Just thought you guys deserved a nice Kale and Rori photo. This photo fit better with the last chapter but I'm sure you'll like it just the same! 

Look out for the <>

I walked down the street alone as I went to the super market. Getting a pheasant was the last thing on the list that I had to do for Miss Hudson. I was tired by now because the original list was so long that Kale and I decided to split up to conquer faster.

I was trying to get my things done before Kale so I could be at the flat to greet him when he came back. With Grocery bags in my hand, I took a side road and then another as I tried to shave off more time. 

As I rounded another corner I bumped into a tall thick man. He looked down at me as he played with a knife. He wasn't wearing a jacket even though it was cold out and his exposed arms had tattoos marked up and down them.  Some of the tattoos were religious. I remembered that in Russia if someone had religious tattoos it meant they served jail time. But this wasn't Russia so that this mean nothing.

"Girl, where is he?" he asked in broken English. By his accent I knew he was Russia. I knew he was talking about Kale and I wasn't going to say anything. I bet these were the people that were waiting for him here in London when he landed in the country. They haven't left yet; which wasn't a good sign. Why did they care so much about Kale that they hadn't left yet? What did Kale do? What did he know? I suddenly had a feeling that Kale wasn't telling me everything and that hurt. If he thought he was saving me, he wasn't because I was already head deep in this.

I frowned, these people were just looking to threaten his loved ones now. I knew how this would go, I would get a beating and threats if I didn't say anything. He will give me another chance to give him up and if he didn't show, he would kill me when they saw me next. He didn't scare me though. I had faced bigger men in Ukraine.

 "I don't know what you are talking about," I said and turned on my heels to face a girl that was my height with dyed red hair that looked way too fake to be real. She smiled at me and then punched me in my face, causing my nose to bleed instantly.

I took a step back as held me nose. "Ow," I said with a frown. This wasn't going to be easy but I could get out of this. "I don't know who 'he' is. If he's so important why did you lose him in the first place?" 

I got another jab to my side. I held my side as I looked at the man to show that I was not intimidated. He looked at me for a good couple seconds and then sighed as he pushed me against the wall, holding me at knife point. I felt the cold knife get pressed against my neck with enough force that I felt some warm blood trickle down. "You have till tomorrow by 7:00 PM to bring him to us, here, at the same place, if not, use your imagination." The women said sweetly and then snapped her fingers as if it was a command to let me go. The man let me go without saying another word and they both walked away.

I watched them leave as I swore under my breath. So much for leaving everything behind to be with him. Somehow I had a feeling that our past would always follow us. I picked up my bags that I didn't realize I dropped and started down the road again.

I walked down the main road to the supermarket with people staring at me. I knew I had blood on my face and I was standing out like a sore thumb. But was it really that noticeable?

 I didn't really care that people were looking at me, my mind was somewhere else. A part of me wanted to tell Kale about what just happened but a part of me wanted to keep this to myself. If I told him, he would want to play hero like always and this time, I couldn't let him. I was the one that was going to save him.

Before I knew it, I found myself looking at myself in the mirror at my flat to make sure I got all the blood off my face. The small knife wound was noticeable, but I could cover that up with a high collar shirt. I pulled my hair into a bun and then I smiled at myself at the mirror so see how believable the smile was. Then walked out of the bathroom to put away everything I got at the store.

I had decided that I was going to tell him when he came back. I just needed to approach it carefully so he wouldn't worry. This attack didn't bother me and I didn't want it to bother him either. I hard worst attacks in Russia, he should know. 

He couldn't be the hero to this story, but maybe we could make a plan together and this would all blow over. If we worked together, we would be safe, we just needed to hurdle this last challenge then we were home free.

I thought long and hard about what Kale and I talked about last night. I wanted to leave with him. I wanted to start a life with him, but I couldn't until this case was out of my hair. One thing was for sure, I was leaving with Kale and once Sherlock came back, I was going to tell him. I had my mind set.

