"...lock, Sherlock, Sherlock, Sherlock..." a voice boomed.

"Wh- what? What is it?" Sherlock groaned.

"It's Greg. Greg Lestr-"

"Lestrade. What happened?" Sherlock sat up and his head began spinning.

"Lie down, it'll be alright. You're home. You've been out for a few hours," Lestrade told Sherlock.

Sherlock tried to piece everything together. The last thing he remembered was approaching Moriarty with John by his side. But as he kept thinking, his head began to ache.

"Lestrade... Why am I home?"

Suddenly he heard the sound of someone stomping down the hallway. The same familiar steps he hears everyday. Step, step, step... They weren't angry or in a hurry. They were just...

"Brother mine." Mycroft grinned as he peeked in the doorway.

"What?" Sherlock groaned.

"You've gotten into quite a mess."

Sherlock sighed. "Get out, Mycroft."

Mycroft wedged through the doorway past Lestrade and sat down on the end of Sherlock's bed.

"You passed out, Sherlock. You have a great big bruise on your right temple and a few cuts," Mycroft lamented.

Sherlock just stared at him. He didn't believe it. What happened. He especially didn't like the way Mycroft was looking at him, his eyes full of pity.

"What... What happened?" Sherlock croaked.

"Sherlock... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. There were too many of them and..." Lestrade looked away. "And I'm sorry, they got John too."

"What are you talking about?" Sherlock's vision started to get blurry from the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Moriarty... Moriarty showed the note to the whole school, Sherlock. And they beat you and John up pretty bad. Molly went to get help, but by the time the principal arrived, you two were in bad shape."

Sherlock's lips were trembling. "Oh."

"God, Sherlock... I'm so sorry. I tried to fight them off. There were so many people... I got swept up in the crowd. Before I knew it, your brother and I were lifting you and John up off the ground."

Sherlock felt a drop fall down his cheek and a stabbing pain in his chest. He wanted everyone to go away... He wanted the world to stop for just a moment. Sherlock started to blink away his tears and felt himself starting to shake.

"It's o-" Sherlock's throat felt like it was closing up. "It's- It's okay... It's okay... It's..."

"Get some rest Sherlock." Mycroft pulled a blanket over Sherlock's shoulders.

Mycroft and Lestrade left Sherlock and turned off the light. Sherlock couldn't stop shaking. And all he could think about was John.