Happy (God)Mother's Day!
None of the characters are mine.
5-year-old Rosie Watson giggled as she dragged her bewildered-looking Auntie Molly out of 221B Baker Street towards the parked black car.
After a grueling night shift and Sherlock out of town on a case, the pathologist had slept in this morning. Once awake, all Molly had wanted was a cup of tea and a bite of toast; instead, she was forced out of the flat by her goddaughter. Hair up in a messy bun, wearing comfy yoga pants and an old shirt of Sherlock's, Molly found herself climbing in behind Rosie into the car, where she was met by the gaze of pale eyes belonging to no other than the British Government himself.
"Mycroft Holmes, would you please inform me what is going on? Am I being kidnapped?"
Mycroft addressed Rosie: "You have not told her?"
Rosie eyes sparkled mischievously as she shook the head and pressed her lips together. Molly looked back and forth between the two of them and decided to focus on Rosie: "Oh come here, you little devil; I will tickle your secret out of you!"
Molly promptly reached out her hands, causing Rosie to both scream and laugh in delight.
"No, Auntie Molly! I'm ticklish!" she called out. As Rosie tried wiggling herself away from Molly, she inadvertently moved closer towards Mycroft, who looked terrified, as if he was expecting for Molly to reach over and try to tickle him next!
"Since we do have a tight schedule, I suggest we all settle down now so I can signal to the driver we're ready." Mycroft suggested rather stiffly.
"Can't I at least get changed?" Molly asked.
"No need, Auntie Molly, we're going to Harrod's to get dressed. But first we have our hair done. AND we're getting our nails painted!"
"By the Duchess of Cambridge's manicurist," Mycroft interjected.
Molly looked down at her darling godchild. She loved Rosie with all her heart and was touched that this little girl organized a day of pampering for her, with the help of the British Government, of course. She smiled warmly at Mycroft as she ran her hand tenderly through Rosie's blond curls.
In response, Rosie snuggled, as best as she could with the seatbelt fastened around her, against Molly.
Rosie loved her Auntie Molly dearly. Since her mum died when Rosie was just an infant, Rosie was showered with love and attention by her doting father, Uncle Sherlock, Nana Hudson, and of course her Auntie Molly, who was truly special to Rosie.
Molly would often chaperone Rosie's daycare excursions; one time, when they went to the zoo, the accompanying mums were rather alarmed around the spiders and reptiles. Auntie Molly, however, enjoyed all animals, not just the cute and fluffy ones, and she even held one of the snakes!
On days when Auntie Molly would pick Rosie up from daycare, the two would detour on their way home past a little pond to feed the cute ducks with the stale pieces of bread Molly brought along.
At Halloween, when Rosie wanted a corpse bride costume, Auntie Molly convinced
Daddy that the choice was not a dark reflection of Rosie's character but rather a sign of her individuality. So Molly dressed Rosie as Tim Burton's Corpse Bride character Emily, and when they went trick-or-treating, Auntie Molly wore the matching adult costume. She even convinced Uncle Sherlock to come along dressed as Victor. Uncle Sherlock whined the entire time, but Rosie knew that the only picture he kept on his phone was that of Rosie and Molly in their costumes, smiling happily at the camera.
Molly would indulge in Rosie's fantasies like no one else, and on the nights she brought Rosie to bed, the little girl always felt so protected and unconditionally loved.
So when a little while ago, just before Christmas, Auntie Molly was rushed to hospital, Rosie was deeply upset. Everyone was so very sad, Uncle Sherlock, Daddy, Uncle Mycroft, and Nana Hudson. The latter cried: "The poor lamb. Molly would have been such a lovely mother."
"But Nana Hudson, Auntie Molly is already a mother, my Godmother," Rosie objected, causing Nana Hudson to sob harder and Daddy to hug Rosie very tightly.
When Auntie Molly returned from the hospital, she was as loving and caring with Rosie as ever, but Rosie saw the sorrow reflected in Auntie Molly's kind eyes, and to this day, that deep sadness remained, no matter how hard Rosie tried to make it go away. So when Miss Josephine announced at daycare that they were preparing gifts for Mother's Day, Rosie decided to celebrate Godmother's Day with Auntie Molly that day, and Uncle Mycroft was a huge help in planning the surprise. As Nana Hudson said; "for all his faults, he is well-connected."
So Rosie, snuggled up against Molly in Mycroft's car, announced: "And in the afternoon, we will have tea!"
"At Claridge's," added Mycroft.
"That's where my father took me when I passed my A-levels," Molly whispered, recalling a bitter-sweet memory of her beloved papa who died within a year of Molly starting uni.
"And now I go with you. Happy Godmother's Day!" Rosie exclaimed triumphantly.
Molly heart was overcome with joy, as she tried to feebly object. "But Rosie –"
Her precocious charge interrupted her in a tone quite reminiscent of her Uncle Sherlock's: "I already visited Mummy's grave yesterday to bring her the gift I made for her. Today is your day, since you're my mother, too! "
As Rosie tightened her arms around Molly, the pathologist felt happy tears well up in her eyes. For fear of her voice betraying her, she showed her appreciation with a loving kiss on top of Rosie's head, and a squeeze of Mycroft's hand.
Motherhood may not have come to her in the form she had expected, but Molly was reminded how blessed she was to have Rosie to love as a daughter, and to be in return loved back just as a mother would be.