Sorry I forgot to say in the first chapter that I don't own Sherlock…And I don't you know, I really don't.
Oh, thanks Equal-OpportunityReader for the heads up about 'float' I believe I have fixed it. Thanks again and thank you dhh for leaving a review, sadly I fear my story will not go the way you would love it to go. Sorry but thank you both for taking the time to review!
Succi you are an awesome writer and a lovely friend, thank you so much for your encouragement. Seriously, you are wonderful. I also envy your ring tone, shows that you have great taste!
Okay, we don't see what happens at John and Mary's wedding or reception in this story. I would think what happened in the original episode stayed the same except 'Meat Dagger' was never there or said what he had said…However Sherlock would have asked Mycroft perhaps what he had thought of the man who had gotten stabbed at first mistakenly believed in the shower…I feel Mycroft would have stated that he had stopped listening to Sherlock right after he had said the word, 'Telegrams'…Then Molly would have hit his arm and lovingly hissed at him and which he would have encouraged Sherlock with the decoration of 'best speech ever, brother mine…Keep talking, just hurry it along for Molly's having a baby tonight!' Giving Sherlock and Mycroft one fantastic excuse to leave the reception early…(that would also keep our hero from looking so lonely at the end of the episode.) Now, I tried writing the part but…my heart wasn't in it, sorry but here is the next part…
Now it's after the party and on with the story…
~*~Life in an Idiot's Fishbowl~*~
~*~PART 2~*~
'You are funny, Masser Holmes, ain't you?'
'It won't be funny for you, Steve, if I get after you. I gave you fair warning this morning.'
-The Three Gables by Arthur Conan Doyle
~*~SHERLOCK~*~
"She looks funny. Are you certain her head is supposed to be shaped like this? Also, why hasn't Maggie opened her eyes to have a look around? Is my niece defective?" Sherlock asked, his voice was slightly brimming with concern.
He was leaning down to study his newborn niece.
"Her head is fine, Sherlock. I'm sure your head was like this when you were born, that's if your mother didn't have a C-section." Molly informed Sherlock softly, eyes full of great warmth and affection as she watched her husband carefully hold their tiny daughter.
"My little lady is quite smart, Sherlock." Mycroft added voice also soft as he looked down in complete wonder upon his little princess. "It's bright in this room and this is a whole new world to her…Let her enjoy it the way she wants to."
Mycroft didn't notice or care as his brother rolled his eyes. There was a long moment of silence before Sherlock said, "I believe, Mycroft, that it's now my turn to hold her."
Mycroft looked at him in complete surprise before he began calmly, "Oh, do you now, brother mine? Tell me, do you happen to know where those hands of yours have been? Hmm, do you?"
"Yes!" Sherlock snapped. "I know exactly where they have been all my life actually! However, they have mostly longed to be around your neck! Otherwise, they are clean…"
Mycroft gave him a look that said quite plainly that he highly doubted that. As he gently rocked his little girl, she made a little, soft noise that melted Molly's heart…and perhaps her husband's as well. Mycroft quickly looked back down at his daughter.
"When we came to the hospital after having left that silly reception early…I know full well that you went to the loo to potty!" Mycroft slowly accused his brother as if he had caught him doing something horribly vile.
It seemed as if Mycroft held his daughter a bit more tightly as he lifted his chin as if fully expecting Sherlock to deny such a horrid allegation.
Mycroft's brother narrowed his sharp eyes upon his older and so called smarter brother.
"I washed my hands, Mycroft…with soap." Sherlock said this quite proudly as if that was a major accomplishment in his life.
Molly found herself staring at the great detective which he seemed to notice…
"I always wash my hands with soap, especially after I use the loo, no matter what!" Sherlock quickly added, actually making it sound as if that was a huge accomplishment for the whole sex of his species, even more impressive than walking upright…
Though Molly personally thought that if Sherlock had stated that afterwards he even placed the toilet seat down…well…that really would have meant something! However those amazing words were never once uttered.
Molly sighed, perhaps she was simply much too hopeful that there was indeed a man out there in the world that actually did that!
