A/N:Well hello there! If you're all still here then I can't do anything but to apologise for the long wait. So I'm sorry, I'm really truly sor-...or I could just give you the next chapter...

Abigail read the letter repeatedly, and once satisfied she folded it and put it back into her pocket. Now she had the arduous task of waiting for tomorrow.

The next morning,hoping that Sherlock was indeed right and her father would allow her to go to work with him again, Abigail silently walked to the living room. Her father was sat down but looked slightly on edge. Abigail was about to quietly tiptoe back to her room and forget about asking him when Anderson turned around and saw her.

"What do you want?",he asked.

"I was wondering whether I was going to be with you in work today", Abigail replied, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"Well it seems that Lestrade finds you so useful that he's asked for you to come", he didn't sound at all pleased by this.

Abigail refrained herself from grinning,"Oh, well I suppose we'd better make a move then"

Anderson scowled at her,"I haven't had a message from Lestrade yet. There's nothing that needs looking at"

It was at this precise moment that Anderson's phone beeped. Grabbing his phone from the arm of the chair, Abigail grinned as she read the message.

Murder. Body found in the Thames.

GL

Despite the fact that there had been a murder, Abigail smiled as she handed the phone to her father.

"You've had a message now", she pointed out.

"Alright, alright", Anderson muttered in defeat.

He went out of the house without a word and Abigail took this as her silent cue to follow. She called a quick farewell to her mother before leaving the house and climbing into the car.

As she strapped her seatbelt, she analysed her fathers movements and expression discreetly out of the corner of her eye. However, she wasn't discreet enough.

"Abigail before you can make a stupid comment about my mood and ask me stupid questions, the reason I'm like this is because you're not to go near Sherlock. You should know by now. So, you're to stay by my side for the entire time that you're there", Anderson seemed pleased with the reaction he received from this. Abigail found the fact that she had to stay with her father unfair. She could stay away from Sherlock and not be next to her father at the same time. After a moment of silence Abigail spoke again.

"Lestrade might call me over to him, and Sherlock might be there too", Abigail pointed out, not being able to help herself.

"Well if that happens then I'll have to come with you"

"What if Lestrade asks you to stay where you are?"

"He won't. It's my official job Abigail, you're just visiting", he clenched his teeth, beginning to become very irritated with her.

"What if you're needed elsewhere?" Anderson took a deep breath.

"Then I'll excuse myself from where I'm needed"

"What if-"

"Oh shut up Abigail!"

The rest of the journey was spent in silence. Abigail hadn't even thought of something to suggest the last time, for she knew that her father would snap straight away.

Upon arriving near the area that was encircled with blue tape, Abigail began making her strides longer so that she was ahead of her father.

"Abigail",he cautioned.

"You're too slow", came her only excuse. She could feel him glaring at her so she stopped and waited for him to catch up before striding off at the same pace again.

"Abigail!"

"Fine..", she murmured and once again stopped. As she waited for her father to take the three steps it would take for him to be next to her again, Abigail scanned the area. Sherlock was talking with Lestrade and John. And they were stood right next to the body. Abigail smiled at this and glanced at her father who was now walking next to her before raising a hand towards them. they all waved back, Lestrade and John out of kindness and Sherlock to annoy Anderson.

"Stay next to me Abigail, or else", Anderson said and she smirked at his poor attempt at a threat.

"Or else what?"

"Just or else Abigail!", he said, unable to think of a sufficient enough thing to add. Abigail rolled her eyes and ducked under the police tape before her father, who upon seeing that she was taking advantage of the fact that she was slightly ahead stuck out his foot causing Abigail to trip.

She held her hands out in front of her and landed short of the corpse. Lestrade had been too busy talking to Sherlock to notice the cause of Abigail's current position so he walked over to her and grinned.

"That eager to start were you?", he asked.

"I suppose you could say that", she mumbled in response. Abigail jumped up from the floor and brushed herself off. Lestrade lead them away from the body and to the anti-contamination suits. There was only one left which Anderson picked up and started putting on himself.

John called Abigail over to him. He wasn't standing near Sherlock so she didn't hesitate in complying.

"Hello John",she flicked away pieces of gravel that had stuck to her front.

"Hi...that was quite childish of your dad wasn't it?", John said.

"Quite?", Abigail replied and John smiled.

"Are you hurt at all?", he asked with genuine concern.

"No. But my father will be if he continues to act the way he is acting"

"Look, Abigail...I've no idea about what's going on exactly. Sherlock has informed me of some things though", John said.

Abigail realised something at that moment.

"Have you got a pen with you?", she asked.

"Do you know I might...", John replied, patting at his pockets. "Here", he pulled a pen out of his coat pocket and handed it to Abigail.

Unfolding the letter she had in her pocket, Abigail began writing a response by resting the paper on her knee and standing rather precariously on one leg. She wrote:

I definitely need answers, and the sooner the better. My father is beginning to act rather childishly about it and it's driving me insane not knowing why. I know where you mean to meet me so I'll have to wait until later.

