A/N: I finally make use of the prompt: Prompt 21: Encounters with Santa and other things that may be better in theory.


Chapter 9: Epilogue

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John was frequently exhausted. Toddlers had far too much energy. And John thought Rosie was more of a handful because Sherlock was her father. Her favourite toys were Billy the skull and Gladstone. She learned all the tricks the dog knew simply by watching. John often felt guilty for telling his daughter to "Sit!" whenever she was wandering somewhere dangerous.

They still took on cases but they were more careful about the ones they selected and about calling for backup. Lestrade still yelled at them for being reckless but it was mostly for show.

Harry proposed to Irene after convincing John she was happy. Irene sat the doctor down and explained the drinking was under control and they'd never have the problems that drove Clara away. John still worried about Irene's profession but Sherlock told him to stay out of it. Irene and Harry were adults and John should try to be nice to his only remaining blood family.

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Rosie's first word was "Sher!" While John stared in shock his daughter turned to him and said, "John." Then pointed to her other dad, "Sher!" Making it clear she wanted her biological father to take her over to her other father. (It was the only nickname Sherlock ever truly tolerated.)

This event led to an argument about how a child shouldn't call her parents by their given names. Sherlock argued that it would be impossible for him to call John anything other than John as he'd been saying it for nearly a decade. John said other people would think it was strange. The consulting detective had built up an immunity to that argument by now and countered with a question, "Fine, John. Who should be "Dad?" Or "Daddy?" Or should one of us be "Father?"" John winced at all the options and decided that if Rosie had a problem calling them by their given names she'd decide who should be called what.

Molly was called "Molls" since Rosie heard Lestrade call her that often. John had to retrain Rosamund from calling Greg "Graham." ("It's funny, John!") John didn't bother dissuading Rosie from calling Mycroft "Mykie" because it was hilarious to watch his sour face every time she said it. It helped that the couple had Mummy on their side. As John's parents were dead Rosie only had one set of grandparents to call Grandma and Grandpa. She managed "Grandmummy and Graddada" though. No one knew where those names came from.

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A little after Rosie turned three Sherlock was alone on a case and took a two by four to his skull. The case was supposed to be simple and the consulting detective wasn't doing anything dangerous. It was completely unexpected. John scooped up his daughter when he got the call and demanded to see Sherlock as soon as he arrived. He was stymied at the front desk. John went a little over the top in his demands. He wasn't technically family and Mycroft hadn't heard yet. The minor government official was in an important meeting in a different country. John was Sherlock's emergency contact but Lestrade wasn't there and the staff wouldn't tell John anything other than "He'll be ok." and taking some basic information until Sherlock spoke with the police. The blond doctor heard "domestic violence" muttered by one of the nurses and wanted to kill them. Rosamund understood she was being kept away from "Her Sherlock." and was devastated when it was clear her cries wouldn't be answered. Before John got them into too much trouble by punching someone Greg came. As soon as Sherlock woke up John demanded the brunette man marry him.

Sherlock found it rather romantic even though everyone else scolded John.

John and Sherlock's rings were designed by the same jeweller that did Rosie's pendant but were made out of gold. (John would remain unaware they all contained tracking devices until Sherlock called Rosie home from Uni to change hers out.) Mummy settled the argument about big wedding vs small by demanding they hold "something worthy and proper to their relationship and the love it contained." Greg and Mycroft were the best men. John had to take Mycroft because Sherlock refused to. Everyone was glad to compromise to avoid a scene. Rosie was the flower girl. Angelo catered.

For a wedding gift Mycroft fixed 221C into a real lab. Sherlock had previously make-shifted the space but there was still mould on the walls, poor light and inadequate ventilation. The body parts still took up shelves on the fridge in 221B too as there wasn't another down there. After Mycroft was done the space was nicer than the lab at Bart's. There were several machines that took up too much space to go downstairs but Molly had no problems letting Sherlock loose on them. The younger brother grumbled about the gift but so little it was clear he was thrilled with it. Mycroft continued to use the cane-sword instead of an umbrella and no one mentioned it.

When Sherlock announced Molly's pregnancy it came out that the couple had been married since before John proposed. Sherlock sulked for a week at not noticing. Molly pulled John aside and apologized but she really didn't want Sherlock planning another wedding. The brunette went over the top and they wanted something low-key. The both wore their rings on chains around their necks to keep them safe and not bloody. John understood this because he frequently had to have his cleaned whenever he had to dig though mud (or, more often, things more disgusting than mud) for evidence.

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Far too soon it was time for Rosie to go to school. There she learned about Santa and even though Sherlock was against it John took her to meet one. They both had theories: John figured she'd demand to know why Santa never visited her before and Sherlock said she'd see through the falsehood and demand to leave before even sitting on the man's lap. The results were a bit different: she told Santa what she wanted for Christmas and told him that her parents would had already gotten her gifts. She asked if he could get her a hive of bees to study because her fathers wouldn't. He said he didn't think he could do that and in revenge she exposed the faker to all the other children in line by pulling down his beard and ripping off his hat causing a panic. John had a picture to commemorate the event.

