Moriarty grinned like a bloody idiot as he stood on the rooftop of St. Bart's. He sent the first text.

"John Watson. Target."

Then the second.

"Gregory Lestrade. Target."

Then the third.

"Martha Louise Hudson. Target."

His fingers took a bit longer on the third one, though. As much as he hated to admit it, Molly Hooper was a sweet kind of girl and on more than one occasion he had rather enjoyed cuddling with her and her cat. Such a shame that Sherlock had taken a liking to her. The thought of her brains spattered on the nice yellow walls of her flat was almost enough to make him feel an inkling of remorse. Almost.

Just as he was about to press 'send' the feel of a pistol against the back of his skull made him pause.

"Press that button and you'll be dead before it even delivers."

Moriarty licked his lips. Now that was a husky voice he had never expected to hear again. Granted, it was rather disappointing. He raised his hands over his head and slowly turned to face the suited man holding a Beretta to his head.

"My, my, Mr. Bond. I heard you were shot by one of your own colleagues in Turkey. Have to admit, I wasn't expecting to be seeing your handsome face anytime soon," he responded with the same flippant suave he usually reserved for Sherlock. But it was a special occasion, so he felt generous enough to share. "But I would be glad to go out for some fish and chips when I'm done with business if you'd like."

"You know the rules, Moriarty," Bond growled, ignoring his antics.

He chuckled.

"In my defense, you were dead."

"Not anymore. Delete it."

Giving out an exaggerated and pouting huff, Moriarty erased the text. As much as he would love to wriggle his way out of the ridiculous deal he had made five years ago with the MI6 agent, he was not about to let one stupid sentiment get between him and his victory over Sherlock Holmes. He held up the phone as proof that the deed was done. In another time and another place he would deal with this. Bond nodded.

"If you do so much as look at my cousin again, I will personally end you and everything you have worked so hard for," Bond warned, slipping the weapon back into his pocket.

Moriarty impatiently glanced at his watch.

"Noted. Now if you'll excuse me, 007, I have a prior engagement that requires my attention. Toodles."

As usual, Bond was gone the moment Moriarty turned his back. He clenched his jaw and smiled again.

As soon as she processed that it was in fact James standing in her kitchen and not some sick figment of her imagination, Molly immediately threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tighter than she ever had before, streams of delighted tears streaming over her cheeks. She laughed in relief as she felt him embrace her back, nuzzling his face into her still unbrushed hair.

"They said you were killed in action," she said between heavy breaths after she finally let go.

It had shattered her heart into a thousand fragments when an MI6 official came to her flat to report his death. He warned her when he took the job that it would happen eventually, but nothing prepared her for the agonizing pain of losing the only person in her life she knew reciprocated every ounce of love she ever gave. The Hooper side of the family taking him in after his parents died was the best thing that ever happened to Molly. It was James who held her and let her cry when her father beat her. It was James who threatened to kill him if it ever happened again. It was James who made her feel safe after the divorce. It was James who was there to comfort her when her mother lost the fight against cancer. No matter what, even after he became 007, he made time for her, even if it was only once a year on her birthday.

"Spies say a lot of things that aren't true, Little Miss Molly," he replied, using his sleeve to wipe away her tears. "Did anyone hurt you while I was away?"

She shook her head 'no.' He let out a long exhale as if he had been holding his breath and kissed her forehead.

"I don't like what you've gotten yourself into. If anything at all goes wrong, run straight to Mycroft Holmes and stay with him until I get back, do you understand?"

"James, what happened?" she asked with a bit of shock. He always knew more about her life than she thought was possible with how much time he was out and about, but no one was supposed to be aware of Reichenbach.

"Just promise to be careful, ma chere soeur," he said and gave her another tight hug.

"I will, mon cher frere."

Molly felt a knot form in her throat as he slipped out of the flat as silently as he had entered. Every instinct told her something was terribly wrong, but she had to push it aside. She had to go help Sherlock, and just pray that everything would be okay and that they would both live to see each other again. As she grabbed her purse to take off for St. Bart's to put the final pieces of the "magic trick" in place, her phone dinged and her heart jumped so hard against her chest she thought it might crack one of her ribs.

Good golly, Little Miss Molly. You are a very lucky girl to have such a loving family. Jim Moriarty x