This chapter is entirely Jack's POV again, but I know that reading an entire page in italics can be exhausting. So I'm making an exception, just to make it an easier read. ;)

Jack's POV

The quiet is perfect. It's all around me and I can almost feel it holding me like Pa. If I close my eyes and can make myself and all the sadness disappear.

I'm in the grass having our picnic. Pa is there. We are laughing and smiling with John and Mrs. Hudson. Grass is green. Sky is blue. John is bright and warm. Then we all play in Room. Everyone's happy. Then the door starts to beep.

They're coming.

I wake up from my sleep and push my hair away from my face. I'm in John's bed. I remember I came to find him in the night because I was lonely and scared. I'm not used to sleeping all by myself. John said I must learn, but I'm scared. I'm not used to the dark. Dark means Monsters are punishing us. Uncle Mycroft had bought me a night light, but I'm not used to being alone either. John is sleeping on the floor. He says he mustn't share a bed with me because he's not my Pa. He says he could get into trouble. But I just want cuddles. And more than anything, I want Pa. Pa was always there in Room.

I tiptoe past the Somebody and make my way downstairs. I still have to go down slowly one at a time, but I don't have to bounce down on my bottom anymore. I'm hungry, so I decide to go and have some breakfast.

As I walk into the living room and I find uncle Mycroft sat in Pa's chair. He has his 'laptop' on his knees and he is frowning his War Face at the screen.

"Hello Uncle Mycroft," I say, hoping to see him stop. But he just hums and nods his head at me without even looking.

I try to deduce. The laptop means work, so perhaps a country has stopped his invasion? Or perhaps something to do with Pa? No, Pa isn't work. But he used that laptop to keep evidence about Room and the Monsters. Perhaps Lestrade has sent him more work?

"Is it about Room? Does Detective Lestrade have more information?"

Uncle Mycroft flinches hard when I say Lestrade's name. That's not normal. "Is he OK? Did something bad happen?"

Uncle Mycroft turns slowly to face me. He looks sad, but he is also trying to hide how he feels. "No, Jack. Lestrade is taking a slight… vacation."

I don't know what that means. He tries to explain. "He's staying away from us for a while."

"Like Pa? Is he sick too?"

"No Jack, Gregory is… he has a very difficult job. Very trying, and even when he catches the Monsters, that doesn't always mean he can feel like he has won. And now that his job has become a part of his life…" He takes a deep, loud breath. "He simply needs some time to process. He doesn't want to view us as… work." He continues to make his keyboard click.

"So he's never coming back?"

"No, no, he'll be back, he just needs a couple of weeks to collect himself."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! Besides, I'm the government. He knows better than to break his promise."

"But if you're sad about Lestrade, why are you doing your War Face at your laptop?"

He blinks. I've surprised him again. I can tell he wants to lie, so I put on my Attitude Face that John finds a bit scary. He smiles. "Just some difficulty with work. You don't need to worry. I have everything under control."

"No you don't! You work all the time and you never look like that."

Uncle Mycroft stretches his fingers out and curls them back in. "I'm handling it. You don't need to worry."

I frown. "I'm telling the Somebody that there's something big to worry about." I turn to go back upstairs.

"No!" He runs after me. "Get back here. This is beyond you or John. There is no need to get him involved."

"I worry when I know something is wrong but I don't know what." I try not to cry. "I don't know what's happening to Pa, so I'm worried. If I have to worry about the unknown bad scaring you, it's going to scare me too. Don't make me worry even more, uncle Mycroft."

We stare at each other for a long time. Then he picks me up and carries me back to the armchair and sits me between his legs, because I'm small enough. He places his laptop on both our legs and shows me some photographs.

"Do you see this man? He's very dangerous. We know he's going to do something to hurt a lot of people, but we don't know what or when. He works for some terror… bad people. He's not so dangerous by himself, but he's very good at carrying out orders. I have to stop him. However, so far all attempts have… been unsuccessful."

