'Kodi… Kodi, wake up…'

I turned around in a flash, my thoughts turning cloudy. That sounded like John's voice. But John wasn't here. Here, it was just me. Where did John come from?

'Jesus, woman, wake up.'

And why the hell was he telling me to wake up? I was already awake – up and running, in fact – literally.

Unless… I wasn't.

My eyes fluttered open to see John's face looming over me. The sun cast everything in a pale yellow light and I squinted, feeling out of place in this new setting.

I felt like I had been here before but I just couldn't place the feeling. I was leant against a brick wall, one of my legs bent and the other lying straight ahead.

'Where am I?' I mumbled.

'You came here after Tara's phone call last night—'

And that's when it all set in. Tara's phone call, her injury, learning she was nearly raped, my and Sherlock's kiss.

I stood up hastily. 'Where's Tara? Is she okay?'

'She's fine,' a new voice said, one I recognised as Sherlock. I couldn't meet his eyes. 'Her mother called on your phone but since you were sleeping I guessed I'd better take it. But, yes, she's fine. The hospital were able to stitch up the wound on her abdomen… and yeah…'

A silence followed… one that was becoming incessantly awkward. I cleared my throat.

'Okay… so I'll go see if I can see her. Any evidence found on the scumbag?' I looked just over Sherlock's shoulder while addressing him; I couldn't actually look at him.

'Footprints, and blond hair,' Sherlock replied. 'We're just about to go to the lab to analyse them.'

'Were we here all night?' I asked.

'You and Sherlock were, yes,' John piped in. 'I was called to the scene at around three; the dirt from the dude's shoe was something Sherlock thought I could process.' I saw him glare at Sherlock, who blushed and looked down at his feet.

Adorable.

I paid no attention to my mind, instead looking at John. 'Catch a cab ride to the hospital with me?' I asked him.

'Uh, yeah, alright,' he muttered, confused. 'But don't you want to go with—'

'Come on then!' I squealed, overly cheerful. I walked out of the alleyway and to curb, waiting on a cab to drive up so I could hail it.

John was next to me in an instant. 'You're gonna pass up a ride with Sherlock?' he asked immediately.

I didn't look over at him as I scanned the road. 'I have my reasons,' I told him simply.

'What happened, Kodi Watson?' he asked. He remembered our days in primary school then.

I smiled slightly. 'Nothing happened, sir.'

'Sure?' he asked again as I held my arm out to signal a cab.

'Very,' I replied.

We entered the cab and after giving our destination to the cabbie, the ride passed in small talk, my life with Sherlock, for now, forgotten.

I walked into Tara's hospital room, after meeting with her parents in the hallway, who were on their way out.

I knocked, and when my best friend looked over at the door, I let myself in.

Tara's eyes lit up and I found myself smiling, slightly flattered that I could evoke such a reaction in her. 'Hi!' she greeted me brightly.

'Hey,' I replied softly. 'You okay?'

Her smile didn't reach her eyes. 'Physically? I'm recovering. Mentally and emotionally? Fucking far from it.' Her eyes grew dark and I walked forward to take her hand.

'I wish I could say I know how you feel, T, but I honestly can't.' I shook my head. 'I'm so sorry.' I sighed as I closed my eyes.

'Hey,' she told me firmly. 'It wasn't your fault. You didn't know it was gonna happen, Kodi.'

I tried to smile, but failed, my eyes drifting up to her hair. It didn't even reach the bottom of her neck. 'Jeez, what has he done to you?'

Her right hand ran itself through what was remaining of the locks on her head. It didn't stop when it reached the bottom (far too quickly) and she screwed it up when there was no hair left to feel. 'It—it'll grow back, hon.' I knew it pained her to be like this; her hair was one of her gorgeous traits and she knew it.

The cut on her cheek was scarring already and I knew that that was what she was talking about when she said she was physically recovering. 'And the wound on your stomach…' I trailed off.

