"That was dull," Sherlock complained as soon as he entered his flat and his daughter walked behind him, clutching onto her college bag on her shoulder whilst Sherlock rushed ahead, his legs taking two steps at a time and Alison rolled her eyes, dumping her college bag onto the floor and removing her jacket which she had been wearing.

"You were the one who offered to take me out for dinner," Alison informed him. "I am sorry if it was dull for you."

"I thought that eating would take my mind off the boredom," he moaned, shrugging out the long grey coat he was wearing and hanging it up before flopping onto the sofa.

"You didn't care for my company?" she checked and he shrugged.

"Your stories of dull college life was enough to stimulate my drain," he muttered and she threw a cushion at him before picking up her laptop which she had left on the floor and opening it up, switching it on.

"I am sorry I wasn't exciting enough to spend time with," she said to him and he shrugged awkwardly.

"No one tends to be interesting to me so don't be offended," he said to her and she remained silent before Sherlock spoke again. "Did you speak to Damian?"

"No," she replied curtly. "I saw him in E Block but didn't say anything."

"I suppose that is for the best," Sherlock muttered. "I'm off to change."

"It is only six o'clock."

"I'm not going anywhere," he replied. "I may as well make myself comfortable."

...

"You need to put that down," Alison told her father as he held John's gun in his hands, dangling it by his side after he had shot at the wall twice.

"Why?"

"Because it is a dangerous weapon," Alison replied. "It isn't something to mess around with."

"That is debateable," Sherlock shrugged as they heard the door slam shut downstairs and Alison caught the grin on her father's face before he shot at the wall and then saw John walk through the door, his hands covering his ears.

"What the hell is this?" he snapped at Sherlock as the detective shot at the wall again.

"Bored," he muttered.

"What?"

"I'm bored!" he exclaimed, standing up and shooting the wall at different angles whilst Alison flinched but did nothing to stop her father whilst John did the opposite, taking the gun from him.

"And the wall deserved to bear the brunt of your boredom," John said dryly whilst Sherlock pouted lightly.

"The wall had it coming," he complained.

"I am sure it did. I thought you two were supposed to be out for tea?"

"We were," Sherlock muttered. "I only took enough money for a main course so Alison couldn't order more food and gain another unnecessary three pounds."

"Arse," Alison muttered so he couldn't hear her but John chuckled once at her facial expression.

"Do you want some tea?" John called out.

"I don't."

"Yes," Sherlock muttered, lying on his sofa once again whilst John went into the fridge for the milk and automatically shut it, blinking several times before he opened it again.

"A severed head," he muttered.

"What was that?" Alison asked as she looked into the kitchen and saw John peering at something and muttering to himself.

"A severed head!" he yelled out and Sherlock cocked a brow.

"Just tea for me thanks."

"There's a severed head in the fridge!" John yelled.

"Where else was I supposed to put it?" Sherlock asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Alison asked, dropping her laptop lid down and placing the machine onto the floor, opening the fridge whilst John continued to argue with Sherlock about how severed heads weren't acceptable to keep around the flat.

"You are getting rid of that," Alison told her father sternly. "You are also going to clean the fridge."

"Are you ordering me about?" Sherlock checked, sitting up and looking at Alison whilst she nodded.

"Yes I am," she said quickly back to him.

"Humph," he muttered, "you're just like your mother."

"Thank you very much."

"I saw the blog post," Sherlock finally said when John and Alison had sat back down. "A Study in Pink."

"Did you like it?"

"No," Sherlock said, popping his lips as he did so.

"Why not? I thought you'd be flattered?"

"He doesn't even notice when girls are flattering him," Alison pointed out. "He considers it shallow and he is oblivious to the action of it."

"I know that your friend, Poppy, is infatuated with me, if that is what you're referring to," Sherlock informed Alison and she blinked quickly.

"How do you know that? I never-"

"-You don't need to say anything. Her actions are quite obvious. I wasn't flattered, John."

"Why not?"

"I see through everything and everyone," Sherlock snapped. "Did you really think I would be flattered?"

"I thought you'd be impressed," John shrugged.

"I know everything," Sherlock hissed, "of course I would not have been impressed."

"You didn't know the earth went round the sun."

"That is kind of irrelevant," Alison said and Sherlock allowed a smug grin as John looked at his flatmate's daughter.

"How it is irrelevant?" John snapped. "It is primary school knowledge."

"But as long as the sun is there and the Earth has it then it doesn't really matter what happens to make it that way."

"I can't believe you two," John shook his head as Sherlock flopped onto his side and John stood up.