And she would have thought that the world's only consulting legendary detective just might be man enough for the job…But perhaps he wasn't…She wasn't going to ask…Nope…She knew her husband didn't no matter how much she muttered at him! Maybe Molly should put her hopes upon Matt Smith one of her favorite fantasies…For surly he was man enough for such an action! Though to be honest she was starting to give up on that Mycroft would ever put the seat back down, yet to be honest, she still plans to nag him about it constantly…
Anyway, while Molly was having these thoughts, Mycroft studied his brother quite doubtfully as if he could clearly see the germs all over him.
"Now, may I please hold my niece?" Sherlock asked calmly, holding out his hands.
Mycroft now seemed to study Sherlock's hands. "I'm still not all that certain I like where those hands have been."
Sherlock made an odd growl kind of noise that stated quite clearly his annoyance before looking at his sister-in-law for some much needed help. For he felt his brother was simply being a damn prick!
"Molly, do tell your husband to stop being so…so bloody mean! Go on; order him to let me hold your daughter, for you know damn well that I'm not going to harm her in any way even if you didn't see fit to name her after me! For it was the fact that I was away for two years that got you two together in the first place!"
Well…There was more to it than that. Mostly it was Mycroft deciding to experiment with friendship and her…Also, there may have been some colored condoms involved later…Okay; Sherlock did have much to do with some of it, unintentionally, of course…
Molly sighed tiredly wondering if Mummy Holmes ever wanted to box her dear, sweet, lovely boy's ears…
"Oh, Sherlock do be patient with your brother. He's a brand new daddy and he has picked this moment to have a major freak out." Molly told him, understanding her husband quite well.
Mycroft slowly lifted his warm eyes from his daughter's face to say firmly, "I'm not freaking out."
His voice had been deceptively calm, yet the over protective way that he held their little Maggie spoke volumes.
Molly gifted him a loving smile. "It's okay, really, it is. It's quite nice and a little funny to see my favorite control freak…freaking out…I must tell you, Sherlock that even in the delivery room he was such a sensitive soul. There he was holding my hand and coldly giving threats and orders to everyone around as if they weren't doing a proper job."
"I don't feel they were doing a proper job! Also there weren't any threats, simply promises! Honestly, if I had known that we were going to be surrounded by morons, I would have chosen my own moron of a doctor and had a medical staff of my own choice flown in…If you will recall I had plans for a wing of our estate to be turned into a mini hospital wing for this advent…"
"In which I told you to stop being stupid." Molly retorted. "I like my own doctor just fine and I know a lot of the medical staff here personally…I felt they did a fine job and that is all that really matters…And more importantly, look healthy baby girl…Our own little Maggie Katarina Marie Holmes…"
"True, we now have a beloved little treasure, no doubt but my love, how the hell do you know they did a blasted 'fine job' or not? You were busy at the time attempting to break my hand all the while moaning and screaming…And declaring to a whole room of people that if I ever took a needle to some condoms ever again you were going to punch me hard in the groin! More than once…"
Molly gave Mycroft a long look before stating calmly, "True, yet the strong point I was making is that now you have a beautiful healthy daughter and a tired yet incredibly happy wife. At this moment, all looks pretty dandy in your world and to keep it that way, listen carefully…Stop complaining about the doctors and medical staff and hand over our little girl to your brother."
"B-but…Molly what if he hasn't washed his hands properly? Did he even sing the alphabet song in his head as he washed his hands? Which I must remind you is the approved time allotted for such an activity." Mycroft asked holding his little princess close.
"FINE!" Sherlock growled before searching his pockets while he stated almost angrily. "I have a small bottle of hand sanitizer somewhere in my…AH! Here we go!"
He opened the small white cap and poured a good amount into his hands before placing the bottle back into his pocket…To then briskly rub his hands together. Mycroft watched his brother like a hawk, as if watching soon-to-be prey.
"That was pretty quick." Mycroft told him almost accusingly. "Are you quite certain that you didn't miss a spot? Also, let me see the best-by-date upon that bottle."
Sherlock gave him a truly nasty look, his fingers even twitched as if they were yearning to place themselves savagely around his brother's neck.
"Mycroft Holmes! You bloody share this new lovely experience with Sherlock by letting him hold Maggie, now!" Molly demanded.
