A/N: It took me about a day longer than I would've wanted but now the new chapter IS finally ready to be published! Hooray?

First things first, though! THANK YOU, a thousand times over, for all your reviews, listing and affection towards this story! I seriously can't believe that this one's found so many friends. You've made me incredibly happy! (BEAMS, and hugs)

Awkay, because I've already kept you waiting too long… Let's go! I really hope that you'll enjoy the ride.

Aches and Blows

John's revelation was, ultimately, met by a deep, crushingly heavy silence. Well, silence apart from his thundering heart and madly rushing blood. There hadn't been many times when John would've felt as nervous.

In the end the Doctor was the first one to speak. "You're one of them? Yes, of course you are!" A spark appeared to the man's eyes. "This is fascinating! Until recently I wasn't entirely sure if there were any of you still left."

John glanced towards Sherlock, the nervousness from before not easing any. The detective's expression was unreadable, almost blank. Was the man still with them? With a deep, steadying breath he nodded and focused on the stranger. "Yes, there's still a small group of us left." For now, at least. His jawline tightened. "Is it true? Can you help us?"

The Doctor never got the chance to respond because just then Sherlock was up, heading towards the door. John gulped. "Sherlock…"

He was interrupted immediately. "We're leaving." The detective's finger was pointed sharply at the Doctor. "And you're coming with us."

"I can't let you walk away with my suspect!" Greg exclaimed. When did the DI appear to the doorway? Their eyes met briefly. John met a lot of confusion, a bit of hurt and maybe even a hint of fear, but no disgust or rejection. It was… well, much better than he'd known to expect.

Sherlock scoffed like he'd just been insulted. "Don't be an idiot, Gary! It's blatantly obvious that he isn't your killer." The tall Brit glanced demandingly over his shoulder. "Now let's move! Baker Street is waiting."

John blinked once, slowly. The emotional overload was still taking its toll on him but at least he was starting to feel a little more functional. "Baker Street? Why?"

"Because I need to consult my Mind Palace." Sherlock's voice was unreadable and the detective was on the move again so quickly that the blogger had no time to really see his face. "And I can't do it in the presence of all those idiots in this building."

Sherlock was a proper genius and very much aware of the fact. But when it came to… sentiment he was in strange waters. That's why he was infuriated by the tidal wave of what could only be feelings flooding through him while the bizarre trio sat in a cab.

In a way he was thrilled and proud for figuring out what most had refused to believe. Dr. John Watson was certainly anything but ordinary. The man being something not quite human, however… He was forced to admit that he hadn't quite known to expect that.

Shock was there, obviously. Even for Sherlock Holmes it wasn't every day he ran into an alien and found out that his best friend was something atypical. He would've never believed it if John hadn't been the one to confirm the truth. There was also hurt. It stung, more than he would've cared to admit, that John hadn't told him. That the former soldier most likely never would've without this so-called Doctor's arrival. Sherlock wasn't exactly sure which one bothered him more. That he'd failed to see it or that John hadn't trusted him enough to tell.

"It wasn't about trust." John's words managed to catch him off guard. There was a troubled, nearly desperate look on the older man's face. "It's just… After spending my whole life forced to hide the truth…" The rest faded away.

Sherlock glanced swiftly to the side to discover that the Doctor was talking to his cell-phone. He knew that he should've been asking who the strange man was talking to but at the moment it failed to concern him. Instead he focused on John. His jaw was tight for a few seconds before the words fell out. "Does Mary know?"

John sighed, sinking more heavily against the seat and averting his gaze. The reaction alone answered loudly enough. "I sort of had to tell her when she got pregnant with my baby. I'm… I didn't even know that my kind could breed with humans."

Sherlock couldn't quite identify the brief jolt that crossed him. He filed it away, deciding that he'd have plenty of time to process something so pointless later. His head was whirring furiously, putting together pieces that were floating chaotically all over his mind. "It's why you joined the military." It was much more of a statement than a question.

Still John nodded stiffly, looking away. There was a mirthless half-smile on the man's face. "It's been said that I become very loyal, very quickly. Such is common for my kind."

"It's also why you were sent home", Sherlock continued the trail of thought, feeling like the puzzle was finally beginning to make sense.

A brief bang of guilt crossed him when John jolted, as though having been shot at. The former army medic's hand began to rub the leg that used to have a limp. "I… When I got shot… I began to transform, right in front of several soldiers. It was the only thing my body could think of." There was a loud, heavy gulp. "They… They said that I'd done my work exceptionally well, that I deserved respect and a million thank yous. But… They couldn't keep… someone like me. So they did the only thing they could. They discharged me honorably with the knowledge that I'd never be allowed back again."

