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Chapter 10: All's well what ends well

The sniper wanted to take out both of them together. It's probably the only reason John and the policeman are alive at the end of this, because judging by the man's aim, he could definitely have killed one of them. Well, that and an insane amount of luck on their part.

There was a split second in which John saw an ajar door at the landing one step ahead of him and leapt inside. Really, this was London, who the hell left the door open? If he survived this a lecture might be in order. Maybe written on the bloc-notes near the phone in the hall he found himself in, since he wasn't going to explore the place to see if he could find someone and nobody was coming. With an added thank you, of course. It had saved his life.

As for the inspector, he had shown wonderful reflexes for a man his age and had run, so that he'd gotten away with minor scrapes, as John had discovered. When he heard the man growl a minute after the explosion, scolding his own subordinates, the doctor deemed the situation safe enough to leave his refuge.

"I said that you had to cordon off this place, instead you all rushed here! We'll lose him again!" the man fumed.

"Sorry to disturb you," John called from the landing, "but could you help me get down?"

"Of course. Donovan, find a ladder."

So a little later John was seeing to the policeman – one DI Lestrade – 's scrapes and remarked, "We're really the favourite sons of lady Luck."

Everyone else was searching for traces of the sniper, and Lestrade nonchalantly answered, "Not really. I've got a mobile phone too, you know."

"I don't know what you mean," John bit back, going rigid.

"Yeah you know, but don't worry. I'm not out for your blood. You've done nothing wrong. Unless you choose to attack, but I wouldn't do it if I were you. Really, if one doesn't stick by his morals at Armageddon when should one do so?" the inspector revealed with a shrug.

"Thank Dyaus that you have morals then. I would be already dead otherwise," the doctor quipped.

"Maybe. Don't sell yourself short, mate. You were willing to go against the Tiger, and you don't look at all suicidal to me."

"The Tiger?" the doctor echoed, ignoring the 'you must be armed and ready to fight' implication. Lestrade understood the situation. He wouldn't enforce weapon possession regulations. He didn't look like a man who would want John to be helpless.

"That sniper's alias. I'll catch him if it's the last thing I do. He's a paid assassin responsible for so many murders on commission that I've lost count," Lestrade explained. "It might seem like a pointless exercise, but what am I supposed to do if not work?"

"I'll give you a call next time then," John offered. Next time, of course. The Tiger wasn't about to give up.

"You do that. Any extra information could be helpful. And of course, if you need help otherwise, call me," Lestrade said, giving John his number.

"I will, thanks."

Life had just become brighter. He had someone inside the police that would not question his intel's validity. And he hadn't tried to kill John as he should have, by all rights. The older man looked like someone who could have become a good friend. Who could still become one, John guessed. Such a pity that they wouldn't have much time to bond.

Then the other agent came back, looking equally sheepish and frustrated. "He's vanished again, sir," the young black woman reported.

"Of course he has, Donovan," Lestrade grumbled.

She turned to John all too sharply, asking, "So? Who would send a sniper against you?"

"No one, sergeant. I'm half convinced that he came on his own. For sport, or maybe advertising?" he hypothesized. It was as much truth as he could offer.

"I don't buy that. Look, you don't seem a bad bloke, but the Tiger doesn't hunt just about anyone. You don't want to tell me, fine. We'll discover it anyway someday. But let me give you a good advice. Pull out. Whatever you're involved in, that got you in this position. Stop doing that," she bit back, before dismissing him. She had good instincts, and really seemed to have John's best interests in mind. Now, if only he could follow her suggestion...Would he have done it, John wondered.

With the agents' permission, he went back to the hospital. Sarah was there to welcome him. Her presence made him a bit uneasy. "I'm sorry about that. If you think that I'm a liability for the hospital..."

"You didn't arrange for that to happen did you?" she asked cheekily.

"Sarah!" he replied, aghast.

"Then it's all right," she assured. "I was worried about you, you idiot. I thought that I'd lose one of my best doctors."

"Oh. Thank you. No, I'm fine."

He would have fretted over the Tiger coming back in a different context, but with Lestrade's collaboration he felt confident that they'd manage to catch him. So he only smiled to her, and started planning to give Jim thank you chocolates later.

P.S. I know, considering the game you think that Lestrade should have made an attempt on John instead of offering help. But this actually mirrors exactly Mirai Nikki, Sakae Esuno-sama work that I'm roughly following.