A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm sorry this chapter is a little on the short side, but my idea flow just sort of made it turn out that way. I hope you enjoy it in any case. This chapter's title means "Like Father, Like Daughter".

Chapter 7: Wie der Vater, so die Tochter

"Look at this mantlepiece and tell me what you see." Sherlock commanded Ceridwen as they stood in the flat Mark Schmidt shared with Anna Herz. The ten year old girl approached the fireplace and examined the mantle's contents. There was a framed photo of the couple smiling with the sides of their faces pressed together. A number of other framed photos with Anna and her students were there as well. Various kitsch from places the couple had travelled were squeezed in amongst the photos. They had a common pattern of fantastical creatures and abstract designs.

"Ms. Herz deeply cares for each of her students and judging by the kitsch, is idealistic, a dreamer. She would not voluntarily leave them behind." Ceridwen observed, looking back at Sherlock and waiting for his evaluation of her skills.

"Good. What else? What's missing?"

"There was yet another picture on the end of the mantle there. The place where it was is absent of dust." At this, Sherlock smirked and pat her on the head. She'd done well. The two turned to Mark, who's mouth was hanging open in surprise as his brown eyes flickered between the empty space at the end of the mantlepiece and the two dark haired Englanders.

"Mein Gott! I didn't even notice it was gone!" he exclaimed. "The missing photo. It was of Anna and her best friend, Elisa Mond."

"Where might we find Ms. Mond?" Sherlock inquired.

"Well, ehm, during the holidays, Anna and Elisa usually spend their afternoons at the market or in their favorite café on Albert Strasse." Schmidt replied and the consulting detective grinned. Their lead was going somewhere.

"Right. Ceridwen, I believe this would be the perfect time for you to see a German Christmas Market." Sherlock looked down at his daughter to see her eyes twinkle with excitement. He turned back to Mark and spoke again. "Aufwiedersehen, Herr Schmidt. We will contact you if we discover anything." With that, he left the flat, Ceridwen holding onto his arm and practically skipping with enthusiasm. As they walked down the street in the direction of the plaza, Sherlock told the ten year old his plan. "Even if Ms. Mond does know that her friend is missing, she will still go to the market. Humans are creatures of habit. Once we find her, we'll have to do a bit of acting. You will pretend to be lost and bump into her and ask her for help. We will create the illusion that she has helped you find me and I will act grateful. I will offer to buy her a cup of coffee. I have no doubt that she will accept. From there, I will be able to interview her." he explained and Ceridwen nodded in understanding. It seemed simple enough.

They walked into the plaza and the girl was immediately struck by the beauty of the market. The sky was dark and cloudy, but the place was lit up by cheery lights everywhere. It was cold, but warmth was coming from the stands selling hot food. The large crowd was filled with happy people and there were a number of children of all ages trying to persuade their parents to buy them this, that, or the other thing. Sherlock saw Ceridwen eyeing the pretzel stand and he thought why not? He bought her a pretzel, claiming they'd look more normal if he got her something. She just smiled and ate as they scanned the crowd for someone who fit Elisa Mond's description.


For Sherlock, the months following his finding out that Molly was pregnant felt long and arduous. Her belly was steadily growing larger and larger and with it the severity of her mood swings. One moment, she would be all sunshine and kittens, the next, hellfire and demons. On one occasion, she forced him to sit with her and watch all three Lord of the Rings films, but she sobbed uncontrollably through most of it "because they let Bill the Pony go". By the time Molly was seven months in, her husband was sure he was going to go insane and began to wonder why anyone thought having a child was a wonderful experience. Fortunately, he was still getting cases from Lestrade to distract him and for once, both the inspector and John were fully sympathetic with him. They had been through having a pregnant wife (twice in Greg's case) and frequently gave him pointers, whether he asked for them or not.

Molly insisted on continuing to work right up until it was time to have the baby. Sherlock did not object, knowing that her job wasn't particularly strenuous and it was actually in a hospital, so she'd be very close to where she needed to be when she went into labor. He frequently got to see her as well, due to their connected lines of work, so he could check up on her. He would bring her tea and ask to see so and so's body. Most of the time, she would smile and bring out the body, but sometimes if even the slightest thing hadn't gone right in her day, she would shout accusations at him and tell him to get out and then burst into tears and apologize profusely.

