Isabell sneaked down the hallway from the living room and ducked into the kitchen. Irene was upstairs in the bathroom giving Wisteria a bath. Isabell needed to call her parents and she knew she had a short window to do it. She had questions for them and needed answers.
My parents told her that if she needed help to call Scotland yard. She memorized the number a few months ago. She knew if they weren't there she could at least talk to her Uncle Lestrade.
She had seen a phone in the kitchen when she was first got there. She took a chair from the kitchen table and pushed it up against the counter. She climbed up and saw the cordless phone sitting on the counter. The young girl took the phone and pushed the numbers in.
"Scotland yard," said a female voice.
"This is Isabell Holmes," Izzy said. "I need to talk to my Dad and Papa. Are they there?"
John sat on the bed in the room set aside for them. Sherlock had brought him food and they had ate together in the lunch room. Sherlock's mother had seemed reluctant to leave them but she had to go to work. John had wished she could have stayed. He really liked her and felt comfortable when she was around.
Sherlock was in the room with him. They wanted to talk to each other. They wanted to settle their problem. Yet, neither of them knew how to start the conversation.
"I made tea," Sherlock said sitting down at the table.
"I don't want tea," John said sighing.
"It isn't for you," the detective said as he took a sip.
"Then why are you telling me?" the doctor questioned.
"I'm just trying to start a conversation," Sherlock said. "We don't talk anymore."
"I know we don't. I guess we were never very big talkers. Come on here," John said patting the bed next to him. "Sit with me."
Sherlock didn't need to be told twice. He jumped up and sat down next to him. John didn't say anything. He just leaned up against him. For a long moment they just sat there in each others arms.
"Do you remember when we got Izzy?" Sherlock asked.
"Of course," John said. "I was so shocked. I went to work and came home to a baby. I thought you were pulling something on me. I was so surprised that you wanted to keep her. Hell, I was surprised I wanted to keep her. Why did you decide to keep her so quickly?"
"I thought it was my only shot," Sherlock admitted. "I never thought I'd get the chance to be a father. I mean...I never pictured myself in a relationship with a women."
"I love you Sherlock," John said kissing his cheek. "I'll never stop loving you. That doesn't mean I love the way your acting. If there is something you need to get off you chest then tell me. I'm here. I'll listen to whatever you have to say."
"John," Sherlock said looking away. "I love Izzy. I just have a hard time dealing with the fact she is HIS son. She looks so much like him. I know it is silly."
"It's OK," John said holding his hand. "I know. I hate the bastard too but Izzy isn't to blame. It's OK to be upset about it but you can't take it out on me or Izzy."
"I know," he said it almost in a whisper. "I was thinking about it before you showed up. I...I was angry when you showed up. You were just there. It was wrong."
"Izzy is always going to remind you of him," John said. "Always. We can't change that about her. You can't beat me or yell at me every time you think about it. I won't take it."
"I know," Sherlock said looking at the ceiling. "I promise I won't yell or hit you again. I'll try anything to stop that from happening. You've been through therapy perhaps you know some things to try."
"Try talking," John said. "Whenever you start feeling that way just talk to me. That's all. I'm here."
Sherlock nodded and gave his husband a small smile. The door to room swung open and Lestrade was standing there with a phone.
"Isabell is on the phone!" Lestrade said. "We've got her on speaker phone. She wants to talk to you guys."
He left the room. Sherlock and John raced after him. A couple of Inspecters and Sargents stood around a phone.
"Isabell are you still there?" Lestrade said.
"Yes," Came Isabell's soft voice. "Papa? Dad?"
"We're here," John said. "Are you OK honey? Did anyone hurt you?"
"I'm fine," the young girl said. "Don't worry. I'm safe."
"Where are you?" Sherlock asked. "Just tell us where you are and we'll come get you."
"I can't," Izzy said. "I only have a few minutes and I need to ask a question."
"What is it?" John asked. "Whats going on?"
"I heard them mention a name," Isabell said. "Moriarty...who is he? He has something to do with it."
"No one," Sherlock said. "Don't worry about him. Just tell us where you are. Do you know the people who took you?"
"I want to know who he is," Isabell said. "I need to know. I think it is important."
Lestrade was looking at his watch. He knew they only needed three minutes to know just where the call was coming from.
"He was just a bad man," Sherlock said. "Just a very bad tell me where you are."
