This chapter is a lot shorter than I originally planned. But I like it. So I'm publishing it like this.

I don't own. Only Emily. Again, I've only had time to read it though once, so I'm sorry if there are any spelling/punctuation mistakes.

A very quick thank you to all who have reviewed. They make me so happy. :D

Did anyone go to London to witness The Empty Hearse? I'm so frustrated. Every time something Sherlockish goes on in London, I'm at work.

Also, THE UK HAVE AN AIR DATE! (I'm very happy about this.)

#Sherlocklives

Sebastian carefully made his way down the stairs back towards the kitchen. He had just managed to get Emily to settle down for the night and did not want to encourage her to get up. Again.

It seemed that whenever she heard the slightest creak on the stairs, or the click of a door being shut, she was out of bed and down the stairs like a shot. It wasn't that she was frightened. She only got frightened when it thundered. It was more to do with the fact that she didn't want to be left out of anything. Especially when Jim was around. And Jim happened to be around most nights. Wether he did it on purpose, Sebastian did not know.

"She's down for the night. I hope." He informed the dark haired boy sat at the kitchen table. Though even as he spoke those words he just knew his sister would find something to get out of bed for. He made his way over to the counter, where the sandwich he had made half an hour ago was still waiting for him.

"Did she have her eyes shut when you left her?" Jim asked now, casting his gaze to the ceiling when he heard the floorboards squeaking. It couldn't be their Mother. She was out with her current boyfriend on a date night, or whatever excuse she had come up with to get out of the house this time.

Sebastian could only nod as he had taken a large bite of his sandwich, leaning against the counter. He had made sure of that fact before he left the room. It was only when he had swallowed his mouthful that he spoke. "Bet she'll be down in ten minutes though." He rolled his eyes and took another bite.

"Five." Jim replied.

"Jim, what are you getting her for Christmas?" He asked changing the subject. "And don't tell me nothing, because you said that last year and you ended up buying her those Muppet videos."

"You make it sound like it was a waste of money." Jim sounded outraged, but Sebastian knew he was only fooling around.

"Well-" But he was interrupted by his friend.

"I'll have you knew she wore those videos out."

"Yes. In the first four months of having them. The entire Christmas day we ended up watching those things. I'd be surprised if I didn't know the scripts off by heart." He complained, but Jim could see the twinkle in his eye. He was clearly remembering that day, just as he himself was, that they had fondly renamed as 'The Muppet day.' They had literally watched nothing else until Emily had gone to bed. To say they had been fed up of those particular puppets would be an understatement, but the look of pure joy on her face when she had unwrapped them had made it worth it. "So what are you getting her?" Sebastian asked again.

Jim had been about to open his mouth to tell him it was none of his bloody business when they heard the patter of bare feet coming down the stairs. Jim gave Sebastian an I-told-you-so smile as the kitchen door filled with the small figure of the girl they had just been talking about.

"Emily, it's not tomorrow yet." Sebastian sighed tiredly. This must have been the third time she had got out of her bed and come downstairs.

"But I can't sleep Seb." He looked her over from top to bottom. Her hair was somewhat messier than it had been a few minutes ago, as if she had been tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. But he had caught her doing that trick before. (She messed it up herself in the hope he would believe her.) And her pyjamas, Kermit the Frog of course, were a little twisted too. The tatty monkey that she had affectionately named Elvis and that she insisted on sleeping with was tightly clutched in her right hand and dangling on the floor.

"You haven't even tried." He insisted.

"But I haven't had a story." And there it was. The real reason why she wouldn't go to sleep. Some nights, it was just because she wanted one last cuddle. Some nights it was because she really couldn't sleep. But most nights, it was because she hadn't had a story. A tale that she could dream about instead of having nightmares.

"Alright then." He rolled his eyes and started to move towards her, knowing what her next words would be.

"But Jim tells them better." She insisted. It was the same every time she wanted a story. Sebastian would offer to tell her one, she would argue that Jim would tell them better, and eventually Jim would pretend to be annoyed, when really that was the only reason he was still there that late, and tuck her in while telling her a story. It was their little routine that they had unconsciously let happen. But they were ok with it going on for a little longer.

Jim now tapped his chin as if in thought and looked to the ceiling again. "I don't know. Should I tell her a story when she really should be sleeping? I don't think that's allowed." Jim shook his head looking at Sebastian. But his attention was not on his friend for very long as the little girl had now climbed onto his lap, a sad look on her face.

"Please Jim." She gave him her best puppy dog eyes. Even at her young age, she knew how do give that look.

"Please Seb." Jim now looked at the other boy and turned Emily round in his lap so the pair of them could give her brother the puppy dog look.

"Oh alright. I suppose so." Sebastian pretended to give up but couldn't help but smile as Emily cheered on Jim's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he stood from his chair and departed the kitchen.

He shook his head and took another bite of his sandwich. That girl, if she wasn't careful, was going to be spoiled rotten by his friend. Spoiled he had no problem with. It was the rotten part that bothered him.

Jim set Emily down on the floor of her bedroom and headed towards the bookshelf as she padded to her bed. He pulled the book of Grimm's fairy tales from her bookshelf and turned to watch her as she climbed under the covers.

It was a book that he had read from many times before. Sometimes, he read the stories word for word. But there were other times when he started a story, and gave them a whole new ending. He rather enjoyed the creative side of himself.

"What shall I read to you tonight hmmm?" He questioned as he skimmed down the contents page, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"Make one up." He looked up at her and snapped the book shut, placing it on the bedside table where it was quickly forgotten.

"Make one up. Let's see. There was once a beautiful princess-"

"What was she called?" Emily interrupted him, as she often did when he was creating a bedtime story for her.

"Princess Emily of course." He answered her as if the answer should have been obvious.

"Was she a damsel in distress. Jim I'm bored of Damsels in distresses."

"Oh no. Princess Emily was no Damsel in Distress."

"No?" She sat up in her excitement.

"No." Jim gently pushed her back down and tucked her in. "Princess Emily was known throughout the land as the fearless dragon slayer."

"How many had she slayed?" He smiled, as he always did when she said the wrong word.

"She'd slain so many, she had lost count." Emily snuggled down and hugged Elvis closer to her. "Then one day, when the citizens of the land were celebrating her birthday, a fierce dragon, bigger than the castle, almost as big as the mountains, it's body the colour of blood-"

"Purple."

"Don't be so silly, no one has purple blood." She giggled into the back of Elvis' head and allowed him to continue. "It's body the colour of blood, breathed fire onto the people's houses, burning them into a crisp in mere seconds."

He tucked some hair behind Emily's ear as she yawned and closed her eyes.

"As the people began to panic, Princess Emily took out her sword and as everyone else ran from the beast, she, the bravest of them all, ran towards it." He stopped and took in the sight before him.

Emily must have been exhausted. She was already asleep. Normally it took much longer for her to drift off. It was frequent however that he hardly ever got to finish a story. But he didn't mind. Often the next day she would tell him how the story had finished in her dreams. He always looked forward to hearing them.

He pulled her covers over her shoulders, stroked her hair, and silently moved to the door. He left her door open a crack, as she preferred, and headed down the stairs. A rather smug smile plastered on his face.

"Bloody hell that was quick." Sebastian looked up at the clock and back at Jim. He had only been gone a matter of minutes.

"What can I say? I'm magical." He boasted.

"How do you do it?" Sebastian asked, genuinely curious. He wanted to know for future reference in case there ever came a time when Jim couldn't tell her a story.

Jim reached for an apple and begun to cut it into slices. "Magic." He mystically responded before popping a slice in his mouth.

Believe In Sherlock

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