Sitting alone in the brightly lit lab, Sherlock reviewed some meager research he was conducting, enjoying the eminent silence that allowed him and his thoughts to exchange banter. Lestraude had given him cases that he and Scotland Yard had been walking circles in and of course ran to the only man they knew would help, for the sake of his own enhancement of knowing where to find the right things. As of recently, Sherlock had been bothered by the blackened hole in his memory to which he knew absolute nothing happening between those days, and was only left with a annoyingly red, and persistent itch on the bone of his thumb joint. He irritated the pale skin more, until the it bled, allowing him to state at the small for of mortal crimson with deep scrutiny; the lost recollection of those few days bothering him greatly. Madeline's search started for her father just 4 weeks ago. She came to the last address on the list of Sherlock's, 221B Baker Street.

Madeline rang the bell and a older woman came to the door. "Is Sherlock at home?" She asked. "No but his friend is would you like to talk with him?" "Yes please, I'm Madeline by the way." "oh what a lovely name you can call me Mrs. Hudson." Madeline had already stepped in."

He's just up the stairs his name is john." "okay and thank you Mrs. Hudson." She went up the stair and knocked on the door frame and saw a man in a chair on his laptop he looked up. "Your john right?" He set his laptop on the table. "Yes I am and you are?"

"I'm Madeline, I came here for Sherlock but Mrs. Hudson said he was out, do you mind if a stay till he comes?" "Um yeah but may I ask why you need Sherlock?" "I just need to ask him a couple questions, nothing weird or anything like that though." Madeline felt awkward even though she had only done this 3 other times and rehearsed it in her head. Disturbed by the violent vibration from his pocket, he fished out the pink covered cellphone and red the message clear on his opened screen. [Sherlock, there's a little girl here at the flat...She's asking for you. -JW]

It wasn't a normal thing, girls especially asking anything remotely of him, his head cocking to the side as he reviewed the message several times over. Furiously he texted back before, throwing his phone off to the side, and continuing back to his work. Not a moment later didn't his phone respond with a subtle pip and he lifted it up again; icy orbs reviewing the next message. [She says it's urgent. Come on, Sherlock. She needs your help. -JW]Sherlock sighed, canceling out whatever he decided to type and close his phone, going back to his work quietly. If it was urgent, it could wait a moment.

Madeline was sitting on the couch zoning out on the floor. She slightly jumped when John said something. "come again?" "Would you like some tea?" "Um sure thank you." She decided to write in her journal since Alexis, her best friend wanted to know every detail of the journey.

Alexis had also tattooed the front to remind Madeline that she was waiting for her. "Here you go." John set Madeline's tea down. "What's that?" "oh its my journal my friend wants to know every thing that happened so I'm technically forced to write it down." She chuckled. "That's nice, Sherlock should be here any minute now."

Strolling inside, Sherlock opened the door to the small child sitting on his couch, conversing with John and frowned. He peeled away the black gloves from his hands, ice eyes flickering from John to the dark haired girl. "And you are?" he muttered, his eyes flitting over her with quick studious movements, taking in all her familiar features. "Um M-Madeline." She set her journal where she was sitting. "It's nice to meet you." She was nervous but did her best to hide it. Sherlock slipped out of his coat, hanging it on the hook beside the door as he rolled up his sleeves and looked to the girl with an expectant glare. "Well...What do you need? This was urgent, well?!" he said impatiently. It felt like his eyes were bearing into her soul.

"Do you remember a Vanessa wilder, you met her 13 years ago." John took his cup of tea and went into the kitchen. "No I do not, and what relevance does her name have to me?" he asked, raising a brow at the young girl. "Um, ah I think you might be my father." Madeline couldn't handle his stare/glare she stared at the floor waiting for his reply she felt immensely embarrassed and like an eight year old. Sherlock looked at the girl with a bewildered expression, his alert eyes now seeing the features that vaguely look his own.

"Who are you...Where's the facts...Or your mother. That's an awfully bold claim young lady, prove it to me." he challenged, sneering stiffly to her. Madeline's heart was in her throat. "I'm Madeline, I only have a vague description of you by my mom and, and a year after I was born she, got in a car wreck that killed her instantly we can do a DNA test to have proof." I was now looking at him scared and ready to cry. Her mothers death was always a touchy subject . 'what wrong with me? why is this so hard?' She thought.