"I am sharing the bloody experience with him; he's in the blasted room with us! I simply don't see why it's his turn to hold my little girl!" Mycroft said in a sulky fashion.
"Just like you are a new father, he's a new uncle. Now hand Maggie over to your brother!" Molly demanded once more. Something in her voice warned her husband that she wouldn't repeat herself again and things would not go well for him…
Mycroft sighed heavily as Sherlock smirked. He quickly moved towards his younger brother and oh so carefully placed Sherlock's lovely niece into his arms. Sherlock's smirk changed suddenly into a small, gentle smile as he looked down at his tiny niece.
"Well, hello, there…I'm your uncle." Maggie's uncle greeted her softly as he finally held her in his strong arms.
"Don't you dare drop her!" Mycroft warned quickly…one would almost say in a panic but everyone knew that the British government never panics…Yet, all that Molly knew was that for such a normally apathetic man, today he seemed quite anxious and very non-apathetic...Becoming a daddy changes things, one supposed, even a stoic, highly logical, supposed foolishly by others who were not his wife an emotionless man…
"I'm not going to drop her, Mycroft." Sherlock promised, his voice still tenderly soft…sweet and gentle…quite kind in fact…A side of Sherlock, he never revealed much unless he was attempting to manipulate…This moment, however, was real. The criminal world wouldn't recognize such gentleness or kindness from the great Sherlock Holmes. Nor would anyone outside of Sherlock's circle of those he just might never admit aloud that he had a great fondness for…
"You moved your hand!" Mycroft suddenly sharply accused. Making Maggie make a noise of displeasure that seemed to fill Molly's hubby with more panic…It also seemed to Molly that her hubby had somehow recently developed an issue about hands…Especially those of his brother's…
"Oh, do calm yourself, Mycroft!" Sherlock ordered him sharply, not once looking away from his beautiful niece. "Seriously, save your major freak out for when our little Maggie here is a teenager!"
Molly bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing as Mycroft's eyes widened slightly. Molly reached over and took her soothing palm's hand and squeezed it lovingly.
"Don't worry about it, love, really if you think about it we all were teenagers once…" Molly informed him gently.
If she hadn't known better she would have sworn she had heard a soft, weak whimper. This time Sherlock looked up from the intense study of her little girl's tiny fingernails to say pointedly, "And look how we all survived."
"If I remember correctly, you became a hellish mess." Mycroft snapped at his brother with a hard cruel coldness. Molly had no doubt that his sudden coldness was simply because he was trying desperately to distance himself from the horrible memories of the past…The serious heartache of witnessing his dear baby brother actually thinking he needed some damn needle…
"You know damn well, blood, that my mind rebels at stagnation! Give me the most interesting problems…Give me something that will actually work my brain! I honestly didn't understand that as a teenager. I simply had to learn, Mycroft, it was indeed a hard lesson but I learned…We are so very different and yet in so many ways we are the same. That alone is the most abstruse cryptogram, yes?" Sherlock asked as if knowing or not knowing the answer really didn't matter all that much.
"You still haven't learned enough!" Mycroft shot back. "Yes, you may always crave mental exultation, brother mine, but your drug habit will damage and destroy you!"
"Former drug habit, my dear brother." Sherlock stated coldly, eyes like harden steel…
Mycroft tilted his head to question softly, the way his hand suddenly squeezed Molly's as if something bothered him and only the hand still holding his was his lifeline…as he questioned softly, "But for how long will it remain former? Hmm? When will you decide to open that blasted door, once more? Will it be because of some foolish belief that you must stimulate your stupid brain!"
"For now, I'm quite happy to dispense with artificial stimulants." Sherlock stated back just as softly.
"Mycroft…" Molly said her dear husband's name softly, drawing his attention to her, before she continued, "I believe quite strongly that Sherlock is stronger than his former drug habit. I trust him to do what is right and he now has friends and a pick of high level cases that will keep him away from that 'needle' as you like to call it…Really, my love, why would he ever go back to tha-"
"Because he is the stupid one." Mycroft cut in. "My dear, you lovingly and quite foolishly believe in my brother much more than I do…He could and would find some reason to go back to being some bloody druggie…"
"I'm standing right here." Sherlock reminded them, softly.
