The Swan Queen | Sherlock

All You Have To Do Is...

 The room was quiet. You might think I was here myself, but you'd be wrong. I was never alone. I might never be alone again. The only sound which came was the clock chiming. Another hour had passed. There was only one left until midnight, until the wedding day. I didn't really want to think about what that meant for me.

My mind was whirling. Of all the scenarios I thought might happen to me, this really wasn't one of them. I was too blindsided to focus. Couldn't take it all in.

All the while there he was, standing before me, looking not at all like the Jim Moriarty I knew, nor was he Rich Brook. He almost felt like the man I'd first met, who complimented my dancing and took me to dinner. We'd shared a kiss once, twice, several times. I'd been enamoured by him for some reason, which was unlike me. And he was nothing but nice to me, which was unlike him.

But that had all been an act. Much like I imagined right now was too. And yet, there was that curiosity again...

"If I agree to you, what about my family? Will they be safe?"

He scoffed, as though I'd asked such a stupid question. "They've always been safe, Sam, so long as they've played the game properly, they've never been in any real danger of dying."

You did once fasten a bomb to John Watson. And blow up Baker Street.

"Would you leave them alone?"

"If it's what you want. I told you, you can have anything."

I think I was beginning to understand this game now.

"Ok, I would want my family - including John Watson and Mrs Hudson - to be left alone. You don't hurt them, or toy with them in any way."

"Does that extend to your long-lost brother too?"

Apollo. I'd almost forgotten about him. I thought about it for a moment, remembered the conversations I'd had about him. My brother. "Him you can do as you please, I don't care."

He smirked. "Any other requests?"

I'm sure I could come up with several, but my mind was currently blank. "None for the moment. I'll be sure to let you know when I do."

"No rush," he replied, "We'll have all the time in the world." He moved to touch my hair again but I took a step back.

"I said if I agree, this is all hypothetical."

"Of course. But you should know, I can be so changeable. The longer you take to make up your mind I might have changed mine."

"And what would that mean? You'd kill me?"

He screwed up his face. "Kill you? No, I probably wouldn't kill you. I'll maybe have you locked up somewhere where no one knows where you are and no one can hear you scream, then you'll be begging for me to kill you. Now that doesn't sound like much fun, does it?"

No, it doesn't.

"Or, you could be a brave girl, give in to your desires and we could have a happy life together."

"Mycroft would never let that happen, wherever you planned on taking me he would find you."

"Darling, you would be amazed what I've managed to get away with under his nose. Your uncle could search all of heaven and earth, he wouldn't find you. Which brings me to the terms." Every time he took a step towards me, I took several back. He kept advancing as he spoke. "I let you live in a nice house, fill it with all of the nicest things you could ever want, take you anywhere you want to go. You need never lift a finger again, I will take care of you."