Chapter 1.

One minute he was Sherlock Holmes the only consulting detective in the world, the next he was a supposedly insane teenage boy. How did this happen? He could still deduce, he was still Sherlock Holmes, so how come he's suddenly insane? He looked around, mental hospital. How did he end up here? More importantly why is he a teenager?

A woman wearing white hospital clothes walked into his room. Psychiatrist. Oh for goodness sake! He's not insane. The woman was in her mid 30's and had long blonde hair.

"Good to see you're awake. My name is Sarah."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Obviously. I can read your name tag you know! By the way you shouldn't become a psychiatrist until you sort out your own issues."

She sighed this was going to be a long session. "Yes well... umm.. So Sherlock are you going to talk to us today?"

"How did I get here?"

"That's none of your concern."

"I think it is."

"We only have to tell you what we think you need to know."

"Well then SARAH, I believe I have the right to know how I ended up here."

"No you don't. You're not Sherlock Holmes the great consulting detective. You belong here kid."

Sherlock turned his back on her and said "Leave."

"Not until you talk to me."

"I just did. LEAVE. NOW."

"No Sherlock. I may be new here but you're not going to drive me off like you've done to all the psychiatrists who have stepped foot in this room."

"Have I? Look Sarah, I don't remember anything from about 5 minutes before now. So if you wish to talk to me you're going to have a very hard time with that."

"5 minutes? Really? But you've been here for almost a year now."

"Leave. If I really have been here a year I need to recover the information from my mind palace."

"Fine. I'll come back in an hour."

"Don't bother."

She turned around and left the room. Sherlock was glad to be alone. He needed time to work out what was actually going on. How did he end up here? Was his whole adult life really a dream? No, it can't be. But what about John? What if he was just a dream? Has he really gone insane? Has he really nearly been here a year?

How he wish he had the answers. He went to his mind palace to search for them. The doors were fading away. He felt trapped. He ignored it and continued walking. The corridors got even more empty the further in he went. His adult life... it was fading. But none of this life had appeared. What is happening to his mind?

He felt someone shake him. His eyes snapped open. Sarah was standing in front of him again. "Leave."

"No. Did you find anything in that mind of yours?"

"Maybe I would've, if YOU hadn't interrupted me. Come back tomorrow. I don't want or need to talk to you."

"Sorry, can't do that for you."

"Well then Sarah, you have 3 kids, 2 girls and a boy. You have been married 6 no 8 years. Today is your oldest daughters birthday and you're taking her to a concert tonight. Now I'm sure it would make her day if her mummy came home early for her birthday. So run along now. Go see your daughter."

"How did you..."

He smiled and teased "None of your concern."

"That was incredible. You knew all of that from just one look?"

"I knew more than that. I just said enough to make you leave."

'Wow, you really are something. I'll go get Doctor Smith. he loves bright people."

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!?"

"Law."

"Law is boring."

Sarah sighed and left the room. Sherlock went back to his mind palace to try and sort out whatever was happening in it. His mind palace seemed smaller. Probably just perspective. He was after all in a part of his mind he tried to stay clear of. He had no idea how he had ended up here. This was his secret zone. Anything he needed to know but couldn't face got locked up here.

He knew he couldn't stay here. There wasn't anything here that would be useful. He felt someone shake him awake. Oh god, not again! He opened his eyes. A matchstick man with a trench coat and hair that spikes up was standing in front of him. The man looked much older than his face implied. He smiled down at Sherlock. "Hello I'm Doctor John Smith."

"You interrupted me."

"Oh sorry. You can go back to it if you like."

"You don't want to talk to me?"

"No, you'll talk to me when you're ready."

"I don't think so."

"Well you know where to find me."

"No I don't."

"When has that ever stopped you?"

Doctor Smith turned and walked out of the room, leaving Sherlock alone with his thoughts. That was how he liked it, no one to get in the way. He entered his mind palace and stayed there until the next morning sorting through the fading rooms. He thought of John, Lestrade and even Moriarty. Surely all of that had to be real... right?