Hey guys! I'm not sure how long this is going to be, I've got some stuff planned but might come up with more ideas later. I was going to wait for a bit before writing/posting these but they got stuck in my head after a conversation with a friend and well, here's the first part. Basically, just a bunch of scenes from Sherlock's pov as he learns what to do and what not to do in the case of little Lily Watson. Reviews, etc are always appreciated! Enjoy!
It had been three days since Sherlock had gotten a call from John announcing the birth of his daughter, Lily Charlotte. Sherlock hadn't gone to see Mary in the hospital because, while he understood people being excited about a baby being born, he didn't understand why he had to be. Of course, he had congratulated both of them, but babies couldn't even do anything useful. They couldn't help with experiments or carry lab equipment; they couldn't talk enough to discuss cases with and the babbling was distracting. All in all, Sherlock was happy for his friend but didn't feel the need to be anywhere near little Lily Watson until she was old enough to start being interesting.
Or until John texted him, claiming to have gotten an email about a new case and inviting him over to discuss it. Sherlock should have been suspicious. By the time he began to wonder if something was amiss, it was already too late.
Sherlock walked into John and Mary's flat, surprised to hear voices coming from the living room. He supposed that Lestrade must be here, if it was a murder investigation (Sherlock certainly hoped it was), but he couldn't figure out why Molly would be here too. He stepped around the corner and immediately realized he had been hoodwinked. There was no case. There was only a group of people sitting on couches, with a small bundle slow making its way around the circle. Molly was the lucky one at the moment, whispering to the blanket-wrapped baby in her arms.
"Oh, Sherlock, you got my text," John said smiling.
"You said there was a case," Sherlock replied slowly, his mind racing to find a way out of the situation before him; John's intentions suddenly all too clear.
"He lied. But we wanted you to meet your goddaughter and since you obviously weren't going to show up by yourself, I told John to give you a bit of…encouragement," Mary said with a sly - though tired - look.
Sherlock froze and all thoughts of escape vanished. "M-my goddaughter?"
"Wait, really?" Lestrade jumped in. "You want him to take care of your daughter in case you both die?"
"And who says I can't, Graham?"
"Well, I- Have you ever even held a baby, Sherlock?"
Sherlock sniffed and tried to look superior, "No. It's never come up before."
"There's no better time than the present. Go and wash your hands, then sit down beside Molly," Mary instructed firmly. Sherlock, for once, did as he was told. When he was settled, Molly shifted Lily to hand her over to the detective beside her.
"Wait," Sherlock said, sounding just a little nervous, "how do I hold her?"
"Put your arm under her head like this," Molly said quietly, moving his arm into the correct position, "and then put your other arm under her bum like that. Perfect!"
Despite Molly's declaration, Sherlock looked far from comfortable; he appeared to be leaning as far back from Lily as possible and was choosing to ignore her presence in his arms as much as he could. She just stared up at him with big blue eyes. However, only Molly saw this as the others went back to their discussion of some inane topic that Sherlock tuned out immediately.
"Part of holding a baby is not ignoring it, Sherlock," Molly said gently.
"But what am I supposed to do with her?" he asked.
"I don't know, just hold her, I suppose. Look at her. Try to relax; she's not going to bite."
Sherlock relaxed his shoulders, just a bit, but when it appeared that Lily was indeed not going to bite or cry or do anything much, he settled himself further into the couch.
"There, that's better," Molly cooed at Lily who didn't look at her; she just kept staring into Sherlock's pale eyes.
"Molly, she's staring at me."
"Yes, babies do that, it's okay. Try smiling."
He did, but it was the condescending smile that he gave to clients who were boring him as a sign to get interesting or get out. That wasn't fair, though. Lily had only been out in the world for a few days; she hadn't had time to acquire any interesting habits. And her eyes were very blue. Innocent. His eyes softened and he smiled genuinely at the tiny baby in his arms. She smiled back.
"See? She's not dangerous. She's just a tiny human being," Molly commented, smiling as Sherlock also refused to look at her and was now engaged in a sort of staring contest with the littlest Watson. Sure that Sherlock was as comfortable as he was going to be in such a situation, she turned her attention to the grown-up conversation.
"She is, isn't she?" Sherlock replied, though Molly wasn't listening. Then, in a quieter voice, "You are, aren't you, Lily? You're just a tiny person stuck in that baby body. It must be terribly boring for you. Or maybe it's exactly the opposite. You get to experience everything for the first time. Well, hello then. I'm Sherlock Holmes, your godfather. Apparently. Don't know what your parents were thinking, to be honest. I don't know about taking care of babies. That's why I have to keep them safe, Lily. And you, too, obviously. But I'm going to try to be the best godfather I can be. Goodness knows what might happen if I don't. You might grow up caring about all sorts of rubbish instead of leaving space for the stuff that really matters. And that would never do."