A/N: Hey guys! It took me a while to write this chapter but I have finally finished it. And a massive thanks to everybody who reviewed my last chapter! you all made me so happy!So please read and enjoy and if you can please review.

Love,SirenLover xxx

Chapter 5:

Sally Donovan felt irritation rise in the pit of her stomach as she saw a taxi halt to a stop near the crime song.

'Of course lestrade would inform wonder boy. It's not like we could ever solve a crime scene without the fantastic .'she thought bitterly. Alex was by his side as usual. She snorted, as if the freak would let her be anywhere without him. Following them was a man she'd never seen before. She almost felt sorry for the fool. He didn't know what he was getting into.

"Hello freak!" She glared at the taller man. "Hello Alex." she smiled. She actually quite liked Alex Holmes, who unlike her husband could actually hold a normal human conversation and didn't feel the need to insult everybody and treat them like lesser beings.

"Hey sally." the other woman greeted back just as friendly. Sally rolled her eyes in disgust as Sherlock put his hand around his wife's waist and pulled her into his side and glared at her. Sally watched as Alex stared at her feet and started to bite her lip. A nervous habit she had.

"I'm here to see detective Inspector Lestrade." He announced pompously. Oh how she'd love to introduce his face to her fist. Damn bastard.

"Why?" she already knew the answer. Lestrade was always letting him interfere with important police work.

"I was invited." He hissed through his teeth. He was getting angry at her. She just smirked in return.

"Why?" she repeated, enjoying the rage in his eyes. She quickly looked at Alex and noticed her face scrunched up slightly, as if she were in pain. Glancing down she saw that the freaks fingers were digging in her side.

"I think he wants me to take a look."

" You know what i think? I think you should remove your talons from your wife's side before you damage something." she glared at him.

Fury flashed across his face. He looked ready to murder her. "How dare you insinuate that i would hurt her!"

Sally looked from the corner of her eyes to see Alex shaking her head slowly in warning, her eyes wide with worry.

"He's not hurting me Sally." Alex assured her. Sally knew she was lying. The freak just smirked. Blasted bastard!

"To answer your previous question, I always know what you're thinking. I even know you didn't make it home last night." He smiled condescendingly.

She just stared at him unbothered. He did this every time, making little hints just to belittle her. She looked over to the shorter man that had arrived with the freak. Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Who's this?"

"Colleague of mine, Dr. Watson. Dr. Watson - Sergeant Sally Donovan. Old friend." he replied snidely. Sally looked at the doctor with a raised brow. Who, in the name of all that is good ,would want to to be willingly associated with this weirdo? Aside from his wife of course but even that she still had doubts about.

"A colleague, how'd you get a colleague? Did he follow you home?" Sally asked seriously.

"Look, would it be better if I just-." The doctor asked, his brown eyes shifting quickly between Sherlock and sally.

"No!" Sherlock demanded.

Sally rolled her eyes towards the control freak and lifted her walkie-talkie to her mouth.

"Freaks here. Bringing him in." was all she said before turning around and heading towards the crime scene. If they followed or not would be their problem.

Alex stayed quiet as she was led to an abandoned house where the crime took place. She waited as Sherlock examined the outside of the dark house and each side of the street.

She felt herself shiver as the cold night air ran up her spine. She hated going to crime scenes. Especially ones that were certain to have a dead body and lots and lots of blood. Another shiver wracked her body at the thought. She would have rather stayed home in the warmth with a good fantasy novel and a cup of tea but Sherlock would never allow it. He didn't like her being on her own. 'You could get hurt and I wouldn't be there to help you', he would say. She didn't fight the matter as she knew he was only out for her best interest. She couldn't remember the last time she went some place just by herself because every time she looked Sherlock was always there.

The door of the murder house opened and Anderson appeared, glowering at Sherlock.

"Anderson! Here we are again." Sherlock announced sarcastically. Anderson only glared.

