A/N: Soooo, as it turned out this lil' thing gained a life of its own in my head. Seeing the world a week too soon. (grins) Before getting started officially, though…

DISCLAIMER: Are you freaking kidding me? With my bank account I can afford myself and my cat. But a girl can dream…

WARNINGS: CROSSOVER. SEQUEL. Violence. Gore. Character death (already passed and potential). Language. General weirdness.

Awkay, because I'm always a bit skittish about starting a new fic… Let's go! I really hope that you'll enjoy the ride.

A NOTE TO AVOID CONFUSION: The timeline of this very first chapter goes backwards, from future to the fic's present. The timeline WILL be brought back to normal in the next chapter. (chuckles)

The Case of Three Brothers – The Case of Two

From the Bitter End to the Bitter Beginning

'… 400 seconds to the explosion …'

Sherlock Holmes ran, the sheer force of determination and despair driving him on, entirely too aware of the blood staining his hands, clothes and skin. Of how treacherous tears, such he'd never admit having shed, had created patterns to the stains on his cheeks. It was the one last, desperate lunge of a man who had nothing left to go on for. Nothing but his last breath.

Sherlock, however, froze when he came face to face with the man who'd remained in the doomed building, waiting for him.

Moriarty sighed, beginning to approach. "Oh, Sherlock… The two of us, it could've been brilliant. And it has been a lot of fun, I'll admit that much." Simultaneously they drew out guns, pointing at each other. "But now that I've burned the heart out of you… It's time for you to finally die."

The hollow, bitter echoes of two gunshots marked the end of all things even more effectively than the explosion that came a little later, tearing down the swimming pool that was once the beginning of all things.

In the unnaturally silent aftermath, which would soon be pierced by the sirens of emergency vehicles, the wind howled in outrage. It swept through the debris that hid the last chapter of a horrible tragedy, caressing it like a mother would their child. Even the breeze seemed to hold the question that'd soon be on several lips.

Where did it all go so wrong, how did the countdown begin?

'… 300 seconds to the explosion …'

For the first brother the start was something as innocent as a car ride.

Mycroft Holmes unleashed a quiet, long breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding when the person he'd been calling picked up. The man sounded out of breath but uninjured. "I'm a little busy here, Mycroft."

Mycroft sighed and groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This nonsense has continued long enough. Let my agents finish the mission. You won't be able to find that man by yourself."

"Watch me."

"He needs you." A cheap trick to play, really. But at this point Mycroft was willing to try just about anything.

There was a long, frosty pause. "Mary needed me, too", the other man growled at last. Sounding like a wounded wild animal. "Our daughter needed me, too. And I failed them. This, making sure that they have justice… It's the only thing I can do anymore."

"John…!" But it was too late. The phone call was already over.

With a low growl of fury Mycroft was about to put the cell phone away until he realized that he'd received a new text message. With a frown he read it. And in a few moments his whole body turned impossibly cold.

'Nighty night, Mikey. See you soon. JM'

The car's doors locked. A sickening, sweet scent filled the air. And the nightmare grew deeper still.

'… 200 seconds to the explosion …'

For the second brother the countdown began in the aftermath of a long, seemingly endless case. Six children, so young that they hadn't even seen their tenth birthday, had been murdered before the BAU-team managed to catch the killer. Two more had been returned to their parents safely but Dr. Spencer Reid couldn't forget the faces of those who had been lost. He never could.

Stumbling heavily into his apartment Spencer dreamt of nothing but a nice, hot shower that'd hopefully wash away some of the memories. Or at least the dust of deep south. His whole body froze in the middle of him pulling off his coat.

He wasn't alone.

"Well hello, Spencer." The accent-rich voice was deceitfully pleasant. "Long time no see."

Spencer swallowed. "Jim?" One of his hands was already reaching out towards his gun.

He wasn't fast enough. Cold steel pressed against the back of his skull. "How many times do I have to tell you that it's James?"

'… 100 seconds to the explosion …'

Curiously enough, the third brother's countdown didn't start from anything that happened directly to him.

Dr. John Watson was almost home, deep in thought and paying barely any attention to his surroundings, when he bumped into someone. Looking up he found a tall, athletic man with obviously dyed blond hair. "Sorry", he sighed. "I haven't been sleeping much lately so…"

The stranger smiled. It wasn't until much later he'd see the immense threat hiding behind it. "No harm done." The velvet smooth voice held a touch of almost hidden American accent. The man began to walk away without a single backwards glance. "Have a good night."

Hurrying towards his home, his only thoughts being of finally seeing Mary again, John paid the man barely any mind. But later, only a little later, the stranger's face would be burned into his mind until his dying moment. Because it was the monster who shattered his world.

A few moments later John's scream of soul shattering grief and barely human fury carried all the way to the street.

'… 0 …'

TBC

A/N: Awkay… That was brief but intense. (takes a deep breath)

Sooooo… Any good at all? Worth continuing? PLEASE, do let me know!

IN THE NEXT ONE: We see Mary's heartbreaking funeral, then jump forward in time. How will all those touched by the tragedy deal with the loss? And what is Moriarty up to? Not to mention Erik Collins.

Whatever the case, thank you so much for reading! And who knows. Maybe we'll meet again.

Take care!

Guest (1): I'm horribly cruel, aren't I? (winces) We'll see what's up ahead…

Huge thank yous for the review!

Guest (2): I know, I know. (sighs) It remains to be seen what happens next.

Massive thank yous for the review!