"Have you tried talking to him? You could tell him he's being bad and that if he doesn't stop, you'll obliterit… oblitera… destroy him with your umbrella."

"That would not work. I have tried to contact him, but I cannot get through to him. I know how to talk to bad people like him, and trust me, telling him off will not work."

I snort. "Well that's not true. If you knew how to talk to him he wouldn't be a problem. So why don't you try something different?"

He laughs. "I have years of experience, Jack. Sometimes you don't always get the results you want."

"But if he's a bad guy, he might know how good guys think, and that's how he always escapes. Maybe you need to try something different. If he's expecting you and what you always do, then he'll know how to ignore you."

Uncle Mycroft opens and shuts his mouth lots of times. I think I broke him. I wait quietly until he knows what he wants to say.

"And what do you suggest?" he asks eventually.

"I don't know, just surprise him. He might see you as a worthy opponent. Like the bad guy in the movie who compliments the hero."

I'm really hungry now, so I kick my legs to make him move the laptop and let me go. I run to the kitchen and get a bowl, my cereals, milk and spoon. I use Mrs. Hudson's stool to climb onto my chair with the pillow to help me see the table. It's only when I finish that I realise Uncle Mycroft didn't say anything about my suggestions. I'm not surprised though. I don't really understand his job. Pa says he just presses buttons and drinks tea. But I think it's a bit harder than that.

John walks into the kitchen. He's rubbing his eyes and says morning to Uncle Mycroft, who doesn't answer. John notices and rolls his eyes crossly.

"It's not his fault." I say. "I think I broke him."

John eyes me suspiciously. "What did you do? If you made another cake joke…"

"No, but I am saving that for tomorrow. I gave him suggestions on how to stop a really bad guy he's trying to catch, but I'm not sure he likes what I said."

John peers around the wall to look at uncle Mycroft. He's not very good at spying. He creeps back over to the sink and pours himself a glass of water. "What did you say to him?"

"I said to surprise the bad guy by doing something different and unexpected. To make the bad guy respect him."

John chokes on his drink. Now I've broken him too! "Was it bad advice?"

He wipes his face with a tea towel and throws it into the wash basket for later. "Well, let's just say that you implied, quite unintentionally, that Mycroft isn't respected."

"NO! I didn't say that! I just told you…"

"I'm not saying you said it directly, but by saying that he needs to earn respect, he may have believed that you meant that he doesn't already. People hear unintended messages sometimes. Especially if they're already feeling vulnerable."

I nod sadly. "He misses Lestrade."

"What about Lestrade?"

I tell him what uncle Mycroft told me. He sighs. "Don't worry, Lestrade is doing the right thing. Besides, if he doesn't come back, he'll have to eat seals with his ex-wife."

"What's a seal? Is it like chicken?"

Now I've really broken him. He stares and then laughs really hard. "Sorry. I'm not making fun of you. It's just very strange that you can give advice about dealing with National Security, but you don't know what a seal is. Where's your encyclopaedia? I'll show you."

In the afternoon I come down for lunch. Uncle Mycroft is no longer broken, but he hasn't moved. Maybe I should say sorry. Or not. I'm still mad about what he did to Pa. He deserves to be broken, just for a little while.

We make sandwiches and soup. John helps me cut them up. He shouts at uncle Mycroft to ask him if he wants some too, but he doesn't answer. John's face twitches. He's going to get mad soon. I don't like people getting angry because I get scared and it's a little bit my fault uncle Mycroft is being silly, so I go and talk to him.

"Did my advice hurt you?"

He looks up at me and stops typing. "No, it just gave me something to think about. However, the person we were talking about is on the move. I will have to go to my office. I don't want any activity to be traced back here."

I have a hard think. "Do you want me to talk to your bad guy for you? Tell him you miss Lestrade petting your hands and to leave you alone?"

