* Author's Note: Hey guys sorry for such a late update! I've been so busy lately with music theory and my examinations are next week! I'll try to get to writing Ch. 12 ASAP but there are no guarantees (especially since I've been obsessed with Merlin lately XD) Reviews are motivate me tremendously so please leave once if you enjoyed the chapter or have any problems with it! I'll stop my blabbering now, please enjoy the chapter!*

"John, what the hell did you think you were doing?!"

Harriet Watson could swear that she has never been this mad before in her life and the pungent disinfectant of John's ward did nothing to improve her mood.

"I told you Harry, Sherlock and I were just hanging out." John sighed seeing the displeased looks on both women's faces. "And we might've run into a thug who was torturing a rabbit."

"Oh and you just decided to play the hero and try to stop an armed man? This isn't courage John, this is idiocrasy." Harry threw her arms up in exasperation. "Did you know how worried you made mom? I thought you were the smarter one out of the two of us."

John sighed bowing his head. "I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry Harry. I shouldn't have been so rash."

"Oh John, I'm just glad that you're safe." His mother embraced him gently smoothing out his sandy hair. "I don't know what I would do if lost you."

John's eyes widened as he felt a familiar sensation from his hair.

"Please, mother, don't cry." John hugged back feeling each shuddering breath his mother took in and let out. "Don't cry."

"Sorry, I think I came in at the wrong time." Sherlock said as he stood by door with his fingers tapping the side of his thighs.

Ms. Watson let go of John and tried to wipe her eyes the best she could.

"I'll come with you Sherlock." John said as he started getting off the bed.

"John you're staying here. Sherlock, as you can see my brother has been shot in the leg I think that it's unreasonable—

"Harry, I'll be fine." John interrupted quietly patting Harry on the arm. "There's no need to worry."

Harry sighed. "Fine, but be quick."

John nodded as he took his crouches and started towards the door where Sherlock stood.

"Shall we?" John smiled gesturing towards the corridor.

Sherlock nodded as they walked out of the room and into the hallway. John smiled as he noticed Sherlock closing the door behind him and deliberately slowing his footsteps to accommodate John.

They stopped a little ways outside the room.

"Now Sherlock, I hope y—

John was interrupted as he was enveloped in a bone crushing embrace. His face immediately turned beet red as he noticed how close Sherlock was. He could tell Sherlock… Sherlock wouldn't reject him, he was special to Sherlock… right?

"John, I'm so sorry to have brought such dangers to you. I… I was too blinded by my own ego and you know if we hadn't done what we did. I might've lost you… and… well, that's something I wouldn't be able to bear."

Sherlock had never looked so scared… He was always so composed, calm and far away. John knew if there were any chances for him it would now.

"Sherlock," John took a deep breath in as he took Sherlock's hands off his shoulders and into his own. "I like…" John looked up into Sherlock's eyes.

But suddenly Sherlock's hands slipped out and what John saw in Sherlock's eyes was an answer of its own. They held a look of… repulsion.

"I like… adventures so it's alright. I'm glad I was there." John gave a quick smile turning around as quickly as possible. He felt like his heart was going to die from the pain. The tears were once again threatening to drown him… this was bad… he should've known… this feeling, this feeling would never—

*Thump*

John closed his eyes in humiliation feeling the cold floor pressed against his face. He couldn't even walk away.

"John!"

"No!" John bit his lips but a whimper was still let out. "I... I can manage."

His fractured rib felt like it had been punctured into his lungs but his leg felt even worse. The pain was almost too much to bear.

But despite this he stood up with his side to the wall and started stumbling forward.

So this is what courage brings…

John broke down the instant he slid to the floor against the closed door. ignoring his body's protests , he pulled his knees to his chest. If only this could stop the pain within him…

Sherlock looked down to the floor as his fingers slid off the door knob. It was quite clear what John thought of him now. He had lost John after all…

A strange pain grew within him as each desperate sob reached his ears. What if he had just lied? Just to keep him beside himself….

"Sherlock, let him go, it's the best for both of you."

Mycroft's solemn words sounded behind him.

Sherlock had never listened to his brother, mostly out of spite but this time he just turned around and left with his brother. This was the best ending for them both.

John was let home after a few days in the hospital, he still had to walk around with a crutch but nothing hurt as much anymore.

They ended before they even began…

John's thoughts drifted as the scenes to school which was becoming more and more familiar to him flashed past his eyes.

"John?" Greg poked John in the head. "Earth to moon, earth to moon do you copy?"

John turned around to face his friend. "Greg, I'm alright."

"Says the person walking around with nothing left to break." Greg crossed his arms and sighed. "And it's not just your ribs and leg you broke, is it?"

John fell silent.

"Time is the best medicine." John finally muttered out as the bus approached the school.

