Chapter 4

April 1990

Jim stands in front of a desk, behind which his and Irene's social worker sits looking at him through her spectacles. He stands quietly with an expression of determination on his face, as he looks her steadily in the eye. 'Now James, this is the seventeenth foster home we've put you in and you've runaway from. Why?' Jim shrugs. 'James, I need you to tell me why you keep running away. Speak to me' James glances around the office but stays quiet. The social worker sighs and shuffles papers on her desk. Jim drops his gaze and he scans the papers reading upside down. He smirks and schools his features into a neutral expression as she looks up. She picks up one of the papers and looks at it. She glances between the paper and Jim. She hands the paper to James who takes it and scans it.

'Mr Jared Moriarty'. The social worker sneers.

'He's often questioned by police and it's rumoured that he has fingers in a lot of pies. Not necessarily all legal.' Jim raises the paper to hide a small smile that creeps onto his face. 'I will send you there temporarily to see what happens.' Jim gives the profile back to his social worker, his mind racing. 'Will you go there?' Jim pauses before answering.

'I'll try it.'

'Thank you, James. That's all I ask.' Jim turns to leave the office. He turns back.

'Will he let me see my sister?'

'You'll have to ask him I'm afraid James.' Jim nods then leaves the office. He closes the door behind him before a smile spreads across his face. He walks down the corridor towards the garden to find his twin sister.

In the garden, Irene sits on a swing and uses her foot to push the swing back and forth. Jim circles the play area. 'I know you're there Jimmy.' Jim walks towards her and sits on the other swing. 'The hag give you another home?'

'Yeah. She's getting desperate. With both of us.' The two of them grin at each other. 'Being sent to an Irish bloke, Cops seem to love questioning him.'

'Will you runaway?'

'Dunno.'

'Jimmy?'

'She doesn't want to send me to him. It's almost worth staying with him to annoy her.' He slips off the swing and looks at Irene. 'I don't want to come back here. I want… I want our mother and brothers. I want our family.'

'The files said she was dead.' Irene replies flatly.

'I know. But…'

'I know it feels wrong to say she's dead.' Jim nods sadly. 'Do you know if she's sending me to anyone soon?'

'Some professional woman in London. I guess it's the same situation as me. We've runway too much. Last resort for both of us.'

'Where does the Irish bloke live?'

'Winchester.' Irene looks at her brother with a stricken face. 'I know.' Jim swallows. 'Maybe we're holding onto the past too tightly Rene-'

'IRENE HOLMES!' Irene and Jim look towards the house.

'Let her wait.' Jim takes hold of his sister's hand.

'Rene, I know that we both want to stay together and we both want to be with Mummy, Mycroft and Sherlock. We need to be big and brave and make them proud of us. Proud of what we can achieve. So we can't be together. But we can remember. They can't take our memories. Can they?' Irene looks at her feet refusing to look her twin brother. Jim ducks down to force her to look in his eyes 'Can they Rene?' she shakes her head slightly 'Rene?'

'No, no they can't.' She slips off her swing and walks along the length of the garden towards the house just as their social worker emerges from the house to find her. Jim watches the two of them disappear into the house before walking to the building and heading up to his room to pack his belongings.

'Sherlock Joseph Holmes, come here this instant!' Violet's voice echoes in every corner of the house. Sherlock curls up into a ball under his bed and covers his ears with his hands. Feet appear at the bottom of Sherlock's bed.

'Sherlock, the longer you wait the worse it'll get.'

'Tell tale.' Sherlock hisses from his hiding place.

'You shouldn't have broken Mummy's favourite figurine set.' Mycroft leaves Sherlock's room and walks down the stairs. Violet walks out of the sitting room.

'Mycroft, where is your brother?'

'Haven't seen him Mummy.' Mycroft replies honestly. Violet looks down at her eleven-year-old son.

'I didn't ask whether you had seen him or not. I asked you to tell me where your brother is.'

'I heard him run up the stairs but I didn't pay attention to where he went.'

'Hmm, if you say so Mycroft. Don't you have homework to do?'

'I'm just about to start it Mummy.'

'Your brother can learn a lot from you Croft.' Violet raises her voice making sure Sherlock can hear it in his room. 'Especially about accepting responsibility.' Under his bed Sherlock flinches at the tone of Violet's voice. He hesitates before crawling out and cautiously approaching his bedroom door. Schooling his features into an expression of remorse he edges onto the landing and the top of the stairs looking down at his mother.

'I'm sorry Mummy.'

'Mycroft, kitchen homework.' Mycroft retreats into the kitchen and closes the door. Violet beckons for her younger son to descend the stairs. Sherlock walks down nervously halting just out of his mother's reach. She steps forward and brushes the dust of his clothes. 'Really Sherlock hiding under the bed?' Sherlock relaxes slightly and receives a clip on his ear from his mother's hand. 'That is for not coming immediately. As for breaking my figurines, no pocket money for two weeks, grounded for a month. That means you have to stay in the house unless you have express permission from me and only me.' Sherlock's jaw drops.

'But-' Violet cuts him off

'Be thankful I'm not confiscating your experiments or toys young man.' Sherlock closes his mouth and nods. He heads to the kitchen. 'Where are you going?'

'Homework mummy.' Violet suppresses a smile and re-enters the sitting room to clear up the figurines. Sherlock opens the door to the kitchen and walks in to sit at the table.

'You got off lightly.' Mycroft remarks as he enters.

'I know.' Sherlock casts a glance over his shoulder. 'It was your fault. You and your friends dared me to.' He hisses.

'Sherlock it was a joke. You weren't meant to actually do it. Anyway Mummy knows exactly what happened.'

'How?'

'Lloyd and Simon were laughing about it when Mummy took us to town at the weekend. You had run into the library. We were just about to walk in when they walked past. She heard everything. I'm grounded too because of it.'