The nine months of Alena's pregnancy had run their course, filled with plenty of ups and downs for her as she endured all of the pains, cravings and moodiness which came with it. She had been so blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends there to help her as she needed them, none of her friends were as helpful and supportive of course as her loving husband. Sherlock was by her side through the whole experience, rolling with every challenge and never complained. Alena had been very worried that her moodiness might spark his arrogant remarks or get him upset with her, but usually he would surprise her by just giving her space or holding her. He knew exactly what was happening with her and never snapped at her. She had warned him that she might get this way, so he had been prepared. Looking back on all of that, Alena knew she was incredibly lucky to have Sherlock as her husband.
When the nine months had neared an end and she neared her estimated due date, Alena got nervous about when she would be giving birth to her son. She worried about being alone and with no one to assist her in getting to the hospital, about something going wrong during the birth, so many things. However Erik was developing perfectly and was very healthy, her doctors were very confident that she would be fine. She usually had someone with her during the day when she finally left work at the library to begin her maternity leave. Mrs. Hudson was usually with her during the day when Sherlock was out on a case, John and Emily often checked on her, and Lestrade had told her that if there was ever a problem and she needed someone to get over to her quickly that she could call him and he would immediately come over. How nice it was that she had such wonderful friends there to take care of her and her unborn child. While she had felt that she never really had much of a family left, now she knew that these wonderful people in her life were indeed her family. It made her absolutely happy.
Finally Alena began to have the tell-tale signs and feelings that she was going into labor. At the time she was at 221B and John was with her. Who better to have with her than a doctor? Sherlock was in fact over at St. Bart's at the time working on an experiment at the lab, so when he got the call from John that he was bringing Alena over in a cab, he immediately dropped what he was doing and ran down to be with his wife while she was in labor. He remained by her side the entire time she was going through the labor pains and as time ticked on by, waiting for that critical moment when their son would be born. It was a long time before that time came, but Sherlock refused to leave her and possibly risk missing out on the birth.
After waiting a long while, finally it was time. Alena did exactly as the doctors instructed as she also tried to endure the pain of childbirth. She had known that it would be extreme, but it was nothing one could be absolutely prepared for. Yet through the entire process of giving birth to her son, Alena had Sherlock by her side and giving her the support she needed until their son was finally born. When her son was finally laid into her arms, Alena couldn't stop smiling or keep the tears of happiness from falling.
Erik Alistair Holmes. He was perfect.
He was perfectly healthy and was the most beautiful child she had ever seen. He was hers. Now she had the family she yearned for all those years: herself, her husband Sherlock, and now their son Erik. Sherlock too couldn't stop smiling when he saw his son in his wife's arms. He was stunned to silence when he saw Erik for the first time, almost disbelieving that this really was his son. He knew that they would be having a baby, but to actually witness this incredible being which combined his DNA along with Alena's...there were no words to describe what he was feeling inside.
Later on Alena and Sherlock were left alone by the doctors and John had congratulated the happy parents and had gone home to tell Emily the wonderful news. All of their friends planned to come the following day to visit since it was now the nighttime and Alena was quite exhausted after giving birth, but of course Sherlock would not leave her side. Not yet.
"He's beautiful, Sherlock," she said as she held their sleeping son in her arms.
Sherlock smiled. "Indeed he is."
Alena turned to her husband. "Why don't you hold him?"
At first Sherlock looked rather nervous to do so, but he swallowed back those feelings and gently took Erik into his arms from Alena's. Looking down at his sleeping child in his arms, Sherlock was once more stunned to silence again. Alena smiled as she watched he beautiful sight of Sherlock holding Erik, seeing a look on his face which showed so much love, tenderness, and happiness. Never would she forget this sight as long as she lived.
"My son..." he whispered, almost in complete disbelief. "Deciding to have a child was the best decision I have ever made, especially because I chose the perfect woman to be his mother."
Alena smiled and wanted to cry again. Sherlock loved her and Erik so much, it was easy to tell. She couldn't ask for a more perfect family.
"It will be challenging to raise him, but I know we'll be able to do it."
Sherlock nodded. "I'm not worried about that. Something tells me that he won't be a difficult child as he grows up."
Alena snorted a little. "Really? He has you for a father, an eccentric consulting detective."
He grinned. "Maybe so, but he also has a patient, wonderful, librarian for a mother."
She smiled. "You're too sweet. He'll be the best of us both I'm sure. It will be interesting to see who he resembles, although I am confident he will inherit a few of your features."
Sherlock looked to Alena, who he knew was absolutely exhausted after giving birth to their son. "We'll wait and see, my dear. For now, I think you should rest. As exciting as this evening has been, Erik is asleep and you're clearly exhausted, Alena."
She sighed, knowing that he was right. "Alright, I love you so much Sherlock."
He smiled before planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I love you too, Alena."
Alena looked at her son, placing a soft kiss on Erik's cheek, which did not make him stir as he peacefully slept in his father's arms. "Sleep well, Erik. Mummy loves you," she whispered.
