Own Nothing
He first noticed her when she came in every Saturday to visit with another patient. Her long brown hair, her curves and her loud voice caught him off guard. She walked around with confidence and air of genuine happiness around her. He would watch her talk to her friend, watched as she used her hands a lot to express herself in ways that baffled him.
He watched her every Saturday for a month before she walked over to him on her way out. "Hi, I'm Darcy." She held out her hand.
"I know." He replied. "Sherlock. Sherlock Holmes."
She gave him a smile as they shook hands. "We're two peas in a pod you and me."
"And what makes you think that?" He asked her.
She arched an eyebrow at him. "Do you mind if I come visit you on Wednesday?" He studied her for a minute before he nodded. "Great. See you then!" She gave a small wave and walked out of the visiting room.
The following Wednesday, he sat in the room and she walked in. Smiling a crooked smile as she sat down in front of him. "So what do they got you in here for?"
"I like drugs." He replied, watching her. "Why did you want to speak to me?"
"Why do you always stare?" She countered.
He stopped to stare at her, sizing her up, trying to deduce everything about her that he could. "You're a student." He stated.
"Yes."
"You're leaving." He replied.
She arched her eyebrow. "I just got here."
"No, you're leaving to study elsewhere." Sherlock stated. "You haven't told him yet. The one you come to visit."
Darcy bit her lips, looking down. "New Mexico." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "It's for school, six credits, I just don't want to leave him."
"You're afraid he would try to hurt himself if you leave." Sherlock replied.
Darcy nodded. "If it was me, that my whole family has given up on me, left me to deal with the world on my own and then the one person who stayed left too, I don't think I could handle it."
"Yes you could. You don't have a drug problem." Sherlock replied. "He isn't family, why is he your concern?"
"It isn't that easy, he's like my little brother." She looked down at her hands. "Would you watch after him?"
Sherlock stared at her as if she asked him to hatch an egg for her and sighed. "I will be getting out myself before long, I can't keep an eye on him all the time."
"I plan on calling, every day." She whispered as she looked up at him. "I don't want to abandon him."
"But you are abandoning him." Sherlock stated as he stared at her. "But you have your own life to live."
Darcy snorted and looked around as she crossed her arms over the table. "You don't hold anything back do you?"
"Not at all." He replied.
The following Saturday Sherlock sat in his usual chair and waited for Darcy to come and see her friend. His eyes traveled over to the young man. His pale skin, brown hair and blue eyes, he looked like a normal teenager boy. But Sherlock noticed a twitch there, a fidget here. He noticed what the doctors didn't. The boy was obviously a ticking time bomb.
His eyes shoot back to see Darcy striding into the room and making her way to her friend. She sat down with a smile and a greeting. Business as usual, Sherlock stole a glance every so often, he was busy looking at the other visitors, finding their loved ones, the friends and the enablers of each patient.
He heard a chair screech and screams a second later and he flew out of his chair and grabbed Darcy by the shoulder as her young friend tried to attack her. He held her back as the orderlies try to control the younger man. They injected a shot into his right shoulder and the boy started to calm down. Darcy wiped the tears flowing down her face with her hand as she too tried to calm down. Sherlock wrapped his arms around her, leading her back to the entrance so she could leave. "So I take a guess and you told him you were leaving."
"Yea." Darcy sighed as she stepped out of his embrace. "He did not take it well at all."
"Yes, I can see that." Sherlock replied. "I wish you well in your schooling."
Darcy looked at him and smiled lightly, her lip trembling. "Thanks." She signed out and left the building.
The next Wednesday she doesn't show up and he knew that she left, driving her trailer and her dad's old truck down to New Mexico because she hates flying. She leaves a letter at the front desk for him, telling him goodbye and gives him the address for him to write to her.
That Thursday morning he escaped.
A week later, Ms. Watson hands him a small parcel and he waits until the middle of the night, sitting in his bedroom before he opens it. A small vial attached to a chain was filled with sand. Sand from her desert.
'It's hard to bottle up clean air or the heat, so here's some
Sand to hold you until I get back
-Darcy'
He slipped the chain over his head and let the small vial fall next to his chest. He smiled as he reread the letter as he laid in bed, she was the oasis to his desert. He could wait until she returned home.
Six months later.
"Dad." Darcy stated as she walked into the kitchen to hand her Dad the mail. "It's all bills and one letter from great Aunt Martha who probably wants to know when I'm going to get hitched."
"Martha means well." Her Dad stated as he opened up the bills. "What took you so long, and don't take me for an idiot."
She sighed and opened up the fridge and grabbed two coke cans and handed one to her Dad. "Well, I was on my way back and there's this murder about four blocks from here and I stopped and watched the police work a bit and I saw someone I knew helping them. He seemed busy, so I didn't get to say hi, but I was going to call later."
