Lost (Sherlock)

Chapter 1

*Edited*

Scarlett stood in front of the mirror as Jim tended to her head wound. The impact of being thrown around in the back of the truck had made her scalp bleed profusely. Scarlett found herself smiling without realizing it and he noticed, sending a small grin back her way.

Once Jim had finished cleaning the blood out of her dark and oily hair, he wrapped gauze around the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Thank you" Scarlett said in a small, hoarse voice. Jim put his hands on her shoulders, but Scarlett flinched away because of the pressure on her old and new bruises.

He seemed to notice her sensitivity to his touch, so he took a step back. "You've been through a lot, huh? Let's take care of those--" He was cut off by a knock at the door. The woman stood on the other side with a phone.

"It's important," she stated after earning a glare from her boss.

Jim sighed and nodded, turning to Scarlett once more to tell her he had to go. He left, leaving her to stand in the practically empty room.

Scarlett ran her fingers over the bandages as she sat on the bedspring pushed against the wall. She swung her legs back and forth before looking over to the black dress that was draped against the edge of an old headboard.

It was about her size.

Scarlett reached over and pulled it onto her lap. It was a lot softer than the dress she was wearing now. She pulled the old rags over her head before slipping on the new one. The fabric was so very different than the type she'd been exposed to for the past few years.

It was so much more comfortable.

Scarlett was interrupted from her awe by the door opening and that woman entering. She had the kind of hair that looked black, but was actually a weird shade of red. Her eyes were cold and one of the dullest colors she'd ever seen.

"Oh, good. You're already dressed." She looked Scarlett up and down before looking down at her phone."You're needed for something. Follow me."

Scarlett was brought to a very fancy-looking car. It was so shiny and clean. Jim opened the door like the coach, from Cinderella, opened the pumpkin carriage for the princess.

The drive was long, causing her to fall asleep about halfway there, but her nap didn't last long. The road was a lot less calm once Jim told her they'd entered London. The streets were noisy with the constant horns and wet screeching brakes. There were not as many people walking today considering it was heavily raining. Moriarty wanted to ask her questions, but she looked peaceful staring out the window, so he decided to ask once they got to his flat.

It was a rather small flat, the main room the biggest one. It had a small fireplace, but the room was oddly cold. Probably since it was most likely without an owner for a while. It was quiet, but Scarlett didn't mind. It was cozy.

"Welcome to your temporary home, Scarlett." Moriarty exclaimed.

"Will you be staying with me?" She asked, slightly frightened, but she tried to keep it hidden. There were many reasons why she didn't want to be left alone.

"For now," he said, "I need your help, but I can't tell you why unless you promise you'd be willing to do anything I ask you."

Scarlett looked down at the floor for a moment, trying to think of a reason why this man would need help from someone like her. She couldn't do much, but she finally looked back up at him and nodded.

He seemed to sigh in relief. Not one that she was familiar with. Something seemed a bit more tense about it. "Perfect... Okay."

He went on to tell her that there was someone after him. Someone bad. Someone who could ruin everything and quite possibly take Scarlett away from him. He told her that he chose her to keep for a reason, but if the person found him, she'd have to move around again. He wanted to keep her to himself for as long as possible.

Once he finished and he knew she understood, Moriarty took her hand and dragged her to her room. He lightly pushed her in before telling her to be patient and wait, She heard him lock the door behind him. Scarlett had the overwhelming feeling of anxiety, fear, and sadness rush over. But something about this man felt different, she felt almost safe, but she ignored her feelings and told that this was just like any other time.

She shook herself out of her thoughts, looking up to see a window, but it was painted over with black paint. Scarlett moved over towards the window and tried to make out something beyond the dark color, but she couldn't see a thing.

She pressed her face up against it, hoping to see the storm. However, all she could do was listen to it.

After an hour or so, Moriarty decided to make her lunch and check on her. He made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and unlocked her door, with the food in hand. There was no way in hell he would let her out until he was ready. He didn't really worry about it too much, seeing as she hardly did anything out of what she was told to.

He stepped inside and saw her asleep near the window. He woke her up and handed her to plate.

"Thank you." She said quietly. She hadn't really expected this. But she didn't ask any questions as she dove into the sandwich.

"Scarlett, do you remember your parents?" He asked, after she finished her sandwich. He waited for her reply. When she didn't, he stepped closer to lift her chin to look her in the eyes.

"A little. Not much though. They were really nice." she said, like she had rehearsed it a thousand times already. "I kind of miss them." She looked back down at her bare feet, as if she was finished with her scene.