Little Charlotte Reese Holmes was playing in her room with her favorite doll when she heard noises. She knew from her parents that crashing means hide; she hides in her closet and watched out through a small crack, she sees the silhouette of a man; he had a sharp object and a menacing face beneath shaggy blonde hair and dark green eyes. She holds her doll and teddy bear close to her and burrows farther back into her closet hiding her eyes in her teddy bear. She hears a scream that makes her hair stand up on ends; she crawls into the corner of her closet, burying her eyes deeper into her teddy bear. "Daddy… Mama? I'm hungry " She slowly crawls out of the closet and goes to her parent's room wanting to ask her parents what was for dinner she sees this strange man again, covered in a red liquid, she looks for her parents terrified, they were lying on the ground, covered in the red stuff. She looks at the man and immediately screams he runs off. A few hours of Charlotte crying and screaming, she runs into the closet when she hears the door open again, afraid it's the scary man. The closet door opens and she cries.
Sherlock's POV
"John? Come here" he looks her over, checking for injuries, and then he is grateful there is none. Could this really be Charlotte? His cousin's child who he had met a month ago, she was happy then, but now she's in a closet, shaking. He heard his cousin in his head "She often pretends she is you, Sherlock" he felt proud of that but being Sherlock his response was "Your concern for her in that spectrum couldn't be more evident." She then toddled over and sat on his lap, he loved Charlotte, and his cousins left her in their Will, he decided he needed to take her. "Charlotte, why don't you get your things because you are coming live with us?" Charlotte toddled into her room, emerging a few minutes later clutching a clean tee-shirt and a teddy bear. "I think you are going to be needing more than that…" he sighed
John's POV
As Sherlock helps Charlotte to pack John calls Lestrade and tells him what is going on. Soon I see Sherlock Holmes carrying a three year old and a pink suitcase, I can't help but lose it. I calm myself down and asks "Sherlock, do you need any help?" Sherlock looks at me grinning. "You can carry the doll caddy" we get in the cab and head back to 221B Baker Street. Mrs. Hudson greets us "Hello Sherlock, John, how was your visit with your cousins?" Sherlock sighs "Both of them were killed, little Lottie here will take the attic room Mrs. Hudson." So now here we are, 2 grown men, in a flat with a woman below and a 3 year old in our attic.
It was hard to get used to having a three year old running around, but eventually John and Sherlock adjusted. Charlotte covered the attic room in toys and knick knacks, loved playing with "Daddy" which she has adopted for Sherlock and "Dad" for John. She begs them to take her to crime scenes, she is too young yet.