When they were home John explained how what she did was "a bit not good." And when the taller man of the couple thought the blond was out of earshot Sherlock explained how she should have used the fact that she knew he was a fake to blackmail him into getting the bees. Rosie gave him a flat look and asked, "If he can't even get a real job how could he afford an entire hive of bees?" Sherlock laughed and John had to explain everything wrong with that. He started by explaining that he and Sherlock didn't have "real jobs." It was Mrs. Hudson who managed to impart morals onto Rosie with stories of how her fathers were heroes whenever she baby sat for a case.

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Knowing she could talk to Mrs. Hudson about anything Rosie asked why she had light brown hair even though Sherlock had dark brown and John was blond. She'd noticed when all the other children were dropped off they looked like one parent or the other. Or were adopted. But she had Sherlock's lips and John's eyes. Even though Mrs. Hudson knew she was being evasive she answered, "All the Holmes, that was Sherlock's last name before he married John, have darker hair and all the Watsons are blond. When you mix the two you get something in between. I don't know all about it. You'll have to ask John or Molls. They know about biology." Knowing if she left it there Rosie would be teased later she added. "Sherlock's sibling is your other biological parent." Rosamund decided Mrs. Hudson's knowledge was lacking and resolved to ask Molly later. Molly had to figure out how to simplify genetics so the child could understand and did an admirable job.

Rosie came to the doctor for other questions later and Molly continued to shine.

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The first assignment Rosie brought home was something she couldn't figure out. "I have to draw my family." She said. "But the teacher wouldn't elaborate and I'm confused."

Curious John and Sherlock asked her who she thought was family. Sherlock thought she'd draw her biological father and herself. John thought she'd want to draw him, Sherlock and everyone in his family and herself.

Rosie thought about it for a second. "Well, there's you. Sherlock and John." She wrote down their names on a piece of paper. "Gladstone, he's my brother." She declared. "Mrs. Hudson." The brought the tip of the pencil up to her mouth as she thought. "Uncle Mykie, Grandmummy, Grandada, Greg, Molls and baby Carlie." Rosie had decided she was responsible for Molly and Greg's daughter's growth and development and John thought the two girls would probably end up just like Mycroft and Sherlock. Rosie pouted. "Probably Auntie Harry and Auntie Irene too, huh? Even though we don't see them much." She added their names to the list. "Do I count Aditi? She always sends a card at Christmas and sometimes she watches me while Uncle Mykie works." She added the PA and looked over her list before nodding. "That's everyone you say is safe."

"I think that's too many people to fit on your paper." Sherlock said for lack of anything else. He and John were both stunned at how big their family was.

"Maybe just everyone who lives here." The little girl agreed.

"And maybe not Gladstone." John added. He got enough strange looks from other parents without his daughter announcing a dog was her brother. Even if it was as normal as having an imaginary friend.

"Sherlock, John" Rosie wrote out carefully. "and Rosie." She smiled at her penmanship. No one else in her class could write properly yet. "Oh! And Mrs. Hudson too." She rolled her eyes at her near mistake. Then Rosamund made John fetch her crayons and drew three stick figure people and a yellow smiley face behind them.

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Decades later Sherlock held John's hand on the sofa during a movie. The couple had retired to a cottage out of London to keep themselves out of trouble.

"It's strange." The greying brunette commented.

"Hm?" John asked, looking away from the latest James Bond.

"I had this theory that if I told you I loved you you'd leave. Or you'd stay and try to change me. Or we'd retire and I'd grow bored after a day."

"That's multiple theories." John pointed out.

"The results are much different." Sherlock said, completely ignoring him.

"And?"

"I'm happy."

"I'm happy too, Sherlock."

"You don't understand, John. I'd never been happy before you."

The retired doctor knew better than to argue. He understood that Sherlock meant in a relationship. Or probably in general outside of early childhood. After a moment John realized he felt the same. "Me too, Sherlock. Me too."

A log popped in the fireplace and Sherlock cuddled closer. Most of the clutter from 221B had followed the couple to their new dwelling. Some of it stayed behind. Rosie inherited the violin when Sherlock got arthritis and her son had adopted Billy the skull as his favourite baby toy. Much to her husband's dismay Rosie refused to put up new wallpaper the old flat so the bullet holes and smiley face remains. But the chairs came to the cottage as did the bull with the headphones. The drawing Rosie did was dog eared, worn and faded with time but was framed and displayed proudly next to a new smiley face in yellow spray paint on their cottage wall.

The couple shared a tender kiss before Sherlock couldn't help himself and explained exactly everything wrong with the movie and ruining the ending.


End A/N: This story kinda got away from me but it is finished and I want to thank you all for going on this journey with me