OMG CHAPTER 50. CHAPTER BLOODY 50!

I never thought it would go this long, but don't worry, we're nearly done! On the home stretch!

SORRY ITS SO SHORT!

But I couldn't add anymore after the last line. The next will be longer I promise!

ENJOY


"Greg?"

Turning around, surprised but pleased, John was greeted by the sight of a tiny person curled up in his friend's arms. Oh..she'd had the baby already. Greg looked like he'd been crying, no wonder, he finally had the child he'd always dreamed of. John inspected the little one, it had bright blue eyes and a mop of hair. The child stared back, probably wondering who the hell this new person was. Oh probably wondering when his next meal was.

"Boy or girl?" He'd been told it would be a boy, but you never knew with babies, sometimes mistakes were made.

"Boy." Greg was beaming.

"Congratulations mate! You're a dad! How do you feel?"

"Scared shitless."

"Sounds about right." Lestrade chuckled and jerked his head in the direction of a small empty waiting room.

The two, or three if you counted the baby, sat down on a comfy, but hideously yellow, sofa.

"You sticking with that name then?"

"Yeah... it's grown on me." John smiled and tickled the tiny feet that had slipped out of his blanket.

"Hello Rupert. It's very nice to meet you." John shook his small hand, the fingers curled around his index finger.

John felt something flip in his chest. This was new life. A life just beginning. It was beautiful. He'd seen so much death. It was nice to see the opposite. He could tell Greg felt the same way.

"Rupert, this is your Uncle John." Rupert responded with a gurgle and tried to stuff a fist in his mouth.

John chuckled and patted Lestrade on the back. He found himself torn with the knowledge of Sherlock in the back of his mind and this new little being who made his friend so happy. Could he really tell him now and shatter this moment? Or should he wait a few days? On the one hand to interrupt such a happy time in Greg's life was a horrible idea. But on the other hand he knew the moment Greg found out he'd be pissed about not being told earlier. And John wasn't sure how long it would be till he saw him again.

Decisions could be a bitch.


"You alright mate?"

"Huh? Yeah...yeah I'm fine. Absolutely fine. Couldn't be better." Shut up now, John.

"Bullshit, mate."

"Should you really be swearing around a child, Greg?"

"He's just been born, I doubt he understands a word we're saying. And if he does he's smarter than me." Lestrade eyed John with a look of suspicion.

"No.. I'm fine, really."

"Look...John. I can tell something's bothering you. We're alone right now, Rupert's falling off to sleep, you can tell me what's bothering you."

"I really can't."

"John, I know you've been mixed up in a lot of shit lately which is no fault of your own. You have Mary but I'm here too if you need me." He really wants to know, doesn't he? But I can't do that to him. Not now.

John stood as if he were preparing to leave, but then begun to pace, mirroring Rupert by placing his fist in his mouth. Frustrated, torn, confused but also the closeness of revealing Sherlock to another person was so close. Lestrade did deserve to know. Moran was gone. The danger to Greg was gone. The only thing stopping John from telling him was himself. He thought it would have been a no-brainer but once he was faced with the opportunity he panicked. What if Lestrade reacted just as badly as he did? And John would have to explain everything Sherlock had been through and John's own rocky relationship with him now.

Which was sitting on a knife edge really. Teetering between cutting all ties and hugging him because he was so fucking glad he was alive. But also pissed about everything else. He couldn't think about his friend without a mix of annoying and probably complex emotions. Everything with Sherlock had to be difficult. The Old Sherlock was gone and the new one was so vulnerable. But that didn't change what he did. Urgh, stop thinking about it, John! You can focus on it later when you're at home and Mary's hidden the gun.

"John?" He could do this...he could do this right now and get it all off his chest.

"Ok. Uh.. but I better hold the baby."

Lestrade, mystified but intrigued, and a tiny bit worried, gently placed his child in John's waiting arms. The doctor stopped pacing and sat in a chair opposite to Greg's own. Ok. This was going to be hard. Should he just come right out and say it? Why didn't he think about how to reveal the detective earlier? Oh right, Moran.

"Um, this is going to be hard to believe, but just hear me out ok?"

"John?"

"Sherlock's...alive."