My High-functioning Sociopath (BBC Sherlock fanfiction) *Under editing*

Chapter 8

"Are you all right, dear?" Mrs Holmes asks Elizabeth concerned, looking at the side of her head. Her face has a red mark in the shape as her father's hand.

"I'm fine Mrs Holmes, don't worry about me." Elizabeth pulls away, accidentally touching her cheek. She hisses in pain, cupping it gently.

"I'm gonna get some ice for your cheek." Mrs Holmes murmurs, walking out of the living room. Mr Holmes walks into the room, looking at Elizabeth with a reassuring look on his face. "I called the police," he tells her. "Told me they're going to investigate now."

"You guys didn't need to do that." Elizabeth says, not used to the affection she is getting from them.

"We wanted to." Sherlock says from the entry. "I wanted to. You're my best friend."

"Why were you following me?" Elizabeth asks him, looking at him accusingly.

"I had a feeling something bad was going to happen to you." Sherlock shrugs, sitting down next to her. "It's a good thing I listened to my gut."

"Here is some ice, dear. This should make you feel better." Mrs Holmes says, entering the room. She hands the ice in the rags to Sherlock, who holds it gently to her face.

"Wha - I am fine doing this myself." Elizabeth tries taking the ice from Sherlock with a blush forming on her cheeks, making him pull away with a smirk.

"Nu-uh, you're letting me do this. Plus, you should lie down."

"I don't need any rest -"

"Can you stop being a sociopath for once and let me do this?" Sherlock says impatiently, looking at her annoyed.

"Ooh, lover's quarrel." Mrs Holmes chuckles.

"We are not together!" the teenagers says sharply. Why do I feel this ache in my chest when I said that? Sherlock wonders to himself. Sherlock snaps out of his daze when they start speaking again.

"Okay then, whatever you two say." Mr Holmes says, the parents retreating out of the room slowly. "We'll check on you two later on."

***

"Are you awake?" Sherlock whispers in the dark. Elizabeth and him are in his room sleeping, Elizabeth on the right side, Sherlock on the left side. They decided to go to bed after ten minutes of sitting in the living room in silence.

"Yes." he hears back.

"Why didn't you tell me they abused you?" Sherlock asks her.

"I don't know, I didn't want to bring you and your family in my family's mess." Sherlock feels Elizabeth shrug from next to him.

"I always wondered why you were missing on some days." Sherlock murmurs to himself.

"I didn't want you to see the bruises, so I stayed at home, waiting for my skin to heal. I knew you would have been suspicious if I used make up to cover it up." Elizabeth said. Sherlock smirks slightly at the fact that she knew him so well when he knows her so well as well.

"No more secrets, please." Sherlock whispers. "Best friends aren't supposed to keep secrets from each other."

"I thought that was for girlfriends and boyfriends?" Elizabeth said.

"It's for everyone, Lizzy." Sherlock tells her. "For your parents, for your siblings, for your friends, girlfriends and boyfriends."

"Oh, okay." she says, nodding. "I should pay more attention at these kind of stuff."

"Yeah, you should." Sherlock agrees, making her punch him lightly on the shoulder. They stay in silence for a while, when Elizabeth breaks it.

"Why did your parents think we were lovers?" she asks him. Sherlock stays quiet, thinking for an answer.

"I don't really know." Sherlock admits. Did his parents know something? Is it because of his strange feelings towards her? Does she know? "Do you know?" he asks her.

"I don't know, maybe." is her reply.

"You know, you are smarter than me." Sherlock says, realising just now.

"William, you shouldn't think of this as a contest or something." she tells him. "So what if someone is smarter than you? It isn't the end of the world."

"But do you know anything about why my parents think we're lovers?" Sherlock asks her. Elizabeth stays quiet, the only sound in the room is her tapping on the bedsheets in a rhythm. She finally answers him.

"It may be with your emotions." she reveals.

"My emotions?" he repeats, staring at the ceiling with a frown. "What's wrong with my emotions?"

"Nothing, William, nothing." Elizabeth says. "Ugh, one of the perks of being a sociopath. You don't know what you feel."

"Lizzy!" he complains. "What emotions are you talking about?"

"Your emotion of feeling attracted to someone or something!" she exclaims, frustration in her voice. "You are feeling attracted to me, that is why your parents thought we were lovers." Sherlock stays quiet, thinking her words over. He likes her? But she's his friend! His best friend! Wait. . .

"My parents thought we were lovers because I felt attracted to you." he said slowly, thinking the words over. He feels Elizabeth tense slightly, making him know he is on the right track. "The only way my parents thought we were dating was because we both were feeling attracted to each other." he hears Elizabeth sigh in defeat, making him smile in victory that he is right. "You feel attracted to me." he states. "And I feel attracted to you. Where does this leave us?"

"I don't know." she admits. "We'll figure it out on the way. For now, we'll just leave it alone until we know for sure."

"Good idea." Sherlock agrees, ignoring his feelings for now. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."

"Goodnight Sherlock."