A/N: I have no idea why, but I'm really on a roll with this story this week. But I am working on others! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Gabe and Scarlett.
Sherlock pulled off his coat and hung it on the rack in the corner of the office beside the interrogation room. He was watching as Lestrade warmed the guy up with a cup of coffee and his "good cop" routine. The man in the room was older with wild gray hair, but nicely dressed in an expensive suit. He had large meaty hands with short fingers that were accentuated by the many rings and gold watch he wore. The man sat stiffly in his chair and Sherlock could tell he was nervous by the way he clasped his hands to keep them from trembling. There was something about the way the man's gaze shifted around the room and the strange red mark just under his collar that was very suspicious. Sherlock looked down at the file in front of him and skimmed over it. The man in the next room was suspected of adopting children and then selling them into slavery. It was estimated that he'd made millions taking children from orphan homes all over the United Kingdom and selling them to wealthy clients as housekeepers, factory workers and, in some cases, sex slaves and prostitutes. There were numerous photographs of missing children that were thought to be scattered all over the world clipped into the file. As Sherlock looked at each one, his stomach rolled over. Most of the children in the photos were around Gabriel's age and it did not escape him how easily Gabe could be one of the hollow faces in the file. He clenched his fist tightly around the pen he was holding, hoping that he might squelch the emotion that rose in him, clouding his thinking. Lestrade had asked him to come and cast his unaffected eye on his suspect and if Sherlock wasn't careful, his rage would get the better of him and this man had not yet been proven a liar.
"The detective inspector is ready for you." Sherlock snapped the pen in his hand and looked around, almost surprised, as the pieces flew all over the room. Sally Donovan chuckled. "A bit tense this morning, are we?"
"Mmm," was Sherlock's only reply. Sally had seemed to soften to him a bit recently. Probably something to do with the children. For some odd reason, Sally had been dazzled by his abilities as a parent and had decided to respect him. She was still an idiot, but Molly had informed him that he didn't have to tell every thought that came into his head.
He stood up to walk into the interrogation room and Sally stopped him with a hand on his arm. He looked down at it as if a praying mantis had alighted on his sleeve. "Look, Fr—I mean, Sherlock—I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about your little girl."
"What about her?"
"I'm sorry about her… you know… disability."
Sherlock narrowed his eyes, turning on her so quickly that she took a subconscious step backward. "Scarlett is not disabled," he snarled.
"Well no… I mean… she's wearing a hearing aid. I just thought—"
"Well you thought wrong! She's perfect in every way and despite her hearing, she's cleverer than you lot and she's not even four yet!" He shoved the case file at her as he swept angrily out the door and into the interrogation room.
OoOoOo
"You can't put that card down!" Gabriel snapped at Scarlett as she tried to put down a red six again. "You have to put down either a yellow one or a four."
"But I like that one, Bre!"
"It doesn't matter," he said. "You have to follow the rules. Find a red one." She stared at her cards a moment, her nose scrunched up and has she examined them. Gabriel tapped his fingers on the desk and stared at his little sister. "Come on, Scarlett. It's been your turn for fifty years!"
"Gabriel, don't be so impatient," Katie scolded. She scooted over next to Scarlett and turned her cards to look at them. "Hmmm… I think you should put down…this one," she said, pointing out one of Scarlett's cards.
"Okay, Katie," she replied, putting her card down and sticking her tongue out at her brother. Game play continued for another ten minutes until Gabriel finally won.
"Uno!" he shouted, throwing down his last card.
Scarlett looked highly insulted. "Bre! I got all these!" she whined, showing her cards.
"So? I won."
"It not fair!"
"Yes it is, Scarlett. You can't scream that something's not fair every time you don't win." He began gathering up the cards to shuffle them. "Let's play again."
"No!" Scarlett huffed, throwing her cards at Gabriel and hopping down off of her chair. "I done. Let's find Daddy!"
"Scarlett, he's busy," Gabriel said. "You can't go find him now."
