John, Sherlock and Felicity investigated through the tube stations around relevant locations, checked every street, boulevard, alley, and road that were common avenues of travel in the two victim's lives and hadn't found any symbols in the graffiti by the time they were snooping around railway stations. It was about ten o'clock at night and their deadline to catch Soo Lin Yao was pushing down on them enough to prompt Sherlock to split the group up. John threw a fit when Sherlock said that Felicity could walk alone, along train tracks, at night, but by the time he'd calmed down Felicity was already half way around a corner, only visible by her vibrant red hair. The three of them wandered their separate ways for a while before John came running over, insisting that he'd found the symbols. By the time they made it back to the spot John claimed to have seen them, there was nothing but black paint.
"I don't understand," John said in despair, swiping a finger along the still wet paint in confusion. "They were right here, I swear."
"Someone doesn't want me to see," Sherlock said to himself, and then he turned on John, eyes blazing with determination. "John! Hold on to that picture in your mind- recognize the symbols. Think, concentrate!" the detective cried, clamping his hands down on either side of John's face as if he could squeeze the thought out of his head.
"Sherlock, what are you doing?" John asked, confused by the way his flat-mate and friend was spinning him around in circles, his hands pressed to the sides of his face. He was still confused, half thinking that he'd gone mad and now Sherlock was disorienting him with the spinning. It wasn't a good combination.
"John, the average human mind is only sixty two percent accurate when recalling information, especially after a traumatic situation. Just relax, and focus." Sherlock intoned, leaning closer. To him, the information pivotal to solving the case was locked in John's head and he was determined to get it out.
"Sherlock," John protested, trying to squirm out of his grip. "If you'd let me bloody well talk, I remember everything." He said, finally extracting himself out of Sherlock's grasp, blinking several times to clear the his vision from the spinning.
"What? How?" Sherlock demanded, towering over John.
"I took a picture on my mobile." John said slowly, removing the device and presenting Sherlock with the photo. Sherlock let out a puff of air that sounded suspiciously like 'Oh!' before he took the phone, his eyes whizzing over the symbols before he turned, looking for Felicity.
"Here, take a look," he half ordered, half requested, passing the phone down to Felicity. She glanced at it and then shrugged, handing it back to Sherlock.
"It's just numbers to me. I can tell you what they are specifically, but that doesn't matter." Felicity said, and Sherlock handed John back his phone. He paced for a few moments, thinking, before stalking back the way they'd come. "I guess we're finding Soo Lin Yao now." Felicity told John cheerfully as they followed the detective over the dark rails. She was learning a lot from Sherlock about how to solve a case and she was finding his methods incredibly amusing and exciting at the same time.
"Are you getting tired, Felicity? I can take you home if you need to rest." John said, and grinned sheepishly under her suddenly furious and imposing gaze. "I'll take that as a 'no'. I just thought I'd ask. Remember- I'm your brother." John said, and they chuckled together as they caught up to Sherlock, who was impatiently flagging down a cab.
"I do appreciate it, John. Someone has to remind me to be human once and a while." Felicity said seriously as a cab pulled over and whisked them away at Sherlock's request. The ride to the museum was silent, save for Sherlock's fingers tapping rhythmically against the door of the cab. Felicity was lost in thought, trying to go through her mental database to put a name to the currently faceless 'smuggling ring'. If they were this organized and if they were operating internationally, they had to have a background, a name the world knew. Sherlock hustled them into the museum and into hiding before it closed. Once the people and guards were away for the night, Sherlock spirited them down into the storage units where Soo Lin Yao was bound to be working. True to Sherlock's idiom, he scared her rather than introducing himself like a normal person. Once they were all settled, however, and Soo Lin got a good look at the innocent little girl Sherlock had with him, she seemed to relax. She had no problem showing Sherlock the tattoo on the bottom of her foot, telling him about The Black Lotus, her history as an international smuggler, and how her own brother, Zhi Zhu, was the killer. John showed her the picture of the symbols and seconds later the normal lights were cut, leaving them in semi-darkness as the emergency power kicked in. Sherlock instantly booked it out of there, but John was more mindful.
