A/N: This wasn't originally supposed to be a Sherlolly story (it was never supposed to be more than a one-shot but whoops, here we are) but it's kind of heading in a Sherlolly direction so let me know what you think about that. Also information came from the London Science Museum website. Thanks for reading!
John Watson climbed the steps to 221B, whistling a happy tune along the way. He had the day off and was going to visit his best friend after a few days of not seeing him. He half-hoped that Sherlock would have a good case to work on. They hadn't been out together in a while and John was starting to get antsy at his nine to five job. However, when he walked into Sherlock's flat he was met with an undesired sight.
"John! Hello!" said Sherlock happily just as he was beginning to walk out the door.
"Sherlock. Hi. Are you leaving? Going on a case?" John asked hopefully but Sherlock simply shook his head.
"No. No cases today. I'm going to the museum with Archie and Molly. Mallory should be dropping the boy off at any minute."
John looked at him confused. No cases. Going out. To a museum. Where there wasn't a case happening. "Is this something you're being forced into?" the doctor asked with his eyebrows raised. This wasn't like Sherlock at all.
"No. Of course not. It was my idea. Mallory needed a sitter again and I thought Archie would enjoy the museum, that's all."
"And Molly?" John asked intrigued.
"Yes, well Molly is a friend and she enjoys the museum and Archie seems to enjoy her so it made sense." John laughed lightly and shook his head.
"You know you've been spending a lot of time with the two of them. What's gotten into you?" It was true. Sherlock had been spending more time at Bart's, more time babysitting Archie, and even had a few outings with both Molly and Archie. It was if the detective was playing house, picking up the wife and the son whenever he wished.
"They're good company," replied Sherlock easily with a shrug of the shoulders as he grabbed his Belstaff and passed John, beginning to walk down the steps. John followed closely. "You're off with Mary and Ava all the time so I had to find some new partners."
"So you're replacing me?"
"John, don't be absurd. I'd be lost without my blogger. Why? Are you jealous?" Sherlock flashed John a wicked grin and John shot him an exasperated look.
"No! Why would I be jealous?"
"You're jealous," Sherlock stated simply.
"I'm not…" started John but then shook his head as a cab pulled up to the side of the street. "I'm happy for you, Sherlock. You seem to be enjoying yourself." Sherlock simply gave a curt nod but John was proven right when a curly headed boy jumped from the cab and ran to Sherlock, wrapping his arms around his legs.
"Sherlock!" yelled Archie and the consulting detective smiled down at the boy, ruffling Archie's hair as he did so.
"Archie. I presume that you are excited for our outing?" asked Sherlock happily and John couldn't help but smile and the detective's cheerfulness.
"It's all he's been talking about," said Mallory as she walked to Sherlock and shook his hand. "I'll pick him up here around five? Thanks for doing this again, Sherlock. He just loves spending time with you. He doesn't really have any male figures in his life and well…" she gave a sideways glance to her son who was now bent over and studying some bugs on the sidewalk, "you do him a lot of good. See you later!" she called out and climbed back in the cab.
"What does that mean?" Sherlock asked John. "I do him a lot of good?"
A smile overtook John's face. "It means you're like a father figure, Sherlock. And she's right. You're good with him." Sherlock still looked confused but John just laughed. "I'll be letting you go then. You don't want to be late. Tell Molly I said hi," said John and backed away, going to the side of street to hail a cab but not before he caught a glimpse of Sherlock reaching down to take Archie's hand as the pair chatted amiably.
Molly Hooper stood outside of a large pillared building in her tan trousers and multi-colored jumper, watching the people who were passing by. Families surrounded her, people with strollers and baby carriers, people dragging teenagers inside the museum. She took particular interest in a young couple who had their three children with them. All three of the kids had tight holds on their parent's hands and were pulling them into the doors, too eager to get started. She loved seeing that, children excited about learning.
Speaking of which, another sight that was coming toward her made her face light up even more, Archie and Sherlock, holding hands and waving at her. She waved back and began to walk toward them when Archie broke from Sherlock's grip and ran at Molly, giving her a hug. Molly hugged him back and grinned. "And how's Archie today?"
"I'm good! Sherlock said that there's all kinds of stuff here! Can we see the spaceships and the trains and the planes and all the sciency things?" asked Archie as he jumped up and down.
"Yes. I'm sure we'll get to see everything you want, Archie," said Molly enthusiastically as Sherlock caught up to the two of them.
"Molly Hooper," he said and flashed her a smile.
"Sherlock," she said back and they began to walk into the museum, Archie pulling both of them along with him. "So what made you decide to do this?"
"What do you mean? His mother needed me to watch him again," he replied.
"Yes, but Sherlock Holmes doesn't dwell in science museums cluttered with screaming children," replied Molly with a grin.
He rolled his eyes. "It could be educational for him, you know," he said and looked down at the little boy between them. "Besides, I've been trying to get them to put in a science of deduction exhibit for years. Maybe I could convince them while we're here."
"Oh, Sherlock!" laughed Molly and he laughed right along with her, letting Archie pull them in to get tickets.
