20. The Spider and The Viper

            We didn’t move for at least ten minutes. Since we didn’t see Sherlock pass by us, we headed upstairs. I felt anxious all of a sudden. I knew where Jim was leading me: my room, where Elena slept. She was completely unaware of what was going on right now.

            Soon, she wouldn’t be aware of anything at all.

            Truthfully, I agreed with Jim, about how Sherlock should have chosen Elena over John. John was in bad enough shape already, he wouldn’t have been hard to finish off. We didn’t need him for anything other than leverage, and who knows if he would live beyond his time here at the mansion with his condition? Maybe Sherlock was going to John only to find him dead.

If Sherlock wanted to get revenge for his blogger’s death, I’d gladly face him again.

Elena was an entirely different story. She was of much more use than her father could ever be to us. She had more potential. Elena would have been raised by us; she could have been useful to us once she got older. I knew Jim would have loved that, to have Elena Watson on our side, against her Uncle Sherlock.

            Faint gunfire rang out. I spun around. Something went wrong. It sounded like it was coming from outside. He brought backup. Damn it.

            “Great,” I groaned. “We should have known he’d bring help.”

            “It just means he’ll have more blood on his hands. I’d have you out there, but in your condition, I don’t think so. Besides, you’ve got another job to do.”

            “They’ll either be killed or caught.” By “they” I meant Heidi and Logan. “They’re way outnumbered.”

            “So what? I thought you didn’t like Logan anyway?”

“I don’t, but I do like Heidi,” I said pointedly.

“This is business, Raine. You don’t get close to anyone.”

            “Hypocrite,” I spat. “Just hope Sherlock’s backup doesn’t break in and corner us. If they do, we won’t have a way out.”

            “I’ll figure one out, but not until we’re cornered. Come on.”

            Quietly, while a few more gunshots rang out, we crept to my room. I couldn’t imagine what was going on outside. I could picture Logan and Heidi perched in different rooms, shooting from windows, sniping police one by one. It would only be a matter of time before they were stopped and Scotland Yard breached the mansion. They were practically knocking on the door now.

            I got the bedroom door ajar, and Jim and I slipped in. We left the door just a tad bit open.

            “I say we wait until they get here, or one of them does,” I bargained. “You’re one for theatrics, right?”

            “As much as I love the idea, we may not have that kind of time, little girl. It’s got to be done now, or it may not be until a long time from now. Oh, and don’t think you’re using your knife. I got one from the kitchen.” He put the knife in my hand. It had a little more weight to it.

            I jiggled it in my hand, getting a feel for its weight. I looked to Elena, who was twitching in her sleep, but otherwise unaware of what was really going on. I swallowed, thinking of my own baby. Jim was asking me to murder a little girl, a little girl who would have no chance of defending herself from me when I’d go in for the kill.

            There was no one to stop me except for my conscience. Only I had the power to stop myself if I chose to.

“Go on, do it,” Jim purred. “She’ll never see it coming. It’ll be nice and quick for her, painless. It’s the best death you can give someone.”

“He could still come for her,” I said thickly, looking at Elena’s sleeping form on the bed.

“That doesn’t matter now, angel. He chose to break the rules by bringing Scotland Yard with him. Go on, my little viper. You want to, I know you do.” He kissed my cheek, letting his lips linger a bit longer than normal. “You haven’t used a blade in some time. It’s time you remembered the thrill it gave you.”

I crept to the foot of the bed, seeing Elena curled up into the pillow, with Chloe the stuffed dog wrapped in her arms. I could picture it now: the sheets, the pillow, Chloe, Elena, and possibly me all covered in the little girl’s blood. Jim was right, she wouldn’t feel a thing if I made it quick. I wouldn’t stab her; a slice across the throat was much more merciful. No matter what way I did it, it would still look gruesome.

The grip on the hilt tightened.

But the future sight startled me. I thought about what John had asked of me. I didn’t even trust the man, and I had made a promise to him, a promise to keep his only family safe from death. I swallowed, suddenly feeling indecisive. Being pregnant didn’t help my decision either.

