Disadvantageous

Chapter 18

After Sherlock returned from his incredibly brief exile, neither Sherlock nor Lydia has reached out to one another. It hurt Lydia to know that he was still using, making her wonder if he had ever actually stopped. It was a hard habit to break, she wouldn't have been surprised if he hadn't actually been clean when the whole affair with Magnussen had gone down.

Sherlock, on the other hand, was too afraid to attempt to bring Lydia and Willow back into his life, not now when Moriarty was apparently back from the dead. Until he at least had a better understanding of what Moriarty's plan was and if he had actually survived that day on the rooftop, he couldn't risk putting any more attention on them than was no doubt already there. Thankfully much of the press had ignored Lydia and seemed to be unaware that Willow was his daughter, but he feared Moriarty would not be so blind.

So they went back to the way they were, ignoring their feelings as they avoided one another. The kisses they had shared when Sherlock believed he was being sent to his death lingered in both of their minds, but they were determined to treat them the way they had been meant: the final touches of love that they could share before being eternally separated.

Lydia arrived at the theatre, waving hello to the security guard as she slipped through the stage door. She always enjoyed coming into work, even if it meant leaving her daughter in the care of babysitter. She had spent so long pursuing the dream of being able to perform in a theatre like this, she refused to let herself forget how much she had fought for this. She could never allow herself to take it for granted.

Every night she took a moment to feel the energy from the audience before the curtain opened, loving how it was different each performance yet always invigorating. The space was small compared to the Sondheim Theatre, in which she had been performing Les Mis. But even though she had moved to an off-West End production, she was given the opportunity to play the titular character. Besides, the audience's enthusiasm made up for the fewer numbers. No one forcibly dragged their non-theatre loving friends to see Carrie the Musical as they had Les Mis.

The performance was stellar, the energy shared between the audience and the performers allowing the show to breathe in a way it wasn't always able to reach. Lydia felt happy as she danced with Greg, the actor playing Tommy, finding it easy to stay in character when she felt like a giddy teenager who was attending her first prom with a boy who she really liked.

"Alright, here we go. We give you this year's prom king and queen: Tommy Ross and Carrie White!"

Lydia turned to Greg with excitement and surprise, despite this happening the same way at every performance. However, as she and her castmate turned to walk upstage as per their blocking, the bucket containing the fake blood suddenly fell from the rigging system, crashing into Jodie, the actress playing Miss Gardner.

Screams erupted both onstage and off and Lydia quickly hurried to Jodie's side, trying to determine how badly she was hurt. Jodie was non-responsive, having been knocked unconsciousness by the blow, and blood began to seep out of the back of her head.

"Phone an ambulance!" She cried out, bringing her fingers down to Jodie's wrist to check for a pulse. Much to her relief, she should still feel the blood pumping through her veins, despite the lack of response she was getting from her body.

The stage manager quickly had the theatre lock down, knowing not to let the audience go in case of the police suspecting foul play. She also closed the grand to allow for some privacy for Jodie. Lydia stayed by the unconscious woman's side until the paramedics showed up, backing up to let them do their work and take Jodie out of the theatre on a stretcher.