Exploring Sexuality
A/N: Sorry again these chapters are taking so long for me to get out. But I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and have a great 2014! Your reviews and favorites certainly made mine xoxo
PLUS SEASON THREE OHMYGOD I THINK I DIED WE HAVE NEW STUFF WHAT (There will be no spoilers here, but I can't say the same for my tumblr. If you follow me, everything's tagged s3)
Ch. 22
Sherlock absolutely, flat-out refused to ride in Donovan's car to the Yard. So he and John followed her in a cab, John looking at Sherlock curiously.
"I didn't want to have to be good anymore," he said nonchalantly with a shrug while playing with John's hand. He liked to do that when he was bored, a different type of mapping.
John accepted that as a good enough answer and let him be, lost in his own thoughts and worries about today. About Sherlock.
The detective held John's hand tightly as they walked in, insisting they need not wait for Donovan to park. They found Lestrade easily enough, and he was talking softly with a young girl, both looking mildly distressed. But the two of them looked up as John and Sherlock approached, and the girl's eyes went wide. John thought she couldn't be much older than fifteen. She left Lestrade in mid-sentence and walked over to Sherlock. To everyone's surprise, John's mild jealously, and Sherlock's aggravated discomfort, she wrapped her arms around the taller man in a tight hug, half burying her face in his chest.
John's hand was on Sherlock's forearm before he could push the girl away, but that didn't stop him from glaring up at Lestrade and snapping at him. "Who the hell is this and why is she-"
"Thank you," the girls whispered, and Sherlock stopped his little tirade for a minute to look down at her, arms held awkwardly in the air. "Thank you for saving me."
Sherlock stared from the top of the girl's head, then to John, then Lestrade, totally caught off guard and not knowing what to do in the slightest. For once. But he saw Lestrade mouth 'From the trafficking ring,' and it all clicked in place, so he tentatively returned the hug, still looking quite awkward. "Um, yes. You're welcome," he said, patting the girl's back, not at all used to being thanked this way or having anyone other than John touch him.
Eventually she let go and smiled sheepishly, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Sorry about that. That was probably really weird and creepy, but we always hoped you might get, and then take, one of our cases and come find us, and now I'm rambling and you probably think I'm an idiot. Sorry," she said, all of it rushing out of her very fast, her eyes looking down.
"Not yet. I think Lestrade should have found you some more feminine shower products, but suppose you were too preoccupied to care much about it. Not to mention far too shy to ask for anything else," Sherlock replied, taking John's hand again to find some sort of stability or normality in all of this.
John was smiling as he watched the encounter, and tapped 'That was very nice of you. Thank you,' against the back of the other's hand. The girl seemed to notice, and she blushed further, though John doubted it was because she knew Morse Code. "Obviously you know our names, then," he told her with a reassuring smile. "But what's yours?"
"Elizabeth," the girl replied. "But I prefer Liz."
"Well, Liz," Sherlock said, looking her over in the way that he did with new people, "would you like to stay with me and John?"
The girl's mouth dropped, and John's eyes widened in confusion and surprise while he said, "Would she like to what?" at the same time that Lestrade said, "Sherlock, you can't just-" and Donovan laughed from behind them with a mumbled "Bloody hell."
Sherlock ignored everyone for a minute, but turned to look at John. "Her parents are dead and her uncle is abusive. That's why she won't tell Lestrade where she lives, or what her real name is. I'm not letting her go back to a home like that."
"That doesn't mean you can just take her, Sherlock. There's legal papers and things that need to be taken care of, and you're not exactly fit to raise a teenage daughter," Lestrade protested, but Sherlock paid him no mind.
"I couldn't possibly…" Liz started, but Sherlock cut her off, shaking his head.
"Nonsense, of course you can. Can't she, John?"
John looked up from Lestrade to meet Sherlock's stare. He didn't know why the other man was so convinced they had to do this, but he could see that it was important to him. "Of course," he agreed, tapping 'We'll talk later,' on Sherlock's hand.
Liz's eyes went wide as she looked from Sherlock to John and back again. "Really?" she gasped.
"Really," Sherlock assured. "We can all talk later, then work everything out legally with Lestrade."
"For God's sake, Sherlock," Greg muttered.
Sherlock raised a smooth eyebrow at him. "You'd send her back to her uncle's after what she's been through?"
"Of course not, but-"
"Then John and I can house her until we work something more definite out. We have the extra bed now, anyway. And Mrs. Hudson wouldn't mind at all."
Lestrade protested a bit more, but could see that he had more or less lost this argument already. John smiled at Liz, and she smiled back. "Has Greg fed you?" he asked warmly, voice slightly teasing.
