Parent!lock AU; A Study In Teens

The Children

John had recorded it as soon as Moriarty's face showed up on his screen. Tear streamed down the former shoulders face as he saw his daughter, who looked as if she was doing nothing more than scrolling through her emails. Hammy, who was trying to conceal his fear while he helps his brother. And Will, who's was shaking with sobs.

"Dammit, Sherlock!" John threw the remote at the wall, breaking it, "Our children! Our... our... our children." John was instantly wrapped up into his husbands arms. Molly was clutching onto Lestrade, sobbing while Mycroft was awkwardly comforting Mrs. Hudson.

"Johnathon, everything will be fine." Sherlock whispered into Johns ear.

"Why was she clutching her arm?" John mumbles.

"Broken. Her wrist." Sherlock growls, "They already hurt my child." The two let go of each other. Sherlock watched the video as it replayed. He watched Mazie carefully, and though he saw a ghost of a smile on her face. He looked down at his hands.

"Papa?" An eight year old Mazie was sobbing, running into the flat from her first day in third grade, "Papa!" She ran into Sherlocks arms.

"Mazie, what's wrong?" Sherlock squeezed her tight.

"I want to be like daddy." She cried, "I want to be normal. I don't want to be a freak."

"Why would you think you're a freak?" Sherlock carried his daughter to his chair, sitting down and letting her curl in his lap, sobbing into his royal blue short.

"Because everyone threw pebbles at me and called me names while I was reading at recess." She sniffed.

"Oh, Mazie..." Sherlock closed his eyes, remembering all the times this had happened to him as a child, "You're not a freak, my dear."

"They told me that I will never have friend." She sobbed, "You and Daddy are my friends, right?"

"Of course, sweetie." Sherlock looked down at his precious daughter, wondering how anyone would want to her a hair on the little girl wearing two braids and her little baby blue sundress with her black chuck Taylor's.

"Papa, I don't want to go back." She whimpered, "I'm scared."

"Well, I'm just going to have to swoop in a accuse all the kids of murder." Sherlock poked his daughter in the side, causing her to giggle, "I'm going to have to be the hero!"

"Is Daddy your hero?" Mazie looked up at Sherlock.

"Why would you ask me that?" Sherlock asks.

"Because the kids called you names and I want to know if Daddy needs to save you." She dries some of her tears, sniffing.

"Of course Daddy's my hero." Sherlock smiled sadly, "What... what did the kids say?"

"They said that our family was gross and we should all be shipped away to someplace called Hell." Mazie readjusted herself on her fathers lap, "They made fun of me for not having a mother." Sherlock held back tears.

"Don't let them get inside your head. You're smarter than them. Show then that." Sherlock lifted his daughter back on to the ground and straightened her braids, "I love you."

She was safe then and now... his baby girl was in danger. Sherlock had to stop this. Now.

"I'm going for a walk." Sherlock stood abruptly, but everyone was in the kitchen. How long had he been in his mind palace?

"Sherlock, no." Lestrade stood up, pressing his hand to Sherlocks chest as he tried to walk out the door, "You're not going to find you're children now. You were in there for two hours. Who knows where that bastard might have them."