Title: Time Lords
Author: Tiffany F
Pairing: Sherlock/Doctor
Fandoms: Sherlock/Doctor Who
Rating: AO
Disclaimer: Don't own and claim nothing but the plot.
Spoilers: SPOILERS FOR DOCTOR WHO SEASON 2 AND ALL OF SHERLOCK SEASONS 1 AND 2.
Summary: After the events of The Christmas Invasion, the Doctor goes to see his lover. Sherlock brings dinner, Mycroft the drinks and they realize that they are in a lot of trouble.

***

"Right. So, that's sorted. You head back up, spend Christmas with your mum. I've got to catch up with an old friend. One I haven't had the chance to see in years."

"Doctor, you're not just trying to run off again, are you?" Rose asked.

"Shame on you, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said. "I'll be back some time tomorrow. Don't know when, exactly. Got a lot of catching up to do. Lots to talk about. But I will come back." With a smile and a wave, he spun away and started off into the falling ashy darkness.

Rose looked back towards her mother's apartment and then towards the Doctor's swiftly vanishing form. It wasn't much of a decision. She followed him.
*********

The Doctor loved London, when he had a chance to just wander it, no matter what the year. If pressed, however, he would admit a special fondness for London with his two favorite people in it. He'd sent the text right after he finished selecting his new attire, and was thrilled when the reply came back to him quickly. Along with an offer for supper, his favorite foods, brought to the meeting. It was divine. The Doctor felt bad for lying to Rose about the state of the Time Lords, but no one knew the truth, and he wasn't going to be the one to tell anyone about one of the biggest scandals in Time Lord history. Well, besides his own flight from the planet, but that was old news.

Trafalgar Square was lovely any time of the year, day, or season, but there was a certain special something about seeing it at night on Christmas. The Doctor spun in circles a few times, taking everything in. It really was lovely.

"Doctor."

He laughed and jumped up next to one of the large black lion statues. "Hullo Sherlock," he grinned. "Nice place you chose for dinner. Where is it?"

Sherlock Holmes handed over a bag that had both steam and delicious smells rising from it. "Oh, perfect," the Doctor moaned. "You do know how to spoil me."

"I try. You do know you were followed, don't you?"

"Rose. My traveling companion. I told her to stay with her family, but she's been acting weird since I regenerated. Which reminds me, how did you know it was me? I look totally different than the last time you saw me, Sherlock. You shouldn't have been able to tell it was me."

"I'll always know you, Doctor," Sherlock said. "Just like you'll always know me."

"Yeah, guess I will." The Doctor pulled one of the pasties out of the bag and unwrapped it. "Oh, heaven. Beef and cheddar. Sherlock, you're going to spoil me."

Sherlock grinned and took out a pasty of his own. He'd made sure to get a selection, though he knew that John would faint if he saw Sherlock willingly eating anything. "You found one again, didn't you?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said softly. "I didn't know there were any left alive. I wanted to destroy it, end the war for good. Rose stopped me. That, and the Dalek said I was like them."

"You're not."

"You weren't there, Sherlock," the Doctor said. He finished his pasty and reached for another one. "You didn't get to see me in that body, feel what I was feeling, hear what I was hearing."

"You forget that I've felt what you felt," Sherlock said. He shifted over and put an arm around the Doctor's shoulders. "The anguish that you still feel."

The Doctor turned his head and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Sherlock's mouth. "We should get out of here," he said.

"Yes, it wouldn't do to shock the human, now would it?"

"Hey, I'm rather fond of that human, Sherlock," the Doctor said. "How are we going to do this?"

"Allow me," a smooth voice said from the foot of the lion statue.

The Doctor rolled to the edge of the statue's base and looked over the side. "Hullo Mycroft, how long have you been here? Have a pasty?"

The elder Holmes brother smiled. "Thank you, no," he said. "My car is waiting and we can continue this lovely conversation at my flat if you so desire."

"Brilliant!" The Doctor grabbed the bag of pasties and jumped down. "How'd you know we'd be here, Mycroft?"

"Sherlock was kind enough to text me when he heard from you."

"Really? This mean the two of you finally worked past that stupid fight you had, how many years ago was it now? One hundred? Two? Hate to say it, but I've lost track of time. Seems like such a stupid thing for me to say, doesn't it? So much to remember, so many important things, I really need to start using my five-hundred year diary again. It would make things so much easier." He spun around. "Go home, Rose. I will see you tomorrow."

Sherlock snickered and Mycroft raised an amused eyebrow when the young girl stopped dead in her attempts to sneak after then and just stared.

"We haven't worked past it, but have come to an arrangement," Mycroft said. "It does get lonely."

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed. He tucked the pasty bag safely between his feet and took their hands. "Do either of you even remember what the fight was about?"

"I wanted to go back, he didn't," Mycroft said. "I refuse to leave without Sherlock, so we fought and it's put a strain on everything since."

"Go back and be smothered by rules and regulations. It's so dull," Sherlock said. "Earth is far more interesting, even if humans are boring most of the time."

The Doctor smiled. He had to admit that he agreed more with Sherlock than with Mycroft, if only because he'd always hated most of the rules too. "But none of us can go home now, so what's the point of still fighting?" he asked. "I mean, think about it guys, you're here, you have each other. You shouldn't fight all the time. I'm not asking the two of you to be best friends or anything, but stop with the constant fights. You give me headaches, you know. We're still linked, whatever we did all those years ago, even if it's nothing more than a sense of each other."

The car stopped and Mycroft opened the door. "Let us continue this inside," he said. "There are some things that shouldn't be discussed in public."

Sherlock and the Doctor followed behind him, hands entwined. Their relationship was just one reason the brothers had fled Gallifrey. Mycroft had wanted to protect Sherlock and the Doctor from prosecution and they had all ended up on earth. Mycroft and Sherlock decided to stay, even if the names they chose for themselves weren't exactly subtle, and slowly worked out places for themselves. The Doctor visited whenever he could, often when he shouldn't have, but that was half the fun.

"Drinks?"

"You know what would go good with these pasties is a cold coke," the Doctor said with a wide smile. "Yeah, that would be perfect."

Mycroft sighed and detoured into the kitchen. Sherlock took the chance to lean in and kiss the Doctor properly. "Missed you," he murmured against the time lord's lips.

"Missed you too. You sure you don't want to come traveling with me?" the Doctor asked.

"Maybe in a year or two, I could use your help," Sherlock replied. He glanced at his brother. "That could solve all our problems for a time, brother dear."

"Indeed it could. If our friend doesn't mind. He also needs to know about your new companion, Sherlock," Mycroft said. He handed over the two cans of coke he had been carrying. "I anticipated."

"Cheers," the Doctor grinned. "So what's been going on with the two of you then? No one getting suspicious about you, Mycroft?"

"No. The Royal family is most accommodating, and few people realize who I am, or how long I've been in my position," Mycroft said with a small smile. "Those who do ask are told that it's a family name and my great-grandfather was the first to hold the office. They rarely ask twice."

"I imagine not." He pulled another pasty out. "Pizza! Oh, love the pizza ones. These are almost impossible to find these days. Sherlock, you are amazing." He kissed his lover and leaned back to unwrap the most recent pasty. "What about you, Sherlock. What's been happening with you?"

"I have a flat share and a business," Sherlock said. He had ended up with one of the vegetable ones and was nibbling it. "I'm working as a consulting detective."

"He's solving crimes for the Yard," Mycroft said. "Quite well, if he would only pretend to be slightly more human, and a little less excited by homicides."

The Doctor grinned. "Still the same old Sherlock," he said. "So what's this about needing my help?"

"I've managed to attract the attention of an insane genius," Sherlock said. "I'm not ready to regenerate, so I'm having to plan out alternatives to dying. Being able to travel with you would be a big help."

"And Mycroft?"

"I would remain here to pick up the pieces and eliminate all traces of threat to my baby brother," Mycroft said with a smile. "If you would be willing to help us, Doctor, then I would worry less about what Sherlock would do whilst I was working."

"Sure, just send me word and I'll be here," the Doctor said. "We'll travel, Sherlock, just the two of us. See the length of time and space and enjoy some time alone. Think of it, just the two of us traveling, seeing things that we've never seen before."

"Space and time may never be the same," Mycroft said with a sigh.

"Hey, I know what I'm doing, most of the time," the Doctor said. "We'll be fine, Mycroft. You have to let him be himself one of these days."

"I do that every day," Mycroft said. "John is really the only one who can keep him in line, and I've left Sherlock's handling to him."

