Danielle woke up with a blanket over her. In fact, she was so comfortable and warm on that spot where she was that she went back to sleep. Completely unaware that John has left.

She woke up to a heavy pile of books droppings to the ground. "Didn't do it!" She instantly called out as she awoke.

Sherlock opened another book. "Do what?" He closed the book, tossing it aside.

Danielle watched the book fall, blinking as though she suddenly remembered how to do that. "I don't know." She replied after a long pause.

Sherlock hummed. "Well don't sit around. Come look."

"Right." Danielle turned off the couch, getting to her feet.

She hesitated for a second, wondering about the blanket she was wearing. She quickly dismissed it- thinking John had done it. She picked up her phone to see what books had been done already only to see her phone had died.

She set it up to charge- deciding she would just be inconvenienced while it charged.

Sherlock took note of the phone. He had checked three books in the time she spent setting it aside. "Why take pictures?"

Danielle gawked. She went over to a tall pile of books that had toppled over. "To see if they had the same books. You know, check the picture if it belonged to the other guy."

"Why?"

"Cause I can't look at all of them at once?" Danielle explained. Sherlock continued to look perplexed. "It sounded like a good idea."

He merely silently went back to looking.

"I know this one was just Van Coon's." Danielle noted, at a book in the pile.

"How so?"

"It just looks rare. Doubt Lukis had a book like this. I mean, unless they all just shared the one book." Danielle questioned. A look of realization dawned on Sherlock's face. "Do you think it was a library book?"

"What? No." Sherlock dismissed. "It was a book that everybody would own. One not out of place in a home."

"Oooo." Was Danielle's reply.

==NKMHLY==

So it wasn't a dictionary, or the Bible. Both Van Coon and Lukis has different Bible translations. Van Coon had a dictionary, but Lukis had a thesaurus. Any of Danielle's ideas for a common book were dismissed when neither man had any Harry Potter's.

Her phone had charged some time ago. She barely paid it mind. Not even when Felix has texted her 'I told Mum + P to back off.' Or texted 'reply?' Or 'Danielle?'

Sherlock noticed though.

He declined any comments to Danielle. He had work to finish. She was finally doing proper work- her sleep helping her focus. If she saw the texts, she would remember why she hadn't slept the night before.

None of the Work got done by the time John cane home from his first shift at a clinic.

"I need to get some air. We're going out tonight." Sherlock stated to John as greeting.

Danielle glanced up from her new pile of books. She had been putting away the books that were marked hard 'no's. There were a lot of those.

"Actually, I've, er, got a date." John replied. He smiled- an acjdvensmt had been earned.

"That's great!" Danielle congratulated.

"What?" Sherlock questioned.

"It's where two people who like each other go out and have fun." John clarified.

"That's what I was suggesting." Sherlock countered.

"No it wasn't... at least I hope not." John replied.

"We would have three." Sherlock corrected. He waved a hand towards Danielle.

"I like that." Danielle cheered. She could still remember the night at Angelo's. It had been fun. Right now she could use fun.

John was still unconvinced.

Sherlock frowned. Obviously displeased by everything going on here. "Where are you taking her?"

"Er, cinema." John answered.

"Are you taking her to see-" Danielle began.

"Oh, dull, boring, predictable." Sherlock interrupted. He grabbed a flyer from his desk, passing it along to John. "Why don't you try this?"

John took it. Danielle stood to her feet, going over to see over his shoulder. It was a flyer for a traveling Chinese circus.

"In London for one night only." Sherlock advertised.

"Ooh." Danielle cooed.

John handed back the flyer with a laugh. "Thanks, but I don't come to you for dating advice."

Danielle pouted. She had thought it sounded fun.

==NKMHLY==

Not long after, Sherlock had dragged Danielle back to her flat. He insisted she change into 'something nicer'.

She fed the dogs- noting that when she came back she would have to walk them- before dressing.

She'd changed into a teal blue sweater with a pink rose emblem on the front along with a pair of black leggings. She joined Sherlock to find him dressed in a new shirt, black trousers, and his usual big coat.

Sherlock brought her to that same circus from the flyer.

Danielle hesitated before joining him. "Sherlock."

"We have to hurry. John just walked in."

"He what?" Danielle looked towards the building. She couldn't spot anything about the small doctor or his apparent date.

