A/N: Greetings from the Arctic! Not really, I'm just snowed in! Hopefully that means I'll have lots of time to write. Thanks again for all of the reads and reviews, both on this story and Sandwiches. I'm also working on a rather dark, sexy piece if you're jonesin' for some sexy Sherlock. Anyway, I hope you like this little chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Gabriel, Scarlett and Cat the dog.

"Dad! They're driving me crazy!" Gabriel flopped down on the bed, narrowly avoiding the open suitcase.

"Who?" Sherlock asked, buttoning his shirt.

"Scarlett and Isabel!"

Sherlock turned and stared at Gabriel in disbelief. "An infant and toddler are driving you crazy? You're much smarter than that, Gabe."

"Dad, really," Gabriel whined. "They're awful. Izzy can actually walk and she keeps grabbing my crayons and running off with them. Scarlett just breaks everything!" He sighed. "Please! You have to do something about them."

Sherlock chuckled. "What do you want me to do? I'm packing, just like you should be doing." They were taking off this morning for Ambergris. John, Mary and Isabel were coming along to enjoy the last warm days at the house by the sea. Gabriel could feel that something was up, but he hadn't put his finger on what that might be just yet. They had decided out of the blue to go away for the week. That wasn't like them. His dad was always busy, especially since Scarlett came. Since Mum had gone back to work, he and John were always going out for most of the night on cases so that he could stay home with the baby during the day. By the time Gabriel got home, his dad was always gone. He felt like no one was around anymore to play with him or spend any time with him. Mum tried to make it better, but it seemed that every time she curled up on the sofa to snuggle with him or watch telly, the baby started crying and she had to run off to deal with it.

Gabe had confided all of this to Katie and she shook her head knowingly. Her own family had a new addition and she was experiencing the same thing:

"This is my second little brother and he's even worse than the first one. At least my Grandma is coming here instead of us having to move back to New York."

"I love Scar, but I'm scared my mum and dad love her more than me."

"Well why don't you ask them?"

"I'm scared of what they'll say."

The conversation with Katie had only served to make him more uneasy. What if they were taking this trip to tell him that they had decided he would be happier at boarding school? Or maybe they were going to have another baby?

"Are you packed yet?" Sherlock asked again, ruffling his hair into place.

"Mostly," Gabriel said, staring at the floor and kicking the vanity in an uneven rhythm with the rubber toe of his trainer.

"Mostly? Does that mean you've packed everything but your pillow or that you have an empty suitcase open on your bed?"

"I think I've got everything." He sighed, watching Sherlock put things into his small, leather shaving kit. "Why can't we take Cat with us?"

"She's gotten too big, Gabe. We've been over this. She'll be fine at the kennel."

"What if she gets lonely?"

Sherlock turned and glared. "She's a dog. And there will be other dogs at the kennel to play with. It's not like we're taking her to dog jail."

"What if I get lonely?" Gabriel mumbled. "I won't have anyone to play with."

"Sure you will. You'll have me and Molly and the others. You'll also have Scarlett. You're her favorite person to play with."

"But Dad… she can't walk or talk. At least Cat can run. Babies are boring."

"She won't always be boring, Gabe. She'll be able to play with you soon." He nudged Gabriel off the bed. "Come on. Let's finish getting your stuff packed so we can go."

"Are we taking the Tube this time?" Gabe asked as he was marched up the stairs to his room.

"No. I've already hired a car. God help us, I'm going drive us all the way to Camber Sand." When they got to his room, it was revealed that 'mostly' did indeed mean "open suitcase on bed." Gabriel went to his wardrobe and pulled out a mess of socks and underwear. He tossed them in a wad into the suitcase and went back for more. "Whoa, wait…" Sherlock said, stopping Gabriel before he could pile more stuff into the case. "You have to fold your things or they won't fit."

"It's just pants and socks."

"Yes, and a knot of that over here will make it so you can't fit your other things inside." Gabriel rolled his eyes and pulled the clothes out again. "Don't roll your eyes. It's rude and your face might stick like that."

Gabriel giggled. "It will not."

