Hey guys, sorry this took FOREVER to upload, I wrote this chapter ages ago and never got around to uploading it, not the best chapter and Sheryl may seem OOC but... nothing much we can do about it :P

There is mentions of Olly Hooper, who is Molly Hooper in Sherlock

I OWN NOTHING! Okay? I wish I could but I don't sadly :(

WARNINGS: OOC-ness and mentions of guys getting handsy (if that is a warning :/ Just putting it out there)

Girl with One Eye

Chapter Three: I'm fine!

Three days had passed since the incident and John had noticed a slight change in Sheryl's mood. She seemed quieter (if that was even possible) and she was thinking more but not discussing anything with John. John was clearly worried about her, she was not herself at all, and in fact she was becoming more detached from reality even more so than ever before.

John was in the kitchen currently boiling the kettle when he heard light footsteps making their way up the stairs. Sheryl had gone out to the morgue a couple of hours ago to pester Olly Hooper about letting her look at some cadavers. She had him in a position where he would do anything she asked for with a little bribery. Olly was really sweet, but Sheryl took him for granted just so she could get what she wanted, he was head over heels in love with her, it started out as a crush but John new his feelings for her had progressed.

The door to the living room slowly creaked open.

"Oh dear." John sighed; he could tell she wasn't in the best of moods. When she was slow she was upset, usually because she was thinking more negative thoughts than what she should be. The footsteps were light due to her weight but clearly dragging across the floor.

John stopped everything that he was doing in the kitchen and carefully walked into the room so that the consulting detective was in view. She was currently curled up in a ball on the settee, her coat was thrown aimlessly on the floor and her heels had been kicked off carelessly. This didn't look good. John leaned against the doorway and gave her a gentle smile. "So… how'd it go?" She huffed and tucked her legs into her chest tighter than before. John cautiously walked fully into the room and sat down in his chair. "Talk to me Sheryl."

"…Why?" John sighed again, why did she have to be so complicated?

"BECAUSE- Because I can see that you're hurting, you need to let all of those bottled emotions out..." John stood up from his chair and walked closer to Sheryl, gently perching on the edge of the settee. "Just tell me what's upsetting you." She jumped up off of the sofa and marched into the kitchen, down the hall and into her bedroom slamming the door as she went.

"I'M FINE, JOHN! LEAVE. ME. ALONE!" John walked over to her door and gently knocked on it. "I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"No! Sheryl. No I will not leave you alone until we have a talk about this!" There was a long pause before the sound of the handle being turned disrupted the silence. Sheryl stood there looking at John through thick locks of hair covering her face; her eyes looked sad and full of worry. John sighed at the state she was in; it pained him to see her looking like this, not being herself really worried him and everyone around her. "Oh, Sheryl... come here." He opened his arms for her to walk into but she refused.

"I don't need a hug, John."

"Yes you do." John wrapped his arms around her slender body and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Talk to me about it. I'm guessing that that Keith is the reason for obviously bothering you." She sighed exasperatedly; she was fed up with John's constant worry over her but of course she knew she had to give in otherwise he wouldn't drop the topic. Gently lowering her head on John's shoulder she began to talk. But all John could hear was a mumble. "Sorry, Sheryl, you're going to have to repeat that." She lifted her head, her dark locks falling in front of her face.

"I said; I'm just going through a rough patch." John scoffed.

"Just going through a rough patch?! Sheryl you're becoming more distant… Is it to do with sex?" She left John's arms and made her way through the kitchen and into the living room throwing herself down in her armchair. John followed her into the room, bring the topic of sex up around Sheryl was a bit of a risky move, but it had to be done.

John sat down opposite her; he was hoping that he could get to the very bottom of her problems and get her past this phase.

"It's got absolutely nothing to do with sex, John! Like I said… 'It's just a rough patch'." She tried her best smile but John wasn't falling for it. John couldn't help but ask himself 'why did she have to lie?', it was so much harder when she did, and as much as John would love to drop the subject he knew that it would only come back around again so he was best off getting this conversation out of the way now rather than later.

