Notes: This was a prompt fill on tumblr for the user softlysoftlymassacremonkey. The prompt was "Sherlock thinks that it's perfectly acceptable to take their baby daughter to a crime scene. Molly is not happy. Thought it was appropriate to post today, in honor of Father's Day! :) Hope that you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: None of the characters you recognize belong to me. It's a sad, sad thing.
"Uh, Sherlock, does Molly know that you're taking Mattie out to the crime scene?" John asked as they rode along in the taxi. Sherlock's attention was divided between his phone, where he was rapidly texting Lestrade with one hand, and his baby daughter who was strapped to his chest in a carrier and sucking on his pointer finger.
"Her mother is a pathologist and I am a consulting detective. Solving mysteries is in Mattie's blood," Sherlock replied, in a non-answer.
"I'm gonna take that as a no then," John muttered, pulling out his phone and discreetly taking a picture of the other man with his daughter and sent it off to Molly. He told her in the message where they were off to and that she should probably come immediately.
They arrived at the crime scene and John sighed as Sherlock walked up to the crime scene tape with his usual bravado, completely ignoring the fact that his infant daughter was still gumming his finger and drooling all over his hand. "Sally. Let Lestrade know I've arrived, please," he said by way of greeting Donovan.
Sally's mouth dropped open. "You've got to be kidding me. You brought your baby to a crime scene? Does Dr. Hooper know about this?"
It was obvious that she wasn't going to lift the caution tape for him herself, so Sherlock quickly did it for himself and John ducked under as well. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? What does Molly's knowledge of this have to do with anything?"
Sally outright laughed at Sherlock's words and shook her head. "She has no idea. Oh my god, I wonder how she stays sane being married to you, Holmes. Jesus. Better go talk to Lestrade now, because I have a feeling that when Dr. Hooper finds out where you've been taking her daughter, you'll be the next body we find."
Sherlock moved towards where Lestrade was standing and turned slightly towards John. "Molly wouldn't actually murder me for taking Mattie to a crime scene, would she, John?" He actually sounded slightly alarmed, as if the idea was just now crossing his mind. John resisted the urge to sigh and bury his head in his hands.
"Sherlock, it's about time…what is Mattie doing here? Jesus, Sherlock! You can't bring your daughter to a crime scene! What would Molly say?" Lestrade exclaimed as he turned around and saw the consulting detective and his blogger coming towards him, along with Sherlock's little one strapped to his chest.
"Why does everyone keep chastising me about this? Mattie will not see anything, she is wholly occupied with my finger currently and is turned towards my chest! I know that it would be detrimental to have her view a dead body at this point in her development; I am not a complete imbecile!" Sherlock retorted, clearly upset and on the verge of one of his Sherlock-tantrums.
Greg held up his hands in defeat and shook his head. He turned to John and communicated with a silent look, his questioning and John's resigned. Sherlock had bent slightly to investigate the body and the surrounding area when suddenly Anderson shouted out, "DUCK AND COVER, HOLMES! WIFE ON THE WAR PATH!" He then proceeded to giggle as Sherlock paled slightly.
He quickly stood and turned, facing his wife who was just ducking under the crime scene tape and glaring daggers at Sherlock. John and Greg slowly moved out of her way. She was walking towards him at a quick pace, her hands balled into fists as she tried to keep her reactions under control. "Sherlock, may I speak to you in private, please?" she asked tightly.
She was tempted to dress him down in front of everyone, but she knew how carefully he cultivated his appearance around those that he worked with at New Scotland Yard. Sherlock nodded and started towards the edge of the crime scene, ducking under the yellow tape once more and finding an empty alley where they could speak privately. He looked like a little boy who had gotten caught doing something he knew he shouldn't be doing, his gaze lowered to his daughter who was still happily unaware of anything but her father's fingers in her mouth.
"Sherlock, I cannot believe that you took our daughter to a crime scene! What were you thinking?" Molly whispered frantically, trying to keep control of her emotions. At her mother's voice, Mattie's head turned to the side and she cooed, Sherlock's fingers slipping from her mouth. Her little arms waved towards her mother and Sherlock obligingly took her out of the little carrier, handing her off to Molly.
"You were at work and Lestrade needed me at the scene. Mrs. Hudson was out at the shops and I couldn't leave her alone! What else would you have me do?" Sherlock replied logically and Molly took a few deep breaths to keep herself calm.
"Next time, you need to come to Bart's first and drop her off at the crèche. I don't want her around all these gruesome deaths just yet, ok? I want to try and protect her as long as I can."
Sherlock's eyes lowered and Molly watched him carefully, her anger fading as she saw how awful Sherlock apparently felt about the situation. "That is what I want as well, Molly," he muttered. "I do not wish to leave her alone in the crèche with strangers; what if something happens to her and neither of us is there to help her? I would never do anything to endanger our daughter, Molly. I made sure that she was fully occupied and that she was never facing towards the body."
Molly shifted their little girl onto her hip so she could hold her with one hand and stretched the other hand out to Sherlock, to gently cup his cheek. "Sherlock, I promise, the people at the crèche are wonderful. And if something did happen to Mattie, it's a hospital. She's surrounded by doctors." Sherlock nodded slightly and Molly's thumb brushed against his cheekbone. "Thank you for protecting our daughter, Sherlock. You're so good with her." She turned to her little girl. "Isn't Daddy the best, Mattie? Just the best?"
Their little girl gurgled and reached out to Sherlock, who took her back and gently kissed her forehead. Molly stepped towards him and brushed a soft kiss across his lips. "Can we please agree that Mattie will not see another crime scene until she is at least 16?"
Sherlock chuckled slightly as he bounced the little girl in his arms. "Rather ambitious, Molly, considering."
Molly smirked. "Well I can dream." She made a face at her little girl who squealed in glee and clapped. Sherlock handed Mattie off to her. "I'll take her until you're done. Mike will understand and he can take any bodies that come in. I'll just sit in my office with her and catch up on some paper work. And then when you get home, we can talk about the crèche and some sort of care schedule, ok?"
Sherlock nodded, leaning down to kiss Molly softly. "I love you, Mrs. Holmes."
Molly smiled up at him and turned Mattie towards him. "And we love you right back, don't we, sweetie? Don't we love Daddy?" Mattie gave them a bright toothless grin which made both her parents smile.
The Holmes family walked back to the crime scene, after Sherlock shrugged out of the carrier and handed it off to Molly. She waved to Greg and John from the other side of the crime scene tape as Sherlock ducked under again. "See you all on Friday still, right? For dinner?"
The other men nodded and Molly smiled, locking eyes with Sherlock and smiling one more time before turning and walking towards the street to catch a cab.
"So I take it we won't be seeing little Matilda Holmes near a crime scene for a while then?" Greg asked as Sherlock went back to work examining the body.
"Not until she's sixteen," he replied back absently. John and Greg shared a smile over Sherlock's head. Thank god for Molly Hooper-Holmes, she was the only one who could really keep Sherlock in line.