You See But Do Not Observe

CALL

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR : CALL

"Not possible." Serena said, and Michael stepped into the light.

"It's me, darling." He said with a cold smile. He looked bad, the bags under his eyes dark, his eyes themselves tortured. His clothes hung off his body in the worst possible way, the way that told you a person had been starving.

"Michael," Serena glanced toward the door she had just closed, "what do you want?"

Michael laughed. "Shouldn't have walked home without your friend, huh?"

"Please, don't-" Serena gulped, "Don't do anything you'll regret."

"Regrets? I have no regrets."

"You don't regret killing those four people. Kidnapping Kayla?"

"They were means to a greater end."

Serena backed away from Michael, her hands searching for the doorknob, and Michael's mouth twitched.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." He said, pulling out a gun from beneath his jacket. Serena froze.

"You should've known. You should've known I'd never stop looking."

"I thought you'd change once I left, that you'd become a better person."

"Than why'd you hide from me?" Michael said, his expression still light.

"I was afraid."

"I was afraid." Michael nodded, his face getting serious. "I was afraid that you'd leave me. So I made sure you wouldn't. But you escaped, didn't you? You left and made yourself a new family."

Serena backed straight into the wall. "He'll come looking for me."

"Let him!" Michael shouted. "I don't care about him or his friend, or the police! I'll kill them all if it means you get what you deserve! I've had a month to plan, Serena, to plan and wait in the dark. I don't want you anymore. I want you to freeze! Just like your friends! Why will you stay with him and not me! What's wrong with me? He's no better! I am! I am your soul mate! You told me that!"

Serena shivered, her knees getting weak. "You'll have to kill me. I'm not going anywhere."

Michael smiled. "I thought you'd say that. I've known you for too long, Serena. I know how you think. That's why I've set a little trap."

Serena shook her head. "What? What are you talking about?"

"You see, I couldn't find you. I started searching for someone to help me. And then, he appeared, offered to help. He knew where you were. He gave me the idea for how to kill the victims. I asked him why. He said it was all to draw the attention of one man."

"Sherlock."

"Bingo. I agreed. I killed my first three victims. Then you started getting close. I took Sandy and made sure you could track me. I took Kayla so you could track me even easier, by sheer will alone. But how to make you come without a fuss?"

Serena stayed silent.

"My sponsor had the answer. He proposed assassins, targeting your new family from the inside."

"No."

"Yes. One at Scotland Yard, sights set on your childhood friend. One at 221B Baker Street, gun pointed towards John Watson. And one following Sherlock."

"You can't!" Serena said, slumping to the ground. "Please, Michael, don't."

"They fire on my command. You have thirty seconds to make your choice."

Serena panicked. She didn't know what to do.

"Twenty-nine."

Sacrifice herself to torture and almost certain death, or sacrifice the lives of three of her closest friends.

"Twenty-one."

She didn't need to think.

"I'll come with you." She said, and Michael smiled. He took a walkie-talkie from his pocket and muttered something into it.

"Wait." Serena said. "Just one thing."

"What?"

"One last phone call. Please?" She asked, and Michael frowned.

"If you tell anyone where you are, I'll call back the snipers to finish them off."

"Understood." Michael handed her a cell phone, and with shaking hands, Serena punched in the number.

"Who is this?"

Serena smiled at the sound of his voice. "Sherlock?" She said quietly.

"Serena? Are you alright?"

Serena gulped air. "You should've walked me to my apartment, I suppose."

"I'm coming."

"No!" Serena shouted. "You can't! He'll kill you, and John, and Lestrade. I can't let that happen."

Sherlock was quiet.

"Just listen, please. I-I'm probably not going to be able to survive. I'll give in to it. I'm so afraid, Sherlock. I'm so scared I'll never see you again."

"You are not allowed to die."

"Sherlock, Sherlock, Sherlock. I can't stop saying your name. It's funny how when you're about to die, everything speeds up and nothing else matters but the people you care about. I don't have enough time to care about you as much as I should, Sherlock. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Serena began to cry.

"Stop. Stop it! You are going to live."

"I just needed to hear your voice." Serena said through sobs. "I needed to hear you one more time before I-"

"Stop!" Sherlock sounded panicked now. "Wait, stop, hold on. Give me time, I need more time."

"Hurry up." Michael said roughly, and Serena choked back another sob.

"I have to go. But I want you to know, the last few weeks have been some of the worst of my life. But meeting you, sharing them with you has made it all bearable."

"Serena-"

"Don't forget me! Do that for me. Don't forget!" Serena cried.

"I could n-" Sherlock's voice broke, "I could never forget you. But you have to do something for me. Hang on, Serena, you brave, brilliant person. Hang on."

"I will. I-" Michael yanked the phone from Serena's ear, and she choked on the tears running from her eyes.

"Get up!" Michael said coldly, dragging Serena to her feet and pushing her out the door.

(Sherlock's POV)

Sherlock hung up the phone slowly, in a state of shock. He did everything too quickly, at hyper-speed, and now, when it mattered, he had no time.

"Sherlock!" Lestrade ran over. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"He has Serena." It was amazing how much three words could change a person's face. In Lestrade, those words darkened his entire face, made him murderous and angry and above all terrified. Sherlock was experiencing those emotions like a tidal wave.

"Are you alright?" Lestrade asked Sherlock coldly.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Lestrade took a breath in. "Any other person would punch you in the face right now, but not me, because I've seen how much you care about Serena. I've seen how she lights up when you walk into a room. So don't pretend you don't care, because this is life or death, and caring could save her life."

Sherlock ran his hands through his hair. "Call John. He needs to be here."

Lestrade nodded, and Sherlock paced the room, thinking about whether or not his conversation with Serena was their last.