This chapter focuses on everyone's, particularly John's, reactions to Sherlock missing. Guess who finds out first (with the help of government surveillance).

John was startled awake by the sound of his cellphone ringing. He looked around the room, briefly wondering why he was sleeping on the couch. He quickly remembered how he decided to wait in the living room so he could tell Sherlock to see Rosie when he got back.

The phone kept ringing, demanding John to answer it. He found it on the floor next to the couch and read the caller ID. It revealed that the person calling was Mycroft.

He answered the phone. "Hello."

"Good morning, Dr. Watson," he greeted.

"Sherlock went out last night. I don't think he's back yet."

"He isn't."

John sighed. "Do you know this because he's with you, or because of your surveilance around Baker Street?"

"The latter, I'm afraid." Of course it was. "There's a car waiting for you out front. Please get in and I'll meet you and Lestrade in approximately ten minutes."

"I still have to get ready and see if Mrs. Hudson can watch Rosie."

"No time to get ready I'm afraid," said Mycroft, "Mrs. Hudson should be up by now. Simply stop by and tell her the situation."

"And what is the situation?"

When John received no answer, he looked at the screen to see that Mycroft had hung up. He thought about simply going back to sleep to spite him, but it could have to do with Sherlock and he didn't want to inconvenience Greg.

He looked at his reflection in the window. His hair wasn't too messy and his clothes only had a few wrinkles from being slept in. It shouldn't be a problem if he was only going to be seeing Mycroft, Greg, and possibly Sherlock. The only thing he should be concerned about was his morning breath. He'd have to keep his distance when talking.

John went downstairs and knocked on the door of 221A. He heard movement from inside before Mrs. Hudson opened the door.

"Hello, John! What are you doing up so early?"

"Hello, Mrs. Hudson," he said, "Mycroft just called. I have to go meet him and Greg. Could you watch Rosie while I'm gone? She should be up in an hour or so."

Mrs. Hudson's face lit up. "Of course, Dear!"

John thanked her before heading out the door. A shiny, black car greeted him as soon as he stepped out. "Here we go."

A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of an alley blocked by police tape. There were about two cruisers with them on the street as well as a few officers in the area. Mycroft and Greg were talking in the alley.

John exited the vehicle and scanned the area for Sherlock. He didn't think he'd miss a crime scene, but he didn't see him anywhere. Maybe he already came and went. That would explain why there's no body.

He approached Greg and Mycroft. "Someone want to tell me what's going on?"

Greg asked John, "Are you sure Sherlock didn't return to the flat?"

Mycroft answered for John, "As I've already told you Detective Inspector, he did not return to Baker Street. He would have been seen by my surveilance. This is the last place we were able to track him to."

John felt like his head was spinning. "Wait, wait. Are you saying that we don't know where Sherlock is?"

"That is precisely what I'm saying, Dr. Watson."

Greg rubbed his temples as he said, "We can't file a missing persons report yet." He crossed his arms. "He has to be missing for twenty-four hours, and it hasn't even been twelve yet."

"I am fully aware of the procedure. Nevertheless, I am convinced that something has happened to him."

John wanted to say something, but his throat suddenly went dry. Mycroft was never one to get these things wrong. He was even willing to come here himself to investigate rather than send someone on his behalf. That in itself spoke volumes.

He managed to speak, trying to be optimistic. "What makes you so sure?"

Mycroft answered him, "I got a call earlier this morning saying that Sherlock had stopped moving in this alley. The explanation upon further inspection turned out to be that his phone was left in this location along with the tracker inside it. Video from the camera on an adjacent building shows that Sherlock did indeed enter this alley, but didn't exit. He must have been taken out the other end where we were forbidden to install any cameras. Something about concerns over privacy." He said the last sentence like it was the most silly concern the public could have.

Greg commented, "You say taken when he could have simply wanted to be left alone and got rid of his phone so he couldn't be tracked."

John replied, "Sherlock always keeps his phone with him. It's one of his only links to getting cases."

"Exactly, Dr. Watson," said Mycroft, "And he wouldn't have left it in the middle of an alley. He would have tried to conceal it."

"Okay," said Greg, "I'll give ya that. What's to say he didn't drop it from his hand or pocket? You and I agree that the phone wasn't set down."

"According to our footage, Sherlock was holding his phone and wallet when he entered the alley. Having it fall out of his pocket is unlikely. And since this part of London is quieter than most, he and the homeless person he was approaching would have heard it hit the cement."

"Homeless person?" asked Greg.

"Why else would he take out his wallet in an alley?"

John asked, "Where is his phone now?"

"We sent it to forensics," said Greg, "See what they could find."

Mycroft said to Greg, "And I will send you the last footage of Sherlock to you and your most competent staff."