She undid the ropes that were holding her hospital gown in place and pushed one side away to let me see the bandage that circled the lower half of her torso and covered the wound. 'They've changed the bandages three times since I got here,' she pointed to the blood stain that was already evident. 'But even through the stitches it's not holding on.'

My eyes widened. 'Then that's bad stitching. It shouldn't do that. Once it's stitched up it should stop all blood loss.'

She patted my hand. 'The head of the department says they're going to redo it. They have to.'

I took a shaky breath. 'They better.'

She smiled slightly. 'They will. Don't worry about it.'

I squeezed her hand. 'T, do you think you're… stable enough… to talk about it?' I asked nervously. 'I'm not asking you to describe how it felt or relive it or anything,' I added hastily. 'Just that Sherlock and Lestrade are trying to find the bastard and they need a sort of physical description.'

'I'm fine to talk about it… or I would be, if I could remember a single bloody detail.' She glanced up at me apologetically. 'Sorry Kodes. It was dark as hell and I was scared and I didn't—'

I silenced her by wrapping her in a careful hug, my eyes filling with tears. 'It's okay. You don't have to. It's okay. I'm just glad that he didn't get to do what he intended to do.'

Tara pulled away. 'Yeah but Kodi, it worked,' she whispered, looking at me with fright in her eyes. She held onto my forearms as I frowned.

'What did?' I whispered back, sniffing.

'Remember I said I would always be the ever glorious single?' I nodded. 'That was a joke back then. I was sure that when the time was right I'd find some dude to spend the rest of my life with.'

'What's changed?' I asked her, my voice slightly louder.

'I don't ever want to. I couldn't sleep last night and… I did some thinking. And I've come to the conclusion that I'm aromantic.'

My eyes widened as I processed this new information. 'That… that's cool. It's okay,' I reassured her.

'But… I used to make fun of your brother and sister… I used to ask them if they were normal… fucking karma or what?'

'Hey,' I frowned. 'You don't have to have a partner if you don't want to. And remember; nothing is ever normal, T.'

She smiled as she remembered what I said to her months before. 'Nothing is normal,' she repeated, smiling.

She froze a moment later. 'I think I remember something!'

'What?' I asked her calmly.

'It was really dark so I don't think it's exact,' she started. 'But he had hair longer than mine and I think it was a light brown slash dark blond but I can't exactly tell. His eyes were dark but then so was my blood, so that doesn't help. He was wearing baggy black jeans and a dark hoodie.'

'Okay…' and suddenly a light flashed on in my head.

Long hair.

Lightly coloured.

Always in dark, baggy jeans.

Never left home without a hoodie.

'I could love you more than he does.'

'Piss off. I don't love you. That's final.'

'Shit…' I whispered, my arms slacking and dropping out of Tara's.

'What, Kodi?' she asked urgently. 'What do you know?'

'Remember when I went out with Telling there was that best friend, Elias something-or-other White? The dude who tried to convince me he was better at loving me than Liam was? I told you about him, right?'

She thought for a while before she looked up at me. 'Yes, I do remember him but… I swear he's not like that!'

I sucked in a breath. 'I swore he wasn't like that too but apparently we were wrong.'

'Seriously. Elias White. I would never have thought it,' Tara muttered through gritted teeth.

I laughed. 'Oi, we don't even have any solid evidence, T. I'll text Sherlock the details and then we'll know.'

I pulled out my phone, pulling up my texts. I clicked on John's name.

Tell Sherlock that we might have a possible suspect. Elias James White, 29, studied at London Met Uni in 2006/7. KW.

'Done,' I said.

I looked back at my phone screen to find that it was telling me John was typing.

Okay, why can't you tell him yourself? What happened? JW.

I groaned.

'What?' Tara asked. I held up a finger to tell her to wait a second and then typed out a reply.

I told you I have my reasons. Just pass the message onto him and we can all live happily ever after. KW.

I inhaled. 'He kissed me last night,' I told her.

'What?!' she exclaimed, then winced as she stretched her abdomen.

'Yeah. And we haven't talked to each other since,' I said sheepishly.