It didn't take long before Alena fell into a deep, much needed and well earned sleep, under the watchful eyes of her loving husband who was holding their son in his arms. Sherlock sat beside Alena as she slept, looking down at his sleeping child, still taking in the fact that he was now a father. It was overwhelming...but it was a wonderful feeling to know that this was the truth. He never thought that he would have a family in his future, but Alena had changed all of that and he was so grateful that she had. She brought him such happiness. Erik stirred just slightly in his sleep, as if trying to snuggle closer to Sherlock, a gesture which made him smile.
"Daddy's got you and loves you very much, Erik. Sleep well, my son," he whispered.
He truly was the happiest man in the world at that moment.
Six years later...
"Every day I swear that boy is getting more and more like you," Alena stated.
Sherlock looked over at his wife. "Oh? What has he done this time?"
Alena smiled. "Well, I dropped by New Scotland Yard to say hi to Lestrade and took Erik with me, and the most delightful thing happened. He actually looked over at Anderson and sneered at him. When I asked him why he did that, he told me that he could tell that Anderson and Donovan were talking about you behind my back and could tell by the way their faces looked and how they rolled their eyes when we came in. I'm telling you, he's getting more and more observant, which is incredible considering he's only six years old."
This was all welcomed news to Sherlock's ears. An amused grin arose on his lips and he chuckled. "That's my boy."
She sighed and smiled at the same time, she knew Sherlock would love hearing that about their son. Erik had been quite a curious child growing up, exploring everything and always wanting to know more about things. Of course they had tried to give him a normal upbringing, but when Alena had begun to notice that Erik would get out of his bed at a later hour of the night when Sherlock was experimenting and would silently watch him work, she knew that Erik was truly his father's son. This began about age four.
"Erik?" she said. "What are you doing up? It's way past your bedtime."
Erik turned back to his mother. "I can't sleep, Mummy. I want to watch Dad work."
Alena sighed. "Sweetheart, you need your sleep and Daddy needs to work and it will likely be late before he's finished. Let's go back to bed."
He shook his head. "No, sleep is dull."
Alena blinked. Had her son really said 'dull'? Oh good Lord...he really was turning into his father.
While she had gotten him back in bed that first time, Erik always found a way to sneak out and observe Sherlock from around the corner. Sherlock had known about this and a few times he would allow Erik to simply join him for a little bit, amusing the young boy's curiosity. Alena had seen this a few times in the evening, and while she wanted to have Erik get back to bed, she couldn't help but watch adoringly at the sight of this father/son bonding which was going on before her eyes. It actually was wonderful. Of course Sherlock was very good at eventually persuading his son to get back to bed so he could finish working, not allowing Erik to stay up incredibly late.
As Erik grew up Alena found that her son truly did resemble Sherlock physically, just as she had predicted. He had the same high cheekbones, the same shaped lips, his eyes were almost the same color of pale-green, but they were more hazel, including a little bit of brown in them which he got from her. His hair wasn't as curly as Sherlock's, only when it got longer did that happen, but it was the same rich brunette color both she and Sherlock shared.
Personality wise, Erik was very much a good blend of both of his parents. He loved stories, always wanting to hear one before bed and eventually wanting to learn to read all on his own. Since Alena was the serious bookworm in the household, she always encouraged her son's passion for reading. While he loved reading fiction and whatnot, of course he got into the books which were more geared toward science. Erik was very fond of music, he loved to hear his father play violin, something which he apparently even liked when he was an infant, but he expressed interest in playing piano like Alena, and eventually she had him take lessons. He excelled at playing, as if he was a prodigy. More and more Alena was certain that Erik had a brain much like that of her intelligent husband. But he definitely got Sherlock's vocabulary when he started using words like 'dull', 'boring', 'obvious', etc., that was how she was sure that Erik was his father's son. And Sherlock loved it.
Erik got along with everyone close to his parents. He considered John to be an uncle since he visited him so often and Emily became an aunt to him. He actually really enjoyed seeing Uncle Mycroft, who spoiled the boy so much. Sherlock wasn't too amused that his son was attached to his brother, but secretly was glad about it and that Mycroft was so good to his son. He adored Mrs. Hudson who was like a grandmother to him, he really liked Molly and looked forward to seeing her when she babysat him, and he also really liked visiting Lestrade at New Scotland Yard, especially when Lestrade had offered to show him around the place when he first visited. Erik's eyes lit up when he was offered this opportunity and was very excited to see the place when Sherlock and Alena gave their consent.
"He truly is his father's son," she said. "I had hoped that he might embody some of your traits, I guess I hoped for that a little too much considering how he is almost a perfect copy of you."
Sherlock chuckled. "Not quite, my dear. He embodies so much of his mother as well. I'd say he is very much a balance of us both."
Alena smiled and walked over to her husband before embracing him close. "I guess you're right. He inherited the best of you and I when he was conceived, and now he is growing up to be a bright young boy."
Returning the embrace, Sherlock smiled back at his wife. "Indeed, but he will be a very upset young boy if you don't read to him soon. He's already in bed waiting for you, as it is your turn to read to him tonight."
She laughed a little and nodded, knowing how much Erik liked to be read to. "Of course. Don't forget to come up to say goodnight."
