The day after your visit to Mrs. Adair, Sherlock was already hard at work trying to find this Sebastian Moran. He had all the contents of Mr. Adair's file pinned up on the evidence wall. Three laptops sat on the dining table. None of them were currently open.
It was nine thirty in the morning when you emerged from the bedroom. You found Sherlock standing on the couch, going over the information posted on the wall. He glanced back when he heard you enter.
"Good morning," He greeted you with a warm smile.
You tried to return the favor, but you were still too shaken to do so. "Morning," You said in response, subconsciously rubbing your stomach.
Sherlock noticed how rattled you seemed and his expression morphed to one of confusion and concern. "Are you all right?"
"Hmm?"
"You seem...off." He stepped on the coffee table and then dropped to the ground. "Ever since yesterday you've been different. Upset, maybe? Are you upset with me? Did I do something wrong? Did I upset you at the Adairs'?"
You shook your head. "No, no. It's not that. I just..." You ran a hand through your hair. "...I don't know."
Sherlock watched you for a moment. He then waved you forward. "Come here."
You raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what he was about to do. He urged you closer again so you gave in. He took your hands in his and then directed you to sit. You both sat down on the floor in the middle of the living room. He scooted closer to you, still holding your hands.
"Y/n, when we got married, we made promises to each other. We promised to love one another. We promised we'd stick by when one of us is sick. We promised we'd be there for one another no matter what. So, we need to be honest with each other, yeah?"
You sighed and nodded. "Yeah."
"All right. Now talk to me," He urged. "And tell the truth."
You laughed a bit. "What, you want me to promise you? Swear it?"
Sherlock shrugged, a small smile gracing his lips. "Maybe."
You smiled widely, straightened up, and placed your right hand over your heart while lifting your left hand. "'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,'" You jokingly quoted from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Come on. Quit quoting things I've never seen or read."
You gave him a playful shove, before getting serious. "I swear I will tell you the truth."
"Thank you."
You took a deep breath and then dove into your explanation. You told him everything that happened while you were at the Adairs' house. The sick feeling when you entered Samuel's room, the way you related Samuel's situation to Victor's, the panic attack you had in the washroom, throwing up, all of it.
Sherlock sat there and listened to everything you had to say. He was very attentive to you.
"I just feel so lost," You said, finishing your story.
Sherlock was silent for a minute. You knew he was thinking about what to say, so you waited patiently. You needed his help in this situation.
Finally, Sherlock spoke, "It's difficult for me to find the right words to say. I don't want to mess this up, because I want to help you."
"And I want your help," You said, voice wavering.
Sherlock nodded understandingly. "It's been three years since the Musgrave incident. I would understand if you still haven't been able to put Victor from your mind yet."
You gulped, nodding along as you knew he was right.
"It has been many years since Moriarty last meddled with us. You went through a lot during that time. He kidnapped you from work, targeted you, threatened you. So, it makes sense that this case would bring up those memories."
You lowered your head, trying to keep your breathing under control at the resurfaced memories. "Yes," You said softly.
Sherlock bit the inside of his cheek and then said, "I understand if you don't want to continue with this case."
You looked back up as he said this. "What?"
"If this case is going to cause you so much discomfort, you don't have to help," He explained.
"Sherlock, no. I want to help," You said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'll be fine from now on. I think I just needed to get the emotions out of my system," You assured him. "Plus, now we know that it isn't actually Moriarty or even Eurus."
"I never once suspected it was Eurus," Sherlock clarified.
"Nevertheless, it isn't her. It's this Sebastian Moran. This is a completely new case, and I will be completely fine to help out."
Sherlock studied you for a moment. He saw the determination in your eyes and then nodded firmly. "All right then. Let's get to work."
You smiled at him. "Yes! Let's get to work!"
Before standing up, Sherlock kissed your hand and then pulled you up to your feet. The two of you walked over to the wall covered with information on Moran.
"Have any ideas yet?" You asked.
"I've been studying the information all night. There are multiple known aliases listed, dozens of listed locations, and a decent number of photos to help us ID him," Sherlock explained.
