OUTSIDE MOLLY HOOPER'S HOME

After leaving Molly behind, Will decided to head straight for 221B Baker Street. Typically he would've been going to Molly in order to leave the case behind, but now he was leaving her behind and going to work on the case as much as he could. He needed something, anything, to get his mind of her and everything he'd done to her.

Of course, Sherlock would likely find a way to see precisely what happened just by glancing at him for a moment. Then he would have to explain how he pressured Molly into leaving him, and how he had to get away from all of it in a single fell swoop. He was sick of having to explain things to Sherlock as it always ended up seemingly being messed up.

John, on the other hand, might understand. From what Will was aware of, he was having troubles as well. The details of this were more than a little foggy, but it appeared it had something to with his wife, Mary. Maybe he'd be able to sympathasize with Will in one way or another. But, then again, that would require fixating his mind back on Molly and back on that experience.

He hadn't even made his way back to the street before he found himself regretting the decision he had just made. No, Will didn't even allow himself to look back once. He tried to make everything seem better by thinking that in reality he was protecting her, but he was never convinced. There was just too much controversy over it within his own mind.

He knew that if he had glanced behind himself and looked over to the hurt in Molly's eyes, he'd never have been able to find a way to leave. Will was never able to forget just how much his empathy affected him - it riddled his mind every moment of every day. But when it came to someone he cared about as much as Molly, he didn't know how much her pain would end up translating over to him.

That's why he couldn't look back. That's why he couldn't go back, knowing it would just end up in more mutual pain.

Instead of dwelling on it, Will hailed a cab to head over to Baker Street. He never would've thought a case where he felt he might've been responsible for gruesome murders would end up being something he'd use in order to get his mind off of things, but sure enough that was precisely what happened. Several minutes later, he was being greeted at the front door by John, being led into the flat that was gradually becoming more and more familiar.

Will walked into 221B to find a familiar scene. John sat down in a chair while Sherlock was spralwed out across the couch, attempting to remain within the depths of his mind palace where he could think freely. Of course, with so many other stimulants in the room this ended up being difficult to pull off. This in turn made him feel irritated.

When Sherlock got irritated he would tend to take it out on other people without truly realising it. It wasn't as if he would care even if he did realise it, of course. But this began with his deductions, things that could easily be used in a cruel manner depending on how they were phrased.

His eyes ran over Will, trying to identify what had changed in the man's life since the last time they had seen one another. Sherlock ended up letting out a melodramatic sigh as he saw just how upset Will was at the moment.

"Precisely what I need," Sherlock said. "Another man all worked up over one thing or another. When will you ordinary people understand that these things are unimportant?"

Will followed his normal suit of immediately looking over to John for some sort of explanation. This method never failed him in the past, and he fully expected it to turn out in a similar manner once again. What he got in response wasn't exactly what he believed would be the case, but it certainly wasn't a bad thing.

"I don't think you can call what's going on with me unimportant," John said. "And since you likely haven't a clue what's happened with Will, you can't say that what he's going through is unimportant either."

"Then what is going on, Will?" Sherlock asked.

"It's..." Will began, fumbling around for words.

"Not important?" Sherlock said. "Well, if it's not important, then surely we can just push it aside. I suppose my initial reaction of it being unimportant was correct, then."

"Sherlock," John said.

"No, no, it's just - it's hard to explain," Will said. "It's a personal matter, that much is for sure."

"Are you heading back to America because of it?"

"No."

"Will it affect your ability to work on the case?"

"Not really, but-"

"Then it has to do with Molly," Sherlock said. "I had a suspicion. Thank you for confirming it."

Before Will could say anything else, Sherlock picked up his mobile and began to type away on it. It was an odd gesture in the middle of a conversation, but of course the consulting detective was known for such a thing.

"What are you doing?" Will asked.

"What does it look I'm doing?" Sherlock said, refusing to look up. "I'm texting."

"Why?" Will questioned. "Who, for that matter?" He felt his stomach beginning to drop somewhat as he thought over the few people who he could possibly be texting. For that matter, there was really only one person it could possibly be. No, he didn't want to deal with it any more.

