A Game Played Close To The Chest (iamsherlocked/JimFromIT)

Come to this address, or your blogger dies.

A bit cliche' for Jim's taste, but it was to the point. He didn't want to waste time with his usual teasing; he wanted Sherlock here now. Adding John to his game would get him what he wanted, and he knew that it would hit the detective where it counted. Enough to bring him directly to him. This would be interesting.

Jim smirked to himself, reviewing the texts that he and Sherlock had exchanged. There was something about this man that fascinated him; something that made him desperate for his attention. If he had known that all it took to get him was kidnapping his pet, he would've done it much sooner. He slipped his phone into his jacket pocket, and swallowed his nervousness.

((XD))

Sherlock reads that message, shocked that Moriarty would kidnap John, that John had been so easily kidnapped, and that this was so straightforward. This wasn't like Moriarty, so what was under it? No doubt he wanted to lure Sherlock to him, but why? Although he wanted to take the time to figure this out, it would be faster and more interesting to show up.

On my way.

He hails a taxi and barks the address, "And on the double!" The taxi speeds away, and in minutes flat he arrives at the address. Flats? This hadn't been what Sherlock expected. He hurried to the large black door of the building and hit the buzzer. He couldn't help feeling out of his element, as much as he hated to admit it, Moriarty did this to him on a regular basis. He watched his breath swirl out in the form of visible vapor on this cold night, waiting to be let in.

The buzzer sounded, disrupting the silence that had settled over the flat. Finally. It seemed like ages since he had sent that text, but in reality it had only been ten minutes. He snapped his fingers, and a second man appeared from a back room. He buzzed Sherlock in, and then immediately went back to where he had come from. Jim listened for distant noises, and awaited Sherlock's appearance.

Sherlock mounted the stairs and headed to the flat number specified in the text he had received prior to coming. He knocked gingerly on the door, all senses heightened in preparation for what was sure to be an interesting if not disconcerting encounter.

The door was opened by another of Moriarty's henchmen, and Sherlock was shown inside the dim flat. Jim's pulse quickened at the approaching footsteps, and smirked up at the detective from where he was sitting when Sherlock enetered the room. He gestured for the men to leave, leaving him and Sherlock alone.

"You took long enough. I don't like waiting."

He studied the other mans face, taking in the look of savage desperation in his eyes. Sherlock had always been unpredictable, but now he was angry and desperate, something that Jim was taking a sick amusement in. He wanted to push Sherlock as far as he would go; he wanted to break him.

"Neither do I, where's John?"
The look on Moriarty's face was annoying the hell out of him. He just wanted to get this over with, it was obvious that Jim was planning something that wouldn't be enjoyable for him. He didn't feel like dealing with this tonight, he just wanted to get John safely back and then see what information he could gather from Moriarty.

"John John John...it's all about him, isn't it? Let's forget about Dr. Watson for a moment."

He smiled and stood up. "Scotch or Brandy?" The confused look on Sherlock's face made him laugh.
"You'll refuse at first, but you will take the drink."

"Just assure me that John is safe and I will accept your invitation for a drink, I prefer scotch."

He sits down in an armchair, it's apparent that even in his haste, Jim has plans to keep him around, so indulging them is the path of least resistance, and it's possible that a lot can be learned from keeping the company of Jim Moriarty.

((Much can be learned haha I didn't even realize the subtext in that until I wrote it. XD))

So Sherlock has gathered that he intends to keep him for a while. Good. Much less talking to be had later on. Not that there would be much talking from anyone but him if things went accordingly.

"John's being released as we speak."

He poured Sherlock a glass of Scotch, and handed him the drink. He found himself wondering what Sherlock would be like if he was drunk, and played with the idea a bit.

He takes the glass from Jim and takes a large sip. It was very good scotch, high quality and aged to perfection, he took another swig then set the glass down neatly on the table next to his chair.

"And what do you intend to do with me once you get me drunk?"

He wasn't having this game, not now, at least not without a little convincing.

Jim smiled at Sherlock's question. He had only toyed with the idea for a moment and Sherlock already got the hint. His mind was brilliant, and surely one of a kind.

"Does that mean you'll drink with me then?"

He had no intention of both of them getting drunk, of course. He wanted to be fully aware at all times, and he wouldn't be able to do that while shitfaced in the same room as his 'archenemy'. Though it would be funny...

"I'd need a good reason to."
Sherlock was doing something he barely ever had to do, stall for time. He had deduced that Jim wanted to get him drunk easily enough, but what he wanted to do afterward? At this point Sherlock was kind of hoping it would just be some ploy for information, some way to manipulate him into some compromising position. But the vibes Moriarty was putting off were all wrong, he had a different sort of plan, one Sherlock was reasonably sure he had little to no experience in.

"Mmm..never a man without reasons, are you?"

He pauses and pours himself a drink. Sherlock was confused, and this meant that what he was doing was working. Jim didn't quite know where he was going with all of this, but knew that he wanted to keep going. He was enjoying just playing mind games with the detective, and the real fun hadn't even started yet.

"What do you want? And don't be predictable and say John."

He hesitates, wondering if he should be honest or fabricate something, but if he fabricated something Jim would surly see through it. He took another long drink of his scotch, mulling over what it was he truly wanted. After a long pause he answered quietly.