"Are any of his known addresses worth looking into?"
"That would be the most obvious thing to do."
"Maybe obvious is best?" You suggested.
"Maybe," He said, scratching his head.
You stepped onto the couch and grabbed the list of locations. "We should start with the most recent place." You pointed to the address at the top of the page. "This one is dated May 22 of this year."
Sherlock looked over at the page. "That's not too far from the Adairs' house." He glanced away, his eyes flickering back and forth quickly as he thought it through. "Yes. Yes, I think this is our best option." He snatched the paper from you and started walking away. "Excellent work, my love!"
You smiled widely, blushing at the praise he was giving you.
"Come on! We're heading over there now," He said, already walking out the door. You followed after him. "John!" Sherlock shouted up the stairs.
A moment later, the squeaking of a door was heard and then John calling out, "Yeah?"
"Get yourself ready! The game is on!"
You faintly heard John sigh. "I'll be there in a minute!"
"Hurry!"
At the bottom of the stairs, Sherlock handed you your coat and then grabbed his own. As soon as you both were ready, John had arrived.
He held up a finger to tell you both to wait a minute. He walked over to Mrs. Hudson's flat and knocked. The landlady appeared soon after.
"Hello, John," She greeted. "Are you here to get Rosie?"
John shook his head. "No, actually I was hoping you could watch her today? We have a case."
Mrs. Hudson looked past him to you and Sherlock. She nodded in understanding. "Of course. I'll take good care of her."
"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson." He then turned back to the group and said, "Let's get going."
Sherlock clapped his hands together. "Yes! Off we go!"
The three of you rushed outside, hailed a cab, and rode towards Sebastian Moran's last known location.
•
•
•
The three of you stood before Moran's house. You were shocked to see a huge mansion! Not that you should have been all that surprised. After all, he did work for Moriarty. And yet, your mouth sat agape as you stared at the home.
"Why is it that the criminals get the fancy houses?" You asked.
"One of life's cruel jokes," Sherlock said in response.
He then started towards the house, you and John following after him.
As a preliminary caution, the three of you examined the perimeter first. You journeyed across the grounds, peeked through windows, and tested the locks.
You all regrouped again by the front door.
"It doesn't seem like anyone is here," John said.
"Appearances aren't everything, John," Sherlock said. "We are going to be thorough, which means we're going to look inside."
"The doors are all locked," John commented.
Sherlock didn't say anything. Instead, he looked over at you. At first, you didn't understand the look he gave you. When it clicked, you groaned and rolled your eyes.
"You're gonna make me break in?" You asked.
"If you wouldn't mind."
You shook your head and walked over to the door. "If we get arrested, I'm going to blame you. You know that right?"
"I would expect nothing less," Sherlock said with a smile.
You knelt down to be eye level with the keyhole. You luckily had bobby-pins in your hair that you could use for this occasion. It took you less than two minutes to pick the lock. You twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.
As you stood back up to your feet, Sherlock showered you with praises. He kissed you on the cheek as he rushed inside. You were trying to hide your smile as you also walked into the house.
"So, what's the plan?" John asked.
Sherlock instantly held out two torches. You blinked in surprise before taking one from him.
"We'll split up," He said, pulling one more torch from his coat pocket. "You two search the lower floor. I'll check upstairs."
You clicked on your torch. "Were you planning on breaking in?"
"I was simply prepared for the eventuality that we would need to break in," He explained, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Search everywhere. If Moran is here, we need to find him. If he is here, then Samuel Adair might be also."
You and John nodded. "Got it."
Sherlock gave a thumbs up and then ran upstairs, leaving you and John still standing in the entryway.
"Well, I guess we better start looking," You said.
You ventured farther into the house, taking in the excellently furnished sitting room to the left and the dining room to the right. You chose to go right first, quickly scanning the dining room before moving on to the kitchen. John joined you a moment later. You did a double take when you realized he'd followed you.
"Is everything all right?" You asked.
"Yes, fine," He said. "I just wanted to speak to you about something."