I was now stuck on a fence, ready to tip either way. My brain and heart weren’t connecting, telling me different things. One was saying to go through with it and kill Elena, and the other wanted to spare the girl’s life and honor my word to her father. I groaned internally. Why now of all times must I hesitate?

John was right, his daughter was my weakness. She was more so now that I was carrying my own child. I pictured my child in her place, picturing Jim asking me to kill our child. No sane parent would do that to their own kid; murder them in cold blood because their partner told them to. But I wasn’t Elena Watson’s mother, I’d killed her.

I was waiting for John and/or Sherlock to come bursting in, or someone from Scotland Yard to delay me. But nobody came. All I heard was a bit of incoherent shouting and more gunfire.

“Go on,” Jim crooned.

My brain was pulsing painfully. Of all the times I’d killed before, I hadn’t hesitated. I hadn’t been this hesitant with Dean and Spencer. But all my victims had been adults. This was a child I was about to slay. This was different, though I was sure any other day I would deem murder the same, no matter the age. The circumstances were different. I had, somehow, grown attached to Elena Watson. I was going to be a mother in months’ time.

I exhaled shakily.

“I-I can’t,” I whispered.

“What was that?”

“I can’t do it, Jim.” My lower lip trembled. My eyes never left Elena’s sleeping body. “I can’t kill her. I won’t do it.”

“Raine, this isn’t funny.”

“Who said I was laughing?”

“You’ve taken lives before. You’ve taken lives of sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, cousins, etc. How is this any different?”

“She is a child, James.” I hadn’t called him that in ages. If he didn’t see that I wasn’t happy about this before, he definitely knew now.

“So what?”

“I won’t kill someone who’s barely lived.”

He sighed heavily. “I had a bad feeling this would happen.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What would?”

“That you would get attached.” He sounded disgusted. I saw him come around me from the corner of my eye. “I was hoping you wouldn’t, that you’d treat babysitting her as just a job and nothing more.” He touched my cheek with one hand. Automatically, I leaned into the heat of his touch. “I’m disappointed in you, Raine. I truly am. I expected more of you, I expected better from you. You had so much potential; I couldn’t wait to see what life you were going to have down the road. You were heading down the road to infamy.”

“I couldn’t live with myself if I murdered her, Jim.” My voice was quiet. “Why can’t we just escape now and raise her as our own? You would like that more, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m not changing the rules for her, Raine.”
            “You won’t for me, then?”

“How could I not have guessed this before?” It was like he’d never heard me. “If I hadn’t stayed away for a month, I would have seen it sooner.” Jim sniffed. “I would have never guessed that a child would make you soft.”

“I never stop surprising you.”

“No, you don’t. Sadly, though, you will.”

I didn’t scream loudly as sharp, stinging pain blossomed in my abdomen. It was more of a choked, silent scream. My mouth was left agape as my eyes bulged to meet Jim’s. I saw no emotion in his eyes, they were endless brown abysses. He wore a twisted smile, relishing the moment as he shoved the knife deeper into me, into our baby.

This was not the Jim Moriarty who had accepted that he was going to be a father. This was not the man who I had just started to feel something for. The man before me was unrecognizable. No, that wasn’t true. This was the man I had chosen to give up my old life for, the man who had promised me everything.

He was now a traitor.

“W-why?” I sputtered.

“I can’t have any pressure points,” he explained coldly. “I can’t have anyone get leverage over me. The only way to do that is to get rid of my weakness, or weaknesses in your case.”

So he does feel something…I think. It sounded like Jim Moriarty had feelings for me. I guess he didn’t want his feelings to make him lose the game. He wanted to do anything necessary to keep him from being defeated, even if it meant dropping his second-in-command and her baby.

Still, there is the chance that because of him, I may die or lose everything. The same can be said for you and Logan too. Heidi’s voice suddenly came to mind. She’d been right, but I didn’t really believe her then only because I had thought, for the longest time, that I was safe. That I was invincible.

I guess I was too blinded to see the truth: when you’re with a man named Jim Moriarty, you’re never safe, even if you do business with him.

“You—you heartless prick.” I gasped sharply. I felt like I could feel the baby dying inside me, the baby who couldn’t protect itself against a sharp blade. “You’re killing your own child.”