"It's a crime scene. I don't want it contaminated. We clear on that?" he stated to Sherlock as if he were talking to a small unruly child. He then proceeded to turn to Alex with a more cheerful demeanor.

"How have you been lex?"

Alex barely held in the wince at the nickname. From the corner of her eyes she saw Sherlock's eyes narrow and his jaw clench. According to him nicknames were either for family or lovers.

"I've been great, thank you. How are you? She replied quickly, hoping to get this over with as fast as possible. As soon as the words left her mouth she felt Sherlock's grip on her hip tighten almost painfully. She bit her lip to keep in the whimper of pain threatening to leave her mouth.

" Good actually. Can't complai…."

"And is your wife away for long?" Sherlock interrupted abruptly. His eyes were still digging holes in Anderson's head and his grip never loosening.

"... Don't pretend you worked that out. Someone told you that!" Anderson spat.

"Your deodorant told me that." Sherlock smirked knowingly. Alex knew that look well. He only used it when he was about to embarrass someone.

"My deodorant?" spluttered the officer.

"It's for men-"

"Of course it's for men, I'm wearing it!" Anderson cried, his face turning red.

"So's Sergeant Donovan." Sherlock smirked..

Alex watched as both officers shared a panicked look. Sure they couldn't be?

"Oh! And I think it just vaporized! May I go in?"

"You listen to me, okay. Whatever you're trying to imply-.'' Anderson blustered his face looking like a tomato.

"I'm not implying anything.I'm sure Sally just came round for a lovely little chat, and happened to stay over." Sherlock explained before looking at Sally wickedly. "And I assume scrubbed your floors, going by the state of her knees-."

"Sherlock!" Alex admonished. He was being really cruel and she knew it was because of the shortening of her name. She was about to tell him to apologize when he threw her a warning look,one that promised punishment if she continued. She kept quiet staring at her shoes again.

"Right, just go in, just go!" bellowed Anderson as he continued to glower at Sherlock.

Sherlock proceeded to sweep into the door with his arm still locked around his wife as John followed behind the pair looking bemused by the entire situation.

"You need to put these on." Sherlock insisted throwing John a pair of overalls before helping Alex into hers. John noticed that Alex seemed to be a lot tenser than when she was in the taxi. He had seen the same look on many of his fellow soldiers one time or another. As if she were waiting for something to happen.

He turned away from the couple to see the man from before- Lestrade if he remembered correctly- looking at him pissed off.

"Who is this?" Lestrade demanded.

"He's with me." Sherlock claimed as if that fact alone gave him the right to be here.

As John started to pull on his overall he noticed that Sherlock didn't look like he would be doing the same anytime soon.

"Aren't you going to -" John asked, pointing to his overalls only to be stopped by the sharp look Sherlock gave him. That would be a no then.

"So where are we?" Sherlock asks Lestrade who replies with 'upstairs'.

The trio followed Lestrade as he led them up the stairs.

"Her name is Jennifer Wilson, according to her credit cards - we're running them now for contact details. Hasn't been here long - some kids found her." explained lestrade as they trekked up the long staircase

When they get to the room with the body, John can only stare in shock as flashes from the past come to the front of his mind. A woman was laying face down, sprawled on the floor dressed in a pink coat with matching shoes. He looks over to Alex to examine her reaction and notices that she's turned ghostly pale and looks ready to vomit.

Sherlock however looks to nearly be vibrating with excitement as he glances over the body.

"Shut up!" Sherlock demands Lestrade suddenly.

" I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking. It's annoying." Sherlock simply stated.

John glanced at Lestrade only to see the man roll his eyes as if he were used to this. He then turned to Alex only to see her looking anywhere but at the body. She trembles a little and it makes him want to comfort her.

Sherlock stepped closer to the body and searched every little detail. It seemed as if he were in his own world,John noticed. Seeing as Sherlock was engaged he turned to Alex.

"Are you alright?" he noticed her hands clenched into fists and she was still pale.