"I want always to be entertained, feel I have a sense of purpose, and see a benefit from my toils."

Probably not what Moriarty wanted, but it was true, and something he held very close to his chest. Why he had disclosed it to Jim when John hadn't even heard it baffled him. Sherlock took another drink, was it something in the scotch?

"Do you now? Are you sure you're on the right side, Sherlock?"

He grinned as he took a sip of his drink, keeping his eyes locked on Sherlock's.

"Because you know.." He paused and held his glass in his lap.
"..well, you already know what I'm going to say. The point is you're wasting your talent."

"Still. Could be worse. You could be a psychic. How funny would that be?"

"I hardly see it as wasting." Returning his gaze.

"I get to stop people like you from taking advantage of others purely for 'entertainment.'" A tiny smile plays across his lips.

"Do you have a cigarette?"

"Taking advantage? You dirty hypocrite."

He grinned playfully. The other man was kidding himself if he thought that what he did wasn't taking advantage of the people he helped. Breaking into buildings, witholding evidence, and analyzing everyones dirty little secrets. Not by the book, and certainly not approved by the London police. It was criminal, and it was genius.

"Still, you can't blame me. They should almost thank me, don't you think? Imagine how boring their little lives are. How insignificant. I cause a bit of trouble, and bam! Everyone is excited over all of the commotion. Everyone including you, Sherlock."

"The general public would be excited over a new flavour of ice cream."

He practically scoffs, "You waste your time, people don't understand the bigger plans you lay, except for me."

He takes another long sip of scotch.

"But this isn't what you brought me here for is it?" Sherlock was getting tired of playing these games, he wanted to get to the bottom of what Moriarty wanted.

"What do you want?"

"It was just a game at first. Just to amuse myself. You wouldn't believe how boring simple heists can be...or maybe you can."

He smiles. "But then you had to catch on. Though, I will admit that the cabbie was getting to be a bit troublesome. I should thank you for taking care of him. But the others I could of used. I'm still a teeeensy bit upset about that."

He could tell that Sherlock was frustrated and wanted answers. Too bad. He would haveto wait just a bit longer.

"But I don't regret it. No...you added to my equation and made it more...fun. Much more enjoyable than having the London police chase my informants around."

"What I want? You've gotten this far, Sherlock. Don't dissapoint me now."

Like a marionette, Sherlock was just being paraded around and made to answer questions by Moriarty. As annoying and degrading as this was, he couldn't see a way out of answering, he knew what Moriarty wanted, but to say it out loud would take away a pretend security that existed in keeping one's hand a secret.

"You want to have more fun, because at this point, just playing mere intellectual games with me isn't cutting it, you want something more, something where the stakes are much higher and the decisions made surly cannot be taken back."

Sherlock looked intensely into Moriarty's eyes, leaning forward on his knees, his glass of scotch in both hands.

"Am I wrong?"

"High stakes and permanent decisions. Very me."

He mimicked Sherlock's movements, and then let his eyes travel for a moment. He was right; he wanted something more from this situation. He wasn't quite sure what that something was, or if he could keep Sherlock long enough to execute it, but he was aready acting impulsively. What's a little more intensity?

"Mmmm...perfect. A bit rusty on the details, but you gave us the general idea."

"You haven't figured all the details yet, you're still planning and you're stalling for time by having me guess what you want to do. In addition, you hope that I will suggest something more interesting than the thoughts you are already entertaining. You have a vague idea of what situation you want to get me in but not how to get me there. My only response to that would be,"

He pauses, taking the last sip from his glass and placing it back on the table next to his chair.

"With convincing." That's the ace in the hole and all the tension is shifted back on Moriarty, all things considered, Sherlock wasn't doing to bad for himself, minus the fact he couldn't find a way to get out of this flat, not now.

"Oh, very good!"

He sat us straighter, and brought his hands together in mock applause.

"Except..you missed one tiiiiny little detail. I began 'getting you there' about.." He slid back his suit sleeve, and glanced down at his watch.
"...12 minutes ago. And a very interesting choice of words, I'd say. Have you figured it out yet?"

He watched amusingly as alarm began to surface on Sherlock's face.

"The scotch, you drugged me..."

How could he have been so stupid?! He could tell it was affecting him already. As more time passed he was starting to find Moriarty attractive, he had been suppressing the urge but now that seemed to be impossible.

"I'm-I'm attracted to you, I want-want to be with you."

The words coming out of his mouth didn't seem like his, but they felt right.

"Again, very good. I thought you might catch on too early, but I suppose I'm better at stalling than I'd hoped. As for the drug, don't worry. It won't kill you."

He was grinning madly now, not able to hold back his amusement.

"But Jim! If the drug isn't deadly, than what does it do?!" He mocked, waving his hands in the air in mock alarm.
"You've probably worked that out already, considering it's been in your system for almost 15 minutes. BUT if you insist.."

He took Sherlock's glass and brought it back to the bar. The liquor bottle was still sitting on the counter, and he uncapped it and slid out a small tube-shaped container from the inside.

"Of course, I planned on giving you more so that you would have more of the drug in your system, but this will have to do."