Here's chapter 9! Thanks again for the follows/favs/reviews! They really mean a lot to me! I have a pretty busy week coming up so I'm not sure I'll be able to update as speedy as I usually do. But I hope you enjoy none-the-less :) Now, on to Chapter 9!
Chapter 9
"Sherlock?"
"Hmmm?"
"How do you spell 'evidence'?"
"E-v-i-d-e-n-c-e."
"Thanks."
"Sherlock?"
"Yes?"
"How do you spell 'suicide'?
"S-u-i…wait, what? What are you writing Addie?"
"Nothing," she said innocently.
Sherlock eyed her curiously.
"How do you spell 'morgue'?
"Alright that's it," Sherlock said abandoning his place on the couch. "Let me see what you're writing," he said as he walked over to her place at the small coffee table.
"No! It's none of your business!" Addie said, snatching the journal away before he could grab it.
"It is my business if you are writing inappropriate things. Now give it here," Sherlock said reaching out for it.
"No! It's mine! You can't have it!" she yelled and clutched the book to her chest.
"Wanna bet?" Sherlock sneered, moving closer to her.
"You want it? You're gonna have'ta catch me first!" she said and took off into the kitchen.
"Damnit Addie!" Sherlock cursed and ran after her. He chased her around the kitchen table and she crawled under a chair to avoid his grabbing hand.
She giggled, crawled out between his legs, and narrowly avoided colliding with John as he walked in with bags of groceries and a box of take-out.
"Whoa there! Addie! Watch where you're going! And don't run inside!" John said exasperatedly.
Sherlock and Addie were driving him mad. There hadn't been a case in nearly three days and the cabin fever was starting to get to all of them. They desperately needed to get out of the house. But when John suggested they go somewhere and have an outing, he got a scowl and a raised eyebrow from Addie and a rather rude gesture from Sherlock. As a result he's had to suffer through the craziness that is a bored Holmes, or rather two.
"Sherlock, what are you doing?" he said setting the food on the counter.
"Addie's writing inappropriate things in that stupid journal of hers," he said.
"Am not!" yelled a voice from the other room.
"Are too! She asked me how to spell morgue! And she's not letting me look at it which means that it's obviously something she has reservations about and something she intends to keep quiet, hence the idea that it is inappropriate and needs to be confiscated," Sherlock said.
"Nuh-uh! It's not bad, I just don't want no one to read it. It's private!" Addie said.
"Oh come off it, Sherlock! It's not that big of a deal. It can't be anything too horrible. Let it go. And she's right, it is private. That's why it's in a journal," John said as he brought down some plates.
"Ridiculous. Writing it in a journal does not mean it's suddenly locked and secret forever," Sherlock huffed.
"Leave it Sherlock," John said looking him in the eye pointedly. Sherlock rolled his eyes and looked away. Addie stuck her tongue out at him and made a face.
"Now, who's ready for some dinner? I picked up some take-out after doing the shopping," John said setting the table.
"How very domestic of you John," Sherlock cheekily replied.
John glared at him and ignored it. "Addie, go wash up for dinner, alright?"
"Ok Mr. John. Here, hold my journal," Addie said as she walked towards the bathroom.
Suddenly Sherlock appeared annoyingly close to John and peered over his shoulder. "What's it say? Read it! Or just let me see it."
"Sherlock! Stop. I'm not going to read it. That's rude," John replied.
"Oh shove being rude! Now let me see it!" Sherlock was able to grab the book from John's hands.
They both stopped to read the page she'd been writing on.
"Addie's Deduckshun Book," it was titled.
"Hmmm, she can't spell," Sherlock tutted.
"She's four," John rolled his eyes.
They continued reading:
"Today we went to the crime seen and Shurlok and Mr. Jawn looked around at all the stuff in the room. 'Atective 'Strade was there too and he was talking wif lotsa poleese offsirs. I wasn't allowed to go in but I over-herd Miss Sally and Mr. An'erson talking bout the case. They said all the evidence pointed to it being the man in the letter they found that day. I thot it was funnee becuz the man never rote a note cuz he was already dead a few days ago. Shurlok told Mister Jawn the man had a suiside and he wasn't able to rite any letter or leave any cloos behind. When they were done in the house we went to visit Miss Molly at the morg so Shurlok culd look at the man one more time before he solved the kase. Shurlok and Mister Jawn figurd it out and Mister 'Strade was very happee wif them."
