Sorry for the long wait. Had to get my grades up in school. Anyway, on to Chapter 3! Enjoy!

It took nearly two hours for Constable Clark, Holmes, and myself to reach the Royal Armouries. Holmes was rather anxious and jumpy for the whole ride. It wasn't hard to see that he was restless and had been aching for a real case for a while. The rest of us waited patiently for the coach, and later on the boat, to arrive, and I personally thought it was worth the wait. I wasn't sure if I had been at the Armoury before, but the whole structure was absolutely magnificent. I thought the whole thing was an architectural feat. I can't imagine the craftsmanship that must have went into creating such an amazing palace. There were many towers that were lined at every corner and gates and moats that secured the area. It made me wonder how someone could have broken in and stolen from a place that had so much security.

One thing I made sure of was to enjoy the fresh air while I could. There was no doubt that when we returned to the house, I would immediately be back under house arrest. The mere thought made me cringe and cherish my time outside even more.

We walked on the western side of the structure, and we had to pass over the moat that was outside. After crossing the bridge, the four of us met up with more officers who were part of the Scotland Yard. It was easy to distinguish who the leader of the group was. He stood ahead of the rest and wore a frown. His whole presence read 'all business and no games.' He didn't quite notice our arrival until Holmes spoke.

"Always a pleasure to see you, Lestrade!" he exclaimed happily, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. The Inspector gave a nod to the three before his observing eyes landed on me.

"Who's this?"

"Oh, I'm-"

"This is Miss Rosemary McClaire… my new assistant. She'll be working with Watson and myself from now on," Holmes spoke before I could finish. Both Watson and I eyed the detective carefully, wondering what was going through his head at the moment.

"Very well. It's a pleasure to meet you," he replied, shaking my hand.

"Likewise."

"So Lestrade, what do we have?" Watson asked.

"There is one witness who claimed he saw the culprits. That is, however, before he fainted."

"Out of fear?" I questioned.

"You would think so, but no. Apparently… before he fainted, he can only recall seeing a bright light. One that engulfed the entire Tower," Lestrade explained.

'A bright light?'

"Where's the witness now?" Holmes asked.

"Inside. He was the youngest guard working in the Armoury at the time. He's quite petrified at the moment."

"What exactly was stolen, Inspector?" Watson asked. I was just as curious to find out what was seemingly more important than the Crowned Jewels.

"A medallion."

The tree of us narrowed our eyes, bewildered. 'Why on earth would someone break into the Tower just to steal a silly medallion? The whole idea seems rather absurd.'

"A medallion," Holmes repeated, not sure if he heard correctly.

"Yes, Holmes. That's exactly what I said when I heard. That is, until I found out what it could be used for," Lestrade explained.

"What is it used for?" Watson asked.

"Apparently, its purpose is to amplify certain forms of black magic."

Watson sighed and rubbed his temples and Holmes pulled off his hat and scratched the top of his head. I didn't know much about black magic and its teaching and followers. However, I was educated enough to know that anyone who was found practicing this would have a trip to the rope in no time.

"Why would a tool used for black magic be in the Armoury to begin with?"

"No idea."

"Has the witness spoken to anyone yet?" I asked.

"He won't say a word to anyone. He's terrified, but also quite the stubborn bloke," the Inspector replied.

"Do you mind if I try speaking to him?" I asked, and received a curious look from Holmes in response. He seemed to be doing that a lot today.

"Be my guest. He's right over by the entrance. Try to get as much as you can out of him. The more we know about this, the better."

I nodded my head and turned away from the group, walking down the stone/pebble path and through the entrance, cautiously approaching the young man. He sat on one of the chairs inside the foyer, his head in his hands. I could tell that he was ashamed of himself, but I didn't know why. He couldn't possibly have thought that the whole mess was his fault. It was most likely far from it.

"Excuse me," I spoke, making him aware of my presence. I saw him jump slightly, then relax after realizing that I wasn't another officer. I could only imagine the amount of hassle he was getting from these men.

"Y-yes?"

"Hello, Sir. My name is Rosemary. May I ask what's yours?"

"It's Henry," he answered rather timidly.

"Well, It's very nice to meet you, Henry," I smiled, offering him my hand. He hesitated before he gave it a firm shake, and I saw him relax a bit more.

"How long have you been working at the Armouries, If you don't mind my asking?" I asked. I figured some small talk would loosen him up a bit before I went down to business.

"I've been a patrolman for 3 years now. It isn't a very long time, but it has been quite an amazing experience, working in such an amazing place as this one," he smiled.

