Side Effects

(Part 14 of Little Sherlock)

Chapter 1: For the first time

In the end Sherlock was grateful that he had chosen the lighter version of his disguise. The day wasn't even close to noon and the heat was nearly unbearable, for London at least. His coat was safe at home. He would never have forgiven himself were he to lose it. He could only blame himself in that case. He had done the experiment in the first place. But back to the beginning.

Sherlock loved the chase, the circumstances were not important. He felt sorry for John that he was missing this particular one. Across five ships, through a waste water tunnel, three subway stations, an underground graveyard, a fish restaurant and twelve buildings later Sherlock was only a few meters behind a possible art dealer. The best was that he had had no proof until the twenty-two year old art student had spotted him and ran. The runners were always the best.

The suspect ran left into an ally and Sherlock followed until he felt something was wrong with his body. For someone who had trained his body to work, not even requiring food and sleep when he was busy doing more important things, Sherlock knew when something was wrong. Like now. It was as if the day had lost its light, it got dark and his heart started beating faster. Sherlock felt the shaking of his limps and the dizziness hitting him. He collapsed in the middle of a back alley between rubbish bins and backdoors, thinking that was not how he had hoped the chase would end.

Officers Black and Winston were on their way back to their police car after a quick break in the coffee shop with the sweet girl that made the best cappuccino in London. Good that they were both in a relationship; no cop wants to fight with his partner over a girl. As they passed an alley they could hear a child cry. At first they wanted to continue walking; children always cried but their parents were usually there to comfort them. But the crying continued and there was no adult voice to be heard. Both looked at each other to make sure they weren't overreacting over a child´s crying; they turned and entered the alley.

A small boy not older than three came walking towards them, crying, dressed only in an adult´s shirt, without shoes and alone. As they stood in front of him he looked up. "Hey, little man, what are you doing here? Where are your parents and your clothes?" The child looked at them with huge eyes, especially at their police badges and uniforms.

"Are you Greg's friends?" Greg? Maybe a possible children kidnapper or worse? Both police officers felt the seriousness of the situation change as the child could be the victim of a crime.

"Who is Greg and can you tell us your name?" Officer Winston, uncle to half a dozen nieces and nephews kneeled down next to the boy, while Officer Black secured the area, making sure there were no suspicious people around.

"Greg is John´s friend and he is with the police like you and he didn't let me taste coffee because I´m a child." While they were a bit confused about the second male name mentioned, it was now clear that 'Greg' worked with the police; maybe they could find out who he was and through him get to the parents of the child. He didn't look hurt in anyway and the mission-like clothes could be explained in another way. "My name is William and what's your name? You should introduce yourself first when you ask for someone´s name but it´s okay, I will make an exception."

"My name is Brad, this is my colleague David and you are right but can you tell me Greg's last name so that we can call him and ask him to come and pick you up? It would be nice to be with someone you know, right?" The boy, William, looked as if he was really thinking hard. Then he shook his head. "It's ok; do you know where he works?"

"Yes, I visited him with John and colored a few pictures with Mr. Bee for him, they are in his office and there was a nice police lady, she had really curly hair and she allowed me to touch it. I like curly hair but it was different from mine. Greg and John were the whole time doing boring 'paper work' – that is what they called it - and we had to wait until they were finished. But it didn't look less when we left. Greg should tidy his office a bit. The desk from the nice police lady was much tidier; maybe he can ask Miss Donavan to help him." The words coming out of William´s mouth weren't really helping, at least in Winston´s opinion but his partner then said the first word to William since they had started talking.

"Was Miss Donavan the police woman and did she have the same skin color as Brad?" As an afro American he knew that it was the easiest way to let the child confirm this aspect, as William proved by nodding. "DS Donavan, that means the one in the office must be a DI… Lestrade, yes DI Lestrade. My cousin works in the same division, homicide." Officer David Black pulled out his phone and called the right department to get this particular DI on the phone.

"Look William you did really well by describing the place and people. We found your Greg and he should be here soon." William smiled, the tears from before long forgotten.

Greg hated this hot London summer; he lived in England, the island where you got rain, wind and cold weather. He wiped his forehead for the millionth time today and wished for nothing more than the evening to come as his phone rang. 'Please let it be a body in a giant freezer or in the underground'. Not that he wished for anyone's death but he did dream of a huge freezer and even if he had to share it with a dozen pigs or so, it would be better than his office with far too much paperwork. "Yes, Detective Inspector Lestrade speaking, how may I help you?"

"This is Officer Black. We found a child, three years old, says his name is William, he was alone and told us about his friend the police man. Do you know the child, sir?" …William. Why the hell was Sherlock a child again and why was he walking around alone?

"Is he alright? Where are you and can you let me talk to him?" Something could have happened to John. The Officer gave him the address; it was very close and then he could hear the high voice of little Sherlock.

"Hello Greg. I met your friends, they are nice. They even found you without a last name. Now I know your last name, Lestrade and I will not forget it again so I can always find you." William sounded okay.

"That´s good that you know my last name now. I will come and get you. Can you stay with Officer Black for another minute, I´m on my way." There was a kind of buzzing sound and in the background was Black´s partner telling William that 'Greg' could not see his nodding.