Sherlock wrapped his arm around Danielle's shoulders. He decided to just drag her along.

They walked towards the ticket counter. Danielle spotted John there, standing beside a blonde woman.

"Actually, I have four in that name." The ticket manager answered.

"No, I don't think so. We only booked two." John countered.

"And then I phoned back and got two for myself and Danielle as well." Sherlock revealed.

John turned around, shocked. Sarah- or at least Danielle guessed it was Sarah- turned too, looking unsure about it. Danielle had the impression she and Sherlock were not strictly invited.

Sherlock held out his hand.

"I'm Sherlock. This is Danielle." He introduced.

Danielle smiled kindly.

Sarah shook Sherlock's hand. John huffed, running his hand over his face briefly. "Er, hi." Sarah greeted.

"Hello." Sherlock smiled a smile so fake Danielle wondered why there wasn't a cartoon style ping after it. He dropped the smile, turning away.

Danielle held up her hand. Sarah gave it a shake. "Danielle, hi. Sorry for crashing?"

Sarah laughed. "It's alright." She replied politely.

The two of them followed after Sherlock.

John was left behind- cursing his fate.

==NKMHLY==

Sarah had gone off to the loo. Danielle stood with the two men by the stairs, waiting for her to come back.

"You couldn't let me have just one night off?" John whisper-scolded.

"Yellow Dragon Circus, in London for one day. It fits." Sherlock explained plainly to John. "The Tong sent an assassin to England-"

"...dressed as a tightrope walker." John scoffed. "Come on, Sherlock, behave!"

"We're looking for a killer who can climb, who can shin up a rope. Where else would you find that level of dexterity?" Sherlock countered. "Exit visas are scarce in China. They need a pretty good reason to get out of that country. Now, all I need to do is have a quick look round the place-"

"Fine. You and Danielle do that; I'm gonna take Sarah for a pint." John stated. He turned to move.

Sherlock grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "I need your help." He stated.

"I do have a couple of other things on my mind this evening!" John snapped.

"Like what?" Sherlock questioned.

Danielle glanced over Sherlock, trying to look at John. She guessed John wanted a night away from Baker's Street. She couldn't really understand that impulse. Then again, she was more of a homebody. John seemed more excited in the outside world. Maybe he wanted a night with friends, and a date with a coworker was just the easiest way to get that.

"You are kidding." John deadpanned at Sherlock.

"What's so important?" Sherlock questioned.

Danielle nearly spoke up about her theory. She decided against when she saw John's glare aimed at Sherlock. She didn't want it too.

"Sherlock, I'm right in the middle of a date." John explained carefully. "D'you want me to chase some killer while I'm trying to-" He stopped himself.

"What?" Sherlock pressed.

Danielle squeaked- spotting Sarah coming around the corner.

"...while I'm trying to get off with Sarah!" John snapped. He raised his voice to a more normal tone as Sarah caught up with them. "Heyyy."

Sherlock rolled his eyes in annoyance. Danielle gave a helpless shrug to him. Sherlock rolled his eyes towards the sky. He walked up the stairs, not even checking to be sure anyone followed. Danielle joined in first.

"Ready?" John asked Sarah.

Sarah smiled. "Yeah!"

They both joined in.

==NKMHLY==

The performance area was less circus than advertised. It was an open space with the area marked off with a circle of lit candles. Inside the circle was a tarped object, and a large plank of wood set to stand up.

No chairs, just a bunch of tourists and British folk standing around the candle circle.

John and Sarah walked up towards the front of the candle circle. Sherlock stood behind them. Danielle was delighted to stand beside Sherlock.

John leaned back to speak with Sherlock. Danielle strained to listen in. "You said circus. This is not a circus. Look at the size of this crowd. Sherlock, this is-" He made a face of annoyance. "...art."

"This is not their day job." Sherlock reminded John after a pause.

"No, sorry, I forgot. They're not a circus; they're a gang of international smugglers." John snarked.

A small drum beat began to play. Danielle squeaked in excitement, turning to the center stage. An older Chinese woman in painted face walked out. She held up her hand to silence the drumbeat. The woman walked over a tarped object- yanking it away to reveal a large crossbow. She picked out an arrow from a barrel, cocking it into the crossbow. She dropped a feather into a bowl- launching the arrow at a large plank of wood some ten feet away.

