Author's note: New cover image as of 4/20/19 by my talented reader and friend, Elizabeth Robello.
Molly had just laid her newborn daughter, freshly fed and changed, into her cot. The baby was peacefully sleeping - for once. It had been a rough adjustment, going from carrying a baby inside her for nine months, to having an infant requiring constant attention.
She gazed down at the baby, marvelling at the fine dusting of dark hair that covered her head. Although the baby's eyes were currently closed, Molly remembered her excitement at discovering the infant had inherited those incredible blue-green eyes from her father.
The new mother heard her husband enter the room, and then felt his arms wrapping around her from behind. Sherlock kissed the top of her head, then rested his chin on it. "Finally got her to sleep, huh?"
Molly leaned back into his embrace. "Yeah. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll have a half hour before she wakes up." She turned around and slipped her arms around her husband's waist as he continued to hold her. "I'm sorry Sherlock."
"For what?" he asked, sounding confused.
"For neglecting you lately. I feel like we've barely had a chance to spend any time together since Victoria arrived. She's so demanding, and I'm so exhausted."
The detective lifted his wife's chin so they could lock eyes.
"Sweetheart, you don't need to apologize. I knew things were going to change once she arrived. I told you that I would be jealous about no longer having your undivided attention, but that was before. Now that Victoria is here, I derive great satisfaction in watching your interaction with her." His lips touched Molly's in a tender, reverent kiss.
Molly shifted to turn towards their sleeping daughter once again. "It was fun bringing her to church this morning, wasn't it? Everyone was thrilled to meet our baby at last. We've had such wonderful prayer support through the whole time I was pregnant. I know a few people would have liked to hold her, but I didn't want to take any chances on her picking up any germs."
"I wouldn't have wanted to hand her over to anyone else yet anyway. I'm glad she slept on me through most of the service."
"It was wonderful to see the way you were holding her so carefully. The funniest part was when she woke and started rooting around because she was hungry."
"Well, my finger sufficed for about a minute, until she realized there was no milk in it! That baby has one strong suction action."
Molly laughed. "Now you can see why it hurts me sometimes when she latches on to begin feeding. Those first few seconds can be quite painful."
"I love watching you when you're breast-feeding."
"Watching me or my breast?" Molly asked playfully.
"Both. But seriously, you get this look about you when you're watching her as she feeds. It brings to mind those pictures you see of the Madonna and child in stained glass windows...so beatific."
"Well, Victoria is a miracle after all. Every baby is."
"I know. So perfectly formed with ten tiny toes, ten tiny fingers. She's absolutely perfect Molly, and we made her. That's the most unreal part of it all, that she is a combination of us. Definitely our best experiment."
"Even if she decided to make her entrance more than a week late. I was beginning to think she was going to stay inside me, and I would be eternally pregnant."
"Better late than never, darling." Then, "Hey, do you know what today is?" asked the detective unexpectedly, turning Molly's face towards his again.
"Sunday!" supplied the pathologist helpfully.
"Ha ha, very funny. Today marks the one year anniversary of when I finally had my emotional breakthrough, when I finally admitted to myself, and to you, that I loved you."
"Oh! I hadn't even thought of that. I've been rather preoccupied lately."
"I know you have. It's a day I'll never forget though. If it weren't for Eurus, we wouldn't be standing here today, and we definitely wouldn't be looking at our child. Who knows how much longer I would have continued to deny my feelings for you?" This time when Sherlock kissed his wife, there was a hint of passion in it, to which Molly responded by threading her fingers through his luxurious ebony locks.
Several long minutes passed as the new parents enjoyed their first proper kiss since the baby had been born earlier that month. "How much longer do we have to wait before we can make love again?" asked Sherlock once they parted for air.
"At least another four weeks, according to the doctor. It isn't easy pushing out a nine pound baby you know. My body still needs to heal."
"Four weeks? Remind we why we wanted a baby?"
"You can't complain. We had nine months without having to deal with my monthly cycle, and while I'm breast-feeding, once I've actually recovered from giving birth, I will probably still not have to worry about the monthly visitor."
"That would be good news, except for the fact that I have to share your breasts with Victoria."
"It is what it is, honey. You'll get them back eventually."
"Well, my love, how are we going to celebrate the one year anniversary of my emotional breakthrough?"
"I'm not certain I want to really celebrate it. That wasn't actually the best day for me. It took you three days to come to me and explain, and they were the worst three days of my life, because I thought I must have been mistaken in thinking you really meant that second 'I love you.'"
"You know I was trying to think about how to move forward. Besides, I did manage to buy an engagement ring in that time and propose to you when I came to see you."
"True. I have to admit I'm glad you didn't drag your feet once you'd made up your mind. I mean, after being in love with you for seven years, I was definitely ready for a commitment. I'm still amazed that you were, actually."
"I suppose we did progress things in a rather unorthodox manner, without actually having a dating relationship before we got engaged. I didn't want to be just your boyfriend though. We'd been seeing each other for years in a professional manner, and as friends too. Besides, I was a forty year old man whose relationship experience was limited to a farce of one with Janine."
"What you lacked in experience, you certainly made up for in enthusiasm on our wedding night," Molly grinned.
"Hey, you made me wait ten and a half weeks, what did you expect? Besides, I could say the sane for you."
The pathologist drew his head down to hers for a very long, sensual kiss before responding. "I don't regret waiting. It made things all the more sweeter for us. We've shared a lot more firsts since then, and each is better than the last." She placed another lingering kiss on her husband's lips.
"Don't kiss me like that Molly," groaned Sherlock. "You're going to make me have to go back to taking cold showers again for a few weeks."
"Not necessarily," winked his wife.
A small cry came from the cot and Molly immediately went to pick up the infant.
"Perfect timing," grumbled the detective.
Molly walked over to the rocking chair in the small room, unfastening her nursing bra as she went. "Sorry, sweetheart. I have to take care of Victoria right now." After the baby had begun to suckle, she looked up,at Sherlock. "But I promise you, I'll take care of you later."
And of course, being a very good wife, she did.
Author's note: I hope you enjoy this glimpse into the future of my Shetlock/Molly characters.
Reviews welcome.