Return to the Solution

It, no, it was in fact a she, a she that happened to be named Marie, had begun to cry.

It too the better part of three long minutes for the great detective to comprehend what was occurring in his living room.

His daughter was crying.

Oh how did he get himself into these messes?Sherlock Holmes was not an emotional man, but he was no robot eit

At first he had not believe what Mycroft had claimed, true, he took certain….risks while on an investigation, but certainly he had not made such an oversight as to leave this much evidence behind!

And while he was still not whole hardily in agreement with his brother, he could not pretend he didn't notice the overwhelming evidence in his siblings favor.

He could not ignore the girls gray eyes.

her. Contrary to popular belief spread by his dear companion in that propaganda called The Strand, he experienced the same array of emotions as any other man.

Or at least he assumed he did, one has no personal experience in such areas, and Sherlock had always found it dangerous to assume.

Of course Sherlock was not going off physical evidence alone, if he were, it was just as probable that the girl be Mycroft's offspring as his own.

The thought of Mycroft actually putting forth the effort required to obtain a daughter was almost worthy of laughter if his own daughter had not sat in front of him sobbing.

He simply could not think with such distractions, and so he supposed it would be prudent to make it….Marie stop.

"Mrs. Hudson!" He called loudly, only to startle the young child more thus increasing his discomfort.

"MRS. HUDSON!" That blasted landlady of his was always fumbling about at the most inconvenient times, and yet when he truly required her assistance she was no where to be found?

"I suppose she's also assisting Watson" he thought with a hint of anger at how quickly his associates abandoned him during his time of need.

Honestly, they hadn't even given him a chance to explain himself. Had he any idea that such…things would result from his actions he never would have accepted that damn case in the first place.

Though as resentful as Holmes might or might not have been, he did have some sense of duty, and this required that he attempt to make this young girl as comfortable as possible.

Searching into the depths of his mind for any knowledge that would help him during this trial, he decided that the girl was simply afraid.

"Well, that's reasonable." He summarized, after all, he was a bit more then terrified at the moment, though he was proud to say he was not throwing such a….temper tantrum.

Though handling a situation better then a two year old was nothing to brag about.

Approaching the child with a little more than caution, he reasoned that if he picked her up with the full length of his arms extended just beneath the shoulders, he would be able to put an end to that infernal crying with out risking dirtying his attire with her drool.

"Um…stop that crying at once, I really do insist…"

It was quite the scene if anyone had been present to watch, the cold detective standing uncertainly with outstretched arms holding a befuddled toddler.

In his defense, it had done the trick and Marie had stopped her crying, though more from pure confusion than the actual act of being comforted.

It was at this point Watson decided to return and make himself privy to just what his friend had to say about this whole situation. Though that would have to wait for the dangling child in Holmes's arms look as if it were moments away from slipping a good five feet to the floor.

"Dear God man, she's not toxic, you must cradle her!"

"I'm well aware of her acidic state thank you. Your patient has made a full recovery so soon?" Sherlock was slowly brining the child closer to his abdomen, not looking at all sure of actually touching it.

"What patient?"

Watson couldn't be sure, but he was almost positive he heard an "I thought as much" muttered under the breath of his friend.

"Holmes, we need to talk, just what is it you plan to do about the child? Surely…" Watson was silenced with a piercing glare from Holmes.

"Watson, I will be more then happy to elaborate on the details of this…predicament, but first, I believe the girl is tired and should be put down for a nap."

Needless to say, Watson was greatly surprised by this display of paternal caring from his calculating friend. He watched as Sherlock disappeared into his bedchamber and reemerged Marie-less a few moments later.

"She gave you no trouble being put down?" Astonishing, his friend had many talents but Watson was almost positive childrearing was not one of them.

"I'm sure it has been a trying day for her, she was practically asleep before she reached the bed." Sherlock himself was looking rather tired, and I'm sure he also could benefit from a nap.

"Now, surely Holmes, Mycroft has made some sort of a mistake. It simply isn't possible that this child could be yours…" Watson was interrupted however by the man sitting in front of him.

"I'll admit, it does seem very improbable,"

"Exactly! Its foolishness, pure foolishness, now all that remains is to find the true guardians and reacquaint them with their lost child." The doctor enjoyed people's presence far more then his protégée, yet the responsibility thrust upon two bachelors was simply preposterous.

"Supreme idea old boy and I have an excellent idea as to where to start. Mycroft must be involved in a secret affair involving the Japanese emperor Laux Yyaung and new technology involving large airships capable of dropping explosives the size of an apple on Scotland Yard. In a desperate attempt to keep the formula a secret from the Germans a code was sewn onto the shirt of the child and given to Mycroft as easy means of escaping the country, and has now been passed on to us for safe keeping."

Watson's eyes positively lit up at such an complex deduction,

"Why, you really think so Holmes?"

Sherlock scoffed and sighed.

"Hardly, I'm afraid Mycroft is all too correct in the assumption that I am the father. Under most circumstances I would simply return her to her mother and take the appropriate measures, but I'm afraid that is quite impossible." It was then that Watson noticed for the first time the sadness in his friends eyes.

"And why is that?"

"I'm afraid her mother is dead, and that I am the reason for her untimely demise."

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Yes, there is an actually plot, and Sherlock will show actual human emotion, but I do not think that you can be true to the character and make him an overly loving father figure. Perhaps with time, but not right away.

I realize that in most stories Watson is portrayed as loving gentle uncle type figure, but it is noted several places that he was not overly found of children, and perhaps that's why he never makes any mention of his own.

Once again, if you hate the way this is all written please tell me and I'll try to change it.

I'm not doing this for reviews, I realize that in this particular fandom they're not as numerous as in some others, I'm merely doing this for a fun summer past time, but that doesn't mean I enjoy receiving them any less.

Also, I have done my best to correct the errors pointed out in the earlier segments, and I shall continue to do so as long as the wonderful constructive criticism continues.

It should be noted spell check was not used on this AN