Lily was currently walking down the street searching for the detective who had slipped out of his window. However, she figured out quickly what or rather who he was searching for.
"He knew who shot him," John said. He pointed to his chest near where Sherlock's wound had been, "The bullet wound was here, so he was facing whoever it was."
"So why not tell us?" Greg asked.
Lily stood by the window of 221B looking out at the street below, "Because he's tracking them down himself. Or protecting them."
"Protecting the shooter?" Greg looked at her, "Why?"
"Protecting someone then. But why would he care? He's Sherlock. Who would he bother protecting besides Lily." John muttered.
"He would protect you," Lily responded.
John looked at her, "Yes, but he would protect you from anything because he knows I can handle myself."
Lily narrowed her eyes, "I can handle myself."
Her eyes slipped back to the window, she stared for so long she hadn't noticed when Greg left or when John had come to stand beside her.
"Did you see who it was?" John asked, "Actually don't answer that."
Lily was glad she didn't have to answer it because she would have lied even if it cost her the relationship that came the closest to having a father.
Then the phone rang.
Now Lily was walking down the street with her head down until she came to bump into a woman. Her hand quickly circled her arm and directed her to face the other side of the street.
"Lily." The woman sighed.
"Mary," Lily looked over, "I don't know whether I would call this delightful or sad. Can you see Sherlock?"
Mary looked around, "What am I looking for?"
"The lie of Leinster Gardens, it's hidden in plain sight. Hardly anyone notices. People live here for years and never see it, but if you are what Sherlock and I think you are, it'll take you less than a minute." Lily said.
When Mary tried to pull away from her, she grabbed back onto her arm and kept her close, "Look at the houses Mary."
"How did you know I would come here?" Mary asked.
Lily smiles at her, "You talked to me, didn't you? And, all of the other people no one else bothers to associate with."
"I thought I was being clever." Mary laughed.
"You are clever. Sherlock was relying on that, but I was the one who planted information for you to find."
"Oh, Lily you are a genius."
Lily smiled to herself and then turned her head to look at the opposite side of the street where a row of very nice Victorian houses stood, "Thirty seconds."
Mary turned to her, "What am I looking at?"
Lily sighed, "Mary."
"Lily."
"No door knobs, no letterbox, painted over windows. Twenty-three and twenty-four Leinster Gardens. The empty houses." Lily explains, "They were demolished years ago to make way for the London Underground, a vent for the old steam trains. Only the very front section of the house remains. It's just a facade."
Mary stilled beside her, Lily herself was still coming to her conclusions about Mary. However, she was pretty sure she knew exactly what very exhilarating secret the blonde beside her was hiding.
"Remind you of anyone, Mary, a very neatly and believable facade. To hide the truth." Lily finished.
Lily watched the houses in front of her become the wall for a projection of Mary on her wedding day. Lily herself takes a moment to look at the headshot of Mary wearing her headdress with the white veil surrounding her head as she smiles happily at the camera. She felt the woman beside her spin around to look for the source of the projection.
Lily laughed softly, "Sherlock couldn't handle doing this without dramatics. Well, we must be going in now. It's a bit cramped but we'll make due."
Mary walked with Lily across the street, her eyes looking over the fake home before her, "Does Sherlock own this place?"
"Sherlock won it in a card game with Clarence House Cannibal. Don't ask me for details I don't know them and with the title of cannibal, I'm not sure I want to know." Lily responded.
Walking in, Lily and Mary stand there at the end of the hallway facing what looks to be Sherlock. Lily really can't tell though, Sherlock hadn't queued her into this part of the plan.
"Mary Morstan was stillborn in October 1972. Her gravestone is in Chiswick Cemetery where you acquired her name and date of birth five years ago. Soon thereafter, you took on her identity." Lily spoke.
Over the speakers, Sherlock's voice comes, "That's why you don't have 'friends' before that date."
------
"Mary, do you have any friends from when you were a girl?" Lily asked.
"No, I'm afraid I don't. Lost contact with them all."
Lily nodded her head, that made sense. But, right now her curiosity was outweighing a lot of emotional intelligence she had picked up, "Do you have your parents still?"
Mary looked over at her with a soft smile, tugging the younger girl into her side as they walked down the streets, "No dear, an orphan I am. Don't be sorry about it though, I've come to accept it."
Lily looked up at her with a newfound respect, "I'm an orphan too."
-----
Lily was sitting in 221B with frustration on her face as she searched through John's computer for how to solve a puzzle before her.
"Lily, stress yourself out any more and your face will get wrinkles." Mary laughed.
Lily huffed from her seat and ran a hand through her hair, "I am too young for wrinkles to start forming. However, I will be more frustrated if this puzzle doesn't solve itself."
She could feel Mary's presence at her back, "Dear, that's a skip-code."
Lily looked at the puzzle and her eyes widened in realization before she turned back, but Mary wasn't there.
-----
In the present time, Lily watched Mary walk down halfway before stopping. Perhaps in fear, perhaps in the realization that if this was coming to the conclusion Lily hoped it was then she was not the only one with secrets here.
"You were very slow," Mary said.
YOU ARE READING
Childhood Memories
Fanfiction"Lily I love you. I will always love you." Sherlock said. "Sherlock, love is a chemical defect found on the losing side." Lily said giggling, her eyes were light. "Then I assume I am on the losing side." Sherlock whispered.