"You believe he's stupid but he's not." Molly ignored her brother-in-law's words as she continued to focus and speak to her husband.
Mycroft gave her a long look and something…a strong, intense emotion that only she witnessed entered his intelligent eyes for a brief moment.
"I fear greatly, my dear…" Mycroft began ever so softly, "That my brother will disappoint you greatly and shatter your kind loyal heart."
Molly knew what else he was silently saying…Sherlock always knew how to shatter his own heart. Secretly, Mycroft was a fragile man, especially when it came to his brother or emotions that his logical mind had a hard time ignoring. His being fragile at times was an odd fact that only she seemed to know.
Molly had realized this fact years ago…Actually, the first and only time Mycroft broke into her flat for a little 'talk'. Mostly the talk had been about how stupid she was and how his weathered eye could only go so far. They had even said words about Sherlock having friends…Molly may have shot back at some point that she knew how jealous he was of his brother…For he had loyalty of those around him for free whereas Mycroft…didn't…Perhaps never would.
Well…Strangely enough they later became friends. Good friends, besties in fact…Mostly because Mycroft had attempted to order up her friendship like he was ordering from a menu…He a decided to try a little experiment…To if she was right about friendship and perhaps to secretly keep loneliness at bay while his only confidant, only true friend, Sherlock was away…
Seeing that they were still friends and he had attempted to find a way to keep her permanently in his life…It looked as if she was right indeed about the whole friendship thing, and had proved him wrong. Yay, for her! Sad for that lovely box of colorful condoms that never stood a chance against a determined man with a needle…
"And I'm still standing right here." Sherlock stated, as Maggie began to fuss. "I plan to do my best not to miss place my beloved sister-in-law's faith in me. You're faith in me, Mycroft, I don't give fu—"
He stopped suddenly, shooting a quick glance at Molly as she let go of Mycroft's hand and narrowed her eyes on him. Sherlock cleared his throat before continuing, "I don't give an excrement about."
With that said, he moved towards Molly still speaking this time looking back down at his niece. "Well, little Maggie Katrina Marie Holmes, welcome to the family. You and I are going to have some grand adventures…"
He gently and carefully placed Maggie into her Mother's waiting arms but not before placing a tender, sweet kiss upon his niece's tiny forehead. After that he quickly placed a chaste kiss upon Molly's own forehead and gave her a small smile. "You did good. Now, I must be off. The criminal element never rests, you know? Nor should it, for that would be boring!"
Sherlock turned towards his brother. "Don't get too excited, Mycroft, I'm not kissing your forehead!"
Mycroft gave him a long look before a slight smile edged his lips. "I should hope not."
After Sherlock awkwardly patted his brother's arm and then with a brief flutter of a couple of his fingers in what could have passed for a friendly wave 'goodbye' he was suddenly gone.
Mycroft sighed, looking down at his family…his treasured world.
"Do stop worrying." Molly told him. "Sherlock no longer needs drugs…Really he doesn't…He knows better than to fall back on them…"
Mycroft sat down in the chair by the hospital bed and he took back Molly's hand with his own to give it a gentle squeeze.
"Of course, you are right, my dear…I fear I'm simply being silly…Old fears and all…"
Something told her that her husband just lied to her. He felt he wasn't being silly at all, however, perhaps it was for the best not to say any more about it…
All Molly could do was prey her faith in Sherlock wasn't misplaced and that she was indeed right…
Only time could tell, really…
So, with that Molly changed the conversation and Mycroft seemed to instantly understand and even be thankful about it.
Yet, something dark whispered in the corner of both their minds that 'the time' could be upon them sooner than either one of them would have liked.
~*~End of Part 2~*~
I know I promised 'And So Beats A Gentle Heart' soon and hopefully it will be. It's just I had to rewrite the blasted part…So never fear, once I stop dicking around with it, I will share it with those of you that are waiting so patiently for it. Thank you and have a lovely day…
Oh, and those that want more of this story fear not, more will happen…I'm excited about Part 3 for it will get the plot moving…yay!
Many hugs!