John smiled after reading it and looked to Sherlock with a smirk. "See, nothing to worry about. She's just writing about the cases. No big deal. Seems we've got a junior blogger on our hands."
Sherlock scoffed, "Well she's going to need to improve her spelling if she wants to publish it."
"Stop being a prat," John said as he served up the rice and chicken. "I think it's cute. Trying to be like her big brother and solve the crimes, then write them down and document them. Isn't that what you do? Solve the crime then write about it?"
"I don't see how this," he gestured to the journal, "Is in any way similar to what I do." Sherlock said.
John laughed and shook his head. Soon enough Addie came back into the kitchen and took her place at the table next to Sherlock. She chatted animatedly about how she spent her day and the level she was at in her puzzle game. Sherlock was watching her more carefully now, noting how she held the fork like he did and ate her rice before her chicken like he was doing. She also chose the same drink as him and sipped it whenever he did.
He realized that John was right…again…darn him. Addie was just trying to be like him and emulate his behavior and habits. Usually he would find it annoying, but instead he found it flattering and endearing. He liked the idea of someone looking up to him so much that they would try to be just like him. No one ever wished to be like him. And yeah, alright, it was a little cute.
"Thanks for getting dinner Mr. John!" Addie said as she slipped off her chair and set her plate on the sink. She took her journal and returned to the living room.
Eventually Sherlock and John came in to watch their evening telly and read the newspaper. Sherlock scooted Addie over on the couch so he could fit and settled down next to her.
"Sherlock, I wanna watch 'specktor Gadget! Can we watch it? Please!" Addie asked.
"No, we're going to watch the news," Sherlock answered.
"But the news is so boring!" she pouted. "I wanna watch 'specktor Gadget!"
"Inspector Gadget isn't on right now, Addie so we're going to watch the news," John told her. He didn't have the heart to tell her that Inspector Gadget hadn't been on for ten years.
Addie harrumphed and sank back into the pillows. When she fell asleep Sherlock took her to her room and tucked her in, then returned to the living room to watch the late night shows like they always did.
Not twenty minutes later Addie walked back into the room clutching her Union Jack pillow.
"Sherlock, I can't sleep," she whined. "My brain won't turn off and I can't relax."
"Addie, did you do the mind exercises I taught you?"
"Yeah, but it's not working!"
Sherlock sighed and looked at her.
"Can you read me a story? It always helps my brain turn off when you read to me," Addie said looking at him with her big blue eyes.
"Addie, I really can't…"
"Please Sherlock! I promise I'll go to bed after just one story, even if I don't fall asleep!"
John could see Sherlock ready to cave and he decided to throw in his own offer. "I'm pretty tired myself. I should head to bed." He said as he turned off the TV and started turning off the lights.
"Please! Just one story!" Addie pleaded.
Sherlock was now left with no excuse as he didn't have anything to watch or any light to read by on the couch. "Oh, alright! Fine! But just one," he warned.
"Yes! Thanks Sherlock! You're the best!" Addie exclaimed and gave him a hug.
"Ok, ok, go pick something out from the bookshelf. I doubt we have anything interesting, but go ahead anyways. I'm going to go put on my pajamas," Sherlock said, leaving the room.
"Mr. John, what is this book about?" she asked him as he was turning off his laptop.
He took it from her and read the title "The Hardy Boys Series". If John thought it odd that Sherlock had these books in his collection, he didn't mention it.
"It's about a group of young boys who fight the bad guys and help solve crimes," he said.
"Like Sherlock?" Addie said excitedly.
"Yeah, I guess they are kinda like Sherlock," John said chuckling.
"I wanna read this one!" she smiled widely. "Night Mr. John!" Addie said before hugging his leg and running off to Sherlock's room.
Sherlock was startled but not surprised to see Addie patiently waiting for him on his bed. She held the "Hardy Boys" book in her hand and looked at him expectantly.
"Addie, why can't we read in your room?"
"I wanna sleep wif you!"
Sherlock gave a weary sigh and lay down next to her.
"Please Lockie! It's easier for me to sleep if I have someone wif me," she said using her puppy eyes.
Sherlock didn't give another word. He simply opened the book and started reading. Addie smiled and snuggled into his side. Eventually Addie fell back to sleep clutching Sherlock's t-shirt in her hand. Sherlock set the book down and carefully untangled himself from her grasp to get out of bed.
Now his brain wouldn't shut up. It was late, but his mind didn't care about time or convenience. He quietly slipped down the hall and made himself some tea, then sat on the couch thinking and staring at the ceiling.