The next morning, John is well enough to go to school, and that makes Sherlock get out of bed already in a good mood. He rushes John to get ready so they can get to school quickly. While John's eating a little bit of breakfast, he calls Harvey.

"What's up, little dude?" Harvey answers, sounding groggy and still asleep.

"Harvey, I need your help."

"Mhm?"

"I was wondering if you can hack the cameras again to get a different picture of the cricket culprit."

"Uh…what cameras?"

Sherlock sighs, exasperated. "The security cameras."

"Wh—"

"At school!"

"Wh—oh! I remember now."

Sherlock rolls his eyes.

"No problem, little dude. I got you."

"Thanks. Can you meet me at school early?"

"Sure. Half an hour?"

"Alright," Sherlock agrees, then he hangs up with Harvey.

"Got it settled?" John asks.

Sherlock nods.

Before they leave, Clement tells Sherlock that he needs to stay in the library or return home alone that afternoon to work on his extra credit work. Sherlock reluctantly agrees, then pouts the entire ride to school.

Harvey's there when they arrive, sounding much more awake than he did on the phone. He cheerily greets John and Sherlock, then they go to the library to work.

It takes a while for them to find which camera they need. All the hallways look alike, of course, but then John gets the idea to go out into the hall so they can see him on the monitor.

Sherlock and Harvey look at each other.

"Why didn't you think of that?" Sherlock asks.

"Don't look at me, you're the genius."

Sherlock looks perplexed. He doesn't say anything, so John laughs and kisses his cheek while he stands.

They finally find the right camera, then finding a shot of the boy is easy. Luckily, he turned towards the camera when he exited the library, because if he hadn't they wouldn't have been able to see his face.

"I still don't know him," John says.

"Olive said he's probably has a first year. She suggested I ask Lex if she knows him."

"Good idea," John says.

"I'll ask too," Harvey says, packing his backpack. "I have a class with a few first years."

"Great," Sherlock says. "Hopefully I'll have the answer by the end of the day."

Harvey and John agree, then the three boys leave to go to class.

Sherlock texts Lexus during first period to ask for her help.

To Lexus Hill: Hey Lex, it's Sherlock. I was wondering if you can help me with something. Text me back as soon as you can, thanks.

He doesn't get a reply until the end of first period.

From Lexus Hill: OH MY GOSH, SHERLOCK I'D LOVE TO HELP.

Sherlock takes a deep, annoyed breath and replies quickly.

To Lexus Hill: I'm going to send you a photo. If you can tell me who the boy in the photo is, that'd be amazing.

Sherlock winces at the word 'amazing', then clicks send anyway.

Lexus doesn't reply, which doesn't bother Sherlock. He can find another way to identify the student, even if it means going to each and every classroom to look for him.

At the end of third period, Sherlock is walking down the hall with John, Declan, and Olive when Lexus runs up to him with a boy in hand. The boy.

"Hi Sherlock, I found him!"

They all look at her in shock.

"This is Carter!" she yells, pinching his cheek. "Aren't you, ya little cutie!"

Carter just looks at her like she's crazy, much like the others.

Sherlock's face transforms into a smile.

"What'd'ya need him for?" Lexus asks.

Sherlock decides to let Headmaster Card confront him. "Nothing," Sherlock says. "Thanks, Lex."

Lexus lets Carter go to attack Sherlock in a hug.

"Are you still gay?" she asks.

"What?!" John questions.

"Uhm," Sherlock pries her off of him. "Yes, sorry. Still gay."

"That's too bad!" she cheerily says.

"Lex," Olive gets her attention, "You're in a better mood than when we last spoke to you. Feeling better, I'm assuming."

"My mum bought me a new kitty! Hopefully my brother won't kill it!"

"You're all mad…" Carter mutters.

"You get used to it, surprisingly," Declan says to him.

"Well, if you ever stop being gay, you have my number!" Lexus says to Sherlock.

"I'm not ever going to stop being gay," he says to her.

She just smiles politely, then pushes past him to walk down the hall.

"She's insane," Olive says.

"Uhm…" Carter gets their attention again. "Can I go now?"

Sherlock pats his shoulder as the friends walk away. "Good luck."

Carter confusedly watches them walk away.

Sherlock goes to Headmaster Card's office right away. He patiently waits for the headmaster to become available, which takes about half an hour, but it makes him happy because he misses class.

Card calls Sherlock in, so Sherlock rushes in and eagerly sits down.

"How's the hunt going?" Card asks.

"Great, sir. I've actually figured out who did it."

Card looks shocked. "Oh?"

"A first year named Carter. I don't know his last name."

"How'd you figure it out?"

Sherlock doesn't want to get Harvey in trouble for hacking the network yet again, so he says, "I found a receipt in the library and went to the pet store where they were purchased."

"Impressive," Card says, sounding amazed. "That's really great, Sherlock, thank you."

"It wasn't a problem, sir."

"Are you sure you don't want compensation? I can offer you 'Get-Out-of-Detention-Free' passes? Tardy passes?"

