It was supposed to be a rather simple case. Sherlock identified the criminal almost immediately after entering the crime scene. The only possible difficulty they could expect to experience was during the actual pursuit. They knew who the suspect was, a man by the name of Dr. Geoffrey Stevenson. They knew who he was targeting: former scientific rivals, mainly those within his own field. They even knew his location, he was currently residing at a seemingly abandoned warehouse. Sherlock had correctly predicted that Stevenson's lab was located somewhere inside. Upon entering, anyone could see that the warehouse was anything but uninhabited. It was obvious that this building doubled as the man's hideout. Furniture, food, and leisure equipment decorated the warehouse's former office. I guess that meant they knew where he lived as well... Sherlock wasn't lying when he told Scotland Yard that this could quite possibly be their simplest case yet. One could only assume that he was, as usual, completely correct. Knowing Sherlock Holmes, the poor officers would soon find themselves the targets of extreme belittlement. D.I. Lestrade was not looking forward to that. It would be a miracle if he got out of this unscathed. Whether it be his own officers or Sherlock, he'd receive one hell of a headache. Of course, he was relieved that this case wasn't necessarily dangerous or trying. From what Sherlock had deduced already, he might even make it home in time for tea. Now that, was a rare occurrence indeed.

Lestrade knew that Sherlock and John had entered the building not long before him. Despite not knowing their plan, he was certainly prepared to come in as back-up. He could even see shadows silently moving above him. The taller shadow swiftly moved around what looked like a crate, while the smaller shadow followed close behind, gun drawn. Everything seemed so normal... Almost too normal.

That's when it hit him. Thinking back, Lestrade realized what Sherlock's rapidly deducing had missed, Dr. Stevenson wanted to be caught. That's what made all of this so easy. In the past, Stevenson had managed to hold on to his 'patients.' He could see how their conditions progressed, he knew exactly what was happening. When the Yard took his most recent victim into protective custody, they took away his most recent experiment. He hasn't finished. Capture was his best bet at finding out if his tests still worked. Lestrade had questioned each of the previous victims. Many had suffered severe mental distress, their words could not (in the eyes of the law,) be trusted. Some claimed to have seen giants, for God's sake. Those 'patients' were useless to him now. His most recent subject was, however, seemingly still sane and could provide much more data. He wanted to use this as a opportunity to find out about his last subject. The questions they'd use to interrogate would surely give something away. He might even use this pursuit as a trap for one of the men tracking him drown... And Sherlock and John were currently closest to him. This man was clearly not as stupid as they thought. He may be insane, but he is definitely highly intelligent. Only someone special could rival Sherlock's knowledge. Which brought up another interesting point, Sherlock had actually been wrong. This case wasn't cut-and-dry. If the circumstances weren't so serious, Lestrade would've used this moment to tear the consulting detective apart... The thing was, the situation had just become extremely dire. He had to alert Sherlock and John.

Poor John. The man had hardly understood what was happening in the first place. Sherlock had told him close to nothing. In fact, most of what he heard about the case came from the mouth of a very irritated Lestrade. It was a blessing and a curse for Sherlock to encounter an easy case. It saved a lot of grief, but it caused a lot of grief as well. Sherlock was a walking paradox after all. John was truly struggling to appreciate anything about this situation, even the thrill of the chase. Yet, here he was, sneaking about an 'abandoned' warehouse searching for a madman who turned his opponents into madmen. Sherlock had told John that he feared this doctor was actually working for something bigger than expected. Or someone. The impossible man that was Moriarty immediately came to mind. Perhaps that was why John felt the need to stick around. Sherlock had been bickering about the case's simplicity constantly. He knew sherlock could take care of himself, especially when this confident, but the thought of Moriarty still chilled him to the bone. So, here he was. John watched as Sherlock made his way over to hide behind the neighboring crate. He signaled that he was preparing to ambush. Thus, with a simple head nod, John Watson found himself leaping into action. He pointed his gun at the man peering intently at his workspace and followed Sherlock to the man's desk.

What happened next was truly remarkable. The scientist raised his hands in perceivable defeat. Sherlock smirked as he glanced at John's shocked expression. This was truly their easiest case ever, Sherlock was right yet again. Out of the corner of his eye, John could see Lestrade approaching them frantically. Wait, why is be frantic?

"John, Sherlock, st-"

John barely registered Lestrade's shouts as he glanced back at Stevenson. To his utter dismay, the sight that met his eyes was very unwelcome. The man was in the process of jabbing a large needle into John's arm. Before he could react, sharp pain erupted through his body. He involuntarily collapsed in on himself, writhing in the stinging sensation currently pulsating through his body. Everything seemed cold, everything seemed distant, and finally everything disappeared.

