AN: I decided for a lot of reasons not to have Moriarty be the villain because of the obvious reasons associate with the canon. Don't worry "The Professor" is still the main bad-guy its just a different Professor than the one in the books. Sorry for the delay!

Waves

I was at home, reading the paper in hope to get a whiff of what was going on in the world. Mary was sitting beside me, sewing and talked to me as she always did about the day. I was about to start telling her a joke about the agony columns when our maid came in with her face white as a sheet. "Dr. Watson, your cousin's landlady is here. She says that Claire needs you." Poor Emily, she never got used to rushing people in for treatment or bad news. I motioned for the landlady who started to cry and babble about how mean Holmes was to her tenant and that she wanted to slug him. I knew how she felt as I grabbed my black bag and headed to the street with her where the cab waited. The ride was full of noise from the street but I blocked it all out. I was consumed with worry and guilt that Claire did something drastic.

I bounded up those stairs to her flat and opened the door with great dramatic flair, only to see nothing. Nothing had been thrown or dismantled apart from a half cup of tea, there was no indication that anything had happened. The sound of muffled weeping changed that notion and I had no hesitation to go to its source. I opened Claire's bedroom door to find her curled on top of her bed. She had not heard my entrance and seemed utterly lost in her misery. My gut felt wrenched between guilt and heart-break to see my cousin so. I slowly approached her side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Claire, I'm here. What has happened to you?" It took everything in me not to tell her Holmes's plan. Instead, I just tried to be there for her.

Claire sniffed and turned to face me, her face was red from weeping and her tears dripped on her face. "I'm...so glad you came so quickly John. Mr. Holmes...he... fired me and told me he could never love me." As if reliving those words, Claire began to resume weeping but no more tears came about.

I was genuinely shocked at Holmes's actions, I assumed he would let her down easy and that would be it. But, to learn of his actions made me furious to the core. There was a moment where I considered leaving Claire to let Holmes know my fury. My fists were clenched as if ready for a fight, when Claire sat up and addressed me.

"John please, fighting or yelling at him will not help the situation. You have known for longer than I how he is when it comes to matters of the heart. I knew it as well but my heart was blind with love and did not see the error until he came here." Claire was longer crying, her gaze was resolute as ever.

I conceded and sat beside her, "What do you want me to do? I will restrain myself from confronting Holmes, but I still want to help you in some small way." I was still wondering in the back of my mind if she had taken morphine or some other drug to dull her heartache.

Claire looked at her feet and mine for a moment as she seemed to be putting a lot of effort into her task. "I think I need to prepare to leave London for a holiday. And, I do not want to go alone. I want you to contact my good friend Rodger Bloom and ask him if he will accompany me to Brighton. Second, I need you to remove all the morphine I have in my flat. I have not taken any since the last time you administered it. But, I worry that my resolution will ebb. I can get by with the willow-bark tea you brought me and the sea air should help ease my pain some." Claire's reasonable demeanor always surprised me, how she could be so calm about the state of things.

I nodded as she wrote down Rodger's address, "Should I tell him about what happened?" I asked her unsure how much Claire wanted him to know. I had only met Mr. Rodger Bloom twice and both times I was aware of how chummy they were together.

Claire tried to shrug but stopped at the dull pain in her shoulder and sighed. "Tell him that I have had my heart broken and that I want to go to Brighton with him to ease the sadness. I will fill him in on the train there." She was so candid about the fact her heart was broken, I almost took a double take. I could see the underlying grief in her eyes and in her posture, she looked defeated. I wished I could tell her that these things happen and she will forget the man who broke her heart. But, I know she has gone down this road before and I was unsure if she was going to come back from this.

As worried as I was, I knew that she would break free from her sadness. We Watsons are very resolute and able to endure a great many things. I placed a hand on her right shoulder, "I wish I could take away this pain you are feeling Claire. You of all people deserve to be happy with a gentleman who loves you. I promise, never to stop believing that you will find fulfillment and happiness." I felt a tear or two make their way to my eyes but I was determined to stay strong.

Claire hugged me close despite her hurt shoulder and I tenderly hugged her back. "Thank you, John." Claire whispered into my ear before she let go and continued to sit on the bed.

