Queen of the Mind Palace // Sherlolly ✔️

Chapter 4

It had been spontaneous, really, offering Sawyer a place to stay at 221B Baker Street. Sherlock had meant to find her a good home, one that would keep her and Gael together, but the girl's skills were too tempting an opportunity. They far surpassed what he had expected, Sherlock hadn't expected Sawyer to catch the clock hand. But she had gotten every detail perfectly.

Sherlock wasn't quite sure what he had been thinking, nearly kidnapping Sawyer. There were other kids on the street without homes, some worse off than Sawyer and her brother. But it would have been a waste of one of the most promising skill sets Sherlock had seen in awhile, Sawyer living in the conditions she lived in, untrained by a professional mind who was, in this case, Sherlock. Some would call it greedy, and maybe that's what it was, but either way Sherlock was walking with a young girl in his arms who would certainly not take kindly to waking up in unfamiliar territory. Did Sherlock feel like he owed it to Sawyer for all the work her dad had done? Maybe, he wasn't sure. What he was sure of, however, was that he would do everything in his power to assure the kids stayed near to him.

As Sherlock, clutching the slumbering Sawyer, ducked through hidden twists and alleyways, he heard Molly hurry to keep up with him. Sherlock looked back, a small smile turning up his lips upon seeing Molly holding Gael tightly to her chest.

"There'll be no taxis driving through this part of town," he called back to her, "also if we catch a cab in more populated parts we'd look less... conspicuous." Molly said nothing, answering with the empty clap of her footsteps on the stone. Finally, Sherlock noticed as he followed the route mapped out in his brain that lights were becoming more and more frequent, as well as people. Sherlock grinned, hugging Sawyer tighter to him as the sky darkened and the cold worsened.

"We're here," he said to Molly upon seeing a narrow alleyway that followed straight into the heart of town. In the darkness Sherlock heard Molly sigh in relief, running her hand through Gael's messy hair. With a small countdown, Sherlock plunged into a massive passing crowd, Molly close on his heels. They then quickly separated from the boisterous crowd with red cheeks and noses and Sherlock quickly hailed a cab.

As they stepped into the cab, Sherlock's demeanor changed quickly. Sighing as they were hit with the sudden warmth, Sherlock laid Sawyer down in between him and Molly, her head resting on his shoulder and her consciousness oddly undeterred.

"Tired? It's a bit late out for the young 'uns, innit?" The taxi driver called from the front seat. Before Sherlock could reply Molly answered quickly.

"Yeah, we were out visiting a family friend. Hadn't realized the temperature would take such a nasty turn," she said, shooting an almost apologetic glance up towards the rear view mirror of the cab drivers, "lucky the kids didn't wake up, they would be shivering out of their minds if they were awake." She let out a hesitant laugh and Sherlock grinned. Molly was good.

The taxi driver let out a sharp "ha!" from his place in the driver's seat, "tell me about it. Kids, eh?"

"Kids," Sherlock agreed in a dazed tone, looking out the window. He could tell Molly was peering at him curiously but his mind was elsewhere.

He wasn't sure where to go from tomorrow. He'd let the children rest comfortably and warmly in his flat, Molly with him for support. But when they woke up, then what would happen? The kids surely couldn't stay there forever, but, as seen through the sharp change of temperature, winter would be soon upon them. It would be cruel to send them back out on the streets yet even crueler, as Sawyer so viciously insisted, to send them to foster homes where the siblings would most likely be split up. Sherlock squinted out the window, his gaze taking across the star-speckled sky. His breath sent foggy plumes crawling up the car window and Sherlock let out a shaky sigh. He couldn't keep them, right? Too much legal business and whatnot. So many papers and inspections. Mycroft would surely disapprove, as always, and Sherlock hadn't the slightest clue how his parents would react. It just couldn't be.