At 3am on the dot, Greg emerged from the delivery room. He looked completely exhausted but he had a large smile on his face.
"Well?" Sherlock asked, turning to face his brother in law. He'd been pacing for over an hour, unable to sit still for any longer.
"I'm a dad!" Greg declared with a relieved smile.
"Congratulations!" John exclaimed, getting up and giving Greg a hug, "Boy or a girl?"
"We've got a boy." Greg replied with a chuckle that sounded more like a sob, "I have a son, John. A son."
"Is Mycroft well?" Sherlock asked, slowly approaching Greg. He'd been stressing himself out by thinking of all the ways that the birth could go wrong. It was scary how easy it was to lose someone in childbirth.
"Come here, you." Greg said, pulling Sherlock into a hug, "He's fine, don't worry. They're sorting him out and then you can see him."
Sherlock nodded a little as he took in the good news, "Congratulations." he said with a smile.
"Thank you, Uncle Sherlock." Greg replied, patting the younger Holmes brother on the back. He took another breath to steady himself before he went back into the delivery room to be with his husband.
"Sherlock and John are outside and can't wait to meet their nephew." Greg said with a smile, approaching the bed.
"Oh Gregory, he's perfect." Mycroft murmured, completely enraptured with the tiny newborn in his arms.
"He is perfect." Gregory agreed, leaning over the bars of the bed so he could be closer to his little family, "You did brilliantly, Myc."
"I know. I was amazing." Mycroft joked, leaning up and kissing Greg's lips gently.
"You are so high. I like it." Greg teased, kissing him back.
"I couldn't have done it without you." Mycroft said, looking down at their son again, "Thank you for helping me through this."
"No problem. Anytime." Greg replied with a smile, "Thank you for giving me a son."
"I suppose we have to confront the name issue now, don't we?" Mycroft chuckled.
"It would be rather difficult to avoid. Our little boy needs a name." Greg agreed, "Perhaps we could start with a surname?"
"Do you have a preference?" Mycroft asked, relaxing into the pillows as he looked up at his husband.
"Well, I've decided to change my surname to Holmes, if you'll have me." Greg admitted with a smile.
"That would be wonderful." Mycroft replied, "We'll be a proper family with the same surnames and everything."
"Is it a good idea that we name our little boy while you're high?" Greg teased.
Mycroft laughed, "Why? Do you think I'll name him Spot or something?"
"Very inventive." Greg teased, "That can be his nickname and it'll be our little private joke."
"Poor thing. We're already joking about him and he's not even an hour old." Mycroft murmured with a smile.
"Are you feeling up to visitors?" Greg asked, "I can tell them to wait if you need some time."
"No, it's okay. Let them in." Mycroft assured, "They've been here as long as we have."
"Great. Don't move an inch. You're gorgeous and I will be taking photographs." Greg replied, placing a kiss on his husband's forehead before he went back out to collect Sherlock and John.
Mycroft closed his eyes for a moment, gathering himself. He looked down at the newborn and gently kissed his head, "You're going to meet your Uncle Sherlock now." he said softly, "He's not as bad as he seems at first."
"Mycroft." Sherlock said with a smile as he entered the room, his face and body language showing his relief at seeing his brother alive and well.
Mycroft looked up and smiled too, "Come and see your nephew. Gregory assures me that he's perfect."
Sherlock came over to the bed quickly and leaned in to get a closer look at the baby boy.
"Is John not coming in?" Mycroft asked, glancing around Sherlock.
"He is, he just wanted to give us a minute." Sherlock replied. He took a step back and sat down on the chair beside the bed.
"Do you have something you need to say?" Mycroft asked curiously.
"Yes." Sherlock replied with a serious nod, "Mycroft, I want you to know that I didn't mean any of the words that I said to you when I was feeling jealous."
"I know. You've already apologized and I've forgiven you. We've moved past that." Mycroft assured gently.
"No, there's more I need to say." Sherlock said, looking down at his hands, "Mycroft, I said awful things to you about your baby and I'm so sorry. I promise that for the rest of my life, whether it be long or short, I will always protect your son. He's one of us, flesh and blood, and we look out for each other."
Mycroft swallowed, trying not to let tears escape his eyes, "Thank you, Sherlock." he said, "I appreciate that."
There was a moment of quiet as both brothers composed themselves.
"Right, I'll go and get John." Sherlock said, getting up and practically sprinting from the room.
"See?" Mycroft whispered to his son, "He really isn't as bad as he seems at first."