"John's your companion then, Sherlock?"

"Yes, we were introduced by a mutual acquaintance and get along, for the most part," Sherlock said with a small smirk. "You should come over tonight and meet him."

The Doctor finished his coke and looked over at his lover. "How would he feel about me spending the night in your room?" he asked. "Because I can't be under the same roof as you and not be with you."

"John says he's fine with any sort of relationship that I want to have," Sherlock said. "I haven't tested that by bringing any sort of alien being home, but he shouldn't object to your presence."

"You don't care if he does or not, do you, Sherlock?" Mycroft asked with a small smile. "You want to shock John, test him yet again. The severed body parts in the kitchen aren't enough?"

"He's a strong man," Sherlock said with a smile. "How about it, Doctor? Do you want to come over?"

"I think I'd like that." The Doctor nodded at Mycroft. "I'll make sure to leave a secure method of contact with Sherlock, Mycroft. You'll be able to reach me when you need me."

"That's what we need. Thank you, Doctor. I'll look forward to seeing you again soon."

***

"So, if you've attracted the attention of some sort of mad genius, how are we getting to your flat then?" the Doctor asked once he and Sherlock were out in the night. The ash had stopped falling, but pieces of the ship still burned overhead.

"It's only about a mile between our homes," Sherlock replied. "We can walk. It'll give us a chance to talk."

"I have missed you, Sherlock," the Doctor said. "And I have to say that this is cutest you've looked since we ran. I love the curls. The curls are just perfect. Are they as soft as they look?"

Sherlock laughed. "I don't know, you'll have to tell me. It was harder this time, setting up a way to work with the Yard. I think they're starting to get suspicious, or as suspicious as they can. I don't have all the protections that Mycroft has in place."

"What did you tell them?"

"Same thing that Mycroft uses, family name handed down. Luckily genius tends to run in families, so no one really questions me, but I have a feeling that's how Moriarty is going to break me, in the end." Sherlock looked up and sighed. "I wondered, briefly, when he appeared if he was one of us. Is it possible that more of us could have survived the Time War? But, in the end, he's just human. A smart, mad human who wants to rule the world from the shadows."

"I thought that was Mycroft," the Doctor smiled. "We'll get you past this, Sherlock. You'll be able to vanish and come back and no one will ask you questions because I know you still have that look that says for everyone to shut up and that's all you need. Tell me more about this John fellow. Is he nice?"

Sherlock smiled. "He's an Army doctor," he said.

"You. You set this up knowing it would happen. You know how I feel about meeting doctors here on earth," the Doctor said. "What am I supposed to tell him when he asks me what sort of doctor I am then? I always get flustered and have trouble answering and people work out that I'm lying to them."

"Tell him you're a PhD studying space and time, like you always do," Sherlock replied. He pressed a kiss to the other man's cheek. He took out his key and unlocked the door to his flat. "It's not a lie, just not the whole truth."

"Sherlock, is that you?"

"This is going to be awkward," the Doctor sighed as he followed Sherlock up the stairs and into the sitting room.

"Sherlock, did you remember to get the milk?" John was saying when the Doctor walked in. "Oh, hello. I didn't realize Sherlock had anyone with him. Client?"

"Old friend," Sherlock said with a small smile. "John Watson, this is the Doctor."

John's brow wrinkled a little. "Doctor Who?" he asked.

"Just the Doctor, I'm afraid. I can't use my real name in public, too many people trying to track me down," the Doctor said. "It's nice to meet you, John. How long have you known Sherlock?"

"Must be a friend of Mycroft's then," John muttered. "Uhm, about a year I think it's been. We met when I came home from the Middle East."

The Doctor looked blank and realized that probably wasn't a good thing. "I'm glad you made it back," he finally said. "Sherlock, where should I put these?"

"How many are left?" Sherlock asked.

"Three, maybe four," the Doctor replied. "I think they're just mixed cheese ones. We ate all the tasty ones while we were out."

"Hungry, John?" Sherlock turned towards his flat-mate. "The Doctor and I were just going to call it a night. Help yourself."

John was so shocked by Sherlock's words that, by the time he could think of something to say, the two men had vanished into Sherlock's bedroom with the door closed very firmly behind. John sighed and decided to head up to his room. It would be quieter, and there were some things he just didn't want to hear.

"You could have warned me there was a war on," the Doctor hissed once they were alone. "I can't keep up with everything happening here, you know. That was awkward."

"Didn't think of it," Sherlock replied. "You handled it with your normal style." He stepped in closer and pushed off the Doctor's tan trench coat. "Did you take your style this incarnation from me?"

"Not consciously," the Doctor grinned. "But I guess we do look a lot alike when we're outside, don't we? I think I like that. It'll be something of you to carry along with me and no one else will know about it, just us."

Sherlock closed the milometers between them and tilted his head up. "I don't know if I can stand for us to go slowly," he murmured.

"Strip," the Doctor said. He pressed a quick kiss to his lover's lips and stepped back to start out of his own clothes. Normally he liked to undress Sherlock, take the time to learn and relearn the body Sherlock was in, but they hadn't seen each other in a while and they both needed quick and hard. They could do slow and romantic in the morning.

"You're thinner than you were," Sherlock commented, watching as the Doctor's body was revealed. He draped his shirt over the back of a chair and smiled. "I hope nothing else has slimmed down."

"I didn't take any measurements, but I don't think so," the Doctor smiled. He let the rest of his clothes drop and climbed onto the bed. "All yours, Sherlock."

Sherlock grinned and, once he was naked as well, joined his lover on the bed. One of his favorite things to do was gather the data on the Doctor's new body. Mainly because it was data collection and that was what Sherlock thrived on, but also because he knew that he could and would drive his lover crazy and end up on his back before too long. He started at the top and slowly ran his long fingers over every inch of skin as he worked to take in his lover's new body. The Doctor tried to lay still, but moaned and arched up when Sherlock's nail caught his nipple. "That's new," Sherlock murmured. "I think I like it."

The Doctor only moaned again when Sherlock leaned down and sucked, nipping softly, and sending sparks of sensation through his body. "I think....I think I like it too," he gasped, tangling his hands in Sherlock's curls. "Oooh, these are soft."

With a sharp nip, one that led to the Doctor's hips arching off the bed completely, Sherlock continued his investigation. "Let me see," he murmured, taking the Doctor's erection in hand. "You've gained in length, but some of the width is gone."

"The things you remember," the Doctor muttered. "You know it's still going to feel good when I slide into your body." He grabbed Sherlock and flipped them so the dark-haired Time Lord was below him. "Where's the lube?"

"Drawer."

"Sherlock, this has expired." The Doctor turned the bottle around in his hands. "It's also drying out. Look, you can see the crystals."

"So, sonic it and get on with it," Sherlock said. His eyes twinkled a little in the dim light. "Or you could just use the sonic on me."

"No, we're not doing that again, Sherlock. Not after last time." The Doctor slid off the bed and dug out his sonic screwdriver. "Neither of us could walk for two days, and Mycroft was intolerable."

Sherlock laughed. "He usually is."

"I think brothers are supposed to be like that," the Doctor said, watching the liquid in the bottle closely. "Okay, that should do it. Might tingle a little, I've never tried this before so I don't know what effect the sonic screwdriver will have on lube."

Sherlock moaned when a long, slick finger slid into him. "It's warm and tingly," he said, his voice dropping a little. "First time this body has been penetrated, Doctor."

"Really?" the Doctor grinned. "So that means I shouldn't do this?"

Both men moaned as the head of the Doctor's erection pushed into Sherlock's body. "Sherlock?" the Doctor gasped.

"Fine. Do it."

"Sure?"

In reply, Sherlock grabbed his lover's hips and pulled, bringing their bodies together tightly. "Your body into mine never causes pain," he panted, holding onto the Doctor's body. "I don't know why, but I love it."

"One more reason to never go home again," the Doctor managed. "They would dissect us, well, if they were still alive. We would scare them."

"Less talking and more moving."

Upstairs, John grabbed his pillow and wrapped it around his head. He hadn't realized that he would be able to hear the headboard slamming against the wall. He really wasn't too sure who this mysterious Doctor was, what he wanted, how he knew Sherlock; but it seemed like he knew what he was doing in the bedroom. His eyes closed when he realized that it could be Sherlock who knew what he was doing and groaned. Now how was he supposed to look his flat-mate in the eye in the morning?
**********

John was in the sitting room finishing breakfast the next morning when the Doctor appeared in the kitchen, wearing most of his suit from the day before. "Good morning, Doctor."