“Like I’ve said, I’ve never needed to attach myself to anyone. It will always be me, myself, and I, little girl.” I cringed, feeling the blade twist inside me. “It’s a shame I’ve got to do this. I really wish I could have a child, but I can’t have anything on me for so many months. Besides, if I want a protégée, I can always adopt or kidnap one. I wouldn’t have to wait as long.”

My legs buckled, and I collapsed into Jim. My chin hit his shoulder; my full body was still leaning on his.

“I didn’t want to do this, but I’m not letting anything slow me down.” He didn’t sound very emotional about stabbing me and his child. “It still has to be done, though. Elena Watson has to die, even if she could be the perfect candidate to become something great when she’s older. Sherlock broke the rules, and if you won’t kill her, then I guess I’ll have to do it myself. I sometimes forget how exhilarating committing murder by my own hand is. It’s still a bit messy though.”

In my stunned state, I managed to have a clear head. I wheezed a laugh. I felt Jim stiffen.

“What’s so funny?” he demanded lowly.

“You think you can get away with anything.”

“I can, love. We’ve been over this before.”

“Well, sorry to say it, James, but”—I jabbed him with my pocketknife—“you’re not killing her, not if I kill you first. If I go down, you can bet you’re going down with me.”

I didn’t stop at one stab; I let my rage take over. I stabbed him through his Westwood suit multiple times until I was sure I’d punctured his lungs and torn holes in his outfit. I pulled my head away to gaze into his eyes. I smirked.

The king messed with the viper. He agitated her, tried to kill her, and the viper retaliated. Karma.

“If you think you’ll live through this trouble-free, you won’t know what hit you,” he purred. “People will want a pretty price for your head.”

“Really?” I panted. “I think people will be happy, because they’ll be free from your reign of terror. It’s a shame nobody had the balls to kill you before me.”

“Oh, they’ve tried, little viper, but you forget—not a lot of people have gotten to me.”

“I have. Your decision to keep me around backfired on you in the end.” I pushed myself off of Jim, who fell on his back on the floor. My breathing hitched, my body shook as I stared down at him. He was barely breathing; I could just see his chest move. I stepped around him, my free hand trying to slow the bleeding in my abdomen. My outfit was dyed red, and I realized the knife that was meant for Elena was still inside me. “You’ve been overthrown, Your Highness. Hope you enjoy your afterlife in hell.”

“I won’t be alone.” Jim chuckled weakly. “You’ll be right there with me, Raine. We’ll meet again.”

I was tempted to stab him again, but I was severely weak. From the corner of my eye, I saw Elena stir. Oh no. She yawned, sitting up, rubbing her eyes. She screamed, seeing my bloody state. I was sure I forever traumatized her as she saw the knife in me. She cowered into the headboard, screaming as though she was the one being murdered.

“Elena,” I croaked. “Get out of here; go find your uncle or your dad. They’re both here. Don’t argue with me, just go.”

“Daddy!” Elena yelled, jumping from the bed and fleeing the room. “Uncle Sherlock!”

I dropped to my knees, bending over in pain. I stared at Jim. His eyelids weren’t moving, he looked to be still. I’d just killed Jim Moriarty, the world’s notorious consulting criminal.

“Long live the king,” I spat, crying out. I fell on my side, away from Jim. With quaking hands, I ripped the knife out from me. I dropped both knives beside me. I had two types of blood all over me.

I wailed, feeling like I was living just for me now. There was no way in hell the baby had survived the knife to the gut. It’d be a miracle. He’d never given a shit about his kid. He’d used my emotions against me. What an actor. He knew how I worked; he knew how to keep me on his side. He’d always known how every connection worked: how they behaved, how they danced.

I let out a low moan. Gunfire continued to erupt in and around the mansion. My nightmare is coming true. It’s a shame Jim won’t be sharing captivity with me. I should have let the bastard live so he could suffer just as much as me.

I curled tighter into a ball, unable to escape the searing pain.

“We can’t leave her, Daddy!” Elena’s voice shouted. “She’s in there, and she’s hurt.”

