Title:And Miles To Go Before I Sleep

Author: Celeste Bloodfire

Chapter 3: The Twins

Rating: T

Description: While on a case Watson gets a call with some devastating news. Oren and his wife got in a car crash. As a result Sherlock and Watson gets a few new housemates. Sherlock believes Oren's crash may not be an accident.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters if I did Sherlock would have already fallen for Watson and vice versa.


The next day Sherlock woke to find Watson standing in his doorway. She had on a face that clearly said she was determined. "Come on Sherlock. We have to move the bed from the guest bedroom into the basement, move all your shit out of the spare room upstairs into that room, buy the furniture for the nursery even though we can't paint it with the kids moving in today, buy diapers, bottles, and formula, pick up toys and clothes from Oren and Olivia's apartment, baby proof the place, and stop at the bookstore to pick up some parenting books. All before the twins are discharged at noon." Sherlock rolled over to look at the clock. 5:30 AM. "Watson the stores don't open until 8."

"But we still have to move stuff around and head up to Oren's place." Watson said before stepping fully into the room. Sherlock sat up waiting for her to leave the room. All he had on were boxers and he didn't think she'd appreciate the view. But she just stood there waiting.

"Watson maybe you should wait outside until I have some clothes on." He could see the color rise to her cheeks before she nodded and walked out of the room. He got out of bed and got dressed. Today was hopefuly going to be a good day, or as good as could be expected.


Watson threw herself into the projects wanting to forget all about yesterday for as long as she could. As soon as one project was over she'd drag Sherlock to the next one. By 8 they had finished moving stuff around, had breakfast, and were at the furniture store.

They picked out 2 painted white wood cribs with pink sheets. They continued through the store looking things over when Watson happened upon a rocking chair with an ornate carving of an angel baby on the top. It was light tan with a clear coat of varnish on it. Even though they couldn't find cribs to match they did grab matching dressers where they angel baby was on the knobs of the drawers, same light wood and everything. They got a few more necessary pieces of furniture and had it delivered to their house.

Then they moved on to the grocery store for diapers bottles and formula. They also grabbed a lot of the baby proofing stuff while they were there. From there to the bookstore where they picked up a bunch of parenting it was time to do what she was dreading the most. They got back into the cab and she told the cab driver Oren's address. Sherlock spoke up about half way to the apartment, "Are you sure you are ready for this Watson?" Watson shook her head. She would never be ready to lose Oren, she would never be ready to face having to put all of his stuff in boxes, deciding what to keep, what to sell, and what to get rid of. As if Oren's life meant nothing more than his possesions. But when they got to the appartment she got out anyway, it needed done. Sherlock followed her to Oren's appartment.

It was slow going trying to get everything done. Watson would have to stop and take a break because her resolve would slip and she would start to cry. Whenever she found a photo album she couldn't stop herself from taking a peak at the pictures until she was flipping through this older looking one and she realized it was the one her mother kept when they were children. There were a bunch of pictures of her and Oren. But the one that tugged on her heart the most was the one where she had pig tail braids and missing teeth standing next to Oren looking up at him like he was the coolest person in the entire world. After that's she didn't flip through photo albums. They got as much done as they could. Packed up all the kids' stuff and put it in the cab and left.

Sherlock was impressed with her determination but at the same time worried that it came and at such a great cost. She should not have had to lose her brother so young. Watson was only thirty-three and Oren wasn't even thirty-five yet. Sherlock could not shut his mind down. Usually how other's felt wasn't on his list of things to worry about. But Watson would always be at the top of that list. So seeing her hide her emotions behind this determination, not sure what she would do when the dam finally broke, made him very weary.

But before he knew it, it was time to pick up the girls. They parked in front of the hospital and went inside. They were met inside by a tall, lanky nurse in blue and purple scrubs. "Hi you must be Joan Watson." She said to Watson. "That would make you Sherlock Holmes. Her mother told me about you two." She continued mischievously. "She said that you two didn't know it yet but you were going to get married." Watson turned a bright shade of red and Sherlock just stood there impassively and said. "We are partners, and roommates. That is all."

"You must be close friends if you are willing to take in her two infant nieces." She said with a smile.

"I figured that would be perfectly obvious. I didn't think I would have to spell it out." Sherlock said coldly. It was too much. All he wanted to do is help Watson and now they have people hedging bets for when they were going to get married. Sherlock retreated back into the shell he once called home.


Watson could see the change in him. It was like watching the sunset without the pretty view. Just from light to dark in a matter of moments. Shit all the work she had been doing to get him out of his shell was all for naught. She sighed adding it to her already long list of things to worry about.

The nurse led them to the maternity ward where the twins were sleeping. "Just in time. They both need changed and to get their noon feeding." They spent the afternoon with the big-mouth nurse. She showed them how to feed them, hold them, how to change them and swaddle them in their baby blanket. But despite what should have been a semi-happy moment Sherlock was still in his shell. He was just simply going through the motions. If it wasn't for the fact that Sherlock was a genius and could multi-task better than any she had ever met, she would have kicked him out of the room a long time ago. Before long they knew exactly what to do. Even though they were in the same small car, they were miles apart. Watson turned to Sherlock. "You know what my mother is like. She is always trying to set me up. You do not have to act like some guy so smart he is offended by the idea."

"I haven't the foggiest idea of what you are talking about, Watson."

"The way you've been acting since that nurse couldn't keep her big yap shut."

"I am sorry, Watson, I still don't know-"

"Bullshit." She interrupted. She was not one for cursing but drastic times called for drastic measures. She was not going to spend another six months trying to get him to open up to her. "Jesus, Sherlock, it's not like I am asking you to marry me. Hell I am not asking for a relationship at all outside of the friendship I thought we built. Don't close me out underneath all of that 'I am better than you because I am smarter than you' bullshit. I am sure as hell not in the mood for it and I am not going to put up with it."


What do you think? Was I too harsh? How do you guys think Sherlock will react? As always support and constructive criticism is welcome.