Once the good news was shared with their families, John began to feel that he should have kept it as his own little happy secret for a few days longer.

His parents had shown up at Baker Street as soon as they could, his father bearing the most extravagant gifts to demonstrate his joy. There was a huge crib draped with the finest lace, a gem encrusted rattle and a diamond studded ring for John. He even brought a gilded magnifying glass for Sherlock. When John and Sherlock tried to protest about the necessity of such gifts, they were treated to such a calm disregard that they soon gave up in despair. However when Howard threatened to buy him a new carriage model which was supposed to be extra comfortable, John could see black clouds gathering on his husband's brow. He quickly acted as peacemaker and assured his father that he would let him know if there was anything he needed and gave his husband a pleading look.

Sherlock was, in any case, in no mood to be displeased with John. He had known that he would one day be siring a child but the fact that he was actually soon to be a father and that the child would be his and John's had filled him with a thousand new emotions. He looked at John adoringly and became even more protective about him. He strengthened his resolve not to expose him to any danger and vowed to clean up his more unpredictable experiments. Sometimes he worried about whether he would be a good father. He knew quite well that he was a difficult man. He was selfish and moody and not good at expressing his feelings. It was a miracle, he thought, that he had John as a mate who complemented him so well.

Mycroft and Anthea had visited several times and were clearly very happy for them both. Mycroft had formally offered his congratulations to his brother and then smoked a pipe with him, a sign of great emotion coming from him. John had been slightly wary of Anthea's reaction but he found the woman as warm as ever. She was, in fact, delighted and happy to spend hours discussing John's pregnancy with him. As always she had several valuable nuggets of information to share.

There was no immediate need for John to abstain from his daily activities so he continued as usual under his husband and Mrs. Hudson's watchful eyes. Sherlock had taken him to a reputed physician on Harley Street, and listened carefully to the doctor's instructions before cross-questioning him. He even had an animated discussion with the man about all the biological and anatomical implications of pregnancy, leaving John red faced and the doctor highly amused to see such an involved Alpha. Pregnancy and childbirth were usually an Omega's domain and Alphas remained protective but distant, expecting only to receive a healthy child at the end of nine months.

Sherlock did not seem to be taking up too many cases also and when he was not doing some experiments, he spent more of his time as a Regency buck ought to – at his clubs or attending parties. This surprised John a little till he realized that this was probably his Alpha's way of keeping his mate and child out of harm's way. Now there were only a few simple cases – stealing maids and cheating husbands – which infuriated Sherlock with their simplicity but which he took up nonetheless to keep himself occupied. John was also content to focus more on his pregnancy than on cases, knowing that now he carried a life within him. But still sometimes he did miss the blood pumping through his veins, the thrill of the chase, just him and Sherlock against the rest of the world.

John also had to gradually cut down on his social engagements – he went out on walks and drives in the park and paid morning visits but avoided crowded affairs like balls or parties. He had begun to feel queasy on occasion and hated to make a fuss, so felt it was best to avoid such situations which would cause him embarrassment. Sherlock attended these on his behalf since it would be rude to refuse all invitations. He would come back and regale John with entertaining stories about whom he had seen and what he deduced about them so John never felt that he had missed much.

John spent more time with other Omegas trying to anticipate the changes his body would be going through. Stamford, his old friend, was a male Omega and had already borne two children so was able to share quite a bit with John. The infant mortality rate was still quite high and John's own mother had lost three children in infancy, so he wanted to be as educated as possible. With his interest in the medical sciences, it wasn't hard for him to understand some of the journals that Sherlock procured for him.

~O~

But still, John was not prepared for how quickly his morning sickness worsened. After the first month, it seemed that he spent most of his time throwing up. Just the smell of food was some days enough to set him off. Regurgitating whatever he ate left him feeling exhausted and irritable and he preferred to lie down quietly in his bed than go out anywhere. Sherlock was worried but the doctor had reassured them that this was normal and should pass within a few weeks. The doctor fortunately also did not seem to believe in practices like blood-letting or going on the reducing diet, for which John was thankful. He could not understand how losing blood or eating less was going to make him healthier, even though it was quite a common practice.

John saw Sherlock just a couple of times a day as he was unable to go out much and could hardly insist that his Alpha sit at home and keep him company. Sherlock knew that he preferred to be left alone in the mornings when the nausea was worst. So he spent time with him in the early evening before he left for his engagements and then sometimes dropped in after he came back late at night. If John was awake, they cuddled for a bit till he fell asleep listening to Sherlock's sonorous voice. On the nights when he was restless, Sherlock played his favourite pieces on the violin to soothe him. Mrs Hudson comforted him with damp cloths to the forehead and light soups. Lady Anthea used to visit in the evenings whenever she could.

