Author's note: Yay, the site is fixed so I can post this story. Let's escape from this messay election for a while, shall we?
Saturday, 31st October - Sunday, 1st November
"Here we go again," said Sherlock with a sigh, after watching the broadcast from the prime minister announcing the country would be going into lockdown again on Thursday for four weeks.
Martha nodded from her position in the armchair, holding a napping Christina. "I've been expecting it. Having those tiers for different areas was just confusing for everyone."
"Not to mention the daily cases have been increasing to levels higher than they were at the height of the first wave," put in Molly, who was kneeling at the coffee table, helping Victoria with one of her puzzles as usual. "I spoke to John at the hospital yesterday, and there are several people on the floor they are using for COVID patients. I've already done a couple of postmortems on patients who have died with the virus in their system."
Sherlock shot her a concerned look. "You never mentioned that before."
Molly looked over at him and shrugged. "It's not like I mention every postmortem I do. I'd be talking of nothing else, if that were the case."
He pursed his lips. "I hope you have adequate protection whilst doing those postmortems."
Molly rolled her eyes at him. "Sherlock, there is no evidence to support the idea of transmission of the virus through blood. It's far safer doing postmortems than conducting COVID tests where a person could potentially cough or sneeze on you." She gave him a stern look. "Besides, I always wear a face shield and gloves."
Sherlock felt a bit foolish. He knew that, of course, but he would always feel uncomfortable about Molly spending time in proximity to people with the virus. "Sorry, love. Have any staff had the virus lately?" he deliberately asked, knowing she had not been volunteering any information about that for some time, probably to spare him from further anxiety.
"Nobody you'd know," she said, handing Victoria a connecting side piece. "And we have been fortunate that there have not been any staff fatalities either."
"Thank God for that," said Sherlock.
"Yes, thank God," echoed Martha. "Speaking of lockdown, though, I wonder if they will do something similar to Wales, where the businesses like supermarkets that are allowed to stay open may only sell what are considered essential items."
"Oh, I saw pictures of that," said Molly. "I suppose they want to limit traffic to people just buying what they need, rather than luxuries."
"Too bad if someone's toaster goes on the blink, if that's the case," said Sherlock with a wry grin.
"Where does this one go?" asked Victoria, tugging on Molly's sleeve.
"That's part of Olaf's face. Can you see where it is from the box?" she asked, showing Victoria the box cover.
"There," said Victoria, pointing to the part of Olaf's face that was on her puzzle piece.
"That's right, sweetheart. So, now try to find where he is in the puzzle."
Victoria concentrated and placed the piece next to another piece of Olaf's face.
"Your daughter amazes me with how advanced she is when it comes to doing puzzles."
Sherlock smiled proudly. "She's a Holmes. Of course she's clever."
"And a Hooper too, honey," Molly reminded him with a smirk.
"Well, of course, love, that goes without saying," he agreed, giving her a tender smile. "But you're a Holmes too by marriage, so really, when I say that, I am implying you can take credit as well for her intelligence." He added thoughtfully, "Of course, the superior intelligence in my family comes from my mother's Vernet side, even if my royal lineage comes from my father."
Martha gave him an interested look even as Molly shook her head slightly. "Sherlock, I had no idea you were connected with royalty in any way. Which of your ancestors can you trace your royal lineage to?" Martha asked.
Sherlock waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, I'm a very distant relation to Richard the Third. A cousin, sixteen times removed, or some such nonsense."
"Then why bring it up?" murmured Molly as she helped Victoria with another puzzle piece.
Sherlock pretended not to hear her. He couldn't help it if he had royal blood in him, and Molly didn't. To change the subject, he asked Martha, "How are those hats going for the Watsons? With the lockdown next week, you might want to attend church with us tomorrow. It will be your last opportunity to see them for a month." She had politely declined their invitation to go with them to church the previous Sunday.
