Can't Stay Away (BBC Sherlock) -2-

3. Daughter by Day, Target by Night

"Guys, seriously, I highly doubt it was necessary to come over," I complained.

Kendal and Madison were over while Bayley was out at work. Amanda was at college, so she wasn't able to come over, though she really wanted to. I didn't bother to ask Darien, though a newlywed would be the one to ask in a situation like this.

If Dad was proposing to Mary, he needed to do it in a way that she'd find sweet and not cheesy. This wasn't like asking her to Prom, this was asking for a lifelong commitment. It needed to be memorable.

"This couldn't be done over the phone," Kendal assured me as she squished me between her and Madi on the couch. I had the laptop on the table, waiting for Dad to call. He was thinking about proposing in a few days, and I offered my services to help. I'd mentioned the idea to Kendal, Madison, and Amanda. I'd only asked for suggestions, not for them to come over and join the conversation.

"Over the phone does nothing," Madi told me, her hazel eyes glued to her iPhone. Kendal mirrored Madison. If they were on what I thought they were on, they needed to not be on their phones when talking with my dad. The last thing he needed was to catch Sherlock's name from their lips.

"Hmm, no new bizarre stories," Kendal murmured. "He must be back."

I put my head in my hands. "Not this again!"

"Rachel, why can't you try to think he's alive?"

"Because he isn't. I saw him fall off a freaking building!"

"Did you ever look down and see him on the ground?"

"Well, no..."

"Then he could have saved himself right under your nose."

"My dad saw him fall, Ken. I'm pretty sure Sherlock didn't save himself." I shook my head.

The laptop chirped. I connected the call.

I sighed, seeing as Dad was still stubborn in keeping that ridiculous facial caterpillar. Maybe if Kendal and Madison said something, it'd give him the good enough push to get rid it.

"Oh, hello again, girls," Dad stammered. I smiled sadly. "Rachel, I thought I told you I wanted to talk to you?"

"You did, but I couldn't stop them," I sighed.

"We figured the more, the merrier," Kendal chirped.

"No, you just had nothing better to do, so you figured you'd sneak in when this was purely a family affair."

"Oh well, what can you do about us?"

"I can call the cops and kick you out."

Dad cleared his throat. "Can we focus, please? I want to make sure this is easy. I've never done this before."

"Right," I agreed. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Just one."

"Please don't say you're proposing in a park or at your house," Kendal moaned. "To me, it speaks alone time, sure, but not romantic in the least."

"Oh, as if you've gotten a marriage proposal," I snapped. "But I kind of agree with you there, Ken."

"No, I was thinking a nice restaurant," Dad explained.

"Cliché," Madison deadpanned. I elbowed her, she flinched. "But hey, you're not going to extreme measures, right?"

"Exactly. I want to keep it simple and sweet."