"You're mother? I've never been intimate with a woman so I'm sure you have me mistake with someone else. Uh, John...show her to the door please. I have things to attend to." He cooly he ignored her, brushing her off as he made his way deeper into the flat. Madeline was staring in the same spot where Sherlock was. his words echoed in her head and was piercing her heart like broken glass. Tears started streaming down Madeline's face as a sudden rage bubbled to the surface. She looked over to where he was and opened her mouth but quickly changed her mind and started crying quietly.

John had brought her, her journal she snatched it and made way out the door. Her cab was still waiting for her, she got in it. "Sherlock you shouldn't of blown her off like that, you could of at least been nicer about it!" "What for?" She led me to believe this was something urgent, but it wasn't...I've not the time to listen to some little girl's sob story over her mother." he rolled his eyes, flailing his hand as he began to tinker with things across his messy and cluttered kitchen table."Still you could of said sorry which you didn't."

~oOo~

Madeline got to hotel and quietly cried her self to sleep on the bed.

~oOo~

"She even looked like you, any one could tell if you two were related. I was so incredibly shocked at how much she looked like you." John said a crossed across from Sherlock. Sherlock paused, thinking over the features of the girl carefully once more and sighed, "I noticed them too, but there's no...credentials, no evidence! Why bother helping to someone who brings me a whim! A thought, an idea, John." he twisted around the kitchen, leaning back against it before biting his lip with his arms crossed; the girl's piercingly similar blue eyes striking him again. "You should know this, John... With no diagnosis, how do you begin to save a life?" He looked at his friend, deeply genuine and waited for his answer. "Well, you find one right?"

~oOo~

Madeline was in a dream just floating alone in the dark then she started falling into an endless fall, suddenly she hit the bottom and woke up only to find her self on the floor. there was a knock at the door.

~oOo~

He shook his head in protest, grabbing up his violin and stomping towards his room. "Then that's just buying false time."
John sighed he'd given up protesting for now. He picked up a Phone number that Madeline had left. 'I wonder why she seemed so upset?' john thought, he was going to call her later.

~oOo~

Madeline quickly composed her self and went to the door, an agent was there. "Oh hello." "Hello Miss, I'm here because Dr. Richmen was wondering how you were." "please come in, I'm fine." "Have you talked with Sherlock yet?" "yes I have and I'm going to give him a bit to call me, it didn't go as planed but I think he'll call." "Do you need anything and how long to you plan to stay?"

"Ah a few pounds would do I was going to go shopping for my friend, and I only need two more days or I might be staying." he nodded. "I will have you money sent here in 5 minutes." "Thank you." he nodded again and left. I sat on my bed and sighed. A few minutes later my cell phone when off.

"Hello, is this Madeline? This is Dr. John Watson...Friend of Sherlock's. Is everything alright?" he said gently. "Oh!, hello John, yeah its pretty alright. I didn't mean to have a melt down, I was stressed out and he was asking too much from me at the time," She chuckled lightly. "I almost had a panic attack, I feel like a retard." her accent was suddenly American. "I'm sorry to worry you john." "Please, there's no problem. He was just being...unreasonable. I bet he was just as surprised as you were to see him; don't take it personally. Understand?"

He said light heartedly, speaking as someone who has known Sherlock for a long time. "I do myself get like that every now and then and I won't, hey I'm going to stay here two more days do you think you can maybe change his mind? I can get him evidence that I'm related to him I…" She sighed. "I don't want to go back to the orphanage or Richmen." "Oh...Well, I'm not sure what good I can do. But I'll try talking to him for you. Alright..." "Okay thanks john" "Of course, I'll do my best and let you know if he can be civil." he chuckled lightheartedly, looking to Sherlock sat the table contemplating over his tea.

"Let's hope this goes over well." Some one knocked on her room door. "Okay well I got to go bye John and again thank you." " bye." "Are you Miss Richmen by any chance?" A bellhop asked. "yes I am."

"This came for you at the door." "Did they leave their name?" Madeline grabbed the box cautiously. "No only that it was for you" "Okay, thanks." She closed the door, threw the box on the bed and started watching T.V till her money came.