"Oh, yes." She seemed a little discombobulated at being put on the spot. "Well, I did just finish Adam's hat earlier today, and that was the last one, so I suppose I could come with you tomorrow," she said at last, and Sherlock smiled.
Molly looked up at him with an approving smile, and he knew her earlier irritation was gone. He was quite good at distracting Molly, not that she had ever been one to hold a grudge for long with anything.
Later that evening, when they were in bed and had finished their evening Bible reading, Molly said to Sherlock, "That was a clever way to convince Martha to come with us to church."
"Well, I suppose the lockdown is good for something, then," he responded. He traced a hand along her shoulder.
"Guess it's back to Zoom consultations for you again, for now," she continued.
"Guess so," he agreed, moving his body closer.
"And don't think I don't remember the way you were showing off your royal lineage to Martha."
He gave a huff of annoyance. "I was not showing off, Molly. I made a statement, that's all." He pulled her close. "Anyway, you love to talk about how aristocratic my cheekbones are. That had to come from somewhere."
"Guess I'm lucky you've lowered yourself to be with a commoner like me," she retorted, and he frowned, until she dissolved into giggles. "Oh, honey, I'm just teasing you. You can't help being a posh boy."
He nuzzled her neck. "Well, this posh boy would like it very much if his wife would refrain from further comment and concentrate on more pressing matters."
Molly obligingly slid her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. She was such a good wife.
In the morning, the Holmes house was a flurry of activity as it always was on Sunday mornings. Molly insisted that the girls always be dressed in pretty clothes, sometimes matching ones.
This time, with Martha assisting, things went very smoothly, and they were out of the door earlier than usual. It was a rather gloomy day, and Sherlock had to put the wipers on as he drove.
Martha had a plastic bag with the hats for the Watsons. If they happened to be at church early as well, she would be able to present them with their gifts before the service.
Sherlock let the women and Victoria out in front of the church, noting that it had stopped drizzling, thankfully. Carrying umbrellas as well as two children could be a bit of a chore.
He found a nearby parking spot and walked the short distance to the church building with Christina and the changing bag.
Once inside, he saw the Watsons were already there, and Martha was gesturing to John, two rows ahead of her, apparently explaining what was in the plastic bag. She dropped the bag on the pew in front of her, and John picked it up. "Thank you!" Sherlock heard him say, as he approached his usual pew with Christina.
John waved an acknowledgment as Sherlock hesitated beside the pew. He considered asking Martha to come out so he could sit next to Molly, then decided against it. He didn't want Martha to feel uncomfortable.
When Sherlock sat down with Christina, Martha turned to him and said, "You know, I don't remember the last time I was in a church for a regular church service, rather than a wedding, christening or funeral. This really is a nice church, not like the big cathedrals; one could get lost in those."
He smiled at her. "Yes, I like the smaller size as well. Molly and I know nearly everyone here. It's really like a community."
Martha looked around. "Oh, I see Bob and his wife, and I see that lovely young man, Matthias. Some other people from the play last year too, I think, although it's a bit difficult to tell with masks. Oh, and there's young Archie with his mother. He's become a very impressive young man, hasn't he?" Sherlock thought it was not surprising she had recognised some people more easily than others. Bob's almost bald pate was quite apparent, Matthias's dark skin couldn't be disguised, and Archie's mop of curly dark hair, not unlike Sherlock's own, was easy to see.
"See, Martha. You've had the opportunity to get to know several people from our church already. Doesn't that make you feel a bit more at home?" asked Molly.
Martha nodded. "I suppose that's true. The people in your church are always so friendly."
"Sherlock!" Sherlock looked over at Molly questioningly. "Look at the announcements as they scroll through. Caleb is going to lead a choir in doing the Hallelujah Chorus on Christmas Eve, if we are able to come to church again by then. It says to stay after the service for further details. I'd like to do it."
Sherlock looked at the overhead projector. After about 30 seconds, he saw the announcement for himself. The idea of doing the Hallelujah Chorus was appealing. He wondered how people would be able to practise for it, though, if they could not meet together. He looked over at Molly. "We'll stay after church and find out about it." He then looked at Martha. "I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not. Perhaps I can speak to John a little more while I wait."