Something goes SMASH! in the kitchen. I jump right off the ground and hug uncle Mycroft's leg. John yells three words which make uncle Mycroft hiss and shout "there's a child here!"

"I won't say those words." I tell him, because I know the Somebody sometimes says things that will get me into trouble. But now uncle Mycroft is having a hard think about what I said and looks at me like I'm super interesting.

John shouts from the kitchen. "Don't you even think about considering it! He's your nephew, a child! A CHILD!"

"So?" I ask. "I could pretend to be you." I hold his leg tighter. "That might surprise him."

Uncle Mycroft stares down at me even harder. I know he's in his Mind Palace. He doesn't disagree with my idea. John knows this too, without even seeing him. "I CAN HEAR YOU THINKING MYCROFT HOLMES! DON'T YOU DARE!"

He licks his lips, still thinking. "Well…"

John gets mad. "SON OF A -!" Uncle Mycroft quickly covers my ears. Although I'm curious, I don't want to accidently end up on the naughty step again. It's the dullest thing in the World, more than boring TV. John marches in like a real soldier and stops yelling. He talks very quietly so I can't hear with my ears covered. I know that quiet people are sometimes scarier than the loud ones. The Monsters were very quiet. I hug uncle Mycroft's leg tighter and hide my face until the hands let my ears go.

"Doctor Watson, I have no intention of endangering my nephew. If you do not cause me bodily harm, I have no doubt Sherlock will. I'm simply considering the surprise element of Jack's theory. Besides, using Jack to speak for me would only make me look like a fool."

"Why?" I ask, because that hurt. Did he think I couldn't do it?

Uncle Mycroft packs his computer away. "Firstly, this man is a Monster, different from the Monsters you knew, but similar and I would never ask you to face such cruelty. Secondly, surprising him is good, but if I have a child speak for me, he will not respect me. Thirdly, even if that did work, he wouldn't be convinced by you anyway, since he would wonder why I picked a girl for the job."

"I'm not a girl!"

"I know you're not. And so does John, your father and several other people. But he wouldn't. With your long hair he would just assume you are a girl, since it is uncommon for boys to have long hair. He wouldn't understand and the surprise would be ruined by his confusion. And finally, I have no intention of telling him about Lestrade and whatever it was you were insinuating." He stands up. "I'll be back one this mess is sorted. Good day." He walks out, his umbrella tapping the floor.

John mutters quietly and goes to clear up the mess he made in the kitchen. I eat my sandwiches silently. I go to my Mind Palace to think.

In Room, boys always seemed to have short hair on TV. But back then I didn't know they were real. Then I escaped in the truck and I ran to John, our Somebody, and deduced him. I remember he asked the Monsters if I was their daughter. He told Old Magnussen to put "her" down. He was surprised when I told him my name. John had thought I was a girl too, because he hadn't observed. Pa would say that John's an imbecile for not seeing, but uncle Mycroft just said that even big bad guys would get confused. Did I not look like other boys? But uncle Mycroft said it was "uncommon", not impossible. John read me my dictionary, and it said they are two different words.

I need more data.

I help John wash up. I think about asking him, but I know he'll just try to reassure me. I need to ask someone wise and honest. There's only one person that fits. I go and get my encyclopaedia and go down all the stairs to Mrs. Hudson's apartment.

She's very pleased to see me. "Oh! Hello sweetheart! Come in, I'll make you a nice hot cocoa. Not your housekeeper, mind."

I sit on her armchair whilst she makes it for me. I open up my book and look for the photos of children I want to show her. I stop on a page about families. There's a picture of a child with a mum and dad and grandparents. It's what lots families look like. Lots of pieces to make a puzzle. But I don't have a mum. And my grandparents don't love me. What happens when you have missing pieces and other pieces that don't love you?

