Chapter Text
Putting a few feet's distance between them, Sherlock lingered in the background, eyes fixated on his Charge as she walked on the pavement to her home. He had opted to use his legs rather than his wings, and was now casually walking behind her from a safe distance, hands shoved in the pockets of his trouser pants.
Clad in a black collared long-sleeved dress shirt with said sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and snug black trouser pants with a belt around his waist and black dress shoes on his feet, Sherlock was being blatantly visible in his Mortal form, blending in with the Mortals; his ebony wings, much like the colour of his curly hair, curled up tight on his back, invisible to all Mortals. Angels hardly did that - lower themselves to be on a same level as their Charges - but he had always been the odd one amongst his Brothers and Sisters, ever since his conception. Mycroft, one of his closest Brothers, disapproved of his methods, but was more tolerant of his quirks, as long as they did not cross any divine line meted out by Him. Young Sherlock had always skidded near the line, stating numerous times how bored he always felt in Heaven, until he had been old enough to be assigned a Charge.
Molly Hooper. Such a plain name. Young Sherlock had scoffed at the mere mention of his Charge's name, but one look from Mycroft discouraged him from making any further comments. Upon the confirmation of M. Hooper's continued existence on Earth after two years, Sherlock, having only reached teenhood in Angel years, was finally sent down to Earth to protect and look after her.
Having entered the Hooper abode, just one look at the toddler and Sherlock wanted to retch. She was so small, so fragile. Babbling in utter gibberish, she had clenched and unclenched her hands in front of her towards her Mortal parents, both male and female who were showering her with attention and affection. As the male parent (Andrew Clarke Hooper, heart surgeon judging by the qualifications on the wall) carried her up, bright happy little Hooper looked over his broad shoulder.
And blinked at Sherlock.
He, in turn, narrowed his eyes at her. He was aware that Mortals had heightened senses in the beginning of their lives because of their innocence and purity, thus making them more sensitive to the world around them compared to the older Mortals. It seemed that little Hooper had either noticed him, or had sensed his presence, for she babbled something out, and then suddenly pointed her pudgy little finger in his direction.
His breath catch at the possibility of being caught so early on in his duty, and he was about to run behind that floor lamp next to him when the female parent cooed at his Charge. Neither parent turned to his direction, but Hooper still watched him with those large brown eyes. Until she decided he was not worthy anymore of her attention, in which she turned back to her parents and started another one of those incoherent rants.
Teen Sherlock did not realise he had held his breath until he unconsciously let go of it, knowing full well he was invisible all along. Angels were normally invisible because of their angelic force, but could make themselves visible at will in a Mortal form, especially when their Charge was in trouble and they had to be protected - being invisible enabled one to hide, but nothing else could be done in that form due to its intangible element, thus the requirement to be visible to mete out a punishment because of tangibility. However, being physically seen in Angel form by their Charge, or by any other Mortal, would lead to undesirable consequences back in Heaven. It was an Angel's duty to protect the Mortals, as they were His children, but once spotted in their natural state, it could cause disbelief and separation between Mortals. There had been cases where Angels were seen, and at one point in Mortal history it had divided them and their faith to the point that bloodshed occurred. It was irrational, to fight to death over the belief if Angels did exist, but Mortals were a unique bunch of beings; not one Mortal were the same, even between Mortal duplicates from the same female parent.
Being seen by any Mortal would lead to the guilty Angel being stripped of their Angel status, and divine execution would be meted; as He was merciful, however, the Angel would reincarnate as a Mortal in human or animal form on Earth, in any time period, with them no longer having any memory of their time as an Angel. Their fellow Brothers and Sisters would grieve for their fallen Angel, but another would take their place when the time came. Upon death of the Angel on Earth, they would subsequently be reincarnated as another human or animal, ensuring they would never be an Angel, and the cycle would go on.
Molly had turned the corner and disappeared around it; taking longer strides, Sherlock quickly reached the corner and watched as she entered the lobby of her apartment building. He saw her gave a small greeting to the night guard on duty, and made small talk with him, before she went up to take the lift to her apartment. Still not satisfied with her apparent safety, Sherlock leaned against one of the outer walls of the building and looked up, sharp eyes narrowing his line of sight to her apartment window. He mentally counted the expected time it would take for his Charge to turn on the lights within and, there it was - her lights went on, indicating she had indeed reached home.
Sighing, he lit a cigarette. Blowing the smoke into the cool air, he relaxed against the wall.