Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics, I can assure you mine are still greater. –K

Who will observe the observers? -K

Leem legs burned as he ran down the narrow Garrett Hostel Lane. His thigh underneath his recovering injury throbbed but he pushed forward, sprinting past a fellow bobbing his head in tune to whatever he was listening to through his headset. Leem looked up at the darkening strip of sky above the rooves of the brick structures flanking him on either side. His pants echoed off the walls as if he listened to stereo surround. There were fewer and fewer people about and many of the buildings were beginning to close up for the night. Shortcuts were becoming scarce.

He had figured out where Kat had gone after receiving what seemed like an innocuous pair of texts from her mobile. Einstein! Eddington! He had wanted to jump from his own skin. She had quoted those two great men in the hopes he would understand the subtext of her messages. He had. At least, he hoped he had and prayed he could get to her on time. She must have learned about his idolization of the two physics masters from Molly. It made his heart ache that she would recite the words of two of his absolute heroes back to him in her hour of need.

Leem stopped at the end of the street where it teed into Trinity Lane. He went left in the hopes the door leading to his destination was open but discovered it locked tight.

"Fuck!"

He heaved in a breath and started running in the opposite direction. He'd have to circle the building and try another door. Failing that, he would scale a wall to get into Caius Court and then beyond into Gonville Court where he was sure Kat awaited her almost certain death. It was nearing five o'clock. The bells of the old chapel would ring to signal the hour. No one would hear a gunshot going off in the midst of their tolling. At least, that would be his thinking if he had chosen this place for an execution.

When Leem reached the south entrance and the ceremonial graduation passage into the old courts, he discovered that it too was locked. He stepped back from the heavy, arched door with its weighty steel pull. The carved stone and concrete surround that rose high above him like a miniature courthouse complete with columns, spires and a five-sided tower with several sundials on faces in all directions. He looked to either side of the entry. The walls separating the lane from the inner court were ten feet in height at least.

He looked back at the fancy, carved façade. He noted various foot and toe holds. Yup, he was going to have to scale this thing. He backed up across the stone lane, inhaled deeply, practiced a couple of springing jumps then glanced left and right to ensure he would not be seen. Then, he launched himself at the façade, first jumping up to catch the narrow lip of the top of a faux column and subsequently scrambling against the stone to hoist himself even higher. For a moment, he thought he was going to lose his grip, but grunted, gritted his teeth and propelled himself up enough to grasp the next ledge. Once he had hold of that, he was able to stuff a toe onto the column where his fingers had been. He took a few breaths and hung off the side of the façade a moment. Then, he stretched himself up to the cornice that ran the length of the entry and heaved himself up onto it next to a spire. He looked up and down the empty lane again. With a quick jump and skip around the spire, he sidestepped along the wall until he spotted an empty space between two bushes in the court below. Fortunately, it was only a six feet or so to the ground on the other side. He jumped down and remain crouched as he looked out into the open area of Caius Court.

Leem's shoulders tensed. This was an agent's worst nightmare. This court was essentially a square expanse consisting of a manicured lawn and stone walkways surrounded by the walls of buildings. Several windows faced the court from the two story structures on either side. Across from his position was the old chapel with its numerous tall, stained glass windows. No matter what path a person took through the court, he or she could be seen from any one of these windows.

He looked to the arch beneath the chapel that led to the court beyond and where he hoped Kat still waited. The Gonville court was even smaller than this one. There was only one way in and out at this time of day, and that was through the arch. It was the perfect dead end.

Leem closed his eyes a moment. Steadied his breath and then sprang into action. He didn't even bother trying to conceal himself. He ran straight for the archway beneath the chapel and thundered through it. Once through the passage, he saw Katherine sitting on a bench with her hands folded on her lap on the far side of the smaller court. He nearly collapsed as he felt his knees go weak. He bent over heaving a moment with burning lungs as he looked across the small expanse of turf. Kat jumped up from her seat. His heart practically imploded in his chest. She looked so incredibly small, his tiny, brave, determined, frustrating . . . wait . . . his? He cursed. His! For some reason, his blood began to heat. Hairs bristled on the back of his neck. He stood and cricked his neck sideways.

