The month flew by faster than I had anticipated and as the day of Brook's and I's meeting arrived it was obvious to everyone something was bothering me. I stopped eating, stopped talking, stopped living. I was scared beyond belief something I hadn't felt before it was a crippling fear that completely wiped out every last ounce of energy I had. I heard the door open as John walked in carrying a bowl of hot porridge which filled the air with the scent of cinnamon. He sat down at the edge of the bed as he did every morning since he and Mary moved in.

"Now, Sherlock has sent me in here to get you to eat something. He says I'm not to leave this room until you've eaten all of this." He made me a spoonful and extended it out towards my mouth which I kept shut. "Come on Cass you've haven't eaten in 3 days." I turned over in the bed so my back was facing him a sure sign that I was in no mood to be treated like a child. "Fine. I'll just tell him you're not hungry. Again."

By now I was starting to get angry. I hated how everyone was treating me especially when I just wanted to be left alone. I turned back around and grabbed the bowl from his hands dumping its contents into a nearby trash bin before handing it back to him.

"Well that's one way of doing it." John stared at me for a moment with the saddest eyes before looking down and playing with the hot bowl in his hands. "I saw the text on Sherlock's phone. The one you sent to Brook."

I shook my head knowing I had erased the message almost as quickly as I had sent it. "If this is your way of getting me to talk it's working. I don't believe you though."

John sighed. "Give me one month with him and then we will end this."

"I deleted that message." He still wouldn't look me straight in the eyes. "Sherlock taught you how to retrieve deleted messages. I should have known. Did he see it?"

He shook his head and I breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought it might be something you should tell him yourself. Which you are of course right?"

I looked away bringing my knees to my chest. "I can't tell him. If I do he'll try to stop me and I can't let him do that. This game isn't fun anymore it has to stop and I'm the only one who can stop it."

"It doesn't have to be that way. We can all fight that sorry bastard together. After what he's done to me and my wife believe me…"

"No John. This is something I have to do on my own."

He reached over and squeezed my hand. "At least…make your last day with him a nice one. If you're going to just leave like you did last time leave him with something good to remember. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course. Only if you promise you'll take care of him."

"Always." He then released my hand and exited the room leaving me there to cry for a moment.

"Well?" Sherlock asked as John appeared beside him at the kitchen sink.

"She ate every bit of it."

"I don't get what her problem is. She's been acting so strange lately. The only thing that hasn't changed is our sexual relationship…don't say anything." John closed his mouth and swallowed his words. "What we need is a good case. That will get her up. Sadly the only crimes being committed these days are lost kittens and rabbits that glow in the dark."

"Sherlock." He turned around his eyes widened at the sight of me dressed and ready to go out. "I thought we could spend the day together."

"Oh…" He rolled his lips. "While I'd love to spend the day with you John, and Mary I have a lot of work to do."

"Actually I wanted it to be just you and me."

"Well if that's the case I'll grab my coat." He rushed off leaving John sitting there a little annoyed that his friend had basically implied that he rather disliked hanging out with his best friend and his wife. Sherlock walked back into the room wearing his black coat and blue scarf which brought out his eyes. He grabbed my hand something that John still got quite a kick out of. "Don't forget the jam when you go to the grocer's John. We've been out for a week."

We then bid them farewell and made our way out into the cold crisp London air. "Coffee and the park?" He smiled and nodded before pulling me along down the sidewalk throwing his arm around my shoulder. It felt good to be out alone with him it always did, but today was different. Today I wanted to make sure I remembered everything I could about Sherlock Holmes. Every whim, every shift of his eyes when his mood changed the color of his skin the smell of his hair. We quickly got our coffee and made our way to the large park across the street. As we crossed I took note of the black car parked out front its windows tinted so dark you couldn't see inside. My phone went off and I knew immediately who it was. I stopped dead in my tracks completely unable to move.

"CASS!" Sherlock yelled as he pulled me out of the street just as a bright red Nissan zoomed by. "Are you alright?" I felt myself swallow my tongue as I tried to speak wanting to tell him everything that was going on, but I couldn't. "Just calm down it's alright."

I took a few deep breaths and looked at the coffee stains on his white shirt. "I'm sorry I don't know what got into me. Your shirt is ruined."

"I wouldn't worry too much about the shirt I have plenty more." He helped me over to one of the benches and we sat down. "You have a lot on your mind Cass I can tell."

I didn't want to talk about it this isn't what I had planned. I reached into my pocket to see what kind of message Brook had left me and what I saw broke me.

You get one hour.

RB

I started to cry because it simply wasn't enough time. I felt Sherlock run his hand across my back stroking my long hair in an attempt to comfort me because asking me again what was wrong. "I just…" I tried to speak through my loud sobs. "I just love you is all."

Sherlock had never once told me he loved me and I accepted that knowing he just wasn't someone he liked to show his emotions. He didn't disappoint. "Oh right."

I just wanted to hear him say it. I wanted to know even though I already knew. "Why can't you just say it?"

"Because I don't like to be so weak."

"Can't you just do it for me?"

Sherlock sighed and shifted in his spot turning to me and leaning his head against mine. "I lo…"

Before he could finish I felt someone rip me away even though I tried my best to hold on to Sherlock's coat.

"You two are so cute together." Brook said scrunching his face as he handed me off to one of his cohorts.

"YOU SAID I HAD AN HOUR!"

"Yeah well I lied. I do it all the time." Sherlock lunged at Brook knocking him to the ground and all I could do was watch as the two men struggled with each other. In my heart I was rooting for Sherlock, but I knew what Brook was capable of. Brook stared at Sherlock with crazy eyes and smiled as he lifted his arm needle in hand. "Say goodnight Sherlock." He then thrusted the needle into his side and Sherlock winced in pain. Brook pushed Sherlock off of him as the drug began to take effect. "Say goodbye to your boyfriend Cass."

The man lifted me off the ground and carried me away. I fought the entire time my arm reached out wanting to just feel Sherlock's hand touch mine. He shoved me into the car and closed the door before speeding off leaving Sherlock there to suffer. I was still screaming as I pounded furiously on the window releasing every bit of emotion I had built up inside me these past few weeks.

"You won't be needing this." Brook ripped my phone from my hands and stared at the screen. "Aw a picture of you and Sherlock. How precious!" He then began to type a text to John.

Sherlock and I had a fight. Come to the park.

CW

John rushed through the flat trying to find his favorite jacket before he headed out to the grocer. He looked under the bed, in the closet, and then he heard his phone go off. Thinking it might be of some importance he rushed back into the living room finding his phone tucked away in the very jacket he had been looking for. He pulled it from his pocket and read the message.

"Mary I've got to run! I'll be back later!" He then bolted down the stairs and headed out the door. John didn't know what he was going to find. For all he knew I was standing in the park crying my eyes out and Sherlock had walked off to wander about until he cooled off. He stood at the other side of the street waiting to cross. He looked around nothing was out of the ordinary and there was no sign of me anywhere. He pulled his phone out to find out where I was and then his eyes focused on the tall slender figure that lay lifeless in the grass. "Sherlock." He raced across the street almost getting hit by a man on a Vespa.

Sherlock began to fade and everything around him looked like something you'd see in a funhouse mirror. He could barely make out John's voice as he felt his friends hand touch his chest. He opened his mouth "Br…" his tongue felt paralyzed as he desperately tried to get out what he needed to say. His heart was beating heavily and his body felt like it was burning from the inside out. He tried to keep his eyes open, but then…darkness found him.