When the Past Returns - BBC Sherlock Fanfic

Chapter 14 - The Truth

The muffled voices of her friends could be heard echoing around the small room she was being held in. Penny was left waiting for the inevitable. With Jim no longer in the room, Penny finally had a chance to see just how much trouble she had gotten herself into. She could feel her wrists tied together but not with rope, cuffs. Damn, not an easy escape without anything to pick the lock. Her attention soon moved to her ankles. She expected them to also be secured with cuffs but was surprised at what she saw instead. They looked almost like anklets but instead of delicate jewellery, they were thick rings of weighted metal, three on each leg. Penny tried to shuffle her feet a little, just to gage how heavy they were. She could move a little but it was difficult. Why had Jim put weights on her legs? Then it hit her. Penny had always been terrified of large quantities of water, of the endless darkness. Drowning was a huge fear of hers and Jim knew it. He had used this against her to extract what he needed when he held her captive. He knew exactly how to get to her, exactly what made her tick. 

Penny tried to keep her mind focused on how to get herself free but her mind was betraying her, she couldn't think clearly. The man behind her kept a gun pressed to the back of her head. No matter what she did, getting out of this wouldn't be easy. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard shouting coming from the pool. She froze. Not wanting to miss anything, any sound or voice. Any indication of the fate of her friends. 

Seconds later, Moriarty walked back into the room, looking rather proud of himself. He smirked at Penny, almost as if he was a hunter and she was his prey.

"Your turn my little Penny," his voice was low and mischievous. Moriarty tied a piece of fabric round Penny's mouth. He pulled her up from the chair and started dragging her towards the pool. The weights around her ankles making it harder to walk. 

"Wait here," Jim ordered, leaving Penny just by the entrance to the pool, her breathing becoming heavier, every part of her shaking, her mind working overtime worrying over what she would find on the other side of that door. The Jim's voice echoed once again.

"Sorry boys! I'm so changeable!" The cheery tone of his voice sen chills down Penny's spine, it was the same cheery voice that haunted her nightmares.

"It is a weakness with me but, to be fair, it is my only weakness. But you would know all about weaknesses wouldn't you Sherlock." Penny wanted nothing more than to run out there, tell them everything, stop Jim from hurting them. But she was trapped, she felt utterly helpless. She could almost picture the scene taking place. Sherlock and John standing opposite Moriarty, they most likely had a gun or two pointed at them. Confusion on John's face, anger on Sherlock's.

I'm not sure I know what you mean," Sherlock's voice brought an ounce of comfort to Penny. 

"Oh, I think you do Sherlock. You see, I've searched and searched for your weakness and believe me, it was not easy thing. You're a hard man to crack Sherlock Holmes but after a few years of watching and waiting, I finally figured you out." There was a pause, something was wrong.

"Sherlock, what is that?" John asked, the confusion lacing his words.

"Oh John, did Sherlock not tell you?"

"Where did you get that?" The pain in Sherlock's voice was enough to make Penny moose her footing slightly. What did Moriarty have? Penny looked down to her chest noticing that a certain necklace was no longer hanging there. No!

"Why don't you come on out my dear?" Before Penny had a chance to think, the man that had been watching her grabbed her arms and pulled her out to the pool area, leaving her just at the edge of the pool. For the first time, she could finally see the scene in front of her. John was slumped against a wall by the changing areas, Sherlock stood close by, worry and anger dripping from his features. Moriarty stood parallel to her, smiling wickedly as his eyes moved to the necklace that hung from his finger. The diamond ring that hung so delicately reflecting what little light there was in the room.