Together at Last

Coming Back

"Hello Sherlock."

My body feels heavy, I'm barely able to lift my head as Moriarty walks through our front door. Johns limp hand is still in mine, fingers entwined.

"I have missed you Sherlock. You're always busy, always with...John. Boring!"

He shouts suddenly at the end of his sentence, anger bubbling over for a few seconds. I put myself between John and Moriarty, struggling to stay awake.

"Wh...what did you do?

"You know what I did. What a fun game we have, the three of us."

"Leave him out of this."

There's that smile again. He stares at me, slowly walking around the room. I cringe when he runs his fingers along the back of my neck, still not ready to leave John exposed.

"Get away from us."

My words are slurred, whatever he drugged us with is slow acting.

"How adorable. Choosing him over say..."

I struggle up, weakly trying to scoot over and help Mycroft. He is still awake, barely. His head moves slightly, telling me no. I remember a conversation we had once, don't show any form of attachment to each other. Especially not in public or in a situation like this.

"...your brother."

I sink back down beside John, trying to fight past the stupid feeling I get from being drugged like this. He pulls a knife from his pocket, kneeling beside Mycroft. I dont move, watching with masked terror and he presses the blade against his skin. Mycroft is still awake, barely, but awake. I wait until Mycroft starts squirming, face contorted in pain, before I say something.

"No."

"What?"

"No. Leave him alone."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because...you can have me instead."

This is what he wants. He came for me, not them. I am barely awake now, struggling to keep my eyes open.

"Please."

He laughs now, amused by my weakened state. I wince when he slaps me, pushing me against the hardwood suddenly.

"I'm going to make this slow. Very slow. And its going to hurt."

People are beginning to stir, I realize I passed out as well. Molly wakes first, looking around in confusion. I shake my head at her, he wont touch her if shes not awake. He isnt by me anymore, instead sitting beside John.

"Stop it. Leave him alone."

Molly watches what he does next, covering her mouth to avoid screaming. He slowly, as promised, presses the blade into my stomach. I know what he is doing, barely giving me a chance to live. I will survive if I do this right, probably be stuck in the hospital for a few weeks again. He pins my arms under his knees, grabing my left suddenly.

"This is going to be fun."

He smiles as he twists my hand back, slowly beginning to re-dislocate it. Molly yells now, trying to distract him. It works, he lets me go and walks over to her. She is shaking, trying not to show fear as he runs the blade down her face. I am struggling to stay calm, blood spilling from my stomach. John is the next to wake, keeping quiet when he sees what is going on.

"Get...away...from her."

Moriarty turns back on me, excited that I have called him again.

"Want me to finish?"

He tips his head to the side, running his fingers lightly across the blades edge. I nod; however much it hurts, I can't let them be hurt because of me. He takes my shirt off now, grinning as he sees what he has done.

"Beautiful."

I start shaking, the last time he said that didn't end well. Johns hand twitches, he wants to get up. Molly yells when Moriarty starts pulling my wrist back again, screaming something I cant make out. I'm loosing too much blood.

"Get off of him. Now."

I turn to see Mrs. Hudson, surprisingly calm. She has Johns gun in her hands, pointing it directly at Moriarty.

"I will shoot you. Get off."

He smiles knowingly, suddenly jerking me in front of him.

"What now?"

"Get away from him."

John grabs his cell while Moriarty is distracted, dialing 999. He manages to get out our address and a panicked 'help' before Moriarty slaps the cell from his hands. I scream finally, hearing the pop that can only mean my wrist has been dislocated again. I need to calm down, I'm going to bleed out more quickly if I'm worked up. John, realizing how badly injured I am, tries to keep the fear off of his face when Moriarty pulls him onto the floor.

"Get off of him!"

Mes. Hudson dosent have a clear shot, we need to get her one. I'm starting to lose feeling in my legs and fingertips, I need help.

"Come back over here. Leave him out of it. You...you wanted me."

Moriarty turns again, surprised again at my determination to protect them. He resembles an attack dog; set on one goal, but will rip your throat out if you are in his way. I flinch when he strikes me again, face burning where he slapped me. A gun goes off, Mrs. Hudson finally got her shot. I scream as the realization hits me, brought on by a burning pain in my arm. Moriarty's sleeve is ripped open, but I took the bullet. His arm is dripping blood from the graze, miniscule in comparison to the blood gushing from my arm. I finally fall back to lie on the hardwood, too much blood.

"John?"

The police are here now, lights flashing across the ceiling of the flat. Moriarty jumps up, hopping out the back window. Molly stumbles over, yelling at someone to help her. John gets up, grabbing my shirt from the ground. He rips his off as well, handing one to Molly. Together, they press the fabric against my wounds in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Help us! Please!"

Someone rushes into the flat, immidiately yelling for a paramedic. John and Molly keep pressing down hard, hurting me more than helping. The blood keeps coming, soaking through and staining their hands. The paramedics end up taking everyone in separate ambulances, letting John and Molly come with me. Everyone else is still knocked out, needing to be carried out. Someone slips an oxygen mask over my face, still trying to stop the bleeding. I reach my hand out, fingers twitching.

"John?"

He takes my hand, though he probably didnt hear me say anything. His fingers don't stop tapping my hand, the same thing over and over again. I love you. My eyes close slowly, I'm as safe as I can be right now.