Part Twenty-One:

"You gave him your word," Kathryn says backing up from Moriarty as he steps toward her.

"And now he's dead," he smiles an evil grin, "the things I said to him no longer matter."

"He gave his life to protect me, to protect John and I. You told him no harm would come to me," Kathryn sputters stepping back again. This time her back hits the railing, stopping her from going any farther, "He trusted you to keep your word."

"He was stupid," Moriarty shoots stepping closer.

"He was a brilliant man," she insists.

"He was foolish. He let love be the death of him."

"If one must die, love is an honorable enough reason. Love for ones country, love for another, it's all the same. Why do you look down upon it so much?" Kathryn questions. Moriarty gives no answer. He stands with a blank look on his face. "Is it because you've never truly experience it?"

Moriarty shows a slight softness in his face before hiding it again in a rough expression.

"You've never experienced love," she realizes, "he was your only friend. Yet you killed him."

"Enough talk. Why don't you just get it over with?" he takes another step toward her.

Up above John begins to regain consciousness. Looking at his surroundings he quickly realizes where he is. Cautiously he begins toward the fire escape. On his way he picks up the gun that Moriarty had dropped moments before.

Looking over the edge John sees Kathryn backed up against a railing with Moriarty stepping closer and closer to her. Sherlock was no where in sight. Moriarty takes another step toward Kathryn, now only arms length away. Reaching out Moriarty places his hands on Kathryn's shoulders. She begins to fight him off, doing everything she can to keep him away from her.

Quickly John picks up the gun. Taking aim he swiftly pulls the trigger. He watches as the bullet hits Moriarty's shoulder causing him to stagger back and forth. The staggering causes him to lose his balance and begin to fall. With his hands still on Kathryn's shoulders he puts her off balance. She begins to fall as well. All at once the two of them fall over the railing.

John runs down to where the two had been as fast as he can. Dissapointed by what he sees he finds himself beginning to tear up.

"John," he hears a voice call. Looking down he sees Kathryn holding on for her life to a railing.

"Kathryn?" he calls. Reaching his hand down to her he begins to pull her up. "I thought I'd killed you," he sighs pulling her into a hug, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine John," she says letting go of him and beginning to stand up, "but let's get Sherlock up. The hook won't hold much longer."

"The hook?" he asks confused. Kathryn goes to where the rope is and begins to pull it up.

"You know John, you could help," Kathryn reminds, "Sherlock you could too."Eventually, they manage to pull Sherlock back onto the fire escape.

"You did it," Sherlock gasps for air.

"You're alive?" John asks surprised, "You should be dead by now."

"Kathryn, I thought you didn't know how long it would last. I thought you hadn't come up with a sure way to do it. You said you hadn't perfected a design yet," Sherlock begins still not taking the rope from his neck off.

"I hadn't. I didn't know how long it would hold. I wanted you to test it at some point," she explains.

"So you figured you'd put my life at high risk while doing so?" he laughs, "But how does it work? I hardly felt the pressure of the rope."

"I'd love to stay and chat, but can we just get back to the flat?" John asks, "Let's not be here when they find his body."

"You killed him?" Sherlock asks a little surprised.

"He fell off the fire escape," Kathryn explains.

Kathryn and John help Sherlock to stand and then begin down the fire escape. When they reach the ground they head back through the tunnel.

"So explain to me how I survived a hanging," Sherlock requests.

"It took a couple of different steps," Kathryn begins explaining, "the knot I tied, it gave a little extra space around your neck and would not pull tight no matter how much weight was added. Then when I put it around your neck I hooked it to the vest in your coat."

"What vest?" John asks.

"The vest I sewed to his jacket. I sewed it there a yesterday when I said I took it and then forgot about it, that is until Moriarty was going to have me kill Sherlock," Kathryn says as the three of them load into a taxi. "I wasn't prepared for him to try to kill me after, though. You saved my life John, thank you."

"Oh well it was no trouble," he gives a slight smile still thinking about the vest being sewn into Sherlock's coat.

"So that was the reason the coat fit differently today," Sherlock says, "that's brilliant Kathryn. Excellent timing as well."

"Thank you. I'm glad it lasted as long as it did," she smiles as they enter the flat on Baker Street.