"No, sir," Sherlock smiles. "It's alright."

"Great," Card says. "Thank you again, son."

Sherlock stands to leave. "You're welcome."

Sherlock leaves the office and goes to class, where he triumphantly tells John the case is closed.

"Now you can focus on anatomy," John tells him.

Sherlock makes a disgusted face that makes John laugh.

The rest of the day goes by uneventful, until last period. They're in class taking a quiz when John gets a pass to go to the office. Sherlock knows it's for John to see the counselor, but John is utterly confused.

"I'll meet you in the library after the bell," John whispers as he passes Sherlock on his way out.

Sherlock just nods, then goes on with his quiz.

John wonders why he's getting called to the office; he has no idea what's wrong, or if he's in trouble. The pass says he won't be returning to class, so he hopes nothing is wrong and he has to go home.

His mother isn't there when he arrives, so he feels relieved. He's told to take a seat to wait, then five minutes later the counselor calls her back to his office.

John is confused, of course, but he follows anyway.

"What's going on?" John asks as he sits in a chair across from the counselor, Mrs. Steele. "Am I in trouble?"

"No John, of course not. I don't deal with punishment," she says with a smile.

John chuckles, sensing she's trying to make a joke.

"This is just…protocol," she says.

"Protocol?"

"It's a step we take when something happens to a student."

John makes a confused face.

"We were told about your home situation, and we just want to make sure you're alright."

"My home situation?"

She looks through her notes. "Your dad, he was sent to jail when you were thirteen, is that correct?"

"Uhm…yes."

"And he was recently released?"

John nods.

She closes her notes. "How do you feel about that?"

John takes a deep breath and rubs his face. "I don't need to talk about it."

"Really? Because when you were thirteen—"

"I remember what happened!" John snaps.

Mrs. Steele simply looks at him like, 'this is what we need to discuss'.

"I'm sorry," John says. "I just…this came without any warning."

"Don't worry John. A little bit of shouting isn't going to hurt any. It may help. Do you feel like shouting often?"

John shakes his head. "No."

"Are you angry right now?"

"A little bit."

"At? Yourself?"

John shakes his head. "At my…friend. I know he's how you all know about this."

"And why do you think that?"

"He just saw Headmaster Card on Monday. His jaw is messed up. Card must have asked about his jaw. He would've told Card the whole story, he likes the attention, especially about this."

Mrs. Steele nods. "That's very good deductive reasoning."

"I've learned a few tricks," he mutters.

She ignores it. "We need to talk about it, John."

"We really don't."

"Do you not want to talk about it at all, or do you not want to talk about it with me?"

"Both."

She nods. "It would help a lot if you talked about it."

"I don't need any help with it."

Mrs. Steele looks at her watch. "We have half an hour more, and you're not leaving this room until you cry."

"What?!"

She smiles. "I'm kidding. Some kids do cry, though."

"I'm not going to cry."

"Fine, you don't have to. Nothing happens to me if you don't."

He doesn't say anything to that.

"Do you mind telling me what happened? Why your friend's jaw is messed up?"

John purses his lips, thinking about telling her. Finally, he accepts. He takes a deep breath and says, "My dad was let out of jail. He found me, even though he wasn't supposed to be able to, and he stopped my friend and I leaving school. He saw…" John pauses, not wanting to tell her what his dad saw that made him so angry. "Something, so he lost it and pushed my friend away from me. He yelled a few things at me, so my friend shoved him. He shoved back, shoved me away, and I fell and hit my head." John pauses to take a breath. "My friend attacked, then. He punched my dad a few times, then my dad took a hard swing at my friend and he was knocked out."

"And then?"

"Then an officer arrived and re-arrested my dad, I guess. I called my friend's dad, we went to the hospital, and…that's it."

"John," she says, taking a few notes. "Do you mind me asking what your dad saw that made him push your friend?"

John just looks down at his lap.

"Everything stays between us. And I pass absolutely no judgment, I promise."

John looks up, not saying anything but instead examining the room. He's buying time, but he notices a framed photo on the wall behind her desk of a football team. He adjusts his eyes as much as he can and sees that Mrs. Steele is the coach of the team.

"John?"

He looks at her again. "Everything stays between us?"

"Of course."

John nods. "Uhm, my dad saw my friend put his arm around me. And, uhm…he heard my friend call me…"

Mrs. Steele's expression doesn't change. "He called you what, John? A bad name?"

John shakes his head. "No, no. Uhm…yeah, he just called me 'babe'."

She nods. "I see."

John runs a hand over his face.

"How do you feel about that?"

"About my dad freaking out because another boy called me babe? Not great."

"Why?"

"Why?!" John cries. "Because he's my freakin' father. He said he wanted to change, so he should be supporting me; he should be interested in my life, he shouldn't punch my boyfriend!"

Mrs. Steele just watches him.

"Why is it such a difficult concept?" John goes on, getting worked up. "His parents are ecstatic about us being together, even his brother has a boyfriend and they love it. My parents? My mum slapped me and my dad punched him."

"Your mum slapped you?"

