Parent!lock AU; A Study In Teens

My guardian Mortician

Mazie watches as everyone watches her walk out of her room. It's bright out. Will and Ham ignore her. Uncle Mycroft glares at her. Greg gives her a pitiful look. Molly and Mrs. Hudson have left, and everyone in the room hates her.

"I'm sorry." She mumbles, accidentally bumping into an empty chair. She makes herself a sandwich, pours herself some milk, and takes it back to her room. She wasn't stupid enough to starve herself, but as soon as she room a bite, she had to throw it all away. It tasted just like she thought it would. Dirt and wood. She opens her computer and reads the comments again. She comes across one, one that makes her heart crumble.

"You're a fake. An attention who're just wanting people to love her. There are starving people in Africa while you're on the internet begging for love."

Mazie slams her computer. She knew she wasn't a fake. She experienced everything. Someone knocks on her door and Molly walks in with a hair brush.

"They're not being fair." Molly whispers, not even asking before beginning to brush Mazie's hair, "They don't know what it's like. I don't either, but I'm not judging you. If you ask me, if they don't want to get yelled at they should leave you alone." Mazie laughs a little. "I mean, dear god, they think it's okay to just... you're probably feeling a lot of emotions and they're ignoring that you don't want to share them. They're all boys. It's just you and I, other than Mrs. Hudson, and they dot know how stupid the are sometimes. Granted, so are us girls, but you're not the one that began this."

It was just like when Mazie was little. Whenever she would get upset, Molly would come over and do her hair, talk to her about how stupid her parents were, tuck her into bed, and then kiss the giggling girl on the forehead before leaving.

"Molly, I was so stupid to think they would just accept me back like a normal human." Mazie sighs, "They're treating the boys like glass bowls, and they're treating me like a bomb. They don't know I've already blown up and I'm harmless."

"I know, honey." Molly soothes, braiding Mae's hair, "Go take a shower. I'll make tea and then we'll talk about meaningless things. I'll catch you up on all your favorite shows and you'll talk about how much you hate Jim and your fathers. Sound good?"

"It sounds great." Tears sting Mazie's eyes. No one had really shown her anything like this since she got back. She was only told that she was a faker. Molly hugs Mazie, before they both got up to do what they promised. Molly storms out of the room and grabs Sherlock and John by the ears, dragging them into the kitchen.

"How dare you not show her any sympathy?" She scolds whole making some tea, almost as hot as the kettle, "Here you are, treating her like a machine while you're fetching the boys whatever they want basically putting then in bubble wrap. You send in men to defuse the bomb, and they detonate it. Have you ever though that maybe there's a human in there?"

"But-"

"Shut up. I'm talking." Moly shuts them down, "You made her first day home miserable. Have you hugged her yet? Did you compliment her for trying to get out on her own?"

"No..." John trails off, unable to find a good argument for why they hadn't shown any compassion.

"Have you even thought that maybe you should tell her that she had been brave? You told the boys thy were so courageous. I heard you when I was walking in to find Mazie sobbing in her room with a half eaten sandwich. She's trying." Molly's voice breaks, "I thought you two were better than that."

"We're just-"

"Have you asked her if she's been okay? Have you done anything other than insist that she's turning into one of you?" Molly raises her eyebrows accusingly.

"I... I don't recall a asking if she's okay." Sherlock mumbles. The water turns off in the shower and Molly angrily pours the tea before dipping the tea bag in a stirring around, adding honey and sugar cutting an ice cube in half and plunking the two halves into each cup. She spins on her heel and her expression softens.

"I know you've been through pain. And I know the boys have too, but you've got to stop treating Mae like she's faking everything she does. You have to stop treating her like she's you." It wasn't obvious on who she's talking to, but both feel as if it were them. She takes the coffee and walks back to Mazie, who's in dinosaur pj bottoms and a tank top.

"You're the best, Aunt Molly." Mazie sighs, sinking into the comfort of the room. For the few short hours she'd secluded herself from other, the room had been freezing and full of tension.

"I know." Molly sits crossed-legged on Mazie's bed, staring her in the eyes, "In the three weeks you've been gone, you've missed three episodes of Supernatural season ten. You've missed the fourth one, the third one, and the second one."

"Okay, so give me the run down of what happened, and then we'll watch them on Hulu?" A smile creeps up Mazie's faces.

"Deal!" Molly high fives Mazie.

~Three hours later~

"Oh my god!" Mazie giggles, "Oh god oh god, oh Jesus Christ!"

"The next one is in two days!" Molly snorts, "That looks..."

"Fantastic." Mazie sets down her third glass of tea, "Thank you, Molly."

"Oh, damn. I have to head out to work." Molly checks her phone, "Call me if your parents are jerks, okay?"

"Okay." Mazie stands, hugging Molly tightly before she leaves. They close the curtain, blocking off Will and Jams side of the room, since the three siblings shared the same TV.

A few minutes pass before Sherlock and John enter the room.

"We're sorry." Sherlock mumbles, "We weren't supportive."

"Damn right, you weren't supportive." Mazie sniffs, "I thought we were a family that cares."

"We do care about you, love." John assures her, "We just... we're scared that you're going to evolve and not be... you."

"I know." Mazie blushes, "Little girl, right? You want me to always me mini Mae and not grow feelings."

"That's not..." Sherlock begins to lie, but shakes his head and just laughs, "You're right."

"I know." Mazie hugs her parents, letting go quickly and crossing her arms, quickly regaining her pissed off expression, "Do you understand that I am okay? Nothing was so horrible or scarring that I can't handle it."

"I guess... I guess I do understand." Sherlock nods.

"I don't." John huffs, "You were kidnapped and starved and tortured."

"Oh my." Mazie snorts, but her parents don't get the reference, "sorry, um, daddy, I'm fine. I could easily cope when my torturer was a grade A idiot that pretended he was special."

"Fine." John drops the subject, not wanting to spark another fight, "Just... come out here and hang out with us. We all miss you."

"Okay." Mazie walks out with her parents, and is greeted by warm smiles all around. Will and Ham are arguing about who's a better Doctor, Nine or Ten. Greg and Mycroft are having trouble picking the theme color for their wedding.

"God dammit, Mycroft Holmes, I am not having orange at my wedding. If you want a gold fish theme, then use gold!"

Mrs. Hudson was making tea and telling everyone to calm down and has a biscuit. There was a crime being solved on the wall, covering a faded yellow smiley face.

Everything was right in the world.