"John. Good morning. Do you happen to have any bananas around the place? I love a good banana. They go so well with everything, but I especially like them on toast with a little syrup on."

"Sorry, we don't," John replied. "It's hard to keep food in the house because Sherlock uses the kitchen for a lab most of the time. I wouldn't open that if I were you."

The Doctor opened the fridge and stared. "Is it human?" he finally asked.

"Yes."

"Sherlock."

"It's an experiment," Sherlock replied. "I work with crime now, Doctor. I have to understand how humans die. Come, there's a cafe downstairs. I'm sure they'll have bananas. We can feed you there and then talk about what we're doing to do next."

"Sounds good. But you shouldn't leave human remains in where they might be mistaken for food," the Doctor said. "It's dangerous and nasty, really. A bit gross with a hint of morbid, actually. Mycroft knows about this?"

"Mycroft knows about everything," Sherlock sighed.

"Huh. Well John, it was nice to meet you. Hope to see you again sometime. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

John just blinked at the Doctor, not sure what to say. Sherlock just sighed and led the man out of the sitting room with a fond look that made John feel very uncomfortable.
**********

"Okay, so, who is he?" John asked later that night when they were alone. Sherlock was moping on the sofa, and it didn't take much to figure out that it was because the mysterious Doctor was gone.

"An old friend."

"You've known him a long time then?"

"Most of my life," Sherlock said. He rolled over towards the back of the sofa and wrapped his dressing gown around him like a blanket. "We grew up together."

"And you're, what, lovers?"

"So much more than that," Sherlock replied softly. "But, if you must, yes, lovers will work for a term. He travels a lot, so I don't know when I'll see him again."

John sighed. "That must be hard."

"He left me a present this time," Sherlock said. He curled up a little tighter on the sofa and sighed. "To be used in an emergency. He'll come and help me."

"What are you talking about?" John asked.

He waited for an answer, but realized that Sherlock had fallen asleep. With a sigh, John went to get a blanket and covered the other man up so he wouldn't freeze during the night. He still had no idea who the Doctor was, or what he had done to Sherlock, and it seemed that he wouldn't be able to get answers any time soon.

***

"John is worried."

Sherlock turned away from the bookshelf and looked at his brother. "He's always worried about something, Mycroft. You'll have to be a little more specific if you want to hold a conversation about this."

"He's worried that 'your Doctor' did something to you," Mycroft said. "He has sent me no fewer than a hundred texts and fifty emails asking questions about our friend. Dare I ask what happened the last time you saw the Doctor?"

"The same that always happens, only we didn't use the sonic screwdriver for anything." Sherlock flopped into a chair and looked at his brother. "Really, Mycroft, what John has been concerned about is not moping over a lost love, as you seem to agree, but rather worry over what shall happen with Moriarty. You have to agree that is something that should be concerning us both."

"I think of little else when my mind is not occupied with matters of state," Mycroft sighed. "I did tell John that you are fine and to leave you alone, though you might take more care to keep your present from the Doctor hidden. John has seen it."

Sherlock shook his head. "It must have been on the first night because it's been in my jacket pocket ever since. I go nowhere without it. I do wonder why John is so fixated on the Doctor."

"You must admit, Sherlock, that the pair of you are never quiet when you are together," Mycroft said. "There have been times when your bed hitting the wall was enough to awaken me. I would suspect that John heard something the pair of you were doing and is curious. You did tell him your usual lie, after all."

"I hadn't thought of that." Sherlock shifted into a more comfortable sprawl and looked at his brother. "Why are all humans so difficult, Mycroft? All these years and we're no closer to understanding their true natures."

"Aliens are meant to be different," Mycroft said. "That's part of the mystery of the universe. Now, shall we address the main problem? What are we to do with Moriarty? He is secure, of course. After what happened with Irene Adler and my perfectly planned plane plan, I cannot risk him running around. But the Queen and military want this code he claims to have."

"He won't give it to you?"

"My interrogators have been working on him non-stop for the past week and he has yet to break. The only time he comes to life is when I'm in the room."

"Because you are a link to the government, and to me," Sherlock said.

"Exactly."

"You have been feeding him tidbits, I would assume?"

"What we agreed on, yes," Mycroft said. "He, in turn, has been giving me bits of information. Nothing I don't already know, in most cases, but there have been a few helpful hints here and there."

Sherlock nodded. "When do they plan to order his release?"

"Within the week, unless I have the code by then," Mycroft said. "That is the true sticking point. He delights in tormenting me with the code, but will give nothing away. He says that I have to pay for that information."

"And Sherlock is the payment."

The brothers turned and stared at the man who was sitting on the sofa. "Hello again. Have any tea? Love a good cup of tea."

"Doctor." Sherlock shot out of his chair and joined his lover on the sofa. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," the Doctor grinned. "I had to bring Rose home. She's mad at me, something about lying to her about timelines or something. I couldn't really understand her because she really doesn't understand time travel. But that's not important. What is important is that you have the mad genius locked down and now you have a resource to deal with him."

Mycroft handed the Doctor a cup of tea and brought a chair over to join the pair in the corner of his office. "Entering his mind would be dangerous, Doctor. I cannot promise you that he doesn't have the power to enter yours."

"I'll just make sure to shore up all my defenses. I learned that lesson the hard way with Reinette," the Doctor said. "She managed to get into my mind. I still don't understand her, why she was so important to those clockwork men. She was smart, oh she was so very smart, but she was still a lost human doing the best she could for her king and country. Sorry, what was I saying?"

"You'll shore up your mind."

"That's right. Still, might not even need to touch him. It's possible he'll just give me what you're looking for and then you can do what you want with him. You know I hate violence, but I don't give second chances. Not anymore. Not now."

"Do you truly believe you can get me that code and save Sherlock?" Mycroft asked.

"Well, I won't know until I try, but what could it hurt letting me have that chance?" the Doctor grinned. "I'll need an hour or so to get my mind in order, grab a couple of things and then I'll be ready to go."

"Where is the TARDIS?" Mycroft asked.

"Outside. I didn't want to try and materialize in here. The room is pretty small, Mycroft. Plus, I didn't want you picking at her again. She's scared of you."

Sherlock started laughing and leaned against the Doctor. "Is there anything I can do to help you get ready?"

"Yeah, keep your brother occupied until I come back. I'm going to move the TARDIS while I'm thinking, get her to a place where there won't be so many people around to look at her, and then I'll be back."

"We'll be ready to go."
**********

Mycroft, however, insisted that he had some work to do that did not require Sherlock hanging onto his every word and kicked both the other Time Lords out of his office. The Doctor had just laughed and pulled Sherlock along with him to where the TARDIS was waiting. " She'll be glad to see you again, Sherlock," he said with a smile. "Even if it is just for a short hop, you'll be able to touch her again. Let her remember you."

"Where are you going to put her?"

"The last place Mycroft will look. I know he won't leave his place now, he's too wrapped up in human politics and practices to leave, but I don't want to tempt him. My ship is the last TARDIS around, and I plan to keep her." The Doctor unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Or she plans to keep me and I don't know what I'm talking about. She's got a will of her own most days."

Sherlock touched the wall and smiled at the gentle hum. "It's been so many years since I was last in here."

"You've been missed," the Doctor said. "There we go, just a short hop across London. We can get a taxi back and I'll work on my mind as we travel. You'll have to be quiet, but I know you're thinking about things anyway, so it won't be that much of a trial for you. Do you think Mycroft would object to me feeding his mad genius?"

"Depends on what you want to feed him."

"I've got some taffy that I've been saving for a special occasion. I'll bring it along, along with this and maybe this." The Doctor stuffed everything into his coat pockets and grinned. "Come on then, Sherlock. We've got a mad genius to stop. Then we can go for a swim. I think you'll like the pool, well, if we can find it again."

The Doctor opened the door still talking about the pool and stopped so suddenly that only Sherlock's quick reflexes stopped him from running into his lover. "Rose."

"You left me."

"You wanted to be left," the Doctor replied. He pulled Sherlock out and locked the door behind them. "You left your key inside the TARDIS when you left. That was more a message to me than anything else you could have done."

"Who's this?" Rose asked, eyes focused on Sherlock. "Isn't that that man you left with that one time. You got into a car with him."

The Doctor didn't take the bait. "Go home, Rose. You made your choice. It's over. I've got things to do, important things, and they don't need you along for them." He took Sherlock's hand and started towards the high street. "I wasn't expecting that," he said softly.

"Neither was I. You're going to miss her?"

