I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 181 : Deadly serious

Night was already starting to fall when the young girl exited the  district lane at Notting Hill Gate tube station. She took a look at her  watch and slipped on the second suspender of her small backpack. She  wasn't exactly sure of the way so she decided to take the nearest exit,  convinced that it would be easier for her to find her way when on the  surface.

Indeed, once out of the station, she recognized quite  easily where she was, and she started descending Notting Hill Gate  toward the centre of London. The streets were busy with tourists and  business men and no one was paying attention to a fourteen years old in  her school's uniform. Just as she made it to Bayswater Road, she turned  on the right to a small and quiet street fringed with luxurious houses.  She passed under a little porch, nodding to the porter who smiled back  to her and advanced in the mostly empty street.

Arrived before  the number 15, she took a last deep breath, climbed the five steps and  knocked on the door. The girl waited for a few seconds before knocking  again, still receiving no answer. She took a look at her watch and  sighed. She had hoped that someone would be at home already but  apparently the house was empty. Cursing under her breath she sat down on  the steps and resolved to wait.

His two children strapped in  their booster in the back of the car, Gregory was trying to remain  positive despite the traffic. He had had quite a calm day at work, and  he was looking forward to watching the new episode of Dr Who he had  missed on yesterday evening. A warm cup of tea and the comforting  presence of Mycroft by his side was all he needed to make his evening a  perfect one.

Progressing slowly, the detective finally made it to  his street and was able to accelerate for the last few hundred yards.  Alden and Aelane who had pretty much behave during the entire run were  starting to fight over who was going to get their bath first and the  crisis was on the verge of becoming physical when the inspector parked  his car in the alley. Preoccupied by the mess his children were making  in the back, he didn't acknowledge the silhouette of the young girl on  his door step right away.

"Sarah !" Alden exclaimed happily as he ran to the door when his father freed him from his booster.

Surprised  and quite convinced his son was mistaking, the policeman looked up over  his shoulder before freezing in shock. His daughter was indeed waiting  on his doorstep instead of being at her mum's in Croydon. Silent, he  opened the house's door and let everyone in.

"Alden and Aelane, why don't you go upstairs play in your room before the bath ?" the man suggested to his youngest, still not looking his daughter in the eyes.

"Can't we play with Sarah ?" the little boy wondered, excited t see his sister.

"Not yet darling, Papa and Sarah have some things to discuss first." the yarder denied before leading the teenager to Mycroft's office where he was sure they wouldn't be disturbed.

"Dad ..." the young girl started shyly.

« No, you listen to me young girl ! » Greg interrupted her, nodding to her to take a seat. "You  have nothing to do here. You should be at your mum. Do you know how  much trouble we could both be in for what you are doing at the moment ?"

"But Dad, I haven't seen you in ages ! We haven't seen you in ages !" Sarah protested, seemingly not completely aware of the consequences of her acts.

"I  know and I'm very sorry for that but it's not by running away from your  mum that you are going to make it any better. How do you think that she  will take it when she will learn that you have come here without her  knowledge ?" the detective retorted, understanding his daughter's point but more than concerned by the consequences.