I don't own BBC Sherlock or Harry Potter, just messing around while I have the chance.

Sorry for not updating last week, I've been ill once again with another cold and chest infection. My fifth cold for this year and my third chest infection.

Hope of Family

Chapter ten

John finished buttoning up Theo's new coat and then grabbed his own and did it up a well. He smiled down to him and picked him up as he said, "Right," he began, "We're going to go out, and I will be letting you walk, but you keep hold of my hand all right?" he asked as he looked to Theo. Theo nodded his head as he rested it against John's shoulder.

John walked down the stairs and over to the lab and knocked on the door. It opened and Sherlock stood there. He smiled to John and kissed him as he kissed Theo on his forehead, "Go and have fun and feed a few of the ducks while you are there," he told him as he grinned a little. He looked to John and said, "Do keep safe, and warm. And be home soon. I should be getting somewhere with all this soon, I have all that I need. I just need to make sure what I am seeing is right and then I shall be calling Mycroft," he told him.

John smiled and nodded, "All right," he said softly. The two shared another kiss as Sherlock ruffled black hair causing Theo to giggle a little. They left the house and walked towards Regents Park. John grabbed some of the duck food that was occasionally sold and carried on towards the lake. They walked over the bridge as John pointed out the ducks that were already swimming in the water.

John held him by the hand as they walked slowly. Since the child was only little and was a little unsteady on his feet. John kept hold, making sure that Theo didn't fall. He left him go and let him walk a little a head of him. Theo kept turning around and smiling at him. Making sure that John was still there.

"What some food to give to the duck?" John asked him as he knelt down and waited for Theo to come back to him. Theo went over and held out his mitten-covered hand. John smiled as he put some of the food into them. Theo toddled over towards the water a little, John making sure he didn't get too close and watched as Theo giggled as some of the duck came towards him. There were a couple of geese and a swan in the group as well. Theo threw up his hand and threw the food around the place.

Some of it landed a little too close to Theo. He giggled as some of the duck got a little closer to him. He giggled loudly and a few of them startle at the noise and flew up, causing him to fall on his bum. He looked around him, trying to find John and frowned when he couldn't see him.

Theo burst into tears as he thought that he had been left alone again. He thought he had found people that could love him. He felt hand go around him and plucked him from the middle of the ducks and held him closely.

"it's all right Theo, it's all right. You're safe, they can't hurt you they only wanted all the food around you," John murmured softly as he looked to Theo. Theo sniffed and looked to him and saw that it was John that was holding him.

Theo snuggled a little and grabbed hold of him and held him tightly, not wanting him to let go and let him leave him alone again. John rocked him a little as he rubbed his back gentle. The doctor could feel the little boy shaking in fright.

"It's all right, you're safe, and I'm right here," he told him again, as he looked down to him, "Did the ducks all coming around you scared you?" he asked him.

Theo shook his head, causing John to frown and wonder what it was that had caused the young boy to cry like that. Theo calmed down and then rested against him, keeping a tight hold of John's coat.

"Right, shall we go home?" John then asked of him, getting a nod, "Want to see Sherlock?" he got another nod with that as Theo lit up at the thought of seeing Sherlock again. John smiled as he then started to make his way back home. Holding the child in his arms. He would have liked to stay out a little longer, but knew that it wouldn't be a good idea if he was upset.

John reached 221 Baker Street and then walked in, he looked to 221c and then knocked on the door. He waited a little bit and then knocked on the door again, wondering if Sherlock was too busy in one of his experiments to answer it. John opened the door and Sherlock was standing there a little frown on his face as he saw them both, "you were only gone an hour, is something wrong?" he asked concerned as he looked to the two of them.

"A little scare around the ducks. I don't know what happened properly, but he has been clinging to me since," he said as he looked to Theo who was reaching out towards Sherlock.

"Okay," Sherlock said as he took Theo into his arms. "I have finished what I need to do, and I have already called Mycroft to get things organised," he told him, as he closed the door and walked up to 221b, going into the living room.

"That's good, so we should be able to find out soon then." John nodded as he went over to the kitchen and began to make the two of them some tea and some squash for Theo. He finished the tea and took the small plastic cup of squash to Theo first, "Here you go," he smiled as he took the cup and handed it over to Theo who smiled at John first and then to Sherlock as he took it from John, "Right, I'll go and get our tea," he added as he smiled back and then walked back in with it all and put it down. "Right, tell me what you found?" he asked Sherlock as he settled down on his chair and looked over to his lover and, what he now supposed, would soon be his son if they got what they wanted.

"Well, Little Whining Surrey, is where everything can be found. Not all of it can be found in most places. But in three parks in Little Whining, it can be. I have Mycroft already going to send out posters and such that can be put up and then he is going to have the lunch time news and the evening news to run a story on a child that had been found from the area." Sherlock told him as he then added, "So hopefully we should be able to find something out soon."

John smiled as he rested his head back, "That's good. I don't like this being up in the air, it feels so wrong, not know if we will be able to keep it or not," he said sighing softly.

"I know, but after this we might be able to know one way or the other. And if we do this then social services wont be on our case all the time. Though I have no doubt that they would be checking up on us occasionally. To make sure that Theo is being treated well," Sherlock said as he thought of them being able to be a family.

"Right. I'm going to do something warm for lunch, even though we have an hour. Is there anything you need to do, because I still have a blog post that I need to finish up?" John asked as he got up and began to cut a few things to make some homemade soup. It wasn't often then he would be able to do such a thing.

"That would be fine, and I can always visit the mind palace for a while." Sherlock said as he moved Theo around so he was sitting on his lap and he was lying on the sofa.

John looked in and shook hi head, "All right," he nodded as he carried on cooking and then set it all up to warm. He went back into the living room and then sat down as he began to go through his notes at the table and go over the last case that the two of them had worked on. A murder of a fifty-year-old man and a woman of only nineteen. It had turned out to be the twenty three year old daughter of the man, who didn't like the fact that he father was now seeing someone so much younger than her. He looked to Theo and wondered if he would make a post abut him one of the days. He would like to do so as soon as he knew that Theo was going to be there.

Thank you all for the wonderful, wonderful reviews, so happy that you are enjoying this fic. I do hope you have enjoyed this chapter as well. This is going to be about twenty chapters, and there is a little sequel to it as well, that is thirty chapters long.