"I just really don't like seeing dead bodies. Kind of stupid considering who I'm married to." she breathed out a shaky laugh, her bright green orbs staring into his. They were quite lovely, he admitted to himself.

"Its not stupid. All human beings get scared at the sight of dead bodies." he told her with a small smile.

"Not Sherlock." she whispered to him.

"Yes I suppose you're right. But I'm pretty sure he's part android so he doesn't count." He whispered back giving her a small wink. His smile widened as she started to laugh into her hand. That too was quite lovely.

All the happiness left his body ass soon as his eyes met Sherlock's. If he didn't know any better the man looked ready to leave him in the same position as the woman on the floor.

"Got anything."

John breathed a sigh of relief as Sherlock turned to Lestrade.

"Not much."

"She's German." said Anderson from the doorway. "Rache is German for Revenge. She could be trying to tell us something."

"Yes, thank you very much." Sherlock replied slamming the door in Anderson's face before pulling out his phone.

"She's German?"

"Of course, she's not German. She's from out of town though. Planned to spend a single night in London, before returning home to Cardiff. So far, so obvious." Sherlock scoffed.

"Sorry, obvious?" John was confused. How did he know all that?

"What about the message though?" Lestrade asked, frustration leaking out of his tone.

"Dr. Watson, what do you think?" Sherlock asked John with a raised brow, the dark look in his eyes still present.

"Of the message?" John was surprised he needed his help.

"Of the body, you're a medical man."

"We have a whole team right outside -" Lestrade pointed out to Sherlock in frustration.

"They won't work with me."

"I'm breaking every rule letting you in here." argued the graying law man.

"Yeah. Because you need me." stated Sherlock, giving the man a pointed look.

Lestrade just glowered at the man knowing it was true.

"Yes, I do. God help me." he says before leaving the room.

Sherlock turned to John.

"Well?" It was asked almost mockingly.

"What am I doing here?" John asked, slightly aggravated. He'd never been more confused at a situation in his life and he had been a soldier on the front line.

"Helping me make a point. Lexi darling, come over here for a moment." John watched as Alex stepped closer to the pair but not too close to the body. Sherlock never took his eyes off John.

"I'm supposed to be helping you pay the rent!" John hissed at Sherlock. This had not been what he had signed up for.

"Yeah, this is more fun." Sherlock smiled. 'Obviously the man is insane.' John thought.

"Fun? There is a woman lying dead!"

"Perfectly sound analysis, but I was hoping you'd go deeper."

"Asphyxiation probably. Passed out, and choked on her own vomit. Can't smell any alcohol on her - could've been a seizure, possibly drugs." John listed as he went into doctor mode.

"You know what it was, you've read the papers." Sherlock encouraged as he stood up and turned his attention to Alex, who was still ghostly white and looked ready to projectile vomit any minute. John watched as Sherlock embraced her, putting his mouth close to her ear, seemingly whispering comforting words as he rubbed circles on her back. He quickly turned away, the close interactions of the couple making him feel uncomfortable. He had never met a couple who were as expressive in their feelings as Sherlock and Alex were. It wasn't normal. Normal couples didn't need to embrace each other every five minutes as if the other were going to disappear any moment

"She's one of the suicides. The fourth one." John cleared his throat, regaining the pair's attention.

"Sherlock, two minutes I said. Need anything you've got." Lestrade said entering the room.

"Victim is in her late forties. Professional person going by her clothes - I'd guess something in the media, going by the frankly alarming shade of pink. She's travelled from Cardiff today, intending to stay for one night - that's obvious from the size of her suitcase -" Sherlock observed, one arm wrapped around Alex as she buried her face into his chest, his right hand lazily rubbing circles in her back.

"Suitcase?" Interrupted Lestrade.