Five minutes later they were standing in front of a massive steam engine to which Archie just stared at his mouth agape. He went over to read the placard when Sherlock ambled up beside him. "Unimportant. You won't need to know this," he said in the boy's ear and then received a whack on the arm from Molly. "What was that for?" he asked, turning to her.
She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the display. "Let him read what he wants. What if one day he decides he wants to work on trains? Or work with steam power? Won't that information be important then?"
"He's far too smart for that," replied Sherlock but Molly threw him a look. "Fine," he said and put his hands up in surrender. "I'll let him read what he wants." She smiled in triumph and the two walked back to Archie who was now running off toward the space exhibits.
After a few hours, they made it to the top floors of the museum where the health displays were kept. "Ah," said Sherlock. "Now these are the kinds of things that could be useful." Molly just rolled her eyes and smiled at Archie who was still excited about the displays.
"Oooo, Archie, look at this," said Molly as she walked over to a small bundle of old cloth. "It's an old Egyptian mummy."
"Cool! How did they do that?" he asked as he went to stand beside her, peering through the glass of the display.
Molly thought for a second, trying to formulate a response that a young boy would understand. But before she could say anything, Sherlock cut in. "When someone died, they removed all of their organs and preserved them in containers so that they wouldn't decay. Then they would put packets of a chemical mixture to soak up all of the body fluids. After that was done, they wrapped the body in linens for it to be preserved."
"But why would people do that?" asked the boy.
"Well," started Molly. "The Egyptians believed that a person's spirit was attached to their body and that it must be preserved to keep the spirit intact. If people wanted to go the afterlife, then their body had to stay in good condition."
"Highly illogical," interrupted Sherlock. "There cannot be the existence of a soul or of an afterlife." The three started to walk away from the display and across the rest of the floor.
"But," said Molly with a sideways glance to the detective, "everyone is entitled to their own opinions."
"It seems creepy," replied Archie with a small shudder.
"Yes well people have a hard time understanding death. For a long time people struggled in determining whether or not somebody was dead. They would think someone to be dead and bury the person, only to open the coffin back up years later and find scratch marks on the inside from people who were buried alive," explained Sherlock.
"That's where all of the stories about vampires and zombies come from," said Molly.
"Yes. Most people can't come to terms with death. That's also why people have ridiculous celebrations and customs. Like funerals or tombs or mourning clothes. Sentiment gets the best of people," added Sherlock.
"Is that why you guys help solve murders? So people will understand death?" asked the young boy as they started to walk back down to the ground floor.
"Well, yes," said Molly. "I like to do autopsies because it gives the families a sense of closure about their loved ones. It's harder to not know how someone died."
The young boy nodded at Molly, taking her hand and reaching across to grab Sherlock's as well. "What about you, Sherlock?" he asked.
The consulting detective shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He had once referred to his solving crimes as an alternative to getting high. But he knew that he couldn't tell Archie that, especially from the way that Molly was currently looking at him. He also couldn't deny that there were times, however rare, that seeing a family in relief after he caught a killer sent a feeling of contentment through him. "Yeah. I agree with what Molly said," he said to the young boy instead. Archie seemed satisfied with his answer and pulled the two adults ahead to the IMAX theater, as Sherlock had promised him a movie.
"Two adults and one for your little boy?" asked the woman standing at the ticket booth. Sherlock and Molly immediately flushed crimson as Archie started giggling.
"He's uh… he's not ours," stuttered Molly.
"Right. Er…We're not together," added Sherlock as the woman simply smirked and handed them the tickets. Sherlock looked over at Molly once they were seated, Archie in the middle, and she gave him a small smile.
After the movie was over, the three shared a cab back to Baker Street first. "Today was fun," said Molly as she stroked Archie's hair. He had fallen asleep against Molly's shoulder only two minutes into the trip.
"Yes, I agree," he replied and then hesitated slightly. "What you told Archie, about doing autopsies, was that true?"
"About providing answers to families? Yeah, it was. I could never imagine not knowing how my father died. I think it would have killed me. So if I can give some sort of security to people… I know it sounds stupid…"
"No," said Sherlock. "Not stupid at all. Nice, actually. It's… kind of you." He looked out the window, watching the streets of London blur by, running through them in his mind palace.
"But what about you? You never gave us a real answer," she said, her voice cutting immediately through his thoughts. He turned to her and pursed his lips slightly before answering.
"I used to do it instead of getting high. And now…"
"And now you've learned how to care about people," she finished for him and he smiled slightly, a blush creeping up his neck. "It's not a bad thing you know. I know what your brother tells you about sentiment. But I like this side of you. The side that cares enough to take little boy's to the science museum."
"Well it's always nice to have my pathologist with me," he replied and it was her turn to blush.
They arrived and he handed her some money to pay for the cab fare before picking Archie up and awkwardly hanging the sleeping child over his shoulder. "I'll text you," he said with a small smile and a whisper.
"See you later," she replied with a bright grin, one he returned as the cab drove off and he made plans for their next adventure.