There was no time to speak further as the service began. Pastor Briggs made brief announcements, including one for people interested in singing the Hallelujah Chorus to remain afterwards in the nave for a quick meeting about it.
Sherlock wondered if Pastor Briggs would talk about the upcoming lockdown. He was very good with timely messages and tying in Biblical truths with what was happening around them.
When Christina began to grizzle a little, Sherlock handed her over to Martha and brought out her teething ring to suck on.
The text for the sermon was Philippians 4:6-7, and Pastor Riggs read,
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Then he began to speak about the verses.
"Friends, never have these verses been more pertinent than right now. Each week, it seems we are hearing more doom and gloom reports about the virus that has been plaguing the whole world. We've seen rising cases here that are higher than at any time early in the pandemic, and a similar rise in Europe. America has seen a rise in cases as high as around one hundred thousand in one day. The second wave we expected is well and truly here. Most people know someone who has had the virus or even passed away from it."
Sherlock thought about Mycroft and John, who had recovered from the virus, and Molly's former church friend, Sheila, who had tragically passed away from it months earlier. Yes, indeed, nobody was untouched. He brought his attention back to the pastor.
"In light of the upcoming return to lockdown, we will not be able to gather together again in person to worship for at least four weeks. I know people are getting tired of this uncertainty for the future. Suicides are up, domestic abuse has increased. It's a no-win situation for anyone."
Several people nodded or murmured their agreement as he continued.
"But these verses remind us that we can continue to pray and bring our petitions before God. We can rejoice in the knowledge that this is in God's hands. An end will come to this pandemic. I know I have peace in my heart in understanding this is just a small ripple in God's timeline of history. And we can rejoice in knowing this is only our temporary home. Life will never be perfect here, but oh, the joy we will have when we who believe, stand before Jesus in heaven."
Sherlock glanced over at Martha, who was looking at Christina as she still sucked on the teething ring. Tooth number 8 would soon join the recently erupted number 7. He wondered if Martha ever thought about her eternal home. Surely, at her age, she must sometimes think about whether there was anything beyond death? She was someone he knew believed in God, as many people did, but he didn't think she really knew Jesus as her Saviour. Of course, there were many nominal Christians out there, who identified themselves as Christians, just because they grew up in a Christian home or had some biblical knowledge, but there was a difference between knowing about the Bible and believing what was within its pages. It was head knowledge versus heart knowledge.
Soon, Sherlock realised that Martha had some church background in her life, possibly as a child. Although obviously unfamiliar with the modern praise tunes that they sang at the beginning of the service, she knew The Lord's Prayer and even sang along with one of the hymns.
At the conclusion of the service, Sherlock and Molly went over with Victoria and Christina to the front of the church where Caleb was presiding over the short meeting. Martha remained behind, and Sherlock saw her approach John, while Kayla, holding Adam, came forward as well, presumably interested in participating in the upcoming performance.
A good number of people were interested, and, although people tried to maintain their social distancing, it was not entirely possible. Well, at least everyone was wearing masks, he thought.
"Wow," said Caleb, once everyone, including Bob and Matthias, was assembled, "this is amazing. I didn't expect so many people to be interested! When I came up with this idea for Christmas, I was anticipating we would be able to rehearse at the church after the service, making sure we observed our social distancing. Unfortunately, that will no longer be possible in the short term, but I still wanted to go ahead with it. We have music for everyone, and the church office will be sending out an email to all church members with links to the various voice parts so you can listen and practise your part at home."
"Wanna go home," said Victoria. Sherlock held her at his hip so she would not wander away.
Fortunately for Molly, Christina wasn't causing a fuss. She was merely looking around with interest from where Molly held her at her own hip. Molly turned to Victoria and said, "We're going home in a few minutes. Mummy and Daddy are just listening to something."