"Fee, you and Soo Lin stay here." John said hastily, urging them into one of the horizontal storage spaces and almost closing the door, giving them a protected alcove. Then he darted off, Browning in hand. Felicity sat there for a moment in surprise- only Charley called her 'Fee' and it was odd hearing that from John. Once her initial surprise faded, Felicity went to the dark opening and peeked out, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. When it was clear that she wasn't going to see anything, she looked back to Soo Lin; surprised to see that the woman was crying. Felicity never cried and Charley wasn't the crying type either. In her whole lifetime she couldn't remember being around people who were sad enough to cry. Despite her lack of experience in that situation, Felicity went with her natural instinct to comfort.
"It'll be ok." Felicity told her softly, cuddling up against her side. Soo Lin made a noise that sounded like a laugh and a sob as she put an arm around Felicity. With her other hand, she picked up the pen and brought the sheet of paper over to her she glanced over the numbers, brow furrowed. Even in the face of harm or death she was determined to help.
"I need my book," she started, but cut herself off when she heard a noise. Fear flooded her face so fast Felicity almost felt the same emotion herself. Soo Lin whirled on the spot, looking around her, until she found a small ancient trunk among the artifacts among them. It was heavy, but Felicity would fit inside perfectly. "Go in there." Soo Lin barely breathed, prying the trunk open and gesturing inside. "Please," she begged, eyes shining with new tears when Felicity only sat there for a moment, confused by Soo Lin's action. Realization hit Felicity like a wrecking ball a few seconds later- Zhi Zhu was almost upon them and Soo Lin was going to die. Worse yet, she couldn't do anything about it; Sherlock and John weren't there to help them. Soo Lin's last act was to protect Felicity from harm- and that resonated in Felicity's mind as she struggled to find a way to keep Soo Lin alive. When she couldn't find one, she was resigned to Soo Lin's fate as well as her own.
"I'm sorry," Felicity whispered, and Soo Lin's tears streaked down her cheeks faster as she gestured frantically to the trunk. Felicity easily crawled in, and Soo Lin closed the lid, plunging Felicity into complete darkness. For a moment, there was silence. Seconds later, the storage unit creaked open. It was hard to hear in the trunk, but Felicity heard most of the conversation between Soo Lin and her brother, Zhi Zhu about honor, dishonor, and love. After a brief period of silence, there was one, frightfully loud gunshot that pierced the air and Soo Lin collapsed to the floor. Felicity closed her eyes in the trunk, trying to calm herself as the ghosting footsteps of Zhi Zhu disappeared. Felicity didn't know Soo Lin Yao; her life meant nothing to Felicity, and yet she could feel the odd, awful feeling that she was about to cry race across her senses. Determined not to, Felicity bit her tongue as footsteps raced over.
"Oh, god," Felicity heard John mutter in shock upon finding Soo Lin Yao. Slower feet joined John's- Sherlock knew that racing over was useless when Soo Lin was already dead. "Wait- oh, god, Felicity!" John yelled, and she could hear him whirl on the spot, trying to search in the near-darkness. Figuring she'd caught her composure, Felicity pushed on the lid of the trunk. When it didn't open, she knew that she was going to have a problem; it was heavier than she could lift.
"Felicity?!" Sherlock joined the hunt, his deep baritone permeating the air as his shoes moved down the storage unit towards her trunk. Felicity could visualize him in her mind: tall and intimidating, his bright eyes scanning the unit for clues to her disappearance.
"Come on," Felicity begged under her breath when pushing with her shoulder once more did nothing on opening the lid to the trunk. She twisted so that she was on her back and pushed hard with her feet, getting leverage. The lid trembled, rose slightly, and then crashed back down with enough noise to wake the dead. Feet raced over and suddenly the lid was open and Sherlock was peering inside, the dim light ghosting on his cheekbones, his eyes burning in his face. "Thank you," Felicity panted, very glad to be free of the trunk. She froze in surprise when Sherlock plucked her right out and hugged her close for a moment. His coat was warm and smelled like books. Felicity felt very safe and comforted in Sherlock's arms and his presence erased her last lingering feelings about crying. His tall frame swamped her from view, minus her vivid hair.
"Sherlock? What the hell was that—noise." John, who had come running, his Browning at the ready, slowed to a stop when he saw that Felicity was safe and accounted for. "Right. Felicity, are you ok?" John asked as Sherlock rose, still keeping Felicity close, and walked out of the storage unit and away from the body. Only then did he set her down and release her from his embrace.