'Well then, darling,' she started saying in her 'posh' accent. 'Off you go to have a deep, meaningful talk with your man. Hurry along now!' She pushed at me and waved me off.

'Alright, alright, I'm going. Jeez.' I walked over to the door.

'Text me the detes, girl!' she yelled as I made my farewells.

I walked back out to see John in the waiting room, looking up at me, puzzled.

'Did you do it?' I asked as he hauled himself up and fell into line beside me.

'Yeah but… what's going on between you two?' he asked once again.

I whipped my head round to glare at him. 'Ask me that again and your face'll become well acquainted with my fist,' I hissed through gritted teeth.

He reeled. 'Okay. Okay. Sorry.'

I took a deep breath. 'I'm going back to Baker Street,' I announced as my long strides increased the distance between us. 'I suggest you go back to yours.'

'But—' John had to jog to catch up with me.

'Please. I'll tell you it all later. Just let me be.'

I heard him give a crestfallen sigh as the crisp February air hit me in the face. 'Okay. Alright. But Kodi?'

I turned back to look at him, raising my eyebrow. 'Come here,' he said, holding his arms out. I stepped forward to hug him, smiling slightly. 'I'm here for you,' he whispered.

'I know,' I muttered back. 'Love you.'

'Love you too, sis.'

Then we parted and without another glance in his direction, I was on my way.

I stood in the doorway of the living room, watching as Sherlock had his eyes fixated on the TV. He was still in his Belstaff and had his knees up to his chest and his arms crossed. Either he'd not heard me enter or he was choosing to ignore me. Even though it was highly unlikely (I'd lived here for a month, he must have known the sound of my footsteps by now), I prayed that it was the first option.

'Sherlock?' I asked tentatively.

He looked up abruptly, catching my eye. So. Option number one it was.

'Hi,' he said, a hint of a smile gracing his lips.

'We…' I shook my head. 'Can I talk to you?'

'Your chair is across from mine,' he nodded in the general direction of the seat, while uncrossing his arms and sitting up straight in his own chair.

'Yeah,' I muttered as I went to sit down. 'So…' How the fuck did I even start this conversation?

'You want to talk about this morning,' he stated bluntly.

I exhaled. That was one way of putting it. 'Yeah. I do.'

'Say all you want to say. I'm listening.' He gave me an encouraging smile as he switched the TV off.

'Where does that put us? What are we now?' I asked, wringing my hands.

'You want to put a label on us?' he asked.

'Well—yeah. I like labels. I can relate to shit with labels. And it's comforting to know where exactly I fit in.'

He smiled at me and I caught the slightest twitch of his fingers. 'Well. I like your logic,' he complimented.

'So?' I prompted. 'What are we?'

He grinned mischievously. 'Does in a relationship sound good to you?'

I raised an eyebrow, struggling to stifle a smirk. 'Is that your Sherlock-esque way of asking me out?'

He shrugged. 'Might be,' he answered. 'Depends if you decide to say yes. Does it sound good?'

'Obviously.'

I don't know when we'd started walking, because suddenly, there wasn't an inch of space between us. My left hand was buried in the curls at the back of his neck, my right arm wrapped around his shoulders. His arms pulled me in at the waist as the kiss started to deepen. My mind filled with warmth at the thought that I was kissing Sherlock Holmes.

We parted a while later, when the need to breathe was getting more and more evident. I looked up at him, breathing heavily. I was pretty sure that his eyes showed more of that foreign twinkle from yesterday. He smiled at me and lowered his head until his chin rested on top of my hair, his arms still around my waist. I manoeuvred myself slightly so my cheek rested against his shoulder, sighing softly.

There was a pleasantly overwhelming sensation of contentment, which I wasn't sure how it surfaced. All I knew was that it had something to do with the man whose arms I was standing in. And that was the best sensation ever.

Well. It has been over a year since I started this, and we're not even halfway through the story. Wow. This a first for me. Usually my multi-chaps are finished within a month or two, three at most. Thank my declining mental health for that.

Hope you enjoyed it, please leave me a review to tell me what you thought!