Chapter 11

"Excuse me, ma'am? Could you tell me the date?"

The woman stopped with an indulgent smile. "It's the twenty fifth."

"Of June? 2012?"

She laughed and gave me an odd look. "Yes of course!"

I didn't owe her an explanation. I gave it anyway. "I've been a bit busy of late."

She adjusted the strap of her purse and turned to go; however, at the last moment she paused. "I'm sorry, this is a bit weird, but I feel like I've seen you before. Are you an actor or something?"

I figured she recognized me from the article in the news announcing my untimely death, so I shook my head. "I don't think so."

She bit her lip and then shrugged. "I'm sure it will come to me."

And with that she walked off, ready to enter the ever moving stream of life once more.

"Hopefully not," I murmured.

I stood still, my back to a tree, and my hands in the pockets of my trench coat. I was at a well-lit park not five miles from my house. I knew because I had all the maps of London memorized. From the shadows I watched people speed along. A woman jogged with her poodle, and a child in a stroller ate Cheerios out of a cup. On a hidden bench, a homeless man tried to look inconspicuous.

Across from me, a businessman sucked a cigarette. I stared longingly at the cigarette for several seconds before shaking myself and turning away. I focused my attention on the children screaming in delight. They swung higher and higher on a swing set until one of the children jumped out and fell through the air several feet. His shout of fear and excitement echoed through the park and his feet kicked up clouds of sand when they finally hit the ground.

Never, not once, did I desire the lives of any of these people, but right now I would do anything to change my reality. Right now a large part of me was willing to become oblivious to the world the way they were.

I live for logic. I am logic. And now I defy the very laws of nature.

Jeez, it was distracting.

"Drat it, Sherlock. Get over yourself," I muttered.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and breathed in the evening air. It was a nippy night and I hugged my coat tighter to me. There was a moment of absolute silence and then I heard footsteps behind me. They were light, a lady's. Quickly I swiveled around.

It was the woman, the one who I asked the date. She stared at me with wide blue eyes, her blonde hair whipped up into a hasty bun. "I- I thought about it and I didn't think it could be you." She smiled timidly. "but... if it is, want you to know I was always a fan of John's blog and I don't believe any of the things they're saying about you."

I blinked. What was I suppose to say? Thanks? I nodded stiffly and hoped the woman would move on. She didn't.

Instead she looked at me sadly. "I'm so sorry about John. I'm sure you'll find him."

I frowned inwardly. John was missing? Since when? There was a bench to my left and the woman sat down. Slowly, I followed suit and the woman looked at me expectantly. "You are him, right? You're Sherlock Holmes?"

"Of course I am," I replied cautiously.

She nodded. "The news said you were dead, but… well, obviously not."

I watched the woman carefully and let my mind run through deductions.

She's a Size 12

Part time nurse

Romantic

Baker

Secret Tattoo

She was a complicated woman, more so than most people. She liked cats, hated rainy days. The woman was persuasive and clever and was constantly plagued by guilt. She was far from perfect, and wasn't afraid to hide it; however, she wasn't proud of her mistakes. She learned through trial and error and that was something I approved of. What was the point in trying to hide something everyone already knew was true?

But above all of this, she was lonely. Totally and completely alone in the world.

I knew how that felt.

Shaking away the thought, I got back to the subject at hand. I didn't have time to mope over my lack of social ability.

I nodded seriously. "I need you to tell me everything you know about John's disappearance."

She frowned. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be. I know just as much as everybody else."

"That is the idea."

A light lit her eyes. "Oh! You want to know how much the public has been told."

I was surprised. That wasn't the reason, but it was a clever and logical assumption. Clever woman indeed... "Not many people understand how important it can be," I explained vaguely.

Nodding, she thought for a moment. "John Watson went missing a few days ago and the police located his statue so it's assumed he's in the same boat as all of the other missing-"

"Wait-statue?"

She nodded and her bun bounced back and forth. "Yeah, the ice statues? Everyone's heard of it."

I nodded. "Yes, yes. Of course."

Shoot.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably and I looked away from the woman. John was missing and if the Doctor's, or my theory was correct, then probably dead. I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't!

Standing up swiftly, I spun away. The woman stood up too, concern written clearly in her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've upset you."

In shock, I turned to look at the woman. No one except John could see when I was hiding how I really felt. I gulped. "What's you're name?" I asked.

The woman gave me a sad smile. "Mary. Mary Morstan."

I nodded and put my hands into my pockets. "You have been extremely helpful, Mary. Now, I must be going."

If John was dead less than a week, then I needed to travel back to the present and prevent it. I needed to leave now.

So I turned to leave, but the woman, Mary, grasped my arm.

"Don't leave." Her voice was no louder than a whisper. "Let me help you."

I stopped and looked at her. Then I shook my head. "You can't help me. What you can do is go on with your life and forget you ever saw me." I took my arm back gently, turned, and began walking away.

Three seconds passed.

"Wait!"

I sighed. Was she not getting the message?

Mary Morstan raced after me and shoved her hand into mine. "If I can help somehow," she insisted, "this is my address."

And with that Mary backed away and I lost her in the crowd. Glancing at my hand, I saw on the corner of a used napkin she wrote her address. Shrugging, I pocketed the napkin. Why not?

Then without further adue, I hid myself behind a small shed and began my trip back to the present. John was in danger. There was no time to waste.

AN: Sorry about the wait! PLEASE REVIEW!