Sherlock gritted his teeth, trying to will down the new-found storm of rage. After everything he'd done John had just been cast aside in such a manner… "Are there many of your kind in the army?" he inquired in the end.

John nodded stiffly. "Yes. But… I'd rather not name them."

Sherlock chose not to hear past the 'yes'. His mind was already dashing on, clicking forward like a well oiled machine. "Major Sholto", he muttered finally. "That's what made him special."

"Alright, that's enough, thank you." John's tone was guarded and demanding. Perhaps a little pleading. The smaller man's eyes were pure lava while glaring into his. "I'll answer any question concerning me. But I'm not going to talk to you about anyone else. That's not my place."

Sherlock nodded, feeling a sudden need to apologize. Yes, he'd have a million questions. Later. Because the Doctor had finally finished the phone-call and as he lifted his head he saw a familiar building.

"We're here", Sherlock announced, already on his way towards the comfort of 221B.

As soon as they made it to the flat Sherlock, quite as expected, flopped to the couch and sunk so deep into his thoughts that it would've taken a natural disaster to pull him out. John stood frozen for a few seconds before doing the only thing he could think of. He made his way to the kitchen and began to prepare tea.

He was staring at the kettle, impatiently waiting for it to boil, when he heard a bizarre sound and sensed that he wasn't alone. Turning his head quickly he saw the Doctor all but poking at him with the device that'd been found from the river bank. "Oi!" he protested. "Get that thing off me, now, thank you very much."

"Sorry." The Doctor actually did as ordered. "This is just… quite fascinating. I've never met someone of your kind."

John wasn't quite sure what to say in the surreal situation at hand. "Well…", he began at last. "The feeling is mutual." He frowned. "Where exactly did you come from, anyway? Why are you so determined to help my kind?"

"I'm just someone who ends up into… situations like this quite often and doesn't know how to leave them well alone."

John frowned. A couple of seconds ticked by. "What's that supposed to mean?"

At that very moment the tea-pot chose to whistle. They both jumped, startled. That was when John noticed something.

John's eyes flashed. And instantly his doctor mode took over. "Could you take off your shirt?"

The Doctor gave him a very long, odd look. It took several moments before a sound came out. "What?"

"Take off your shirt", John repeated with patience he'd learned with a madman of a flatmate. "Because I've heard you've been attacked violently recently. And I saw the way you just flinched when shifting unexpectedly. If you really want to help me the least I could do is to make sure that you're not badly injured or dying."

Greg's headache from before was most definitely escalating while he sat in his office, his head buried into his hands. And he was almost sure that he could feel a vein swelling, about to burst. Insanity, all of it. His only suspect just having walked through the door was the least of his problems.

So… He just met some sort of an alien. And, apparently, one of his friends wasn't a human at all. This was all about two similar species clashing, in London of all places.

How the hell was he supposed to do the paperwork for this one?

"Uh, sir…?" Sally Donovan's atypically hesitant voice was barely enough to break his trainwreck of thoughts. She gulped, appearing shaken. "That guy… He's definitely innocent."

Greg frowned. How was it possible that his blood pressure still kept climbing up? "How can you know?"

"Because there was just another attack, while he was here."

Only a little bit later a woman burst into the Yard. She received very suspicious looks upon demanding to see the Doctor. What Donna Noble didn't know was that she was less than five minutes late from running into Greg who was headed towards Baker Street.

As soon as the Doctor had taken off his shirt, completing the task with a visible amount of difficulty, John winced with sympathy. Heavy bruising was already forming around the stranger's sides and stomach area. As soon as his fingers poked on a injured spot there was a clearly detectable shiver of protest.

"I'm sorry", he apologized sincerily. He finished up as gently as possible. "It doesn't feel like anything's broken but there's some deep bruising. I'd be much happier if you'd agree to be x-rayed, though."

The Doctor shook his head. "There's no need. I'm fine."

John gave the man a dry look and sighed, admitting defeat. His gaze scanned through the rest of the alien. "Did you receive blows anywhere else?"

The Doctor seemed to consider for a while. Then, lengthily, nodded. "I may have banged my head. I was unconscious upon ending up into the water."

John gave the man an incredulous look. "And they let you leave the hospital after you told them that?" He then snorted at the fault in his logic. "Well, of course you didn't tell them." Without bothering to ask for a permission he began to feel the taller man's scalp the best as he could from the storm of hair. "What is it with you mad geniuses and impossible hair?"

"Hmm?" the Doctor inquired, as though waking up from a deep thought.

John shook his head. "I was just thinking out loud." He then frowned upon feeling a rather large swell. "You've definitely received a blow. You may have a concussion."

