Disadvantageous

Chapter 15

Lydia did as Sherlock had requested and kept Willow away from him, despite how difficult it was to calm her down when she cried about how much she missed him. It broke Lydia's heart, but deep down she knew that Sherlock was only trying to protect his daughter. But at the same time, Lydia knew that Sherlock was always going to be chasing someone dangerous, he was addicted to it. So was Willow not to see her father for the rest of her life?

It was exactly what Sherlock had tried to do to Lydia, except Lydia had refused to let him. But it was far easier to put herself in potential harm's way instead of her daughter, so this time she was letting him shut them out. Lydia knew it was wrong, but still she did not fight it. In fact, she hadn't spoken to Sherlock since that day in the hospital. It had been months since then.

She had also done as Mary requested, not that it mattered much. The very same day she had left the hospital, John had already texted Lydia to inform her of what Mary had done and that Sherlock's bloody arse had landed itself back in the hospital. John had been over at her flat often since then, needing a place away from Sherlock and away from any reminders of his wife. If she wasn't already upset with Mary for having shot Sherlock and having threatened Willow, she would have been for how she had hurt John.

But Sherlock had taken John for the day, having invited him up to spend the holiday with his parents. Lydia was surprised to hear this, she assumed Sherlock would rather do anything than spend Christmas with his family. She wondered if perhaps he realised that John needed some time with normal people, a category that, much to Sherlock's displeasure, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes could fall into. But perhaps Lydia was too hopeful in thinking that Sherlock would act upon the feelings of his best friend, still she wished it to be true.

Lydia herself was spending Christmas with her mum and step-father. They had been gracious enough to open their doors to not only just Lydia and Willow, but also to Zoe and Lawrence along with their significant others.

Grasping her warm mug of hot chocolate tightly, Lydia stepped outside of her her mum's house, shivering a bit as the cold penetrated her jumper. Even though she was out with no coat, Lydia had no desires to go back inside. Willow was being coddled by her nan and grandpa, who never got sick of seeing the young girl, and that meant Lydia had a break for the first time in a while.

She loved Willow with all of her heart and she would give her life to protect her, but it was hard being a single parent. She hadn't realised how much Liam had helped until both he and Sherlock had disappeared from her life. But she tried to savour every minute she could, knowing that one day Willow would be grown and move on to have her own life. However, that didn't mean she couldn't step outside for a quick breather now and then.

Closing her eyes, she brought the mug up to her lips and took a sip of the warm liquid, spreading heat through her cold body. She let out a sigh of contentment, sitting atop of the low brick wall that surrounded their property and placing the mug down next to her.

The calm of the moment came to an abrupt ending, however, when she felt a prick in her neck and her vision turned black.

...

The first thing that Lydia became aware of was something wet sliding up her neck. Her body reacted on impulse, trying to scramble away from whatever was touching her, only for her to discover that she was restrained to a chair.

"I see my sleeping beauty has finally awoken," a smooth voice spoke in her ear, his beard scratching up against her skin.

Her eyes finally adjusted to the room, allowing her to properly see the man next to her. The mystery man had a tall, chiselled face with a goatee and moustache, and a receding hairline. The oval glasses on his face reflected the light of the room, lighting up his piercing blue eyes.