After a couple of months, John began to notice a slight bump on his once flat stomach and he was suddenly breathless to think that his life was soon going to change irrevocably. Sherlock noticed soon enough and made him take off all his clothes so he could inspect him for other changes. That predictably led to round of love making that was more tender and less urgent than before. Sherlock rubbed his hand possessively over the little baby bump as John sighed contentedly. They did not spend much time being intimate these days, restrained by John's pregnancy and his poor health. Stamford had said that one could carry on relations in the early months but Sherlock had seemed hesitant and John had felt unwell. He planned to make it up to his husband as soon as he regained his strength.

~O~

Gradually, John felt the nausea beginning to recede. He was able to eat a little more and felt less tired. When Harry dropped in to see him one morning, he felt well enough to go out on a drive through the Park. It was a sunny day and John was glad to be out breathing the fresh air and looking at the interesting people on the streets. As they rounded a corner, he suddenly espied a familiar carriage on the far side.

"Oh! Slow down. That's Sherlock!" John told his sister. As Harry loosened the reins, John saw that Sherlock was not alone. A woman was seated next to him and he was looking down at her as he handled the reins. The woman was extremely attractive, John could see even from the distance. She was raven haired and dark eyed with sharp features. Something about the way she smiled, her red lips curling up, gave him a sense of déjà vu.

"Who is that Harry? Do you know her?" he asked his sister.

His sister had been looking at Sherlock too and now she seemed to blush for some reason. "Oh, that's nobody you want to know. You've been out for too long…we should be heading back to Baker Street now", she said and turned their horses in the opposite direction.

John saw that Sherlock's curricle had moved quite far off and lay back feeling bewildered by the sight he had just seen, Harry's reaction and the odd feeling that he had seen the woman before.

~O~

It came to him suddenly as he lay tossing about in his bed that afternoon. If he was not mistaken, the woman was Irene Adler who he had met at Lord Angelo's masked ball. John's unease grew. He dressed with care that evening and waited for Sherlock to come to him so that he could ask him about the woman. But he waited in vain as evening darkened into night and there was still no sign of his husband. This was not exactly unusual and John realized that Sherlock had been staying out quite a bit in the last few weeks. When John finally gave up and went to bed late that night, Sherlock had still not returned.

After a disturbed night's sleep, he woke early and hurried to join Sherlock at breakfast. His husband was seated at the table reading the paper and looked surprised to see him. "Ah, John! You are joining me for breakfast today? I do hope you are feeling better then?"

"Yes, I'm feeling much better, thank you", John said as he sat down at the table. "In fact, I felt well enough to go out for a ride with Harry yesterday."

"Oh? That's excellent. Fresh air is good for you. Where did you go?" Sherlock asked looking pleased.

"We drove around the Park for a bit", John said and wondered if it was his imagination or if Sherlock's face was really adopting a guarded expression. "And I saw you too. Driving with that woman… Irene Adler was it?" John asked in a deceptively casual tone.

"Oh", Sherlock said and picked up his paper again, seemingly having lost all interest in the conversation.

"Did you go to White's yesterday? I was waiting for you in the evening…" John said trying a different tack.

Sherlock coughed and looked at him fleetingly, "Erm, yes, I was a bit tied up yesterday. My apologies for making you wait. I should have left a note."

"Who is that Woman? Why was she riding with you, Sherlock?" John asked, too impatient to try more indirect approaches.

Sherlock was silent for some time then seemed to give up the struggle. He lifted his eyes from his paper and looked away into the distance as he answered dreamily, "Irene Adler? She's a very intelligent woman. Quite remarkable."

As John stared, he seemed to snap out of his reverie, looked down at his paper again and continued in a flat voice, "She is a very wealthy widow. She was married to the erstwhile Prince of Bohemia. After his sudden death, she's moved back to England from the Continent. When I met her at the Park, her horse had lost a shoe and she was stranded. So, I offered to drive her back home." He gave John a short look as if to say 'happy now?'

John was not feeling very happy. While his explanation was plausible, there was something off about Sherlock's behaviour. And he had never heard his husband admire anyone's intelligence so openly before. He didn't know what to make of it or what more he could ask Sherlock. But he was most definitely not happy.

~O~

Lovely manips for Regency Irene here:
labellecreationDOTlivejournalDOTcom/38326DOThtml