Mrs. Hudson comes in carrying my hot chocolate. I show her my book and ask. She tuts loudly. "This book only shows what some families look like. Some have adopted family members, or step-siblings or half-siblings. And some children have only one parent or two dads or two mums. And, should there ever be a case like you grandparents, well you just have to learn to make your own family. When someone treats you like they did, it's best to find your family elsewhere, since they clearly aren't worth your time." She can see I'm confused. "Like your Pa for instance. He's still got Mycroft and you. But he's moved here. John is his family now."

"And you."

She gets tears in her eyes. "I'm very glad you think so, Jack. I've never really had a family. I've never had children. Sherlock and John are the only people I would consider to be as such."

"Can you be Pa's new mum? Or Ma? He needs one."

She smiles and hugs me tight. "He has to be the one to decide that dear. But in my eyes, he is very special to me."

I look back at my book. "What are dads supposed to do? How do you know if you have one? A good one?

"Well dear, a good father plays with you, takes care of you, teaches you, feeds you… and most importantly loves you. Your Pa ticks all the criteria."

I want to have a hard think and I don't know what 'criteria' is, but I didn't come here to talk about this, so I stash it in my Mind Palace on the shelf next to the information about Pa and John. "Do I look like a girl?"

She's shocked by my question but answers honestly, as I predicted. "Well, if I were to meet you for the first time, I would think you are a girl. Why do you ask?"

"Uncle Mycroft said I couldn't help him, because I look like a girl and people would be confused."

"Well dear, I certainly don't think you should cut your hair because of other people's judgment. You have to want it for yourself."

I've never cut my hair. Because it was perfect for Room. I didn't know I could cut it. Only TV people had short hair. But now TV people are real and I'm not in Room anymore. Room and World are two different places. Even though I miss Room and Rug and Wardrobe, I'm in the World now. I would like to go back, but Pa needs me here. Pa has always been okay if I'm okay. Maybe his sickness is staying for a long time because he is worried about me and can't see me, just like I am scared for him.

"Mrs. Hudson? Do you have some scissors? For cutting my hair?"

"Of course, dear! Are you sure?"

"Yes please. I want Pa to know I'm okay, so he can get better."

She wipes her eyes with a tissue. "Let's do it now shall we? I used to cut my husband's hair, before your Pa got him executed. Wonderful man. And when you go back upstairs you can surprise John! He will be shocked. Let's go to my bathroom."

Everything's good when she puts washes my hair and puts me on a chair in front of the mirror. Then she brings the scissors over and I feel sick. "Is it going to hurt?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't do it otherwise. I'll start by cutting your ponytail off, and then I'll trim up the rest to make it look neat. Not too short, perhaps a little longer than what your Pa has now. Ready?"

I nod, because I feel too sick to speak. I close my eyes tight shut and hope that she's right. Then she tugs my hair and there's a loud SNIP SNIP SNIP! And suddenly I feel something's missing. Then she pushes something hairy into my hand and I look. My ponytail! I reach back to check and it's definitely not on my head anymore. She tells me to sit still and she finishes. I keep my eyes open now. I wish I could see but the mirror is too high. She gets my cut hair everywhere and I laugh because it's all wet and tickly. She rubs it dry and brushes it for me. Then she gets a small mirror and holds it up.

I gasp. "That's me?"

"I know it's a shock, but you'll get used to it. What do you think?"

It's not as short as Pa's. Just a little wavy and I can tuck some bits behind my ears. I am surprised by how different I look. I think I look more grown up and important, like uncle Mycroft. Except I have more hair than him.

I climb off the stool and hug her leg. "Thank you, Mrs. Hudson."

"You're very welcome dear."

I run to her door so I can go and show John. Then I remember my book, Mrs. Hudson at the picnic, buying me a present, taking care of me and loving Pa like her own family. I remember what she said about family. I think about what she means to me. I know what I have to do.

I run back to her bathroom where she is clearing up. I hug her tighter than ever. "I love you, Grandma."

She gasps and holds me tight. Her voice is wet. "I love you too, Jack."

I don't let go.