My Father's Daughter: The Life of Alexis Moriarty

Chapter 3

Alexis sipped her coffee slowly as she watched people walk past the window. She still sat in her usual seat, and still visited Maggie in the shop every Tuesday and Thursday, like normal.

Except it wasn't normal. She didn't have Trevor anymore.

She didn't have a friend anymore.

She supposed she never had him in the first place, but the company was nice while it lasted.

Everyone lies and leaves her in the end, after all, right?

She let out a long sigh and pulled out her mobile phone, typing out a quick text to Sherlock.

When you're done harrassing the police, come to Clissold Park? -A

Almost immediately, her phone buzzed in het hand with a response.

Why, is something wrong? Are you hurt? SH

Alexis shook her head a bit and sipped her coffee again. Why was he so protective of me!? She thought. Sure, he pulled her out of her old home and saved her, but as John said, Sherlock doesn't like people; he doesn't have friends; he isn't kind. Why would he be to her? She was just part of a case after all.

She waited a few moments, just to rattle his cage, before replying.

Everything's fine. I could just use some company is all. -A

She stood up and stretched her legs a bit before smiling warmly at Maggie and walking out the door. She sipped her warm coffee one last time before tossing it in a bin. As she walked to the park, the crisp air whipped her hair around her face and chilled her to the bone, but she didn't care. She looked into the windows and as she walked down the sidewalk. She stopped in her tracks as something caught her eye.

A tiny black box with a tiny sliver bow sat on the sidewalk against one of the shop walls. It was incredibly small, and she almost missed it, but somehow she felt like it must be for her.

Alexis looked around a few times to make sure no one had dropped it before picking it up. It fit almost perfectly in her hand. She shoved it in her pocket as she continued down the sidewalk to the park.

As she walked up, Sherlock looked at her from a park bench and twiddled his thumbs. "I'm not usually the one people call when they need company, you know."

"Who else was I supposed to ask?" Alexis asked as she sat beside him. "My only friend tried to kill me last week."

"He didn't try to kill you, he just tied you up and-" Alexis shot Sherlock a look and he cleared his throat, turning to look straight ahead. "But I see what you mean."

They both sat in silence, just listening to the sounds around them for a few minutes. "Marriage problems." Alexis stated softly, motioning towards the woman walking down the street. She looked up at Sherlock and raised an eyebrow.

He grinned and cleared his throat. "Five.. Ten years tops, if I had to guess. They must have had lots of money at one time, but have become almost bankrupt going by the looks of her-"

"Shoes. Nice shoes, not meant for walking around, but since they're so low on money, she can't afford to take a cab everywhere, thus the wear and tear on her shoes." Alexis finished, grinning up at him. Sherlock was fairly impressed and patted her shoulder proudly.

Suddenly, Alexis remembered and fished into her pocket. She pulled out the box she had found, showing it to Sherlock. "I found this on the sidewalk today."

Sherlock, almost uninterestedly, glanced at it and nodded once. "What's in it?"

"I don't know... I haven't opened it yet.." Alexis stared at the box in her hand for a few moments before opening it. Inside was a small, golden locket.

Alexis placed the box on her lap and pulled the locket out. She opened it and gasped at the picture, her hands starting to tremble. "Sherlock...?"

Sherlock looked over at the tiny thing before looking up at Alexis. "It's a woman. Someone must have dropped the box when they were leaving-"

"That's not just any woman, Sherlock..." Alexis looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. "That's my mum."