Flowers for the DI (Sherlock BBC Fanfic)
AN – Follow on to 'Unexpected benefits of cuddles' by request
"Hullo luv!"
The greeting was a familiar comfort as Geoff pushed the front door open. His missus had been calling that to him ever since they'd first moved into student digs together all those years ago. Then it had been an acknowledgement that he'd arrived and a warning to one of their fellow housemates to put away the spliffs.
Now it was a signal to the smaller occupants of the house to ambush him where he stood. His daughter got there first, and he caught her in mid air, staggering slightly under the impact – for a small girl she carried quite a punch. The outfit was a glaring mishmash of greens and purples today, hair pulled back into a lumpy ponytail: she was definitely one for her own 'style' his girl and Geoff wouldn't have her any other way. They were joined in the hall by his boy, flute dangling from one hand – bright pink top, blue nail varnish and mascara included. Geoff grinned and squeezed them both tightly, then sent them on their way, shaking his head when he caught sight of the pink highlights streaked through his son's hair as well.
"I see our boy has discovered SuperDrug," Geoff sighed as he pecked his missus on the cheek. There was an elaborate bouquet of flowers in the middle of the kitchen table, most likely from a client of hers.
"Let him be, Geoff," was the sage advice offered there, "He's just experimenting."
"Mmhmm," was his usual response. Geoff wasn't really concerned – they'd both agreed that as long as their children were healthy and not criminals it wouldn't matter what they did. Now if only they could work out what their son was trying to be…
"Who gave you flowers this time?" he mock growled as he pulled table settings from the drawer. It was a long running, well worn joke between them – he knew she wouldn't cheat, just as she knew he was loyal.
"Actually dear, they're not for me," his missus replied, hands on hips, "Nor are they for one of your children."
"You know me too well," Geoff grinned. He had been concerned for a moment there – neither of the kids was old enough to be receiving gifts of this magnitude from their peers and if it was from an adult he'd want to know the reason why. That meant the flowers were for him. He plucked the card from the arrangement, but it simply had his name and address on it.
In most households the arrival of an anonymous arrangement of flowers – elaborate or not – would be a source of mystery and teasing. In the house of a DI – one that worked to put away some of the fruitier nut cakes that inhabited London – it was reason to hit the big red panic button. He'd been getting some anonymous hang ups the last week, and his tires had been let down three weeks ago, so if this was the next step in some crazy lunatics campaign…
"They're from that mate of yours, Sherlock, aren't they?" his missus interrupted his train of thought placidly, "The one that came for some advice a couple of nights ago. You said he was a bit socially awkward."
"Probably," Geoff grinned and put down the cutlery to haul out his phone, firing off a quick text. He put the phone on top of the fridge – family rule for dinner time – and finished setting the table, going to the bottom of the stairs to call the kids for dinner.
An answer to his text came as they were all washing the dishes and he breathed a bit easier at the 'You're welcome. Busy now.' that winked on the screen. He didn't want to know what Sherlock was busy with.
"Panic over?" his missus asked quietly as she put away the glasses. Geoff nodded sheepishly – she always seemed to know what was going on…
"Hang on – how did you know they were from Sherlock? I didn't mention his name to you when he came around," Geoff squinted at her suspiciously and she actually blushed.
"I may have called the flower shop and impersonated a police officer to get the name," she replied, "But that's an unsubstantiated rumour and can't be confirmed."
It could be, but he wouldn't bother. She was as protective of their family as he and just as aware that he dealt with some very unstable types now and then. He grinned at her instead of scolding and pulled her into a thorough kiss, much to the vocal disgust of their children.
END
Disclaimer – characters and settings as depicted in BBC series not mine. No money being made. Plot is mine.