His.

Katherine trembled as Leem approached her from across the court with eyes so dark, they glinted like obsidian stones. She was at once both relieved and a bit frightened by the sight of him looking at her intensely.

"Y-You found me," she stammered as he approached.

He loomed over her, blocking the dwindling dusk light. He was almost as broad as he was tall. She swallowed as she took in the sight of him. He had abandoned his blazer. His crisp, white shirt was unbuttoned at his throat, its sleeves pushed up to his elbows over his muscular forearms. He looked away as he glanced around the courtyard. She studied the slightly crooked bridge of his nose and the strong line of his jaw as a muscle flecked within it. Before his gaze returned, his arm shot out and he grasped her around the waist. Next thing she knew, he had hauled her sideways into the shelter of a deep alcove and pinned her up against the wall.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He asked gruffly. "You're in a fucking corner here. There's no way out of this, Kat."

His head tilted back a bit and a bit of the waning light outlined his handsome face as he stared down at her. She didn't know what to say. She felt very foolish for having left but at the time she had received the text threatening everyone and everything she knew, she didn't feel like she had a choice. The cold realization had hit her not too long after she had squeezed out of the storage room window that she was going to her death. She had sent Leem the texts so at least he would have some clue as to where to look for her body.

"Kat?" He rasped, his hot breaths fanned her face. "Why would you do this? Why would you put yourself in danger like this?"

Her eyes stung. "Y-You don't understand, Leem. He said he would kill you all. All of you. Sherlock, Molly, their baby, Mycroft, Fil . . . you. I don't know how he knew but he knew about you."

His eyes constricted in confusion as he frowned. "Knew what about me?"

"H-He knew . . . he knew about us . . . about how I felt, um, feel about you."

The glint of his eyes flickered in the dark as he blinked. "What do you mean? How can anyone know that? I don't even know that."

"You are the one who called me a horny squid, you arse. I think you have a good idea what's going on inside my head."

Leem shook his head slowly as he searched her face. "Nah, I don't, actually."

"Leem," her voice strained, "I-I . . . I'm in love with you. Like that's so completely fucking obvious- oomph!"

His lips slammed own on hers then, stifling the rest of her words. The ferocity in which he kissed her, the desperation in the way his lips moved over hers, caught her off guard for a moment. Soon though, she slung her arms over his shoulders and hoisted herself up against him to kiss him back. If he wanted to disentangle himself from her, he was going to have a difficult time as she was fully latched on. He might even have suction marks on his skin by the time she was done.

"Kat," he murmured against her lips. "Who's trying to take you from me? Who do I have to smite? 'Cause I'm goin' ta wipe him off the face of the Earth."

A flush washed through her abdomen. He was so fearsome, her own personal avenger. She believed him and his every menacing word. However, an icy-cold tingle travelled up her spine all the same. She was terrified. She didn't want him to put himself in danger. Not for her.

"It's my old boss, Dr. Ross," she whispered. "He's not dead. He's still alive somehow. He's the one who was selling the spyware masquerading as security software and he knows I've figured that out. That's why he wants me dead. I can prove it was him. Not only that, I can prove he's not working by himself. The British government is involved, or quite a few people in it, at least."

Leem growled. "Is that why you asked Fil if Mycroft could be trusted?"

She nodded. "And I believed Fil, I did."

"Damn, Kat, then why didn't you trust Mycroft? Why come meet this guy when you know he's going to kill you?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Dr. Ross s-said he'd leave you all alone. He convinced me that this was all too big for me to tackle alone-"

Leem exhaled a heavy sigh. "But you're not fucking alone. You have two of the most bloody brilliant men in Britain ta help you . . . and also the Holmes, them too, I guess."

Katherine sputtered a laugh. "Listen to you!"

"That's right, listen to me, Kat. You're not alone. You have me. Understand? You. Have. Me."

She sniffled as she nodded. How stupid she had been!

"What do we do now?" She asked.

Leem looked out toward the court with a steely expression.

"Run, Kat, as fast as you can through the arch to the far end of the next court. Just . . . run. Let's hope we get lucky a second time."