Multiple of Three: Chapter 4 (BBC JohnxReader)

"What made you forgive him? Earlier I mean."

You briefly glance over to Watson and smile, "Sherlock hardly ever raises his voice. During all the years I've been with that man, I've learned that he yells most at those he—dare I say—loves."

"He certainly yells at Mycroft quite a bit."

You chuckle as you swipe a strand of hair from your face, "Exactly. Sherlock cares. It's simply that those two have both got their own little relationship of sorts. I'd be lying if I told you their bond had ever been normal."

"And I would've been disinclined to believe so."

You laugh again, "We wouldn't be Holmes' if we we're normal, now would we?"

"No, I suppose not," Watson replies through a few chuckles.

You cast the man a sidelong glance and ascertain that, yes, he does have a nice smile. You could hear Sherlock's voice reverberating about in your skull scolding your wistful thoughts, but you pay the little voice no mind as you continue down the pathway and towards large metallic doors. Vicky swipes her card across the scan pad and the doors immediately proceed to open.

The base is hustle and bustle comprising of smooth chattering, swift footsteps, the sound of electronic devices, and papers rustling on the slight breeze and against eager fingertips.

'The same as always,' you thought as Vicky let you take the lead seeing that you were her superior.

You step across the threshold regally, authoritatively, hands folded behind you back and head held high. You were greeted by a plethora of nods and salutes packaged with 'Good evening Agent Sirius.'

Truth be told, you were quite the agent. When people spoke of stellar missions gone swift and smooth, your name was always attached to said talk. You were that agent. The agent...almost. Unfortunately you came in a pair. Your partner Hammond was the other 'the agent.'

You both arrived to academy the same year and wound up being practice partners which expanded to field partners. When Hammond had first join you swore he was one of the sweetest gents you'd ever met. Naturally when he admitted fancying you, you had no reservations about replying in kind. Partners and lovers, a challenge and a support system, and it was all going swell.

Until his head got big and his ego took hold. Yes, as an agent, Hammond was indeed one of the best. One day you'd both been equals and the next you were suddenly inferior. You'd been torn. Torn between confronting him after kicking his arse and simply just kicking his arse.

You, obviously, went with the later. You were a Holmes after all.

Needless to say that relationship was history and your partnership as agents had grown cold and purely dutiful.

You decide it'd be best to confront the man about the turn of events during the mission and you begin to head toward training facilities. As you're walking Sherlock leans over to whisper something in your ear. You nod absently, paying him little mind. Victoria quickly recognizes the look on your face and with a salute she leaves. Hopefully he wouldn't be there but as the fates would have it, who else would you meander into but the egotistical bastard himself. He's in the mat, dripping sweat from the crunches he'd been doing when he looks up to see you. A smirk slides into his faces as he swiftly moves to hit feet before making his over to you, towel and water bottle in hand.

"Well if it isn't Agent Sirius! I see you've turned up empty handed...again."

Your roll your eyes. All you wanted to do was be debriefed and share information. You were in no mood for his childish antics. Still...

"Hmm...could it be that was because my shoddy and so called partner failed to prevent civilian access to the room he was supposedly 'guarding?' I think so."

Hammond grits his teeth and the sound of it is music to your ears. Sweet victorious music.

"Perhaps if you had done what I knowyou do best," he sighs softly as he shakes his head, "then perhaps all of this could've been avoided."

His voice is polite enough and he even manages to look sincere, as though he genuinely has faith in your 'expertise,' but you know better.

"Oh, posh! It was going to happen anyway. That damn thing wasn't even there!"

Hammond quirks his lips upwards and shrugs, abs glistening in the light. He opens his water bottle as drinks it where he stands, throat rippling as he does so. Oh, you know exactly what he's trying to do. Must've been a hard blow to his ego when you broke up with him. But no amount of well-built sexiness was going rectify this relationship. He swallows and then looks to you and again you roll your eyes.

"Oh yeah. Delta mentioned wanting you in his office, asap."

"And you failed to mention that earlier because..?"

Hammond shrugs his shoulders before sauntering back to the exercise floor, setting his things down, and dropping into a quick succession of push up. You have to fight back the irritated growl that claws at the back of your throat. That man was incorrigible!

"Oh, how I despise him."

"Really? He seemed like a right bloke...I think," John says uncertainly, not quite sure as to what just transpired.

"Haven't you met someone who no matter what they say or do, no matter how trivial or profound, you have this uncontrollable urge to punch them in the throat?"

