I don't own the characters or places!

"So let's summarise the situation." Sherlock said. "You know that Sciarra didn't act on his own, but that he was part of a bigger organisation. A dangerous one. You went to one of their secret meetings and they already knew you were there. A name fell, the Pale King. And we have the ring now. Both things of which we know nothing about."

"That summarises it quiet well." James sighed. "It would need more time to find out anything. Time we don't have. If they want to kill the Pale King, they must know who he is. Probably also where he hides."

"Then we have to act fast." John concluded and looked at all of them expectantly. When no one reacted, he raised his eyebrows. "Oh, come on, you can't be serious that you don't know whom we can ask about it now!"

"I think I can't follow you." Q admitted quietly.

"Neither can I." Greg added.

John crossed his arms. "We want to know more about a secret organisation of criminals. So who could tell us more about it than another criminal?"

After he'd asked the question, John looked at the others expectantly. He was in a room with the smartest men of their time and yet, they all looked at him cluelessly for a few moments.

It was Sherlock who understood the meaning of John's words first. Of course he didn't take it well. "There's no way we're going to do that!" He shouted immediately, jumping to his feet. "Stop even thinking about it, John!"

"It's a good idea and you know it!" He argued, arms still crossed. "Just because you don't like him, Sherlock, which we all don't, by the way -"

"Don't like him? Don't like him?!" Sherlock repeated incredulously. "I despise this man! How can you even consider asking anything of him?"

Before the detective could continue with his shouting, Greg stepped in between. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but whom are you talking about?"

"I can't follow all this as well." Q ran a hand through his messy curls. "What's going on?"

For a few moments, Sherlock stared at them as if they were the dumbest people in the world. But then he sighed deeply. "Moriarty. He's talking about asking Moriarty about those criminals." Sherlock's shoulders sank at the name, as if the memory alone hurt him.

John walked over to his partner quickly, taking his hands. To his surprise, they were shaking slightly. "You know I don't like it." He whispered soothingly, pulling him closer.

"I'm not sure if this is a very smart idea or if you've lost your mind, John." James said into the sudden silence that followed Sherlock's outburst.

"Bad idea." Greg muttered. "Definitely a bad idea. This man is dangerous."

"Which is why he's locked up. Somewhere only the worst criminals go." Q narrowed his eyes at Mycroft. "He's still there, isn't he?"

The oldest Holmes nodded. "I have to admit that the idea of asking Jim Moriarty about the symbol on the ring isn't so bad." Mycroft said slowly. "This time, I think talking to him could actually work."At those words, his eyes were fixed on John. It could be unnerving, having all the attention of Mycroft Holmes directed at himself. In this moment, John wondered how Greg could stand being with the man so often. But maybe he didn't look at Greg like he was a problem he had to evaluate.

Of course Sherlock noticed Mycroft's sudden focus on him as well. He narrowed his eyes at his brother. "This time?" He echoed. "What do you mean, it could actually work this time? Did you try before and he refused to talk to you?"

The two brothers looked at each other in silence. When it became obvious that Sherlock wouldn't give in, Mycroft cleared his throat. "It might be possible that Moriarty has refused to talk to anyone ever since he was locked up."

"That's not in the records." Q said with a frown. "I thought they'd never tried questioning him."

"We gave up with time." Mycroft explained, sounding resigned. "There's only one person Moriarty is willing to talk to." His eyes wandered to John again.

He stared at him, knowing fully well that all eyes in the room were on him now. "Excuse me?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at Mycroft.

"You can't be serious." Sherlock muttered, still holding John's hands. His grip on them tightened.

"Unfortunately, yes." The oldest Holmes sighed. "The only person Jim Moriarty would talk to are you, John."

For a few moments, everything was silent. Then John chuckled. "Please tell me you're joking, Mycroft. Why would Moriarty want to talk to me, of all people? With Sherlock, it would make complete sense. You're equals in some weird kind of way. But me? I'm not even that smart. There must be some kind of mistake."

"Give yourself some credit, John. You are good when it comes to solving cases." Sherlock said, but his slight smile didn't reach his eyes. There was a storm in them. "I won't let you talk to Moriarty."

"It might be our best chance." Mycroft's voice was soft, considering. "John could ask him about the people behind the attacks on James. And if there's still time -"

"You're going to use him for your own purposes." Q finished his sentence before even Sherlock could open his mouth. "We know how those things work, Mycroft."