"Yeah, course I will. I always do, but they can't stay with me forever, not in physical form. But up here, oh, up here I have so many memories of them all." The Doctor paused while Sherlock hailed a taxi. "I never have been able to work out how you do that. It's like they just appear whenever you want them to. You got some sort of weird talent you're not telling me about?"

"Practice," Sherlock smirked. He gave the cabbie Mycroft's office address, the one that was used as a front, and sat back. "What do you need me to do to help you?"

"Physical contact and as much quiet as is possible," the Doctor replied. He curled his fingers into Sherlock's. "I'll be ready when we get there. This mad genius won't know what to make of a madder genius with a box."

Sherlock grinned and closed his eyes to wait.

***

"Why do you government types always like to hide your hidden rooms so far underground?" the Doctor complained as he followed Mycroft through a series of tunnels and elevators that led to the room where Moriarty was being held. "I mean, don't you ever think that people would be more inclined to talk if they could feel the sun on their faces? The sun makes everyone feel better, well, as long as they're not allergic to it. Did I ever tell you about the aliens I met who were allergic to this sun? They were going to blow it up and replace it with one they could tolerate. No concerns at all about what it would do to the humans on Earth. No, they just wanted a new resort planet to play on."

"Doctor, the rooms are buried because no one likes to think of what the government will do in order to obtain the necessary information to keep them safe," Mycroft said. He found himself missing the last regeneration of the Doctor, the one who didn't talk nearly as much. "He's just through here."

The Doctor strolled into the room with the large window and looked out into the room beyond. There was a single man secured to a metal chair facing the door. "That's Moriarty then?"

"That's him," Sherlock said softly.

"One way sound, Mycroft?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes."

"All right, brilliant. You two wait here. I promise not to poison him, well, not intentionally. These are taffy I nicked from home and humans don't always have a good reaction to them. The tactile hallucinations are the worst. Blimey, I couldn't move for butterflies one time when Rose got into them." He grinned. "All right, let me in."

Sherlock kissed him softly. "Be careful. You don't know that those taffies won't come back and bite you in the ass."

"That's your job," the Doctor replied. "Try to get in, Sherlock. Both of you. Try to get in." He held still when his head was cradled by two pairs of hands and focused on the defenses he'd put up around his mind. Sherlock got the closest, but even he couldn't get into his lover's mind. "I'll be fine."

"We'll be watching."

The Doctor grinned and stepped through when the door was open. "Hullo."

"Who are you?" Moriarty asked. "I was expecting Mr. Holmes this evening."

"You have a good sense of time," the Doctor replied. "But not a great one. It's not evening yet. It's not even time for tea. I love tea, especially with biscuits and a little bit of cream. I tried banana tea one time, but that didn't work. It was just too intense."

"You're not one of Mycroft's people, are you? Who are you and why are you here?"

"Oh, smart lad." The Doctor emptied a few things out of his pocket onto the table off to the side and then leaned against the edge of it. "Very smart lad. I think I can see why they call you a genius. Yes, an evil genius, but are you more evil or more genius? You won't tell me, of course, because I'm new and you don't trust me. You should trust me, I'm one of the most trusty people on the planet, but I have yet to meet an evil genius, insane or not, who is willing to trust me."

"I am NOT INSANE!" Moriarty yelled, straining against the bonds holding him to the chair. "Who has been telling you that I'm insane? Who has been LYING about me?"

"I never said you're insane, you're not paying attention. I must have hit a tender spot then. Do people often assume you're insane?" the Doctor asked. "Nah, you strike me as more the type to have henchmen and minions all about the place cluttering up the landscape and tripping over each other whenever something needs to happen. And it's so hard to get good henchmen these days. No one seems to know how to hench properly anymore. The last few attempts I saw at it almost had me laughing too hard to do anything else. Plus the state of the minions. Do yours know how to min right? It's not easy, takes lots of practice and all that. I have yet to meet anyone who knows how to ion correctly. Oh, they all try, but no one ever gets it right. It's a laugh though."

Moriarty was staring at him with an expression that either meant he thought that the Doctor was insane and didn't know what to think of it, or he was trying to work out what the Doctor's plan was. The Doctor just grinned. "You'll never be able to guess my plan," he said. "My plan is such a great plany thing that no one, no matter how smart they are, would be able to guess it. But you're welcome to try. Give it your best shot."

"You're here to get the code," Moriarty said.

"Oh, the code," the Doctor grinned. He pushed off the table and started walking around the chair. "The code. Is it the only code in the world? Does it deserve capital letters when we're speaking of it? The Code? I like that. Sounds big and important. So what is, The Code?"

"You know what the code is, or you wouldn't be here. Mycroft would have told you everything before he opened that door," Moriarty said. "He knows what he has to do to get the code from me. He just doesn't want to do it."

"Now, you see, now you see the problem," the Doctor said. "You just told me that you don't know a thing about Mycroft Holmes. That's a problem that is. How can I work with you when you're going to be telling me things like this? No, it just won't work."

"I never told you that."

"Yeah, you did. You said that Mycroft would have told me everything," the Doctor said. He paused and looked down at Moriarty. "Mycroft Holmes never tells anyone everything. It's not on. It's really not, especially for a minor government official like him. For anyone who works for the government to tell everything they know? You really are mad if you think that."

"Stop calling me mad," Moriarty spat.

"Or you'll do what? Bite me? I've been bitten by madder things than you in my time and survived. Well, if I can't call you mad, I certainly can't call you dam, that doesn't make any sense. Nor does adm or amd. What was your name again? Mycroft did tell me that. James, I think he said it was," the Doctor said. "Only you hate James and insist on Jim. I wonder why that is."

"Because it's my name. You still haven't told me yours, and that's not very nice."

The Doctor grinned. "Doctor John Smith at your service," he said with a small bow. "So, can I call you Jimmy then? Jimmy is a nice name, I've known some great men named Jimmy in my time."

"No."

"No?" the Doctor asked, voice rising a little at the end of the word. "Blimey, you're not very nice are you. Well, that shouldn't surprise me. I've only known one nice insane evil genius in my time. Now there was a man who knew how to treat you properly when you were his prisoner. Carpet in the dungeons, even if it was a bitch to clean them up. All that nasty blood getting everywhere. Proper tea service too, if you didn't mind a little acid in your tea. Got killed in the end. Some bloke who said he was the good guy showed up and killed the evil genius. End of an era, I tell you. Still, you haven't guessed my plan. You said what you thought my purpose here was."

Moriarty rolled his eyes. "Apparently you're going to talk me to death. If that's the case, can we get on with it, please? Dying would be better than sitting here listening to you ramble on like this."

"You really are rude, aren't you?" the Doctor said. He sighed and went back to the table. "After I brought you candy too."

"I don't eat candy."

"You don't? Well, I suppose I could just shove it down your throat then." The Doctor turned back with a piece of taffy in his hand. "You see, Jim, you were right. I am here about that code. I know it's unique and I know what it does. I know that you are the one who created it and it's locked away tight inside that head of yours. I also know what you want for it."

"Then give it to me and let me go."

"Give you a human being in exchange for a code?" the Doctor shook his head. "That's got to be the most one-sided deal I have ever heard in my life. I don't care what you have locked away in your brain, it's not worth a human life. Nothing is."

"Then you're as weak as they are. They can't do it either."

"That's because we all know the value placed on a human life. How precious each and every person on this planet is. Even you, at one point, before your brain went wrong and you ended up here." The Doctor took a step closer. "I looked you up. It wasn't easy, even with the databases I had at my disposal, but for the longest while you were normal. Just a man interested in math. Then, one day, it all changed. It has something to do with your father, something he did or was done to him, and this is the result. An insane genius locked deep underneath British soil, soon to be begging for his life. I'm sure your dad would be proud of you."

"Leave him out of this. You have no idea what you're talking about, what he went through. What we all went through."

"Tell me."

"You don't care. You're only trying to trick me. Everyone wants the same thing, and I give it to them. I'm the only one who understands what people really want from life and I find ways to make it happen."

The Doctor started around the chair again. "So that old woman, she wanted to be a pawn in your game and blown up?"

"She was damaged."

"She was unique!" the Doctor shouted. "That's what you're forgetting. People are unique, every single person is different in some way. Some special way that makes them stand out from the crowd and shout 'look at me'. Not everyone does. Some of them are too scared, so they hide in the darkness. And in the darkness, they find people like you."

