Childhood Memories

Chapter 8

Lily had only ever been in a cell. So when she walked in the quaint little flat that was 221 B, she was very fascinated with the way domesticated people lived.

221 B had particles of dust around the house and looked like an empty shell of someone who had lived here previously. More distinctly a shell of when Sherlock had last inhabited the space. It was cozy though.

The first thing Lily did was walk over to the Window. And she was very pleased when she did not see an ocean surrounding her outside of the window. Instead she saw the street below and all the people who still dwell outside at this hour.

Lily's eyes followed past the living room with two dusty chairs to the kitchen. There was a window above the sink, and the walls weren't white. Lily smiled to herself, she could adapt to this environment well.

"You will be taking John's old room. His is the first door on the right, mine is just down the hall. The bathroom is the first door to your left." Sherlock's voice came from the hallway.

"Cozy." Lily commented.

Sherlock studied her for a moment. Lily held his gaze. It was the first time she had looked him in the eye for this long period of time, but Lily could remember their childhood and Sherlock could not. Lily remembered the secretive looks during church or at dinner. Sherlock didn't.

"We'll visit Molly tomorrow." Sherlock finally said.

"Who is Molly?"

"Works at Scotland Yard. She's a forensics scientist." Sherlock explained briefly. "Now go to bed, we'll continue tomorrow."

Lily nodded her head and moved herself into John's old room. Her stuff was already placed there, courtesy of Mycroft. But she stood for a moment in the much smaller room. It had green walls and dark brown lining. It had a large window with a desk below it. Her bed was small but it was comfy when she sat on it.

But the big difference was the door. Her cell never had a door for her to walk freely in and out of. She stared at it before moving it to an open position. Lily liked the door open. She felt free. She knew she could walk out at any time with the door open, so it would stay that way.

Lily took her paints and set them on the desk. She took the bear and put under the nightstand on the side covered by the bed. She hung up the only other white dress she owned and stowed the extra pair of white heels below it.

Lily took off the pair of heels she was wearing and put them next to the other. She removed the covers of the bed and leaving the door open she fell asleep that way.

The only thing she missed that night was the curious stare Sherlock gave her before he retired to his own room that night.

-----

The next day Lily was back in her white dress and heels. And was again having to keep up with Sherlock's large strides. They had arrived at a parking lot where Sherlock stood and watched as a woman got into her car, presumably Molly Hooper.

When she closed the car door the mirror turned on Sherlock and when Molly caught his eyes she quickly turned in her car seat and smiled.

Lily watched the scene slightly behind Sherlock. This woman had a crush on Sherlock. Lily frowned, such a boring person liking Sherlock. How sad.

Lily watched as Sherlock nodded to her before walking off, Lily turned quickly striding with him.

"She likes you." Lily said.

"Absurd." Sherlock dismissed.

"No, she does, you're just too daft to see it." Lily commented.

"Lily-"

"So this is Scotland Yard?" Lily interrupted looking up at a tall building.

Sherlock followed her gaze and nodded. His eyes trailed up and down the street until they landed on a man who looked just a bit older than John. He pointed at him with a small smirk on his face, "Yes, and that is Lestrade."

Sherlock walks past Lestrade and slips into a shadow near him. Lily stands around a light post near them.

She watched as Lestrade brought up a cigarette from his hand. Lily's eyes caught Sherlocks in his little entomb of darkness. He smirked.

"Those things'll kill you." Sherlock said.

Lily watched as Lestrade paused and smiled. "Ooh, you bastard!"

Then Sherlock walked back out of the shadow. Lily took that as her cue to come stand next to him. "It's time to come back. You've been letting things slide, Graham." Sherlock said.

"Greg!" Lestrade corrected.

 "Greg."

Lestrade looked at him for a moment before drawing him into an aggressive hug. Sherlock gave a groan but he eventually accepted it. Lily watched from beside him, were all people going to be this emotional?

-----

Now Lily is back with Sherlock at 221 B, but this time they're visiting the land-lady. Why, Lily has no idea. But when the land-lady, who later was named Mrs. Hudson, opened the door. Lily just about slammed the door back shut and walked away.

Sherlock had to keep an arm around Lily so she didn't go ballistic at Mrs. Hudson's shrieking. So she had to sit there with her hands over her ears and grumble nonsense to herself while Mrs. Hudson ranted about nothing for twenty minutes.

Old people were a pain, Lily decided. Lily also decided she would never grow old.

-----

They were now in 221 B. Lily decided that she liked Mary, Lestrade was okay, John and Mrs. Hudson were annoying individuals, and Molly was not needed. Lily could not voice these thoughts. But she assumed Sherlock caught on, because after fifteen minutes of listening to Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock pulled her out of there quickly and back up to the flat.

So now Lily was working with the case Mycroft had given Sherlock upon his arrival back in London. If Lily didn't know any better, she'd say it was a welcome home gift of the Holmes family standards.

"London. It's the great cesspool into which all kinds of criminals, agents and drifters are irresistibly drained. Sometimes it's not a question of 'Who?'; it's a question of 'Who knows?'." Sherlock began to talk.

Lily was sitting in a chair across from Sherlock's. She enjoyed watching him walk over the couch, paste things on the wall, stab the mantelpiece and repeat.

"If this man cancels his papers, I need to know. If this woman leaves London without putting her dogs into kennels, I need to know. There are certain people - they are markers. If they start to move, I'll know something's up - like rats deserting a sinking ship."

Lily nodded her head and moved from the chair down the hallway. Sherlock didn't seem to notice she'd gone. So Lily walked into John's old room, or she supposed her room now, and brought up her paints. Looked to the green walls, and painted.

She was done with people for the day. It was truly exhausting to be a part of London's social life. All Lily really needed was Eurus and Sherlock. Lily frowned at the thought of Eurus. Was she still running Sherrinford?

Stupid question.

Of course Eurus was running Sherrinford. Lily was just on her mission to bring Sherlock to the rock. Because then he would remember her. That was the end goal, but Lily also liked her new residence in 221 B. It was not white, it was colorful. Without Lily's paintings.

Lily sighed, just go with the plan. So she did, and she resumed the beginning of a white rose on her wall.