The Doctor's Daughter | Wholock {1}

Chapter 21: Angel

Sherlock lay stretched out on the couch, hands folded beneath his chin as he wondered the hallways of his mind palace. His search for angel statues hadn't yielded any results. The answer to Moriarty's puzzle had to be somewhere in Sherlock's memory. He just had to find it.

He thought about the last time he had spoken to Jim Moriarty. He could remember standing on the roof of Bart's as if it had happened the day before. He could remember hearing music before he even saw Moriarty. Stayin' Alive, the same song that had played when Moriarty's phone rang at the swimming pool where Sherlock and John had nearly died. Needless to say, Sherlock had come to hate that song.

He could still hear Moriarty taunting him. "Oh, just kill yourself already...Your friends will die if you don't...You're ordinary—you're on the side of the angels."

A small smile spread across Sherlock's face. That was it. That was the answer to Moriarty's latest puzzle.

The sound of a scream broke the silence, making Sherlock jump in surprise. He sprang to his feet and ran down the hallway to his room, where the scream had come from. "Kimmy!" he called as he pushed the door open. "Kimmy, are you alright?" He turned the light on, blinking at the sudden brightness, and saw that she was sitting up, wiping tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I'm fine," she said, not looking at him. "It was just a nightmare. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bother you."

"I was just about to wake you, actually," he replied. "I know where Moriarty hid the next puzzle."

Kimmy finally turned to look at him, one eyebrow arched in surprise. "You know what angel he was talking about?"

Sherlock nodded. "Before he faked his death on Bart's rooftop, he told me I was on the side of the angels."

"So you're the angel," Kimmy said, nodding. "He was talking about your grave."

Sherlock nodded again. "I'll wait for you downstairs. Hurry, we're only got twenty-eight hours left." Without waiting for her to reply, he turned and walked back down the hall. He got his coat and scarf from where he'd hung them behind the door and started walking down the stairs.

"Sherlock?" Mrs. Hudson's voice called when he was halfway down. The landlady appeared at the foot of the steps, looking up with a concerned look. "Sherlock, what was that scream?"

"Scream?" he repeated, trying to think of an excuse. "It was, um...It was me."

"You?" Mrs. Hudson looked even more confused.

"Yes," Sherlock replied. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kimmy exiting the flat. As subtly as he could, he gestured for her to stay quiet. She must have seen him, because she nodded and didn't make a sound.

"Sherlock, I hate to tell you this," Mrs. Hudson said, "but you sounded like a frightened school girl."

Sherlock rolled his eyes, noticing that Kimmy had to hold one hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. "I had a nightmare," he lied. "Don't you have breakfast to cook or something?"

"I was actually just about to get started on that," she said, walking in the direction of her kitchen. "Care for anything?"

"No, Mrs. Hudson," he replied. He turned to Kimmy and motioned for her to follow him as he started walking down the stairs. She nodded again, walking on her toes and making almost no noise.

"Have a case, do you?" Mrs. Hudson called over her shoulder.

"Something like that," Sherlock replied as he opened the door front door. "I'll probably be out most of the day. Don't wait up," he added, just to be sure Mrs. Hudson didn't hear Kimmy's footsteps as she exited the flat.

"Be careful, Sherlock," the landlady replied, turning and giving him a kind smile. Thankfully, Kimmy was already out of sight.

"I will," he said as he left the flat, pulling the door closed behind him. Kimmy had already hailed a cab and was waiting inside. He walked over and sat down beside her, giving the cabbie the name of the cemetery as he did. The cabbie nodded and pulled away from the curb. Sherlock glanced over at Kimmy. She was looking out the window with unfocused eyes, making Sherlock think she was still half-asleep. He hoped she'd be more alert by the time they reached the cemetery.

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Sorry for the late update. This week has been crazy.

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