Author's note- So I finally got this chapter done. It took a while as it's very dialogue heavy so I sat down with my computer and watched the Reichenbach Fall, pausing it and playing it, rewinding it etc to get all of their exact words. Please enjoy!

This story is one of the few things keeping me sane at the moment, I'm struggling quite a bit with my own self harm problems, so the fact that people are still reading this and reviewing etc really means a lot to me.

Please leave a review.

Disclaimer- I own nothing.

Chapter 42

John Watson glanced down quickly at the teenager sat beside him in the back of the black cab. Giving her a swift assessment, he frowned slightly before deciding to look out of the window again. As soon as she started crying, John immediately wrapped his arms around her- whispering words of comfort as she cried into his chest. But Lucy refused to tell him what was wrong. And, needless to say, John was bloody worried! He could hazard a good guess that whatever it was was to do with Sherlock Holmes; the arrogant arsehole who was far too absorbed in himself and the case right now. John had spoken to the consulting detective in an attempt to stop him from shutting himself off from everyone, but it was to no effect. In all honesty, John didn't care if he was rude to him, but when he was rude to Lucy, John would get annoyed. Despite knowing that Sherlock never meant to be obnoxious, John couldn't help but wish that just for once, he could perhaps behave a little more like a human being with emotions that actually made an appearance.

"You know," John started, causing Lucy to finally look up at him, "If you wanted, we could ask Greg if he could let you stay for a few days until Sherlock is a little more... normal."

"No." Was the quiet reply.

"It might do you some good," he carried on, "I know how difficult Sherlock is being right now, and I know for a fact it isn't helping you in any way. Being away for a bit with Greg- or even Mycroft- might be beneficial..."

"Please just... no," Lucy gave him a pained expression. "Don't send me away." She whispered. Lucy herself, felt scared. Being quite observant herself and quite shrewd about a lot of things, she had an awful feeling that this whole Rich Brook business may just start to make an appearance to Sherlock and John. Maybe Rich Brook- Moriarty- would in fact go to John next and tell him what he told Lucy. She wasn't sure. But either way, the teenager knew that something big was going on. And although she didn't say it, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Sherlock and John, even if she was being ignored by the ridiculous raven haired man.

"Okay," John sighed, knowing how unsettled she already was. "But if you change your mind, just say."

"John..." Lucy started cautiously, "Do you trust Sherlock?" John Watson looked down at the troubled young girl with his eyebrows furrowed. He lifted up the corners of his mouth in a tired, but honest smile.

"With my life."

Suddenly, the muffled sound of three distinct gunshots rang through the night air. John and Lucy turned to look at each other with wide eyes. As the taxi driver turned round the bend, John yelled at him to stop and chucked a couple of ten pound notes at him.

"Sherlock!" John yelled at the sight of his best friend, standing beside a dead body slumped beside a lamppost. Lucy followed in pursuit as they ran to the detective.

Several minutes later and they were swarmed with police officers and an ambulance, with paramedics lifting the lifeless body onto the stretcher and into the van. Sherlock Holmes was clenching his right hand and clenching and unclenching his fingers in a fast, rhythmic pattern. He seemed a little shook up, but he was hiding it very well.

"That is him. It's him." John mumbled to the detective. "Sulejmani or something. Mycroft showed me his files. A big, Albanian gangster who lives two doors down from us." Lucy stood a little away from Sherlock, closer to where John paced. She shot him a surprised look.

"He died because I shook his hand." Sherlock stated with a grim face.

"What do you mean?" John and Lucy asked simultaneously.

"Saved my life- but he couldn't touch me. Why?" Sherlock was in his element once again. Knowing that this was just another little piece of the big puzzle.

On the short trip back to Baker Street, John briefly filled them in on what Mycroft had told him about the people who had just moved in near their flat. It seemed odd for certain, but were they out to harm them? Lucy thought it was unlikely considering how one saved his life just now, but she wasn't sure.

"Four assassins living right on our doorstep." Sherlock spoke aloud as he ran up the staircase. "They didn't come here to kill me. They have to keep me alive." He sat down. "I've got something that all of them want. But if one of them approaches me..."

"The others kill them before they can get it." John finished for him. There was a pause as Sherlock got up the wifi networks on the computer.

"All of the attention is focused on me," Sherlock mumbled. Lucy huffed a laugh, finding it ironic how much Sherlock seemingly loves attention but gets it from the people he usually fights against. Lucy sighed as he started rambling on about dust.