You raised your eyebrows in slight surprise. You then nodded while continuing your search, looking through the kitchen cabinets. "Okay, go ahead."
John cleared his throat and then said, "I've started to notice something off with you, y/n."
You paused for a moment. "Oh?"
"I don't believe it to be anything bad. In fact, I think it might be quite the opposite," John continued, also looking through the cabinets. "The data I've collected over the past few weeks lines up with conditions similar to those Mary experienced before our wedding."
You knew where he was going with this conversation. You wanted nothing more than to run away and escape the confirmation of the truth you feared. But you stood your ground, trying to calm your pounding heart.
"You're starting to sound like Sherlock," You said.
John chuckled a bit and shrugged. "One of the benefits of living with him, I suppose."
You tried to laugh too, but your nerves were getting the better of you. John quickly got serious again though.
"Y/n, in all seriousness, have you considered the possibility that you might be pregnant?"
You felt a sickening lurch in your stomach again. You placed your hand on your abdomen, rubbing it until the feeling subsided. "Why should I think that?"
"Well, there's a few signs now that I've noticed. Morning sickness, mild mood swings, a change in appetite-"
You held up your hands. "All right, all right. You've made your point."
"And you know, if I've noticed all this, Sherlock has to have noticed also," John explained to which you nodded. "So?"
"Yes," You whispered. "Yes, I have considered that I'm pregnant."
"And?" John pried.
"And nothing. I haven't done a pregnancy test."
John laughed in disbelief. "Why not?"
"Because! It's like you said, if you've noticed all this, Sherlock has too. But he's said nothing," You cried. "And that scares me, because what if that means he doesn't want kids? What if he doesn't want me to be pregnant?"
John shook his head. "I don't think that's true. My guess is that...maybe he's just scared."
"I...I don't know," You said.
John stepped toward you and it seemed as though he were going to say more. But you couldn't bear it anymore. You backed away, shaking your head. He stayed where he was, and you fled the room, running to the other side of the house.
You stopped in one of the sitting rooms, resting in one of the chairs by the empty fireplace. You rested your head against your palm while taking deep breaths to calm yourself down.
Once your nerves were under control, you opened your eyes and stared at the darkened fireplace. Could it really be possible that you were pregnant? Or was there a chance that it was something else entirely? You weren't sure which option you wanted to be true.
The sound of footsteps coming from down the hall and from above you drew your attention back to the matter at hand. You needed to keep looking for any sign of Sebastian Moran. With a firm nod of resolve, you held up your torch and entered the first door you found.
It was a decent sized room—a study. It was situated almost exactly like Mr. Adair's study. It was simply larger and had a very different choice of decorations. On the shelves there were human skulls in glass cases. Shotguns and pistols were mounted on the walls above the bookshelves. And there, sitting at the desk was the man you were looking for.
"Welcome, Mrs. Holmes," He greeted you.
It took you a full minute to collect yourself. When you found your voice again, you managed to say, "Mr. Moran, I presume?"
"Right you are," He said, standing up from his seat.
You instinctively took a step back and bumped into the open door, which creaked to the touch. You glanced back through to the sitting room you were just in. Just as the thought of running to John or Sherlock had crossed your mind, you watched as the door closed with a loud slam. You gasped and looked back to where you'd last seen Moran. You jumped in fright when you saw him standing right beside you, his hand resting on the closed door. He then slid his hand down the door to the handle and locked it.
"I hope you weren't planning on leaving," He said with a smile.
You gulped nervously. "Of course not."
"Good." He walked around behind you, running his finger along your shoulders as he did.
Your body instantly tensed. "Don't..." You demanded, "...don't do that."
Moran chuckled and shook his head. "Apologies. It's just so wonderful to see you again."
Your eyebrows furrowed at that. He spoke as though the two of you were friends being reunited. But you'd never met him until now, right?
"What are you talking about?" You asked.
He walked back in front of you, smiling widely. "You don't remember?"
You shook your head slightly. "Remember...?"
"I suppose it makes sense that you don't know. It was years ago when I found you. Such a long and difficult shift you had suffered through that day at the café."
