Lex giggled as her Dad tickled her. "Stop! Stop! Dad!" Her Daddy watched from the sofa, trying to hide a grin.
Her Dad did stop. "Sherlock, get the cake will you?"
Her daddy groaned. "Can't Mrs. Hudson to it?" He turned hopefully towards the older woman.
Mrs. Hudson shook her head scoldingly, but went into the kitchen to get the cake. "Eleven years old... Getting so big, Lex. When your fathers brought you home for the first time you were only two!"
Lex laughed, "I know Mrs. Hudson."
She was about to say something else, when smash! The window shattered.
Her dad ran over to the window. A brick had broken it. Taped to the brick was a note. 'Happy birthday'
Her dad tackled Lex to the ground. "Sherlock get dow-"
Gunshots racked the air. Six bullets, all in her daddy's chest.
"No!"
•••
It had been two years, to the day. Two years since Sherlock had... Well...
Lex dressed like him. Slacks, close-fitting button-down shirts... She even had an overcoat like his. It was orange, though. She wore his scarf everywhere. John knew she got teased for having gay parents, and being adopted, and not dressing to fit 'the norm'. Lex didn't seem to care.
Lex was thirteen years old today. Birthdays were bittersweet for her. On one hand, it was her birthday, she should be happy. On the other hand, it was the anniversairy of her daddy's death.
Lex had inherited a lot from her adoptive fathers. She was intuitive, like her daddy, brave like her dad, and loved to read, especially mysteries and crime thrillers.
•
John watched from the window as she trudged home from school through the snow. He met her at the top of the stairs. "Happy birthday, Lex."
She smiled a little too brightly. "Where's Mrs. Hudson?"
"Resting. I'm sure she'll be up later."
Lex nodded. The landlady was old, very old. She might not be around for much longer. "Dad? Can we go?"
John wrapped an arm around his daughter. "Sure. Let me get some things ready, alright?"
"Okay." She dropped her backpack on the floor and curled up on the couch.
John grabbed a picnic basket and non-too-artfully placed flowers and other things in the basket. "Ready, Lex?"
Lex stood up. "Yep. Let's go."
•
The cab ride was long and silent. When they reached their destination, John and his dughter clambered out of the cab and walked to a cozy spot under a tree.
Lex reached into the basket and retrieved Sherlock's coat. She draped it around Sherlock's grave before unknotting the scarf around her neck and placing it around the tombstone. She leaned her head against the cold marble. "I love you, Daddy."
Together, the two mourning people placed flowers around the grave. When finished, they embraced eachother and allowed themselves to cry.
An older woman passing by looked at them pityingly. "Don't mind my intrusion, dears, but I know it hurts to lose a parent. I'm sure your's was a great person."
John nodded. He knew the woman assumed they had lost a wife and mother, not a husband and daddy. "Yes. He was." He put just the slightest emphasis on 'he' and the woman raised her eyebrows and quickly walked away.
A while later, the sun had begun to set. John stood ans helped his daughter up. "Come on, Lex." He placed Sherlock's coat in the basket again, and Lex wrapped the scarf around her neck. They rode in silence the entire drive home.
•
Once home, Lex and John ate a lopsided cake and Lex opened presents. An encyclopedia of poisons-one of Sherlock's old books, but she didn't have to know that-, two new novels and a chemistry set. "Thanks, Dad!"
They were about to watch a movie when the bell rang. "I'll get it." said John, thundering down the stairs.
He looked through the peephole and saw a face he'd been avoiding for two years. "Lestrade." He muttered to himself. He'd cut off all ties with his old life, and didn't appreciate the DI showing up and reminding him, especially today of all days.
"I know you're in there John! Open up!"
John groaned, but opened the door. "Greg, I appreciate you dropping by, but-"
"Uncle Greg!" Lex came leaping down the stairs and flung herself into Lestrade's arms.
Lestrade laughed and carried her up the stairs, John following, still grumbling.
Lestrade threw Lex on the sofa. "Uncle Greg!" she exclaimed again. "I haven't seen you since-" She cut off. Since her daddy died.
Lestrade tussled her wild hair. "I know. You look like you're daddy, you know."
Lex closed off. "How could I look like someone I'm not even related too."
She had wild red hair and piercing green eyes, and looked nothing like either of her adopted parents.
Lestrade looked her in the eyes. "The way you hold yourself. Your posture. Your pride."
She turned her nose up, and he laughed. "Like that."
She relaxed. "You really think so?"
The DI nodded seriously. "You remind me if Sherlock very much. Now, go to your room so I can talk to your Dad."
She smiled slightly, and pranced away.
•
"For Christ's sake, I've already told you, I'm not taking the case! I'm not taking any case!"
Lestrade put his head in his hands. "John, please-"
"No. I'm sorry, but I'm not... I'm not him."
"You're as close as I can get, though."
John slouched. "I'll take a look in the morning. I need to spend the evening with Lex. It is her birthday."
Lestrade looked stricken. "Shit, John, I didn't know. That means it's... Shit, it's that day, and I come in talking about Sherlock. 'M sorry, mate."
John shrugged. "In the morning, Greg."
Ledtrade nodded and stood to leave, when Lex's voice stopped him. "I wanna go." The girl was standing just outside the room.
John groaned and stood. "How long have you been standing there, Lex?"
His daughter shrugged. "Long enough."
"What have I told you about spying?"
Lex's eyes hardened. "One, it's my birthday and your shooing me off to my room. Two, I heard loud voices. Three, I wanna go with you."
Lestrade tried to wipe a smirk off his face. "C'mon John. Let the girl go..."
"Fine!"
"Yes!" Lex squealed. "Triple-murder here I come!"
John shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything the parenting books say not to do."
•
"A kid? You're bringing a kid on a crime scene? Whats wrong with you?"
"Shut up, Donovan." John said calmly. "It's her birthday, she's a teenager now."
Sally Donovan looked the perfect image of annoyed and angry.
Lex stood on her tiptoes to get closer to Donovan's face. "And today's the anniversairy of my daddy's death. If you push me, I might just start crying. Don't want bullying a child on your record do you?"
That shut her up. John took her hand, and at that moment, he began to think, maybe things could be okay again.
AN: Hey guys! I'm working on a full-size fic, for Thor/The Avengers, chapter one should be up within this week, if all goes well. I also have another one-shot I'll be posting later. I hope you guys like this one, please review!