Before Moriarty could reply, the Doctor had his head pulled back and the piece of taffy in his mouth. "Chew and swallow," the Doctor hissed. "I'd say you need the sugar to keep up your strength. Then we'll have another little talk about that code."

***

In the control room, Mycroft looked over at Sherlock. "He does talk a lot."

"I think it's relaxing," Sherlock replied. "Maybe I'll tape him before he leaves again and be able to sleep better at night."

"What do you think of his plan?"

"It's mad, but so is he. He's been alone too long with just his ship, and that's enough to drive even the strongest of men crazy," Sherlock said. "You realize what will happen should Moriarty prove to be stronger than the Doctor."

"Yes, it's a shame, but it will be done." Mycroft tapped his umbrella on the floor a couple of times. "What if we were to change the plan a little?"

"How?"

"Send you in there to help. Moriarty is expendable once we have the code, so him finding out the truth wouldn't be problematic, in the long run," Mycroft said. "You could keep his focus on you and allow the Doctor to slip into his mind and find the code."

"Seeing me might also upset Moriarty enough that he locks on me and the code would be buried away." Sherlock looked back into the room. "It's too late to change anything. Look."

The Doctor was standing in front of a very still Moriarty, hands positioned against the man's skull, with his eyes closed. Mycroft sighed. "I do hope he's able to get the code for us. Then we can eliminate Moriarty, take down his network and not have to worry about him attempting to kill you."

"If only life were that easy, brother dear," Sherlock said.
**********

The Doctor has been to many dark places in his over 900 years of life, but Moriarty's mind is one of the darker places he's seen. It's not really scary, not really frightening, but dark enough that the Doctor knows that the man can never be allowed to walk out of the interrogation room again. The thought makes him sad. He tries to keep life living as much as he can, help people find ways to live better lives, but he does occasionally have to kill. He takes his time and moves carefully through the darkness, studying whatever he finds, filing it away in case it can help Mycroft, until he finally comes up against what looks like a museum display stand. The Doctor can't help the grin that spreads over his face when he sees it. What an elaborate trap. An inexperienced time lord would just run forward and touch the display because it was big and fancy, and Moriarty would have put something precious there. Except the Doctor knew it was a trap and took the time to study it. Moriarty was an interesting man, not many people would place traps throughout their own mind, and the Doctor wondered about that. With a soft sigh, he continued on looking for the code.
**********

"Our next question remains, what to do about John," Mycroft said softly, watching the Doctor work.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that he's suspicious enough to ask questions, Sherlock. You're going to have to talk to him and convince him that there's nothing wrong."

"I don't understand humans," Sherlock sighed. "Why do they always have to complicate things? Why can't they just leave each other alone on certain topics?"

Mycroft glanced over. "Like you always manage to do?"

"I am not human," Sherlock said. "What do you want me to tell him, Mycroft? The truth?"

"No, of course not. That would be stupid and extremely dangerous. You've managed to keep him from touching you so he still believes you to be human. You just need to explain your relationship with the Doctor a little more. Convince John that you're not hurting."

They fell silent when the door opened and the Doctor joined them. "Blimey that's a dark mind. He's got traps laid all over the place in there," he said. "Got any tea, Mycroft?"

"I'll send for some."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I don't think he got past my shields, the taffy seemed to knock him out completely, which is just as well. I wouldn't have survived had he been awake," the Doctor said. "I did find the code. Oh it's a beautiful thing, this code. Genius. It's a shame what happened to him. That man in there would have been able to do so much for good, had he not fallen so far so fast."

"You have the code?" Mycroft asked.

"Give me a pen and I'll write it out for you, along with everything else I found. I didn't know what would help, what you needed, so I took everything I could. He's too dangerous to live, Mycroft. Even like this. The darkness is spreading off of him in waves and it will touch anyone who comes into contact with him." The Doctor took the notepad and started writing out notes. "You need to kill him. You know how much I hate those words, but you need to do it. Quickly. Today. Now. Make sure he's dead, or he will come back to haunt you when you least expect it. And Sherlock will be the target."

***

Mycroft kept the Doctor with him to venture into Moriarty's mind one last time, and sent Sherlock home to deal with John. Sherlock wasn't sure why Mycroft was so big on him talking with John, except for the mention of all the texts and emails. Mycroft didn't like to be disturbed, so it was highly probable that Mycroft wanted Sherlock to fix things with John so that he wouldn't be disturbed any more. Sherlock had no idea what he was going to say to John, hoping that the human might have an idea of where the conversation would go.

"Sherlock, that you?"

He shut the door behind himself and turned to hang up his coat. "John."

"Where'd you vanish off to?"

"Mycroft needed my help with Moriarty," Sherlock replied. "We just finished up for the day and he sent me home." He flopped down onto the sofa with a sigh. "I think, however, the crisis has been averted."

"What crisis?" John asked.

"More bombs, most likely. Moriarty wasn't in the most talkative of states when I left." Sherlock waved his hand dismissively. "Mycroft will handle it, like he always does."

"Okay, good, so what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Does this mean you're done moping over your lover for a while? Lestrade was here and left a case for you. I told him I didn't know if you would take it or not because you've been out of sorts."

Sherlock rolled up into a sitting position. "I have not been moping over the Doctor," he said. "What you assumed to be moping is actually contemplation over how best to handle Moriarty."

"Then why do you keep saying his name in your sleep?"

"I don't say Moriarty's name in my sleep. That's disgusting and exceptionally wrong. I think I might have to delete that." He closed his eyes and pressed his hands against his temples.

"I meant the Doctor's name and you know it," John said. "Why do you have to be so difficult about this, Sherlock? You told me back when we first met that you didn't have a relationship. That you considered yourself married to your work. Then you show up with a lover that you say you've had for years. What am I supposed to think?"

"John, your memory of that night is flawed. I said I didn't have a girlfriend. I never said I didn't have a boyfriend. I do consider myself married to my work, and the Doctor travels enough that I need to have some sort of protection in place."

The Doctor bounded into the room, holding a plate with some sort of biscuit on it along with a bowl. "Sherlock, you won't believe this," he said with a huge grin. "Mrs. Hudson, that wonder of a landlady made me banana biscuits and custard. Can you imagine? How'd she know?"

"I may have mentioned something to her," Sherlock replied with a smile. "Although I wasn't expecting them to be in the shape of bananas."

"John!" the Doctor exclaimed when he caught sight of the other man. "Nice to see you again. How have you been? What have you been up to? Would you like a biscuit?"

"Not to be rude...."

"Oh, then don't be," the Doctor said. He sat down on the sofa next to Sherlock and picked up one of his biscuits, dunking it in the banana flavored custard. "Any time anyone starts out a sentence with those words, they always end up being rude. I know you've been worried about Sherlock, thinking I did something to him; broke his heart or the like, but I didn't."

"How would you know? You haven't even been here to see him. I know what his dark moods are like, Doctor, and I know that he hasn't been normal since you left last time. Where did you go, anyway?"

"Here and there," the Doctor grinned. "Met some nice folks, got to hear a few fairy tales, saw some interesting events. Sherlock, remind me to tell you the story of the werewolf up in Scotland."

"Interesting indeed," Sherlock smiled. "John, as I was saying, I am married to my work, but I put it all aside when the Doctor comes back. Whenever that is."

John looked between them. "That's another thing that's bothering me. What's his name?"

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor looked up from studying the custard.

"Your name. I haven't heard anyone say your name yet. It's always just 'The Doctor' like that's really your name."

"Why not?"

"Because no one, not even one of Mycroft's spies would have such a stupid name."

"That's good to know, because I'm not one of Mycroft's spies." The Doctor grinned and took a bite of the biscuit in his hand. "I'm not even associated with the government, well, not really. Not in a huge way. Technically. Okay, I guess I am, but never on a regular basis."

Sherlock laughed. "I think it's a good thing you're not a spy, Doctor. With how much you ramble, you might give some sort of secret away. John, what does it matter what his name is? He is the Doctor. That's all there is to it."

"I googled him."

"Oh no, here we go again. All the theories and lies." The Doctor looked down at his custard again. "It would be such a waste to have to use this as a weapon, but I will if I have to."

"Please do not throw custard in the sitting room," Sherlock said. "Mrs. Hudson would be livid and you really do not want to see that." He rested his head against his lover's and sent a thought. *I'm sorry, I should have thought he'd do this. He did it to me when we first met. For a man who can't type, he loves computers*

*I can play it off, I think* "So, John, let me tell you what you found. Or should that be you tell me what you found?" the Doctor paused. "Or do I tell me what I found?"

"I think John should tell us what he found," Sherlock said. "That makes the most sense right now, at any rate."