"No," retorted Victoria. "Go home now!" She struggled against Sherlock's firm grip.
"If you behave, I'll give you a piece of chocolate when we get home," Sherlock told his impatient daughter, who was immediately still. He'd discovered recently that bribery always worked better than reason with Victoria.
"Okay, Daddy."
Caleb spoke for another couple minutes. Sherlock noticed that Abigail was having her own issues in containing their one-year-old son, Josiah, as well as three-year-old Grace, while her husband spoke.
Copies of the music were on the front pew, and people came forward to take one, then left.
Molly looked at Sherlock. "Should I get two? Are you going to participate?"
He smiled. "Of course. I enjoyed our duet last year, and I think it will be most interesting to be part of a choir."
Molly beamed at him. "It will be fun to practise our parts together."
Kayla, who had picked up a copy of the music for herself, stopped briefly to talk with Molly. "You're going to do the soprano part, aren't you? That's a bit high for me. I'm going to do the alto."
"Yeah," said Molly, surprising Sherlock with her next words. "I'm already familiar with the soprano part, I sang it with a choir at a Christmas performance in uni."
A few minutes later, they headed back to the car, as Martha chatted happily about how lovely it had been to speak with John and see her goddaughter. He had thanked her also for the hats. Sherlock knew she had made John a grey hat and another in the same colour for Adam, while she had made matching pink hats for Kayla and Rosie.
By the time they arrived home, it was time for lunch, which Molly and Martha prepared together. Sherlock was pleased that they worked together so well. So far, there had only been one small issue when Martha was putting plates and other things from dinner into the dishwasher the previous Sunday. Martha was trying to be helpful, but Molly had her own certain way of putting things into the dishwasher. Sherlock had run afoul of Molly's wrath a couple times himself until he learned the "correct" way to place the dishes for maximum dishwasher capacity.
Sherlock had watched Molly rearrange the plates and bowls to her satisfaction later that evening before running the dishwasher. The next morning, after Molly left for work, Martha took it upon herself to unload the clean dishes from the dishwasher while Sherlock was taking care of getting Victoria's breakfast and feeding Christina a pouch of baby food.
"I could have sworn this was not how I put the dishes in here last night?" she muttered, taking out plates and stacking them on the counter.
Sherlock cleared his throat. "Molly has a certain way she likes the dishes to be put into the dishwasher," he explained.
Martha looked over at him with a frown. "Well, if she didn't want my help, she should have told me so."
Sherlock gave Christina another spoonful of baby food before responding. "I'm sure she appreciates the help, Martha. She just has a certain way of doing things, as I'm sure you do too. I've learned to put things into the dishwasher in the way she prefers."
Martha arched an eyebrow. "Next, she'll be telling me I need to separate my whites from my colours before washing them."
Sherlock grinned. "She would never presume to tell you how to wash your own clothes, don't worry."
"Well, I suppose I had better take note of how these dishes were placed in the dishwasher for future reference," said Martha, with a sigh of resignation.
Sherlock told Molly later what had happened, and she had made a point of apologising for not showing Martha how she liked the dishes to be placed, that she appreciated the help, and Martha was mollified.
Martha had even graciously revealed her scone recipe to Molly, and the women had teamed up the next day, when Molly was not working, in making a delicious batch of scones.
Today, following lunch, with plates placed to Molly's satisfaction in the dishwasher, they sat together at the dining table to play the Memory match game Sherlock had bought months earlier for Victoria. They were now making a 6x6 grid of cards.
Sherlock could retain exactly where the cards were once they had been revealed, and win without picking the wrong ones, but he deliberately made errors to give Victoria the opportunity to use her own memory skills, as did Molly. They always identified the animal on the card, and because Sherlock didn't use the entire 72 cards, he would change which pairs they used each time for variety.
Martha declined the invitation to play, stating her memory was not up to such things these days, but instead held Christina, while Sherlock, Molly and Victoria took turns.