"Absolutely not, Mycroft!" Sherlock hissed. "You won't pull John into all this. He's not going to talk to Moriarty! Not even a single word!"

"And if he does, we'll go with him." James crossed his arms, a serious expression on his face. "He can't do that alone."

Mycroft shook his head. "His wishes were clear. He wants to talk to Dr. Watson, alone. With no one else close by. Not even with someone listening to the conversation."

By now, Sherlock's grip on John's hands was nearly painfully tight. "There's no way this is going to happen! A conversation is bad enough, but unobserved… No! You won't do this, Mycroft! Just forget it. We'll find another way."

"I agree with that." Greg declared and for a brief moment, Mycroft's eyes flickered to him.

"It's dangerous, letting them talk without supervision." Q threw in thoughtfully. "I just wonder why he wants to talk to you, John."

"I'd like to know that as well." He agreed, even though he thought that Sherlock already knew the reason for that. The way he reacted was extreme, even for his standards. "But maybe I could just ask him."

"What?" Greg and James asked at the same time.

"No way!" Sherlock argued. "John!" He breathed in sharply when he took in John's expression. When he realized that he did indeed consider it. "You can't do that! Moriarty's a master with words. We don't even know what he'll say to you -"

"I know, Sherlock." He said softly. "I know he's dangerous and that this is probably a very stupid idea. But it's the only way. We need to know more about the Pale King. James needs to find him before anyone else does. We're running out of time."

"That doesn't mean you have to talk to that man, John."

"You would do the same, if it were the other way around." He threw in. "You wouldn't even consider it for long."

"But that's different -" Sherlock began, but he interrupted him softly.

"Why should that be different? Because you think that you're not important to me? Because you think for me it would be easier to let you go?" He smiled. "You're wrong about that, Sherlock. And we need to help James and Q. They did the same for us. We're all a big team, remember?"

They looked into each other's eyes. In the end, Sherlock sighed. "I hate it when you're right."

John chuckled. "No, you don't." He leaned in closer so that only his boyfriend could hear him. "In fact, it turns you on quite a lot." Before Sherlock could react, he turned to Mycroft. "When can I talk to him?"

"It will take a day to take the necessary steps." The oldest Holmes was already typing on his phone furiously. "We can leave in the morning."

"We'll accompany John to the prison." Q's voice was stern. "Even if we're not allowed to take part in the conversation. We won't let you go there all on your own." He smiled at John, who returned the gesture. It was still surprising, to have so many people around who cared about him. To have such good friends. No, a family, even.

"I still think that this is a stupid idea, by the way." Greg threw in, his eyes on Mycroft. "And you should have told John and Sherlock about Moriarty, Myc." It was surprising, hearing Greg scold Mycroft like this and having the other man actually react to it. Because once the words were out, the oldest Holmes looked up from his phone and stared at the DI in surprise. And did John imagine it, or did Mycroft blush slightly?

Next to John, all the others watched the short exchange in silence as well. He saw Q and James exchange a knowing look and then James winked at John. He grinned. Sherlock, however, only rolled his eyes. "If you're going to talk to Moriarty, we need to make a plan." The detective stated simply. "You can't just say anything, John. Otherwise, he might get to know too much."

With that, he began to analyse the conversation that was going to take place the following day.

"I hate that John is going to do this." Q said when he and James arrived back at their house in the evening. They'd spent hours discussing what he could and couldn't say in front of Moriarty. However, it still didn't explain the criminal's interest in John Watson. James suspected that Sherlock knew more about it, but the detective hadn't said anything. Or maybe he'd just freaked out because he was overly protective of his boyfriend.

"I also don't like it." He admitted with a sigh. "Especially because he's doing it for me. I hate being in someone's debt."

"You know that John doesn't see it like that." His boyfriend threw in softly. "Friends help each other. As easy as that. We also helped them with Moriarty, remember?"

He could never forget that, considering that it brought John and Greg into his life in the first place. They were his best friends now. "Yes, we did. But that was something different. Talking to that man…" James shook his head. "He's dangerous."

"And John knows that." Q pointed out. "He'll be fine. He's tough." He went to the kitchen to get some food for the cats. "Stop worrying about him. Nothing can happen tomorrow. Moriarty will be in a cell. He couldn't even do anything if he wanted to."

James was more worried about the things the criminal could say, but he kept quiet about that. Instead, he checked his phone and was surprised to see that he had a missed call from Moneypenny. When he asked Q about it, his boyfriend only shrugged. Apparently, she didn't try to reach him.

