What Next?

Chapter 14:

Lilly's POV

I met Peter at Speedy's and we both sat with our coffee in silence. All of a sudden my palms started to sweat, my mind raced "What if I'm wrong? I'm going off a dream, it can't be right. I should just leave." and I looked over at him and felt his gears turning and I could see sweat lining his brow. I relaxed when he spoke breaking the silence, "I'm sorry about Uriah. He was a great friend and probably an even better brother." "Thanks." I mumbled as the grief hit me like a wave crushing my bones. "Listen, I've liked you for a long time and I don't know if this is the wrong time to ask, but would you go out with me?" The words caught me by surprise and my head snapped up and a grin came across my face, "I was going to ask you that's why I texted you this morning." He grinned and walked me to the station where he works with his dad as a research worker.

Dad was already there and he looked at me as if confused. My hands instinctively moved to my face and I felt my own smile, the first one in weeks. Lestrade and dad walked over to us and Peter cleared his throat and spoke, "Lilly and I are going out tonight, if that's okay with you Mr. Holmes." John who had walked over with dad grinned and elbowed dad. "Right, um, of course. That's fine." Beside me Pete relaxed.

I looked at John and he winked as if to say "I'll talk to him." I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding. Pete went to work and I told him we'd talk later. "Is there a case?" Lestrade who was still confused snapped out of his thoughts and nodded, "Right, a murder off of Abingdon Street. It's a weird one." I nodded and listened as we were briefed on th situation. It had been decided that I would talk to the victim's fiancce and dad would stick to looking at the body. John had to go do wedding stuff with Mary and Lestrade would meet us there. Peter decided he would come along much to his father's protest.

We arrived at the crime scene twenty minutes later and dad started to look uncomfortable. I looked at Peter and realized sometime during the ride he'd put his arm around me. I felt my cheeks turn red. "Peter," I whispered."You're making dad uncomfortable tone it down a bit, ya?" He nodded and took his arm down and crossed them in front of his chest. I could feel dad smile as he turned to look out the window.

Sherlock's POV

At the crime scene I quickly ducked under the yellow police tape and walked down the alleyway to find a mangled body hanging from a fire escape by its arm. A feeling of excitement bubbled up inside my chest as I observed the body. Obviously the woman had been killed then dragged over here by her killer who had left footprints. He wants to be caught. I scrape up part of a foot print to track the man down. I smiled and left Lilly to her own deductions.

Back at the flat Lilly made lunch and set it in front of me with a cup of tea. She preferred to drink a coke just because if how Uriah used to make her tea every morning. Every time she smelled or had a taste of Earl Grey she felt guilty because she still felt like she in a way had killed him. She hadn't really slept since he died And her dark circles had deepened, her eyes had lost their spark of life and curiosity, and her shoulders slumped when she thought no one was looking. I was worried about her when she was alone she was barely holding on to sanity. She wanted more than anything to kill Moriarty and make him pay, but it's impossible and she knows it and it's slowly killing her.

Peter and Lilly always got along and I wasn't too surprised that they started dating. Her face lifts every time she sees him and when he talks to her she blushes and smiles. I still didn't know if I should trust him or not, this isn't just some girl he's messing with she's my daughter. Lestrade and I both agree that he has to take care of her and protect her or there will be consequences.