"Let's change the subject," John recommended, seeing how everyone was being so awkward. He knew that the conversation would end up veering into his own personal life soon as well, and he wasn't sure he wanted to go through with it all.

"I'm not sure how far the subject can be changed, not with the two of you experiencing such similar problems," Sherlock began.

"We have similar problems," Will said, tilting his head to the side slightly as he looked over to John.

"Maybe similar isn't the best word to explain it, but there are certainly parallels that are impossible to ignore-" Sherlock said before he was cut off.

"Sherlock, don't," John said. "I want to be the one to explain it." Before he continued, he found himself heaving out an enormous sigh. He turned around to Will, folding his hands in front of him. "You remember Mary, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, apparently there's a lot she hasn't been telling me or anyone else," John continued explaining. "When Sherlock was shot...she was the one who shot him."

"Oh, God," Will immediately groaned. "But..."

"No one was expecting it," John said. "Let alone me. We still live together, but we almost never talk. If it weren't for her being pregnant, I don't know what I would've done..." He raised his hands up to his temples and began to massage them in an attempt to prevent himself from being ignored.

"She's pregnant?"

John stared over to Will for a moment, his words processing in his mind. "You really don't know what's going on around here, do you?"

"Well, no. I don't come here all that often."

"And yet we know most of everything that's going on in your life at the moment," John said.

"Yes..."

"John, I don't see why you're making this out to be such a big deal," Sherlock said, coming into the conversation. As his problems concerning romantic relationships didn't go very far, he didn't have much sympathy for either of the other men. "My deductions allow me to decipher a significant portion of other people's lives - I can know much about them without them knowing a thing about me."

"But Will isn't just some random person off the streets," John protested. "He's our partner in solving this case."

"Your point is?"

"If he's not prying into our lives, then we shouldn't be prying into his," John said, wondering why this simple point didn't seem to get to Sherlock.

"I don't mind it all that much," Will said. This was somewhat of a lie - he definitely had an issue with people trying to dig into his personal life, but he'd rather have that than them attempting to analyse how it affected him and what his mind was like. At least they'd be treating him like a person instead of a science experiment if that was the case.

The sound of a doorbell rang throughout the flat, preventing the men from saying anything more. John realised he would have to be the one to answer the door as usual, so he ended up heading off to do so.

"Not a client," Sherlock murmured to himself. "The pressure wasn't right for a client, which either means it's someone aiming to kill us, or it's..."

"Mycroft," John's voice said, echoing over from the door. Sherlock gave a slight nod of his head - this was precisely what he had been expecting from the ring. Well, either his umbrella-wielding brother or a knife-wielding assassin. Either one would've been equally unpleasant and likely to occur.

Will, of course, didn't have much of a clue what was going on. The name Mycroft didn't hold any specific sort of meaning for him. But because of this, he certainly wasn't going to try asking anyone precisely what was going on. He didn't want to make a bad first impression - that was something he'd done far too many times in the past.

But then John led Mycroft into the flat, both wearing somewhat forced smiles upon their lips.

"Mycroft," Sherlock said. "What a pleasant surprise."

"I'd appreciate less sarcasm, Sherlock," he said. Before he said more, he glanced around the room at all of the others. He spotted both Will and John, giving a slight nod. "Good, all of you are here."

"All of us?" Sherlock asked. "Well, I suppose that does make sense - usually you'd just pluck John off the street if you wanted to speak with him, and you'd text me. As for Will, I can't say I know what you would do, but I suppose it wouldn't be very enjoyable."

"I wish to speak to all of you about the case. As you are all involved, it is necessary for me to speak to all of you. It is far easier to do this when you are together. Now...this nonsense has to stop," Mycroft began.

"Nonsense? Oh, Mycroft, how kind of you to call my work nonsense," Sherlock said, his voice dripping with sarcasm simply because he knew how much it would set his older brother off. "What business do you have, bursting in here without any warning?"

