Whew, it's been a while, but here's another chapter, and thank you for all the reviews!
After getting back to 221 A, Emma followed Sherlock up to his room because she honestly had nothing other to do.
"What's this?" Emma asked, holding up a leather ball.
"Rugby ball." Sherlock said, looking back down at a gun he was tinkering with.
Emma's soft laugh erupted in the thick air, "You play rugby?"
"No. Watson enjoys the spot well enough though." She tossed the ball up and caught it in her hands several times.
"It sure is a heavy thing, very danger--" She paused for a moment, looking out the window. Sherlock looked at her curiously, "I bet you I can make it land on the top of that building right there." Emma pointed to the building across the street. Holmes scoffed.
"Impossible. The building is far too tall for someone with as weak muscles as you to throw it and it land on the top." Sherlock said with a hint of arrogance.
Emma walked towards him, "I think you need to stop examining things and just have some fun."
"I hardly constitute throwing rugby balls out a window entertaining."
Emma scoffed, "Come on, you can teach me the aerodynamics of how far and how hard to throw this ball or...I can just throw it as hard as I can and see what happens."
There's a certain feeling people experience when they love someone so dearly that they will do anything in their power to keep them out of harms way. They would take a bullet for them. And Sherlock had come to the conclusion that he did not love Emma, certainly not after she broke out the window of the apartment household across the street not ten minutes ago. No, he did not love her, he was merely infatuated by her, even a tad obsessed the more he thought on it.
That kiss he gave her at the Royale, nothing but an impulsive act of his over-tired, overly agitated state. He's convinced himself that it was nothing more than that, and nothing was meant by it. And nothing was meant by her kissing him a second time as well.
Sherlock did not believe in love, not anymore. And Emma was just an obsession of the moment. Within a month or so, she'll be out of his mind and not a memory left. And why she was still here, in his home, was unknown to him, but he wasn't exactly complaining.
She was playing a game of chess with Watson. Or rather he was playing a game of chess whilst Emma was getting distracted my the urge to re-arrange the pieces on the board to resemble a more "logical" ground placement plan, though Sherlock knew she was just arranging them in un-suitable pairs. IE the Queen with a knight, the King with the Bishop. That was one thing he admired about Emma, her ability to make anything less dull and boring than it already is.
Sherlock smiled slightly at Watson's frustration with her. But there was a certain sudden knock on the door before some entered. It just so happened to be Ms. Hudson escorting a red faced hefty woman.
"Mr. Holmes, this is Miss. Allene Dermott, she's come here for help." Holmes stood, beckoning the woman to sit down where he once sat. She slowly walked across the room and sat down. She brought a light-blue hanker-chief to her face and dabbed her eyes.
"What is the matter, Madame?" Sherlock asked, glancing over at Emma who watched the woman with sad eyes.
"Please, sir, my children 'ave been kidnapped!" She sobbed with a cockney accent. Sherlock thought for a moment.
"Can you tell me everything you know?" Allene nodded.
"It was three days ago, my twins Eli and Elizabeth were outside in our yard playing, and I was on the porch knitting scarves for the coming winter." He raised an eyebrow, winter was in eight months. Obviously not an extremely stable woman in the mind. "And I went inside to get a glass of water to come back out and they were gone, not even a single sign of the them!" Allene began to sob uncontrollably and Emma suddenly rushed over to her.
"Hey, hush now, it's alright. We'll help you." She rubbed her back, Allene looked up at her and stopped crying. How odd, Sherlock thought, Emma has a peculiar talent of comforting people.
"Miss Dermott, has there been any odd occurrences in the past month or so? Anything at all?" Sherlock questioned.
She thought for a moment, "Well, now that ya mention it, there was this odd man that came to me door step one evening a few weeks ago. Scary fellow, asking for directions. I didn't really think much of it."
"What did the man look like?"
"He was older, no hair, several wrinkles, and his nails—ugh his nails had to be at least three inches long!" Sherlock noticed Emma tense up. "And he talked in a very odd high pitched accent that I didn't recognize. I thought he was in town for the circus."
"Where did he ask you directions for?"
"Oh, let me think...I think it was Darenger Street...yes, that sounds right." Emma's eyes widened but she kept silent and Sherlock didn't question it.
"Thank you, Ms. Dermott. We will do our very best to find your children and get them safely to you." She nods and pulls out and envelop, giving it to Emma as she stands and leaves.
Emma opens it. Two pound sheets and a photograph of her and her two small children. As he was looking at the photo it began shaking as Emma's hand grew unstable. He looked up at her. Tears were forming in her eyes.
"They're so young," she said quietly. She set the papers down on the table, "Excuse me." Emma stood and walked out of the room. Holmes breathed in a sigh and looked at Watson who gave him a stern look.
"What?"
"You know what."
"No, I haven't a clue." He grabbed the picture and looked at it closely, "I've seen these two children, regular trouble-makers in the least. Probably ran off somewhere and got lost."
"Well we're getting paid to locate these two children, so we best get looking for them." Watson stood, slipping on his hat, "And I suggest you find Miss Gitali before she get herself lost, she's good at that."
Sherlock followed Watson out the door and he walked down the steps. He slipped out the door and saw Emma sitting on the stone steps, leaning against the railing.
"May I?" He asked, standing next to her. She only nodded and he sat next to her. There was a silence between the two for several moments.
"You're going to find them, right?" Emma asked.
"Of course we are." She smiled slightly.
"I hope you and John find them. It would be terrible if they were not found."
You know, it won't be solely Watson and I on this case. I found another individual worthy of keeping around."
"Oh, who?"
"She doesn't live far from here, she has a very strong eye as well." Emma had a questioning look on her face. "And she is sat right next to me."
She smiled, "Really?" Sherlock nodded, "Well, we better get started then, shouldn't we?"