"I'll see what she wants." He said and dialled her number, putting the phone on speaker so Q could hear everything that was said as well.

"James, thank you for calling me back!" His friend greeted him after the second ring. "Is Q with you as well?"

"I'm right here." Q said loudly, coming over to the kitchen table and sitting down next to James.

"What's going on, Moneypenny? Did something happen?"

"Nothing of importance." Came the quick reply. "I just ran into 004 this afternoon and he was kind of weird. I thought you'd like to know about it." After the incident with Moriarty, James and Q had decided to keep no more secrets from Eve. So they'd also told her about 004's strange behaviour.

Now the couple exchanged a surprised look. "Define weird." James said.

"He was terribly distracted. Walking around a few corridors aimlessly. When I addressed him, he flinched as if he was surprised to see people at MI6. He also looked bad. Like he didn't sleep in a while."

"Did you talk to each other for a longer time?" Q wanted to know.

"No. But as soon as he turned to me, it was like he changed into a completely different person. Then, he was his usual self." She snorted at that. "I'm not sure if it means anything, but you told me to inform you once he's acting strange again."

"It's great that you called." He threw in. "It could definitely be useful in the future."

She laughed at his reply. "I'm glad to be of service. If you'll excuse me now? There are a few things I need to do before I'll go to bed. See you tomorrow. James. Q." With that, she ended the call.

"Strange." Q muttered. "I never thought that 004 was a person to easily get distracted."

"Either those family problems are true or something else is going on." James nodded. "But I think only time can show which one is the case."

"We'll keep your eyes and ears open." Suddenly, Q jumped to his feet. "And now let's get something to eat. We'll need to leave early tomorrow."

James chuckled. "Your wish is my command, Q."

On their way back home from Baker Street, Mycroft was silent. Greg kept looking at him from time to time, but the oldest Holmes just stared out of the car window, lost in thoughts. Most probably, he was already trying to figure out how to convince John to ask Moriarty a few more questions the following day. He would never leave out an opportunity like that. Especially since it was doubtful that Sherlock would let John close to that man ever again. Greg couldn't blame the detective for that. He also felt uncomfortable when he thought of it. John shouldn't have to do this, for no one.

He thought of what he could say for some time. Should he mention Mycroft's secrecy again? Or was that a bad idea? Maybe he could talk about one of his latest cases, one of those he didn't mention before. But maybe it also wouldn't be a good idea to change the subject now.

In the end, Greg settled for being silent. He'd made it very clear that he didn't approve of Mycroft not telling John and Sherlock about Moriarty. If the other man didn't want to comment on that, it was fine. Or at least he tried to convince himself of that.

"I understand that you're not happy about me keeping secrets." At Mycroft's sudden words, Greg flinched. By then, he'd already accepted that the oldest Holmes would remain quiet until they'd reached Greg's flat. Slowly, he turned away from the window he'd been staring out of for the past ten minutes. Mycroft was watching him thoughtfully.

"It's about John and Sherlock. Your family. They deserve to know such things, especially after what happened with Moriarty this spring." He said simply, not trying to deny it. It wouldn't be of any use anyway.

"We both know that my brother would have never let John close to Moriarty." Mycroft sounded tired. Resigned. As if he'd thought about this far too many times before. Probably, he had. "I can't even blame him for that."

"And yet you want to use that conversation tomorrow for your own purposes as well." Greg noted. "Not just to help James."

Mycroft sighed. "Moriarty has important knowledge for the government. He knows the organisations, the people behind it, even some of their plans. One conversation, however unpleasant it may be, could save many people's lives."

He looked at him patiently. "So why didn't you just ask John to do this? You know that he's a good man. He would never leave out an opportunity to help others."

"With Moriarty, it's a little more complicated." Mycroft looked hesitant and suddenly, Greg realized that he also knew the reason why Sherlock so desperately wanted to avoid letting John close to Moriarty.

Greg narrowed his eyes. "Alright, what is it?" He wanted to know. "First, Sherlock freaks out at the mere thought of letting John talk to Moriarty. And now you say that it's complicated. There's more to that, isn't it?"

"That's not my secret to tell." Came the immediate reply. "If you're really so curious, you should ask John about it. I'm sure Sherlock will tell him about his reasons this evening."

This was getting more and more confusing. "Could you stop speaking in riddles, Myc?" What a frustrating day. In this moment, he wished nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for ten hours straight. Or maybe a drink wouldn't be so bad as well.