~oOo~

Sherlock peered up to John, before back down to his tea, using a dropper in the milk to disperse it with in. "Well? What did she want?" "Nothing, I called her to make sure everything was alright ." John drank some of his tea. "So something happened?" he asked, delicately experimenting with his tea, using odd things to mix and stir before finding himself satisfied and pouring it out to start again. "No but you were her last hope Sherlock, and probably still are."

"What hope am I to her...I don't know her, and frankly I'm not sure I want to. She does nothing to progress me, and I can't focus with her blubbering nonsense to me." He sighed exuberantly, and leaned on his palm. "I suppose though I can listen to what ever it is she bloody wants from me." "she wants to know if you are her father," John knew he was saying what Sherlock already knew. "I think we should do a DNA test what do you think though?"

~oOo~

Wonder what's in the box? It could be dangerous or nothing harmful at all. Madeline thought. She cautiously opened the box. Her heart stopped, it was a small bomb. Her mind froze but She managed to get out of the room and two feet down the hall just as the bomb went off.
~oOo~

"I can humor her, John...But that's all it'll..." he stopped as he looked past John out the window to see the smoke billowing outside within the city, his face twisting into an angry glare. "We better get down to Scotland Yard...Lestraude'll probably be having a fit already." Swiftly he went to his coat, swinging open the front door as Mrs. Hudson came to announce to the boys. "Sher-...John, do you know what happened? I've just heard their was a bombing in the old hotel a few blocks from here...Are you-" "JOHN, NOW PLEASE." Sherlock demanded of him as he escaped down the stairs.
~oOo~

Madeline was on the floor when She regained conciseness and quickly got up. She started her way to the stairs with a small group of strangers. Her mind was racing faster than ever before trying to understand what happened. A couple of fire fighters helped the others and Her. She was sitting in a police car because others had gotten hurt worse than her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sherlock and John. She glanced at the pair.

~oOo~

Sherlock jogged to the local officers, his face in horrid distress as he began he greatest acting lines in present. "Please, sir, I-I need to get in there! I left the hotel just a moment, and...please my daughter is in there I have to know she's safe!" he confided in the man who looked spineless and therefore sympathized with the fear struck 'father'. "U-uh sure, just...please don't go any higher than the few floors!" Sherlock extended his arm out to John, whispering for him to wait as he advanced past the tape and towards the hotel.
"Wait!" Madeline yelled out surprised he passed her.

"Sherlock I'm right here!" She didn't want him to go in there. She jogged to him and John. She looked into his eyes. "Y-you actually..." She'd over heard what he had said and was unable to finish her sentence. Looking quiet surprised as if he hadn't at all expected to see Madeline there, he breathlessly panted to her before speaking.

"Oh hello...You. What are you doing here?" he asked, the facade of his remote concern for her was wiped clean from his visage. "Shouldn't you be somewhere other than a explosion site...?" "What?, I almost just to blown the bloody hell up!, obviously I'm here!" She was mad that he had no concern after he was concerned. His face grew firm, yet cool like much of a scolding father. "You should be out of the way! For all I know, you had caused this and could damn well leave most of London in a idiotic panic! Look, whatever it is you need from me...I'll help you. But don't think I'm doing it to be 'nice'."

"fine." Madeline crossed her arms. "I want a blood test to see if you are my father and then I'll most likely leave." It hurt her to say leave because She didn't want to. "Oh and Richmen will want to hear from me, can I borrow a cell?" She said the name Richmen with disgust. "Richmen, who is-John..My phone?"

he asked, impatiently holding out his hand to the blonde fellow who inturn reached for the pink cased phone inside of Sherlock's own coat pocket. "You really need to start getting your own phone, Sherlock." He muttered, though was promptly ignored. "A blood test fine, but if in turn knowing I was your father, what good will that do you? I obviously have nothing to provide." "Richmen is an American doctor that adopted me I never liked him but he did fund all of this, but you do, you can give me a better place to live. I can have anything and every thing I want, but I don't want that I want a real family and that's only some thing he can partly provide, plus I fit in a corner and don't have anything besides my SD card and flash drive." She grabbed the phone and called Dr. Richmen to tell him she's fine and didn't need any thing.

~oOo~