Your face is peeved and dead serious as you watch Hammond finish his fifth—fifth!—round of pushups.

"Just because he has great hair, flawless skin, an amazing sense of style, and plenty of height does not mean he is the better than the rest of us. I have long gorgeous legs that any man would kill to caress!"

John unconsciously finds his eyes veering downward to observe said gorgeous legs that are currently bound by the tight-fitting dress you're still wearing. You pay him no mind, instead opting to glare daggers into you self-appointed opponent and partner.

"For heaven sakes, where did Sherlock wonder off to?!" You ask as you look about the area. You didn't recall him leaving your side.

"Umm...I don't know." John replies as he joins your still pursuit of the other Holmes.

"Well that's right fantastic! Heaven knows the last thing this country needs is Sherlock Holmes sniffing about for confidential information. Lord knows his fondness of blackmail can only do us no good in the future."

You sigh heavily, running a tired hand through your hair before turning to John.

"John, darling. Please do me the favor of locating my brother. I'd do it myself but I have 'things' attend to."

Of course he was going to say yes and Watson knew it. Since when had he ever been able to say no to a lovely lady? He was also finding out that there was something attractive about a beautiful woman with authority and an agenda.

~~~
John finds Sherlock pestering one of the base’s scientists. Apparently there were quite a few in her quantum theory, but with his fixes her reason should be sound. John quickly apologizes, but the woman is clearly impressed in whatever the hell Sherlock had done, going so far as to invite him and John to a break for coffee and to discuss the wonders of science. John would’ve given anything to opt out of being a participant in this little get-together, but he’s promised to find Sherlock for you and that also meant keeping an eye on the man in case he decided to wreak havoc.

There’s loud explosion of sorts and both the unknown scientist and John are quick to their feet. The woman offers a rushed apology before rushing out of the room. John looks to Sherlock who is leisurely reclining in his seat, sipping pleasantly at his tea.

“Are we going to investigate that?”

“No need. I know exactly what happened.”

“Do you now?” John urges tiredly as he watches Sherlock stand to his feet and shrug his coat on.

“It is likely that the equation I ‘corrected’ for that kind woman was false.”

“What? She works with nuclear….things! Why would you do that?!” John harshly whispers as he walks swiftly beside Sherlock down the halls.

It had to be overwhelmingly suspicious for them to be walking in the direction opposite of the one everyone else seemed to be going in. They arrive at key-carded lift and Watson looks to it and then to Sherlock.

“Do calm down. It’s harmless. Simply something flashy to keep everyone’s attention,” Sherlock replies casually as he slides a key card across the access panel.

It flashes green and the doors sweep open and he steps inside, silently eyeing John as if urging him to come aboard. John sighs wearily but enters the lift anyhow. Wait. Keycard?

“Sherlock, where did you get that?” John inquires exasperatedly, almost certain as to where the brunette acquired it.

Wordlessly Sherlock grins before moving forward to press a button.

“See! This is exactly why I can’t take you anywhere. We always wind up banned!”

Sherlock’s grin only seems to grow.

When the doors slide open again, Sherlock and John find themselves on a floor that seemed fairly empty. No voices, footsteps, or movement of any sorts. Sherlock looks up to his left at the video camera, quickly noticing the absence of a glowing red light. He smirks as he nods to the shut off camera before continuing down the hall. There’s a sudden shuffle of sorts. It was muffled but both men hear the noise none the less.

“That would be our destination,” Sherlock says as he moves to the office door that read ‘Delta.’

He looks to John and Watson simply shrugs. Sherlock takes the gesture as approval and moves to open the door.


“Oh my—!" John says as they walk in on you shimmying back into your dress, "that's the second time today..."

They both notice the body lying prone on the floor beside—Watson quickly recognizes the man to be Hammond—but neither say anything about it.

You laugh as you wiggle your hips a bit, "It's nothing you haven't seen before."

John coughs as he averts his eyes elsewhere, "Not really the point."

"John, go watch the door...again. Make sure no one comes in."

Sherlock's voice is a bit tense when he orders John away. Still the doctor is quick to comply, nodding repeatedly and silently before swiftly turning his back to you and heading over to the door.

"Your timing was impeccable, though I do wish you both had waited until I was a bit more presentable," you say to both men as you slip the strap of your dress back onto your shoulder.

Watson is stilling facing the door, 'keeping a keen eye out' for any sudden guests.

