Back To The Start (Sherlock fanfiction #Wattys2016)

Chapter Five: Staying At 221b For The Night

As the cab pulled up in front of 221b, Abigail threw the fair at cabbie and jumped out of the cab. She skipped the process of knocking and waiting for someone to answer and flung the door open, letting herself in. She, nosily, made her way up the steps to Sherlock's living room.

Sherlock lay on the couch, turned away from Abigail. His eyes were closed and his hands were in the prayer position. Abigail dropped her bag and grabbed a pillow. She hit Sherlock over the head with it.

"Wake up," she demanded.

"I am awake," Sherlock informed her, not opening up her eyes. "And if I was asleep, I'd definitely be awake after you stomped through my apartment like an elephant through the forest."

Abigail crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at Sherlock. He took a moment before opening his eyes. He studied her carefully, trying to figure out why she was at his flat so late. That's when he noticed her bag by her feet.

Mrs. Hudson came up over the steps in her nightie.

"What was all that racked?" she asked. "Woke me up from my slumber."

"It was nothing, go back downstairs Mrs. Hudson," Sherlock told her, but didn't take his eyes off of Abigail. Abigail rolled her eyes and turned to look at Mrs. Hudson.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Hudson. That was me. I didn't mean to make so much noise. Do go back to bed and I'll be more quiet," she said.

"Oh, it's alright love. Are you alright? It's quite late."

"It's nothing. I promise."

Mrs. Hudson looked skeptical, but she soon retreated back downstairs. Once she was gone, Sherlock slung his legs over the side of the couch and pulled himself up. He grabbed Abigail's arms, startling her for a moment, to make her look at him.

"Something happened. Something terrible and that's why you're here," he concluded. "What is it that happened? Did you get hurt? Did someone hurt you?"

Abigail shook her head.

"Then what is it? Tell me!"

"Someone broke into my flat!"

Sherlock froze. He looked up into Abigail's brown eyes, which were now filling with tears. He wasn't sure what to do or how he shoulder comfort her. He let his arms fall to his lap as Abigail buried her face in her hands and fell into a chair next to the fireplace.

She let herself silently cry for a moment, the shock and fear of having that strange man in her apartment questioning her about Sherlock returning. Finally, she managed to regain herself, wiped her tears and took a deep breath.

"You alright now?" Sherlock asked. Abigail nodded. He moved from his spot on the couch to kneel in front of Abigail. He took her hands in his and looked her in the eye. "Can you tell me what happened now?"

"I came home from Scotland Yard, like I said, and my door was opened. There was a man there. He-he was waiting for me. He-he was spying on me. He seen me and you at Speedy's. He wanted me to spy on you and he-he said he'd pay me."

This captured Sherlock's attention. His somewhat concerned looked turned to a hard and serious one.

"What was his name?" he asked.

"He-he said it was M-Mycroft," Abigail said. Sherlock quickly stood up. He made his way across the room to grab his coat and scarf. "Sherlock, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to kill my idiot brother."

It took Abigail a moment to piece together the information. Once she did, she shot up from her seat and stopped Sherlock from walking out the door.