Lessons Learned

Untitled Part 6

     John swallowed and allowed himself to relax, a little. He ducked around Walt's massive frame and found himself face to face with his former army buddy. He'd saved this man's life once, suffered through his own hellish injury to make sure he survived that day on the battlefield and now, here they were again. Their fates seemed intertwined no matter how often John tried to clear the slate.

"Trevor," John managed keeping his eyes locked on his former friend. Trevor's pictures in Mycroft's files had revealed some of the aging he'd undergone in the past two years, but up close, he'd visually aged almost ten years since John had last seen him. His face looked grimy, dirt caked into his large pores, hair greasy but cropped short as if a child with a pair of dull scissors had cut it. He looked gaunt, hungry and wild.

John hoped there was enough left of his former comrade in arms to see reason in the offer he would make. Mycroft had spelled out the terms of the plea bargain but he had to be assured the intel he would get in return would absolutely lead to finding Moran and hopefully Moriarty.

"Uh, hi." John began but only got those two words out before Trevor took up where Walt had left off. He grabbed the lapels of John's khaki shirt and pushed him right back up against the wall. "Answer the man's question, Watson. What are you doing here?"

John scrabbled at Trevor's grip. For a man who looked half-starved, he had remarkable strength. "Mycroft.. Holmes..." he croaked.

"Bastard!" Trevor bellowed in his face. "Never say that slimy fucker's name in my presence again or I'll," here he twisted his fist even further into John's shirt until he heard a rip and felt the material give. Trevor pushed so hard on his chest, John found it hard to draw in breath. He felt close to passing out. If he did, he had no idea if he'd ever wake up.

"The bastard..." John tried still trying to breathe, "caught me in London,"

Trever's eyes narrowed as he looked into John's face. John had already decided that he'd spin his story as close to the truth as possible. Men like Trevor could spot a lie a mile off. Finally, he felt Trevor's grip lesson. "Why in fuck did you go back? I heard you'd gotten clear and were living with your girl and her son in the states. Why would you give that up?"

John's surprise at Trevor knowing this about his personal life lasted only a moment. Men like Trevor had their networks, even in prison.

" I came back for my father's funeral," he pressed on doggedly trying to croak out words with the little breath he'd managed to pull into his lungs. "He caught me coming back from the Tesco buying groceries for my mum."

Behind Trevor, Walt snorted a laugh and said in a high falsetto voice, "Buying groceries for me mum..."

"Shut it, Walt," Trevor snapped at him and shook his head. Walt dried up. Trevor seemed to be the alpha male in this group and John hoped that would play in his favor.

"I've always admired you, Doc but why in hell's name would you put yourself back into that man's path?"

John looked at the floor. He'd actually begun to seriously question the decision himself but it boiled down to one thing, "I have to get free of it, him all of it. I took a chance coming back to London that he wouldn't care about me anymore. I had to help out my mum. She needed me. I know it's stupid but there it is. Besides, my girl in the states....we broke up."

"Sorry to hear that, Doc," Trevor said shaking his head. "But I have to say the thought of you off with that hot little honey living the good life made me a little bit jealous. I'm not sure I've got that much sympathy that you've been tossed in here with the rest of us."