This is my first FanFiction for Sherlock. I write for Harry Potter but decided to expand. I did have this story posted a little while ago but I took it down and decided to add some things and make some changes. Enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Sherlock *sigh* but I don't.

They say some discoveries should have never been discovered, that they should have been left to rot with time. But once you uncover something it's hard to keep it to yourself and you find it in every corner of your mind sometimes being forgotten until something blows the dust from it and it's uncovered once again.

Prologue

Will wrapped his coat further around him to keep out the bitterly cold wind and he pulled his scarf tighter. His hand tightened protectively over the small rusty key hidden in the palm of his hand. The snow crunched underfoot as he made his way over the spacious fields surrounded by towering trees that separated the large manor from the rest of the countryside. It took several minutes to cross the field via the familiar winding gravel path and reach the manors courtyard. It was deserted as Will had expected, untamed undergrowth had taken over and choked the once beautiful red roses and the once perfectly clipped grass had been left abandoned to grow wild, it now reached Wills shins; the house had been unoccupied for three years since the owner's younger son died. The house itself hadn't deteriorated. Will hadn't been to the manor in twenty years the last time he was inside weighed heavily on his mind now as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bobby pin, Will had experience breaking into places he shouldn't be, he wriggled the pin in the lock until he heard it click as he turned it. He threw open the large oak door and stepped inside; dust swirled at his feet like tiny twisters. Twenty year old memories flashed before his eyes as he stared through the darkness of the entrance way. He could just make out the staircase in the dark and the four doors either side leading to various other rooms. There was a faint aroma of wood still in the air from the wooden panelling that lined the walls. Will closed his eyes and remembered why he was here.

"You have ruined everything you stupid boy!" A furious familiar voice shouted from the kitchen. Will stopped mid conversation with his college and both men looked towards the sound. "I wasn't going to do…" the boy was cut off by shattering glass "are you happy now? You have figured out your little mystery, are you happy?!" the man shouted louder. Will looked at his college who shrugged and kept walking, Will was hesitant but didn't want to be caught listening, he hurried after him but stopped in horror when the boy howled in pain, he had not heard the boy talk louder than a mumble and he had never heard him make such a noise. His acquaintance seemed not to hear and continued towards the door but Will couldn't take another step, he prayed Victoria would return from her night out so the poor boy wouldn't be left alone. His college stopped and turned around to face him. "Are you coming Will?" he asked ignoring the disturbance from the kitchen, Will shook his head and gritted his teeth. He liked the boy, they had met on a few occasions, he was intelligent and Will liked his witty comical timing and he didn't deserve this. He spun around and raced towards the kitchen. "Will!" his college shouted from behind him but he didn't stop until he reached the kitchen he heard the front door shut behind him, how could he ignore it? He was sick of ignoring it. He reached the kitchen and threw the door open.

"Eddy!" he shouted firmly. Both Eddy and the boy froze and stared at Will in shock, the boy had been crying, his eyes were red and swollen but Eddy looked merciless, his hands were raised and balled into fists and he towered over the small slender boy who had his arms up to stop whatever was thrown his way. The shock wore off quickly and Eddy stepped back from the boy lowering his hands. He gave him one last look before spitting in the boys direction and brushing roughly past Will out of the kitchen. The door swung shut with a loud thump. A cold unreadable expression replaced the boys fear. "Leave now" he said in a hollow voice, clenching his hands into fists. Will was baffled, tonight had become a mystery so fast, he had come for a routine meeting and it had been an ordinary meeting until Eddy had abruptly left the room claiming to have seen someone through the window. He had not returned and so he and the others decided to make their own way out. That was when Will had heard the disturbance in the kitchen.

Deciding he didn't want to leave, Will stepped towards the boy but he flinched backwards. "You never told me your name when we met last week" Will said calmly "My name is Will I'm forty". Surprise flashed in the boys eyes before being replaced by the blank expression.

"Why do you care?" he mumbled. Will simply shrugged and decided he had had enough of tonight; he simply wanted to go home and watch some night time telly. He turned around to leave but a voice behind him stopped him

"Sherlock" the boy said clearly. Will stopped and spun to face him, Sherlock shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and looked at his feet "I'm fourteen"

"Nice to meet you Sherlock" he held out his hand and Sherlock accepted the handshake. He felt something pressed into his hand and when he opened his hand a small silver key sat in his palm. He looked up at Sherlock who gave him a sly smile before barging past him and disappearing from the kitchen.