"I'm perfectly fine." Felicity said, sounding more confused than she wanted to. Why did Sherlock hug her? She hadn't been adverse to it, the gesture was rather nice, but usually people hugged one another when they were emotional, and Sherlock was never emotional. Had Sherlock thought that she was abducted, injured, dead? Before Felicity could ponder it further, John slipped into doctor mode, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Really, John. I'm not at all hurt." Felicity said in a stronger tone as John knelt on his haunches to inspect Felicity more closely, feeling for a pulse and checking for a temperature.
"Felicity, someone was murdered less than three feet from you. You shouldn't be fine." John half rebuked, half worried, smoothing her hair quickly as he finished his examination. "Come on," he said, standing up and reaching for her hand. Felicity didn't try to glance back to see the body-she knew that Sherlock would have walked far enough away to keep it well out of her sights. She was slightly frustrated by his gesture, but mostly glad for it. Sherlock walked behind them, a silent protector as they left the museum and caught a cab.
The ride was quiet. Sherlock stared straight ahead, fingers twitching on his thigh, and John stared out the window of the cab at the city racing by. Felicity sat between them, as usual. She was not affected by Soo Lin Yao's death like any other child would be. The murder had sparked her mind into overdrive instead of frightening her. Now that she knew that the smuggling ring was The Black Lotus, she needed to figure out which 'book' Soo Lin Yao needed to crack the code. Figuring that her last seconds with Soo Lin Yao would be important to the case, Felicity finally broke the silence. "The symbols are set up around a book code." She said quietly. At first, neither man responded; then John huffed disapprovingly.
"Felicity, it's late and you just witnessed-" John's gentle rebuke was cut off as Sherlock turned to look at her, eyes blazing with new excitement.
"How do you know?" He asked, his previously emotional moment at the museum a mere memory.
"When Soo Lin and I were in the storage unit, she had a moment to look at the picture of the symbols that John took, really look at it as if to solve it. She said, and I quote, 'I need my book' before her brother made his appearance. Therefore, the code has to be based off of page numbers of a book and then by word numbers on said page." She explained calmly. Sherlock ran his hands through his hair, grimacing in concentration. It had scared him more than he ever thought he would be, thinking that Felicity was dead. His unstoppable reaction in the museum had left him slightly troubled about dealing with sentiment. He pushed those feelings away, however, to focus on the case.
"A book, a common book- of course! What book would both victims have?" Sherlock asked himself. Moments later his phone was in hand as he texted Dimmock his request (order) to get the books from both victims sent to the flat yet that night.
"Well, everyone has a dictionary, don't they? A bible?" John suggested, his shock at Felicity's willingness to continue with the case quickly fading.
"Yes, yes," Sherlock agreed distractedly as the cab pulled up to Baker Street. "Both men would have those books, most likely, but they are so common they are conspicuous. There has to be a less likely candidate in the possessions of both men-" He was getting out of the cab as he spoke, but he cut himself off as he noticed a black car parked innocently by the curb. "Mycroft." Sherlock swore venomously in recognition as Felicity and John slid out of the cab.
"What? Why? Oh," John said, looking down at Felicity standing next to him. "He would have noticed eventually, Sherlock." John sighed as Sherlock's hands balled into fists as he glared at his own flat, unwilling to enter. Sherlock and Mycroft were extremely competitive and jealous, and Felicity was his, his find, and he wasn't going to play nice or share like Mummy had always asked (begged).
"Is that your brother?" Felicity piped up, sounding curious. "He won't make me go home, will he? Do you think he'd tell Charley?" All at once, the idea hit Felicity that Sherlock's powerful and slightly mean older brother would (or had already) called Charley and she would be sent back to her awful neighbor and would never get to see Sherlock and John again. The idea frightened her; Sherlock and John had made her life interesting for the first time she could remember. If that were to go away, if this were to end Felicity didn't know what she would do with herself. That fear was so strong that it even made it into her usually very controlled voice.
