The Baker's Detective

| The Realization and the Nap |

"You didn't," he corrects. "I brought it up."

"Oh, right."

"She killed my best friend as a child. She is the reason I... am the way that I am. Barely human. But after all of that, after she tried to hurt me by hurting people I care about — like John and Molly — I only wanted to be more human. She was in pain. I visit her, from time to time. She just wanted a friend, really." Sherlock looks at Lily. "That's why I believe you were meant to be here. You show up just as I want to become more human. And, Lily, you are the most human person I have ever met."

She looks away, and at first he thinks she took that the wrong way, but then he sees that she's smiling, if only a little. "Thank you, Sherlock. If it helps, I think you are very human — different, in a good, remarkable way, but very human."

"Thank you."

"Is that why Molly is upset with you?" she suddenly asks. "Your sister, I mean."

Sherlock sighs. "Yes."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked-"

"No, it's alright. Eurus, she told me there was a bomb in Molly's flat, and the only way she'd deactivate it was if Molly said the words 'I love you' to me on the phone. I couldn't tell her why. I just had to make her say it. And then she did, and it caused her a great deal of pain, and there was no bomb. It was all for nothing."

"I'm sorry, Sherlock."

"I've explained it to her since, but the whole thing has been very... hard for her. I don't blame her for being cold towards me. I would be."

They go quiet for a while. If this is Moriarty, who is doing his bidding? Sherlock took care of just about everyone in his organization. The rest scattered, never to be heard from again. He'd know. Wouldn't he? None of them were as powerful or as clever as Moriarty. And they were no longer working together.

The name Robert never came up when he was dismantling the organization. There was a name or two that started with R, but he took care of them. The possibilities here are very limited. He just can't see them all yet.

"You do realize this means someone is coming after me?" he says.

Lily meets his eyes, voice quiet. "Yeah, I gathered."

"They know where you live."

"Doesn't everybody? John mentioned that we're neighbors, in the blog. I said it was fine, of course-"

"They know where you live. They know where your family lives, at least the town, and it's small enough that he could check every door until he found your parents if he wanted to. I don't know if he will — perhaps not, if he's come to London — but nevertheless you could be in danger."

She pauses a moment. "What do you want me to do? Move?"

"No," he says instantly. "I don't want... I don't really want you to go anywhere. But you didn't ask to be put in danger when you moved to Baker Street, or when you started helping me. I'm saying that perhaps... you should stop."

"Sherlock, I've been threatened with a gun and I've still come back."

"This is different. It could be. Moriarty always knew to get to me through the people I care about. Baker Street itself is danger, when he makes his next move. What that is and when, I don't know. But there's more coming."

"And you'll need all the help you can get," she says. "I'm not walking away just because things get a little hairy, Sherlock. If you need me, I'm here."

The sincerity in her face is almost worrying. Who is he to have someone like her in his corner, and this steadfastly? If she got hurt because of him, he'd never forgive himself. All he can say is, quietly, "Thank you."