John only just managed not to roll his eyes, although it was obvious that he was working hard at it. "Most of what I found is obviously lies, things made up by people who don't know what they're talking about," he said. "But there were some pages there that had enough power through the words that they had to be true."

"Oh, did they?" The Doctor dunked another biscuit and looked at John. "These web pages that just had to be true. Did they say that I'm death?"

"Nearly enough, yes."

"Those bloody web pages. I have been trying to have them taken down for years and they keep popping back up," the Doctor sighed. "People making up stories to try and scare the youth of today. Like the world isn't a scary enough place as it is. People have to go and make up stories about innocent people. Sherlock, do you have any milk?"

"We might." Sherlock pushed up and went into the kitchen. "John, those web pages were posted and maintained by people who are very much like Moriarty in their feelings towards the Doctor. Imagine what a web page designed by my arch-enemy would look like."

"I don't think Mycroft would bother with something like that. He'd just turn up," John replied.

"Mycroft?" The Doctor's voice rose at the end of the name. "Mycroft Sherlock's arch-enemy. Oh, that's priceless that is. Sherlock, what have you been telling people now?"

"Nothing that you haven't heard before." He handed the Doctor a glass of milk and sat back down next to him. "In my defense, however, this time it was Mycroft who gave himself that title, not me. I just said he was the most dangerous man John had ever met."

"Yeah, I'll agree with that," the Doctor said. "John, what's the point to all of this? You can see that Sherlock is fine. We took care of Moriarty today and there might even be time for a holiday before Sherlock has to go back to work. What more could you ask for?"

"The truth."

"Oh, the truth. Such a wonderful and dangerous thing is the truth." The Doctor put his plate on the coffee table and leaned back. "The question is, John Watson, how good are you at telling what really is the truth?"

"Very good."

The Doctor grinned and glanced at Sherlock, who nodded. "Then what do you want me to tell you the truth about, John Watson?"

"Who you are."

"We'll make this simple. I am who those web pages say I am."

John choked. "What?"

"Nah, only kidding," the Doctor grinned. "How could I be the bringer of death? That sounds like something from a bad movie or something. Still, it's better to ignore things you see online. There's no police there, nothing to keep people from posting whatever the hell they like about a bloke, and that's hardly fair."

Sherlock chuckled and leaned back against the sofa. "John, he's my lover. What more do you need to know about him?"

"His name, what his job is, where he goes when he's not here, and why he insists on such a stupid title when he's not a doctor of any sort."

"So aggressive. This isn't a war, John Watson. I'm not an enemy that you need to take down. I'm probably one of the best people to have around, well, unless you want to keep your bananas for something." He grabbed his plate and picked up one of the last biscuits. "Always carry a banana with you, that's my motto."

"You don't know anything about what a war is," John said.

"Oh, don't I?"

Sherlock put a hand on his lover's shoulder and squeezed. "John, you really do not want to do this," he said. "Let it go, now."
"No, Sherlock, because I watched a lot of good men die in a stupid war and I won't have it joked about."

"Joked about?" The Doctor looked up and caught John's eye and held it. "No, you're right enough, John Watson, that war is not a joke. People dying is never something to joke about because you never know what they might have become had they not died fighting for something they believed in. But you don't know what a true war is. The petty squabbles here on Earth are nothing compared to what a true war is. I've fought in a war, I've seen my family die and you know what? I'm the one that killed them. I killed them all because the alternative was too horrifying to think about and I knew that I had no other choice in the matter." He stood up and moved towards John. "I felt them all die, every single person who died because of me. That's something that I will have to live with for the rest of time, John Watson. Not murder, genocide. Complete and total elimination of a race, and all for nothing. It was all for nothing."

"Sherlock, pack a bag for a trip." Mycroft stepped into the room and pulled the Doctor in against him tightly. "You and the Doctor are leaving immediately."

Sherlock nodded and paused only long enough to join the hug for a moment, holding his brother and lover tightly. "I'll be right back," he whispered, kissing just below the Doctor's ear.

"Hurry."

"You did what none of us could do, Doctor," Mycroft said softly. He could feel the dampness seeping into his shirt. "You proved that you are stronger than any of us, and you continue to prove it daily. It was not for nothing, don't you ever think that again. They've changed and there is hope now that they will continue to change. That was all because of you."

"I didn't want to do it," the Doctor whispered. "There was no other way. You know what would have happened if I hadn't. I'm a coward, Mycroft. That's all I am now. Just a coward."

"No you're not. I think that working with Moriarty today might have had more of an impact on you than you realize. Have Sherlock check you over once you're under way and make sure that you didn't hit upon a trap by accident. I'll handle things here."

"Thank you."

"I'm ready," Sherlock said, rushing back in with a small bag. "John, I'm going on holiday. Don't know when I'll be back. Tell Lestrade that he'll have to do without me for a while."

"I'll aid him, Sherlock." Mycroft handed over the Doctor and smiled at the pair. "You two behave yourselves and have fun. I'll see you when you get back."

"Until then, Mycroft. I won't stay away too long."

"I'll hold you to that, dear brother. Do not forget to pick up the rest of your biscuits, Doctor."

John stood and watched until he was alone with Mycroft. "Okay, what the hell just happened there?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, John." Mycroft put his umbrella down next to the sofa and stepped forward. "Now, let's see to you, shall we?" He reached out quickly, hands touching John's face, and everything went dark.

***

The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS door and stepped inside, only relaxing when he felt the familiar hum around him. "I'll get you a key, Sherlock," he said.

"Why don't you get us underway and let me take a look at you." Sherlock tucked his bag away where it wouldn't fly out at them if something happened and moved to stand next to his lover. "I agree with Mycroft. I think I need to take a look at you and make sure that Moriarty didn't get into you today."

"Remember what happened the last time we did this?" The Doctor threw the last switch and the TARDIS vanished into the time vortex.

"I do." Sherlock leaned in and kissed his lover, an arm wrapping around his shoulders to keep them steady. "It was wonderful."

"Why don't we go find the pool? That'll keep the mess down."

"Yes, this pool. How long have you had it?" Sherlock asked, following the Doctor into one of the corridors. "I would swear that you didn't have one last time I was on board."

"It fell into the library when I crash landed," the Doctor replied. "I've had to rearrange the books a few times, but the TARDIS keeps switching them back. I think she enjoys it a little too much."

Sherlock laughed. "If I didn't know better, I think I would have to be jealous." He ran a hand along the wall. "But she holds such a special place in my heart too, that I just can't be."

The grinned at each other when the TARDIS gave a loud hum and adjusted the corridor ahead of them. "There we go, there's the pool. I keep losing it."

"How about it beautiful one?" Sherlock asked as he undid his shirt. "Is the water going to be warm for us today?"

"Sweet-talker," the Doctor remarked fondly. He bit his lip in indecision and finally decided to strip as well. But he was determined to undress his lover at least once before he had to drop him back off at home.

"I just don't want to have to deal with the problems that cold water would cause," Sherlock said. "Asking for a favor is only logical, don't you think?" He dove into the pool an surfaced about ten feet away from the edge. "This is wonderful. Thank you, old girl."

The Doctor jumped in, making sure to splash Sherlock. "You Holmes brothers, always trying to get my ship," he said. He pulled Sherlock in against him, the water only just holding them up. "Maybe I'm the one who should be jealous then."

"Never."

"Hmm, never huh?" The Doctor kissed Sherlock again and rested their heads together. "You may as well get it over with, Sherlock. Make sure there's no traps or anything messed up in there. Well, any more than usual. You know what I'm like. You know what to look for."

Sherlock nodded and closed his eyes. He slipped into his lover's mind and felt all the walls and shields drop, launching them both into a field of sensation. He let his own walls drop, joining them together on a far more intimate level than before, both time lords floating gently in one mind.

"Doctor!"

Sherlock sank under the water, wrenched back into his own head so quickly that he blacked out.
**********

He came back to himself choking and into the middle of an argument.

"What the hell were you trying to do, drown him?" the Doctor was yelling. "You could have killed both of us with that stunt of your and then what would you have done? What are you even doing here?"

"Doctor," Sherlock managed.

"Oh, Sherlock, thank, well, thank whatever deity might be hanging about right now and call it good," the Doctor said. "I thought you had experienced brain trauma the way you were pulled back with both of us so exposed. Then with the water in your lungs." He pulled Sherlock into a tight hug. "I thought I had lost you."

"I'll be fine," Sherlock coughed. "What about you. You had more walls down than I did."