The little girl crossed her arms over her chest in a spectacular pout before dropping down to the floor and pulling her knees up under her chin. She would just sit here and wait. Playing games with Gabriel and Katie was no fun because they always won. Sometimes Scarlett hated being little. She didn't mind so much when she was riding on her father's shoulders or cuddled up with her family on the couch, but other times it stunk. Gabriel and Katie went about their business, setting up another game of Uno and chattering about what they would do when Archie came over in the evening. Scarlett sighed heavily, getting up on her knees and peering over her shoulder to see if either of her companions would notice. Neither even looked in her direction. She slumped back to the floor and stared out of the door. She watched as people rushed by, rustling their papers and barking into their mobiles. Her nose crinkled in disgust as she watched. Being a big person must be so boring.
Suddenly, movement across the way caught her eye. The little girl she'd noticed when they walked in was still sitting in the hard, wooden chair outside the office. She had noticed Scarlett too and was waving shyly. Scarlett looked back once more to see if Gabriel was watching.
"Haha! Pluck, pluck, pluck, Katie!" he jeered, doing a little dance as Katie had to draw cards off the top of the deck.
That answered Scarlett's question and she crawled out the door and down the hall a little ways before standing up and scampering off to where her new friend waited. "Hello," she said as she approached the girl.
The girl didn't speak at first, merely offered a half- smile and a nervous wave. Scarlett could see now that the girl was wearing many layers of clothing and her hair was not just dirty, but knotted as if it hadn't seen a hairbrush ever. Her skin was the color of cream tea and her brown eyes were enormous as they darted around the room. She had a hunted look and it was apparent that she was very scared of this place.
"My name Scarlett. What your name?"
"Jada."
Scarlett picked up Jada's hand and clasped it, shaking like she'd seen adults do. "Why you at the police? Are you in trouble?"
Jada shrugged. "The man told me to sit here."
"Oh."
"You talk kind of funny," the little girl observed.
"Mummy say it because I don't hear too good," Scarlett said. "I have to practice." She looked down at the floor, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Jada giggled. "I like it."
Scarlett signed, "Thank you" to her friend and smiled. "I can talk wiv my hands too." She took Jada's hand and helped her spell out her name with signs. In just a few minutes, the pair was laughing and talking like they'd been friends for ages. "Where is your mummy?" Scarlett asked, finally.
Jada shrugged. "My mummy told me I had to go wiv a man a long time ago and I haven't seen her since I was very little."
Scarlett thought this over. She couldn't imagine her own mother sending her away and never seeing her again. It made her sad for this little girl. "So you don't got a mummy or daddy?"
Jada shook her head. "I was supposed to get a new daddy, but the police wouldn't let me go with him. I'm glad. I didn't like him."
"Oh," Scarlett said, not really understanding. "Come on, Jada. You can help me find my daddy and then maybe he can find your mummy."
Jada looked confused as she jumped down from the chair where she was perched. "Is your daddy a policeman?"
"Nope," Scarlett replied. "He real smart though."
OoOoOo
Sherlock had never been so ready to get away from anyone. Murderers, thieves and rapists were not as abhorrent as the man he'd been with for the last hour. After the first five minutes, he'd been certain that the suspect was guilty of all charges—even a few that Lestrade hadn't thought of yet, but he let him talk until he eventually hung himself. Now he felt angry and almost dirty. He also had the strange urge to smother Gabriel, Scarlett and even Katie Adams in an urgent and protective hug.
"Let's go," Sherlock said, standing in the doorway of the briefing room where Gabriel and Katie were playing cards. "We still have to go clothes shopping and meet John and Izzy for lunch before…" His words trailed off as he suddenly realized that Gabriel and Katie were alone. "Gabe."
"What? I'm getting the cards," he replied, thinking his father was trying to hurry him along.
"Where is your sister?"
"She's right…" Gabriel looked around and then under the table. "She was right here." He looked up at his father and shrugged. "I swear, Dad. She was sitting under the table!"
Sherlock growled. "You were supposed to be watching her!" he shouted, starting down the hallway with both children rushing after him.
"I was!"
"Obviously not because if you were, we wouldn't be looking for her now!" He stopped short, ducking into Lestrade's office. "Get up and help me find Scarlett!" he ordered before dashing out again. Sherlock tore around the office, looking inside each and every cubicle, pushing people out of the way in his search for the little girl. Most of the people at NSY didn't think this was odd behavior in the least when it concerned Sherlock. They were used to his shenanigans. He grabbed one poor secretary by the shoulders. She looked terrified. "Small girl. Three, almost four years old. Hazel eyes and big curly auburn hair. Freckles. She's wearing a jumper with a princess kissing a dragon and she's got a pink hearing aid on the back of her right ear. Have you seen her?" The secretary shook her head vigorously and he released her. She stumbled backward, dropping the pile of folders in her hand.
