I Still Remeber John Watson's Daughter

Chapter 6 Don't Let Go

A/N: There's a bit of a time skip here but I hope you still enjoy anyways. I hope two chapters in one night makes up for the long wait.

Chapter Six

Sherlock's POV

John and I had just chased down the cab. Bella stayed behind because she had some homework to get done. I came up to the flat and entered the kitchen and saw Bella about to stick her hands into a pot of boiling water. "BELLA! NO!" I shouted running to her. I managed to get to her in time and I grabbed her wrists and pulled her back into my chest as she started to sob. "Bella, there is nothing wrong with you. Nothing. You don't have to do that. You're perfect, just the way you are," I said gently but strongly to her. She almost never believed things like that.

Just then John came into the room and she tried to reach the boiling water. "John. Leave. Now!" I said restraining Bella. Instead he came over to her and put his hand on her shoulder making her harder to hold onto. "John I need you to leave, now. You're upsetting her more."

"But she's my daughter; I should be there for her."

"It's a little late for that, now get out," I said as Bella continued to thrash in my arms. She was hard to hold onto, she was very strong. If he didn't leave soon I wouldn't be able to hold her. I had to keep her from doing this again.

"Get away from me!" she shouted kicking at John. She hadn't done this in 18 months. She kept kicking at him and I pulled her closer to me trying to hold her. She was quite strong and it always surprised me. She didn't look like she would be that strong. "Get away John," she said sobbing. Just then Mrs. Hudson came into the room. Thank god.

"Oh my," she said seeing Bella. "John, come with me, I'll explain." With that John finally left the room. Once he was out Bella stopped fighting me. I reached over and turned off the burner, keeping one arm around her.

"Bella, come on let's go sit down and you can tell me what's going on," I said leading her to the sofa. She sat down beside me still sobbing. "Bella, please talk to me, what brought this on?" I asked. She turned into my chest and sobbed. I wrapped my arms around her. She always came to me for things like this and I had learned what to do. She wanted someone who understood.

"I don't know, I didn't even know I was doing it till you were holding me. Please don't let go," she said moving so she was in my lap.

"Never Bella, I'll call Dr. Edwards in the morning and get you in. We'll figure this out."

Mrs. Hudson's POV

I took John down to my flat as Sherlock was dealing with Bella. I hadn't seen her this freaked out for almost two years. "What was all that about? Why was she trying to stick her hands into boiling water?" I sat the tea out as I sat down at my kitchen table.

"She used to do that quite a bit because she didn't feel clean. She thought it was her fault that you left so she tried to cleanse herself and punish herself. She hasn't done that for almost two years."

"But why let Sherlock stay, why is she okay with him? He wouldn't care would he?"

"He's all she has, she doesn't trust anyone else. He also doesn't have anyone else. Those two, they need each other John, if he lost her, I don't know what he'd do. If she lost him she would be a wreck. I don't think she would make it. The only person I've seen her connect to is Sherlock, it's like she can't connect to anyone else. I don't think she's the girl you remember John, you need to keep that in mind and get to know her for who she is now. You also need to accept that she may never see you as her father or call you dad again. She no longer trusts you, she only trusts Sherlock."

John's POV

To hear that my daughter did this to herself hurt, that I was to blame. If I hadn't left her with my sister and gone off to war she may not be this way. But I left her with her abuser and went to war after her mother died. I had done this to her, it was my fault. I could have prevented this whole thing. I couldn't blame her for not trusting anyone. Sherlock walked into her life and believed her when no one else would. He had saved her.

That was why she trusted him. He was there for her when I should have been. "My god," I muttered. What all had she been through to feel the need to cleanse herself? "What do I do to make this up to her?"

"I don't think you can dear," Mrs. Hudson said. "If she wants to yell at you, let her yell but don't ever threaten Sherlock. That's the one thing she won't stand for." I nodded. I had no clue what to do.