Part Fifteen: Two Shots

Sherlock's P.O.V.

"If Kathryn is in danger now too," John began a sad attempt at making conversation on the car ride home, "shouldn't we have brought her with us. He's gotten her once before, he could easily get her again."

"She wouldn't be stupid enough to get caught again," I roll my eyes and his thought.

"Unless she didn't think she was in danger, because she doesn't think you care about her, so she goes out and she's overpowered again," he says matter-o-factly as we pull up infront of the flat. I glance at him and by the looks of both our faces we know she could be in danger. We jump out of the cab and run across the street to the door of her flat.

We knock on the door a few times with no answer. Turning the door knob we find that the flat is unlocked. We invite ourselves in and go up to her flat. It's empty.

"Where do you think she is?" John asks looking at all her belongings as if they might hold an answer.

"I don't know. There are no signs of a break in, so how would someone get to her?" I ask. The question was more aimed at myself but John butts in anyway.

"Maybe she just went for a walk. She might just be out," he suggests.

"A walk," I begin, "if she went for a walk they wouldn't have any reason to break in, and it's not like she would've followed my instructions to stay inside anyway."

We leave her flat and go to her front door, which is likely one of the last places she was at.

In the mailbox is one of the papers from her files, "John, where were her parents murdered?" I yell out. On the paper is written I.O.U. in red marker.

"I don't remember. It wasn't on any of the papers in the file. All it said was the grade school she went to. They shut it down after and it's been abandoned ever since," he says frantically.

"Old school," I think, "got it."

We run to the street to get a cab to take us to the school. When we get there the cab takes off immediately, clearly not wanting to be around the school more than he had to. The front door to the school is unlocked so we head directly into the building.

"He doesn't care Moriarty! He won't come looking for me," we hear Kathryn yelling. The sound is coming from the direction of the gymnasium. We make our way over to the doors.

"Wait," I order John, "don't follow me in. If they make me drop my gun they'll make you drop yours." He nods in understanding.

"No!" Kathryn screams when I step in. "Don't come any closer!" Her eyes point to the corner and then back at me. There is a man standing there. He has a gun. He moves his aim from Kathryn to me and back to her.

"You know why you're here," I hear Moriarty's voice echo over a speaker. "What's it going to be? Her life, or yours?"

"Sherlock don't you dare!" Kathryn says over the voice. "Sherlock your life is more valuable. Let him shoot me, I don't care." I don't answer, but I pull by gun from my pocket and drop it on the floor.

"Please Sherlock," she cries, "Do not do this. I can't watch you die a second time. I haven't got anyone here for me. He killed them years ago in this very spot. You've got people who care about you."

"So do you," I call back.

"Make your choice," Moriarty calls over us again.

"Sherlock please," Kathryn whimpers now.

"That's is. Shoot the girl," Moriarty says.

"No!" I scream. Everything around me slows. Instead of one gunshot, I hear two. The gunman in the corner drops his gun and grips his hand in pain. Then I hear Kathryn call out in agony. I run toward her as fast as my legs can carry me.

"John!" I call. He comes running into the gym. We untie Kathryn from the chair and pull her down onto the floor. The gunman hit her in the lef. John begins to do what he can to stop the bleeding while I call for an ambulance.

I can't imagine what would happen if she died because of this. I'd never let myself live it down. The next brilliant mind in this world, dead, all because I couldn't save her.

"Kathryn stay awake," I hear John order bringing me out of my fog. "Sherlock, she's lost a lot of blood."

"Kathryn, please don't die," I beg doing what I can to help John. With his military knowledge I can hope that he has moved fast enough to help her. Not a moment too soon the ambulance shows up and carries her off to the hospital.