Lock and Key - Sherlock x OC

The Game Is On

"Sherlock, I told you, keep your bloody science experiments out of the fridge!"

   An unfamiliar voice shouting at Sherlock was the first thing I heard upon entering 221b, and honestly, I wasn't surprised.

   "It's for a case, John!" Sherlock shouted back, and I snorted, making my way up the steps.

   Two weeks had passed since I had agreed to help Sherlock solve cases, and this was the first time since then that he had actually called on me for help.

I reached the doorway that led into the sitting room and knocked on the door frame. Sherlock was sitting in his chair, his hands together in front of his face and his eyes closed. They opened and darted to me when I knocked, and his hands dropped from his face.

He stood and grabbed his laptop, saying, "Took you long enough to get here."

I sighed, entering the room. "Hello to you, too."

Just as I entered, John Watson stepped out of the kitchen and we stared at each other.

"Uh, hello," he said with a small smile. "You must be Summer. I'm John, John Watson."

"Sherlock mentioned me?" I said in surprise, shaking his now extended hand.

John laughed. "He did a lot more than mention you."

I blinked and turned to Sherlock, who hurried over and began to shove John out of the room. "Yes, thank you, you can leave now," he said, "Summer and I have business to take care of."

John raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I know when I'm not welcome."

He left and Sherlock turned to me. "Scotland Yard," he said, and I raised an eyebrow. "We're going there, come on."

~ * ~

The cab we'd taken pulled up in front of Scotland Yard, and I felt a strange sense of dejavu. We entered the building and passed the front desk without being stopped, though the lady behind it was eyeing me suspiciously.

We made it to the main office area, and I saw multiple people I recognized. Greg Lestrade stood next to a set of drawers, some papers in hand, and he was talking to another employee.

".. now, do your job, and go find him!" he was saying to the young man, sounding entirely fed up. The young man quickly left after muttering something in response. Lestrade sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before returning to his papers.

He looked exactly the same, except now he had a bit of a dad bod, and wrinkles were beginning to form around his eyes. He dropped whatever files were in his hand and stared at Sherlock and I when we entered the room.

"Summer?" he asked. "Is.. is that you?"

I waved, smiling awkwardly. "Hi, Greg. It's good to see you."

He smiled, then frowned. "What're you doing here? And with him, of all people."

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Standing right here, thanks."

"We, uh," I began. "We're working on a case together."

Lestrade blinked, looking between us. "Seriously?"

I nodded and Sherlock stepped in front of me. "Enough chitchat," he said impatiently. "You said you had a case for me?"

Lestrade shook his head, blinking. "Right," he said, still looking a little shocked. "Er, we got a call this morning about a kidnapped little girl, disappeared early this morning, around 7:30 am."

"So what?" Sherlock replied, and I had to remind myself that this was what he was like. Emotionless, uncaring of others feelings. "You get cases for missing persons all the time. So, what's special about this one? You wouldn't have texted me about it unless it was different."

"The kidnapper left a note," Lestrade hesitated. "And it's for you."

Sherlock's icy blue eyes lit up, instantly looking intrigued and excited. "Well, what is it?" he asked, keeping his voice relaxed, though I could practically see the excitement rolling off him in waves.

Lestrade opened a drawer and pulled out a file, which Sherlock took without waiting for it to be handed to him. "I really wish you'd gotten here sooner," Greg said as Sherlock read it. "Because, well.."

"'Ready to have some fun, Sherly?'" Sherlock read. "'This little girl is quite the crier. Better find her before I grow tired of her whining.'"

I felt a chill slide down my back. "Is that all it says?" I asked in a whisper, peeking around Sherlock to try and see.

He glanced at me, then continued, "'I'll give you 24 hours to solve it. Should be long enough for the great Sherlock Holmes, shouldn't it?'" he grimaced slightly. "'If not, well, I'm sure you can guess what will happen.'"

I swallowed hard and Sherlock slid the note back into the case file. He next looked at the place of disappearance, and I grabbed the description of the girl.

'Elizabeth Park
Age: 8 yrs. Sex: Female
Height: 4'1 Eye color: blue'

I looked up and realized Sherlock was heading out of the room. I let out a yelp of surprise and handed Lestrade the papers, hurrying after the sociopath.

"Sherlock," I called after him, running to catch up. "Hold up. Where are we going?"

He hailed a taxi, not even looking at me. "To the little girls house, of course."

We climbed into the taxi and Sherlock gave the cabbie the address. "So, wait," I said. "Who was that note from? Clearly they know you, so who was it?"

Sherlock was quiet for a few moments, and I stared at him, waiting for an answer. "I have an idea," he finally replied. "But it shouldn't be possible."

He didn't elaborate and I decided not to push for more. Usually, in the past when I had, he'd snap at me. And although that was a long time ago, I didn't feel like testing it in the moment.

   We arrived at a cute little house with a flower garden in the front yard. Just by looking at it, you wouldn't think anything bad had happened here.

   I stepped out of the cab and followed after Sherlock as he walked up to the front door. He knocked and we waited. A frail woman with short brown hair answered the door and I noticed her tear stained face and the dark rings under her eyes.

   She'd probably been crying all day, and I didn't blame her. "Can I help you?" she asked, her voice thick with recently spilled tears.

   "Sherlock Holmes, and this is my assistant, Summer Abbington," Sherlock introduces us.
   "We're here about your missing daughter," I added. "Scotland Yard sent us."

   The lady basically ignored me and stared wide-eyes at Sherlock. "Sherlock Holmes?" she questioned. "The detective?"

"The one and only."

She glanced between us once more before stepping back and allowing us to enter the house.

A/N: okay I know this is a weird way to end the chapter, but I have a lot I want to happen, so the next chapter should be pretty long. Anyways, I hope you're enjoying the story!