It was sunny today so the golden rays poured into the maths classroom. John made his way to his own desk but frowned as he remembered that he still sat next to Sherlock.

He was slightly startled as the door opened with a click. He didn't bother to turn around, he knew Sherlock would probably move himself.

"John."

"Greg!" John turned around at the sound of his friend, surprised that it wasn't who he thought behind him.

"Well, I was just thinking, it might not exactly cheer you up or anything but—well in my opinion—there's something cool I'd like to show you at lunch. Do you have anything planned or…?"

"Sounds great, I'll meet you outside the history classroom at lunch."

The bell rang as Greg muttered a quick "See ya" and rushed out of the door. John turned his attention to the front of the room and rested his head on one of his hands. He needed to act like nothing had happened when Sherlock moved away.

So when the chair beside was pulled open beside John, he couldn't help but give a look at Sherlock who sat himself not able to feel the awkwardness settling between them.

John wanted to believe that Sherlock was still willing to be his friend, that nothing had changed between them. But he knew that wasn't the case, what did Sherlock call himself again? Ah yes, a "high-functioning sociopath". He was a master of his own emotions which was more than John can say for himself.

"John. I think we need to talk through some things."

The baritone voice John loved to hear so much sounded so jarring to his ears at this moment.

"Yes, I think so too."

John dared a glance at Sherlock before looking away again, he can't bare to look in those erudite eyes anymore, they seemed to be staring right through him as if he was a specimen under a microscope.

"I understand that you have grown to… harbour some affections towards me. And I thank you for your interest but, as you are likely aware—

"I know Sherlock, I know." John quickly cut him off. "Love is just a-a deficiency to you."

"Yes." Sherlock gave a curt nod of the head before they both fell silent. It was as if Mr. Brook decided that today would be the perfect day to be slightly late to class.

"I know everything's ruined between us… I think it's good that we had the courage to sort this mess out."

"Courage is by far the kindest word for stupidity, don't you think?"

John said no quietly in his head as Sherlock turned his attention to the newly arrived teacher.

Lunch rolled around slowly as usual and when the bell rang, John almost forgot that he had promised to meet Greg outside the history classroom at lunch.

"Hey." John staggered with a little difficulty towards Greg with his crutches who smiled and returned a "hey".

"Well, you seem to be quite into solving cases with Sherlock so I thought that I'd let you in on our little "club"." Greg said with an almost gleeful look in his eyes.

"Right, so what's this little "club" of yours?" John asked as they stopped in front of the science classroom.

"As much of a loner Sherlock seems to be he definitely isn't alone when it came to solving cases. We've gathered some students who wants to work in the field of crime investigation and assembled a team to assist Sherlock but also to "keep the order" of the school." Greg opened the door for John showing Donovan, Anderson and a girl with a long, brown ponytail and gentle doe-like eyes.

"Look who we have here, it's the freak's friend." Donovan was the first one to react to John's entrance but was shot a glare by the girl with the ponytail.

"Donovan? Anderson? But weren't they…?" John turned to Greg expecting an answer.

Greg shrugged. "It was Sherlock's idea."

"I don't think I'll ever know what he's planning." John sighed exasperated.

"I don't think anyone will." Greg replied. "We couldn't do much about Moran, since he was the son of a general it was practically impossible to get him expelled even if we did get evidence of him bullying other kids. So it was Sherlock's idea to make himself the "victim", I put quotes around there because he often makes Moran look like the victim after their various encounters. Of course, Sally and Scott here are the only reasons he kept on with "bullying" Sherlock."

"I reckon everyone feels like a victim after talking with him." Anderson snickered and an unreceived glare was sent his way by the girl.

"But with you John, I've never seen him so—I can't believe I'm saying this about Sherlock Holmes—obedient and… decent." Greg said.

John had the strongest urge to just run way now. Greg would never know that even if they still attended the same school, even if they still sat beside each other in maths, never can they fix each other's scarf again… Never can they roll in the snow laughing as the world around them slipped out of their mind… Never again can Sherlock ever look at him again without disgust…

The last thought was almost enough to make the tears he'd been blinking back come out again. He needed time, time for this wound to heal.

"Oh, and I haven't introduced Molly yet. This is our tech wizard and key to the lab, she's Mrs. Hooper's daughter. Molly, this is John, Sherlock's friend." Greg introduced them as Molly gave John a little wave.

It turns out that Donovan and Anderson were dating and thank goodness for that because in John's opinion they're both jerks (ultimately good-willed though) and it's quite fortunate for the human race that they were dating each other instead of someone else who probably won't be able to cope with their attitudes.

The little group's name was the Sherrinford division as John soon found out (He suspects that they just made the name up on the spot because he asked) and that he was invited as the medical consultant into the group which he gladly accepted.

Anything to take his mind off of Sherlock Holmes for the time being. That was what his mind was telling him, but he knew that his heart had a very different picture in mind.