A/N: I'm really sorry I missed last weeks post... I kinda took a long time to write this chapter because I had no clue how to continue on from the last one... saying that I'll probably be late with the next one as well *hides* I had loads of school work *pokes head out of hiding place*

I haven't spell or grammar checked it, so don't kill me for mistakes

Chapter 38: The only thing we're allowed to do is to believe that we won't regret the choice we made!

Jem's POV:

The school was eerily quiet but extremely loud all at the same time

Sometimes you'll be able to hear the loud murmurs of some of the groups that were still patrolling the campus. It had been a few hours since the entire school went into lockdown and there were just checks being done by the teachers while some of the students scoured the grounds for any sign of evidence, until the doors opened again.

His chest ached painfully, running it over in his head at how they let this happen again. Cris was gone, for real this time.

And there was nothing they could do about it, they were stuck; useless and hopeless.

Jem walked around swerving in between the different buildings; trying to use the cool fresh air to calm his nerves. It also didn't help that his head pulsed erratically from the drug that made him pass out.

Jem felt weaker; weaker than normal, it was like his body was trying to shut down on itself. But he kept himself from falling apart. For Will.

Will and Jace had to be restrained at some point after Cris and her kidnapper disappeared due to the fact they seemed to be having mental breakdowns. And by that I mean destroying everything in sight with cricket bats they had required from god knows where.

This was something even Tessa and Clary couldn't help with, and it was best for them not to interfere in case one of the Herondale's did something they would not only regret, but most likely kill themselves for.

Having kept away their emotions for a lot of their lives sometimes overcrowding them with emotions was something that would make the snap like a twig.

It didn't help them that the girls were distraught; they blamed it on themselves for being angry at Cris for thinking that they would think of her like that. Izzy followed the Herondale trait and tried to punch the wall, which left her with damaged knuckles, Simon (who had tried and eventually succeeded to stop her) with an aching torso, as when he stopped her she hugged Simon so hard that he went even paler than normal (whether it was lack of oxygen or Izzy being that close to him, no one knows) and a giant hole in the wall.

Katniss, Maia, Tris and Hazel had gone eerily and worriedly silent not speaking to anyone even when Peeta, Jordan, Tobias and Augustus, their respective boyfriends, had come to comfort them. They had that paining look in their eyes but they also had a blazing fire that was especially notable in Katniss' and Maia's eyes.

Simon was trying desperately to hold himself together but it was obvious to anyone that cracks cascaded down his façade. Jem knew it was especially hard on Simon seeing as he had known and cared for Cris for nearly all his life.

But taking it the hardest were Tessa and Clary, first watching their boyfriends' breakdown over the person who they had ignored due to the pain that coursed through when even speaking her name. They knew what was said on the board wasn't true but they couldn't help feeling inferior to her.

To them she was perfect and that they could never compared but that notion was dismissed as Jace and Will reminded them that they were perfect to them and that was all that mattered, after also recapping all of Cris' bad points, which in the end they had quite a long list.

They were angry at themselves for ignoring the person who had helped them so much throughout their own stories; and feeling guilty that they had abandoned Cris in her story.

Whereas Jem felt as if guilt was ripping himself apart; if he had been strong enough, if he had known that someone was behind him, he could have stopped it. He could've saved her.

Bringing Jem out of his thoughts, he heard police sirens wailing, they became louder and louder until it stopped at the point that if they got any louder Jem thought his eardrums would have been permanently destroyed.

"James!" He heard a vaguely female voice from behind him. Turning to see Mrs Branwell, who looked as if she was trying to hide her immense pain, Jem sighed slightly knowing it was hurting the head teacher more than she was letting on.

Jem then noticed the three men behind her: one had short greyish hair and a stern looking face, the second was short with blonde military styled hair and a limp and the last had black curly, seemingly untameable, hair and a long trench coat with the collar turned up.

The black haired one looked really inquisitive and, if Jem wasn't wrong, slightly excited, which made Jem want to punch the guy. Something Jem didn't feel very often, only normally in the presence of the idiotic half of Will.

Mrs Branwell finally went up to Jem and gave him a small smile as if trying to assure him that she was okay.

"James, this is Detective Lestrade," She said gesturing to the greyish haired man. Then gesturing to the other two behind Lestrade, she carried on, "And this is Sherlock Homes and Dr John Watson,"

Gesturing back to Jem she continues, "This is James Carstairs, the boy I was talking about," Jem nodded then shook both of Lestrade and John's hand while Sherlock tilted his head as if in confusion.

"Mrs Branwell, why don't we go inside? We wouldn't want you getting yourself ill," Jem said with a sweet but forced smile. She nodded as they all walked into the nearest empty classroom.

"What did you want to ask?" Jem asked politely.

Lestrade looked as if he was about to open his mouth but Sherlock cut in, "The girl obviously meant a lot to all of you since the whole school has gone into utter panic, but why she is just one girl, she managed to get kidnapped she can't be that smart?"

Mrs Branwell looked dazed and slightly angry at the statement, while Jem replied trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice, "If you'll excuse me saying this but aren't you judging a book by its cover. You don't know her, you haven't talked to her, I'm pretty sure you haven't even seen her so what gives you the right to think of her like she is merely one person and that, while one person isn't worth this effort, it isn't just her as it's the people she effects around her,"

Mrs Branwell looked slightly stunned at Jem's outburst while Lestrade seemed to be slightly amused. Jem continued though, "And for her mental capability I assure you that she is very smart, but this was her first day back at school and before registration she was already broken,"

"Why is that?" Sherlock asked.

