I believe in you - Sherlock Fanfiction.

Chapter forty - Not important.

"Would offer you a drink but it’s very rare and expensive." Magnussen says, lifting his glass. We were at Appledore now, waiting for Sherlock to do whatever he has planned. I wasn't sure why we were here, i thought Sherlock gave up on this Magnussen stuff days ago. Evidently not. Sherlock turns and sits down on the sofa a couple of feet to Magnussens right. He sighs with a contented sound and slaps his hands down on the white leather either side of him, putting the laptop down between himself and the other man, then crosses his legs and clasps his hands in his lap. He looks across to the other side of the room.

"Oh. It was you."

Me and John turn and look at the glass wall opposite us. Projected onto the glass wall, footage repeats of John being rescued from the bonfire. 

"Yes, of course. Very hard to find a pressure point on you, Mr Holmes. If i knew that you cared for Holland like you do now i would have stuck her in the bonfire. The drugs thing I never believed for a moment." Magnussen says. I remove my eyes from the footage, and glare at Magnussen while John continues walking closer to the wall. Starting at the footage with his mouth open. "Anyway, you wouldn't care if it was exposed, would you? But look how you care about John Watson and Holland Moore. Your damsels in distress."

John turns around, "You," He walks closer to Magnussen, his voice tight and furious, "Put me in a fire ... for leverage?"

"Oh, I’d never let you burn, Doctor Watson." He sits up and puts his glass onto the clear glass table in front of him, then looks up at John again, "had people standing by. I’m not a murderer...unlike your wife."

John stares up at him grimly. He holds his gaze for a while, then glances across to Sherlock. Magnussen walks over towards the wall. "Let me explain how leverage works, Doctor Watson." He puts a finger on the side of the projected footage and turns it off, "For those who understand these things, Mycroft Holmes is the most powerful man in the country. Well...apart from me. Mycroft’s pressure point is his junkie detective brother, Sherlock." He walks back across the room to the sofa, "And Sherlock’s pressure point is his best friend, John Watson. John Watson’s pressure point is his wife. Where do you come in Holland? Who's your pressure point?"

"Can't you tell?" I question, gritting my teeth. He lets out a low chuckle.

"I like you, Holland Moore. But unfortunately no, i don't know who your pressure point is. Sherlock maybe? I haven't even heard of you until you helped solve that case with the bomb on the train. But more importantly, as far as i can tell your no ones main pressure point. I wonder if i stick you and John Watson in two separate fires, which one will Sherlock Holmes save first?"

"Stop it." John spits. Sherlock stares at Magnussen.

"I own John Watson’s wife, I own Mycroft." Magnussen sits down, "He’s what I’m getting for Christmas." Even though the laptop is almost within his reach, he holds out his hand towards Sherlock. Without looking round, Sherlock shoves it across the sofa towards him.

"Its an exchange, not a gift." He stands up, while Magnussen raises his eyebrows at him. Sherlock walks a few paces forward, then turns round again. Magnussen picks up the laptop.

"Forgive me, but..." He holds the laptop to his chest and runs his fingers over the back..."I already seem to have it."

"It’s password protected. In return for the password, you will give me any material in your possession pertaining to the woman I know as Mary Watson."

"Oh, she’s bad, that one. So many dead people. You should see what I’ve seen."

"I don’t need to see it." John glares at him.

"You might enjoy it, though. I enjoy it."

"Then why don’t you show us?" Sherlock asks nonchalantly.

"Show you Appledore? The secret vaults? Is that what you want?"

"I want everything you’ve got on Mary."

Magnussen lets out a short breathy laugh, shaking his head a little, then he lowers his eyes, scratches the back of his head and chuckles for a few seconds. John’s mouth twists and he shoots a brief glance towards Sherlock. Eventually Magnussen stops sniggering and looks down to the laptop, patting it and grimacing a little. "You know, I honestly expected something good."

"Oh, I think you’ll find the contents of that laptop-"

"Include a GPS locator. By now, your brother will have noticed the theft, and security services will be converging on this house. Having arrived they’ll find top secret information in my hands and have every justification to search my vaults. They will discover further information of this kind and I’ll be imprisoned. You will be exonerated, and restored to your smelly little apartment to solve crimes with Mr and Mrs Psychopath along with your pretty, non-important girlfriend. Mycroft has been looking for this opportunity for a long time. He’ll be a very, very proud big brother."

I grit my teeth and lower my gaze. But its the truth, i wasn't important to them at all. I just get in the way.

"The fact that you know it’s going to happen isn’t going to stop it." Sherlock states.

"Then why am I smiling?" He looks up and smiles at him. Sherlock looks at him thoughtfully, "Ask me."

"Why are you smiling?" I ask as he requested, taking a step forward.

"Because Sherlock Holmes has made one enormous mistake which will destroy the lives of everyone he loves and everything he holds dear." Then he stands up, " Let me show you the Appledore vaults."