Mrs Hudson was ever so confused. Dust is eloquent? They all shook their heads at the odd man who was currently climbing the walls to look for breaks in the dust line. A surveillance web. They were being watched. The doorbell rang once, but the detective ignored it. Footsteps climbed the staircase as Sherlock found a small camera behind a thick green book. Detective Inspector Lestrade came through the door, John followed.

"No Inspector." Sherlock said before he even had a chance to announce his presence.

"What?" The DI frowned.

"The answer is no."

"You haven't heard the question," Greg looked confused.

"You want to take me to the station," Sherlock said for him, "Just saving you the trouble of asking." Lucy and John stared at Sherlock with wide eyes, wondering how on earth he knew.

"Sherlock..." Greg started with a heavy sigh, but he was interrupted.

"The scream?" Sherlock faced him.

"Yeah," The DI looked down sadly.

"Who was it? Donovan? I bet it was Donovan." Sherlock muttered with a neutral face. "Am I somehow responsible for the kidnapping? Ah, Moriarty's smart." He took a step closer. "He planted that doubt in her head. That little nagging sensation you got to have to be strong to resist. You can't kill an idea, can you? Not once it's made a home..." Sherlock tapped Greg's head once, "There."

"Will you come?" Lestrade asked. Lucy was feeling scared again, and started to scratch unconsciously at her arm.

"One photograph, that's his next move. Moriarty's game. First the scream, then a photograph of me being taken in for questioning." The young man took a breath. "He wants to destroy me inch by inch." He looked up at Greg, "It is a game, Lestrade, and not one I'm willing to play." He stopped, but with a bitter edge he added: "Give my regards to Sergeant Donovan." Lestrade sighed, glanced once at John and Lucy before turning around and going back down the staircase.

Lucy sat down with a heavy sigh as she watched John walk over to the window, where he saw Lestrade get into the car with Donovan.

"He'll be deciding." Sherlock told him.

"Deciding?"

"Whether to come back with a warrant and arrest me."

"You think?" John looked at him.

"Standard procedure," he muttered knowingly.

"Should have gone with him," Lucy said softly, knowing it looks better to comply than to have a warrant on you.

"Or people will think..." John's voice trailed off.

"I don't care what people think." Sherlock growled.

"You'd care if they thought you were stupid or wrong."

"No, that would just make them stupid or wrong," he countered.

"Sherlock," John suddenly raised his voice, "I don't want the world believing you're..." His voice trailed off as he and Sherlock shared a long look.

"That I'm what?" The consulting detective asked calmly.

"A fraud." John murmured quietly.

"You're worried they're right." Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"You're worried they're right about me."

"No."

"That's why both of you are so upset, you can't even entertain the possibility that they might be right, you're afraid that you've been taken in as well."

"No, I'm not." John shook his head while Lucy stayed silent.

"Moriarty is playing with both of your minds too," Sherlock slammed his fist down as he raised his voice, "Can't you see what's going on?"

"No I know you're for real." John stuck to what he always believed, and Lucy had to admire him.

"A hundred percent?" Sherlock asked sceptically.

"Nobody could fake being such an annoying dick all the time." John quipped- earning a smile from everyone in the room.

The troubled teenager excused herself to go to her room. A sharp piece of metal lay gleaming behind her, the clock showing her how late it was beginning to get. Rolling up her sleeves, she greedily pressed her trusty blade to her scarred skin, dragging it across and relieving all of the tension, all of the doubt, all of the stress and worry in droplets of bright red blood. She breathed a sigh of relief. She felt like she could breathe properly again. The troubled young girl repeated the action- again and again- each time going deeper and deeper. Honestly, she relished the feeling it gave her. It gave her a small 'high'. It made things bearable again. She could carry on. But she hadn't cut this deep in weeks. Not that she cared at all, she laughed slightly as the blood dripped off of her arm onto the white tissues. She needed this. It was all she needed to cope with life again.

Lucy was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of several police sirens blaring outside; they got closer and closer, eventually coming to a stop. She felt her heart drop.

"Sherlock Holmes I'm arresting you on the suspicion of abduction and kidnapping." Lestrade said as Lucy finally stopped the flow of blood enough to come out of her room- her arms covered. She looked on at the scene in horror.

"This is not all right, it's ridiculous." John told him.

"Get him downstairs, now." Lestrade ordered. Lucy looked at him with tears in her eyes, she could see how Greg didn't truthfully want to do what he was doing, but she knew he had no choice.

"Don't try to interfere or I shall arrest you, too." Lestrade stopped John from complaining.

