Twenty minutes the detective comes back. He holds the door open as a tall man with

dark curly hair and blue eyes like mine walks in. His eyes scrutinize me. "Is this a joke Lestrade?" He turns to the detective.

He shakes his head. "I wouldn't joke about this Sherlock. She's just like you. A high functioning psychopath…"

"Sociopath." The man and I both say synchronized and in matching annoyance. We then lock eyes and I feel electric coursing through my veins.

"My dear…" Lestrade gasps. "I'm going to leave you two alone." He shuts the door, locking the man and I away.

"Who are you?" He looks at me again.

"I already told them I don't have a name." I groan and lean my head on my hand.

"Really? No name?" 'Sherlock' takes the seat across from mine and studies me with a smile on his face. "I'm going to call you Veronica."

"Veronica." I lift an eyebrow and he smiles. He reaches out a hand. "Sherlock…"

"Holmes." I finish. "The great detective." I grin. "Pleasure to meet you." I begin to let go of my focus so that I may see all the parts of this man. "You're the youngest of three, all boys. You have a mild case of antisocial behavior disorder, but Dr. Watson helps doesn't he?" I smile at him as his smile eases. He continues to study me while I carry on. "But John has a family now. You are happy for him and Mary and the baby, but you miss the old days. You miss when John was yours." His smiles disappears. "There is only one person who ever eases that pain, yet you've hurt her too many times. Molly Hooper. You love her. She's the only woman you've ever loved and you've broken her heart so many times that you don't feel worthy of her. You don't think she'd take you." He is frowning slightly. I lean forward and throw him a kind smile. "Lucky for you, she's extraordinarily forgiving. She still loves you, and still wants to be with you." Sherlock leans back.

"You are good." He grins. "But you could have gotten most of that off the blasted internet, or even Lestrade. "How about I read you now?"

"You're birth was an accident, and therefore you were left orphaned. When you were old enough to speak, your intellect and insight repelled people. You had no friends, nor possible families. People feared you. That's why you are alone. You commit crimes to stay alive. A fighter." He grins. "It's not that you don't have a name, it's that you have changed your identity so many times that to you, you no longer are a person, but simply another human vessel. You live each day to day in an empty, meaningless manner. You believe you will always be on your own, so what's the point in trying to be good? All you want to do is survive, but you don't know why."

I swallow as his eyes bore into mine. "Well you aren't going to be alone anymore Veronica." Sherlock leans against the back of his seat, and smiles at me.

"What exactly are you saying Mr. Holmes?" I try to force my snarkiness, but my speech comes out broken.

"You will come home with me of course." He stands and looks at me like his choice is obvious.

"But...but why?" I question, pushing myself up.

"You shall be my crime partner. You are no John, but you will do." He rests his hand on the door handle, ready to just walk out, me in tow.

"I am in custody you know." I raise an eyebrow at him and smile.

He grins down at me. "Of course, but that isn't a problem."

He opens the door, and beckons me to follow him. "Sherlock!" I hear yelled behind us, and the tall man turns to address the detective. "What do you think you're doing?" Lestrade glances at the two of us.

"I'm taking Veronica home with me."

"Veronica?" He glances at me. "I thought you didn't have a name." His eyes turn cold.

"She doesn't Lestrade, I gave her that name."

The detective glares at my captor/savior. "You can't just name someone whatever you'd like Sherlock."

"Sure I can detective, I just did. And I'm taking her with me. But her bail on my tab." He begins to walk again, and I study the baffled look on the detective's face before I follow him.