A-N_ For the one who asked: Caring for a stubborn man who gets himself into trouble far too many time.
Enjoy.
Chapter 1
"John! You're so slow! Go faster! " Sherlock bellowed at the two men tagging along with him on the criminal chase, "Lestrade! You're lagging behind. Don't want to loose them now, do you?"
John sighed then prompted, "Left. Now," as he took the turn himself and threw a glance behind to make sure the two were following. "Sherlock, go straight. I'm coming with you. Lestrade, you cut right at this entrance and wait for us to herd them to you and the officers."
"On it!" The inspector beckoned his team then took off in a sprint down the alley.
Sherlock froze and waved his hand frantically in the air summing a map of the area. "John, where are the fools now?" Said man saw the criminals dash down the alley in front of them. "Just straight ahead Sherlock, went right past the old boulangerie shop that was destroyed in the fire."
A faint smile came across Sherlock's lips as he walked to the left side until his hand hit something wet and cold and exclaimed, "Perfect! This is faster John. Come! Get up here. Quick! If we take this, we can get there to stop them. Herding them to the end where Lestrade is good, but there is the alley shortcut they could escape through."
"Are you crazy Sherlock! It only stopped raining a couple hours ago, and the sun is nearly gone! I am not getting up there. It is dark and slippery, not to mention getting chilly because SOMEONE made us run around in this weather." He tried to pry Sherlock's hand off the wet wall, but the man kept an iron grip on the cold stone.
"John we don't have time! It has to be this way to guarantee their arrest. Now come on! They're slow runners, but even the slowest one will be gone before we can even get to them if we don't go after them right now. Get off me! " He shrugged John's hand off his shoulder, hoisted himself up the side, and started walking in a quick pace. "If you're not coming then go to Lestrade and help him with keeping the alley shortcut secure."
John rolled his eyes and regretted every second he stood there letting his best mate drag him further into this case. "Wait. You're only going to hurt yourself. Sherlock! Stop, give me your hand. Besides, I can't climb with my bad shoulder." The consulting detective supported his friend up then continued his brisk speed with the doctor close on his heels. "Good, don't go too fast Sherlock. It's wet. Watch, here's a break in the wall. Give me your hand to cross it." Making good time, the two "eggs" managed to come close behind the criminals.
We need all the help ever possible to make it out of this case alive. There is no way I can convince Sherlock otherwise. Who goes running after criminals on a wall anyway when it is wet, slippery and freezing?!
The crisp deep voice broke John's train of thought, "Do you see them? Where are the hey heading?"
"There," he turned his friend in the direction and waved frantically to Lestrade, who was only standing metres away. "Lestrade! Block the entrance! There!" The officers braces themselves per the Inspector's orders whilst he rushed over to the two fools still briskly walking on the wall, "What in the world are you two doing up there!? Get down before you fall to your death! Do you realise how dumb you two can be at times? Running on a wet stone wall in the dark!? Get down now before something happens!"
John shouted back without breaking his stride, "Yeah...I am only here because I don't want him to hurt himself. You know how that goes...This is incredibly dumb thinking, but he wouldn't be persuaded otherwise and...Sherlock! A break! Stop!" The detective stopped at hearing the urgency of John's warning, but lost his footing on the said break in the wall causing him to tumble off.
Warning bells, flashing lights and screaming sirens calling out "Red Alert" echoed in John's mind as he saw the whole thing play out in slow motion.
His brains and lungs ceased working for a moment.
"Nooo! Sherlock!"
He lunged for his friend, but missed the hand only by a few centimetres. Before he even had a moment to feel any sort of emotion, the momentum of his lunge plummeted the doctor's body off the wall and nearly on top of the unconscious consulting detective. It was only by some creative and frantic twisting during the fall which caused him to hit the ground instead.
Lestrade was over the two men in a split second examine their injuries whilst dialling for the paramedic on stand-by for this case. It became standard procedure after a certain someone decided to go pick a fistfight with a crazed criminal without letting anyone know of his disappearance.
Why don't those two ever do anything sensible? It's bad enough with one, but with two?! I knew something bad would happen. Ugh!
Humpty Dumpty and his best mate were rushed to hospital with Lestrade left to handle to criminals and Donovan to call Mary.
A-N: I do not plan for this to be a very long story, no more than ten chapters- maximum.
Watching Over Each Other and You Have Always Counted have both been updated.