"Look, I'll choose your clothes. You put them into the case." Sherlock pulled several pairs of trousers, shorts and shirts out of Gabe's wardrobe and stacked them on the bed.

Gabriel wrinkled his nose and held up a pair of trousers that he'd had to wear to the church when John and Mary got married. "Dad… I hate these. Why do I have to take them?"

"Because you might need to go someplace where you'll have to dress nicely."

"Like where?"

"Just pack the trousers, Gabriel!" Sherlock snapped. "Why do you insist on arguing with me about everything today?"

"I'm not! I just asked a question."

Sherlock didn't answer, but finished setting all of Gabriel's things out on the bed. "Finish getting your stuff together and meet us downstairs. I have to go get your sister ready." Gabriel mumbled something that Sherlock couldn't quite hear. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

"No, what did you want to say?" Sherlock pressed.

Gabriel sighed and shook his head. "It's not important. Let's just go."

Sherlock didn't make a habit of deducing his family. He'd been informed by Molly that it was intrusive and rude so he tried his best to let things go by unnoticed, but just from Gabriel's body language and general grumpiness, he could tell that something was going on and had been for several weeks. At first he'd thought it might just be Katie's family moving back to America, but it had been decided that Katie's grandmother would move here instead. Then he thought maybe Gabriel was worried about something at school. Maybe some kid was teasing him or he was having trouble with some subject in class, but when Molly asked his teacher, she had assured them that everything was fine. He'd also had a couple of bouts with accidents in the middle of the night. And though Sherlock had been less than thrilled at having to get up at three in the morning to completely strip and remake Gabe's bed, he hadn't said a word about it. All of these symptoms indicated that Gabe was having some kind of crisis.

Reaching behind him, Sherlock closed the bedroom door. He took the shirts out of the child's hand and led him over to the old armchair by the window. "We need to talk," Sherlock said, sitting down and pulling Gabriel into his lap.

Gabriel shrugged him off. "Dad, let's just go," he whined. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Really? Don't lie, Gabriel. It doesn't become you at all. And there's no point. I can see right through you."

"Nothing's the matter."

"I didn't say there was."

Gabriel glowered. "Don't deduce me like one of your psychos."

Sherlock smirked. "You really shouldn't be so smart. But I'm not trying to deduce you, Gabe. I want you to tell me what's wrong. You've been moping about for the last few weeks and I just wanted to know why. Maybe I can help."

"It's stupid. Everybody's going to be waiting for us."

"It's not stupid, Gabe. There is obviously something wrong and you and I are going to sit here in this chair until you spill whatever it is."

Gabriel took a deep breath. "Dad… it's just… can we give Scarlett back?"

"I'm not sure, but I think there was a no refund policy posted at the hospital. So why are you trying to get rid of your sister?"

"She ruined everything!" Gabriel blurted. When he realized what he said, he looked a little surprised.

"How so?"

"Everything is different now. Nobody ever pays any attention to me anymore. John and Mary are always busy with Izzy. You aren't ever at home when I'm awake. Nobody is around to play with me or help me with my homework. Even when Mum tries to watch telly with me, Scarlett starts to cry and then she's off taking care of her. Again."

"Babies take a lot of attention, Gabriel."

"So I'm just supposed to be invisible? Or maybe you're all just tired of me." Gabriel narrowed his eyes and turned up his nose, screwing his mouth up in a snarl that looked so much like Irene Adler that Sherlock heard himself gasp. Never before had he seen her half of Gabriel's DNA so clearly and it was disturbing. It was cold. No childish whimpering or lip quivering, Gabriel was angry. The tiny Irene that lived in Sherlock's mind palace gave him a "duh" expression. He was jealous. And jealousy apparently looked like his mother. He guessed it made sense.

"Of course not. No one is tired of you." Gabriel rolled his eyes. It was apparent that extreme measures would have to be taken. "All right, that's it." With a mischievous grin, Sherlock pushed Gabriel off his lap and shouted, "Vatican cameos!" before grabbing him around the waist, body slamming him on to the bed and darting from the room.

"Dad!" Gabriel shouted, chasing him down the hall and stairs. They rushed past John and Mary, leaping over the coffeetable, both of them laughing.