This was becoming too real for John. His head was continuing to spin and he actually felt bile rise in his throat. Mycroft had footage of Sherlock right before he went missing. Mycroft wouldn't misinterpret Sherlock's body language. If Sherlock meant to disappear, Mycroft would see it in the video.

"John," said Greg, "you look pale."

He nodded. "Yeah, it's just... Sherlock stormed out because we had a row. He never came back." It sounded silly for him to say at that moment, but John couldn't really find it in himself to say or even think anything else.

Sherlock left because he was upset. Never came back.

Sherlock stormed out because of him. Now he's disappeared.

Sherlock ran away from John. Now he's in danger.

It was all his fault that Sherlock left. It was all his fault that Sherlock was taken.

"Dr. Watson." John blinked several times before returning to reality. Greg had left to talk to another officer, leaving only Mycroft.

"Sorry. You were saying?"

"There is no doubt in my mind that someone has Sherlock. That is the only explanation. I have more faith in you than I do Scotland Yard at the moment. You will assist the Yard and myself to recover him."

Under normal circumstances, John would have said something snippy or sarcastic at the way Mycroft was talking to him, but all he could do was nod.

"I'm glad you're cooperative for once."

After all that Sherlock's done for John, he had to return the favor. He had to find him and return him home to himself and Rosie. He had to find him and apologize for what he said. He had to reunite his daughter with one of her favorite persons in the world. Sherlock must have taught him some tricks since they met that he can use.

"Mycroft, I need you to send me a copy of the footage."

They both knew that John wasn't going to see anything Mycroft or the Yard couldn't see, but Mycroft nodded anyway. "Of course. In the meantime, I'd suggest you go home."

That suggestion surprised John, but he headed back to the car anyway. He admitted that he did need to rest. However, when he realized that he needed to tell Rosie about this, John wasn't sure he'd be able to relax back at home.

John entered 221B to see Mrs. Hudson dusting and Rosie sitting on the couch, talking about what the argument between Sherlock and himself.

Rosie turned her head towards the door, disappointed. "Sherlock never said goodnight."

John sighed. "That's because Sherlock didn't come home last night."

"Oh. Then where is he?"

John glanced at Mrs. Hudson, who also seemed curious about Sherlock's whereabouts. Then he walked over to the where Rosie was sitting and kneeled in front of her.

He took her little hands in his. "Sweetheart, do you know what it means to be kidnapped?" John heard Mrs. Hudson's sharp intake of breath behind him.

Rosie scrunched up her face in thought. "I've heard you and Sherlock say that word when you talk about work sometimes, but I don't know what it means. Why?"

This was even more difficult than he thought it would be. "How do I explain it? Remember at the park when that boy stole your shovel?"

She nodded. "That maked me very mad."

"Well... people can be stolen too. A person will take another person away from their friends and family. The person who was taken away doesn't want to be with them, so the kidnapper, or the person who stole the other person, has to keep them trapped."

Rosie's expression didn't change. She just continued to sit there, looking at John.

"What I'm trying to say is... Sherlock was stolen from us. Someone took him away last night."

The silence was deafening. Rosie was very still, seemingly stuck in her own thoughts. Even if she didn't realize what dangers Sherlock was truly in, him disappearing would tear her apart.

The tears welling up in her eyes broke his heart. "Get him back."

Oh how he wanted to. "We don't know who took him, Sweetheart. They're keeping him hidden so that we don't know where he is."

The tears slid out of her eyes as his words sunk in. Then she began sobbing and threw her arms around his neck. He clutched onto her as she cried into his shoulder.

"Give him back!" she exclaimed, "Give him back!"

John knew Rosie understood that he couldn't give Sherlock back. It was simply all she could comprehend to say at that moment. Whether or not that was why, John wished he could return Sherlock to her. She adored him. She was too young to explain why, but John figured much of it had to do with the fact that Sherlock adores her right back. Last night, John had implied that Sherlock didn't care about her. That was an absolute lie. He loved Rosie like she was his own daughter.

Not only did he want to give him back for Rosie, but for himself. Sherlock was more than his best friend at this point. He's saved John's life more than once in more ways than Sherlock himself knew. He practically cured his psychosomatic leg, risked his own life pulling him out of a bonfire, and helped him find meaning in his life after Afghanistan. Now, he was helping raise John's child.

John tried not to let any tears escape his own eyes. "We're going to look for him. Okay? We're going to try and bring him home."

He felt Rosie nod on his shoulder. "He needs to come back."

"I know."

He felt a hand on his other shoulder and looked up to see Mrs. Hudson. She had an encouraging smile, but her eyes gave away her anxiety and sadness.

She told him, "Sherlock's stubborn. He'll try to escape and come home."

John was well aware how stubborn Sherlock could be. Hopefully, he was also too stubborn to die.

In the next chapter, we'll be catching up with Sherlock.

Feel free to let me know how I did!