"Yes, Greg, I will wait here for you." Greg ended the call, grabbed his jacket and left the office with a lot of confused looks following him down the hall, but he has no time to explain that he had to pick up a three-year-old Sherlock.

On the short drive from the station to the address his colleague had given him he tried to call John but only got his mailbox. When he arrived he found a smiling William in one of Sherlock's shirts waving happily at him. "Greg!" The child ran to him and threw himself into his arms. Greg secured his grip on the child and lifted him up so he could walk to the two police officers that had found him.

"Sir." That was Officer Black from the phone. His partner nodded as a greeting. "Should we call his parents?" Greg shook his head still thinking of how to explain the situation without giving away something he wasn't supposed to share.

"Not necessary. I will bring him home and have a look at the situation. At this time there should be an elderly lady watching him. I will take care of this.

"Are we going to visit Mrs. Hudson?" William asked, understanding who he meant.

"That's right and we will try to find out why you were outside on your own. You don´t know where your clothes are, right?" William looked down at his shirt.

"They are mine; I am wearing them, so they are mine and I´m not naked." A child´s logic.

"Alright let´s get you home, it´s not far but we will take my car anyway." William's home was actually at the other end of London but Greg couldn't find a reason for a child to be so far away from home so he just avoided mentioning that fact. "Say thank you to the nice officers who helped you."

"Thank you, Brad. Thank you, David." Cute little William waved at them. Greg said his thanks too and hoped they wouldn't talk about it, as he put William in the front seat and secured the seat belt.

John´s phone rang as he stepped out of the shower; he only had time to cover his private parts with a towel as he ran out to the living room, hoping that it was Sherlock calling him and telling him at least where he was. His friend had run off for a case before he had gotten up for work and now, after his shift, he still hadn't heard a thing from his friend. "Yes?" Bit out of breath.

"John, John, John." Strange, that sounded like a child. John checked the callers ID, Greg. "Greg are you alright?"

"Guess so but I got a call from two police officers who had found a child, named William, three years old. Ring any bells?"

"You are with William? Why is Sherlock…? Never mind, where are you? I'll come and get him." John walked back to the bathroom to get dressed.

"No need; we are on our way to you. Hope you still have some clothes for him; the only thing he is wearing is a 'Sherlock' sized shirt." John could hear William telling Greg that it was his shirt. "See you soon."

Greg ended the call and John, still only half dressed, called Mycroft.

"Doctor Watson I´m in a meeting with the prime minister, what can I do for you?" He did not really sound busy.

"I need you to bring us William´s clothes and Mr. Bee. Sherlock is a child again; we don't know why but he must have taken the potion again or I don't know. Greg found him and is on his way back to Baker Street." John didn't sound panicked but there was no reason for Sherlock to take that stuff again and especially not while somewhere outside in the middle of London.

"I´m on my way." Without a word of good bye the call was ended. John, now dressed, could do nothing else but wait for them.

John could hear William´s happy jumps as he and Greg made their way upstairs. As the door opened John found himself looking at the boy who was wearing nothing but Sherlock´s shirt. "John, I´m home again." The happiness of the child was contagious and John lifted the child and gave him a good cuddle.

"Uncle Mycroft is on his way with your clothes but tell me, William. How did you end up in an alley, alone?" William looked at him, thinking.

"I don´t know. I was just there." He wasn't able to ask more because Mycroft chose this moment to enter the flat through the open door. "Uncle Mycroft." William smiled at his uncle and wanted a cuddle from him too.

"Hello, William, I´ve got your clothes and Mr. Bee for you." William was more interested in his toy and a cuddle, so he needed quite a few words form both John and Mycroft to let himself be dressed.

Mycroft and John sat on the sofa, with William between them, Greg had taken Sherlock´s chair and all of them were looking at the child. With two very big questions. WHY and HOW?

John got up and after telling William that he had to look for something in the kitchen he got his hand that up to then had been held in an iron grip, back. He returned to the group in the living room holding up a collection of little bottles. "They are all here, none is missing. This accounts for every drop of the re-aging potion that Sherlock has produced. He didn't take any."

"Mycroft are you able to access the CCTV footage from the alley? Maybe there is something on the tape that could help us." Greg asked and after John offered his laptop they all watched Sherlock chasing a criminal through London until he stopped in his alley and just shrank. "Wow that is what it looks like? That is a bit creepy."

"So he didn't take any potion and it surprised him. Could it be a side effect from the two times he took it voluntarily?" John asked into the round.

William was playing with Mr. Bee far too busy with his game to listen to an adult´s conversation but when he saw the video footage he was surprised to see himself on the screen. "John, I´m in the computer, look." The footage showed William as he started his conversation with the two police officers. "And there are Brad and David too. They helped me to find Greg but I won´t forget your last name again so that when I get lost again I can ask a police officer for Greg Lestrade." The child looked proudly at Greg and continued to play with Mr. Bee.

"Mycroft can you and the army of scientists you have under you find out why he has changed again?" John was looking worriedly at Sherlock. It could have happened while on a case, maybe in a fight or with a gun pointed at them. They were lucky that he had been found and that the two police officers could find out where and who he belonged to.

"They already on it." Mycroft was looking at his little brother too and they all thought the same, it could have ended very badly.