"Are you and Daddy getting a divorce?" she asked ignoring Sherlock's statement. "I've been thinking about it a lot. I know things are bad. If you do I want to live with Dad."
That hurt Sherlock. They hadn't even told Isabell there were problems. She knew things were bad. She was only four and she knew the family was falling apart. She didn't want to live with him either. She wanted to live with John.
"No one is getting a divorce," John said gently. "Please baby everything is going to be OK."
"I want everything to be OK. I don't want anymore fighting. Did I do something wrong? I try to be good," Isabell said softly.
"You're an angel," Sherlock said wishing he could hold her. "You and Wisteria are perfect kids."
"Daddy! Please find me," Isabell said in a breaking voice. "I want to go home."
The line went dead before Sherlock could get out another question. Why was this happening? Was this someone's sick idea of a game. It sounded like something Moriarty would do. But he was beyond being able to play such games now.
"Did you get a trace?" John asked looking at Lestrade.
"Yes," Lestrade said. "We can find them now."
He got on one of the computers and was clicking around. Sherlock stood against a wall looking at John. John was leaning over Lestrade's shoulder looking at the screen. It didn't seem right to Sherlock. His daughter had broken the rules. He hadn't really done what was needed of him. He still didn't know what he was supposed to do. If they found the kids without figuring it out would they take them again?
What could they want? He was trying to think. What was it? Then it hit him like a brick.
Someone who knew the kids. Someone who knew where the hearing aid kit was. The kids seemed to walk right out with them. Now this talk about Moriarty. It seemed as if they were playing a game with him.
"Irene," he said almost in a whisper.
That simple word caused John to look up at him.
"What?" John questioned.
"Irene Adler is in this," Sherlock said. "I'm finally starting to see this. The way the note was written and mentioning Moriarty were hints at it. It just isn't her."
Mycroft. Dammit! He should have seen it before. The timing should have told him that.
What did they want? Shit.
"Sherlock," John said stepping forward. "You don't need to figure it out. We know where they are."
"No," Sherlock said holding his hands up. "I need to do this."
He must have known about their fight. He took their kids. Why? Did he think that would get them to talk? It worked. He'll give him that. What did he want them to do? They had made up. They'd had a real talk. If was their first real talk in weeks.
Sherlock was inside his brother's head. Mycroft wanted him to admit the truth. He wanted him to admit what he did to John. That was what he wanted him to do. Sherlock would stake his life on it.
He looked up at John and Lestrade. They were both looking at him. They were both waiting to see what he would say.
"I..." he said looking at them unsure if he could do it. "I know what I have to do."
John didn't know what think. Sherlock looked very nervous. He'd never seem him so nervous. He had a feeling he knew what Sherlock was about to do. Anderson and Donovan were in the room. He knew it was going to very hard to admit to not being perfect in front of them.
"Wait," John said. "This is a personal matter. You, Lestrade, and I are going to talk about this."
He didn't want this secret admitted in front of a lot of people. He knew Sherlock needed to get it off him and saying it to Lestrade would be good enough.
"Come on," Lestrade said waving them into a different room.
Sherlock and John followed after him. John shut the door and looked at his husband.
"I have to get this off my chest. I really can't take it anymore. It isn't right to do this to John. I put my husband in the hospital," Sherlock admitted. "It was a mistake and it was just the one time."
"Sherlock," Lestrade said in a soft voice. "I knew it. I knew the second I heard the story. What the hell is going on with you?"
"I'm going through something," Sherlock admitted. "I've talked to John about it and I'm going to OK now. We're going to work through this."
John sighed walked over to his husband. He put his good arm around him.
"Thank you Sherlock," John whispered. "That makes me feel a lot better. Get yourself together and we are going to find the kids."
Sherlock simply nodded before looking at Lestrade.
"what is wrong?" Lestrade asked. "You know you can talk to me to."
Sherlock had never told Lestrade about Moriarty being Isabell's father. He never told him that his mother laid down with that man.
"I'm sorry Lestrade but I can't," he said. "This is kind of a family thing."
"Alright. I'll take that answer but if you ever need to talk to me I'm here. You are my friend but I am warning you. If this ever happens again I won't give you special treatment I will arrest you. Gerrards Cross is where the call is coming from," Lestrade explained. "We need to go."
I don't think they need three minutes to trace a call in real life but that is how it is the movies so I just went with it.