"What in the world?" Molly exclaimed as they blew past her as she stood at the top of the stairs, trying desperately to hold on to Cat. Seeing all the excitement, the dog pulled at her leash and barked at them, wanting to join the game. Scarlett immediately started squealing from where she lay in the playpen. Sherlock and Gabriel paid them no mind but continued chasing one another down the front stairs and out the front door.

"What's gotten into them?" Mary asked, wiping Isabel's face.

"Expending energy, I suspect," Molly replied as if it happened on a regular basis. "They'll run all the way to the park and back. They just better be back in time for Sherlock to get Scarlett dressed. It's his turn." She pulled at Cat's lead. The dog was still trying to get down the stairs to chase after Gabe. "Ok, I'm walking Cat down to the kennel. Mary, don't you want to walk with me?"

"Well actually…"

"Yes, you want to walk with me down to the kennel." Molly smiled sweetly and jerked her head. "John, you'll be all right with the girls won't you?"

"We can hope."

OoOoOo

Sherlock and Gabriel lay on the ground at the park, breathing heavily from their sprint. "Oh my God, I'm getting too old to do that," Sherlock complained.

Gabriel laughed evilly. "I'm going to be faster than you soon, Dad."

"You already are. Your legs just aren't as long." He smiled and ruffled Gabriel's hair. "Look, about what we were talking about before." He sat up and looked down at his son. "I'm sorry if we haven't been giving you enough attention. I know I've been the worst. It's been very busy and trying to adjust to having a baby in the flat hasn't been easy for me."

"Its okay, Dad…" Gabriel started.

"No it isn't. I'm not the best at knowing what people need from me as far as attention or affection goes. Your mum yells at me about that too. I tend to think of you as pretty self-sufficient, Gabe. You're almost seven and so damn smart. You amaze me, sometimes. But I have to remember that you're a kid, too. And I know that you need me and Molly just like Scarlett does. I'm very sorry that I wasn't giving you what you needed."

Gabriel shrugged. "It's okay, Dad. I know you love me."

"Of course I do. But I can't promise that I won't get distracted again. So I'm going to ask you a favor."

"Sure."

"If you feel ignored again, please tell me. Don't lock your sister in a cupboard. It really upsets your mum."

OoOoOo

"So why did you drag me out here? John's good, but I'm not sure he's quite ready for two babies at once." The two women stood in the foyer of a cozy looking townhouse. Everything around them was decorated with pet paraphernalia. The house had the distinct odor of animals, but it was strangely pleasant. Beyond a gated doorway were lots of other dogs running around with one of the attendants. Cat barked happily, eager to play with the other dogs.

"I wanted to talk to you about this week," Molly said, struggling to hold on to the dog.

Mary laughed. "We already agreed that we would take turns keeping the babies so the other couple could go out and get their freaks on."

"Well yes, but there's more. Sherlock and I asked the two of you to come with us because… well… we're uhm…"

"Spit it out, Molly," Mary urged. "Are there naughty games afoot?"

"We're getting married."

"Well duh… you've been wearing that ring for months."

"No, I mean this week. We're getting married at Ambergris."

Mary stared at her friend, her eyes bugging and her mouth standing ajar. "Shut up… you are not."

"Yes we are."

"But… what about… a church? A dress? Flowers? Your families?"

Molly shrugged, handing the bag of dog supplies over to the attendant and signing Cat in. "Neither of us really have much family to speak of. All my relatives are distant and Sherlock only has Mycroft, whose out of the country right now anyway. We just want to do it and get it over with. No fuss. Just us and the people we love the most. A small, intimate gathering."

"Wow."

"We thought about just going ourselves and getting it done, but Sherlock thought John might be hurt if we didn't at least tell him."

"What about Mrs. Hudson? And Greg?"

"You're kind of missing the point of a small, intimate gathering."

"But don't you want the big wedding with all the friends and the dress? Thousands of roses? The honeymoon?"

Molly smiled, kneeling down to scratch Cat behind the ears and kiss her nose before sending her off with the attendant. "Not at all. All I've ever wanted was Sherlock. As long as he's there and Gabe and Scarlett, you and John and Isabel… I have everything I need."