"I won't let him," Sherlock promised irrationally, not caring what it would take for him to make Mycroft shut up and leave if he was going to ruin things with Felicity. He was already so attached to this little girl that he would do anything for her- murder, bribery, theft, forgery…Sherlock would even show emotion like he instinctively did in the museum. He only showed emotion for John and Mummy and even then the occurrence was rare. "Besides, if your current history with meeting intimidating people is anything to go by, you'll charm Mycroft in an instant." Sherlock continued, boosting her confidence. "Want a ride?" He offered, and Felicity couldn't help but smile and nod eagerly. In seconds she was back on Sherlock's shoulders. Her friendship with Sherlock sent thrill down every nerve in her body; he truly was her first friend and that was a relationship that was never forgotten.
"How's the weather up there?" John joked as they walked into 221B and mounted the stairs. John was glancing at Sherlock with a barely concealed smile. He really enjoyed seeing Sherlock so undone, so human. It made him even more grateful and protective of Felicity than ever. John only ever wanted to see Sherlock happy, as happy as he was when he was with Felicity. He walked a little taller, spoke with confidence instead of arrogance, and his eyes seemed to sparkle, even when they were looking at John. John was more than accepting of every other aspect of Sherlock (he shared a flat with him for god's sake), but there was something about the more relaxed Sherlock that made something tug in John's stomach. It didn't help that when Sherlock wasn't enamored with Felicity or focusing on the case he was staring at John with more intensity than John had ever been treated to in his life.
"Rather dusty- do you two ever clean?" Felicity asked, examining the ceiling; it was suddenly seven feet closer than usual. John chuckled as he opened the door for them, banishing his previous thoughts with a good kick as Sherlock sent him a brief smile before bending his knees and ducking so that he would pass through the doorway without scraping Felicity off.
"Mycroft." He greeted his brother in a calm yet dangerous tone, completely nonchalant to the fact that he had a little girl riding on his shoulders like he was her father. Felicity looked down at the man in question curiously from around Sherlock's unruly curls. Mycroft was seated in Sherlock's armchair and seemed to be the picture of austerity. He was slightly balding but had the same elegant face as Sherlock. He was wearing a three piece suit that looked expensive, an umbrella leaning next to him. Just by glancing at him Felicity could tell where he'd been (Cairo) and what he'd been doing (eating a pastry).
"You are aware that you have a small child on your shoulders, aren't you, Sherlock?" Mycroft asked half incredulously, half imperiously, his gaze flicking up to Felicity. She smiled at him blissfully and he seemed to blink in surprise by her action. Most people looked at Mycroft with either confused, carefully composed or angry expressions. He wasn't used to being liked so quickly, if at all.
"Yes, obviously. If that's all you came here for, Mycroft, we would love it if you left." Sherlock said acerbically, standing over him. Mycroft rose, suddenly much closer to Felicity as he examined her curiously. Her hands rested on Sherlock's head, twirling his curls around her tiny fingers. The fact that Sherlock was completely at ease, enamored with her even, threw Mycroft for another loop. Sherlock had always been sensitive about his hair, sensitive around people and just…sensitive in general. Why was he suddenly so happy around this child?
"You must realize, Sherlock, that I was most surprised when I heard that you had a small child following you around and in your care. Naturally, I had to come and investigate." Mycroft said smoothly. In all honesty, he had to come and make sure that Sherlock wasn't going to accidentally kill her. He knew that if the girl was in his care that John would obviously be aware and more cautious, but Mycroft had to check. Sherlock was Sherlock, after all.
"How was Cairo? Did you see the pyramids or was your visit strictly business?" Felicity asked, unknowingly revealing her ability to deduce people as Sherlock did. It was not in an effort to seem impressive or to show off to Mycroft. Her question was genuinely friendly in tone. It was for that reason that it threw Mycroft for yet another incredible loop.
"It was quite pleasant, thank you, Ms...? " He trailed off, looking at her, waiting for her to fill in her name. He actually looked quite pleased that she was actually intelligent; it explained why she was with Sherlock. His normally icy heart had already completely melted.
"Felicity. Felicity Muller." Felicity informed him with another carefree smile.
"Well, Ms. Muller, to answer your question; no, I was unable to see the pyramids as my visit was, as you suggested, strictly business. May I ask what you are doing in my brother's company?" he asked, and Sherlock huffed, rolling his eyes. Despite his outward reaction, he was secretly smug that Felicity had once again proven her incredible talent by charming the coldest person he knew- his brother.
