Title: Nightmare
Rating: G
Characters: John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Victoria Watson-Holmes
"Daddy! Daaaaaaaaaaadddy!"
Sherlock sprung up at the sound of his daughter's cries. He patted John on the arm and made is way upstairs to the (now very pink) bedroom. Victoria lay huddled in the bed, blanket over her head. Sherlock went to her and removed the blanket, and brought his daughter into a firm embrace.
"Shhh,love. It's alright. Daddy's here." He tipped her face upand kissed her forehead. "Bad
dream?"
The girl nodded and snuggled into Sherlock's chest. "Uh-huh. There was a monster."
Comforting children had never been Sherlock's area. But her hugged her closer. Instead of explaining that complexities of dreams and how there are no such things as monsters, he asked himself 'What would John do?' and carried on. "Shhh, love. There are no monsters."
Victoria looked up at him with her cool eyes, so much like Sherlock's. "Yes, there are! We saw them today! And Billy said that they would come alive, and eat people!" Sherlock remembered the trip to the museum she had with school, and chucked despite himself.
"They're all gone now, sweetheart. Now go back to sleep."
Victoria clutched her father's chest and clung to him. "Can't. scared."
"Alright, then." Sherlock lifted the barnacle of a daughter he had and carried her downstairs. His hopes of not waking John were false, the man was so finely tuned to anything concerning Victoria. John leaned on the doorway to their bedroom and took his daughter from Sherlock's arms. She was already back asleep, and John tucked her into the big bed he shared with his husband. He took Sherlock's hand.
"Bad dream?"
"Dinosaurs. It's sorted now."
John smirked and kissed Sherlock's cheek. "She called for you this time, you know."
Sherlock playfully swatted John. "Yes, I know."
"She's so like you, Sherlock."
Sherlock looked John in the eye and took him by the shoulders. "In looks, perhaps. But her heart, John….that's you."
John smiled and took his husband by the hand. They snuggled into bed, Victoria curled up between them. Maybe someday John would tell her that nightmares are nothing to be afraid of, and that she called the right person to help her through them. But for now, he would just sleep in the peace knowing he and his daughter were loved by a remarkable man.