Sherlock did his best to focus on the exciting parts of having a child. He found it fascinating that a human life was growing inside Molly that would one day be able to speak and call him dad and retrieve body parts from the fridge for him when he asked. This child was his greatest experiment.

As it turned out, it was a she. They were having a girl and the moment this became known, the question of a name arose. Sherlock refused to give his daughter a normal name and wanted it to be significantly more sophisticated and interesting than Annette Olivia (the name of Sally's newborn daughter). Eventually, he and Molly were able to agree on Ceridwen Jacklyn. This also satisfied Mycroft and his insistence on tradition.

Unfortunately, when little Ceridwen finally decided that she wanted to come into the world, Sherlock was on the other side of London, tracking down a drug lord at 11p.m. However, Molly had been working a late shift that night, so she was right there in the hospital. By the time the detective got there, she was lying still in her hospital bed, beaming at the little bundle in her arms. Upon seeing Sherlock enter the room, she smiled tiredly at him and spoke softly.

"Hey."

"Hello, Molly. I apologize for not being here sooner. How are you feeling?" The man approached the bed slowly.

"It's alright, Sherlock. I'm fine. Just tired. The only thing you really missed was me screaming for hours on and off." she replied before looking back to her small bundle.

"And...um...Ceridwen?"

"She's a little underweight and the doctors say her immune system may take longer than normal to grow strong, but other than that, she's perfectly healthy. Would you like to hold her?"

"I-I, uh, I don't know if-" Before Sherlock could fully express his discomfort, Molly had put their daughter in his arms and he found himself looking down at a pair of blue eyes identical to his own. "Hello." he said awkwardly and the child giggled. "I'm your father." She giggled again and he grinned involuntarily. The baby was a lot lighter than he had expected and he worried that if he adjusted his hold on her in the slightest, he'd somehow harm her. She was tiny and fragile looking, but there was a vibrance in her eyes and she seemed to truly understand who he was as she smiled at him. Never before in his life had Sherlock felt this way as he looked at the baby girl in his arms. If this was what it felt like to be a father, then it was worth more than any case anyone could ever offer him.

"You're going to be a good dad. I can tell." Molly commented, knocking him out of his trance. He gently handed Ceridwen back to her mother and placed a kiss on the woman's forehead.

"You cannot possibly be certain of that, but I will try to make it a reality."


"That's her, over there."

"How do you know?"

"School crest on her bag."

"You need more evidence than that, but you're right. The way she walks suggests authority. The expense of her clothes indicates a headmistress. Always get at least three pieces of evidence before being sure of a person's identity." Sherlock told Ceridwen and she nodded. "I'll pretend to be interested in this stand here and you wander off. You know what to do from there. Are you ready?"

"Y-Yeah." the young girl replied, trying to quash her nerves, but failing miserably. Sherlock frowned in concern.

"You're afraid. Why?" There was a long moment in which Ceridwen appeared to be struggling to find words for her fear, but then she spoke quietly.

"I-I'm scared of crowds. What if someone snatches me again? What if I actually get lost? What if you can't find me? I'm really scared, dad." she confessed and Sherlock's frown deepened. This wasn't the same girl who walked through London on her own in the middle of the night intent upon going all the way to her uncle's home. The man noticed her grip on his arm had tightened significantly and it occurred to him that she didn't feel safe here without him being close. He bent down to her level and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I understand your concern, but you will be fine. Just don't leave the plaza and if you can't find me, stay in one place and I'll find you eventually." he reassured her, but when she still looked terrified, he went on. "You can't let your fear control you like this, Ceridwen. Nothing great has ever been accomplished without placing oneself under a little risk. Now, are you ready?" At this, the ten year old took a deep breath, swallowed her fear, and nodded. Her father gave her a small smile and then they began their act. He turned to look at something that was being sold and Ceridwen meandered off into the crowd, making it look like she was aiming for a candy stand, but actually making a bee line for Elisa Mond. She started running in panic and wasn't acting because she was surrounded by people much bigger than her and she couldn't see Sherlock anywhere. As she looked around, trying to spot him, she ran headlong into Elisa and fell over. The woman looked around, startled, and when she saw Ceridwen on the ground, she gave her a sympathetic smile and helped her to her feet.

