Sherlock's Girl

On the way to the cemetery Sherlock decided he needed to talk to Mycroft. So he phoned up his brother, the thing he hated doing the most. The phone rang twice before his brother's voice filled the end of the line.

"Hello brother dear, enjoying the afterlife?" A small chuckle escaped from Mycroft's mouth down the line.

"Your sense of humour Mycroft is neither amusing or worth your breath. I need your help Mycroft, which you know I hating asking for, but I am going back to John and Mrs Hudson. But I want your help with another matter. There is a girl…"

Mycroft sighed down the "Oh dear me Sherlock, death has really changed you. Love is so unlike you." Sherlock bit his bottom lip.

"No Mycroft. She is an orphan; she is living in Vauxhall Arches…"

"And you want me to put her back in an orphanage?"

"Not quite. I want you to organise adoption papers that are legal for a "dead" man."

"You want to adopt? Oh dear, death has made you crazy. Why this child Sherlock?"

Sherlock hesitated for a moment, "She is me,Mycroft. She is me. She is only 15 yet reads more books than an average adult reads in a year in a day. Also, she knew who I was with one glance!"

"Oh dear lord, just what the world needs… Okay I will agree to this but I will be watching you. The pair of you. So are you going to tell me her name?"

"Her name is Sapphire. Sapphire Doyle."

"Sapphire… Sapphire Holmes, sounds like the sort of name mother would call her child if she had had a girl. Okay I will get the papers for you by 5 o'clock this evening."

"Bye Mycroft."

"Goodbye brother." And with that Mycroft hung up.

Sherlock decided if he was going to go see John, then he needed to dye his hair back to its normal colour. So he stopped off at the place he got it dyed in the first place. Once that was over and done with, Sherlock made his way to the cemetery. By the time he got there his own funeral had finished. "Ha. Late for my own funeral. Not everyone gets to say that and mean it." Sherlock thought. He reached his own grave as John and Mrs Hudson were making their final goodbyes, Mrs Hudson started crying, and John asked her to leave him alone for a moment. She turned and walked away still crying.

John stood looking at Sherlock's grave, begging the headstone, for him not to be dead. Sherlock chuckled softly to himself, if only John knew. John turned to leave, Sherlock watched as John walked away from his grave. Sherlock let him get half way before deciding that he would tell John now.

"John! John wait!" Sherlock shouted after the man. John slowly turned around, as he did this his jaw slowly lowered, and a tear streaked down his cheek.

"Sherlock? You're alive?"

Sherlock smiled, "Yes John in case me standing here didn't convince you."

"You arrogant sod! You die and you still don't care about anyone! Do you!" John seemed furious by that point.

Sherlock looked at his companion, "I have changed John. I promise, death brought out a nearly new me. I am coming back to Baker Street, but I need you to prepare Mrs Hudson. I need to first of all meet up with me brother and second, keep a promise I made. Tell Mrs Hudson I will renovate 221c as we will be having a new resident moving in with us." With that, in true Sherlock fashion, he left without uttering another word.

Sherlock headed across the cemetery, towards the main gate, towards Vauxhall Arches. Back to Sapphire. He met up with Mycroft briefly, to grab the adoption papers, before he got into one of Mycroft's shiny black totally inconspicuous cars.

It was gone 5:30 by the time Sherlock reached Vauxhall Arches again. Sapphire had finished the book she had been reading when Sherlock left and was half way through "Oliver Twist". She looked up as Sherlock came into view.

"You've dyed your hair." Sapphire noticed. "You're going back to your old life aren't you?" Sherlock nodded. "Well the company was nice while it lasted. Hope all goes well for you." Sapphires face had dropped as she said this. Without looking at Sherlock again she returned to her book.

"I am glad someone enjoyed my company for once, well I guess I won't be in Vauxhall Arches again for a while." Sherlock tried to get the girl to look at him again.

"Okay then whatever. I get that you are leaving, so go already." Sapphire growled without looking up.

"Well there was something I wanted to ask you before I leave…" Sherlock waited for some form of acknowledgement, but soon realised his wasn't going to. "I wanted to know, would you come with me, back to my old life? I feel the need to protect you the way a father should. So would you mind if I became your adopted father?"

Sapphire stopped at this point, her book fell to the floor. "So will you?" Sherlock asked. Sapphire still sat there, unmoving. Her hand went to her necklace, and clasped her locket and rings.

"Umm, I don't know what to say. I am scared, but happy. I don't want to feel like I am betraying my parents. But thinking about it, I know they know that I love them no matter what. Besides anywhere, is better than living in this dump for much longer." Sapphire's grip on her necklace tightened, a tear rolled down her cheek. Sherlock didn't know what to do in this sort of situation, but he soon decided to try another first, and gave the child a hug. Sapphire sobbed in his arms, "I want to come with you Sherlock. I want to start anew."

With this Sherlock hailed Mycroft's car over, and lifted the child into the car, as well as her few possessions and her precious books. On the way to 221B, Sherlock sat with Sapphire crying on his lap. He felt awkward. But he began gently stroking her hair, until she fell asleep.