"Suitcase, yes. She's been married for at least ten years, but not happily. She's had a string of lovers, but none of them have known she was married -"

"For God's sake. If you're just making this up …"

"The wedding ring, ten years old at least. The rest of her jewellery has been regularly cleaned, but not her wedding rings - state of her marriage, right there. The inside of the rings are shinier than the outside - that means they're regularly removed; the only polishing they get is when she works them off her finger. It's not for work - look at her nails, she doesn't work with her hands - so what, or rather who, does she remove her rings for? Clearly not one lover - she'd never sustain the fiction of being single over time - so more likely a string of them. Simple!" Analyzed Sherlock, in a tone that suggested that they were idiots for not realising these simple facts.

"Brilliant!" John stared in awe at Sherlock. The man may be insane but he was a genius. He quickly grabbed a pen and notepad from his coat pocket and started to scribble down everything Sherlock had discovered. Ignoring the strange looks Lestrade and Sherlock were giving him.

"Cardiff?" Asked Lestrade.

"Obvious, isn't it?"

"Not obvious to me."

"Dear God, what's it like in your funny little brains, it must be so boring. Her coat!" said Sherlock, exasperated."It's slightly damp - she's been in heavy rain within the last few hours. No rain anywhere in London at that time. Under her coat collar is damp too. She turned it up against the wind! She's got an umbrella in her left pocket but it's unused and dry. Not just wind, strong wind - too strong to use her know from her suitcase that she's staying over night so she must have come a decent distance. But she can't have travelled more than two or three hours, because her coat hasn't dried. So where has there been heavy rain and strong wind within the radius of that travel time?"

"Cardiff." Sherlock held up his phone showing the UK weather reports.

"Fantastic!" John blurted in astonishment earning another strange look from the other two men.

"Do you know you do that out loud?" Sherlock asked with a raised brow.

"... sorry, I'll shut up." John muttered sheepishly.

"No, it's fine." assured Sherlock, the dark look gone from his eyes as he seemed to take it as a compliment.

"Why do you keep saying suitcase?" Lestrade questioned.

"Yes, where is it? She must have a phone or an organiser - we can find out who Rachel is."

"She was writing Rachel?"

"No, she was leaving an angry note in German - of course she was writing Rachel. No other word it can be. Question is, why did she wait till she was dying to write it…"

"How do you know she had a case?"

"Back of her right leg. Tiny splashes on the heel and calf, not present on the left. She was dragging a wheeled suitcase behind her, with her right hand - you don't get that splash pattern any other way. Smallish case, going by the spread. Case that size, woman this clothes-conscious - could only be an overnight bag. So we know she was staying one night. Now where is it - what have you done with it?"

"There wasn't a case." Lestrade explained trying to reason with him.

Sherlock let go of Alex and moved closer to the body, examining it.

" ... say that again."

"There wasn't a case. There was never any suitcase here."

Sherlock straightens shoves past Lestrade, and strides out on to the landing.

"Suitcase! Did anyone find a suitcase - was there a suitcase in this house." He moves around various officers round the house, who look blankly back at him. Lestrade rushed after him.

"Sherlock, there was no case".

"But they take the poison themselves. They chew and swallow the pills themselves, there are clear signs - even you lot couldn't miss them."

"Right, yes, thanks - and?"

"... it's murder. All of them. I don't know how, but they're not suicides, they're killings - serial killings. We've got a serial killer. Love those, there's always something to look forward to" he said almost too cheerfully..

"Why? Why are you saying that?"

"Where's her case? Come on, where is it? Did she eat it? Someone else was here - and they took the case. So the killer must have driven her here - forgot the case was in the car .."

"Maybe she checked into her hotel, left her case there." John inputted.

"She never made it to her hotel Look at her hair - colour coordinates her lipstick and her shoes, she'd never have left a hotel with her hair still like -" realisation shows across Sherlock's face as he slaps his hands to his face. "Oh! Oh!"

"... Sherlock?" Alex questions her husband softly, the color coming back to her face as she is no longer in the presence of the dead body.

Sherlock didn't answer as he grabbed her hand firmly and led her quickly down the stairs. John and lestrade right behind them.

"What? What is it, what?" asks Lestrade as he tries to keep up.

