Arcadia - (A WhoLock Fanfiction)

:Chapter 22: Window:

Sherlock finished his experiment and concluded that human eye balls could not withstand temperatures exceeding four thousand degrees. He didn't bother to clean up, knowing that John would do it later, anyway. Maybe he enjoyed cleaning up or just didn't like mess. Either way, John hadn't directly complained to him about it so he would keep leaving mess until he did.

But John wasn't at the flat. Maybe he was out with a girlfriend, stayed the night. Sherlock never saw the appeal of dating or relationships, but he didn't criticise John about doing it. Well, he didn't criticise as much as he could have.

Without John to talk at, he would have to get Aria. She was probably sulking in her bedroom, after being sent away from the boring conversation, which was probably very exciting to her. He walked towards the stairs, feeling the unnatural compulsion to check on her. When he opened her door, he saw an empty room with the window right open. He started to panic and theorized the many ways that a murderer or kidnapper could have gotten in. He noticed the wardrobe open and several gaps where the clothes should have been. Okay, she had taken her clothes and climbed out the window herself.

But where was she going?

And Where was John? Wasn't he supposed to assist with this parenting thing. He should have been smarter than to leave Sherlock alone with her, he had nearly burnt his own hand just a few minutes ago.

Sherlock scrambled out the door to find his phone. He dialed John first, no answer. He dialed Aria as well, no answer again. Sherlock was shaking, his hands pressing the wrong buttons on the tiny screen. He scrolled down the list of contacts until he found one that he knew he would regret calling, but he had no other option.

It took 6 rings for him to pick up, which Sherlock thought was unusual.

"Sherlock...?"

"Mycroft," he said in a firm tone, trying to gain his composure, but failing when his voice broke on the phone.

"Sherlock? Sherlock, what is it?"

"John...and Aria are missing, I think something bad has happen, I need you to find them,"

"Sherlock, calm down, when did you last see them?"

"Aria snuck out the window within the last hour, John has been gone all day."

"Are you sure she snuck out the window? She wasn't taken?"

"Who could have... Moran... was here, he talked to her, do you think he could have..."

"I will check the CCTV camera's in the area for any sign of them."

"Thank you, brother,"

He clicked the phone dead and paced around the room, not able to relax knowing that something bad could be happening to either of them. What if Moriarty had taken them? What if they were being tortured by that sadist and his tiger in something abandoned house? He knew that if Mycroft got a location, he would have to go there himself.

He sat in his chair, face in his hands and on the edge of bursting into tears, when his phone buzzed on his knee.

'I've got your dear ones, come and find me - JM'

'Aria was seen heading for a warehouse, Creaere Street,"