Will forced himself back to the present and shut the door behind him shutting out the small amount of moonlight. That wasn't the last time he had seen Sherlock but it was the last time he had attended a meeting with his father and the last time he had been near the house. He had passed Sherlock in the street six years later; he looked unhealthy and frail and only gave Will a passing glance. Will had never let go of the key, something stopped him every time he went to throw it out. Why did he give him the key? What did it open? The questions would swirl in his mind until his hand would eventually close protectively over the key and he placed it back in the bottom draw of his bedside cabinet. Will took several shaky steps through the entrance way and pulled his torch from his coat pocket. He switched it on and flashed it over the few photos that lined the walls as he walked. Many were of Victoria or Eddy and another larger boy, Will knew Sherlock had an older brother but he had never met him. There was only one photo of Sherlock, in a small rounded frame. Sherlock looked only five he was waving at the camera with a large grin on his face. Will smiled back at the young boy in the frame and continued through the entrance way up the staircase to Eddy and Victoria's room. He had never entered the room and only knew the direction there because he had witnessed Victoria run to and from the room many times.

Beautiful Victoria Holmes, her smile would make Wills stomach do flip flops and every conversation with her, every laugh, he cherished. He pushed open the door to her and her husband's room and was surprised at the amount of books piled throughout the room. Victoria loved to read, she would sit in the corner of the lounge next to the fire and read thoughout the whole meeting, Will would sneak glances at her every so often through the double windowed doors. It looked as if nothing had been touched in the room and he could see the thin layer of dust covering everything, Will opened a heavy leather book that lay on the bed, strangely enough the book was open, it was a photo album and every single picture was of Sherlock and his brother. Will glanced over the captions as he looked at the photos, 10 year old Sherlock riding the carousal at the carnival, Sherlock and Mycroft eating ice cream on the docks, 12 year old Sherlock unwrapping his new microscope, there were many more like this. Will understood why there was only one small photo of Sherlock framed in the entrance way, Sherlock's father may have hated him but his mother loved him more than anything in the world. Will sighed softly and shut the book, it was then he heard footsteps the tap, tap, tap of expensive shoes on marble. Panic fluttered in his chest and he crept away from the bedroom door. The footsteps were slow and steady and became louder with every step. Will instinctively reached for the small rusty key in his pocket, the reason he was here. He quickly flicked his torch off and pressed himself against the wall, I really shouldn't be here his sub conscious whispered. The footsteps passed and grew quieter. He sighed and quickly left the bedroom, scanning around him and listening for more footsteps. His heart pounded uncomfortably in his chest as he made his way down the stairs praying he wouldn't feel a hand on his shoulder, he didn't even want to think who else was here.

He cursed himself for being so stupid and letting his curiosity get the better of him. He had only wanted to see what the damn key opened. He would throw it out when he got home; it was going to get him into trouble eventually. He stopped suddenly before he could make it to the front door, something seemed diffrent and it caught his attention. A door was open that hadn't been when he entered. He couldn't control the nagging feeling in the back of his mind, egging him closer and closer to the open door, the huge house had fascinated him since he first stepped foot inside but he had never dared enter any room other than the dining room and kitchen. He reached out and opened it wider, it creaked loudly and he swore quietly to himself. Deciding he had done enough damage he rushed inside the room and shut the door behind him softly. He turned around and looked in wonder at the room he had stepped inside. It was spectacularly clean with only a small periodic table and a collection of dangerous looking insects framed on the walls and three bookshelves stuffed with books. In the corner sat an old worn teddy bear with a missing ear. A comfortable bed was pushed against the wall and it had been made so neat it looked as if it had been ironed. The only mess in the room was a desk with a large amount of broken test tubes, open chemistry books that Will glanced over with interest. There was a dusty microscope sitting beside a pile of slides and various dangerous looking stagnant chemicals that lined the windowsill in the corner of the room. Why hadn't anybody emptied them? Had the person left in a hurry, the person Will thought suddenly. Of course, this was Sherlock's room, why hadn't it come sooner. He felt as if he was invading Sherlock's life, his childhood. In all truth he was but this was the closest he had been to knowing anything about Sherlock and he wasn't even here. It was obvious no one had set foot in his room in at least 20 years he could almost feel the dust in the air and the rest of the house was so looked after a part from its lonely three years. The conclusion was pretty simple; Sherlock had left home one night and not come back. Victoria or anyone had never set foot in his room since then. Then she had died. Tears sprung to Will's eyes and he forced them back. He hurriedly wiped away stray tears and picked up a heavy textbook filled with pages of notes in Sherlock's slanted writing, he couldn't really understand most of it, there were many chemical equations and some elements he hadn't ever heard of.

"Get out" came a voice behind him, startling him. Will froze and gripped the textbook tighter, the voice sounded low and threatening, each word was punctuated with menace and he could feel their glare burning through him. He was afraid to turn around but afraid of what would happen if he didn't. Slowly he turned to face the other intruder. The heavy textbook fell from his grip and hit the floor with a loud thud. Will's legs failed on him and his knees hit the floor painfully. Words failed him at the sight of the all too familiar face.

"Surprised to see me?"

Thank you for reading, reviews would be appreciated and would totally make my day.