Fandom One Shots

Sherlock-Accidentally Adopted

Sherlock ducked confidently under the crime scene tape, marching up towards the house.

"'Ello, Freak." Donovan greeted him in her usual way as he reached the door. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to see Lestrade."

"Sherlock!" A voice from the upstairs called. The tall man recognized it as the very person he had been called by. "Up here, is John with you?"

"John didn't come, said he was feeling under the weather." Sherlock replied, forgoing the forensics suits hanging off to the side, as usual. He took the stairs two at a time, his long legs making it easy.

Lestrade pointed him into the the room containing a woman's body, splayed out over a bed that was soaked with crimson.

"Shame, John might have able to help in the other room." Lestrade muttered.

"What's in the other room?" Sherlock asked.

"Nothing." Lestrade told him. The older man obviously didn't think he would be able to handle whatever it was.

"Lestrade, what is it?"

When Lestrade stumbled for an answer, Sherlock turned sharply and started down the hall.

"Sherlock-"

He heard it.

A child's cry.

Sherlock raised an eyebrow and approached the sound, ignoring Lestrade's pleas and insistences that he return to the crime scene.

In the room at the end of the hall, there was a group of women and men standing around a small doorway. A crawlspace.

The child's cries were coming from inside.

"What is going on?" Sherlock asked.

Several crime scene technicians jumped at his voice.

"There's a young boy in there, maybe three or four. He won't come out." One of the women said after giving Sherlock a distasteful look.

"Let me see." Sherlock motioned for them to move.

The technicians, mostly women, looked at him doubtfully, but stepped aside.

Sherlock dropped to a knee and peered into the low door. 

In the dim light of the crawlspace, he spotted a blond boy with eyes that glittered with tears. The child had a terrified look on his face, but when Sherlock came into view, his expression cleared up. 

"Hello." Sherlock spoke quietly.

The boy waved shyly. 

Sherlock stood and stepped away from the crawlspace. "He seems to have a problem with women. Assuming his mother is the one in the other room, this could mean she was killed by a woman or she was abusive. Find someone, not Anderson, to coax him out."

"Looks like we won't have to." One of the women commented quietly, pointing down.

The little boy slowly emerged. Looking around, he shied away when he saw all the women around him, then his eyes landed on Sherlock.

He scrambled to his feet and ran to the tall detective, latching on to his leg.

Sherlock looked at the boy in surprise. Slowly, he reached down and pried the boy's arms away, then picked him up and balanced him on his hip.

"And what's your name?" He asked him.

"Finn." The boy said quietly, smiling. "I'm tree!" He held up three pudgy little fingers.

Sherlock chuckled. "Are you now? And what were you doing in there?"

The boy looked down at the crawlspace. "Hiding."

"From whom?"

"The mean lady."

Sherlock glanced at Lestrade. "Well we know one part of the profile."

"Where's my mummy?" Finn asked suddenly, craning his neck to look around the room.

Sherlock picked a technician who looked rather like the woman in the other room. "Does your mum look like that?"

Finn squinted, then nodded. 

Sherlock sighed and the little boy seemed to understand. His big blue eyes filled with tears and he burrowed his face in Sherlock's shoulder.

Sherlock bounced him as he cried. Lestrade shooed the technicians out of the room and soon the detective was alone with the crying child.

Slowly, Finn's breathing slowed and Sherlock smiled lightly. The kid had cried himself to sleep.

He walked into the other room, keeping the boy close, and began to examine the body.

"What are you going to do with him?" Lestrade asked quietly. 

"I'll go to the local orphanage when I'm done here."

---------------------------

"Whewe awe we?" Finn asked sleepily as the cab pulled up to the large house.

"We're just here to talk to some poeple." Sherlock told him.

They walked up the stairs and Finn pressed closer to the tall man's leg with every step. Sherlock began rehearsing his speech, choosing his words carefully so he wouldn't scare the boy.

"Hello?" A woman called from the office off to the side when they opened the door.

"Hello, I'm here with a young boy named Finn." Sherlock spoke, leading his charge to the other room.

Seeing the woman behind the desk, Finn let go of Sherlock's hand and grabbed onto his leg.

"Are you planning on signing him over to our care?" The woman asked nicely, smiling at Finn. It only made him whimper.

Sherlock opened his mouth, then hesitated. He looked down at the small boy, then scrunched up his face, thinking.

Finn looked up at him with watery eyes.

"Actually, I was wondering what I would need to adopt him. His mother was...well, murdered yesterday and he seems to have imprinted himself on me."

The woman smiled. "I can walk you through the process if you like.

"Yes, thank you."