Again, Mycroft sighed deeply. "You'll understand everything soon, Greg."

"You could also just tell me." He suggested. "Would make things easier. John's my best friend. I want to know when he's getting into some kind of danger."

Mycroft's face was serious. "There won't be immediate danger. At least not physically."

"That doesn't reassure me at all." In this moment, the car stopped in front of Greg's house. He looked at Mycroft sternly. "You have one last chance to tell me what's going on."

"I can't." The reply was simple.

Greg nodded. "Fine. I thought we were past all this keeping secrets stuff." Without waiting for a reply, he got out of the car.

Only when Mycroft called his name did he hesitate, but didn't turn around. "I'm really sorry, Greg. I don't like keeping things from you."

He fought the urge to turn around and tell Mycroft that it was fine. That he understood how difficult everything was with his job and his family. But in this moment, Greg couldn't bring himself to say the words out loud. So he only gave a short nod of his head and began to walk. But not towards his house. He definitely needed a drink now.

On his entire way to the bar, he could feel the presence of the black car behind him. However, he didn't turn around or made any other movements to acknowledge it. He wasn't even surprised. Of course Mycroft would want to make sure that he was alright. As if he'd need it. He was a Detective Inspector at Scotland Yard. He could take care of himself.

Only once he was inside the bar, sitting at a table in one corner with a beer in front of him did Greg let himself relax. He was still turning around each of Mycroft's words in his mind. Why did the Holmes brothers always have to be so damn complicated? Always keeping secrets, thinking that they knew everything better. Not even realising that those secrets could in fact lead to even more problems. It was frustrating.

"Bad day?" A familiar voice close to him asked and Greg looked up to see Mary standing in front of his table, a smile on her lips. "Would you mind some company?"

He remembered Sherlock's suspicions about Mary. The way she'd appeared on the same day there was an attack on James. All the personal questions she asked. They couldn't let their guard down around her. Because what if she wasn't what she pretended to be? What if she wasn't a simple nurse who came to London for work?

Greg smiled back at her. "Not at all. Make yourself comfortable."

"Now tell me what's going on." John said as soon as the others had left their flat and he was alone with Sherlock. "I'm sure you didn't freak out because of Moriarty for no reason. What's so bad about me talking to him? I'm sure we all don't like the idea, me least of all."

"You're asking why I'm freaking out?" Sherlock asked, looking at John as if he'd lost his mind. "Why I freaked out?! Did you forget that the last time you met, he had a gun pointed at your head, John? That you'd be dead if Moriarty hadn't played one of his sick games and the gun had been loaded?" Sherlock's voice was getting louder with every word. "I can't let you close to that man again! I can't risk it!"

While shouting, Sherlock had begun to pace the room restlessly. Now John stepped into his way and got hold of his hands. "It won't be like last time." He said softly. "Moriarty is locked up in a cell. He won't even get close to me." He looked into Sherlock's eyes, which were still wild with emotions. "You know that too, Sherlock. So what's the real reason for all this?" He knew that his boyfriend would never risk his safety. If his life was at risk, he'd never let him leave the following day. Something else was bothering him.

"Don't you take all this seriously, John?" Sherlock asked, avoiding his question. So there was definitely something else. "This man is dangerous!"

"And we all know that." He still kept his voice calm. "He won't be able to hurt me. His words will mean nothing. So please, Sherlock, tell me what's going on."

"What if that's not the case?" Came the sudden question, making John raise his eyebrows. "What if his words won't mean nothing at all?"

For a moment, John stared at his boyfriend in surprise. "What are you saying?"

For a long time, Sherlock just looked at him without saying anything. Knowing that he was probably trying to find the right words, John waited patiently. Or at least he tried to be patient. Sherlock's behaviour was starting to make him nervous. What was going on?

"Moriarty's interested in you, you know?" Sherlock said finally and swallowed. "What he said to you, during that incident with the gun… It made it very clear. I can't stand the idea of what he might say to you now."

"He's… Moriarty… In me?!" John looked at the other man with wide eyes. "You must be wrong, Sherlock."

The detective shook his head. "Just think about it, John. What he said back then."

Normally, he avoided to think of that day, but at Sherlock's request, he tried to recall everything that happened back then.

"It's me you want, not my friends." Sherlock said, only making Moriarty laugh once more.

"Oh Sherlock, but it's so great to see you suffer!" He waved his hand and before any of them could react, some of the guards moved forward, not just grabbing John, but Greg and James as well. John was sure that they'd have never gotten hold of the secret agent, if James hadn't been so focused on John instead, wanting to make the guards stay away from him.