"Let's say she overheard something that made her friends seem as if they thought she was a slut," Jem didn't like to say the word as it was too vulgar on his own tongue but he didn't want the description to be any more prolonged as it was.

"And she hadn't seen her friends until that moment?" Lestrade asked and Jem shook his head. "I see, and do you know why she was taken?" Lestrade continued.

Jem sighed before answering, "We had this theory, that the last time she was nearly kidnapped," Jem swallowed then, trying to remain calm before carrying on, "That it was her brother who tried to take her, with someone else who was above him, somehow. I think it may have been those men coming back to finish what they started,"

"'We'?" John questioned, speaking for the first time. Jem, then, nodded before answering, "Yes, me and about nine others," Knowing they probably weren't going to get any more out of Jem they left that subject and John asked, almost timidly, "Do you know where they could've taken her?"

"Not really, Wales maybe but that's a complete guess," Jem answered, wanting to know the answer himself. They nodded and looked like they were about to leave but Sherlock seemed to blurt out, "You like her don't you?"

"I'm sorry?" Jem questioned not really understanding what he was asked. John seemed to sigh in irritation and Sherlock started, "By your demeanour and that pained look, clear in your eyes, it's obvious that you have some attachment to the girl."

He continued, "You nails are torn, no, they're ripped and bloody with clear indentations in your palms that show you've clenched your fists a lot and for long time periods. You're not the type of person to physically hurt someone so you're directing that pain on yourself,"

Mrs Branwell looked angry, which was hard for her, and Jem just glared at the man but as if not noticing these emotions, continued, "You must have some kind of romantic attraction to her although I would guess it wasn't that strong due to the fact you haven't tried to go and find her yet. You being here right now is a clear indentation of that. Also I have only witnessed you brooding, so it must be a small level of attraction,"

Sherlock finished with a sort of flare and he seemed very proud of himself with a smug look clear on his face, Lestrade visibly face-palmed and Dr Watson's posture was ram rod straight as if ready to protect his colleague, of sorts, at any time; due to said colleague's big mouth. While Mrs Branwell seemed to have been able to quell her anger and now looked on Jem with a look of pity and something that looked like knowing; although it puzzled Jem what she knew because Jem didn't think anyone but Will knew his not-so-small crush on Cris.

"Wow, Mr Holmes, I must say I am very impressed," Jem said feigning impression. Sherlock look insanely proud of himself as he said, "You do not have to express such compliments, John does it all the ti-"

Jem then interrupted, something he almost never did, Sherlock saying with a small smile on his lips, "Excuse me if I wasn't exactly clear, I meant I'm impressed at how wrong you are,"

Mrs Branwell smiled slightly while Sherlock looked as if he'd been slapped, "My feelings for Miss Jones are far more extensive than you seem to believe. I am simply here right now because, one, we're not allowed out of the premises until someone has found the subordinate, although that wouldn't stop me. Two, I have to keep my brother from doing something incredibly stupid and, three, I would not try to save the one I love, with no foreseeable plan, or even a clue to where she currently is," Jem finished standing up and looking straight into Sherlock's light blue eyes.

"If you'll excuse me," Jem said politely before walking out of the room. The door clicked slightly behind him and Jem's shoulder slacked visibly and he gave a deep sigh. Trying to calm his erratic heart rate he took three long deep breaths and stood up straight before going off to find Will.

Cris' POV:

When Cris could finally summon enough strength to open her eyes she found the sky moving incredibly fast in front of her eyes. She groaned slightly feeling a sharp pain at the back of her eyes. So I can feel things now? She asked herself slightly confused since the last thing she could remember was hearing voices and being encompassed in darkness.

She lifted her head slowly looking down at her too pale legs reaching out from her ripped, and somehow if it was possible, even shorter than before skirt. Then, to check if she could move her the rest of her body she attempted to woggle her two with no prevail.

She sighed in slight annoyance which became slight anger when she looked over at her arm draped off the seats and found she couldn't move that either.

Wait, seats? She questioned herself, then turned her head the other way to become face to face with black leather backs to seats. Not just any seats car seats. Then she realised why the sky flew past her vision and why the wind blew soft strands of hair across her face.

Okay, I'm in a car, a convertible. But why? Am I in Izzy's car? Questions started to fill her brain as she looked over to who was in the driver and passenger seats. Since her head was behind the driver's seat she could only see the short dark hair of the driver but she could see some, but very few features for the passenger, he also had dark brown almost black hair but the passenger also had tanned skin, a square looking jaw and sharpish cheekbones.

The passenger seemed familiar but she could place the person. She looked down at herself again noticing her body bound to the three seats by seatbelts, the height wouldn't have fit across the whole of the back so her legs were bent slightly. The position probably would've been quite comfortable if she could feel her body.

Cris could tell the car was being driven at extreme speeds, and in a convertible; it wasn't exactly pleasant.

She let out another groan, feeling sick all of a sudden, so Cris opened her mouth as if to gag but only finding she couldn't. To try and test her new theory out she forced her tongue in between her unmoving lips to be stopped and tasting something gluey on the tip of her tongue. It's tape, she thought, they taped my mouth closed, bastards.

Of course she didn't know who said bastards were because she couldn't place the faces, mainly because she couldn't see the faces. The sharp pain continued in her head, like a really bad song that you just couldn't get out of your mind. Yes, it was that annoying.

At this Cris yelped a little, the pain becoming increasingly noticeable. This made the passenger turn round, hearing her muffled noises, the man had sharp piercing dark blue with a slight tinge of green in the centre, covered with long black lashes that even Cris was envious of.

His bow-like lips turned into a small devious smirk before saying in a deep mysterious and slightly dark voice, "So you're finally awake, sister mine,"