Her dad sighed and rubbed his face. "Darcy, you know I don't like you going around crimes scenes, if you wanted to be at one, become a cop."
Darcy rolled her eyes. "I know, I know Dad."
"I'm a cop Darcy and trust me, it ain't easy but it puts a roof over our heads." He told her. "You decided to work in politics, which I still can't figure out why."
"Because that's where all the real crazies and criminals are. The ones with secrets and skeletons in their closets and hidden lives."
Her Dad sighed. "Well speaking of crazies, the rehab called again, wondering if you would come down this weekend and start your visits again." He popped opened his can of soda and sipped it. "Darcy, you know how I feel about you going down there and hanging out with those kinds."
She gave him a small smile. "I'll be fine Dad, Benny just needs someone."
"I just wished you'd stop worrying about that kid, he's in a good place where they can help him."
She rolled her eyes with annoyance. "And what would you rather me do Dad between work with the government and worrying about school?"
"I want you to find someone Darcy, for you to love." He shrugged. "That's all I could ask for as a Dad."
She gave him a small smile and kissed him on the forehead. "You're a great Dad." She went to the door. "I'm heading out to see some friends. I'll be back later." She waved to him and took her soda with her.
Darcy came back that night and showered and went to bed. It had been over six months since she's been gone from home. New York was her home and over the summer it was attacked and it was rebuilding. S.H.I.E.L.D had offered her a job because of Jane, but all she really wanted to do was get back to her life.
She sighed and held her phone up to her face and scrolled through her contacts. She stared at his name, her thumb over it, pushing it she watched as the screen showed her phone dialing his number. She slowly brought the phone to her ear and waited.
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Hey, it's Darcy."
"I know I have your number saved."
Darcy smiled and rolled her eyes. "I saw you at a crime scene today."
"Yes, I consult the police on murder cases." He replied.
"I figured and I didn't want to say hi, because you looked busy."
"I still very much am." He stated.
"Oh, well, if you wanted to meet up and talk, I'm back in town so just give me a call."
"I will." He hung up and she moved the phone to end the call and sighed. She plugged her phone up to the charger and set her alarm. She pulled the covers over her, curling up in them.
"Miss you too Sherlock." She whispered to no one and went to sleep.
"Who was that?" Joan asked as Sherlock pocketed his phone.
He took a deep breath and shook his head. "No one, just a friend." He shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked up to the old brownstone with their dinner. He helped set the table up and they had a small dinner before going to bed after a stressful day. He stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, turning on the hot water all the way and undressed. While he waited for the water, he brushed his teeth. His eyes never leaving the chain that held the small glass vial of sand from around his neck.
Darcy walked down the sidewalk with her ear buds in as she listened to the soundtrack from an old eighties movie. Her eyes traveled around the streets, her training as an agent made her paranoid more each day. Her life growing up as a child of a cop made her more aware of the world around her. She felt her phone in her pocket vibrate. Digging into her warm pocket, she pulled out her phone to read Jane's text message.
She slowed her paced as she read through the long message that only half made sense to her when she felt someone pull her arm. "Hey! What the hell?" She looked up sharply to see the taxicab that almost hit her zoom past. She felt her heart skip a beat as she turned to look at her savior. "Sherlock?"
"How you survived the desert surprises me." He stated as he took a step back.
"The number of taxis there doesn't amount to a quarter of the ones here." She simply states. "It's good to see you."
"Yes, it is pleasant to see you as well." He replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Sherlock!" They both turn to see a woman running towards them. "Why did you run off so fast?"
"Ah, Darcy Lewis, this is Joan Watson, my companion." Sherlock introduced them.
Darcy looked between the two of the as Joan Watson did the same. "Oh, she's your sober buddy?" Darcy asked as she nodded in understanding. "That's cool, he's a handful isn't he?" She asked Joan, as she turned to look at her.
Joan smiled and nodded. "He likes to run off." She glanced up at Sherlock then back at Darcy. "So how do you know each other?"
"My little brother." Darcy stated. "Well not really, I'm a part of an outreach program since high school and my little brother in the program has a drug addiction problem and he and Sherlock shared a rehab."
Joan's eyes flicked up to Sherlock who wasn't saying anything. "Did your brother introduce you two?"
"Well we really must be going." Sherlock stated, trying to change the subject.
"Me too, I have to run home and grab some things and head back to work before Boss Lady works herself to death."
"Where do you work?" Sherlock suddenly asked.
"For the government." Darcy stated as she turned off her music so it wouldn't kill the battery.
"Using your political science degree." Sherlock stated as if to inform Watson.