Thank you,

Abigail

She folded up the letter and handed it and the pen to John,"My father hasn't set a restriction order between you and Sherlock"

"I know", John said, putting the paper and pen in his pocket,"I'll take it to him now. Wait here. He might have a reply for you"

Abigail nodded and John turned to find Sherlock. Once she was on her own, Lestrade came over to her.

"I'm sorry your father took the last suit"

"It wasn't unexpected"

"Here", he said whilst handing her a pair of rubber gloves,"I know that you're careful so you can just wear these. I appreciate you coming. You see things that no one else can see"

Abigail put the rubber gloves on making the elastic snap against her skin as she released it.

"Apart from Sherlock"

"Apart from Sherlock", Lestrade repeated in agreement,"Well when your ready you can just start"

Lestrade returned to the body, Abigail saw that her father was crouched down next to it, and there was no sign of John. He was still at the other side of the area with Sherlock. Anderson straightened himself up and said something to Lestrade before gong to talk to his colleagues, and she took this opportunity to get a good look at the body

Abigail approached the body and knelt down next to it. It had been placed face up on the ground and he was wearing a thick woollen coat despite the fact that the weather hadn't been particularly cold the past week. The wool hadn't dried out like the rest of him and the coat looked inflated with the water. There were oil marks on his coat and thin waterlogged trousers.

"Morning",she muttered because it was too quiet.

"Afternoon".

Abigail stared at the body before rolling her eyes and tilting her head backwards for a second to see Sherlock standing behind her.

"It's just gone noon", he pointed out.

"It's good to speak to you too".

He just smirked "I'm surprised at Anderson's change in tactic. His plan isn't going too well though is it? You're not even close to him and I'm here", he drawled sounding bored, but there was a spark in his eyes as he crouched next to Abigail.

"What do you think?"

"About the body?"

"No. About me being here", he said in a sarcastic manner,"the body obviously"

Abigail flicked her eyes the length of the body before unzipping the corpse's coat pocket. She retrieved a wallet and opened it. There was something in there which completely changed the tone of the case.

"It was a suicide", she said. Sherlock looked at her before taking the wallet out of her hands. The corners of his mouth turned up in a small smile.

"I see... You may explain it to Lestrade. There's something else that you won't have seen that I'll tell him", he said, and handed the wallet back to Abigail,"here, you'll want this as proof"

"Thank you"

Another smile flashed across his lips. So quickly that she thought she'd imagined it. Sherlock straightened up from the crouch and Abigail followed. There was a moment of silence that was neither awkward nor comfortable, yet Abigail could tell that Sherlock was thinking. When she looked at him she saw pure concentration on his face.

It was at this moment that Anderson looked back and saw them together. He muttered a 'hang on' to his colleagues and stormed over to them.

"What's this?", he asked. Abigail was about to say something sarcastic but Sherlock beat her to it.

"It's a corpse on the floor surrounded by blue tape. I think it might be a crime scene"

"You know what I mean!", Anderson said in annoyance.

"Well if we knew what you meant then why did you ask 'what's this'?", Abigail said, not wanting to be left out. Before Anderson could think of a reply Lestrade and John came over to them.

"Any ideas?", Lestrade asked.

"I think Anderson should voice his ideas first", Sherlock said.

"Agreed", Abigail said.

"Fine. Murderer tied his ankles together so that he couldn't get out. Dropped him from a boat-"

"A boat?", Abigail asked, and she knew that Sherlock was thinking the same.

"Yes a boat. He's got oil marks on him"

"If that was the case then the marks would be new. And by being new they would wash away in the water", Abigail pointed out.

Anderson scoffed,"I bet you don't have anything better" She raised her eyebrows and looked at Sherlock whose eyes twinkled at the underlying challenge in the comment.

"Firstly it was a suicide. The mans name was Peter Bracknell. 31-", Abigail started.

"Suicide?", Lestrade asked. Anderson was standing defensively, with his arms crossed. Abigail opened his wallet and fished out a card that was behind his debit card. She showed it to Lestrade.

"Peter Bracknell, swim card", he read.

"He also had a pocket knife in his other pocket. Which he would of used to cut the rope. If he'd of been captured then he could of used the knife. His hands were free, it was just his ankles that were secured into place", Sherlock said,"I looked in his other pocket before you arrived Abigail"

"As for the swim card...if he could of cut the rope then he'd be able to swim. He tied his ankles together to stop himself from instinctively kicking and stopping the suicide. The wool coat also weighed him down", Abigail finished.

"Why did he do it?", asked John. Abigail shrugged,"I didn't have time to look. Thanks to you", she glared at Anderson to make it more obvious to who the comment was aimed.

"I did", Sherlock said,"he has two children and a wife who he's not paying as much attention to. Why? Because of his assistants at the oil company where he works. They were been giving him free drugs until they decided that he'd have to repay them so he was given an ultimatum. He either paid them or his family would perish. He loved his family but he didn't have the money. That's why he did it"

Abigail smiled up at Sherlock. She knew that she'd be given the answers she needed. Even if they weren't the ones she wanted.