"How could you do this?" Lucy yelled at Greg. She knew it wasn't his fault but she felt so angry. She turned to Sally Donovan. "You are an absolute idiot! A fucking disgrace. How dare you!"

"Lucy, stop," Lestrade tried to warn her.

"No!" She yelled as she lunged for Donovan. Quickly, Lestrade grabbed her around the waist, restraining her and pulled her back.

"Lucy, please, calm down," He said soothingly.

"No, no, no!" She sobbed.

"What, going to take her away as well?" John snapped.

"Actually John, we need to take her in also," Lestrade said with a regretful wince, "The boss wants us to interview her to see if Sherlock has ever harmed her in any way as well."

"You can't do that!" John yelled, "She has nothing to do with this!"

"Considering Lucy was on the last big case with Sherlock where she almost DIED, and considering she is also young- like the two that were abducted, we have to be thorough to ensure Lucy hasn't been a victim or anything. Although I know she probably isn't." Lestrade tried to reason.

"No!" Lucy yelled, tears streaming down her face.

"Come on," Lestrade pulled her downstairs. He kept a firm grip on her arm, she gasped and he winced before relaxing his grip slightly. "I'm sorry." He murmured once they passed his boss. "I know this isn't fair. It's not my fault."

"How could you do this?" Lucy sniffed.

"Lucy, please, I don't want to do this."

"Why are you taking me?"

"To make sure you're going to be safe and haven't been harmed." Greg said.

"I hate you." Lucy said darkly as he walked her outside. She saw Sherlock who was pressed against one of the police cars. The consulting detective glanced at her with a frown and an unhappy expression at the fact she had been dragged away. Lestrade opened up one of the cars and made sure she got inside.

"We'll be done here soon, stay there." He ordered gently, she could see the sadness in his eyes but she was too angry to care.

A few moments later she couldn't help but laugh as the Chief Superintendant came outside of 221B with a bloody nose! John followed behind and was pushed against the police car next to Sherlock as they were both handcuffed to each other. Lucy felt very proud of John, punching an officer like that, and she shot him a smile. Lucy was only a few metres away from them, so she observed them carefully to see if Sherlock had any plan to escape this. And he did. Sherlock Holmes glanced at Lucy, gave her a nod and then looked down at the police receiver in the car he was leaning against. She immediately knew what he was going to try and do. Lucy readied herself; the door to the car could open as it was unlocked so with her hand on the handle, she waited.

There was a pause.

Suddenly, Sherlock reached in to the receiver in the vehicle, Lucy darted out of the car as soon as a high pitched feedback echoed out from the receiver into the officer's ear pieces. Swiftly, she ran over to Sherlock and John, she saw Sherlock get a gun out of an officer's belt as he bent down in pain to get the loud ear piece out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, will you all please get on your knees?"Sherlock asked loudly to all the officers as he pointed the gun at them. Lucy stood by his side, with John on his left side. She saw Lestrade sighed and glance worriedly at Lucy. No-one moved. The detective reached up and fired two gunshots in warning.

"Now would be good!" He yelled.

"Do as he says!" Lestrade told the officers as he started to get on his knees. The other officers followed suit in shock.

"Just so you're aware, the gun is his idea, I'm just, uh, you know..." John stammered.

"My hostage!" Sherlock finished, pointing the gun to John's head.

"Hostage, yes, that works." John mumbled.

"Leave Lucy alone Sherlock," Donovan yelled at him. "Don't kidnap her as well. Lucy, come here." Donovan pleaded to her. Sherlock suddenly pointed the gun at Lucy's head, she didn't even flinch. Lucy knew she could trust him.

"She's not going anywhere." Sherlock shouted as they all backed away.

"What now?" Lucy muttered.

"Doing what Moriarty wants," Sherlock replied, continuing to point the gun at Lucy and sometimes John. Sherlock and Lucy glanced back at the graffiti on the wall behind them. IOU. "Becoming a fugitive." Sherlock continued as they got close to the corner. There was a pause. "Run." He ordered.

All three of them turned around and bolted away from the flat, turning the corner to get as far away from the police officers as they could. From behind them, they could faintly hear the Chief yell:

"Get after him Lestrade. And get that girl before he harms her."

Lucy narrowed her eyes. Looking at the trust both John and Greg had for Sherlock; she knew she could trust the consulting detective, one hundred percent. Rich Brook was a mystery. But she would always believe in Sherlock Holmes. Side by side all three of them ran, keeping up with each other easily, as they fought to get away from the cops.