"I thought the same thing when I waked in here. The entire structure is quite magnificent," I agreed.

"Indeed, it is."

A short silence followed, so I decided to jump right in. "Henry… I know how stressed out you must be at the moment, but the Police need your help in order to solve this case."

"I… I know," he sighed.

"Do you think you can explain to me what exactly it was that you saw? If you're unable to remember anything, that's quite alright as well."

He nodded his head, letting out a stressful sigh before he began his explanation.

"I came in yesterday for my regular shift. I work from nine in the night to five in the morning, you see. Well, everything was the same. Everything was perfectly fine and in order as always. But then, a little later into the evening, at about one in the morning, all the candles inside the Armoury were suddenly blown out. All at once! I jumped out of my chair and searched around, to see if I could pinpoint the cause of the disturbance. As expected, it was incredibly hard to see anything, The only thing that made it able for us to see was the light shining in from the moon. I wasn't sure if anyone else could see it, but I could see six figures from my post. They were all draped in a black robe, so I couldn't see any faces. They walked around the entire structure, making some kind of formation. The last thing that I could remember after that was a loud pitched scream and then a bright flash of light."

"That's… peculiar. What kind of 'formation' did they make, exactly?"

"I… I'm sorry. I'm not exactly sure," he frowned, his eyes looking away from me and towards the ground.

"It's quite alright. You've already given me more than enough information," I smiled at him, and a small smile graced his lips.

"Thank you… Miss Rosemary."

I nodded with a smile and began turning away towards the men outside.

"Wait!"

I turned back around to Henry, who was no longer sitting down. He slowly approached me and I focused all my attention on him, curious to hear what else he had to say.

"I'm not sure of what the culprits were forming, but I could show you where they stood. Maybe you could figure it out."

"That would be wonderful. Let me just get two of my colleagues so that we can-"

"No. I'll only show it to you. I've had enough police hassling me already, I'd rather not have them badgering me again," he spoke softly.

"But I need someone to see it with me. In case I'm not sure what the formation is. Besides, my colleagues do not have any affiliation with the Scotland Yard." I watched as he hesitated for a moment before he finally gave in. I could understand where he was coming from and why he was so hesitant to work with anyone else.

"Alright. As long as they are not with the police… then I guess it's alright."

"Thank you," I smiled before turning around and walking back to Holmes and the others. Inspector Lestrade and his men stood in a close knit group while Watson stood with his hands in his pocket, casually leaning on one of the stone pillars. Holmes, being the carefree fellow that he is, had found himself a spot on the ground behind one of the pillars. He sat on the ground with his hands entwined behind his head with his hat covering his eyes.

"Did you find out anything from him?" Watson asked as I stopped by him.

"I certainly hope so, seeing as how you took your sweet time in there," Holmes responded before I could answer. "Honestly, Miss McClaire, you must learn how to work faster and more efficiently. Time is always of the essence."

"I found out a great deal of information, actually, which is much more than I can say for you, Mr. Holmes," I retorted.

"Well," he began, removing his hat from his eyes, "if I had certain womanly features that I could use to my advantage, then I'm sure I could make any man talk as well."

"Just what exactly are you insinuating, Mr. Holmes? That I seduced the boy into divulging what happened?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. Women can be manipulative when they want to be, and I don't think it would have been very hard for you." he replied nonchalantly.

I looked at him, awe, annoyance and incredulity overpowering my emotions. I only had a certain amount of restraint in my body, and this man was testing it every time he opened his mouth. I never though of the possibility of going to jail for assaulting someone, but Holmes was changing that perception rather rapidly.

Instead of shooting back with some snide comment or remark, I simply smiled. It was a sweet, innocent smile, which made it look all the more intimidating. Watson raised an eyebrow, looking back and forth from myself to Holmes. Lestrade and his men, who had stopped conversing long enough to watch our little spat, looked confused as well. I turned back towards the entrance of the Armoury, beckoning Watson with my hand. "Follow me, Dear Watson."

"May I ask where to, Miss McClaire?" he questioned, but began following me nonetheless.

"To investigate, of course," I replied without turning around.

"So you expect to solve this case without my help?" Holmes questioned, rising from his seat on the floor.

"No, I never said that, now did I? No, I didn't think so. Actually, the guard inside has requested that none of the men working on this case accompany me back inside. Only my colleague could come in. And seeing as how you are a well known detective, it would seem that you fit under that category."