"Tut mir leid!" Ceridwen apologized, looking up at Elisa nervously.

"Wo sind dein Eltern, Fräulein?" the woman asked her where her parents were.

"Ich weiß nicht, wo mein Vater ist. Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen Ihn zu finden?" The ten year old explained that she didn't know where her father was and needed help finding him. Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. Elisa agreed to help, her tone kind and gentle and took her hand.

"Wo hast du ihn denn zu letzt gesehen?" She wanted to know where Ceridwen had seen him last.

"Durch die Brezeln." She said by the pretzels, though she had no idea where that was anymore. The woman began leading her through the crowd. As they went, she asked Ceridwen what her name was.

"Wie ist denn dein Name?"

"Ich heiß Ceridwen." She didn't give her last name, just to be on the safe side. A moment later, the girl could hear her father calling her name. He sounded panicked and soon, she could see him coming through the crowd. When Elisa caught sight of him, she instantly realized he was Ceridwen's father and watched as the girl ran to him. He lifted her into his arms and hugged her tightly. She held on to him with equal intensity. When the dark haired man saw Elisa, he put Ceridwen down and spouted gratitude.

"Danke Sehr! Ich danke Ihnen! Ich habe mir solche Sorgen gemacht! Kann ich mich bei Ihnen revangieren? Veilleicht können wir Sie zu einem Kaffee einladen?" He thanked her and asked her if he could buy her some coffee to do something for her in return for helping them. The woman smiled and blushed.

"Okay." They proceeded to head for Albert Strasse and Elisa beamed when she saw where the were going. "Das ist mein Lieblingscafé." She told them it was her favorite café and Sherlock grinned to himself. It was all part of the plan. They claimed a table and the detective got two coffee's and a tea for Ceridwen. "So, sind Sie Englischer?" She asked them if they were English. They had a bit of an accent and it was obvious that Ceridwen wasn't a name a German was likely to have.

"Ja."

"What brings you to Munich?" Elisa had a thick accent in English. Sherlock guessed the reason that she switched was because she wanted the practice.

"Ah, forgive me, I did not introduce myself. I'm Sherlock Holmes. My daughter and I are here on holiday, visiting a friend, Mark Schmidt." At this, the woman's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Elisa Mond. I happen to be good friends with Mark's fiancée. Well, used to be anyway. I knew your name sounded familiar. Anna probably mentioned you at some point."

"Oh, a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Mond." Sherlock shook her hand. "What do you mean 'used to be'? Did something happen?"

"Anna and I had a bit of a disagreement a few weeks ago. She went off in a huff and I haven't seen her since." Elisa explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't see her at Mark's this morning. Any idea where she might be?"

"No clue. Nobody's seen her since our argument. Mark's getting really worried and I'm afraid if I tell him about what happened, he'll blame me." It was clear that the conversation was making Elisa uncomfortable, so she switched the topic. "So, where's your wife?"

"Oh, er...she's...gone. It's just me and Ceridwen now."

"Ah, I am really sorry. That explains why you were holding your daughter like she was about to vanish. I'm glad I could help get her back to you."

"I can't thank you enough for that, Ms. Mond."

"Please, call me Elisa." the woman said, her hazel eyes holding friendliness and a little something more. Sherlock raised his raven eyebrows at her and she smiled.

"Alright. You can call me Sherlock, then."

"It was very nice to meet you, Sherlock. I have to go now. I'll see you around." The woman finished her coffee and left the café. The detective turned to Ceridwen, grinning.

"Elisa Mond is a liar."

A/N: I hope that was up to snuff. I tried to make the flashback funny, but I think it only ended up being fluffy *is only funny when not trying*. Please let me know what you think of everything. If I messed up any of the German, don't hesitate to correct me. Thanks as always! ~T.Z.