Author's note- Thank you very much to my anonymous reviewer and thank you for your concern, I'm doing a lot better now that I have a little less stress.

Right, the reason why this is so late is because I've been ill recently.

Also, I'm on holiday soon so I won't be able to update for a while. I'm off to a part of Spain and then I'm off to my dad's for a while, but I'll try and update when I get back. Thank you for sticking by me and this story.

Sorry this may be short- I'm quite busy at the moment.

Please leave a review!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer- Nothing is mine. But I'm so excited for the next series of Sherlock and it's special episode! What are you guys looking forward to in series 4? I'm looking forward to further character development to be honest, and how it will work with Mary.

Chapter 43

'I hate you.' Those three words replayed over and over in Greg's mind, with venom dripping from each syllable that seemed to intensify with each repetition. The officer ran a hand down his weary face and internally winced. Out loud- he sighed, heavily, earning him a concerned glanced from Donovan. Not that he cared to look at her. After all, it was her fault this had happened- more so than Anderson. He hadn't wanted this. He had never wanted this. Lestrade knew that Sherlock wouldn't kidnap those children; he liked to think he knew the madman consulting three year old better than that. Admittedly though- and he hated to admit it- even he had felt that niggling doubt in the far corners of his mind, in the dark depths where only the worst thoughts dared to emerge. And to think Sherlock Holmes was capable of what he was accused of was most certainly an awful thought- one that he wished to 'delete' from his mind. And yet, despite that doubt in his head that refused to leave, Greg Lestrade knew for a face- knew in himself- that he believed the consulting detective. Obviously he couldn't let this show too much, being too biased as he was probably wouldn't please the chief superintendant or Donovan. But at least, to himself, he knew that he believed in Sherlock Holmes. After all, someone had to believe in that idiot.

Greg had seen huge displays of courage over his many years... but none more so than the courage shown by Lucy Patterson and John Watson. Both of them, had run headfirst into danger, put themselves in the line of fire all to stand beside a tall, ridiculous man whom many shunned. He had to hand it to them, they had guts. Thinking back to the troubled young girl, Greg felt rather saddened. He had hurt her. He had to do his job- but he hated that it had caused a small rift between him and his friends. Lucy trusted him. And he had compromised that trust. He could only hope that all wasn't lost. He'd have to make it up to her, show her that he was on her side.

"Get after him Lestrade. And get that girl before he harms her." The chief superintendant yelled at him. Greg shot a murderous look in his direction. After all, it was because of the idiots at Scotland Yard that Sherlock, John and Lucy had been forced to go on the run.

"Fucking idiot." Greg mumbled under his breath as he walked past both Donovan and the chief.

"I'll go with you," Sally said as she began to follow him. Lestrade just ignored her as he climbed into the driver's seat of the car, reluctantly waiting for Sally to get in the passenger seat. Greg couldn't even look at her as he started the car up.

"So you're ignoring me now." Donovan said, as more of a statement than a question. "I think what happened just now pretty much proves that I was right."

"Shut up." Lestrade growled in a rare moment of anger. "They were forced to do that. He didn't kidnap Lucy just then, she willingly went to him."

"Regardless, it doesn't work in his favour." She pointed out.

"I know who I believe."

"Let's just focus on finding them and getting Lucy back safe." Sally muttered.

Sherlock, John and Lucy all ran as fast as they could. Luckily, Lucy wasn't hindered by being handcuffed, whereas her two flatmates had to coordinate themselves so that they didn't fall or drag the other along. Suddenly, the sound of police sirens sounded even closer.

"Sherlock," John huffed out, pushing the taller man against a building to hide from a police car driving at the opposite end of the street, "We need to be careful, the cops are on our trail." A couple of sirens sounded closer and closer. John continued: "We can't outrun them!"

"We need to send them off in the wrong direction," The consulting detective mumbled. Suddenly, he turned to Lucy, who stood beside them, "Lucy, I need your help."

"What do you need?" She stood up straight, looking him square in the eye with determination.

"Your fast correct?"

"Very."

"You have a decent stamina?"

"I do."

"Good." Sherlock gave her a smirk, "I need you to run off into the main roads where the police cars are."

"Are you mad?" John interrupted.