The small crowd applauded. Sarah laughed, turning to John. Danielle stood closer to Sherlock, feeling chilled.

A man- decked out in away that reminded Danielle of a samurai warrior but with a King Kong head- walked out. He waved a hand to the woman. She nodded at him. Two men in black arrived, beginning to chain the warrior to the large plank.

"Classic Chinese escapology act." Sherlock commented. Danielle and the couple turned to him.

John made a questioning noise.

"The crossbow's on a delicate string." Sherlock explained. "The warrior has to escape his bonds before it fires."

The Chinese woman loaded another arrow. The warrior was tightened to the plank with chains- so tight he cried out. Danielle was actually so startled she ended up clutching to Sherlock's arm. Sherlock did nothing to correct this but a look at her. Danielle was ensnared by the entire thing.

She was both recalling Soo Lin, and forgetting the incident entirely.

A giant metal gong went off.

Danielle held tighter to Sherlock. Distantly, she heard Sarah yelping. Danielle only heard a suppressed gunshot.

The Chinese woman pulled out a knife. She stabbed a sandbag hung overhead.

"She splits the sandbag." Sherlock explained. He kept his tone level and soft, leaning towards Danielle but loud enough to let John and Sarah overhear. "The sand pours out; gradually the weight lowers into the bowl."

Danielle's hand was still tight on Sherlock's arm.

The sandbag let more sand out. As it rose up, a pulley system was working to lower a heavy weight. The warrior fought against his bounds. He struggled and strained against the metal. He got his left hand free. Then his right. He began on the chains on his neck.

Danielle watched the weight come within a foot of the release on the crossbow. Sherlock tried to take a step aside. She got so nervous she ended up letting go of Sherlock's arm to curl around her own chest. She watched.

With a loud yell the warrior fell to the ground. The arrow struck the wood a mere second later.

"Thank God." Sarah breathed out relief.

"My God!" John exhaled too. They both laughed in relief.

The warrior stood up to the applause of the crowd.

Danielle shuddered. She stumbled back, scuffing her shoe on the floor.

John glanced over his shoulder. He looked again when he saw that Sherlock had vanished, meaning Danielle stood behind him alone. John tried to look around the room for Sherlock but saw nothing.

"Where did he go?" John asked Danielle.

She hesitated before answering. "He left?"

John let a sigh.

Danielle let out an awkward laugh. "That's fine. I'll just- I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" John asked.

"Yes." Danielle answered.

The applause faded back. The Chinese woman walked into the stage. Danielle was holding herself tightly, her fingers white.

She couldn't handle it.

It was- there was-

She held Soo Lin that tight

And now she was dead.

Danielle walked back towards the restroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, from the distant moonlight shores of the Yangtze River, we present for your pleasure the deadly Chinese bird-spider."

Danielle heard the applause as she left the room.

==NKMHLY==

She splashed water on her face. She stared at her reflection, seeing some redness still in her eyes. She grabbed a napkin, wiping at the water.

She was about to break down crying at a circus. What a mess she was. What next, sobbing at flowers? Or balloons?

She let herself have a laugh at that.

Her phone buzzed in her purse. Danielle took it out, seeing the caller was Felix. With a disappointed sigh she accepted it.

"He-"

"Thank god!" Felix exclaimed. "I was worried! Where have you been? I couldn't get anything from you all day!"

"I-" Danielle glanced around the small restroom she had hidden away in. "I was sleeping today. And my phone died. Sorry."

There was a sigh from Felix's side. "No- no it's fine. I get it. But you said- you watched someone- are you okay?"

Danielle waited a moment to compose herself. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I- it was just her. She- it was for a case. She was helping us and- and we were too late."

"Oh." Felix replied. Sounding like an idiot, too. What idiots she and her family were. "Sorry. Elle that's- that's shit."

"It was."

"What do you mean, 'for a case'? You're not a copper." Felix realized.

"My neighbor is." Danielle explained. "Sherlock. Remember? I told you about him."

"That bloke? The one who took you to Paul's bank? He's not a copper either."

"Prefers consulting detective." Danielle confirmed. She heard some loud noises coming from outside the restroom. She walked towards it.

