Beauty and the High-Functioning Sociopath {#PFCC2k16}

I.O.U.

The next morning, John had headed out to the store. Alex was out walking Lou. Sherlock knew Moriarty would be coming. He put a kettle of tea on. Alex tilted her head at him.

He sat down in the chair and began to play the violin. Sherlock got up and started to dance around the flat. The door downstairs opened. Moriarty walked slowly up to the flat. One of the steps creaked and Sherlock stopped playing. He resumed after a second. The door to the flat opened. 

"Most people just knock." Sherlock said. "But then you're not most people, I suppose. Kettle's just boiled.

"Johann Sebastian would be appalled." Moriarty said, picking up an apple. He gestured to the chair. "May I?"

"Please." Sherlock said.

"Thank you." Moriarty said. He sat down and Sherlock sat across from him. Alex sat on the arm of Sherlock's chair once again. "You know, when he was on his deathbed, Bach, he heard his son at the piano playing one of his pieces. The boy stopped before he got to the end."

"The dying man jumped out of his bed, ran straight to the piano, and finished it." Sherlock said.

"Couldn't cope with an unfinished melody." Moriarty said.

"Niether can you. It's why you've come." Sherlock said.

"But, be honest, you're just a tiny bit pleased." Moriarty said.

"What? With the verdict?" Sherlock asked.

"With me back on the streets." Moriarty said. "Every fairy tale needs a good old-fashioned villain. You need me, or you're nothing. Because we're just alike, you and I. Except you're boring. You're on the side of the angels."

"Got to the jury, of course." Sherlock said. 

"I got into the tower of London, you think I can't worm my way into 12 hotel rooms?" Moriarty chuckled.

"Cable network." Sherlock said.

"Every hotel room has a personalized T.V. screen and every person has their pressure point, somone that they want to protect from harm." Moriarty said. "Easy-peasy."

"So how are you going to do it? Burn me?" Sherlock asked.

"Oh, that's the problem. The final problem." Moriarty said. "Have you worked out yet what it is? What's the final problem? I did tell you, but did you listen? How hard do you find it? I would say I don't know."

"I don't know." Sherlock said.

"Oh, that's clever, that's very clever." Moriarty said. "Speaking of clever, have you told your little friends yet?"

"Told them what?" Sherlock asked.

"Why I broke into all those places and never took anything?" Moriarty asked.

"No." Sherlock said.

"But you understand." Moriarty said.

"Obviously." Sherlock said.

"Off you go then." Moriarty said.

"You want me to tell you what you already know?" Sherlock raised his eyebrows.

"No. I want you to prove that you know." Moriarty said.

"You didn't take anything because you don't need to." Sherlock said.

"Good." Moriarty nodded.

"You'll never need to take anything ever again." Sherlock said.

"Very good, because..." Moriarty pryed.