John sighs. "No, no it wasn't because of that. She yelled at me, told me I didn't know what it meant to love another boy, so I yelled back. I said some really mean things. Then she slapped me."

Mrs. Steele nods.

"It's fine, really. She doesn't hit me."

"Okay, John. What else?"

"I don't know," he says. "It'd just be nice to be supported every once in a while, I guess."

Mrs. Steele closes her file and puts her pen down. "I sense that your issues with your father right now is that he punched your boyfriend and doesn't like that you're gay, is that it?"

John doesn't bother explaining to her that he isn't really sure if he's gay. "Yeah. I guess so. I mean, at first it hurt that he was, like, stalking me when he first got out. I yelled at my boyfriend then, but that's all done and taken care of. But now I…after the fight, I just…I don't feel…right…"

"Right about what? Being with your boyfriend?"

John shrugs. "I guess. I feel more weary about people finding out about he and I. Our friends are all supportive, but people I don't know…what if he gets hurt again? I can't deal with someone hurting him again. I mean…people have hurt him before. He's been bullied a lot the past few years. But this was because of me. It wasn't some jerk at school, it was my dad. That doesn't make me feel great. It was my fault."

"I understand, John."

John looks at her. "How could you?"

Mrs. Steele sighs. "I'm not really supposed to get into my personal life with students, but we're off the books now, okay?"

John nods.

"I know how you feel, John, because when I was fifteen, some girls saw me kissing my first girlfriend."

John's gaze snaps up to her. "What?"

She nods. "Yep. The girls who saw us cornered her after gym class and beat her up so badly that she not only left our school, but she moved out of the town I was living in at the time. Luckily, I moved too, about a month later, and I never had to see those girls again.

But I understand, because it scared me to get close to anyone from then on. I didn't make any female friends for about a year because I was afraid other people would mistake our relationship for more than a friendship, even though nobody in all of London knew I was a lesbian. I didn't want that to happen again."

John nods. "So, what happened? How'd you get over it?"

"Honestly, I haven't. It scares me every day to think that something bad could happen to my wife or daughter, just because they are mine."

John nods.

"But you have to live, John. You have to let people know who you are, and you have to be proud to be who you are. Are you proud that your boyfriend is your boyfriend?"

John cracks a smile. "Yes, of course. He's brilliant."

"And I'm sure he's proud of you. So be proud together. I'm not saying you have to make a grand announcement to the school, John, but you don't have to live in fear."

John nods. "I understand."

"As for your parents, well, I'm not saying they'll get over it. But they might, one day."

"What happened when you told your parents?"

"Well," Mrs. Steele says, taking a deep breath. "My mother told me it was a phase. My dad tried to fix me up with every boy he knew. They tried to tell me I was wrong for nearly ten years, even on my wedding day."

"What changed their minds?"

"My wife gave birth to my daughter. My parents changed after that. I'm glad, too, because I'd hate for them to miss out on my little girl."

John nods in understanding.

"And last John," she says, "Your father hurting your boyfriend was not, by any means, your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault but the fault of your father for hurting him, okay? You can't blame yourself for something your dad did. You can't blame your boyfriend for anything either, alright?"

"Okay."

"Has our talk helped any?"

John nods again. "Yes. I'm really fine about my dad going back to jail and everything. I was just shaken up by what he did to Sherlock."

Mrs. Steele smiles. "That was the first time you said his name this entire time."

"Oh," John mutters. "I guess I just feel more comfortable now."

"I told you no judgment would be passed."

"That was before I knew you have a wife."

She laughs. "Well, now you know that I probably know how you feel on most subjects, so if you ever need to see me again, my door is open."

The bell rings right then. John stands and slings his backpack over his shoulder.

"Thank you," he says.

She follows him up and offers a hand to shake. "Anytime, John."

John leaves the office, then goes straight to the library.

Walking there, John begins to remember what happened when he was thirteen. He had a breakdown in the middle of class, and all of the other students got sent to another classroom. He knows that Sherlock, however, stayed right outside the room to wait if John needed him, and when John finally emerged from the room, he took Sherlock in a tight hug.

Now, as then, John meets Sherlock in the hallway outside of the library and takes him in a hug before Sherlock can even ask how seeing the counselor went.

"Oh…" Sherlock mutters, hugging back instantly.

John sighs relief, ducking to press his nose into Sherlock's neck.

"Are you okay?" Sherlock tentatively asks.

John nods. "Perfectly fine."

"You talked with the counselor, right?"

John nods again.

"But…you're happy?"

"Very."

"Good," Sherlock says, pulling away from John. "Now, let's get as much of my work done as possible before we have to go home for dinner." He presses a quick kiss to John's smiling lips before opening the door and stepping inside.

John smiles wider as he follows Sherlock.

They get one fourth of the packet finished, which is good because Clement allows them to spend time together after dinner rather than sending John home right away. Plus, Clement lets John stay because Sherlock told him they solved the cricket case.

They leave each other upset about having to be apart again, but John leaves feeling better about leaving Sherlock alone since his talk with Mrs. Steele.