"You are correct in assuming that my business here pertains to the case you are working on," Mycroft replied. "You must stop the case immediately - all of the work you are doing must end immeditely."

"You're kidding," John said. "You must be kidding. There's a serial killer who's killing people and turning them into toys, and you want us to stop."

"If the killer continues his trend, then it's likely several more people might end up dead by the end of the month," Will said, softly finding a moment to inject his own thoughts into the conversation. "We have to solve this in order to prevent those lives from being lost."

"What you do not understand is that this is a matter of international importance," Mycroft explained.

"You have a way of being vague when it suits you best," Sherlock said. "But I believe that there is something you are not yet saying. There's a deeper motive behind this, and somehow I don't feel that has anything to do with international importance. You wouldn't come here personally in order for international importance, no. You only visit me if it's of the utmost personal importance."

"My reasons do not need to be shared," Mycroft pressed. "There is much you don't understand, Sherlock. Even if you believe you are a genius, you must remember that there are many things that are beyond you."

"You don't control me, Mycroft."

"I don't believe anyone fully controls you, Sherlock," Mycroft sighed. "But that does not matter - what does is that it is imperative that you listen to me. You must end this case immediately. Suspend whatever work you're doing."

"People will die," John said. "People will die if you make us stop."

"There will be a fate worse than death waiting for many more if you continue," Mycroft said, the glistening edge of a threat like a blade starting to appear in his words. "This is not a request. This is a command, and the case is over."

"I can go home now," Will stated. "If the case is over, then I can just go home." Behind his words, he was hoping that they were true - he could run away from it, all of it, and never have to look back. That would make everything so much easier.

"The case is not over until it is completed," Sherlock said.

"The case is over because I say that it is over, Sherlock," Mycroft said, a warning tone creeping into his voice. "I don't wish to have to force you into this, knowing that you'll do everything in your power to fight against me, but you must listen to me."

"Give me one good reason why I should listen to you."

"Sorry, but do Will and I get any say in this?" John said. He wore a scowl on his face - he had enough troubles in his life, and he certainly didn't need any more from the two Holmes brothers bickering with one another. "We've played quite a part in working on this case and it's only fair if we're alowed to listen to what its fate is going to be."

"I don't believe that either of you are so attached to the case that you'd be willing to fight over it," Mycroft stated. "But, of course, Sherlock is rather stubborn on these sorts of things."

"I gave you an opportunity to give me a reason," Sherlock said. "Just one good reason, Mycroft. Surely you are capable of that."

"Here is your reason, Sherlock. This case involves Charles Augustus Magnussen. That is all I will say."

"And it's not enough."

Mycroft took in a sharp inhalation, trying to avoid being deeply bothered by his younger brother's reaction to what he had said. His eyelids fluttered shut as he tried to think through a better way to explain this.

"All of you are in a dangerous place if you continue to work on this case," Mycroft explained. "Not just you, Sherlock. Your friends and family may be in danger as well if you get any closer on this case. This simply will not work out."

"Practically every case we take involves danger," John said. "I get that Magnussen is a horrible person, but why is this so much more dangerous than anything else we've done before."

"Magnussen is connected to far too many people for you to understand."

Will shook his head, unwilling to jump into the conversation. Now that he knew there was a possibility he could go home, he couldn't help but feel a deep yearning for it to come true. But of course, it seemed like he didn't have much of a say in what was happening. That much became clear from a very early point in this conversation.

Nevertheless, he wished that he could somehow expain his side of the situation - it didn't seem like anyone aside from John would care, but he simply could not help the feeling. No, if only someone would just listen to him. Of course, that would require him to speak up first, which was something he felt incapable of doing.

"What the hell does Magnussen have to do with this case?" John asked.

"Telling me precisely how Magnussen is involved would require me to divulge facts that I simply cannot speak about."

"Magnussen is not a murderer, however," Sherlock said. "Surely you can't be blaming him of killing all these people? However horrid the murders might be, I still believe Magnussen could do much worse with what he does already."

