Tori stumbled out of the cab, after handing over her fare, and toward the crime scene.
The usual Scotland Yard team were scattered around the empty car park all looking as tired and as unhappy to be here as her.
The cold early February air hit her with force and she pulled her coat closer.
"Freaks by the exit" Sally Donavon nodded at her. Over the years they had come to...well...the simplest answer was an agreement. They both tried to be more civil, at least to their faces any way.
So far it worked about...30% of the time.
"Tori" she began to make her way over to where Sherlock, Lestrade and John were standing around a cardboard box.
"Hey" Nodding to the three men surrounding her, stopping next to John.
"Look inside the box" Sherlock instructed his eyes boring into the cardboard.
"Are you serious?" she stared up at him. "I had to come all the way to Redding, nearly an hour in the cab. To go through a box?"
He remained stone faced and looked back at the cardboard again.
"Fine!" she stomped forward. "What's in there that's got you so fright-"
Her question was cut short by a high-pitched scream emitting from the box.
"Bloody hell!" clamping her hand over her ears, she lunged forward, pulling back the cardboard flaps. Inside a dark, curly haired baby, about six months old, screeching so loudly she swore it may burst. It's face turning tomato red.
Quick as she could, Tori scooped out the baby and held it in her arms. Slowly the squealing infant quietened as she bounced it up and down.
"Is this it?" John and Lestrade stared at her in a mixture of both shock and horror.
"I found it a few hours ago and needed to get it out so I could search the box" Sherlock explained, pulling on a pair of latex gloves he began rifling through the baby's temporary home.
"So you couldn't do it yourself?" she whispered, rocking the baby up and down to keep it quiet. Thankfully it merely whimpered and went back to sleep.
"It cried every time I went near it" He shrugged, turning back to his deductions.
Tori believed his straight away, no one could call Sherlock a 'Family Man'
"Box is only a few weeks old, so the baby wasn't born in it. Blanket's old though, late 70's. Worn, second hand but washed with an expensive brand. Loved. So hand me down, not charity shop"
"Didn't think to ask someone else to?" she shook her head incredulously
"I asked Lestrade and John but they wouldn't do it"
"We thought it was a bomb" the D.I. explained. "The way he was avoiding it"
Sherlock looked up to grimace at the older man before returning his gaze to the box. Tori rolled her eyes, still rocking back and forth.
"I'm calling social services" She announced, struggling to keep a hold of the baby and reach for her phone.
"Here let me" John's gift of speak now returning to him, he began to pat down his jacket for his own mobile.
"Don't bother" Lestrade gestured to where the police cars were waiting "We have to keep it in the station for the time being"
"Well try and get it to a nice home. Somewhere like Byroad or Greenslade. So long as it's not Sunbury. That's where they put me, most depressing place you've ever seen. From what I've heard it hasn't changed much"
The baby began to squeal again so she continued the routine of bouncing it up and down.
"That's if the parents don't reclaim it" John offered to take the squealing infant from her but she shook her head sweetly.
"That's what they said about my family" she didn't mean to be rude but the army doctor still looked away bashful.
"Sorry" he muttered, trying to find a place to leave his hands.
"As much as I hate to break up this lovely discussion" Sherlock shot up, stripping off his gloves as he did so. "I need to look at the body again" He began to make his way to the car park entrance.
"So you're going to leave Victoria with a baby who's a possible connection to the Russian mafia?" Lestrade refused to call her Tori no matter how much she, or anyone else asked him to.
"She'll be fine. She grew up in a care home, remember? Anyway..." he stopped for a second to look at her. "It'll give her good practice"
His gaze dropped to her stomach for a second before he abruptly turned his back to her.
Her cheeks flushed red and her gaze narrowed in on his receding back
"How could you think I wouldn't notice?"
John stared down at the young girl, then at her stomach, then back to her flushed face. He didn't fail to miss the way her hands clenched round the baby a little too tight.
A.N
Oh gosh! She's with child!
But the chapter about her giving birth may have given it away.
I thought it would be an interesting way to reveal her baby to everyone.
Love Rosie
