A Living Mystery

The Virgin Has A Child?

A/N Heeeeeey I'm back with some more Sherlock!!! Enjoy!!!!

3rd Person POV

"Flower, will you please wipe your mouth?" Sherlock told Eris absently, handing his daughter a damp towel the chicken wings restaurant provided.

It had been the nearest food place they could find and when the employees saw the little girl they jumped into action, seating the trio almost immediately. Eris ate ravenously, finishing almost half of the plate of boneless wings in five minutes, the sauce painted all over her hands and face. It was clear she wasn't picky but she wasn't clean either.

Sherlock was staring blankly ahead as John and Eris ate, thinking about the case he had just been given, probably the most interesting one in months. John was right, it was a four, and they didn't get a lot of those. But here he was with a child in the mix that he had to take care of, and it was taking up a lot of his headspace figuring out what he was going to do.

Sherlock's thoughts were interuppted by something wet and sticky on his arm. When he looked down he saw Eris drawing with the buffalo sauce all over his arm, it seemed to be a snowman doing a backflip into the sun.

"Eris, that is lovely darling but clean yourself up, we have to go home so I can start the investigation." Sherlock explained gently, but he still seemed distant, his eyes not seeing Eris but instead the inside of his Mind Palace.

At this Eris stopped and took the towel, using it to clean all the sauce from her face and hands. Miraculously she had managed to keep all her clothing spotless despite her mess. Eris looked at Sherlock for a moment and then turned to John, concerned "Doda, why is Papa quiet?"

The doctor smiled sympathetically "Your father is in his Mind Palace. He drifts off into his brain where he has memories stored in an imaginary house. It's a memory technique."

Eris nodded her understanding and looked at Sherlock again. John could see that she craved her father's attention. But Sherlock, being the otherworldly being he was, didn't seem notice this.

A few more minutes passed by until Sherlock looked up again "John, check the flight schedules out of London for the past three days." He then got up and started walking out of the restaurant.

John sighed and put some money on the table "Come on Eris." He said, taking the child's hand and running after Sherlock.

He took out his phone and checked all the airline schedules. After skimming through it he handed the phone to his boyfriend who hailed a cab.

Sherlock took the phone and read all the times, selecting a few flights that would've worked for the missing family. "We have to visit the house they left."

"But I thought they left nothing behind?" John asked, confused.

"No one can disappear without a trace." Sherlock countered "They always leave something behind." His eyes blazed, convinced he was right. But in the midst of his frustration and his need to know, John could tell Sherlock was enjoying the challenge. They hadn't had a really serious case since they discovered the existence of Eurus Holmes and John figured the Consulting Detective needed something to keep their flat's wall safe from further harm.

"Papa gonna find the loss famly?" Eris interjected. The two looked at her in surprise, they hadn't thought she was listening. She looked mildly worried, as if she could sense the danger in what they were doing.

Sherlock stroked her hair and drifted back into thought "Of course, Flower, we'll find them."

~~~~~~~~~~~

On the roof of a nearby building a person in black watched as the small family got inside the cab. The taller man fit the description given accurately.

But the similarity between him and the young girl was remarkable, in fact it was too strange to be a coincidence. Narrowing their eyes the person signaled to the others in the area, letting them know they were leaving for a report and to keep following the cab.

The leader pulled out a phone and spoke into it, a quick message that would start a chain of crime all across London.

"You were right pajaro. The Virgin has a child."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the other side of the city John shut the cab door, reaching through the window to pay the cabbie. "Thanks mate." The man said and drove off into the damp evening.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, threatening a storm. Eris looked up curiously and felt a drop fall on her face. Before she could react, John scooped her up and followed Sherlock into the seemingly abandoned house. The lights were off and inside their steps echoed on the wooden floor, it was completely empty.

Sherlock walked around the flat slowly, observing everything with his eyes drifting around the room like a scanner. Finally they rested on something on the dinner table.

"John, look." He said urgently and the doctor walked over with Eris in his arms.

On the table was a picture of a boat with a bird printed on the side, a map with Ireland highlighted in yellow, and the words "sea worthy" carved into the table.

John cocked his head to the side, shrugged, and took five pictures. "What do you think it means?" He asked his boyfriend who stood behind him to read over his shoulder.

"You guess."

John sighed and leaned back onto Sherlock's chest, looking up into his face. "You're going to make fun of me, I know it."

Sherlock's lip twitched "No I won't, I honestly want to hear what you have to say."

Eris looked at her dads, her eyes drifting from one to another. When John looked away from Sherlock, deciding to humor him, the detective caught Eris's eye and winked. The little girl held back giggles.

"Fine," John looked at the clues and stepped away from Sherlock so he was no longer leaning on him. He narrowed his eyes "Um, well, the boat could be a sign that the family went overseas."

Sherlock nodded, appearing to be mock interested. Only Eris could see and she buried her face in her hands to keep from laughing, looking through the cracks in her fingers "Go on."

"The...the map showing Ireland might be a plan for where they were going. Or maybe they were going to meet someone from Ireland?" John continued, brushing the map with the tips of his fingers "Aaaaaaaand the carved words could be....I don't know, maybe a clue to what the name of the family is?"

Sherlock nodded and John turned around to face him "A good assessment, my dear Watson." He said and John raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Weeeeeeeeellllll.....no. Of course it's not that obvious." Sherlock deadpanned and John groaned, letting his head fall onto Sherlock's shoulder in defeat. The detective rubbed his back sarcastically "There there, John. You may have failed miserably but at least you didn't get your hopes up."

John punched his shoulder but didn't move, comfortable in his position. Eris, who was stuck between them, burst into a fit of laughter just as the sky opened up outside.

But inside the abandoned flat the small family was safe, completely unaware of the spies outside, watching and listening to everything they did.

Looking at a monitor from the top of a neighboring building one of them took out their phone "Pajaro, they found it." The spy claimed.

From the other side the breathy voice of a young woman answered, laughter mixing with words "Gooooooood ha.....Jimmy would be sooooooo proud."

There was a fit of giggles and the line went dead.

A/N This was kinda short but ya know, I'll make a longer one next time I guess.

DON'T DIE!

~Prongs