"So just what are we doing here?" He asks peering about the door as he rocks lazily on heels.

"While we were setting small fires, I had my best man plant the bomb," Sherlock explains with a smirk and you bow, grinning all the while.

"The key," Sherlock states more than requests with an outstretched hand.

"Sherlock, you better be absolutely right about this," you say firmly as you slip the key from your bra.

"Aren't I always?"

He takes the key from your hands and steps over your unconscious partner.

"Hammond is going to be so very pissed when he wakes up. Hopefully not any time soon."

You lightly poke at your partner's prone body with your barefoot. He doesn't budge and you snicker as you pull a permanent marker from your purse. The safe door behind the desk beeps as it open and with a proud smirk Sherlock turns to look to you. His smirk immediately falls when he notices you crouched down doodling on Hammond's face.

"What are you doing?"

"Did you know that on our last mission together he told me that I should hurry up and do what whores do best and seduce the target already?" You say lazily as you smile evilly.

Sherlock raises his brows before nodding to you, "As you were."

And as he turns to pull the safe door open you can’t help but smile.

“It’s empty.”

Sherlock is genuinely befuddled the empty sate of the safe, eying it with acute disbelief.

“Of course it is. You didn’t honestly think we’d allow you to waltz in and do as you pleased?”

Sherlock can’t help but roll his eyes at the voice and quite annoyed he turns around to see a surprised John beside Mycroft.

“So much for guarding the door.”

John merely shrugs his shoulder, eyes putting up both his hands in a halfhearted effort to relay that his is equally as confused by this turn of events. Sherlock then turns his gaze to you.

“You called him?”

“Oh, Sherly I had to. He is sort of my boss,” you say with apologetic grin and a shrug of your shoulder.

“Then where is it?”

“I have it,” you calmly assure the youngest Holmes as he eyes you with keen disbelief.

“I’d say I was surprised, but that would be nothing but a lie,” Mycroft says as he tiredly rubs at his temples.

With a sigh Mycroft looks down to the body on the floor, “And him?”

“A liability,” You reply happily with a sickeningly sweet smile and Sherlock has to force himself not to smile at your artwork across the unconscious man’s face.

Mycroft shakes his head quickly uninterested in the story behind that.

“It doesn’t matter. I plan to have the two of you removed from the premise and banned and watch-listed.”

“See! What did I tell you?” John exclaims as he points to Mycroft before crossing his arms over his chest.

Again Sherlock rolls his eyes before he speaks.

“So you simply plan to throw us out? A slap on the wrist and a warning?”

Mycroft’s growing ire is apparent to both you and John. The doctor looks to you and you to him. If this was not handled delicately well…let’s just say the last thing the world needed was a full on altercation between the two Holmes.

“Either way it’s a lose-lose situation,” you say calmly, effortlessly diffusing the situation.

“How so?” Mycroft asks, daring to indulge you.

“Either we forbid his involvement and he still weasels his way in or he actually obeys and the world implodes from the sheer absurdity of such an event ever occurring.”

Sherlock raises a brow as though he could clearly see the likelihood of both occurrences. Mycroft lets out a weary sigh as he runs an agitated had through his hair. Honestly, you and Sherlock could be quite the handful and playing big brother was getting harder by the day.

“Fine,” he replies and you turn to give Sherlock a grin.

"But you have to keep an eye on both of them.”

The person Mycroft is currently pointing at is Watson.

"Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Wait a minute. How is that even remotely rational? She’s the MI6 agent and Sherlock is Sherlock. You don’t honestly expect me to manage the both of them.”

Mycroft shrugs with a slight smirk, pleased to share his tribulations another soul, whether John wanted to or not.

“Oh, John! We’ll be on our best behavior,” you playfully plead as you sidle up and close to the puzzled doctor.

"Yes, John. Don’t be a spoil sport. You’d only be dragging the rest of the team down,” Sherlock adds with a positively devilish smile.

“This seems like a dreadful idea,” John tries halfheartedly.

It’s surprisingly difficult to say no to one Holmes, let alone three. Watson sighs and you hug him excitedly before moving to kiss Mycroft on his cheek. The man rolls his eyes but makes no move to stop you.

“Oh! I’ve got a team comprised of my three favorite boys,” you say after a soft giggle, grinning all the while.

"Your favorite?" John inquires.

"There are more?" Sherlock and Mycroft question intensely, both subconsciously running through all the possible men in your life.

"Oh, don't read too much into it. All of you. I'm simply to have a team comprised of competent souls."