"No, but if we are to get away for now we need to trust Lucy," Sherlock glanced at him, "Lucy, make sure you get the attention of the police cars, they'll radio each other your position and all follow you. They'll believe that John and I will be nearby as well. Lead them in the wrong direction. Lead them the other way, back towards the station and in the direction of St Bart's. John and I will go the other way. That will throw them off of our trail. Once they're far away enough, come back to us." Sherlock then gave her a list of roads they may be down. "Use the buildings. Run down alleys. Make it hard for them to catch you. Lucy... don't get caught. Can you do this?"

"I can," she nodded as another siren started blaring closer. She knew that if they were to have a chance to get away far enough from the police- then they'd have to trick the police. "I'll see you guys in a bit." Sherlock nodded at her with a smile.

"Be careful!" John warned her before the teenager started off at a jog down the deserted street onto the main street.

Lucy could see the police cars hadn't moved far, all were moving slowly, and most were still near Baker Street. Looping around, she followed the road to get to the other entrance of Baker Street that was initially blocked off by all of the police cars. Hiding in the shadows, she saw Lestrade and Donovan start up one of the cars. The chief superintendant was busy barking orders to other officers. Taking her opportunity, she ran to the other side of the street, a bit further away from their flat. Lestrade was just starting to move the car out when Lucy stepped into the light of the streetlight for barely more than a second. The car immediately stopped and she started running in the opposite direction. Lestrade got out of the car and yelled to the other officers. Getting away from the place as fast as she could, Lucy ran in the completely opposite direction to where Sherlock and John would be heading- perfect.

"Lucy!" She heard her name being called out but she crossed the slightly busy street to go down an alley way. Finding some metal stairs and a dead end, she climbed the stairs onto the roof of a building. Before leaping down onto the smaller building beside it. For a second she ducked down, seeing the police cars approaching with some officers- like Lestrade and Donovan on foot. Standing up, but keeping crouched, she ran across the flat roof, jumping down onto another building. Someone pointed at her, and hearing the officers approaching, she ran down stairs and jumped over a wooden gate by climbing bins to get to the other side of an alleyway.

"Go around!" She heard Lestrade yell. Lucy had to run to the end of the alleyway, finding herself on an unfamiliar street. Before the police and cars had a chance to get near, she ran along the road, towards a main road that she knew you could take towards Scotland Yard. Sirens were blaring out to the side of her, but regardless- she crossed the road with such swiftness and accuracy she surprised herself. And still, she wasn't out of breath. Slowing down to a jog, she kept on at a steady pace.

"Lucy!" She heard Donovan yell her name. She had to ignore it.

The teenager found herself almost running out onto a very busy road, jam packed with fast moving vehicles of all sizes.

"Shit." She mumbled, glancing behind her and seeing the shapes of officers rapidly approaching- she'd be lucky to outrun the police.

But then again, she had always been a bit of a risk taker.

With a stupidness and recklessness that only Lucy and Sherlock could have managed, she ran out into the busy road, not even thinking about the oncoming traffic. She heard a car screech to a halt just short of her and she let herself smirk in triumph. She heard the terrified sounds of Lestrade as he called out her name in pure worry. Although she felt bad, she had to do this... for herself... for her friends.

Lucy continued running, stopping to let a bus drive past her before running to the pavement before a car had a chance to hit her. Success! Despite the idiocy of the situation she put herself in, she felt an overwhelming wave of satisfaction, and she gasped out a laugh.

For what seemed like ages she ran and ran, just managing to avoid getting caught by climbing buildings and crossing dangerous roads. She'd just climbed a building and was halfway to the other side when Lestrade's voice sounded behind her.

"Lucy, please," he was out of breath, "Stop. It's okay, no-one's going to hurt you." She turned around in shock, she didn't realise how close they were. Donovan and a few other police officers were standing behind him; Greg held his hands up showing surrender. Glancing swiftly down at the road near Greg's side, she saw a swarm of police and police cars.

"Why are there so many cars and people?" Lucy gritted her teeth, feeling vulnerable.

"In case you got hurt and so we can also stop the others." He explained.

"Leave John and Sherlock alone." She spat out.

"Lucy, please, just come with us, its okay." He took a step forward.