"Serial killers, always hard. You've got to wait for them to make a mistake …"

"We can't just wait!"

"Oh, we're done waiting. Look at her! Really, look! Houston, we have a mistake!"

"Get on to Cardiff, find Jennifer Wilson's family and friends - find Rachel.-"

"Of course, yes. But what mistake?"

""Pink!" Sherlock bellowed before ushering Alex out the door and slamming it shut. Leaving John behind with the police officers.

"He's gone." John turned around as Sally spoke to him.

"Sherlock Holmes?"

"He just took off - he does that." she shrugged as if it were a daily occurrence that couldn't be changed.

John felt totally and utterly humiliated. The man that he was supposed to share a flat with had brought him here to help and had quickly forgotten him as if he were an afterthought. He would have thought at least Alex would have waited for him. But she was gone too.

"Is he coming back?" he asked, his face flushing red with embarrassment.

"Didn't look like it." she replied noncommittally.

"... right. Right, yes, sorry." he tugged at his collar as he tried not to let the humiliation eat him alive. He had never felt this helpless."Um. Where am I?"

"Brixton."

"... Where would I get a cab? It's just ... well, my leg …"

"Try the main road." was all she said. John stared down at the end of the street and started to limp in the direction of the flashing car light.

"Hey!"

Sallys voice made him turn around.

"You're not his friend, he doesn't have friends. So who are you?"

"I'm - I'm nobody, I only just met him."

"Bit of advice then. Stay away from that guy. And his wife."

"Why?" John asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"You know why he's here? He's not paid or anything. He likes it. He gets off on it. Weirder the crime, the more he gets off. And you know what? One day just showing up won't be enough. One day we'll be standing round a body and Sherlock Holmes will be the one who put it his wife? The grip that sick bastard has on her is disgusting! I'd arrest him for abuse if only I could find hard evidence. Don't look at me like you haven't noticed. Anybody can see that evil look in his eyes when another person so much as looks at her. He treats her like some puppet that needs its master to even be able to function properly."

John stares at her in horror, not believing what he was hearing. Sure Sherlock had threatened him earlier that day but he hasn't paid any heed to the man. And he only knew Alex for nearly two days and from what he had seen she was very happily married and in love. Maybe sergeant donovan was slightly jealous of the close couple?

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he's a psychopath. And psychopaths get bored."

Before John could reply, Lestrade's voice echoed over. He needed sally.

"Coming!" she called before turning to him with one more warning. "Stay away from Sherlock Holmes. And whatever you do, don't get too close to Alex. Things will only end bad for you."

John stared after her as she ran towards the house. Thinking about what she said.

'What does she mean things will end bad for you?' with a shake of his head he shouted 'bye' and walked away. He didn't need to be listening to rude police officers that insulted his new flat mates. They were nice people from what he had seen. 'Yes nice people', he assured himself.

"What were you two talking about?" Anderson asked Sally as she came closer.

"I was just warning him about the freak."

"Hopefully he takes your advice. I don't get why Lestrade has to involve Sherlock every time there is a split lip. And did you see his wife? She looked ready to join that woman upstairs. Not that he cared of course. Oh no! What could be more important than taking over somebody else's job?" Anderson ranted in a huff. Sally nodded her head in agreement.

"Your right. She doesn't even help with these cases anyway. What's the point of subjecting her to all this? Oh wait!... He's a freak that's why." She grumbled, crossing her arms. She looked up in surprise when her partner pulled her to the side away from listening ears.

"You wont believe me but last night i was looking up her files on the office database and I discovered something strange."

"What?" Sally asked curiously.

"Absolutely nothing. No birth certificate. No prints. No previous address. Not even bloody school registrations. It's as if she doesn't exist." Anderson spat, running his hand through his hair in frustration. It was as if Alexandria Holmes had no previous life. Like she appeared into thin air.

"How's that possible." Sally asked in disbelief.

"I don't know but i'm going to find out."