Greg?" He noticed the slight frown on Sherlock's face when he said his best friend's name, but most probably, it was rather out of habit. By now, Sherlock surely knew his first name!
"We've been on so many cases the past days, I think we deserve some time for ourselves." The Sherlock Holmes he'd met all those years ago would have never said such a thing. However, he'd changed since they got together.
John grinned. "We definitely deserve some private time!" He agreed without hesitation. "I already know exactly how we can spend it."
When he took in his expression, Sherlock smiled. "You, my dear Dr. Watson, are insatiable."
"I have a very attractive and beautiful boyfriend. Can you blame me?" John tried to look innocent, but from the way Sherlock laughed, he knew that he'd failed.
"Not at all." Sherlock leaned in so his lips were close to his ear. "You could say the same about my partner. And I love spending time with him in private."
"Just like you love him?" John asked back quietly.
"I love him more than anything." Sherlock nodded seriously.
He smiled. "I love you too, Sherlock." Together, they made their way back to 221 B Baker Street.
Only moments after John and Sherlock were out of sight, a black car stopped in front of Greg. For the second time that day, he wasn't surprised at all. Inside the car, Mycroft was already waiting for him. "I assume you already knew that Sherlock had solved the case?" He asked instead of a greeting.
In front of him, Mycroft Holmes nodded. "It also didn't surprise me that you'd leave the rest to your team. In a situation like this, even they can't mess up anything."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Greg muttered, remembering all the times one of his new officers, Brandon, had messed up a crime scene.
Mycroft laughed, the sound letting Greg's heart skip a beat. "You shouldn't worry, Greg. The case is solved, my brother made sure of that."
Greg nodded and took this moment to take in Mycroft's appearance. He looked tired. If Greg wouldn't have known him so well by now, he might not have noticed it, but by now it wasn't difficult anymore to read the other man. Mycroft's shoulders were slumped slightly and there were more lines under his eyes than usual - a certain sign that he didn't sleep well the past nights. Or maybe that he didn't sleep at all? Sometimes, he had more in common with Sherlock than he wanted to admit. Next to that, however, Mycroft looked flawless as usual. Black three-piece suit, white shirt and a red tie. The umbrella was placed on the seat next to him. Not a hair on his head was out of place.
"You're tired." Greg noted before he could consider it any longer. In the past months, a certain intimacy had developed between them. He wasn't sure if he could say that they were in a relationship yet. Yes, they held hands from time to time, but next to that, nothing had happened. Greg wasn't even sure if Mycroft liked him that way. But they talked about feelings from time to time - mostly Greg's feelings, he had to admit. But on a few occasions, Mycroft had also opened up to him. Like one time when Greg had been in a hospital after being attacked by one of Moriarty's men. The oldest Holmes had admitted that he'd been worried. Scared, even. John and James were sure that it meant something and that Mycroft kept looking at Greg when he didn't notice, but it was hard to believe that the Mycroft Holmes could have feelings for him.
Because one thing was for sure. Greg had feelings for him. He admired how Mycroft could always be so calm and composed. How nothing seemed to shake him, or at least how well he hid it. He loved how intelligent the other man was. He carried that with more modesty than Sherlock - at least when his youngest brother wasn't around. He was also so beautiful, with the bright blue eyes that haunted Greg in his dreams nearly every night. And he -
"A simple deduction." Mycroft's voice ripped him out of his thoughts. Did he imagine it, or did Mycroft sound impressed? To his surprise, the oldest Holmes sighed. "The past days have been very long."
When the car came to a sudden stop, Greg looked outside. Why had they stopped at Hyde Park? "What are we doing here, Myc?" The nickname he always used when they were alone left his lips easily.
"I thought it would be good to get some fresh air." Mycroft smiled slightly. "I've been in the office for days and I know that you also didn't get a chance to go out very much, Greg."
He smiled back at him. "A walk sounds amazing." Even if it was autumn, the weather outside was still warm and sunny. Something rare for London at this time of the year. Greg had decided to enjoy the good weather as long as it would last.
After they'd left the car and had walked in silence for a few moments, Greg decided that it was time to ask another question. "You've been busy at work?"
Mycroft nodded. "We were able to avoid a national crisis." Of course he wasn't allowed to tell Greg any details about his work, but he didn't mind.
"But I assume it wasn't the only thing troubling you." He threw in softly. A national crisis wouldn't even bother Mycroft Holmes.
"Since when are you so smart?" Mycroft's voice was soft when he said it, not offending. He rather sounded… fond? Before Greg could think of it much longer, Mycroft cleared his throat and nodded. "We're still trying to figure out who followed you, John and James last week."
After a trip to a concert in Manchester with James' car, someone had followed them once they were back in London. Thanks to James' crazy driving skills and the Holmes brothers, they were able to lose their pursuers. But it had been obvious that they'd been after James. There were only two questions. Who were they and what did they want from the secret agent?
James hadn't been shaken by the events. Most probably, he was used to this after working at MI6 for so long. John and Greg, on the other hand, had been more than surprised. Yes, John was used to dangerous situations simply because he accompanied Sherlock on cases that often and Greg was a detective inspector at Scotland Yard, but this had been new to them.