"Headache, but it'll go away when we have tea. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

Sherlock turned his head and looked at the woman who was staring at the pair of them. "The same thing you do, Doctor. Answers. What is she doing here?"

"I don't know, but we're taking her back just as soon as we get dressed," the Doctor said. "Then I'm going to have a firm talk with the TARDIS about allowing stowaways on board. Yes, I know you love her, old girl, but she made her choice. She left us."

"And then I came back," Rose said.

"That's not how it works." The Doctor rubbed his head and winced. "Tea, I think. Nice hot cup of tea and I'll be able to see straight."

Sherlock pushed himself up and out of his lover's arms, looking around for their clothes. "I really do not like the sound of that, Doctor," he said. "It sounds to me like you did take some damage when we were pulled apart." He handed the other time lord his pants. "Here, let me find us a couple of robes and we'll get you your tea."

"Wait a second, who are you?" Rose demanded. "What did you do to him?"

"I am none of your concern, nor do I have to answer any of your stupid, pathetic questions," Sherlock replied, rounding on her. "If you know what is good for you, you will keep your mouth shut until the Doctor is feeling better. Now, I'm sure you have a room somewhere in the TARDIS. Go there and do not come out until we call for you."

"You can't order me around like that."

The look in Sherlock's eyes hardened and Rose took a step back. The Doctor sighed. "Go on, Rose. Go to your room. You're messing with things you don't understand and I'm not going to explain. But Sherlock here will hurt you if you don't listen to him, and I'm not stopping him. Not this time."

"Come on, tea," Sherlock said softly. He touched the wall. "How about it, beautiful? Will you show me the way to the kitchen?"

"You keep this up and she'll want to keep you," the Doctor said with a small wince. Sherlock caught him around the waist and held him upright. "Blimey, I think you're right. I forgot how bad being pulled apart can hurt. This might take more than tea for the both of us."

"We'll start there and see how it helps. Come on."

"I'm sorry, Sherlock. I should have realized that she was going to do something like this, but I didn't think she would be able to get back into the TARDIS without her key."

"It seems we both have problems with our companions," Sherlock said. "Sit, I'll make the tea."

The Doctor slid carefully into a seat and put his head down on the table. "Lights dim," he murmured. He knew that Sherlock's eyes would adjust to the darkness quickly and it made the pounding in his head ease up a little.

"Here, drink," Sherlock whispered. He sat down next to his lover and pulled him in carefully. "Do you need help?"

"I don't think so."

"This is what they were always talking about, isn't it? It's been so many years since this happened, I almost don't remember how to care for such trauma."

"Tea, rest, and rejoining," the Doctor recited as he sipped his tea. "Rose hit you so hard, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. You were more exposed than I was, you took a harder psychic blow," Sherlock said. He sipped his own tea and closed his eyes. "I didn't notice anything on the surface, but I'd barely got started and Moriarty would be sneaky enough to hide his traps in deep. Will you be able to let me back in?"

"Just as soon as we get Rose back to London." The Doctor groaned. "Why hasn't anything gone right recently? It's like this new body is causing trouble. I didn't want to regenerate, and now I want to just to see if things will get better. I'm sick and tired of all the problems."

"Tell me about them," Sherlock murmured. "We have the time while we're waiting. At least I assume the TARDIS is taking us home."

"I should check the controls to make sure. She has a habit of doing her own thing most of the time and she really likes Rose." The Doctor swayed a little. "Or maybe I'll just stay here. Here is good."

"Drink your tea. I'll check the controls. It's been a while, but I think I can remember how to do this."

"Thanks, Sherlock."

"Don't thank me yet. We're still in the time vortex. I can feel it around me. Thank me when I get us back to the right point in time on the right planet."

The Doctor smiled. "My beauty will help you. She doesn't like seeing me hurt. She'll help."
**********

Sherlock wasn't too surprised when Rose showed up in the control room not long after he started working with the console. "You are supposed to be in your room."

"Yeah, well, I'm not, so I want some answers."

Sherlock ignored her and focused on what he was doing. He hadn't liked Rose since the moment he saw her for the first time and wondered exactly how she wound up traveling with the Doctor. It wasn't hard to deduce that she was in love with the Doctor. Sherlock snorted at the idea that anything could ever come from that. He knew that his lover would never cheat on him, not after everything they had been through.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"I said I want answers."

"You haven't asked me any questions yet, so I can hardly give you any answers, now can I?"

"I want to know who you are."

"Who I am doesn't matter as you won't be here long enough to take advantage of that information, now will you?"

"You can't just kick me out."

"You would be surprised at what I can do." Sherlock pushed the last lever into place and smiled at the console. "Well, beautiful girl, did that do it? You heard what the Doctor said, and I don't think it'd be a good idea to make him mad right now. The two of you can always talk it over later."

Rose stalked around in front of him. "Who are you talking to?"

"The TARDIS."

"Why?"

"Because she likes me." Sherlock fixed the young girl with a glare that had made even Moriarty take a step back. "She may like you as well, but almost killing her Doctor probably soured things a little. You're going home and you'll be left there."

"I'm not leaving. The Doctor needs me."

"The Doctor is currently trying to recover from a near death migraine that you caused, so I doubt that he needs you right now," Sherlock said. "What he needs is peace and quiet and, I believe we've landed. This had better be the right time and place, old girl. Your Doctor is in no shape to be out on an adventure."

Sherlock grinned when the ship's humming took on a slightly offended tone. It wouldn't have sounded any different to a human companion, but he could tell. He patted the console. "All right, all right, I'm sorry. I just know how you like to travel to places where he's needed. You know what he needs right now, don't you?"

"Why are you talking to the TARDIS?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because it's a ship."

"No, she's alive," Sherlock said. He took Rose's arm and pulled her across the control room to the door. "You're home, back in the correct place and time. Go home and forget about the Doctor."

"I can't."

"Then we'll just have to take care of that, won't we?" Sherlock opened the door and pushed her out, shutting it again tightly. "Take us off, beauty. Back to the time vortex. We can come back later if the Doctor wants to."

"Well done."

"Doctor."

The Doctor made his way carefully into the control room and patted the console fondly. "She does like you, Sherlock. I'm impressed."

"I think Rose is going to be more of an issue than we originally thought," Sherlock said. He wrapped his arms around his lover and took his weight. "Should I contact Mycroft?"

"No, I'll deal with her. I don't want her hurt."

"He could have her watched."

"He has better things to do than watch one kid. She'll cause trouble and we'll deal with it. Right now, I just want to get rid of this headache. The tea helped, but we need to rest and rejoin. We can't do that here."

"Bedroom then. We can deal with the mess later. I don't want to risk another drowning."

"You're right, bedroom it is. Come on, Sherlock. Let's go heal ourselves and then we can go play."

"I always worry when you smile like that." Sherlock kissed his lover softly.

"You should. We have all of time and space to play in, and things will never be boring again."

***

Rose picked herself up and watched as the TARDIS vanished, leaving her behind for the second time, although the first with the new Doctor. She could feel herself vibrating with suppressed rage and wanted to scream. She was all alone. No Doctor, no Mickey, no TARDIS. It was all the fault of the man who had been with the Doctor. Sherlock, he'd been called. Not that a first name would do her any good, no matter how unusual it was.

She jumped when a sleek black car pulled up next to her. "Rose Tyler?"

"Who's asking?"

"A friend of the Doctor's. He asked me to look after you for a while. Do you require a lift home?"

"No thanks, I'm fine. I like walking. See you later then."

In the car, Mycroft sighed. He really had been hoping the young lady would be stupid enough to get into the car with him. Now he would have to handle it the hard way. He did so hate the hard way, but he didn't want to risk her talking to the wrong people. So many problems to solve, problems caused by his own people. Mycroft almost regretted sending Sherlock and the Doctor away. They really could have been of some help. Maybe they would return in time to wrap everything up nicely.
**********

The joining of two minds was more intimate a connection than making love for time lords. Sherlock and the Doctor floated on a sea of a single mind, slowly repairing the cracks that formed when they were pulled apart so roughly and Sherlock searching for anything to show that Moriarty had been able to enter into the Doctor's mind. Being so opened and exposed meant there were no secrets between them, and they were able to catch up with each other far faster than talking would allow.

When they woke up, they were back in their own minds, the tingle from their joining still cushioning their heads, and their bodies a sweaty, sticky mess. The Doctor grinned. "I think we need a shower."

"In a minute." Sherlock stretched. "I found one spot of darkness hidden deeply within your mind, Doctor. We need to go and examine it to see if it's you or if it's a trap."

