Stereotypical (BBC Sherlock)

Chapter 15 - Nevermore

Chapter 15 - Nevermore

Third-Person

Irene's case was a lot like her last one. She needed Sherlock to decipher a code and protect her from the man who was after her. The code this time was a drawing. Sherlock copied it from the picture on her new phone and blew it up to put on his wall. It was a circular cut out of what seemed to be a map.

Jordan came in, touching him gently on the back. "I'm leaving."

He nodded and turned to her, still preoccupied. He snapped from his thoughts long enough to kiss her on the cheek and hand her a folded paper. "Take it to Leddy."

She gave him a look. "You can't be serious."

Leddy was a young woman in a gang of teens that Sherlock kept in his network. The area they tended to be in was obviously dangerous and Sherlock had never sent Jordan down there on her own.

His reply was a pleading look. She folded her arms. "Which one is Leddy?"

"You won't see her. Tell them I sent you and she'll drop by."

"What do I get for risking it?"

He looked around, thinking. She was about to refuse but he pulled her to him and kissed her. John gagged. "Another of those?"

She laughed and took the paper before she left. "I want cake."

"I'm not eating."

"I still want cake!" She called from downstairs. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the drawing. Irene watched him with furrowed brows.

"Sure you don't feel anything for her? Friends with benefits, is that all it is to you?"

"Of course not, I have more respect for her than that. Why can't I be in a relationship without loving the other party?"

John sighed. "Because that's not how relationships work, Sherlock. Not romantic ones anyway. If you knew you could never love her why did you ask her out?"

"Because she's happier that way."

"What?"

"She smiles wider, her eyes light up. She's different with me. And I like it."

"That explains why you've stayed with her but not why you started it."

"I don't know, John! And I don't like not knowing. Is it important right now? I'm thinking."

John sighed and threw his hands up, giving up.

Sherlock closed his eyes and went through his mind palace. It was a map. Of what? Not a building, the straight paths were too long. A city. London?

He fit the image of the map over parts of London but gave up on that with a frustrated sigh. He needed more detail. Leddy could tell him if there was anything interesting going on.

The man who had shown the code to Irene had said it could bring the world to its knees. Perhaps it wasn't a map... He sighed and dropped into his armchair, thinking.

"Who is Leddy?" Irene asked, coming to sit on the arm of his chair.

"Homeless girl with a knack for finding trouble and staying out of it."

"What use will she be?"

"A lot."

............................

Jordan

I sat in the car, trying to get my heart to slow down.

"Alright, Miss?"