"Never," he replied before kissing her.
Alena kissed him back before heading up to Erik's room, finding her son in his pajamas and already in bed.
"Alright, Erik, are you ready for your story?" she asked.
Erik nodded excitedly. "Yes, Mummy."
Alena sat down beside his bed and opened the book she and Sherlock had been reading to him at night. Erik had grown fond of fantasy stories which were long novels. He did enjoy shorter stories, but he liked the feeling of wanting to know what would happen next, so he had asked his parents to read longer works to him so he could enjoy longer adventures. That was so much like how Alena had been when she was a child. She loved hearing long stories, so when Erik showed interest in such stories it made her happy and so thrilled that her son loved books as much as she did.
She managed to read through about two chapters of the novel when Alena noticed that Erik's eyes were beginning to droop a bit and he was yawning. Oh yes, he was definitely tired. She placed the bookmark on the page where she finished reading and began tucking Erik in.
"Mum, can we go to the library tomorrow?" Erik asked.
Alena smiled, loving the fact that her son wanted to visit the library so often. With tomorrow being her day off, she didn't mind doing that at all.
"Of course we can," she said before kissing his forehead. "I love you very much, Erik. Sweet dreams."
Erik curled up a bit. "Love you too, Mummy."
Alena stroked his hair gently, and that was when Sherlock entered the room to say goodnight to his son. Sherlock smiled at the sight of his wife and their son together. Alena stood up and allowed Sherlock to have his turn saying goodnight. He sat on the edge of the bed beside Erik while Alena watched from the doorway, adoring the sight of the two most important men in her life.
Sherlock kissed Erik's forehead. "I love you, Erik. Goodnight, my son."
Erik smiled in a very sleepy way. "'Night, Daddy. Love you too."
Soon Erik drifted off to sleep. Sherlock turned off the bedside lamp and quietly left the bedroom with Alena.
"So, ready to head off to bed now?" she asked.
Sherlock smiled. "Well I did have an experiment I was thinking of conducting this evening-"
He chuckled a bit as Alena took his hand and just led him straight to the bedroom, knowing that she saw through his little fib. Sometimes he would jokingly say he had experiments to do just to get a reaction out of her, but she had learned very well when he was joking with her and when he was telling the truth.
Sherlock got changed into his pajamas as Alena got into her silk nightgown which she had first worn the first night of their honeymoon. They both got into their bed and snuggled up together, embracing each other lovingly.
Sherlock sighed and smiled at Alena. "What on earth did I do to deserve you?"
Alena smiled back. "I could ask you the very same thing. But I will say that you showed me more love and kindness than any other man in this world, and no one could ever replace you."
He gently stroked her hair. "I never thought I would deserve someone so wonderful, beautiful, and perfect. Even after all of the hell I put you through before we were married...you still wanted me."
"Of course. As I said, no one could ever replace you. My heart solely belongs to you, Sherlock and it always will. You might be one of the most eccentric human beings out there, but I love you as you are. You gave me what I needed in my life, even when I wasn't even trying to find it. You've made me incredibly happy, and you've given me the family I always dreamed of. Having Erik in our lives has made my life so much more worth living."
Sherlock smiled. "And you gave me what I didn't think I wanted in my life, but apparently needed. You loved me and didn't judge me like others have, and your love has no limits. Mine does not either."
Alena snuggled closer to him. "I will never place limits on my love for you. Even though we are so different, seemingly from very different worlds, we have one of the strongest loving bonds I have ever seen between a married couple. All I will ever want is to keep loving you for the rest of our lives together, and to raise our wonderful son, who truly embodies the best of us both."
His smile only widened at that. "And I feel the exact same way, my lovely wife. As I told you the night Erik was born, deciding to become a father was one of the best decisions I ever made, along with marrying you."
At that, Alena kissed him deeply with a long, loving kiss. "I love you so much, Sherlock. Thank you for loving me."
Sherlock kissed her back the same. "And I love you too, Alena. Thank you for loving me, and being part of my life."
THE END
Hey everyone! So this story has finally come to an end, and I hope it was an enjoyable one for all of you to read. For me it's been an amazing journey to write this, as it is the longest fanfiction I have ever written. I am not planning on a sequel, instead I am going to be focusing more on my Star Trek Into Darkness fanfiction Lead Me Into Darkness, which if any of you haven't read I would love to hear feedback on if you like my work. As I said, originally I only expected to go to 25 chapters and never wanted to include the Reichenbach Fall, but thanks to all of the wonderful feedback you guys gave me, it only inspired me to keep going and I am so happy to say that the story turned out even better than I first thought it would. So...a very big THANK YOU to everyone who commented and followed and favorited this story, I can't tell you how much I have appreciated it all, and each and every one of you! You guys are so wonderful and I consider myself lucky as a writer to have had all of you reading my work. :)
**(10/2/13) I am currently writing another Sherlock story and it has been posted and is titled A Masquerade of Mysteries & Music. It's a bit different than Worlds Apart, but if you guys enjoyed Worlds Apart I would love it if you guys looked at this new one! Again, a thousand times THANK YOU to everyone who read and commented on this story! :)