Once they'd returned to Baker Street, the discussions had been endless. But they were all for nothing. They didn't know who was after James. So they'd started doing research. Mostly Q, though their databases at MI6, and Mycroft with the resources of the government. But so far, there were no results.
"Nothing new, I assume?" The dark look on Mycroft's face told him everything he needed to know.
The oldest Holmes nodded. "Unfortunately, we're still trapping in the dark. I will talk to Q tomorrow to see if he could find out more. Maybe it is someone who has a past with James." It had also been James' first idea. That someone from his past was responsible for all this.
"I'm sure we'll figure it out." After the whole story with Moriarty, it was easy to say we. Namely Sherlock and John, Q and James, as well as Mycroft and him. Once they'd decided to work together, they'd been a very good team. "But now let's not focus on work any longer. You need some time to relax."
"If you want to believe it or not, your presence already calms me, Greg." Mycroft said it seriously and when their eyes met, it felt like Greg's heart was stopping. "But I think there was something you wanted to ask me about a certain pearl?"
"The Borgia Pearl." He groaned. "Please let's not talk about it."
Mycroft chuckled. "What if I say that I have a good idea where it could be?"
He stared at the man next to him. "You know…?"
"Just like Sherlock said, the case is so easy, it's nearly boring." Mycroft said with a grin.
"This has been annoying me for months, and you just decide to tell me anything about it now?" He asked in disbelief, but couldn't stop his lips from twitching.
"You never asked." Came the simple reply.
"So where is it?!"
Mycroft quirked an eyebrow. "I thought we should talk about something else than work?" However, his eyes were shining mischievously.
When James entered Q Branch, the constant clattering of keyboards filled his ears, making him relax instantly. He just came back from a mission that took him to Denmark. In Copenhagen, he'd shortly crossed ways with 008, who was currently on his way to somewhere in Poland for his next mission. He'd always liked the other Double-Oh and despite them both having to work, they managed to have a drink together one evening anyway. Unfortunately, that had been the only relaxing moment on James' mission. The rest of it had ended in chaos, with endless chases through the city and even a fight on a ferry to Sweden.
Even if he'd only been gone for four days, it would have been an understatement to say that he'd missed home. He'd wanted nothing more than to come back the moment he left London. With everything that was going on in his life at the moment, the idea of leaving didn't sit well with him. Or rather the thought of leaving his boyfriend all alone and without protection while he was gone. Because whoever was after James could also try to take Q. It was a thought he tried to push away most of the time, but especially when the Quartermaster wasn't in sight, he couldn't stop the voice inside his head that was constantly worrying for his safety.
He knew that it was stupid. Q could look after himself. After James had asked it of him, he was always carrying a weapon when he left the house. And there were others who would also take care of him when James wasn't in the city. Like Q's best friend, Eve Moneypenny. She was M's assistant, but before that, she'd also been an agent at MI6. And then there were Q's brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. Sherlock was a consulting detective who could look after himself very well. And Mycroft… well, he was the British government. Not to forget their boyfriends. John, an ex-soldier and doctor who solved cases with Sherlock on a regular basis. And Greg Lestrade, the DI from Scotland Yard.
Nevertheless, James couldn't shake off his fear for Q. Especially in times like this, when someone wanted to see him dead. At least that's what James thought. Surely, those people hadn't just followed him for a nice chat.
When he walked through Q Branch now, he tried to ban all those thoughts from his mind. Q was fine. They'd talked as much as James' mission had allowed it. It had been a relief to hear his voice regularly. And of course Q had always insisted that he was fine. Which James believed him.
And now he was finally back to wrap his arms around his boyfriend again. Something he'd also missed in the past days. When he was away from Q, it always felt like a part of him was missing. As soon as James' eyes spotted the familiar mop of black, curly hair, that feeling vanished immediately.
Unfortunately, it was replaced by something else once he saw who was standing right next to Q in this moment. The feeling was annoyance.
"This is one of our latest prototypes." Q said in this moment, his voice calm. He was holding up a small gun. "Smaller in size, but the same firepower. Easier to hide on missions. It can only be fired via fingerprint, so you'll be the only one who can use it. A technique we have used before, but we also improved that. Now it doesn't matter anymore if your hands are wet, which caused problems in the past. It works anyway now."
"Why would I need such a weapon?" The man in front of Q, 004, asked, sounding bored. "Why not use a normal gun?"
"May I remind you that you're going on an undercover mission?" Q asked simply, his voice still friendly. "You can't always carry a gun with you."
"I've managed that before." James felt the urge to hit 004 for the tone of his voice. No one was allowed to talk to Q like that! He'd never liked the agent and after his strange behaviour months ago, he liked him even less. Even if the other Double-Oh had given them an explanation for sneaking around at MI6 and having strange conversations on the phone, they didn't quite believe him. Ever since, Q and James kept an eye on him as good as possible. It seemed as if 004 was back to his normal, annoying self, but they were still suspicious. He might have not sided with Moriarty, but his story had been strange anyway.
