Sophia Holmes and the Empty Hearse (Sherlock's Daughter Fanfic) *Completed*

The call takes us to the roof of a tall building in the centre of the city. My stomach feels heavy as I step out onto it and I have to remind myself over and over again that he's alive. This isn't where it happened.

Sam walks over to the edge and looks over, then walks back to where we stand beside Detective Glass. "Looks like suicide."

"It was," Glass replies. "Guy left a note. He invested everything in Roman Industries and lost it all when they crashed and burned last year."

"So why call us?" Dean asks.

"Because I have two witnesses who swear that Madoff here floated in mid-air for a good 10 seconds, then he looked down, and splat. Not sure I buy that, but the way they're talking, it sounds like something straight out of a –"

"Cartoon," I finish. First the heart jumping out of the chest, now this? There's some serious magic going on.

"You said you wanted weird," she replies before walking away to talk to a man who has just arrived.

"Thanks," Dean says before turning to us. "Sophie's right, you know. I mean, the whole heart jumping out of the guy's chest, the – the – the delayed fall – that's straight-up Bugs Bunny."

"So we're looking for some sort of insect-rabbit hybrid?" Cas says and I bite my lip. "How do we kill it?"

"No, we don't, Cas," Sam has to explain. "That's a character, like, uh – like Woody Woodpecker or Daffy Duck."

"They're little animated movies," Dean continues. "You know, uh, the coyote chases a roadrunner, and then the –" he laughs, "the anvil gets dropped on his head."

"Is it supposed to be funny?" Cas asks and Dean's smile falls.

"No. It's hilarious."

***

To bring Cas up to speed with the cartoons, once we arrive at the closet motel we stick an episode of the Looney Tunes on. These cartoons were long before my time, but I'm not unfamiliar with their format. Cartoons have rules, if only slightly abstract ones.

"I understand," Cas says switching off the TV as it reaches an add break. Sam and I do some research on our laptops while Dean thumbs his way through a book. "The bird represents God. And coyote is man, endlessly chasing the divine, yet never able to catch him. It's... It's hilarious."

"I got no idea what we're hunting," Dean says, ignoring him. "Maybe it's a Tulpa. Maybe it's some – some crazy god who watched too much 'Robot Chicken.' I – I – I mean, is there a link between 'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Free Fallin''?"

"Not that I can find," I reply.

"All right," Dean says, "well, I'm gonna call it." He closes the book and I realise its some kind of journal. "I'll book you a room - Cas, you gonna book a room or what?"

"No, I'll stay here," Cas replies without looking around.

"Oh, okay. Yeah. We'll have a slumber party, braid Sam's hair. Where are you gonna sleep?"

"I don't sleep." Cas replies.

"Okay, well, I need my four hours, so..."

"I'll watch over you."

"That's not gonna happen."

Cas suddenly stands up and puts a hand to his temple. "Something's coming across the police band."

"Wait, you can hear that?" Sam asks.

"It's all waves," he replies. "A bank has been robbed. It sounds loony."

"Define 'loony'," Dean replies.

"As in something dropping out of the sky and crushing a body," Cas replies and I raise my eyebrows.

"Guess you're not getting those four hours then Dean."