"No!" She yelled, taking a step back. "Don't come any closer or I will do something that will make you regret ever doing any of this." Lestrade shot a worried look at his colleagues before taking a step back himself to show his respect of her space. He didn't want her harmed.

"Where are Sherlock and John?" Donovan asked calmly.

"As if I'd tell a pathetic imbecile like you," Lucy hissed, her voice dripping with more venom than she realised she was capable of. Sally looked taken aback.

"They've left you behind haven't they?" She smirked. Lucy hesitated. She could pretend that she was trying to follow them but they'd left her, thinking she'd slow them down... that would work... it would be something Donovan would believe. Going along with it, Lucy looked down sadly at the ground. "I told you," Donovan said to Greg, "They've gone ahead, shows how much the freak cared about Lucy."

"Lucy, what happened?" Greg asked softly.

"I..." She pretended to sniff sadly, "I was trying to follow them. But they heard the sirens and left me behind, they stopped waiting for me." She pointed, "They were heading that way." Her voice was a well acted sorrowful whisper. Of course, she pointed in the wrong direction as planned.

"Bastards." Sally spat out. Lucy winced, but covered it.

"Right, well you're okay now Lucy," Greg murmured, "Come with us, we'll take you back and everything will be okay."

Lucy took a few more steps back, aware she was at the edge of the rooftop. She looked up at the officers.

"I can't." She shook her head before turning and jumping.

"Lucy!" They yelled her name. But the teenager jumped onto a smaller building, before swiftly jumping off of the smaller building onto a huge metallic bin, before jumping to the ground and running again. She heard them call her name; she heard sirens head off in the direction of which she pointed, in a false lead. Lucy ran into alleyways, jumped over boxes and over fences, getting further and further away from the police. By now, she was very out of breath- but she had recovered a lot while talking to Greg and Donovan... luckily. Once she was convinced no-one was following her, and that she was sure she had evaded them finally, she looped around and headed back in the direction of Baker Street.

The teenager jogged most of the way and power walked the rest, a few officers were still stationed outside the flat, but she avoided their sight with overwhelming ease. Eventually, she got back onto the street where she had left Sherlock and John. It had been half an hour- although it felt like much longer- but at least there were no sirens or police cars in sight. She had succeeded. Going back to a jog, Lucy weaved through streets and alleyways for another fifteen minutes before finding Sherlock talking to John by a stack of newspapers. They looked up as she approached.

"I expected you to be longer," Sherlock commented.

"I can run remarkably fast." She panted. "I lead them in the completely opposite direction, all officers and police cars will be heading where I told them to. I laid a story that you guys had heard police cars approaching and ditched me as I was slowing you down. It tugged at their heartstrings." Lucy muttered bitterly.

"Excellent. Well done." Sherlock Holmes gave her a small smile.

"Have any trouble?" John asked.

"A little rooftop showdown with Lestrade, Donovan and some random officers, but I got out of it easily." She brushed it off. But then she glanced down at the newspaper that John was holding.

Rich Brook.

She stared at it with wide eyes.

A Sherlock Holmes exposé.

But... she knew Rick Brook wasn't real.

It was Moriarty wasn't it?

Wasn't it?

"That..." she pointed at it, "Rich Brook... you know him?"

"No," Sherlock muttered darkly, "Apparently he has my life story, he'll make me look like a fraud."

"Rich Brook..." She mumbled, still wide eyed as she bit her lip.

"You recognise the name," Sherlock narrowed his eyes.

"Do you know this Rich Brook fellow?" John asked.

"Nope," she lied weakly, feeling scared.

"Lucy," Sherlock's voice was firm, "How do you know Richard Brook?"

"I... He..." She couldn't get a word out. "He's just someone we may know, I don't think he's real though."

"He isn't real?" John frowned.

"Kitty Riley." Sherlock said. They both recognised the name of the journalist he had encountered at the trial. "She has something to do with this."

"Sherlock wait," Lucy stopped him, "You won't believe who Rich Brook is."

"Then who is he?" Sherlock faced her.

But Lucy wasn't supposed to say.

She couldn't say.

It would sound ridiculous.

"I don't know," She decided to say. Sherlock narrowed his eyes; they all knew she was lying. But upon seeing how scared and vulnerable she looked, they decided to leave it... for now.

But in the meantime, they would go to Kitty Riley's house.

Maybe she would have some answers.