Promises Series

Promise of Home - Sail

A/N: Yeah, I'm a few hours late, but I was watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so who can blame me?

The title of this chapter is "Sail" by Awolnation.

Sherlock heard Julia clamber out of bed and make her way to the bathroom upstairs. She turned the shower on. Sherlock shrugged and looked back into his microscope, trying to forget the way Mary had taken John's hand as they walked out the door, how she'd made herself a place in his flat so easily, as if she were meant to be there and knew it.

John was coming around to Sherlock being back, though, and that almost made up for Mary. Sherlock hated her the moment he saw her. She was small, and soft, and everything Sherlock wasn't. She wore floral perfume and pink lipstick and a diamond that was positively brilliant. She was smart, though, smarter than ordinary people. She could hold an intelligent conversation. She had John.

Sherlock hated her.

He looked up from his microscope around seven o'clock. The shower was still running.

Sherlock carefully stood and wiped off his slide. He made his way upstairs, listening for any signs of movement. Julia's room was empty. He knocked on the door of the bathroom.

"Julia, are you in there?"

Silence answered him.

"Julia, I'm- I'm going to come in if you don't say something."

"Leave me alone," came a muffled reply.

"Are you all right?"

"Just go away."

"No."

"I don't want you to come in."

"Then come out."

"No."

"I'm coming in now. Make sure you're decent."

"Of course I'm decent – but don't come in here!"

Sherlock opened the door and stepped inside. Julia was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the shower, the water hitting her back. She was still dressed, and her clothes clung to her body. Her head was in her hands, and Sherlock could tell she had been crying. He knelt next to her, leaning on the glass.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"You've been in here for at least three hours."

"Three and a half," Julia replied quietly. "The water was hot at first."

Sherlock opened the shower door and put his hand on Julia's shoulder. She shrunk away from him, but he didn't move. The water was ice-cold.

"Come out of there," he said. "You're freezing."

"It's not that bad," Julia protested. She looked up. Her lips were white, and her teeth were chattering audibly. "I'm fine."

"Listen to me."

"No. I want to be alone."

"Good," Sherlock replied. "When you're an adult, you can do whatever you want. Now, however, you are not. Get out of the shower."

"No."

"Julia." Sherlock reached into the shower and closed his arms around Julia's shoulders. It was easy to pull her out because she was so thin for her age.

"No, no, I'm sorry, don't- please-" She scratched at his hands with her nails and started to cry harder.

"Stop struggling," Sherlock reprimanded.