"They're stuffed humans," John cried out in disbelief. "Human beings with almost all of their insides taken out and replaced with fluff! How could Magnussen do worse?"

"I would tell you, John," Sherlock said. "But I'm sure that Mycroft would be furious at me for revealing international secrets. Except of course, they aren't truly secrets. He would just be acting in a petty way."

"It's not petty, Sherlock. I can assure you, they most certainly are secrets. Any powerful figure in the world would agree with me on this front, I assure you."

"Including yourself, Mycroft?"

"Sherlock, you cannot keep making this seem like a feud between the two of us. It's childish."

"Then you should cease your feuding with me," Sherlock suggested.

"I have stated my side of the situation, and yet you still refuse to follow what I say. I have requested you drop this case due to Magnussen's involvement," Mycroft explained. He raised his gaze to a point just about his brother's head, not even willing to look at him.

"Who is Magnussen?" Will asked.

"A person who you shall not speak of outside of this household," Mycroft said, continuing to stare straight forwards.

"He uses the weaknesses of many people against themselves," Sherlock said. "I suppose that is the only safe way I could explain such a thing, at least in Mycroft's mind."

John realised that he wasn't at liberty to further explain the situation with Magnussen any more. Mycroft constantly stressed how anything relating to the horrid man was certainly containing facts about people all around the world - including his own wife, for that matter.

Every man in the room ended up stuck in an unfortunate sort of block in their way - no one seemed to be able to get what they wanted. It was a gridlock of the worst kind, with no end in sight.

"Magnussen has connections to this case, even if he was not directly involved in the actions taking place," Mycroft said. "We simply cannot risk going any further, especially considering how dangerous this murderer is. If the killer is to strike again, we can assume they may be coming after those trying to apprehend him."

"Thank you, Mycroft, for further confirming several details of which I have been suspicious of. I believe that I should be able to put them to good use and complete this case."

"Sherlock, I believe I have made it fully clear that you cannot!"

"Since the end result of this argument decides when I get to go home, I'd like to hear it," Will said, deciding to finally just speak his mind. Mycroft only glanced at him for a moment, almost as if he was specifically trying not to look at him. This only furthered the feeling that Will was little more than a ghost in 221B Baker Street at the moment.

"I will propose a deal," Mycroft decided. "I will make up a fair exchange, and we will go onwards from there if you are to accept it. I suppose you are all willing to listen what I have to propose?"

While indeed everyone was willing to listen  to Mycroft, the only person who's say really mattered at the end of the day had to be Sherlock's. In all sincerity, he was actually the only one who was causing trouble with Mycroft - he just couldn't help but mess around with his older brother.

Their family feud started so early in their lives - while there were moments of brotherly affection, more often than not they ended up fighting over various things. For the longest time, Mycroft held Sherlock under his thumb. Then, as Sherlock grew up, he learned to fight back. While this had never expanded into anything serious, they were always bound to fight when around one another.

But of course, Mycroft didn't feel like continuing to argue with Sherlock at this time and place. Too many minutes had already been wasted away on their conversations, and he was simultaneously losing the attention of Will and John. If anything was to be done to convince his brother, it would have to be this moment.

"Fine," Mycroft said. "I will tell you precisely what is going on, but only if you drop the case once I am done explaining. I believe you will understand once I am complete."

Sherlock shared a glance with each Will and John, making sure they were all on the same page about the situation. Evidently he recieved the answers he required in order to move onwards, as he looked over to Mycroft in order to respond.

"I accept your offer," Sherlock said. "In exchange for you explaining everything, I will fall under your omniescent regime and do as you say and give up the case."

A/N You know bad things are about to go down whenever Mycroft gets involved - especially when he's demanding them to shut down a case immediately! Well, the big plot twist is coming next chapter...I've been giving a fair amount of foreshadowing, so I'll give you another hint. The devils are in the details, indeed. Pay particular attention to some of the last few lines Sherlock has used in His Last Vow, before the "did you miss me" came up. And then, just look at Will Graham over the last season of Hannibal. Just think.