Disclaimer: I am not Steven Moffat, the BBC, Arthur Conan Doyle, or anyone else who has any kind of rights to Sherlock. I am simply a fan with a story.
Note: This story is AU in the sense that I will make no reference to the Reichenbach Fall. And Mycroft has a daughter. Also I'm Canadian, not British, so I apologise if it's missing that British feeling or vocabulary.
Chapter One: Mycroft's Death
There was a knock at the door.
"Someone's dead." Sherlock Holmes announced, putting down the paper he had been scanning. Doctor John Watson looked up from the telly.
"Oh god. Well, open the door then." John had learned enough after all these years to know better than to question how Sherlock had deduced that. Probably from how the sound resonated off the walls or something.
"Must I?" Sherlock sighed, "You know you're better at dealing with sad people than I am. They're so whiny."
Rolling his eyes, John stood up and walked towards the door. "You're right, I'll handle it." Opening the door cautiously, he was unsurprised to see Inspector Lestrade standing there. "So what's the deal today?" John asked. "Faked suicide? Impossible murder? Mysterious – "
"No." Lestrade cut him off. "Mycroft's dead".
In a moment, Sherlock was at the door. To the casual observer, he seemed unperturbed by the news of his brother's passing. But John was not a casual observer, and he knew Sherlock well. Already Sherlock's mind was racing, concocting possible theories for Mycroft's death. He was analysing motive, location, opportunity… but beneath that calculation was sorrow. Sherlock and Mycroft had been neither close, nor emotional, but this news still affected him. It was a nice reminder that Sherlock was human.
"How… how did it happen?" John asked, as Sherlock was still not talking.
Before Lestrade could open his mouth, Sherlock interrupted. "Assassination", he said, "I knew Mycroft should have left that German diplomat alone… but there's more. Some kind of complication".
Lestrade took a deep breath. "It's his daughter". John was taken aback by this announcement, unaware that Mycroft even had a daughter. Sherlock simply nodded for Lestrade to continue.
"Well, you see… he's left her in your care, Sherlock."
Even Sherlock was surprised by this. There were many things that John would trust Sherlock with, but a child was not one of them.
"I see. Did he say why?" Sherlock had already moved on from surprised and was deducing why Mycroft would make such a questionable decision.
"His will stated that he wanted Ryleigh, the child, to stay within the family. I think he figured you and John would raise her, seeing as he's been so impossible to scare off", Lestrade smiled.
"I see. Of course." Sherlock reacted as if this was the most normal thing in the world, but John was enraged.
"So he just assumed Sherlock and I – who are still not romantically involved – would be okay with raising a child? Knowing the kind of life we live? Without consulting either of us?" John's face was flushed. An unusually mundane morning had, of course, gone awry.
Sherlock looked at John. "He had no other choice. Mycroft didn't make many friends, certainly none who would be trustworthy enough to leave a child with. And putting her up for adoption would only leave her open to attack from one of his many enemies. We were the only option."
John sighed. He was right. Of course he was right, Sherlock was nearly always right. It was just a shock, that's all.
"Yes, well, she's in the car right now. Shall we go and meet her?" Lestrade seemed unsure how to proceed. Even for dealing with Sherlock Holmes, this was an unusual circumstance.
Nodding their assent, Sherlock and John followed Lestrade to his car, where they found a little girl of about two years old. She had curly, dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. John could see that she had the Holmes gene, just as calculating and analytical as her father and uncle. Sitting calmly in her booster seat, her face brightened as she saw the three of them walking towards her. In this she was so unlike her family, willing to show her emotion and trust the strangers approaching her. This was going to be an interesting child indeed.
Lestrade opened the door and helped Ryleigh out of the car. "Ryleigh, meet your new parents".