OoOoOo
Mary and Molly sat side by side in their chairs, eyes closed and completely relaxed as their ankles were massaged by the beauticians at their feet. Molly sighed, wondering why she'd never done this spa thing before. "I'm really going to have a hard time going back to reality this afternoon. According to Sherlock's last text, a sleepover is happening at my house tonight."
Mary giggled. "I think it's absolutely hilarious that someone as standoffish and prickly as Sherlock has had to remodel his house because it's literally exploding with children."
"You should have known him before he met John. He was monstrous."
"Oh really?"
"Oh he was terrible. Rude, arrogant—"
"How is that different from now?" Mary joked.
Molly smirked. "True. But he was worse."
"Regular sex does have a way of softening one's disposition," Mary said. "Of course, I must say—the way he looks does a lot to make one forgive his little quirks."
"Indeed."
"So… are you going to tell him?"
"Tell who what?"
"Tell Sherlock about the baby."
"Oh. That." Molly sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Well it's either that or just start eating a lot so he'll just think I'm gaining weight. I swear, I just found out on Monday but I already feel enormous," she said.
Mary gave a sad, almost regretful smile. "You know, Mols. I think it's great that you're going to have another baby. I wish that…" She paused.
"What? What do you wish?"
She shrugged. "I'd like to have another baby, myself."
"Well why don't you?"
Mary shrugged and pulled her hair down from the towel and running her fingers through the wet strands. "Don't know. Don't think I can."
"What do you mean?"
"The reason John and I haven't had another baby isn't because we haven't tried. We can't seem to get pregnant."
Molly chewed on her lower lip. She was suddenly extremely ashamed of herself. "Oh… I didn't… I'm sorry. You must think I'm such a bitch."
Mary laughed. "Not at all. And it's okay. I mean, we've been to the doctor and there's nothing wrong. We just… can't seem to conceive. But we have Izzy and that's all that matters. She's a beautiful child and just… more wonderful than we could have ever hoped for. So if we never have another child, we'd still be absolutely blessed. But I watch Gabriel and Scarlett and… I want that for Izzy. We'll go for a day without seeing you guys and she gets so lonely. She sees Scarlett and Gabe as her siblings too and sometimes I don't think she understands why we don't all live in the house together."
OoOoOo
Despite all the jocularity, Scarlett was found pretty quickly. Her and her new friend were sitting on the floor of an empty office, Scarlett teaching the other little girl simple signs. Scarlett's face lit up as she saw her father come into the room. "Daddy!" she squealed, rushing him and throwing her arms around his knees. "I find you!"
"I wasn't the one lost, Peaseblossom," he sighed, pulling her up into his arms. "I should be very angry with you for running off."
"I not run," she giggled, tucking her head under his chin. "I play wiv Jada." She pointed to the other little girl. As soon as Jada saw Sherlock, she shied away. He immediately recognized her from one of the photographs in the case file he'd been perusing. According to Lestrade, they'd caught the suspect trying to board a plane with little Jada. "Can't she come home wiv us? She don't have a mummy and daddy."
Gabriel sighed. "You can't just bring people home like a stray dog, Scarlett."
"You not my daddy," she sneered at Gabriel, sticking her tongue out. This was her favorite expression.
Before Sherlock could respond, a hard looking lady that reminded him very much of that awful Barett woman barreled through the door. She wore a drab gray suit and her hair in a severe bun at the base of her skull. "There you are! Little beast!" she snapped, going under the table and jerking Jada out by the arm. "I told you not to move from that bench!"
Scarlett's eyes narrowed and her nose crinkled in an indignant expression. "She playing wiv me!" she fussed, pulling away from her father to square off with this rude person. Sherlock had to shift the little girl on his hip to keep her from falling down. "She say you mean."
"Scarlett!" Sherlock and Gabriel said in unison.
The woman paid no one any mind and pulled Jada toward the door. "You've been nothing but trouble since they sent you over last night! I don't know why I even bother."
Jada looked very afraid of this woman and her lip trembled as she mouthed a goodbye to Scarlett.
