Eighth chapter! Joy and rapture! I really don't have anything to say! Just read this and enjoy it!

Chapter Eight: To Watery Depths

I darted out the door pulling on my black windbreaker. Holmes and I decided to meet at the Irregulars hideout. I ran as fast as I could.

Oh man... Irene is going to die. What are we going to do?

Finally I reached the rotting doorway and struggled to remember the way to knock.

"Knock once, tap trice... no, that's not it. Tock nice, lock fice... no, no that definitely isn't it. Got it! Knock twice, tap thrice! Hah!" I reached forward and knocked three times and then tapped twice. The door fell open and I jumped inside. Holmes wasn't there yet. I started pacing restlessly.

"She'll be fine. Irene knows how to take care of herself. She can beat this guy. He's not the great. He can't do anything. Irene can swim... I think."

"She can," Holmes voice came from the doorway. I whirled around and hugged Holmes.

"God Holmes. What are we going to do?" I mumbled into his jacket. Holmes hugged me tightly. I looked up at him and was shocked to see tears streaming down his face. I laughed and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Don't cry," I sobbed, "She'll be fine. Irene is smart. And she can swim!" Holmes laughed, but it quickly turned into a sob. He buried his head into my shoulder and continued to cry. I hugged him tightly.

"Holmes, I don't believe I've seen this side of you before," I whispered. He looked at me sadly.

"I don't show this side of me very often. She's my sister. What am I supposed to do?"

"Do you know who is the criminal is?" I asked. Holmes pulled himself together and cleared his throat.

"I have absolutely no idea who he is," admitted Holmes. I smiled.

"Well, lets think logically. Irene would be fighting this entire time, and he can only get so far. Besides, all the girls have been shoved off the same bridge. He wouldn't change bridges on account of her," I told him. Holmes nodded and began pacing.

"But I don't have any evidence to incriminate him. Oh, forget it. Lets go. Their is an hour drive before we can get to the bridge. We just have to pray that we get there before him," Holmes said. He grabbed my hand and signaled for a cab. A cab driver pulled over and leaned out the window.

"Where to, sir?" the man asked. Holmes pulled open the door and ushered me inside.

"To the bridge!" Holmes cried. The man nodded and pulled away from the curb.

"What are we going to do once we find him?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe we can, I don't know, convince him to leave her alone."

"If that doesn't work, we can just knock him unconscious."

Holmes laughed. "Yes, that would work."

We sat for a moment in silence, he staring out the window, and me thinking about what to say.

"Holmes?"

"Yes?"

"Are you worried about Irene?"

"Yes."

"Do you think if this guy had a chance he would kill her?"

"Yes."

"Would you die if she was...killed?"

"Maybe."

"Holmes?"

"Really Watson, I grow tired of this incessant questioning. What is it you really want to know?"

"Would you miss me if I died?"

Holmes turned to face me. He glared at me.

"Watson, you are my best friend and, I guess I have to say this, girlfriend. I would be crushed if you were killed. Just the same as if Irene was killed. Or my Mother," Holmes answered. I grinned in the darkness.

"But not your Father or Charise?" I teased. Holmes smiled at me.

"Well, maybe Charise..." Holmes answered. I laughed. Holmes reached down and took my hand. I squeezed his hand.

Five minutes later, the tranquility of the cab was shattered.

The cab driver whistled sharply all of a sudden. Holmes leaned forward.

"What is it sir?" Holmes asked. The cab driver turned around.

"Folks, you might want to hold on. The oil is all gone, as is the gas. We can't stop, because the brake fluid is gone," the cabbie said. I tensed next to Holmes. Holmes leaned back and tightened his seatbelt.

"Hold tight Watson. This could be bad," Holmes whispered. I nodded and closed my eyes. I heard the cabbie breath deeply and then I heard a sharp intake of breath and opened one eye to see Holmes mumbling oaths as fast as he could.

The cabbie was stamping on the brakes as best as he possibly could, but it was doing no good. I muttered my prayers from childhood, as was Holmes, when suddenly the car stopped. I opened my eyes cautiously.

We had slammed into a snow bank! I jumped up and started screaming. Holmes grabbed my hand and covered my mouth.

"Watson, do be quiet! That was scary, yes, but don't start panicking," Holmes hissed. I nodded and carefully removed his hand.

"Sorry," I whispered hoarsely. Holmes nodded and opened the door. He stepped out into the brisk air, with me following. I looked at the car sadly.

"Well, that destroys all hopes of getting to the bridge in the next hour," Holmes said. He was still calm, but I saw the veins in his hand sticking out, showing that he was upset. The cabbie stepped out of the car and whistled softly.

"Well, all your oaths really helped. It's lucky that we managed to slide into that snow bank, isn't it?" the ill dressed cab driver said. Holmes grunted and pulled at my hand.

"If we run, we can get there before one a.m. Come along!" Holmes pronounced. I followed him as we began running. We were racing for Irene's life.

******************************************************************************************

Holmes halted abruptly, causing me to skid into him. We had been running on and off for the past hour and a half, and had finally caught a new ride to the bridge. Holmes had jumped out, leaving me to pay the new cab driver, and follow him. Holmes pointed breathlessly in the direction of the bridge.

Irene was on the edge, with some guy putting stuff on her face.

I jumped up and ran underneath the bridge.

"Watson, came back!" screamed Holmes. I turned to see what he was whining about. Suddenly, the ice underneath me cracked. I gasped and tried to walk back towards Holmes.

The ice shattered beneath me.

I plunged deep into the Thames, my cast that had hampered me through this entire case soaking through instantly. It broke away and I immediately began paddling toward the surface. My arm was still broke, however, and I had to let it lay limp next to my soaked body. I opened my mouth to scream, but water flowed in. The last thing I remembered seeing was some dark shape plunging into the water after me. Then I sank to the watery depths of the Thames, and all was black.

******************************************************************************************

"Watson! Come on, wake up! Watson, please, open your eyes!" a voice called. I coughed and felt water come spilling out of my mouth. I opened my eyes to see the waterlogged form of Holmes peering over me. I groaned.

"What the heck happened?" I spluttered. Holmes hugged me quickly, then smiled.

"You fell in the river. Come on, Irene has less time now," Holmes hastened. I stood and whimpered. My arm was killing me, and I was freezing. Holmes had to be colder, though. He had given me his coat and sweater. He wore a simple white shirt underneath, and you could see him shiver. I jogged after him, but he still reached the bridge before me.

The bridge was an old stone one, and was freezing to my bare feet (I had kicked off my shoes to prevent my drowning). Holmes stood in front of me, blocking my view of man who held Irene. Holmes was stiff and I could tell that he was ticked. I heard him snarl and then his voice rose in the calm air.

"You!"

Ok, whodunit? I'll tell you this much, it isn't anybody you have met in my stories yet. Well, actually, you have. Think of the clues. Black lipstick owned by the dead Berkley. A hatred for the Moonscape girls, who might as well of killed Berkley. Ok, it centers around Berkley. Good luck figuring it out!________ Moonshine P.S. Please r/r and give me any ideas about what you want me to write! Really, I'll give you a list of what I'll be happy to write about, and you can choose one of those or make up one of your own.

1. Holmes/Watson go to Ashling Michigan, where Jenny used to live

2. The story of Holmes family history

3. Holmes disappears and leaves Watson to solve a case

4. A story from Holmes's point of view

5. Another "normal" case

Remember, if you use any of these or one of your own, please give me a plot line. I can make up clues and stuff, but I need to know what you want.