Disclaimer: I have lost the case all together, so I am bound to say that all characters and settings are the creation of the genius Sir Arther Conan Doyle.

Thank you once more to Susicar,JaFaRCrAzY,VHunter07 and lew daney who are all wonderful people for reviewing!! It means a lot to me, but my computers mucked up so I can't reply to you reviews. Anyway on with the finale!

"O" was all I could manage

"O, Watson?"

"Well the thing is Holmes...what I mean to say is...you were..blood everywhere...and I suppose I.." I mumbled

"You left him there didn't you." he said with a sullen expression.

"I'm so sorry Holmes, you were dying, and I just grabbed you and ran out, I didn't think" once more I hung my head, how much more of a fool could I be, first getting us both imprisoned, and then letting go the man that did it.

"Don't worry old friend, I understand, I probably would have done the same myself" he said quietly. It was my turn to snort.

"What you seriously expect me to believe you would have let go your arch rival?"

"If it were you that had just been shot dear friend, I would have rather released every man iv ever caught then leave your side to catch some criminal" at his words I flushed red and turned from him slightly, so as not to show what his words had meant to me, when I turned back he had scummed once more to tiredness.

I spent the next hour in silent thought, contemplating what had happened. How I had seen Holmes lying there, how I had thought I was to late. How weak he had seemed when I rushed him out and bumped into Lestrade. Wait a second... Lestrade! He must have entered just after I had left! Maybe he even had Moriarty right this moment under lock and key!. I leaped out of my chair and rushed to the writing desk, getting out a blank telegraph paper and quickly hurrying a note to Lestrade explaining the situation, after giving it to the page boy I resumed my seat and waited.

It didn't take long for a reply to come

Dr Watson it said

I am sorry to report that on entering we found the place empty, luckily no prisoners have been broken out, I will make sure my men keep a look out for your man.

Inspector Lestrade.

My heart sunk, for a while I had believed there was a chance I could set things right, but now...

"Something wrong Watson?" It was Holmes, he had regained consciousness and had turned his head towards me.

"No Holmes, it just... well Lestrade and some men went in after I had left, I thought that maybe they had got Moriarty, but they said that no one was there." Suddenly I saw a twinkle in my friends eye, reminding me of his old self.

"You say they entered as soon as we left?"

"Yes, but no one.." I was stopped by a moan of pain that came from Holmes, he had tried to sit up. "Holmes! What do you think your doing, lay down man, you'll make it worse!" For a moment it looked like he was going to argue, but he sighed as I eased him down with my hand on his good shoulder. "Alright, but go and get some telegraph paper, I need to write a note to Lestrade." I went and got some, and after giving it to him was surprised at how neat he was able to write with his left hand. "Be good chap and send it for me would you"

he said handing it to me.

When his reply came, he ripped it open with eagerness. "Excellent Watson, this is most excellent, tell me, doctor, when abouts would you say I could get up?"

"Get up Holmes, why not for a week at..."

"A week! Well that wont do, no not at all, how would you say to tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow Holmes! Well its out of the question you're to weak and.."

"My dear Watson I assure you that come morning I will be fine, you would be with me and it would only take an hour or so, well?"

"Well... I suppose it depends on how you are in the morning but..."

"Excellent Watson, that's all I needed to know, we will set out in the morning and see if my thread takes me anywhere, for now I would be much obliged if you were to send this reply for me".

I woke at 7.00am only to come down and find Holmes ready dressed, although it looked as though he had done so with much difficulty. "Now listen Holmes your not to exert yourself, by all laws of medicine you should still be laying in bed for at least a week"

"I assure you my dear fellow that I will by no means over do myself, for I am lucky to have a doctor who is also my trusted companion and there-for understands that I can by no means drop this case because of a small injury"

"Small injury Holmes! Why you could have died!"

"Again I say that I am fortunate enough to have a companion such as yourself, who although letting my potential killer get away, promptly healed me so that I may catch him myself." I felt a sight pang at these words, not only of guilt, but for the reason that not once had Sherlock Holmes mention that I was the one to divert the bullet that would have killed him. Thinking of how I had so foolishly let Moriarty get away however, I considered myself lucky that Holmes was even speaking to me with courtesy.

As we left the house it was evident Holmes was trying not to show any weakness, for fear that I would not let him go, however being a doctor as well as a friend it was hard not to see that he struggled with every step, on a few occasions his legs almost gave way, but he would insist he was fine and keep going as though nothing had happened. We got into the hansom and a thought suddenly occurred to me "Holmes were are we going?"

"Back to Marple's prison" he said simply, giving no further explanation.

So once again we found ourselves at the jail, although things were not the same as the last time we had come. There now stood a pair of officers out side the door, who greeted Holmes warmly and stepped aside to allow him through. Inside I saw that security had definitely been raised since our last visit, as groups of guards were stationed at every doorway. Walking into the lobby I was still able to discern the place were Holmes had been shot, for there were several marks of blood on the marble floor that apparently could not be removed. Striding towards us with an air of self importance came Inspector Lestrade, although as he stopped in front of us I could swear that I saw a genuine look of concern spread across his brow.

"Mr Holmes, here already, why you surely cant have recovered so soon?"

"I am here Lestrade, under the careful watch of the doctor, however reluctant he may be. I assure you that it shall not affect my investigation, now, what you stated in you're telegram, you are sure of it?"