The Holmes brothers all began to protest at once, but then John already felt the cold metal of a gun pressed against the side of his head and all protest died on Sherlock's lips. Since Mycroft and Q also fell silent, he suspected that Greg and James were in a similar situation.

Moriarty laughed and clapped his hands. "Wonderful! Do you understand where we stand now, Sherlock? It's not you who gets to decide what happens in this game."

"It's not like I never had a gun directed at me before." John interrupted Moriarty, making him look away from Sherlock. "Should that scare us?" It did scare Sherlock, though. John could see it in his eyes. Hopefully, his boyfriend could hide his reaction from Moriarty. "Now tell us what happened to Mrs. Hudson!"

Moriarty looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments. "Still a soldier, even after all this time." When something like respect appeared on Moriarty's face, John began to feel uncomfortable. "You surprise me, John."

"Mrs. Hudson." Sherlock interrupted the criminal.

"She might get a visitor at Baker Street." Moriarty said with excitement in his voice. "I can imagine that it must be pretty dull only to have the two of you around all the time. Well, or rather you, Sherlock. Your boyfriend, on the other hand, seems to be very interesting."

"Stay away from him!" Sherlock hissed when Moriarty took a step towards John, but his boyfriend made no movement to stop him. Most probably because of the gun.

"I wonder what would have happened if we met first when you came to London, John. We could have been an amazing team." The look on Moriarty's face unsettled him. It was a mixture of awe, curiosity and something he couldn't quite place. Maybe jealousy?

"I would have never agreed with you about anything." John muttered coldly. "We help people, not destroy their lives."

"Do you really think that's all I do? Destroying people's lives?" Moriarty looked actually hurt, which showed that he was a really good actor.

"People were killed because of you. You make deals with terrorists about weapons and whatever else. The list is very long, should I continue?" Q and Mycroft had informed them about many things Moriarty had done over the years.

"It all serves a greater purpose." Moriarty said as if he was scolding a small child. "In the end, the world will be a better one."

"As if anyone believes that." James threw in.

"You want to take over the government." Mycroft sounded resigned. "Or at least replace it with people who serve you. I highly doubt that it would make anything better."

"Maybe I just need the right people by my side who lead me in the right direction." Again, his eyes shifted to John.

Sherlock could be right, John thought when he recalled the entire conversation. Moriarty had been fascinated by him. Had made it obvious that he admired him. Back then, it had already driven Sherlock crazy. The detective hadn't tried to hide it once they were alone again. But with time, John had forgotten about it entirely. Because it wasn't of importance once Moriarty was locked up.

"So what?" He asked now. "He might be interested in me. Or fascinated, or whatever it is criminals like him feel. But why would that be of any importance?"

There was concern on Sherlock's face. "He might say things to you. Like back when we…" He couldn't say the words, but he didn't have to. John knew what he meant.

"Alright, let's stop this conversation right here." He said softly. "I love you, Sherlock Holmes. You and no one else. It doesn't matter what Moriarty will say to me tomorrow. How much he'll emphasize that we could have been a perfect team. It doesn't matter to me! All I think about is you, Sherlock. Every single day. I'm here with you right now, ain't I? And I have to admit that we have quite a good life together." He smiled at this. "So stop worrying about him. You shouldn't feel threatened by such a person. Never. Because it's you I want."

During his short speech, Sherlock slowly started to relax. "I love you too, John Watson." He whispered right before he crashed their lips together. It was a possessive kiss and Sherlock's hands wandered to the hem of John's shirt, pushing it up without hesitation. "You're mine. Not anyone else's." Then he began to drag him towards their bedroom, his lips never leaving John's. Or his neck, on which he began to suck a bruise without hesitation. When John realized that it would be barely hidden by his shirt the next day, he cursed quietly. It only made Sherlock suck harder.

Sherlock didn't waste any time pushing John down onto the bed and starting to remove their clothes. He kept whispering how much he loved him into his ear. That he was his and would never belong to anyone else. When Sherlock started to prepare him for what was to come, John's mouth went dry. He was going to feel that in the morning, that was for sure. Maybe it was Sherlock's intention, making John remember him every time he moved, even in front of Moriarty.

He didn't complain, though. He would let Sherlock take him how roughly he wanted, it didn't matter. So when Sherlock finally settled in between John's legs, a wide smile on his lips, John just let himself fall.