Darkness Follows...(BBC Sherlock Fanfiction).

Chapter 20- My Own Little Lotus...

Darcy's POV.

My eyes widened in terror, almost, as I glanced around at the enormous amount of cats that were all waving at me. I heard John greet the shop keeper by saying, "Hello." Politely as we all stepped into the shop and I might have been inclined to greet her also but I was too creeped out by the plastic cats.

We walked around briefly and I took my eyes away from the golden cats to look at the very charming China tea sets. I'd never seen anything so delicate and I daren't pick it up in case I dropped it, who knows how much it cost?

"You want lucky cat?" I heard the shop keeper pester from the counter and I looked over at her as she held out one of the cats.

John shook his head, "No, thanks. No." Sherlock looked round at John and smirked at him before shooting the same smirk my way, I rolled my eyes and looked to my left but jumped back as my eyes landed on a cat.

"Ten pound. Ten pound!" She pestered, brandishing the cat in John's face and I was just glad it wasn't me.

I stepped out of the aisle and stood next to Sherlock as John smiled awkwardly, "No."

"I think your wife, she will like!" She hounded him and her eyes fell on me, then Sherlock and she looked briefly between us, "Your daughter, she would like?" The shop keeper pointed the cat in my direction and I pulled a face of disgust before stepping back slightly.

John declined politely and turned to a small table, picking up one of the dainty china tea cups that were displayed on it. He flipped it over and stared at the bottom before his eyes widened in realisation.

"Sherlock." John stated to get his attention and I wandered over, as Sherlock put back the statue he was holding onto the shelf. I looked over John's shoulder to see the cipher from Sir William's portrait written on a label underneath.

I hit my palm on my forehead and mumbled, "I knew I'd seen it before." At that I took off out the shop, leaving the nightmare behind me, and stepped out into Chinatown.

They were both quick behind me, so I glanced at Sherlock, "Hangzhou." I stated and he nodded briefly before smiling slightly, John looked confused so I decided to elaborate, "An ancient number system, John."

I headed towards a greengrocer's, "These days, though, only street traders use it. That's where I'd seen it before, on my many strolls through London. At the bank? And the library? Those were numbers." I explained excitedly and continued to walk purposely towards my destination of the greengrocer's and stood in front of the variety of fruits and vegetables they had to sell.

I picked up a tag with the numbering on it in both English and Hangzhou, and showed it to the pair behind me, "See? Numbers written in an ancient Chinese dialect." I smiled proudly as I had finally been some use. I'd finally contributed properly.

The pride I felt soon vanished as I saw Sherlock looking completely blank as he observed me and my smile fell as I put the tag back.

"It's a fifteen! What we thought was the artist's tag- it's a number fifteen." John explained and I glanced behind me to see the eight with a line across the top. As I looked back at them both John smiled at me and I just shrugged, shoving my hands into my pockets.

"And the blindfold- the horizontal line? That was a number as well." Sherlock almost asked me, his face still showing no emotion as his eyebrows raised slightly.

I nodded and pointed to another tag that had the horizontal line on it with '£1' written underneath, "It's the Chinese number one." I told him and shifted my eyes to the ground.

"We've found it!" John exclaimed excitedly and I huffed quietly to myself, looking up to see Sherlock walking away and as John followed after him I noticed something odd a little way away.