"What does he want with you?" Watson asked from beside me.

"He said that he saw the men who robbed the place make some sort of formation around the Armoury. It was the last thing he saw before he saw the flash of light."

"Ah, I see. You think the formation has something to do with the flash?"

"Precisely," I nodded.

"Hey, hold on. Why can't we go in with you?" Lestrade asked, gesturing to Himself and his men.

"Well… he's a bit upset at you guys for treating him so bad. You probably shouldn't have hassled him so much."

"I did nothing of the sort," he defended.

"You probably didn't, but that doesn't excuse them," I stated, pointing to his men. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and turned around to his men. From what I could surmise, he was just beginning what would be a thorough tongue lashing. I turned around and continued down the path to the entrance, Watson following right beside me. I had to admit, I was slightly surprised that Holmes hadn't interjected again.

"So what were you able to find out?" Watson questioned when we were almost inside.

"The guard said that he saw five cloaked men surround the entire structure a bit after midnight. That was the last thing he saw before he fainted. I figure that if we can figure out what kind of arrangement it was, then-"

"We can see if it has some connection. Since what the perpetrators stole apparently has something to do with black magic, they may have performed some that night. It's highly implausible,"

"But at the same time, not impossible," I finished. He nodded as we walked into the foyer, meeting up with Henry.

"I'm back. Henry, this is Dr. John Watson. Watson, this is Henry… the guard," I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir," Henry greeted, holding out his hand.

"Likewise," Watson nodded, shaking his outstretched palm.

"I guess you're here to help with the investigation?"

"Yes. Anything that we could gather, either small or large, will be of great help to us," Watson answered.

"Yes, of course. Well, we should start upstairs then. I was the guard of the very top floor, so it is a bit of a walk."

"That's no problem," I smiled, gesturing for him to lead the way. He gave us both one final nod before staring up the steps.

Henry did not exaggerate one bit. It took about tem minutes for us to reach the top deck of the Armoury. Watson and I were a bit out of breath when we got to the top, but Henry didn't seem the least bit flustered. After catching my breath, I walked in the middle of the ground, where everything could be seen. The sight was rather breathtaking, and I would have loved to enjoy the view, but that would have to wait. There were more important things to deal with.

"Do you have a pen and pad, Watson?"

He quickly searched through his coat and pulled out a small notepad and a pen. I thanked him before directing my attention back to Henry.

"Ok. Can you show me exactly where you saw the six men stood?"

He nodded and walked towards the edge of the structure to begin his recollection of the event. "One of them stood down there, by the entrance," he spoke, and I drew a tiny cloaked figure that corresponded with the spot where he was standing. He walked a few feet to the left before stopping once again. He looked over the area and made certain that he was sure of the area before continuing. "There was another one right down there…. And one down there… and another there… one right there… and the last one down there."

After he had finished, I looked at the pad in my hand and tried to find something hidden within it. I decided to connect the dots and see if that would give me something, but after that was complete, all I was able to draw was a hexagon. I knew that wasn't right, so I continued to play around with it for a while.

"Were you able to discover anything?" Henry asked as he and Watson reproached me.

"Not yet."

"Let me take a look at that," Watson asked, holding out his palm. I handed him his notepad and watched as he stared at the small sketch, if you could even call it that. He observed it from various angles until I saw something flash through his eyes. He held out his hand again, silently asking me for the pen. I handed it to him and watched as he went to work making a connection with the picture. When he was done, he placed the pen in his pocked and showed me the notepad.

"Oh…it makes a star," I announced, looking over the picture that we had constructed together. He had made two triangles that were positioned on top of each other, making a star with six angles.

"This definitely adds onto the presumption that there was black magic involved in this. The star formation must have been a part of a form of ritual. Or, maybe it was a parlor trick that was used to fool people into believing that it was magic when, in actuality, it was nothing more than a cheap trick," Watson explained.

"Either way, this is a great deal of information that will help shine some light on the whole situation."

"Indeed."

"So… the information that I gave you… will it be enough?" Henry asked after we were done conversing.

"It won't completely close the case, but it had helped us a lot. Thank you."

He looked down to the floor, a small smile on his lips as his hands quickly darted into his pockets. "I'll lead you back downstairs now," he said as he turned towards the steps. I grabbed Watson's pad from his hands and ripped out the page that we had scribbled over. I then folded it and pocketed the sheet inside my coat pocket and tossed him back his notepad.

"What are you doing?"