Darkness consumed him.

Sherlock and Lestrade were by John's side immediately. Donovan and another officer quickly, but cautiously, made their way towards a smiling Stevenson. The man didn't even try to run. Sherlock barely noticed the officers escorting the maniacal man out of the room. He could only focus on one thing, John. His best friend was laying on the ground in front of him. Convulsing, panicking, seemingly blind to the world around him. It was almost impossible to restrain him. In fact, the only reason that they could subdue John, was because he gave in. He'd passed out. Now Sherlock was truly worried. John was suddenly too still. Sweat continued to pour out around him, but his body remained in a crumbled heap. Lestrade quickly laid him out properly for the approaching paramedic team. Sherlock knew that Lestrade was talking to him as John was being wheeled away, but that didn't matter. His mind had miraculously zeroed in to one thing... John. Ignoring everything else, Sherlock found himself swiftly following the paramedics. A shaken and traumatized look painted his face. That disturbed Lestrade the most, Sherlock Holmes was not one to show much emotion, especially not THAT emotion. That emotion being terror. He was terrified. Lestrade knew what Sherlock was thinking. He was thinking it too.

Would John end up like the other victims? Is this how it ends? Will John Watson lose his mind? Will John Watson survive?


Sherlock was still seated in the waiting room at St. Bart's when Lestrade returned. The man looked to be a complete and utter mess. Sherlock's hair was even more unruly than usual, his coat had been unceremoniously thrown against back of his chair at some point, his eyes were glossy and strained, and his hands looked as though they were fighting a persistent trembling. The focused, cunning Sherlock Holmes he knew was currently out of the picture. Lestrade knew that he probably didn't look much better, John was his friend too. But the D.I. also knew that John Watson was more than Sherlock's friend. He was his best friend, his first true friend, and his anchor. If Sherlock had one weak point, it was John.

The tired D.I. really wished he could do something to help the consulting detective. Sadly, he had no choice but to continue rushing around to handle the rest of the case. So much needed taken care of and prepared. It wasn't like Greg would be able to get to Sherlock anyways. The only thing that could pull him from his thoughts would be news about John.

As if one cue, a doctor stepped out of the corridor where they had previously taken John. Sherlock's head snapped up, Greg's followed.

"We have good news and bad news, which would you like to hear first?" the doctor asked quietly.

"Don't play this game, just tell me what I need to know." Sherlock's reply was cold and quick, never once breaking his stare. Lestrade fought the urge to apologize.

"The good news is, he is stable. His body had a violent reaction to the drug that entered his system, but it was hardly lethal. I expect that he'll even be waking up soon, the drug had a mild sedative, but it seems to pass through quickly. I'm sure that he's lo-"

"Enough. What's the catch?"

The doctor cleared his throat nervously, "we weren't able to identify the drug. We extracted a lot of it from his system, but there is no telling what even a small dose is capable of. Some drugs expand rapidly when they enter the blood stream. We took some samples, but, like I said, it's unlike any chemical we've ever seen."

"He appears to be unharmed, correct?" Still holding his stare.

The doctor shifted cautiously, "Yes, but I recommend that you let him stay here and rest for some time. It's probably-"

"I'll need a portion of that blood sample, I'm sure that I could sort out the origin of this mysterious chemical/ drug myself. As for John, I want him released as soon as he says he is ready for it. I trust his medical abilities far more than any of your staff's." The doctor looked as if he was about to speak, but Sherlock once again cut him off. "Where is he located? I wish to see him."

Lestrade watched them leave, dumbfounded. He'd visit John later. Sherlock's behavior was becoming much more... Sherlockian. Whether that was good or bad, Lestrade didn't know. He was, however, worried about what Sherlock had said. John might be better off in the care of St. Bart's a bit longer. He knew that John would want out of here as soon as possible, but they still didn't know what the chemical was. What if the effects needed time to kick-in? Before he could even attempt to voice his idea, he felt Donovan's hand on his shoulder.

"Sir, we need you to talk to the press." She sighed, "I'm sorry, but once this is done, you'll have plenty of time to check on the good doctor and his freak. We'll make it quick, I promise." She smiled, it was a sad sort of smile, but it was a smile. Perhaps that was what Lestrade needed to see, because he instantly calmed. With a nod and one last glance at the corridor Sherlock had just disappeared into, he was off.

If only he'd known that, once again, he was completely right.


