[A/N: So, this is the end of Part One. I'm sorry it's so incredibly short, but I really did rush to get it finished so you guys could have it. However, I might start the next chapter tonight. I feel like writing, so keep an eye out for updates!]

[On with the chapter!]

Chapter 12—Change

Doctor

The pain was indescribable.

Every molecule of him was being crushed, condensed, squeezed into something less than what he currently was. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe for the agony of it. Parts of him were being torn away, pieces of him, destroying what he was and putting an entirely new being in place.

He screamed, as the pain changed from crushing pressure to ripping, fiery agony. Every atom was rearranged, his biology re-written. His two hearts were replaced by one, and the feeling of loss was profound. He was on fire, he was dying, he was burning. Perhaps this was the Hell he knew he deserved—

It was too much. The pain overwhelmed him. He couldn't breathe, and black dots swarmed across his vision. His legs gave out, and everything faded into nothingness.

The Doctor blacked out.

Sherlock Holmes woke up, confused.

Bright lights over his eyes, almost blinding him. Everything around him was white and sterile. He squinted, turning his face to the side. There was a steady beeping and whirring nearby, and far-off a flurry of indistinct voices. He was uncomfortable, but not unbearably so.

He sat up, and felt a tug in his arm. Upon further investigation he found an IV drip plugged into his arm.

Hospital, then.

He hated hospitals. His mind was a little fuzzy at the moment, but he knew that much. People poking and prodding him, all the trivial nonsense and the feeling of being trapped. It made him uneasy.

He got up, pulling the IV out, damned be the consequences. He was slightly stymied when he realized he was clad only in a hideous white hospital gown, and by the dizziness that assaulted him as soon as he stood. But he wasn't staying here, absolutely not.

He took several deep breaths and looked around. No doctors or nurses. Shoddy work on the hospital's behalf, but he wasn't complaining because it made escape easier. He was just reaching for the door handle—he didn't really have a plan further than Get out—when it twisted.

Sherlock swore and quickly sat back on the bed. Nothing to be done about the IV, and he didn't really care. He was much more interested in whoever was coming into his hospital room. Perhaps they could explain to him why he was there, and why his memory felt so fuzzy.

The door eased open silently, revealing a tall, slightly obtuse man with cold brown eyes and receding ginger hair. He was leaning on a thin black umbrella, which looked as though it would snap under his weight. Miraculously, it held as the two men studied each other. Sherlock was wary, he could feel his own eyes narrowed. The other man studied him, expressionless, for a long minute.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Well, Sherlock, you gave us quite a scare. You came disturbingly close to dying."

Sherlock frowned. The man's tone was even and calm, but he was tense, and there were shadows under his eyes. A quick glance showed he was gripping the handle of the umbrella tightly in his fist, subconscious or not, Sherlock didn't know. He seemed to be telling the truth. Sherlock thought about this for a long moment, studying him with a puckered brow.

The man spoke to him with familiarity, as though they knew each other, yet Sherlock had no memories of him. Actually, he didn't remember much of anything. A result of the incident that supposedly almost killed him? Perhaps. It seemed a logical conclusion, given he was in the hospital, and the headache starting to pound in his temples suggested a head injury. After almost a minute passing in silence, the man spoke again.

"Sherlock, you look confused. Did you want to ask something?"

Sherlock had only one question:

"Who am I?"

END OF PART ONE.

[A/N: Yes, I am ending it right there. I'm awful, I know. Love you guys! Read, review, and keep an eye out for possible further updates. If I don't get a chance to start part 2, I apologize and I hope you have an awesome summer!]

—Makenna