"No doubt Holmes will ask you for what we discovered, and seeing as how the two of you are best of friends, you'll probably show him. I don't think he deserves that privilege. Not until he apologizes, at least," I explained as we began down the stairs.

"You two are quite the insufferable bunch," Watson chuckled, shaking his head.

"I did nothing wrong. He insulted me. He has no respect, he's arrogant, he's a pompous idiot-"

"Yes, I suppose he is. But that's what makes him who he is. If I showed up one day and found him prim and proper and, dare I say it, respectful, I would be very worried," Watson laughed.

"See, that's a problem. Because if I have to deal with that man everyday, I'm gonna eventually murder him. Or myself."

"That's a little drastic, don't you think?" he asked.

"Umm… Have you met Holmes?"

"Good point," he smiled.

I sighed as we made our way down, but stopped when I saw a glare from the corner of my eyes. I turned around and saw what looked like a silver animal on a broken piece of slender wood. Henry and Watson didn't seem to have noticed, so I quickly grabbed it and stashed it inside my coat as well.

The three of us walked back outside where the rest of the men were anxiously awaiting any news on the case. Henry, however, suddenly stopped and stepped back two feet.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I think my job is done. I gave you all the information I know. And… I don't want anything else to do with the police. So I think I'll get back to my job," he said, beginning to turn away.

"Right. Well, it was very nice to meet you Henry. And thank you, again," I said, holing out my palm. He gladly took it and gave it a firm handshake.

"It was a pleasure meeting you as well, Rosemary." I gave him a final nod and turned towards the rest of the group, letting him go on his way.

"Well Miss McClaire, what were you able to find out? Sufficient information, I hope?" Lestrade greeted me as Watson turned the other way to join Holmes.

"Sufficient enough, I would presume. I was able to find out that…" I stopped talking, as I noticed that a boat was unoccupied. 'This is perfect. I could go and visit Croydon. It's still early in the day. I could still make it and have enough time to investigate before it gets dark out…'

"Actually… I'm going to let Watson fill you in. I may be Holmes's new partner, but the Doctor's been at this longer than I have," I smiled. I gave him one final nod then casually walked up to the constable.

"Constable Clark, how long does it take for another one of those boats to get here?"

"That's the only boat that runs through the area. You'd have to wait for that same boat to return."

"Ah. That's what I thought. Thank you very much, and I hope to see you again."

I turned away from him and made my way to the awaiting boat. When I got to the ledge, I carefully lowered myself onto the platform, then hopped onto the boat. I turned my head and watched as the group of men discussed the present case. However, I didn't miss when Holmes had ceased talking and had focused all pf his attention on me. He was at a loss due to the fact that he referred to me as his 'partner.' If he just got up and started chasing after me, it would certainly raise some questions.

"Where to, Miss?" the aged, but lively seaman asked.

"The entrance of the Armouries. Where the coaches are lined up," I smiled at the kind man. He nodded and began steering the tiny boat ashore. I took one last look towards Holmes, and the frustration was visible on his face. Just to push his buttons a little more, I sent him a wide grin and a playful wave. I could only imagine how much his blood was boiling at this very minute.

And I loved it.

Isn't it amazing how life could go from being so simple one minute to so complicated the next?

For example, I was once living happily with my family and my friends. Maybe I was even on my way to getting married. I was taking a simple walk, as I would normally, and everything changed and became complicated beyond belief. I was attacked, injured and left for dead in some alley. Now, what I did to anger someone so much that they would try and murder me is beyond me. I don't think I'm mean. I am a very nice person. Why would someone want me dead?

And, if things were not complicated enough, my family, my own flesh and blood, has not yet alerted the authorities of my disappearance. That fact alone is quite unnerving. As far as I could remember, I was my Father's eldest child, so why would he not send people out to look for me? It was all so confusing.

Then again…

Maybe I jumped to too early conclusions. Maybe my parents did send a search party out to find me, but after a while they gave up. Yes, that's a likely possibility, isn't it? Yes. Maybe I was just worrying for no reason. My family wouldn't disregard me like that. I know that for a fact. But despite all of that, one thing was plain and true…

Someone wanted me dead.

"Well, isn't that just peachy? Most women my age find out that a man wants their hand in marriage. But no, I had to find out that someone wants to kill me," I mused, biting into a saltine cracker. I piped up my ear when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I waited quietly and listened to see who they belonged to. After a few short seconds, the door to the room burst open.

"Where could she possibly be? She made it clear that she wanted to venture out into Croydon, and now she is nowhere to be found," I heard Holmes announce.