"But who was shot?" Felix asked.

Danielle hesitated. The screams got louder. "A woman. She- she needed help. It was her-"

'-the Chinese bird spider.'

Danielle froze.

The screams did not.

"Danielle? What's going on over there?"

"Her brother. She was shot by her brother and they were from China and they're smugglers and that was him!" Danielle realized in a rush. She ran out of the bathroom, weaving her way through the escaping crowd. "Oh that rat prick!"

"What are you doing? Elle. What are you doing?"

Danielle walked back into the stage room. Sherlock and John were in a fight with the samurai warrior. She couldn't see anything from the bird-spider acrobat. That rat bastard- who had killed his sister- right before Danielle's eyes- had run off, probably with the crowd at her back. She did however see the arrow lodged in that old plank.

"I need to go punch a circus performer." Danielle told her brother.

"Elle don't you dare-!"

She hung up her phone. She tucked her phone back into her purse before going to grab the used arrow. It was plenty big for what she needed.

She ran past Sarah, who was watching the fight in shock. "Hi Sarah!" Danielle cheered as she ran past.

The warrior had tossed aside John, who was disoriented as he tried to get to his feet. Sherlock had also been thrown to the ground. The warrior raised a sword up above his head, ready to strike.

Or he was, until Danielle smacked him on the head with the arrow.

The warrior roared as his helmet jostled with the hit. Danielle took no time to strike him again on the side- twice. The warrior fell to the ground in pain. He kept grunting and groaning, sounding nearly unconscious.

Danielle panted as she let the arrow drop. She couldn't believe she'd actually done it.

Sarah went over to John. She helped him to his feet.

Danielle moved to do the same with Sherlock. He jumped to his own feet, rushing to the warrior. He took off the warrior's shoe, revealing the black lotus tattoo. Danielle shuddered.

"Come on." John insisted, clutching over in pain. He and Sarah started moving towards the exit.

Sherlock rushed with them. He grabbed Danielle's hand, dragging her behind him. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Did you see that? I hit him!" Danielle gasped as they retreated. "Three times!"

==NKMHLY==

Danielle liked to think this was a 'Walk of Shame'.

All four of them were walking into Scotland Yard towards the offices for the Detective Inspectors. They were walked right past where Danielle had spilled tea. Dimmock had picked them up from the circus- and it had not gone well at any point on the way back.

"I sent a couple of cars. The old hall is totally deserted." Dimmock snapped at them.

"Look, I saw the mark at the circus– that tattoo that we saw on the two bodies: the mark of the Tong." Sherlock reminded the DI.

Dimmock sat down at his desk. He continued to glare at them, annoyed as many cops were when Sherlock was involved.

"Lukis and Van Coon were part of a-a smuggling operation. Now, one of them stole something when they were in China; something valuable." John explained.

"So the Tong came here as circus members to get it back." Danielle finished.

Dimmock actually looked intrigued now. "Get what back?"

Danielle's face fell.

Sherlock's turned away, shoulders tense in annoyance.

"We don't know." John admitted after an awkward pause.

"You don't know." Dimmock repeated. He looked to Sherlock. The consulting detective refused to meet the DI's gaze. Danielle felt unwavering guilt. "Mr Holmes, I've done everything you asked. Lestrade, he seems to think your advice is worth something."

Sherlock actually looked proud of that fact. Danielle's guilt wavered.

"I gave the order for a raid. Please tell me I'll have something to show for it– other than a massive bill for overtime." Dimmock pressed.

Neither Sherlock, nor John, nor Danielle said anything. Sarah was the unknowing third wheel to this whole thing. There wasn't much to be said as none of them had any clue what was so worth while it cost the lives of three people.

Danielle could say this much- and would again later to a panicked Felix. She hit a man with an arrow three times.

==NKMHLY==

AN: Haha! I love picturing Danielle just beating a guy with a stick.

Thanks to Guardsman2015, PetrovaLover, CrystalAris, spirouFr, Mailani14, xrysatsan, and Ryn of Magic, for favoriting

Thanks to UmiNight Angel Neko, PetrovaLover, CrystalAris, 20calxlazer, Guardsman2015, emilyblue1712, xrysatsan, ClarissaR, and Ryn of Magic, for following