The Endgame (BBC Sherlock) -3-

15.5 - Defiance

(Bayley's POV)

"Okay, what's our move?" I asked.

Seeing Rachel alive was a relief. I wanted nothing more than to end Moriarty and hold my fiancée in my arms again. Feel her hair against my face. Feel her body against mine, in the innocent, tender way.

I thought about Amanda. Was what he said a bluff? Was she really...dead? Was this just a ploy to make us feel awful? How much time did we have before Moriarty grew bored and offed Rachel?

"We take matters into our own hands. We go rescue Rachel and stop Moriarty," said Sherlock.

"What about Amanda?"

"I'm afraid he was telling the truth about her. We can do nothing for her."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Please tell me you just didn't ask that," John groaned.

"We've got his location thanks to the signal he used off the computer," said Sherlock. "He's certainly grown bored, otherwise he wouldn't have provided this for us. He's either tired of waiting or he's gotten sloppy, which I doubt the latter. We put an end to this, make sure that this can't ever happen again."

"Without backup?" Mary gasped. "Shouldn't we contact Scotland Yard? We don't know what we'll be walking into here."

"You heard Moriarty," said John. "He'll act if we bring in extra bodies. It's too risky. He already took Amanda, he can't take Rachel too."

"What if we make it so he won't see it coming?"

"Wait a minute. 'We'?" John asked his wife.

"Rachel's family to me, John. We'll have Mrs. Hudson or Molly watch Rosie."

John looked at Mary like she'd gone mad. "Do you hear anything that I say anymore? I just said Moriarty will hurt Rachel if we bring in more people. Even if there was a way, I wouldn't let you go along. Rosie is already at risk to lose her father, I don't want her to lose her mother."

"You make it sound as though I can't handle my own. Let me tell you something, John Watson, I can. My past life proves it, how little you know of it." She rose her head. "Rachel needs everyone we can recruit."

"No, John's right," I agreed reluctantly. "We can't take the risk of him hurting Rachel. We need to stay here." Which infuriated me. That man knew how desperately I wanted to get to my fiancée. He knew how mad we'd all been just trying to find their damn location.

To be so close and to not go on the rescue mission...it hurt. A lot.

It wasn't that I didn't have faith in Sherlock and John, I did; I just wanted to help. I wanted to help end Moriarty as much as they did.

"Tell me what you need me to do, if I can do anything from here," I told the men.

"You can watch Mary and Rosie while we're gone," said John. "When we get Rachel back, she's going to want someone to come back to, Bayley. That someone will be you."

Grudgingly, I nodded. Mary looked as upset as I did, but we didn't bother to start a fight with the two. It wasn't worth the effort.

Sherlock fluffed out his coat. "It's time to finish this."

"Good luck," said Mary, kissing John on the cheek. "Bring her back safe."

"That is the goal," John muttered.

My anger rose as Sherlock and John left the flat to go save the woman I loved. An uncomfortable silence fell over 221B, with the exception of Rosie cooing at Mary.

"You're not actually going to listen to them, are you?" Mary broke the silence. I looked at her. "That's the woman you're going to marry that's out there!"

"You heard what they said. You heard Moriarty. He's not the bluffing type, Mary."

"We'll find a way around it. Come on!"

I stared at her, dumbfounded, as she began to leave with Rosie in her arms. "Where are we going?"

"Scotland Yard, and then we're going to save your fiancée. But we've got to drop Rosie off first." She looked at me impatiently. "Well, come on, then! Do you want to save her or not?"

"John will give you hell for this," I said as I followed her out of the flat.

"I've been given hell for a lot of things. This will be nothing."

"Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate you, Mary?"

"Not enough."

**I ship Bayley and Mary as a bromance. Those defiant spirits <3**