Darcy shook her head. "No, I'm a lab assistant for a super smart astrophysics doctor. I just type notes and makes sure the good doctor doesn't die for starvation or lack of sleep."
Sherlock stared at her as if her answer didn't make sense to him and Darcy was about to explain a bit more to him when her phone went off. She sighed and looked at the message and rolled her eyes. "Sorry but I really have to go." She gave them a small smile. "I really hope we can catch up Sherlock. It was nice meeting you Miss Watson." She waved goodbye and turned and walked down the street, missing the traffic before the light turned green again.
Sherlock's eyes watched her as Darcy made her way down the block and around the corner within minutes and Watson watched him with curiosity. "You've never mentioned her." She stated. "Is she the one you wrote letters to?"
"We really must be going Watson. Murderer to catch." Sherlock ignored her question and walked in the other direction from Darcy.
Darcy walked into the cold and sterile building that was the rehab center, checking in her bag at the door and placing the name tag on her outer jacket before walking through the metal detectors. She smiled at the guards as they cleared her to go through. She followed an attendee back to the reception area and she waited for Benny to come in.
She smiled when he finally came in and greeted him with a hug. "I missed you." She whispered to him as she hugged him.
He hugged her back in silence before pulling away to sit down. "How was New Mexico?" He asked her.
"Good, hot, I took pictures and I gave them to Ellen to put up in your room later if you want."
"Thanks." Benny stated and looked away. "Are you back for good?" He asked her.
She sighed and shrugged. "For the foreseeable future, I have no plans to run off again somewhere or anything. But if work needs me to move I might not have a choice. But I plan on staying in New York."
"Good, I hated it when you were gone." He stated with a slightly angry tone. "Everyone leaves me."
"Hey." She reached and grabbed his hand. "I didn't want to leave but I had too and now I'm back. I will always come back for you."
"I know." He whispered.
She sighed and tried to figure out something to talk about instead. "So I saw Sherlock a few days ago. He saved me from being hit by a taxi cab."
Benny looked up at her, eyes wide. "He escaped here, right after you left you know."
"No, I figured he was let out. He has a sober companion now."
"He seemed annoyed around the time you left, some of the other patients an attendee's thought it was because of you."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why me?"
"I guess he liked you more than you thought." Benny stated with a shrug.
Benny's statement bugged her all through her visit with him and when it was time to leave, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She promised to visit next Saturday and waved goodbye. When she left the reception room, she asked if she could speak with Benny's doctor.
"Hey Dr. Daniels." she gave him a smile.
"Darcy, I'm glad to see that you're back. When Benjamin heard that you were returning, his attitude turned completely around."
Darcy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, he was becoming isolated and violent, fighting with doctors and attendees all the time. He even hit another patient when they were having a discussing with another patient about Pride and Prejudice. When your name came up he grew upset. But when we informed him a few weeks ago that you would be coming back to see him, he completely changed. He apologized and he became almost a normal teenage boy."
Darcy sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "What do you think about that?"
"I think he has an obsession with you, you're his only string to the outside world, he needs you, you're his sister, his friend and in some ways his mother figure. He acted as if he was taken away from his mother when you left."
Darcy looked away as she tried to gather her thoughts before looking up at the doctor again. "Benny said something to me about Sherlock."
"Ah yes, Mr. Holmes. Another man who was taken with you. Though his newfound obsession with you was different. I noticed on several occasions that when you were here to visit Benjamin he didn't interrupt, like he was waiting his turn. When you visited him, you had his full attention. I felt that he had an admiration, or respect for you. For what you were doing for Benjamin. But the Saturday when you told Benjamin that you were leaving, for him protecting you was something different."
"What do you mean?" She asked him.
"Like a husband protecting his wife during a mugging. And after you left for New Mexico, he waited that Wednesday for you to come in. Even though he knew that you wasn't coming, he waited and by the next day he had escaped." Dr. Daniels sighed.
"He told me he was released." Darcy stated. "We wrote to each other the whole time I was gone and I called him when I got back to let him know. I just saw him a few days ago, he saved me from being hit by a cab."
Dr. Daniels stared at her for a moment. "Have you told Benjamin about seeing Sherlock again?"
She nodded. "Yea, that's why he told me that Sherlock was upset."
"I don't think it's wise, Darcy, to discuss Sherlock with Benjamin anymore if you could help it." Dr. Daniels stated.
"Why?" She asked him.
"I'm afraid that after you left Benjamin thought that it was Sherlock's fault and tried to hurt him several times. We've always been alerted before it got worse but Benjamin's anger turned Mr. Holmes runs deep and feel that your connection to him severs the one who have with Benjamin."
"I don't understand." She stated.
"Between me and you Darcy, I fear that Benjamin is becoming less of a drug addict and more of a psychopath."