I knew time was of the essence and so I rose to leave my cousin. "I take it you will be taking tomorrow morning's train?" I quickly asked her as I gathered the morphine bottles into my bag.

Claire watched me put away the drug with a small measure of temptation. "Yes, please apologize to Rodger for my short notice." She tried to drink her now cold tea only to be disgusted by the taste. I nodded and said my goodbyes to her with promises to keep her informed about the situation with The Professor.

Finding Rodger Bloom was an easy task since he worked for a gallery that I had been to before. The gallery was large and had a nice collection of works by Rembrandt but I had no time to admire them. The walls were of polished marble which I had interesting time admiring while the curator went to fetch Mr. Bloom. I was about to ask about the cost of the material when I was faced with the curator and Mr. Bloom. He was just as tall as I remembered him, and just as thin. He frame reminded me a lot of Holmes's despite his blond hair and thin mustache. "Dr. Watson, it is a pleasure to see you again. What do I owe the honor to?" Mr. Bloom's voice was light and genial.

I motioned for him to follow me to a more discrete area of the gallery whereupon I told him of Claire's heartbreak with a gentleman and her desire to go to Brighton. Mr. Bloom shook his head in disbelief at this news and muttered something under his breath about having a word with the man. "So, she wishes that I go with her to Brighton? I do want to accompany her on this escape. I do need a little time to prepare, but I gather she wants to leave in the morning?" His tone was less genial than before and more concerned.

I nodded and told him this was so, and that she was intent upon leaving London as soon as possible. I watched him nod and think it over, his thin hands stroked his chin as he mulled it over.

"I am not surprised she wants to leave so soon. Very well, you may tell Claire that I will meet her at Victoria station at half past nine." He seemed excited to leave London but also concerned with Claire's wellbeing as I was.

I thanked him as warmly as I could towards an acquaintance and set off for Claire's flat. Upon entering the doorway, I gave a message to her landlady to give to her and went on my way home. My burden of guilt had eased somewhat with the knowledge that Claire would have a caring friend to go with her to Brighton.

The Next Morning...

Claire Watson was keen on leaving London despite her outward appearance. The young lady wore a long light blue dress that seemed a year or two out of fashion. Her face was covered by the large straw hat she was wearing that had a corresponding blue bow on it. Any regular person in Victoria station would have passed her by without a second look except to remark on her fine hat. Claire did not move from her spot in front of the train to Brighton, despite the amount of people pushing past her to get to their own target. The sound of a cough brought her chin up and she smiled to see the cougher. He was dressed in a dapper light tan suit with a red tie and was carrying a small bag. "Rodger, I am so glad to hear that you will be accompanying me to Brighton." Claire hugged her friend lightly and inhaled the smell of his aftershave.

Rodger returned her smile, "It is my pleasure, Claire. I look forward to our holiday. I know how you detest crowds, so let us board." Rodger extended his right arm and put it through her left arm, taking special care not to jostle her shoulder. The pair showed their tickets to the conductor who escorted them to the first class cabins that they had reserved.

Claire was quiet as she boarded the train, despite the turmoil her heart was feeling she knew this was the best action to take. The young lady opened the door to her compartment, number 11. She took off her hat and gloves and made sure her trunk was secure. Before she could do anything else, there was a quiet knock on the door. "Is that you, Rodger?" She asked, knowing it was her friend who knocked.

Rodger chuckled from the front of the door, "Who else would it be? Now open the door." His light and airy tone made Claire hide another smile as she opened the wooden door with ease.

Her friend was a bit taken back by the face before him, it was gaunt from her sleepless nights since the surgery and her eyes were swimming with dark thoughts and emotions. Rodger knew how badly Claire needed an escape but he did not foresee the damage it took. "My dear, Claire. Who is the braggard who did this to you? I will see to it that he is punished..." Rodger's tough threat was cut off by a soft sob from Claire and he closed the door so that none would bother them. Rodger then sat beside Claire and hugged her close. "I'm sorry, Claire. I won't hurt the bastard, I just want to help you this time." He felt her sobs weaken but her hold on his back was still strong. Both Claire and Rodger knew that the grief was not going to end when they got to Brighton, it would go through Claire's system like a wave. Going away before coming back, and Rodger was ready and willing to help her brave them.