"Where are you going?" Sherlock asked him, managing to turn his head and look at him.

"I'm going to stay at Sarah's," John replied. "You two can Google the solar system."

"I think we're good," Alison replied before they saw Mrs Hudson walk up the steps, placing her hands onto her hips.

"Honestly you two," she sighed, "can one of you do your own shopping?"

"I've been at college and he is just lazy," Alison told the woman whilst Sherlock jumped up, looking out the window as John walked down the street.

"It's dull, Mrs Hudson," Sherlock complained as the landlady stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips.

"They'll be a nice murder soon, Sherlock," she promised him. "What the hell did you do to my wall?"

Sherlock looked at his handiwork and he smirked.

"You'll be paying for that," Mrs Hudson snapped and left the room.

"Oh, Alison," Sherlock complained. "What is going on now?"

"I-" Alison began to say but was interrupted as she heard a large bang enter the room and she was knocked unconscious.

...

"I don't need to stay overnight," Alison pouted as she sat in a hospital bed and Sherlock looked at her, his hand resting on her forehead to make sure she didn't have a temperature before he shook his head.

"You're warm and bruised," he told her. "They want to make sure you don't have concussion too."

"I don't!" she snapped quickly. "I don't have anything wrong with me."

"That's debateable," Sherlock muttered. "You'll be discharged tomorrow and I will pick you up then."

"What?" Alison replied. "You can't stay with me?"

"You're over sixteen," Sherlock told her. "Hospital policy says I can't and besides, there isn't enough room for me."

"Fine," Alison admitted defeated.

"And there will also be no leaving here unless I know about it," Sherlock warned her and she nodded.

"I won't," she promised. "Where will you go?"

"Home."

...

"I have to go and pick Alison up," Sherlock announced to John as soon as his brother had left the flat the following morning. "I am sure she had a better night sleep than you did on that sofa."

"Probably," John admitted. "How is she?"

"Possibly shaken up," Sherlock replied, "but apart from that she is fine."

"And what was the cause of this explosion?"

"A gas leak," Sherlock muttered.

"You don't sound convinced."

"I'm not."

Two weeks later

"Dad!" Alison yelled as she walked through the flat after retrieving the post. Sherlock hadn't been busy for the last few weeks but he could feel something was brewing. A storm was coming and he knew it. But he didn't tell Alison of what he thought. He had kept her by his side for the last two weeks, assuring her that college was not an issue for her to worry about. He didn't want her leaving when he knew Moriarty could be about to strike. Sherlock remained seated in his armchair, occasionally looking at the BlackBerry which was on the arm.

"What is the bellowing for?" he asked her and she handed him the envelope before he cocked a brow at her.

"I thought you would have taken care of college," he told her and she shook her head.

"You said there was nothing to worry about!" she snapped. "I presumed you had sorted it."

"I wouldn't deal with such trivial things," he waved it off. "At least you don't have to moan about it anymore."

"I have been kicked out of college!" Alison bellowed. "I've been kicked out...oh God...mum is going to kill me...I can't believe this has happened. Has no one phoned you about my attendance before now?"

"No," Sherlock replied. "I don't think they have my number. What about your phone?"

"It was destroyed in the explosion and I keep moaning at you to buy me a new one."

"Well college isn't all that is made out to be," Sherlock promised her. "My Oxford education was one I did just because I could-"

"-But I don't have a choice do I?" Alison snapped at her father.

"You're being melodramatic. You can get into another college," he replied just as he heard his phone ring and he jumped up, his heart rate speeding up as he saw Lestrade was phoning him.

"There's been a package," Lestrade told him and Sherlock's brows furrowed together.

"And is that breaking news?"

"It is for you," Lestrade simply said.

"I'll be there soon."

Sherlock hung up with haste and grabbed his coat, dropping his phone into it before he reached for his scarf.

"Get your coat, Alison," he demanded and she did as he had asked.

"You're telling mum about this," she said to him as he called for John and began to walk down the stairs.

"I don't think so," he replied.

"I do," Alison said and Sherlock turned to look at her again whilst he opened the door.

"You can tell your mother that," he hissed and Alison's eyes went wide as she looked over her father's shoulder and her eyes went wide and Sherlock followed her gaze before blinking ferociously.

"Tell your mother what?" Natalie Mallon asked the pair of them, her arms folded and her face showing the result of jet lag whilst her hair was pushed into a tall bun. "You two have a lot of explaining to do."

...

A/N: Thank you to everyone reading and please do review to let me know what you think!