Your eyes began to widen as the realization slowly dawned on you.
"I guess I was a bit too late to order myself a cuppa that night, eh? It was way past closing time."
Tears stung your eyes as you recalled the night he was talking about. The night Sherlock and Moriarty first met. The night you were kidnapped and used as leverage.
"Y-you..." You said. "...you kidnapped me and held me at gunpoint!"
He held his arms out to the side and bowed. "Guilty as charged."
You covered your mouth with your hand and let out a shaky breath. Moran was thriving off of your panic and discomfort.
"I must say," He said, "I didn't quite expect you to be the one to find me in here."
You blinked rapidly, trying to focus back in on the present situation. You threw your hands out to the sides in a questioning manner. "So what?" You asked, regaining your voice. "Shall I pat myself on the back for catching you off guard?"
Moran laughed at that. "Oh, y/n. I am by no means 'caught off guard.' I was prepared for any eventuality for which one of you would walk through that door first, as per my instructions."
"Instructions?"
"My employers instructions. Jim Moriarty's final assignment for me."
Hearing his name sent a cold feeling through you. The only comfort you took from that sentence was the fact that Sebastian Moran just confirmed the consulting criminal's death. This was Moriarty's last request—a request sent to his right hand man.
"And what are your instructions?" You questioned. "Or are you not allowed to say?"
"I do have free will," He said. "I can tell you the plan if I wanted to."
"Do you want to?"
"Yes, I do. The plan is simple, really. I get to tear you all apart." His maniacal laughter echoed throughout the room. "Jim's final revenge brought about through me."
"And what about the Adairs?" You asked. "What about Samuel?"
"Ah yes. The little boy and his family. There isn't much to read into with that whole situation. It was merely the way I chose to get Sherlock's attention. Plus, it was an excuse to finally kill Mr. Adair. He had been getting too close to to uncovering some very important information."
"Is Samuel here?" You questioned.
"He is. Your husband should be coming close to finding him," Moran answered. "Unfortunately, none of you will be leaving this place. You have all walked right into my trap."
Right at that moment, a loud pounding met your ears. Someone was banging loudly against the door to the study.
"Y/n?" John shouted. "Y/n, are you in there?"
You rushed to the door, falling against it as your legs slightly gave way. "John! I'm in here!"
"Y/n!" He shouted again. "The door's locked, I can't get in."
Your eyes flitted down to the lock. Just as you were about to grab it and unlock the door, the sound of a gun cocking drew your attention.
"If you would be so kind as to step away from the door, Mrs. Holmes, that would be greatly appreciated," Moran said calmly.
You were momentarily paralyzed in fear. Slowly, you turned around to face him. He waved you aside so that you were no longer standing near the door.
John continued to pound against it from the other side. From the sounds, you guessed he was throwing himself against it, trying to break through. You silently prayed that he would succeed.
"Are you going to kill me?" You asked Sebastian.
He clicked his tongue once and then shook his head. "No. No, I'm not going to kill you yet, Mrs. Holmes. I have bigger plans for you." He smiled psychotically. "For both of you."
Your eyebrows furrowed as you wondered what he meant by both. But it became clear as the door burst open and John stumbled in. Moran reacted very quickly, kicking the door back towards him. It hit John and he was knocked into the wall, sliding down to the floor.
"John!" You screamed.
You tried to rush forward, but Moran redirected his attention to you at that moment. You only took one step when you were smacked in the face by the butt of Moran's gun. You dropped to the ground, the world spinning. You saw the blurry figure of Sebastian walking over to John again before your eyes closed and you welcomed the darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/n: I'm so sorry for taking longer to get this chapter posted. I'm trying my best to balance life and writing during the summer. 😅
Anyway, I have a question for you guys. I want your input for what I should do in regard to y/n being pregnant or not. I have no decided which I would like to do, so I want you guys to vote on which option you'd prefer. Should y/n be pregnant or not?
I hope you guys have been enjoying the story! Thank you for reading and voting and supporting so far!
As always, I love you all a crazy bunch! 😜💖
~Crazygirlp13