Liz giggled a little. "He has, yes," she assured, practically giddy.
"Good. Now that that's all settled, I'm assuming you have a plan for today?"
Lestrade had three plans, and a team of three as well, plus Donovan. Sherlock modified each plan until he felt comfortable with them, insisting that he and John be connected to Donovan's com. Lestrade wouldn't let them be in a car just down the street however, per Mycroft's insistence that he stay off the case. This annoyed Sherlock immensely, but John pointed out that someone should stay with Liz anyway, so he resorted to a sulk in the corner after the rest of the team left.
"Don't mind him," John told Liz, who was looking at Sherlock curiously as he poked around in Lestrade's desk. "He's just upset he didn't get to go."
"I didn't realize Detective Inspector Lestrade said no to him very often," she said quietly, her eyes not leaving Sherlock.
That made John chuckle. "He gets said no to quite often, actually."
"Even on cases?"
"All the time," John confirmed with a nod. "This is a special circumstance, though."
Liz looked over to John briefly, then back to Sherlock, brow slightly furrowed. "How so?" she asked curiously.
John sighed, because he had walked right into that one. "His brother is very… protective-"
"Overbearing."
"- and he went off on his own almost a week ago and got himself kidnapped."
"Not my fault," Sherlock called, rummaging through Lestrade's files.
"Of course it wasn't," John allowed with a roll of his eyes. "So his brother is making him be extra careful and stay off the case. Technically."
"I didn't know he had a brother, either."
"Ugh, would you stop?" Sherlock complained to no one in particular.
"She's just curious," John reprimanded before looking back to Liz. "He doesn't get on very well with his brother," he explained so that she wouldn't feel bad. "So I'd probably lay off that topic for now."
"Shut up!" Sherlock snapped, pointing to his ear. "It's time."
He sat back in Greg's chair, feet up on the desk and legs crossed for about a minute, enough time for Donovan to walk down to the alley. Then he abruptly stood and started pacing about the room. Liz watched him raptly, and John watched Liz with a small smile. She was safe now, and they would guarantee she stayed that way.
They listened to Donovan effortlessly talk her way into the circle. Sherlock insisted she had a hiccup, something about her accent, or voice, or whatever, but he didn't elaborated and continued pacing as she talked to a man named Thomas. Sherlock shook his head at John to indicate he didn't know him.
"So what're ya here for tonight, sweetie?" he asked, so clearly a trap to lure newcomers in.
"I've heard this is the place to come to if you wanted to," perfect pause to get the hint across, "relax."
Sherlock was standing still now, eyes closed, in the middle of the room.
"Well, you've heard right. If you can pay."
Sherlock nodded, as if he were Donovan and put his hand in his back pocket where John knew his wallet to be, looking down without opening his eyes.
"O-of course," Donovan replied, a nervousness to her voice. "How much?"
"That depends on what you want, love."
Sherlock tensed.
Donovan gasped, shortly, then paused as if considering. "Anything powdered. I hate needles," she replied after a little while.
"Fair enough excuse until you're hooked," Sherlock muttered under his breath, voice small.
"I can get you three hits for seventy."
"They're overcharging. Business is definitely bad," Sherlock said, resuming his pacing but not opening his eyes.
"Uhh…." Donovan mumbled, probably looking through her wallet. "How much for two?"
"Forty-five."
Donovan paused again, and Sherlock nodded for her. "Sure."
There were some muffled noises over the earpiece for the next half a minute, and theoretically the transaction took place before Donovan spoke again. "Thanks… Tom, right? You might not know my friend, then.. What was the name of the bloke that was here for her, maybe you know him instead? She said I was supposed to mention it so she could get a discounted price next time or something, but what was his name?" Pause for effect, accompanied by a thinking 'hmm…' "Alex? Aaron? Erin maybe? I don't remember, but could you pass my message on please?"
There was a just a second's pause, but it made Sherlock stand still again. "I'll tell 'im, sure. What'd you say your name was again, dearie?"
"She needs to get out of there," Sherlock said, phone already out and dialing Lestrade.
"Susie." Donovan replied. "Thanks again, she'll appreciate it. And I needed the hit."
"Lestrade, get her out of there." Pause. John mostly ignored Lestrade's voice in his ear, listening to Donovan's side. "I don't care, pull her out! I'm not connected, damn it, you have to tell her!" Another pause, in which Sherlock resumed pacing, dragging a hand through his curls. "They don't give a damn about her name, they would have asked for her friend's name! Make sure your men are-"
"Sherlock, she's leaving," John cut in, listening only to Donovan's side as best he could.
So he heard when the four gunshots went off.