John scoffed at her feeble attempts to change his mind.

"Yeah, and I'll believe that when I see it. Sheryl, the more you keep this bottled up the more isolated you're going to become." She sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose screwing her eyes shut. Then she snapped back to normal.

"Fine! What exactly do you want me to say?! Because I thought I had already spoken to you about it on the day it happened!" John raised a hand to his jaw and rubbed at the skin.

"I know we have already spoken about it but there's something else bothering you, isn't there." It wasn't a question that John said it was a statement and the truth; he knew something was bothering his flatmate but she was unwilling to share her feelings. John had learned now that the only way to get to Sheryl Holmes' deeper emotions is to get her angry, reason being is that when she's angry she'll just shout out anything without a moment's hesitation, which is how John can usually get to the information that he is looking for.

She glared at him, her eyes full of annoyance and fear.

"Well, where to start?! I am acting this way because I'm scared, it's not the first time that something like that has happened and I know that I attract a lot of attention due to my actions and how I look. I have had countless men throwing themselves at me and- what shall I say… jumping on me? But in the past I've been able to throw them off, that time with Keith Firth was too close for my liking! If you hadn't of called the police he would have done his bidding with you watching… I couldn't live with myself if you would have had to witness something like that. The embarrassment of being overpowered like that is too much for me to handle and it upsets me because I don't like feeling weak. I am NOT weak!" John lowered his head and covered his face with his hands.

"You're not weak Sheryl… you're not…" She glared at John through narrowed eyes.

"Then why do I feel this way?" She sounded slightly defeated; John picked up on that instantly. "Why am I walking around feeling like if anyone attacked me I wouldn't be able to defend myself; or… or that if a man started flirting with me I would run away without a word of a witty comment like I usually do to answer their pointless questions and pathetic chat up lines… why do I feel like that, John? Why?" John stood up and walked over to Sheryl once more and crouched down so that he was at her eye level. John carefully reached out his hand and held onto hers that had been tucked away under her arm. He patted her hand.

"Listen to my words exactly… okay. You are one of the strongest people I have ever met, and to know that you feel scared to go out in public really worries me… but you let me hold your hand-"

"Of course… it's you… I know you." John shook his head.

"No- no it's not because you know me… it's because like you said this is a rough patch and you do still trust people… things will get better Sheryl, they always do." She sighed and bowed her head.

"But what if they get worse? That's more likely." How could John argue with her? She was only going to shoot negative comments back at him.

He snapped out of this negative mood and patted her hand then stood up.

"Well, we can only hope that it doesn't get worse than this, Sheryl. And everyone you know will do their very best to look out for you until you're back to your normal self… how does that sound?" She swiped her hair back out of her face and lifted her head in the process. Giving an uncertain smile at John she nodded in agreement. John let out a small chuckle. "But when it comes to you, it's usually really good outcome or the worst situation imaginable." Sheryl chuckled at John's thought.

"That is true… I can never land somewhere in the middle." John walked back into the kitchen and continued with his work before Sheryl had entered 221B. Those same light footsteps could be heard making their way into the same room as John, he turned around and saw Sheryl standing their awkwardly.

"Thank you… John… I… I think I needed that…" He smiled at her.

"Happy to help… and… if ever you need to talk, I'm always here." She approached a fruit bowl and gently picked up an apple.

"I'll just… I'll just go and… and eat this… I'll be in my room if you need me…" John chuckled to himself when she left to her room; the house was quiet for a few minutes before a loud explosion sounded. John smiled, sighed and shook his head.

"She's back."

Hope that was ok, again, sorry for the long delay :/ I am working on the next chapter just to let you know

If you feel like it please review but as I said, this chapter wasn't one of my best/favourites

I shall be seeing you whenever I upload again

Thanks for reading :)