A/N: I'm sorry for my long hiatus; new quarter classes mean that there's a new beast to slay with trying to manage my time. As result, my focuses have been elsewhere and I haven't been able to allocate much time to working on the story. Additionally, I anticipate that the last few chapters will be up within the next few weeks, but they probably will not be very long.
Anyway, I hope that the chapter makes up for my absence. Enjoy!
Charlotte Artemis Jean Holmes was born four days early on a frigid March morning. Much like her older sister, Charlotte was welcomed into the bizarre family that her parents had created for themselves. Adeline was thrilled about her little sister, almost instantly wanting to take Charlotte everywhere and anywhere she went. Sherlock and Irene had to explain to Adeline that Charlotte wasn't a toy and that she needed to be gentled with her younger sister.
As soon as Charlotte started walking, there was no stopping the two Holmes sisters. Adeline was the wizened ringleader who capitalized on Charlotte's adoration while Charlotte was often made the scapegoat because she was the younger one who didn't understand what Adeline was doing and what consequences may come from their actions. Irene and Sherlock would argue that their daughters' personalities came from the other parent, but both knew that they both had equal part in creating their strong personalities.
As similar as the two girls are, they maintained their individuality, especially in their appearances. Adeline had inherited her parents' angular features and dark hair, while Charlotte's features were softer and she had dark auburn hair. Sherlock and Irene figured that Charlotte must have inherited Sophie's looks, because she did not look much like either of them, save for the eyes, which were undeniably Sherlock's.
The family of four settled into a nice pattern, especially when Adeline started school. Just when it seemed as though their family of four was complete, Fate reared her head and decided to add another Holmes to the bunch. He came in the form of an eight-pound baby boy with a full head of hair, named Julian Gregory Niles Holmes. Julian, as the baby of the family, was five years younger than Adeline and two years younger than Charlotte, but was probably the most mischievous of the three. There was no denying who his father was.
Sophie was thrilled to have three beautiful grandchildren, but it was clear that she favored Adeline over the other two. Adeline was her little protégé, the little project that she adopted as soon as Adeline was old enough to accompany her grandmother to her social events and serve as a good representation of the Holmes family. In fact, it was Sophie's tutelage of Adeline that brought Sophie and Irene closer together.
Julian served as the scrappy child who was always getting into trouble. He was more trouble than both of his sisters combined and required vigilant attention whenever there was anything to get into. Fortunately, he was blessed with an excellent sense of humor and his mother's ability to outwit most people. (That last bit wasn't a fortunate trait for him to have until he was older and outgrown his incessant need to cause trouble.)
Despite having a strong and bubbly personality when she was younger, Charlotte outgrew this and became more withdrawn. Charlotte was not one to talk; instead, she sat back and studied everything, something that Sherlock took great interest in. He recognized that his younger daughter was exactly as he was, and knew how treacherous things could be for her if she was not guided in the right direction. The thought of any of his children following in his footsteps petrified Sherlock, who knew the path like the back of his hand.
Regardless, the Holmes brood was a force to be reckoned with. Three whip-smart children and their extremely capable parents meant that many of the other families at the children's school were often envious and rather hostile towards the Holmes, while the teachers fawned over the children and urged Irene and Sherlock to explain how they were able to produce such advanced children.
And thus, Irene and Sherlock sat back and watched their children grow into fully-fledged persons.