Chapter 8

Sherlock entered the flat like a man out of his mind. He didn't acknowledge Molly, just scanned the room, wide eyed.

"Where. Is. She? "

"She's in her room, Sherlock. Give her a bit, please... " Molly pled, grabbing his arm as he headed towards the room. " She's upset. Or as upset as she can show. "
"You told her? " He asked in an almost shout.

"NO! No of course not. I think she is reacting to my reaction. I didn't ask her anything. Figured you'd want to do that. "
"Yes...good. " Sherlock closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. John led him over to his chair and forced him down. Molly went to collect the tea she'd made.

After they were all seated, John was the first to speak.

"So, what exactly happened, Molly? "
"We had a bit of ...a rough patch. She ran off to my old bedroom and came out a bit later with a photo. One of those silly ones you do in the booths? "
John nodded.

"It was one I had from when I was dating...him. I thought I'd thrown it away. I KNOW I did. But it must have fallen out of the trash and ended up wedged somewhere I didn't see. Then she asked why I was there with her uncle. I didn't know what to do, John. How could he have... "
"Fairy Tales. " Sherlock finally spoke. "He gave me a bloody clue. He knew about her before I did. He knew before she was born. "
"But how? "
"I don't know. Yet. It makes perfect sense. How the paperwork was pushed through. How Miss Dettle retrieved her without question or proof. She said her uncle said he had plans for her. "
"Plans? What would he have done to a child. He was a sick bastard, but... "
"A sick bastard who strapped explosives to a child before, remember? Besides, this was not just any child. This was my child. "
"True. " John conceded. " You know, Mary and I have been thinking about this whole situation. Some things just didn't sit right. Timing says she likely knew she was pregnant before she left England. What you've told me about her as a person, it seems strange she would have not wanted to put her unborn child at extra risk by using heroine whist pregnant. "But she had to have. " Molly chirped in. " Laura was born addicted. "

"Yes. None of it makes sense. I know it's hard to quit, but... "
"Excruciating. You aren't of your right mind. " John added. "Perhaps she tried to quit, but wasn't able to. "

"You are all missing the point. No, I don't believe Darcy would have purposely put her child at risk, no matter the pain. You also need to think of this. How did she get to America? WHY go to America? "
"You think Moriarty stepped in. "
" A logical deduction. What I need to find out is how they met. We've already established he'd been watching me for quite some time. We have to find out what his plan for Laura was. "
Sherlock stood up, went to the window and ran his fingers through his hair. He froze mid stroke.

"He wouldn't. "
"He wouldn't what, Sherlock? "

"He had a plan for Laura. Something that included me. Why would he want me to kill myself? Why would he kill himself? Don't you see? "

John and Laura stared at him open mouthed. He let out a growl.

John finally spoke. " Are you saying Moriarty didn't kill himself? "
"Oh he did. I was there, remember? Why would he want to kill two major players and spoil his plan? He knew. He KNEW. "
"Knew what? " Molly was so confused her head was starting to hurt.

"He KNEW I would survive. Knew I knew what he wanted. He gave me plenty of hints. My fall. "
"But then why kill himself? " John asked, still not understanding.

"I don't know that yet. Or why he wanted me to fake mine. Or discredit me. Or anything. WHat I DO know is that he wouldn't just let the plan go. "

Sherlock looked at them both and then started for his daughters bedroom.

"Sherlock... " John said quietly.

Sherlock stopped and looked at him.

"It isn't over. I have to know exactly what fairy tale he's told her. "

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMM

Sherlock knocked quietly on Laura's door before slipping in. She was lying on her bed, staring at the window. He came round to sit beside her near her tiny legs.

"I hear you've had quite a day. " He said softly, brushing a loose dark curl from her forehead. She didn't look at him.

"Im sorry I was mean. She was trying to be nice. But I was still mean. Then when I touched her things... "

Sherlock blinked but decided to question Molly about what happened later.

"Oh, Laura. She's not angry with you. Molly is always nice. Even when people are mean to her. That's just who she is. I've been mean to her more often than I've been nice. She'd just terribly worried about you."
"But you chose her to be with you. And I was mean...I understand if you want to send me away. "

Sherlock felt his heart sink.

"Im not sending you away. Gotten quite used to you being around... " He smiled, trying to joke.

"Listen, Laura... you, Molly and I will sit down and talk about this later. We need to talk about something else. Something very important. The picture you saw... you said it was your uncle Jim. "
Laura nodded, but finally looked at her father.

"How often did you see him? "
"Not lots. My birthday, Christmas. "
"And he told you fairy tales? "
"Yes. Made them about me. He was silly. He told me I was Cinderella, and he was my fairy god-father. Or that I was sleeping beauty and I had three fairies looking out for me until my prince would come and rescue me. He told me that one a lot. Told me only the prince could break the spell. "
"What spell? "
"I dunno. He never got to that part. Just said I would be sleeping beauty, and my fairies would look out for me in a tower in a far away and until the prince came for me. "

Sherlock processed this data.

"Laura, when was the last time you saw him? "
"Not long before he died. "
"And how did you find out he died? "
"Lucy got a phone call. It was the same day she drove us into the lake. She said she was saving me. "
"By killing you both? "

Laura merely nodded.

Sherlock patted her back and stood up.

"I'll let you rest for a while. I have to go somewhere. "
"Go? " The small thing looked frightened.

"I won't be leaving. Some day I will tell you about my mind palace. Perhaps help you find your own. " He smiled down at her. He left the room and went back to the living room.

"What did you find out? " John asked, standing up.

"Nothing that makes sense yet. I will be in my room. "
"Mind palace? "

Sherlock nodded. John offered to go for take out. Sherlock started for his room but stopped without turning around.

"While you are out, can you pick up copies of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella for me?

"Books or movies? "
"Both."
"Why? "

Sherlock didn't answer, just went into his room.

It was going to be a long night.