6 months later

Sherlock entered the doors to the school, immediately letting his eyes wander across the different groups of people found in the environment. He completely avoided the "single gossiping mothers" clique that were still trying to get him to go on a date with one of them.

He'd rather sit through one of Mrs. Hudson's tea parties.

He made his way to the back of the field where he knew his daughter to be sitting, only this time, he was surprised to see another girl sitting with her. Grace often spent her days alone on the tables reading or doing homework. The bullying had stopped ever since they found out who her father was so she was able to spend more time outside rather than in the library.

The girl Grace was with had curly red hair and came from a down to earth family from her choice of dress. She seemed very talkative and the complete opposite of the Holmes girl. But she seemed nice enough to Sherlock.

"...and then Mr. Morgen had to spend the rest of the day covered in honey," the girl giggled. But she paused when she saw the man approach them and she let out an ear piercing squeal causing both Sherlock and Grace to flinch.

"You're SHERLOCK HOLMES! I am so honoured to meet you sir and I read your blog every day and I think that you are the coolest ever. Blimey, I think I'm going to be a detective like you when I grow up and my mums think you're so awesome. I'm Jenna, by the way," she rushed. Sherlock stared at her, at a loss for words for the first time.

"Ahem. Yes. Charmed," was all he said before he just turned to Grace, "No case today, so I decided to come pick you up. Mrs. Hudson is out with friends."

Grace nodded, shut her book and placed it in her new grey backpack. She said goodbye to Jenna before preparing to leave.

"Hey remember to ask your dad about this weekend. My mums and I baked some cakes. They were so happy that someone actually wanted to come over... that sounded sadder than it was. Just ask," Jenna called. Grace waved goodbye and called an "Okay."

Sherlock pulled out a bag of baby carrots from his pocket and handed it to his daughter who accepted them appreciatively.

It took some time to get used to but Sherlock had made it a regular habit to feed Grace at frequent intervals throughout the day, allowing her to gain a healthy amount of weight and become less lethargic.

"I take it she has invited you over for a playdate," Sherlock inquired.

Grace nodded sheepishly, "I told her that I would come. No one really talks to her because she has two mums but that's a dumb reason to dislike someone. She's actually really nice once you get past the loudness. Can I go?"

"Naturally. You've already said yes. It would be impolite to cancel now," he said. But he knew Grace was delighted to have made her first friend and he wasn't going to keep them from interacting.

A moment of silence passed through them and Grace glanced up to see his father looking like he wanted to ask her something, "What is it, daddy?"

"Well... You see. Your summer break is coming up soon and I read in a parenting book that-"

"Stop reading those! You fed me baby food for two days after you read that it was filled with vitamins that create a strong foundation for a child's diet," Grace giggled as she swallowed another carrot.

"That was one time. Anyways, It has come to my attention that you have probably never been outside of London. Am I correct?"

"Well, one time when mommy had a new boyfriend, we had moved to Bristol. But they broke up in 2 weeks and mommy brought us back. I wasn't allowed to leave the house there anyway," she stated. Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"Well, that didn't count. I have a... proposition," he began. Grace looked at him curiously. Sherlock's posture relaxed and his stiff posture softened as he caught eyes with his precious daughter.

It had taken so many bumps in the road but now, Sherlock realized that he probably couldn't ever live with this little human again. She had lived a rough life and it was all his fault from the start but it was slowly improving and he was hellbent of giving her a normal childhood experience that she had missed out on, all those years ago.

Grace smiled and urged him to continue, "I was wondering. Mycroft has a cottage down by La Seine in Paris. It's close to the Eiffel tower and I believe that there is a café close by as well. Would you... perhaps like to go there for a few weeks?"

Grace's eyes widened and Sherlock noticed that the had stopped walking leaving them in the middle of the sidewalk. Sherlock cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I believe that it is important for a child to experience the world and have a global perspective. Mycroft also thinks it is a good idea for you to know a second language. If you would like to travel, that is."

"But what about your cases and John and New Scotland Yard?"

"Grace. If you want to go, I am pretty sure I can give up crime for two weeks. If anything, France isn't crime-free. John and Mary both agreed to come along with Adam. Well, actually, Molly was interested in the catacombs and I decided that I should probably give her a birthday gift this year, so she's coming too. I still need your answer."

"Yes. Of course," Grace cried, jumping up and down like a squirrel on drugs. She then went into a rapid description of everything they were going to do and everything she is going to bring with her and how Uncle Mycroft would probably come visit.

"I am so excited, daddy. Thank you so much," she finished. She bounced up the stairs to the flat and rushed to tell Mrs. Hudson the good news. Sherlock smirked when he heard her recall everything she had told him to Mrs. Hudson. It made him so happy when she was like this and he wanted her to feel this way for as long as he could do so.

Because she was so much more then what he thought and she deserved everything good in the world. He climbed up the stairs to listen to his daughter happily tell the landlady about her exciting summer.

He sat down in his chair and allowed her to climb up onto his lap without breaking the conversation. It was such an adorable sight that Sherlock couldn't help but squeeze his arms around her midsection, making her laugh before she blasted back into the conversation.

As he left a small peck on her cheek, he was reminded of what an ignorant idiot he was before. This little girl, his daughter, didn't want anything grand or spectacular. She was just a child calling out for some attention from her father after being shunned by the rest of the world. She wanted to feel important and valuable and Sherlock would kill himself before allowing her to feel starved of that feeling for any longer.

She was so much and he would treat her like the gem she was from now on.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I took so long but I hope you will still read, rate and review. Always Loving you guys!

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