"I think you'll have no other choice than to take this one. I fear I don't have another gun at the moment." James knew Q well enough to see the mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Here's also your tracker and the walking stick your cover always uses. It looks like it's made of wood, but inside, it's steel. If you hit anyone with that, it'll definitely hurt."
When he took the walking stick, it looked like 004 forgot his grudge against Q for now. "It's so light." He said in amazement. "Incredible." Suddenly, he beamed at James' boyfriend, which made him like the other man even less. "You're a genius, Q!"
The Quartermaster just laughed. "I appreciate the compliment, 004. Try to bring everything back in once piece." The other Double-Oh grabbed the gun and the communicator from the table, surely noticing that he was dismissed. When he turned around to leave, his eyes fell on James. To his surprise, 004 didn't say anything. His eyes only narrowed slightly before he walked past him, head held high and shoulders tense.
"Why does he get a cover as a gentleman who always walks around with a walking stick, while I'm always just another normal guy?" James quirked an eyebrow when he got closer to Q, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.
Q laughed. "He's an ex-soldier who got wounded in a fight and needs the walking stick because of that. So not a real gentleman."
"Don't let John hear that story." James muttered, remembering when John had told them about his time in the war and how he'd met Sherlock in the first place.
"He's not like John at all." Q sounded nearly offended. "And I'm sure 004 will own the role. He's already so full of himself, it should work."
"I didn't like the way he looked at you." James noted suddenly, following Q to his office so that they could talk in private.
"With annoyance?" Q quirked an eyebrow.
"Like you're a genius." James muttered. "Which you are. But I'm the only one who's allowed to smile at you like that."
Q grinned and placed a hand on James' cheek. "By now, you should know that you don't have to be jealous. Least of 004."
"I know." James placed a short kiss on Q's lips. "But I don't like him anyway."
"No one does." Q said simply and made his way over to his desk. "It's good to have you back, James."
"Was everything alright in my absence?"
Q nodded. "Everything was pleasantly uneventful. Some might even call it boring." He sat down at his desk and began to type on a laptop standing there. "Sherlock and John stopped by two days ago. They needed to decode an USB stick for a case. Full of pictures of a victim betraying his wife. Apparently, she killed him because of it."
James listened to it in surprise. "They came over and asked you for help?"
"I think it was John's idea." His boyfriend confirmed with a nod. "Sherlock was rather reluctant to give me the device at first. But you know that when John looks at him through those wide, pleading eyes, even the professional detective can't say no." He grinned at that and James grinned back at him. Even after knowing them for half a year now, it sometimes still surprised him that Q's brothers were Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes.
Before James could reply, however, Q slipped into his role as Quartermaster again. "While you've been absent, I've done more research to the people who have followed you." He explained and James' attention focused on something Q showed him on the screen. It were pictures of the car that had followed them, taken by traffic cameras. "The car won't help us, it was stolen right before they followed you. Somewhere on the outskirts of London, the location won't help us. As to the people in there…" He showed another picture, but unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to make out a face. The camera had been too far away. "Male, about thirty to fourty years old. Short hair, a beard. I fear we won't get more from that."
"Could Mycroft's people find out more?" James wanted to know, already sure that it wouldn't be the case. If Q couldn't find anything, neither could they.
"We'll talk tomorrow." Q said, shaking his head. "But from what I've seen on their servers, they also don't have anything else."
"Why only tomorrow?" He wanted to know.
"He has a date with Greg this afternoon." Q smiled slightly.
"So you've hacked their servers…" James shook his head with a grin. "You're becoming quite the rebel, Q."
"Must be your influence on me." His boyfriend replied simply.
"Or those of your brothers."
Q rolled his eyes. "You mean Sherlock. But no, I think it's you, 007."
"Why should I be a bad influence?" He tried to look at Q innocently.
"You know why." Q hesitated for a few moments. "If we don't find out more, we'll have to wait until they make the next move."
James nodded.
"I don't like it." The concern on Q's face was obvious.
"Neither do I." James took his hands. "But it will be alright, Q. I can take care of myself."
"I really hope so." Q muttered, looking at their entwined hands. "If something happens to you, James…" He didn't finish his sentence, but he didn't have to. James knew that Q had the same fears like him.
"It won't. We'll find out who's after me and then, we'll stop them. As easy as that."
"Nothing's ever this easy."
He grinned. "But we have the best friends to help us, right? And I have to say that last time, we were a pretty good team."
It had the desired effect. Q laughed. "James Bond, saying that it is good to work with someone. I'm shocked."
"Shocked enough so we can skip the rest of the day here at work and go home?" He asked hopefully.
"Absolutely not." His boyfriend protested. "I'm still waiting for 002 to stop by. And R is guiding 006 on a mission. I want to know how it's going. After he's locked himself in the base of that criminal at the beginning of this year, I need to make sure that this mission won't end in disaster again."
"Sounds exciting." James said. "Should I get us tea?"
Q smiled widely. "That would be wonderful."