"It's probably me. I locked down a lot of memories from the time war, Sherlock. But you're right, let's go see what's going on."

Their foreheads touched again and Sherlock led the way slowly and carefully to the place he had noticed the night before. If it had been the night before. It was very easy to lose track of what was happening, how much time was passing when they were joined together. The Doctor manifested a smaller version of his body on a mental landscape, an easy exercise that they had both been taught when they were younger, and pulled out his glasses. "This is new," he said. "I don't recognize it at all. The time war memories, and my family are much much father down in my mind. I wonder what this is."

Sherlock appeared next to him. "If it is Moriarty, then I would be very wary of trying to open it or see what it is," he said. "The man likes bombs and destroying people, you would have seen that." He walked around the spot a few times. "Do you think it's possible for us to remove it without activating the memories contained inside it?"

"Well yeah, we should be able to do that, but what if it's something I need to remember?" the Doctor asked. "What are we going to do then?"

"What about creating a safe spot within the, no. We can't risk transferring this to the TARDIS. If Moriarty was in your mind, he would have been able to learn about her and he could have set up the trap to harm you both."

"So the only way to get rid of it is to activate it then, isn't it? I want you out of here, Sherlock. This might be a trap for you. He's human, he wouldn't have known what to do and I can take care of contamination without help." The Doctor grinned. "Off you go. Keep an eye on me and I'll be back with you before you know it."

"I wish there was another way to do this."

"You said it yourself, we can't risk the TARDIS and I'm stronger than Moriarty. That much I did see when I was in his mind. This might not even be from him. It's possible that being in contact with him moved some of the memories about the time war or my family and created this. Let me open it and we'll see what happens, yeah?"

"Under protest," Sherlock sighed. He started his withdraw from the Doctor's mind, slowly shutting down the connections between them until he was back inside his own mind. He opened his eyes and sat up, watching his lover closely.

The Doctor's body jerked and Sherlock knew that he'd activated that piece of memory. He watched closely for any signs of problems, trouble, or distress. Sherlock hated that he couldn't be with his lover for this, but knew that it was possible that Moriarty could have made it a trap for him.

"There we go, all sorted," the Doctor said. "It was a time war memory that had migrated. Nothing that I couldn't patch back down."

"In a way, I'm glad." Sherlock pulled the Doctor into a hug and held him tightly. "Let's go and get some more tea and you can tell me where you're taking me."

"Tea, oh that sounds like a grand idea," the Doctor grinned. They both looked around when a phone started ringing. "That your mobile?"

"Mycroft."

"I don't want to know how he managed that one," the Doctor said. He took the phone. "Mycroft? This should be physically impossible, you know."

"I had some adjustments made to Sherlock's phone before he left. Just to be sure, you understand. I have young Rose with me, Doctor, and she had something very interesting to say to me."

"You didn't touch her, did you? So help me, Mycroft, if you so much as laid a hand on her, I'll hurt you."

"Calm yourself, Doctor. Of course we didn't harm her. You left your taffy behind and I must admit that you were quite correct about the butterflies. I find the neon green ones most disturbing," Mycroft said. "No, she is fine and shall be awakening soon from the slight modifications I made to her mind."

"Mycroft, what. Did. You. Do?"

"Did you know that she had been in touch with one of Moriarty's people? A man name Moran. She was to kill Sherlock."

The Doctor groaned. "She damn near managed it too, well, she almost killed us both, but we're fine. Just going to have some tea. Maybe some cake too. I think that cake would be a good idea. Get some sugar into us. What else happened?"

"You were to be her prize for Sherlock's death. To be able to travel with you for the rest of time. I fear, Doctor, that there may be more at stake here than we originally though," Mycroft said. "I'm going to be investigating this Moran character, but I felt that you should know what I found."

"How would she be able to travel with me for all time?" the Doctor asked. "Humans age even when they're traveling in the TARDIS. You know that I never allow them to stay for more than five years. It isn't fair to them to take them away from their lives forever."

Mycroft sighed. "Moriarty was human, but Moran interests me. I shall keep you informed. In the meantime, would you please keep my brother away from the current time? He's at the center of all of this, somehow, and I'm nervous as to what might happen should he return before it is all sorted."

"Yeah, no problem. There's a few places I can take him," the Doctor said. "Give us a ring when it's safe to come back."

"I will. Thank you, Doctor."

"Take care of Rose."

Sherlock looked over. "So, we have a mystery man behind Moriarty. Or is the man acting on Moriarty's orders?" he asked. "I can see why Mycroft wants me gone. This is a wonderful puzzle."

"Yeah, well, we can cheat a little," the Doctor grinned. "He said to stay away from the current time. But there's nothing to stop us going back ten or twenty years to do some digging in the records as long as you're sure you're nowhere about. Last thing we need is for you to cross your own timeline."

"I like how you think, Doctor."

"Tea, and then we'll have an adventure."

***

Mycroft was used to being able to learn anything he wanted about anyone. In any country in the world. There was a reason his people were paid as well as they were for what they did. But no one could find anything on Moran. It was frustrating. If Mycroft were a human rather than a time lord, he might have hit something. Rose wasn't being any help. He'd searched her mind and found that it had been tampered with, by hypnosis he figured, and was blocked there as well.

He was just about to the point where he was going to risk bringing Sherlock back to the current time when a folder appeared on his desk in a swirl of yellow light. There was a note stuck to the front of it. "Talk to John." Mycroft shook his head at how dramatic the Doctor could be and opened the folder.

Mycroft, the Doctor and I traveled back to London eleven and a half years ago, while I was out of the country on business so as not to risk crossing a time line, and did a little research into this Moran character. He appeared out of nowhere to attend Eton and Oxford prior to joining the military. He served in the Middle East, so it's possible that John knows him. You should go and have a chat, if you didn't damage John too badly when you were adjusting his memories right after I left. Our research also shows that he was sent home owing to some sort of a scandal that made all of the Middle East and India too dangerous for him to remain. He is trained as a sniper and it is possible that he has an illegal firearm with him in country. Lestrade should probably be made aware of this, if only for his own safety.

I apologize for the trouble you've had tracing information on Moran. I had to wipe all evidence of my searches here, and I believe that caused some problems farther down the line. These are copies of everything I did find.

The Doctor and I are going to go and visit New York in the 1600s. We think. The TARDIS has been acting up ever since we left Rose behind and we're not sure where we'll end up. See you when we return.
Sherlock

Mycroft sighed and started through the information Sherlock had sent. A search in the past, even with information taken and the search erased shouldn't have caused all the information to vanish completely. There was a mystery surrounding Moran, one that Mycroft didn't like. He would have to see what could be done about that.
**********

"There we go, all sorted." The Doctor stepped back from the console and grinned. "Mycroft got our little package and it should put him on the right track. Now we're free to go and have fun. But why did you tell him we're going to New York in the 1600s? That's a dull place."

"I know, but I don't want him to know what we're really doing."

"Somehow I think he suspects." The Doctor slipped an arm around Sherlock's waist and pulled him in closer. "We haven't seen each other in close to fifty years. Linear time, anyway. It's taking all my self control not to leave the TARDIS here in the time vortex and keep you in bed for a week or two. Think what that would be like, Sherlock. Just the two of us, alone. We could be as loud as we wanted. As kinky as we wanted and no one would be able to say anything to us."

Sherlock studied his lover's face closely. "Is that what you really want?" he finally asked.

"Course it is."

"I want to make sure we're talking about the same thing, because I don't believe that bananas have any place in the bedroom."

"You've never been curious what it would feel like?"

"No, I haven't. But, then again, I'm not as huge a fan of bananas as you are," Sherlock said. "I trust you have some around somewhere."

The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket. "Always take a banana to a party, that's my motto," he grinned handing it over. "What are you going to do to me with it? Jack tried to shoot me, well, shoot the people surrounding us with one once. That was in my last body. He didn't realize I was that good of a pick-pocket."

"I feel a strong urge to never meet this Jack person," Sherlock said.

"Aw, he's an all right guy, as long as you don't mind hearing 'let me shag you' whenever he says hello," the Doctor said. "He really did fancy my last body."

"I don't blame him. That leather jacket and short hair cut made you look very, very sexy," Sherlock said. He kissed his lover softly. "Are we safe in the time vortex?"

"For now, yeah."

"Then why don't we head to the bedroom and I'll see exactly how creative I can get with this banana."

***

Next part of Time Lords.

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• Holmes/Watson stories
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