Baker Street: Behind Closed Curtains
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The Doctor had dropped the Ponds off at Rory's father's house to visit and told them that he had just one quick errand to run.
He lands the TARDIS on Baker Street, locks the doors behind him and dashes to the door of 221b. The Doctor enters without knocking and runs up the stairs, worried that he's late, as per usual. He enters the sitting area to find that only Sherlock, Mycroft, and John are there.
"Ah, Doctor," Sherlock says, smiling slightly over the top of his newspaper. "Right on schedule. Take a seat. Enjoy some tea."
The Doctor sits on the end of the couch closest to the windows after grabbing a tea cup and a few Jammie Dodgers. John and Sherlock are both in their respective chairs, while Mycroft sits at the table.
After only a few moments have passed, they all hear the sound of wings. Castiel is standing in the very center of the room.
"It seems I am the last one," he looks bashfully towards the floor. "I apologize."
"That's quite alright, Cas," John replies.
Sherlock folds up his paper and places it on the end table. "So, shall we begin?"
Mycroft looks to his brother and clears his throat, "Erm... John?"
Sherlock gives Mycroft a cool glare, "Whatever is to be discussed can be discussed in front of John. He's going to find out sooner or later."
That seems to agree with Mycroft, for he drops the matter.
"Yeah, why are we all gathered?" John asks, confusion written all over his features. "What's going on?"
"Not exactly sure," the Doctor mumbles around a jelly-filled cookie. "The date April 23rd 2017 must have some sort of importance. And a voice came to me and said 'Darkness is falling'."
"What sort of Darkness?" asks John.
"We don't know," Sherlock answers. "That's why we've scheduled this meeting."
John nods his head in understanding.
"There's also the matter of Thomas Holmes. Thanks to Sherlock's mind palace we have been able to find that he has no reflection. Also that his eyes are a blue-purple color and his pupils are square. From what I can tell, he has no DNA, or at least hasn't left any traces of it somehow. So, another question - Are the two things connected?" Mycroft speaks up. He leaves the room silent, each one of them thinking, trying to make connections, trying to find answers.
"We were thinking, Doctor, could Thomas perhaps be a Gelth?" Sherlock asks.
"No, I don't believe so," the Doctor answers.
"I've just searched records for a creature fitting that description," Castiel finally speaks. "A Zenethian is the closest match, singularly known as a Zeni. It has the make-up of a human but it went wrong with the eyes, they would be distorted and oddly colored. It wouldn't leave traces of DNA that your microscopes could recognize, it would just look blank or blend in with other materials."
"So what about the reflection?" John asks.
"The Zenethian race is very similar to the creatures that humans call Vampires, except they don't have fangs and they can walk freely in the daylight," Castiel explains. "They do feed on humans, except they take their life, not their blood. However, that isn't their only food source, animals can suffice."
"Hold on, how do they feed off of life? Isn't blood life?" Sherlock asks, confused.
"The Zenethians suck the life out of you, when doing so it makes the victim age rapidly, eventually turning to dust. Vampires only drain their victims of their blood," Cas clarifies.
"Oh, that sounds lovely," the Doctor comments, with a slightly horrified look.
"I don't know how Thomas and the Darkness could be related," Cas admits.
"Perhaps they plan to take over the world?" Mycroft suggests.
"Always the optimist," John grumbles under his breath. Sherlock hears it and giggles softly to himself.
"I must go. Sam is praying for my help," Cas vanishes without a good-bye.
"I should get going as well," Mycroft stands and makes his way to the door. "Matters of State to discuss, and I can't be late this time."
The Doctor stands and places his empty cup back on the platter. He clears his throat, "Gotta go get the Ponds." He starts making his way towards the door.
"Doctor," Sherlock calls after him. The Doctor stops in the doorway and turns back, expectant. "How bad is it? I know you recognized the name."
The Doctor looks to his feet and takes a breath before replying to Sherlock, "I have heard the name. They're an ancient race from a far away universe. As to how bad it is, well, they've destroyed three planets." He waits, letting Sherlock soak it all in, before continuing. "As far as we know, there's only Thomas. I'm sure we can defeat one Zenethian."
The detective nods solemnly, pursing his lips, "I trust you, Doctor."
The Doctor gives him a small smile and waves as he descends the stairs, heading back to his beloved TARDIS.
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Darkness Falls
Fanfiction{Sequel to Help is Always Given} "Doctor," Sherlock asks hesitantly, biting his lip. "How bad is it?" The Doctor stares at the detective for a moment before shifting his gaze to the floor. He takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. He can't answ...
