Happy Halloween! My favourite holiday of all time.
This is a little one shot I knocked together about Lily, Sherlock and John so I hope you enjoy it.
"Do I have to attend the tedious event that my brother insists on hosting every year? You are aware that it's going to be nothing more than politicians and their families, dressed up in mediocre costumes in the vein attempt to scare each other, right?" Sherlock complained loudly, his cool diamond gaze fixated on the mirror while his husband attempted to complete his make up without getting any face paint in his mouth as he spoke though it proved to be a difficult task though John had to admit, his husband could definitely pull it off.
As it was a Halloween party, the little family of three had decided to go with a theme... Well John and Lily had decided on a theme and bought Sherlock an outfit which would tie in with their costumes.
His silky ebony locks had been back combed mercilessly then sprayed with orange hair paint before being attacked with enough hairspray to single handedly puncture a hole in the ozone layer, just to make sure that the colour remained the same the whole night. On top of that, John had painted his face a ghostly white colour before rimming his eyes with pink, his lips painted the same colour. Of course, there was the patchy top hat which was perched on top of his head at an odd angle and the mismatched outfit of the mad hatter, just to complete the ensemble.
"Sherlock, it was nice of Mycroft and Greg to invite us and you know how much Lily enjoys spending time with her uncles and cousin." John answered, finishing the detective's make up before making a start on his own. Like the consultant detective, his face was painted white and his eyes were rimmed in a similar pink to his nose. Once he was finished, he readjusted the pair of fluffy cream ears which sat proudly on his head, portraying that he was, in face, the little white rabbit of the trio. If he was honest, he felt a little stupid in chequered yellow pants, a red waist coat and carrying a huge wall clock but he didn't mind. Halloween was too short to be like the rest of the crowd.
"I just don't see why I'm being forced to go..."
"Because our daughter wants you there."
Just as Holmes was about to answer back, the living room door crept open to reveal their young teenage daughter.
Her mahogany coloured curls had been mused and kept from her face with a torn black bow which matched the lace trim of the crimson corset she wore. The strings were pulled tight enough at the back that most of her assets were on show though it was done in a tasteful way, as not to bring embarrassment on her family. Her net tutu fell to her mid thigh, not quite covering the top of her fishnet stocking which were held in place by a pair of garters that were decorated with red ribbon hearts. The overall effect, when factoring in her tattered teddy bear and blood stained apron, was terrifyingly adorable though Sherlock couldn't see that.
"Where the hell are your clothes young lady!?" He yelled, his eyes wide as he took in what his little girl was wearing. In his eyes, she looked like some stripper! The heavily made up eyes, deep rouge lips and excessive amounts of ivory skin on display was just screaming for men to take advantage of her! However, he was shocked when she did nothing but giggle innocently, skipping over to press a kiss to his cheek.
"They're here daddy! Honestly, you're acting like I'm naked!"
"You might as well be! There is no way on this Earth that I will allow you out of this house in such a thing!"
"Now Sherlock-" John tried, a soothing hand moving to rest on the younger man's shoulder but it was shrugged off and he was soon staring into the eyes of his husband.
"No John! She is 16 years old!"
"Exactly daddy, I'm 16! You can't treat me like a 6 year old forever!"
"I can bloody well try!" He said, looking at her with a somewhat irritated/upset face. Deep down, she knew that she had gone too over the top but she had wanted to show the pair of them that she wasn't a little child any more. She had grown up but her dad didn't seem to care and her daddy didn't seem to notice. In his eyes, she was still the fragile little girl who had come searching for him that decade ago.
With a sigh, she flopped down onto the sofa, her feet crossed at the ankles as she stared up at the plain ceiling. "Why can't you let me grow up?" Lily asked softly, her eyes never moving from the little spot they'd fixated onto. John, sensing that they needed this chat, carefully slipped into the kitchen. From there, he could hear what was going on while also trying to pick out a bottle of wine to take as a gift.
Not caring about his face paint, Sherlock rubbed a hand down his face in irritation. Why couldn't she just go get changed or put some clothes on? That way, there wouldn't be any need for such a heavy conversation before the party that'd had her smiling in excited anticipation all week. Did she not know that there would be intoxicated men there? Men who were used to having power in almost every situation?
"Lily, you must understand that you will always be that little girl to me. I-I'm always g-going to see you a-as ma petite cherie." he explained, lifting her feet briefly so he could take a seat though he allowed them to rest in his lap.
"I know daddy but I don't see why you won't let me dress like this."
"Because I don't want men getting the wrong idea about you Lily." he answered immediately, allowing his thoughts out. She needed to see it from his side.
"Do you have the 'wrong idea' about me?"
"No but John aren't like other men."
"You're not?"
"No petal. You see, some men are nice and polite but others want nothing more than to fulfil their own animalistic desires." Sherlock explained carefully, his finger absent-mindedly playing with the bows on her dolly shoes. Wide sapphire blue eyes looked up at him, something resting in the deep blue depths though he couldn't decipher what it was.
"Okay daddy, I'll go get changed." she murmured, sitting up, about to go and get changed but a small, smug smirk crept onto his face as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine love. I've got the perfect solution."
The party was in full swing by the time the trio got there. Classical music, with low undertones, flowed through the hall, swirling around the dancing couples while children darted from one candy bowl to another, filling their little bags with as much as they could before returning to their den beneath the banquet table. As they made their way around, carved pumpkins littered the hall, their candles providing a warm orange glow which only seemed to add to the eery atmosphere though it didn't effect any of them. When you've attended countless crime scenes, it built up a tolerance to 'eery' and hardened you against 'creepy' as well.
"Daddy! I can't believe you're making me wear this!" Lily cried from beneath the thick table cloth while she glared heatedly at his back through two burn holes, courtesy of Sherlock's experiments. The detective simply ignored her complaints and carried on leading her through the crowded dance floor though they were pulled aside half way across.
"Mr Holmes, I thought it was you. Hello Doctor Watson. I just thought I'd thank you for your input to that triple homicide." Detective Inspector Dimmock said, pulling his hand from Lily's in order to shake it before turning to look at the person beneath the sheet who was openly staring at him. That man had broken the pattern as she didn't want to know everything about him... She just thought he was handsome.. interesting even. "Hello, I'm DI Dimmock."
"Lily Holmes." She greeted, pulling the sheet off so she could take his pre-offered hand though she failed to notice the way his eyes dragged down her... but her father didn't. He also didn't fail to realise that their handshake lasted 20 seconds more than necessary.
"Pleasure to me-"
"Meet my daughter, yes. Thank you, Dimmock. I'm glad that I saved you from humiliation at the meeting with your superiors but we are urgently needed by my dear brother." Sherlock interrupted, taking his child's hands again in order to pull her away but John stopped him.
"Actually Sherlock, Lily should have a little fun. Daniel, would you mind keeping an eye on her while we go thank the host?"
"Of course Dr Watson. I'll keep a very close eye on her...I-I mean, we wouldn't w-want her to g-get lost in the crowd, would we?" He stuttered though Lily simply giggled, moving to stand by his side, despite the look her father was giving them but before he could speak, John had pulled him into the sea of people, leaving the teenager with the young officer.
"Well, may I have this dance?"He inquired quietly, his hand moving to gently cup her elbow. With a nod, she was pulled into a rather sloppy waltz but she found that she couldn't care less.
It was nice to feel normal.
Hope you liked it. If ya did, please read:
All That's Sure To Come
Look What You Did
Nurse Shirely, Doctor Watson And Patient Lily
Peaceful Days, Blog Entries And Surprise Visitors
Believe me Son, You're In Trouble Now
Thank you !