“Elena, we’ve been around too long,” said a weary voice. I recognized it easily as John Watson’s. “We have to leave.”

“No!”

“Elena!”

I heard light feet gallop their way in. I poked my head up to see Elena shaking me, as though she thought it would help me. Surprisingly, the blood didn’t faze the girl.

“Stay awake, Aunt Raine!” she pleaded. “Daddy can help you, he’s a doctor.”

“I—I don’t think he’ll want to help me, sweetie,” I choked.

“What’s wrong with that man?”

“I—I don’t think you’ll understand if I tell you. He won’t hurt anyone else ever again.”

“Elena, get away from her!” John thundered. I could hear his mad footsteps coming to us. I closed my eyes. He’s going to get his wish; he’ll get justice for Mary.

“No, Daddy! You have to save her!”

“Elena, she is a very bad woman and has been lying to you since the day you met. Get away from her or I’ll make you.”

“No!”

I opened my eyes to see Elena stand in front of me, stand against her father. John towered over his little girl, with a gun at his side. I shook on the floor.

“Daddy, you can’t hurt her! She saved me from that bad man. You have to help her, please. I’ll stop you with one of those!” She pointed at the bloody knives.

“Stop talking ridiculous, Elena. Sherlock, get her away from Raine.”

“No, Uncle, don’t! Please!” Elena wriggled as Sherlock snatched her up and pulled her away from the scene. “Daddy!”

“Don’t watch,” I heard Sherlock tell her.

“Go ahead,” I told John, focusing on him. “Pull the trigger; it’ll only bring you satisfaction and eventual guilt. It can’t bring all the people I’ve killed back. It won’t undo anything that’s been done. I’ve already lost everything. Just do it, John. I know you want to. If you don’t want to blow my brains out, go ahead and butcher me with the knives.”

“Daddy!” Elena wailed.

John stood over me, the gun still cocked towards me. Tears glistened in my eyes. I never thought I’d fear death before. I’d feared nothing. But now, I had no one. I had a feeling Logan and Heidi were fending for themselves and weren’t going to avenge my death. Well, maybe Heidi would, but even the chance of that was slim.

I had nothing. Jim Moriarty had taken away everything from me except for my life—John was about to take that.

“Nobody will come after you if you kill me, I had no other allies except for him,” I coughed. “I have no one. Just do it.”

Whatever ferocity John once had vanished, his entire being relaxed. He dropped to his knees in front of me, laying the gun by his side.

“Get on your back,” he instructed me. “Come on.”

With a little help from him, I was able to lie on my back.

“Jesus,” he muttered, looking at the blossoming, wet darkness on my shirt. “How are you still conscious right now?”

“Luck.”

“Sherlock, call an ambulance. Do it, now! Keep some pressure on it, okay, Raine? You need to stay awake for me; do you think you can do that?”

I nodded weakly. I could hear Elena trying to get to me while I heard Sherlock on the phone, rapidly giving the address of the mansion. I heard two more gunshots. They’re still going at it? What’s going on?

“They’ll be here. I don’t think she’ll make it, John,” Sherlock said in a rush. “By the time they get here, load her, and take her there…She’ll be gone before they wheel her in.”

“Shut up, don’t say that.”

“Why are you even doing this? Just a minute ago you were talking about putting bullets in her until she was nothing.”

If they continued their debate further, I didn’t catch another word; the blood loss rendered me unconscious. 

**Now this...THIS chapter. So intense, yes? Surprising, yes? I really want to hear your thoughts on this one! Oh, on the side, the song is what I believed to be Jim and Raine's theme. For those of you who haven't watched/read The Great Gatsby, you might not understand the meaning behind the words. Long story short, in the book/movie, a love story has a tragic end. Made the connection yet?

Oh, and if you want to re-read the chapter over and over again because it's your favorite, might I suggest some other songs to see how they fit in with the chapter?

Alternate songs:

*Watch the World Burn (The Dark Knight Score)

*Immolation (Angels and Demons Score)

*Prepared to Do Anything (Sherlock: Season 2)

*The East Wind (Sherlock: Season 3)

One last thing: Sadly, this book is almost done. Only two chapters left. Sorry :(