"Here; if you two are to be talking, I'd rather not stay in Mycroft's presence for very long." Sherlock said, ducking his head and picking Felicity up and off his shoulders to rest her gently back to the ground on her own two legs. Then he went to hang up his coat, ignoring Mycroft's icy glare in his direction.
"I'm staying with Sherlock because he's nice and smart and not at all boring like my babysitter. I met him when he solved the mystery of a theft that occurred at my house. Ever since then his very presence has been most enlightening." Felicity explained, and a wry smile tugged at Mycroft's lips. It was uncommon to find someone as intelligent as the Holmes brothers and was naturally sunny, outgoing, and carefree. Felicity was such an interesting mix of adorable and intelligent that it had Mycroft leaning on her every word. Sherlock did a much better job hiding it, but, to be fair, Sherlock was used to this. Mycroft was not.
"Rather, you solved the case for him before he even arrived and he went through the motions." He prompted, and Felicity shrugged, unable to keep a smile off her face. "Your intelligence and maturity is refreshing, Felicity, and you seem most at ease with my brother, for reasons I can't imagine why." Mycroft continued, and Felicity gave him a nod. "In that case, I won't intrude any longer. My reason for visiting was to make sure that you were a guest and not Sherlock's newest experiment." Mycroft said, and Sherlock scowled at him. Now that Mycroft was interested, he'd never leave him in peace with his friend. Mycroft always ruined everything, according to Sherlock.
"It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Felicity said solemnly, shaking his hand when it was presented. Her tiny hand was encased in Mycroft's, but she didn't seem to care.
"The pleasure was all mine, Ms. Muller." Mycroft said, actually returning her smile before shooting his brother a look that clearly said 'Mummy will definitely hear about this' before sweeping out.
"He wasn't so bad. He was only rude when he didn't even acknowledge your presence, John." Felicity noted, jumping a bit to sit on the coffee table. John waved a hand dismissively from where he was making tea in the kitchen.
"I prefer it that way. When he wants to talk to me it's usually very unpleasant." John said, and Sherlock chuckled as he paced, firing off another text to Dimmock. He was very reassured that Felicity was still his and not Mycroft's. His protective nature was spiking to a point where he wanted to keep Felicity close and never let her out of his sight, and it didn't help that she'd nearly been shot a few minutes ago. Felicity was like a mirror of himself- but without all the flaws that he saw in himself. The effect on Sherlock was fascinating, and he wasn't about to give it up, especially not to Mycroft.
"Holmes? You up here?" Dimmock suddenly yelled up the stairs. Seconds later he appeared, looking as pissed off as he'd sounded.
"Hi, again!" Felicity pounced instantly, her cheer and relaxing atmosphere having an obvious effect on Dimmock. "Are you the book-bearer?" She asked, and Dimmock rubbed his neck.
"Erm, yes, I am. We've got all of the books sorted in boxes, Holmes. Why do you need them? Can the Yard help at all?" He asked, looking as if the last thing he wanted to do was help. His exhaustion was written all over his face.
"Good, thank you. No, your help is not necessary, Dimmock. I suggest you stop milking the Yard of overtime and go home." Sherlock said, being unusually polite. It didn't go unnoticed; John's eyebrows rose slightly as he passed around the mugs of tea he'd prepared and Felicity smiled into her lap.
"Right then," Dimmock said after a moment of finding his voice again. That was the most civil sentence Sherlock had ever said to him. "We'll get the books up." He turned and left then. After a few minutes of box after box of books entering the flat, Dimmock and his men left, leaving a maze of boxes for Felicity to weave through. It was pushing at one in the morning but she didn't feel tired, not in the slightest. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts, with energy. She hadn't been in at either crime scene because of her age, but she had a good idea about the psychology of the gang and each victim. She was eager to shine and help Sherlock crack the case.
OoOoOoO
Danger and action and love oh my! Did it move to fast? Is it still true to the Blind Banker? Did you like my beginning hints to Johnlockness? It's hard to write their relationship, but I'm trying and it WILL get better. :) I still feel awful from my wisdom teeth (considering I only got them out this morning) so I wanted to update in case I get worse.
REVIEWS are awesome! LOUISUPERWHOLOCKED is awesome! PAIN MEDS for pain are awesome! Me high on said meds isn't nearly as awesome, but AYYY MACARENA
Much love,
bitchinblackframedglasses