 I put the remaining groceries away as I waited for Kale to come back. 30 minutes passed and then another 30 minutes passed as I waited for his return. I started to get worried as the sun started to set. He had to be taken. They found him without me. He wasn't coming back, who was I kidding that I could have a happy life with him? I paced around the room as I held back tears.

After another 30 minutes passed, I laid on the floor, looking at the ceiling to try to calm myself. I was going to look for him.

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Just as I was about get up from the floor and hit the streets to find him, Kale came in with bags in his hands. He smiled at me widely. "Good evening sweetheart. I missed you." He put his bags down beside me and laid down beside me. He looked at the ceiling with me. "What are you looking at?"

I looked at him and smiled. Suddenly the fears melted into the floor, not to appear again anytime soon. I took my hair down from my bun so he couldn't see the cut on my neck. I didn't want to mess up this moment. I just wanted to lay here with him. "Nothing. I don't even know what I am doing."

"There is a clump of paint in the corner? You see that?" he said pointing to the corner of the room.

 "Yeah."

 "It kind of looks like a cat," he said then started laughing.

 I smiled and chuckled with him. "I do see that."

 "I used to make shapes out of paint patterns all the time when I was a kid. Zane forced me to stay in my room a lot when my parents weren't around. You know, my mum and dad weren't around much so Zane often forced me to do his will."

 I looked at him. I sometimes forgot that he had just as terrible as an up bringing as mine. We both turned out very different though. He didn't let things hold him back. He was more cheerful then I was and it made me feel that I didn't deserve him. He was too perfect for me. How could he love me, when I was so flawed.

 He looked at me and gave a small smile. He could tell I was thinking about something. "I love you. I hope you know that."

"I love you too." 

"What are you thinking about?"

I battled with what to tell him. As much as I wanted to soak up this moment I knew I had to tell him about my encounter. To ease into that conversation I thought I would start with the light question first.  "What took you so long to get back?"  

"The Tube was a mess getting back. I swear I know why Sherlock takes the cab all the time!"

"Don't hate on the Tube. I love it." I frowned at him then smiled.  I sat up and looked around the flat.

"That's a lovely sort of transportation, it just has some flaws," he said trying to redeem himself.

I smiled. Nice save. I looked at the time on my phone as saw that dinner was going to be soon. "Dinner with miss Hudson is in five minutes. Do you want to go down and see her?" Saved by the bell. I didn't have to bring up what happened yet. I didn't want to mess this all up.

"That sounds Perfect."

<><> 

After dinner with miss Hudson John and Mary talked to Kale in the dining room while I helped do dishes with Miss Hudson. I washed as she dried and put things away.  It was quite for a few minutes until Miss Hudson spoke up. "He's really lovely," she said to me as she put away a plate.

I smiled at her, knowing that she was talking about Kale. "Thank you. I think he is as well."

She looked at me in the eyes very seriously then said, "You can't let go of that man, Rori. I saw the way he looks at you. He really loves you and would do anything for you. He is a keeper. And I know you love him just as much. You would be silly to let that go."

"You think he loves me like that?" I hoped that he did love me like that but a part of me wasn't quiet sure if he did or not. My mum was a master at making me believe she loved me and I couldn't help but think that kale could do the same.

"I have been on earth of a long time and I can see when a man is completely and utterly in love. He is that way with you."

I blushed. I was about to speak up when there was a noise from the hall. I turned to see Kale standing in the door way. I hope he didn't hear that we were talking about him. I smiled and he smiled back widely. "John and Mary are heading out if you want to see them off," he said, turned back on his heels and walked to the front door where John and Mary were getting their coats on.

I walked out to the hall and smiled at him. "Leaving already?" 

"Sadly yes. I have to get to work tomorrow. But it has been lovely," John said then turned to Kale. "It's been nice getting to know you." 

"It has been lovely. We must do this again," Mary said and smiled at all of us. We said our goodbyes and watched them leave into the cold clear night.