"As sure as anyone could be Holmes, I myself have not stepped out of the building since I saw you being hulled away by the doctor"

"Excellent, then I will need to conduct a small inspection" and with that he began to wonder about and search the place like a dog tying to find a fox. I strolled steadily behind him so as to make sure he was OK. But it seemed that the moment he had got his nose on a sent, all previous pains and disabilities in which he may have vanished into the air. The shaky legs and dulled eyes of this morning, had been replaced by a firm stride and the usual sparkle in the eye.

After fifteen minutes of this, he came to stop at a window at the end of a corridor leading off the lobby. "Allo allo whats this?" he said bending down to look at the frame. "It would appear that once again he has got the better of me!" and with that he walked briskly from the building, beckoning me and Lestrade to follow. We sat in silence on the way home, both myself and the inspector knowing that Mr Sherlock Holmes would not say a word about the matter until he wished to.

Entering the lounge I watched as Holmes collapsed into the corner of the settee, obviously exhausted from our excursion. Both the Inspector and myself sat down and waited for him to explain. He know had his eyes tight shut. "Well Mr Holmes? Would you mind telling us whats been going on the last few days and how on earth you knew the jail was going to be broken into?" said Lestrade with some inpatients. Holmes chuckled softly. "Of course my dear Lestrade, I some times forget that you are not quite as up to date as myself" and with that he told the inspector all that had happened up to after our escape, he then continued into what I myself knew little of.

"After I arrived I immediately sent you a message asking you to join me so we could go over what had happened. When myself and the doctor heard that you where on you're way to the place that we had just been imprisoned, it struck us as ominous. You gave me the note which had said you were to come, and I instantly recognized the handwriting, I then continued to cross examine it with a letter written my Moriarty himself and I found that the two matched. But why could he wish for you to be absent from Marple's prison? At that point I reexamined the prison documents I had acquired , and after a minute inspection of them under my glass I realised my mistake. These were not documents from the abandoned prison, but ones from Maples prison. Checking there contents once more it was obvious that he was planning a break in, I then dispatched one of the irregulars to get you". He relayed all these details with his eyes closed, his arm swinging in a bored way in the air. "Then when I awoke from being shot" he continued "Watson told me that he had left Moriarty there, however he later told me that you had been there from the moment we had left. I then sent you a telegram asking if you were still there, you replied yes, so I came the next morning after instructing you to be on your guard, but after a search I found sufficient evidence to suggest that he had left though the back window".

Inspector Lestrade had sat gormless throughout the explanation, not having known about our brief imprisonment. "Well Mr Holmes the second we get our hands on this Moriarty character.."

"I shouldn't bother Lestrade, he is a master of disguise, you would be wasting your time"

"Never the less, us down at Scotland yard will do our best." he said striding towards the door "O and... I would like to thank you Holmes, without you help there would have been public scandal, which would have no doubt aimed itself at me since I was in charge at the time" Holmes brushed Lestrade's thanks away with a swish of his arm, and the inspector left.

With a little help from the morphine I injected into his arm, Holmes was soon fast asleep upon the couch. I went and ordered the notes I had been taking. After a while of this Mrs Hudson walked in with a letter that had just arrived, it was addressed to Holmes so I lay it on the table for when he awoke. He did not get a chance to read it till Sunday however, as he spent the time drifting in and out of consciousness in his recovery. Sunday happened to be my birthday, but I did not expect Holmes to remember, after all it seemed that he could not even remember my saving his life.

I proclaimed him well again and finally delivered his message, I had been hiding it from him throughout the week, for, if it were a case, he no doubt go out of his way to solve it and make his injury worst. "Whats this?" he asked as I past it to him.

"It came for you a few days ago in the post" I said as he opened it. To my surprisement, after he had finished the letter he burst into laughter and past it to me so that I might read it. To my shock I saw that it was from Moriarty, cursing Holmes for having got in the way of his plans and ending by saying that he will have his revenge. "Why Holmes, you find this humorous?" I said.

"I see it my dear Watson as a great compliment, after all for someone who's time is greatly occupied to write you a letter, is a sign that you greatly exceeded there expectations! And now I must go out, for I too am a busy man and my long recovery has meant that there are things in with I need to to deal with." And with that he left, placing a different letter upon the table as he went.

Going over to it, I was immensely surprised to see that it was addressed to me, and couldn't help but remember what he had just said. I opened and read it, my heart warmed as I did so and all anger at Holmes vanished.

My dearest Watson it read

I will start by wishing you a very happy birthday, and I do hope that it is a pleasant one. However I wish also to apologize for my conduct. It may have seemed to you these last few days, that I was ignorant of the fact that you saved me from death, but I am not. Thank you dear friend for tackling Moriarty in time and stopping him from administering what would have been a fatal shot, then afterwards saving me once more from my injury. You have always stood bravely by my side, and I sincerely hope that you will do for years to come.

I remain forever truly yours

Sherlock Holmes

And so ends a case that I hope will change the way you look at my friend forever. It proved that even a man such as Sherlock Holmes is not entirely void of emotion, though he later claimed it to be a one off situation.

FINISHED!! So did you like it? please please review whether you have anything important to say or not, as I want to gauge how many people read it, all you have to say is what you thought, wont take over a minute I swear!

Thank you for reading.