"Maybe we missed her. She hasn't been able to recall any of her memories yet, so there's no way she could have gone anywhere else. Maybe she is still in Croydon. We should go back and search once more. We're bound to run into her eventually" Watson added. I continued listening while I wrapped one of my curls around my finger.

"I don't think I have ever met someone so extremely infuriating in my entire life. I tell her one thing and she does the complete opposite. She is so-"

"Instead of insulting her, don't you think we should be thinking of a way to find her?" Watson interjected. "Mary must be worried out of her mind. I promised her I would be home early."

"I honestly don't know where else we could look. It's getting later by the minute, and the number of potential criminals are rising by the second. And I assure you Watson, I will not have that woman's blood on my hands."

"Well, you needn't worry about that," I finally spoke. Both men went quiet, and I stood from my hiding spot behind the bookshelf. I slowly dusted myself off before meeting the eyes of the two men. Watson wore a look of relief on his face while Holmes's expression was rather unreadable.

"You mean… you've been here this whole time?" Watson asked incredulously.

"Yes, and I'm sorry that I kept you from Mary all night. that wasn't my intentions at all," I said sincerely.

"I feel inclined to ask you this Miss McClaire, but what was your sole intention? To turn Watson and myself into madmen while we tried to discover your whereabouts?" Holmes asked.

"To prove a point," I stated, and he seemed to grow more frustrated at that. "And to make you look like a fool, of course."

"So, you didn't go to Croydon? You've been at Baker Street this entire time?" Watson intervened before Holmes could reply.

"Yes. I have to ask, what made you think that I went to Croydon?"

"Well, Holmes said that-"

"Exactly. Holmes said. You had to evidence that I went there, and you had no facts or actual reasons to believe that I went there. You just acted on this assumption because Holmes said."

"The actions that you made before leaving the Armoury made it quite clear that going to Croydon was your initial objective," Holmes replied, calmer than I had expected.

"You're quite wrong, actually. At first, I did want to go to Croydon, but I took your words of warning into consideration. After deciding not to go, my main intention was to throw you off and see if you would take the bait. Which you did spectacularly, might I add."

"Do you think this is some kind of joke, Miss McClaire?"

"Yes, Mr. Holmes. I find it absolutely hilarious that someone wants me dead, I am unable to venture out on the streets alone, and that I am a prisoner in a house that is not even mine!"

"If you do not wish to stay here, Madame, then you can leave. No one is going to twist your arm and force you to stay," Holmes said, walking right past me.

"Holmes," Watson warned.

"I mean it. She is clearly not happy here and is ungrateful for us saving her, so she can leave if that is what-"

"Who said I was ungrateful?" I questioned, spinning around so that I was facing him again. "I appreciate the fact that you saved me. I really do, but ever since the first day I've been here, you have acted as if you had some kind of problem with me. You've been rude, disrespectful and un-negotiable. I don't see how you're going to be of any help if we can't find some common ground."

"How can I solve this case when the only clue that I have couldn't even remember her own name?"

"Oh mon Dieu. It's not my fault. I'm trying the best that I can, and all you keep doing is putting all this pressure and blame on me. I don't know what you want me to do!"

Everything was silent for a moment, and the only thing that could be heard was my breathing. It was amazing how worked up I could get after arguing with this man. Watson had stayed quiet for the entire time, watching each of us carefully as we had our spat.

"Apologize."

My eyes darted to Holmes, unsure if I heard him right. "What?" Watson and I asked in unison.

"All I want from you is an apology. Apologize for sending us on a wild goose chase, apologize for being uncooperative, apologize for-"

"You want me to apologize to you?" I asked again. "I think I am the one in need of an apology."

"I am not going to apologize for being myself," he stated resolutely.

I opened my mouth to respond, but I decided against it. I looked at him for a while before I turned around and headed for the door. I bid the Doctor goodnight as I opened the door and stepped out of the room. I closed the door behind me and began making my way towards my room.

"You won't apologize for being yourself? Well… neither will I."

"Oh Mon Dieu" - "Oh my God" in French

*Okay, I don't want to sound pathetic, but I really am getting depressed with the little bit of reviews I've been getting. Come on guys. Write something! If you love it, tell me. If you hate it , tell me. If you want me to try something, tell me your ideas cause I'll gladly add them in there. Just send me your thoughts. And for those who have reviewed, thanks a bunch. It means a lot and it makes me smile!*

Sincerely,

PoisonLipz