The Doctor shook his head. "Nah, I'm too thick sculled for that." The alien's eyes then darted towards Sherlock, who was still on the couch in his thinking pose. A frown appeared. "Is he alright?"

John nodded. "Yes, definitely", he reassured dryly. "He may stay that way for hours. So, tea?"

And tea they had.

John couldn't keep himself from staring at the stranger, just a little bit, while the man took a long sip of his drink. In the end he couldn't control his tongue any longer. "So… You're here to help my kind. Why?" he demanded again. The lines on his forehead deepened while the trail of thought swooshed on. "Who are you?" 'What are you?' might've been a more appropriate choice of words but he preferred not resulting to that.

The Doctor looked at him for a moment, obviously considering before making up his mind. "I'm… someone who's spent a long time traveling. As to why I want to help your kind…" The man shrugged. "I'd hate to see such a magnificent species go. I've already seen entirely too many disappear."

It took a while before John felt coherent enough to attempt speaking. Before he even found his voice. "What kind of a doctor are you, anyway?"

The alien shrugged. "The doctor of time." And that, apparently, was all the explanation he was going to get.

John couldn't help it anymore. Maybe it was the shock over his secret being revealed, over his kind being in danger. Or maybe it was all the adrenaline. But all of a sudden he was giggling, quite loudly.

The Doctor gave him a strange look.

John shook his head, mostly futilely trying to regain control over himself. "I just… I could've never imagined that a day would come when Sherlock can be considered the all in all most normal person in the room."

They focused on drinking tea for a while. Then, finally, John managed to find enough breath and courage for the question spinning around his head. "Do you really think that you can help my kind? That you can save us from extinction?"

The Doctor studied him. Then resulted to the only honest answer. "Yes, I hope so."

They both shuddered a bit when without a warning Sherlock jumped up from the couch with the agility of a tiger. There was steel hard determination in the detective's eyes. "Lestrade's coming", the man announced sharply.

The Doctor gave him a curious look when the dark haired man stormed past. "Are you sure that he's human?"

John groaned. "That's what I ask myself every day", he sighed. With that they followed the detective.

The two of them made it within hearing range from Sherlock and Greg just in time to hear the DI's murmured words. "… been another attack."

John winced, stepping into view. "Bloody hell…!" he sighed. "Who was it?"

Greg's eyes were full of sorrow and apology. It was more than enough to give the necessary warning before the verbal blow fell. "John, I… I'm so sorry. But Harry… She's gone."

For a few moments John simply stood there, staring. Trying to will his brain into accepting the impossible truth. Trying to convince himself that it wasn't just another sick nightmare.

Harry… Harry couldn't be gone.

Not now, not ever, not really.

Not when the last time she tried to call him he didn't even pick up.

"John?"

Someone was calling out his name. He probably should've answered it but he couldn't. All he could do, just barely, was breathe.

"John, you're going into…"

John needed to get away. So he pushed himself to motion and began to march towards his room, ignoring the fact that there was still a voice calling out to him. As soon as he made it there he slammed the door as loudly as he possibly could.

It still wasn't louder than the screaming in his head that wouldn't stop.

For some reason that he couldn't quite understand Sherlock found it incredibly hard not to go after John. But in the end he did what came naturally to him and used cold logic. John hadn't stormed out and at the moment the only threat to the former soldier was John himself. He was also almost certain that company was the last thing the blogger wanted at the moment. Besides, there was something else he needed to do.

Because his darkest deductions had just been confirmed.

"They're after his family now", he mused out loud. Knowing better than well that he wasn't wrong. "It's only a matter of time before they'll find him." If they were able to catch up with Harry, who kept jumping from one place to another like a restless wild animal, locating John wouldn't be much of a challenge. Especially when the man was more or less a public figure.

The Doctor nodded, a very solemn expression on his face.

It was quiet until they heard Greg's shaky exhale. "Christ…! This is really happening…"

Sherlock ignored the DI. His eyes were pure, hard steel when he focused on the Doctor once more. Then he saw something that made his eyebrows furrow. "I've missed something. You claim that you came here to help John and his kind yet you seem guilty." He took a purposefully threatening step closer. "What are you hiding from me?"

The Doctor sighed heavily. "Yes, I came to help his kind. And I will." For a microsecond a hint of pain was visible in those impossibly old eyes. "But you need to understand that some things are inevitable."

TBC

A/N: Well, that ended on a bit chilling note… So what, exactly, is inevitable? Will the enemy-species be stopped? And will Donna ever find her way back to the Doctor?

Sooooo… Was that any good at all? PLEASE, do let me know! I'd really love to hear from you.

Until nex time, folks! I really hope that you'll all join in then.

Take care!