Sherlock entered the plain, white room slowly. He quietly made his way over to the bed and sat down in the chair beside it. John was still asleep, he seemed so calm and at peace. Which was somewhat settling, considering his nightmares of Afghanistan. Sherlock grabbed the army doctor's hand and held it gently beneath his own. Long, soft fingers rubbed circles on strong, calloused knuckles. He didn't know why he was doing this, but it was strangely comforting, so he continued. He sat like that for a few hours, just thinking about what had happened that day. Deducing. It didn't add up. Sherlock hated it when things didn't add up. It was simply not right.

Just then, John's hand twitched slightly. His eyelids began to flicker as he let out a soft and low groan. Sherlock looked at the man curiously, as if pondering whether or not he could will the man awake faster. Finally, his eyes opened.

"John?" Sherlock asked, his voice was low and rigged.

"Mmmph." John's eyes blinked unsteadily before falling on Sherlock, "Sherlock." He breathed, it was a statement, not a question. The acknowledgement brought a smile to Sherlock's face. It was so brief that John had missed it. John, instead, looked down at his hand. Sherlock quickly withdrew his and bit the inside of his lip slightly. "Now people will really talk."

Sherlock laughed, genuinely laughed. This time, John saw his smile. The relief that covered the detective's face must have been immense. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, better question is, how are you? You look bloody awful..."

Sherlock gave the man an incredulous look. "Of course I'm fine."

John sighed and decided to change the subject, this was exceedingly awkward. "So, when can I get out of here? It's strange, I honestly feel perfectly fine. Whatever he got me with must've been really watered down."

'Don't be so sure.' Sherlock thought sadly. Why couldn't he figure this out? "Yes, well, as far as I'm concerned, we can leave whenever you feel ready."

"The doctors are ok with that?" John raised his eyebrows.

"Yes." Sherlock stated plainly, ignoring the 'look' he was receiving.

Lestrade walked in just then. "John, you're awake!" He smiled and approached the bed. John sat up quickly and shook Lestrade's hand. "It's almost unsettling to see you look so healthy after such an ordeal."

"You're telling me. I feel perfectly fine, it's as if nothing happened. If I didn't know better, I'd say that I feel better than fine."

"Why do you say that?" Sherlock asked, suddenly very curious.

"I don't know, I almost feel... Lighter than before. It's really strange. Must be the blood work."

Sherlock sighed, relieved, that made sense. Some people did experience a strange ecstasy after blood work. It was just a reaction to the body loosing blood. A common reaction.

The trio sat there talking until Lestrade had to leave to work on the case. Another hour passed, the doctor Sherlock spoke to earlier had entered the room. John was relieved to hear that there was nothing they could do for John until the results came back. He was free to go home.

Once John was wheeled out of the hospital and up to a cab, Sherlock made an interesting observation. "John, have you gotten shorter?"

"Very funny," the doctor replied as he stepped into the cab.

"It wasn't a joke," Sherlock followed him in and closed the door, "it was an observation. The last time we stood side-by-side you came up to my shoulders. Just now, you were several inches under." Sherlock looked him over, it made John uncomfortable. He didn't like it when his best friend deduced him like one of his dead bodies.

"Perhaps I was slouching."

"You never slouch."

"Well, I've never been stabbed viciously by a madman with a syringe before, soooo..." John was shouting now, clearly offended to some end. That was unusual, John's height frustrated him, but he never felt the need to defend it. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "sorry."

"It's alright." Sherlock stated plainly, as he looked out the window. John knew that he was deep on thought, he also knew not to interrupt him.

The rest of the ride was silent. Once back at 221 B, John was greeted by an extremely relieved looking Mrs. Hudson. They chatted for a while over tea and biscuits. John yawned and Mrs. Hudson took that as we cue to leave. She pecked him on the cheek and told him to get some rest. John thanked her before abruptly heading to his room.

He hadn't noticed, or at least ignored, Sherlock's intense gaze the entire evening. Sherlock was laying on the sofa, hands pressed to his face in deep concentration. He'd picked up on several interesting factors this evening. The height difference when John and Mrs. Hudson stood together was much smaller, John's clothes suddenly seemed a size too big for him, and John's chair suddenly seemed a bit bigger. Sherlock had spend enough time with John to know exactly how he was supposed to look. He never could delete information about John. After an hour of pondering the subject, the detective decided to dismiss this data as nothing serious. It isn't uncommon for people to get shorter with age. John wasn't old, but he certainly wasn't young either. Despite all of this, Sherlock could not fight the feeling that something was wrong. He really didn't like it. Eventually the detective meandered off to bed, he needed to escape his endless thoughts.

Meanwhile, John was getting ready to go to bed. He'd spent the past hour showering, changing, and reading. He was rather irritated to find that his favorite pajamas didn't fit properly. 'Damn blood work...' Soon, John lowered himself into bed and passed into a peaceful sleep.

Little did he know, nothing would be the same when he awoke the next morning.