Victoria had three matches to Sherlock and Molly's one, when Molly took her turn, stretching her left arm forward to turn over a card that was at the top of the grid.
Martha suddenly exclaimed, "Molly, is that a new watch?" The act of reaching had exposed the watch on Molly's wrist from beneath her long-sleeved blouse.
Molly darted a glance at Sherlock before answering. "Yes, Sherlock bought it for me just last week. A couple weeks ago, my watch was running slow, and I asked him to see if he could replace the battery for me. I also asked for another watchband because the little loop you put your band through had come off. It was pretty old. Instead, he surprised me a few days later by handing me a box with a brand new watch in it."
Martha looked puzzled. "It's a rather large watch, isn't it? Very big numbers. The clock face takes up almost your whole wrist."
Sherlock cringed with embarrassment. He was about to explain what he had told Molly when she had mentioned the same thing upon opening the box with the watch inside, when she made the exclamation herself.
"Yes, it is a little larger than what I am used to wearing, but Sherlock told me the description of the watch said it was a lady's watch. When you look at a picture of it, you can't tell what the dimensions are, so he thought it would be the usual size. He offered to return it to Amazon, but I told him it was fine." She gave Sherlock a loving smile. "I appreciated the gesture of him making the effort to buy a whole new watch, rather than replacing parts of the old one. Besides, the larger size makes it much easier for me to read, especially now that I have to use reading glasses for small print."
"Oh yes," said Martha. "I noticed you put on reading glasses for the first time a couple days after I moved in. They suit you, even if the lenses of the glasses are a little large compared to my own."
"I bought them on Amazon for Molly as well," put in Sherlock. "She kept procrastinating about getting them. I didn't realise how large the lenses were until they arrived. Perhaps I need to read item descriptions and dimensions more carefully." He smirked at Molly. "But actually, I think they look absolutely adorable on her."
Molly dimpled at him.
"Mummy," said Victoria in an irritated voice, interrupting their conversation, "Turn a card."
"Oh, sorry, Victoria," said Molly, patting Victoria's head. Their daughter sat between them, kneeling on a cushion to give her extra height at the table.
They continued the game until Victoria won, as usual, with ten pairs to Sherlock's five and Molly's three.
Martha, with a bit of prodding, agreed to play a game after all, while Molly took Christina to change and breastfeed her.
Sherlock wasn't sure if Martha's memory was just terrible, or if she was deliberately playing badly. She ended up with only one pair, and that was by accident when she turned over two cards which happened to be a pair.
After the second game, Sherlock packed up the memory game, and they went into the front room.
They spent the afternoon watching a classic Disney film, one Sherlock and Molly had watched together during their engagement, "Lady and the Tramp."
Victoria thoroughly enjoyed seeing the puppies at the end of the film and declared, "I want a puppy!"
She was sitting on the floor in front of the television, and Sherlock bent forward to ruffle her hair. "Maybe one day, princess, when you are a little order." He and Molly had discussed having pets. Molly preferred cats, while Sherlock preferred dogs. He had a feeling that they would end up compromising by having both. But they had also decided to not get any pets until they had completed their family. Neither wished to have an animal around a baby, and he and Molly had not ruled out the idea of having another child. Now that Christina was 10 months old, they had discussed it. Hopefully, by the time Molly got pregnant again, if she did, they would be through the worst of this blasted pandemic.
During dinner, which Martha and Molly prepared together again, along with a delicious chocolate cheesecake for dessert, Martha addressed both of them. "Do you think we can watch Pride of Britain tonight?"
"Oh, that's tonight?" said Molly. "I definitely want to watch it. I'd rather see an awards show aimed at recognising ordinary people for doing extraordinary things, than a fancy awards show for celebrities. I wonder if Captain Tom will get an award this year after all he did to raise money for the NHS?"
Martha nodded. "I happen to know he is getting one. They announced it on Good Morning Britain six months ago."
"What time is it on?" asked Molly.
"Nine o'clock."
Molly gave Sherlock an imploring look. "If we get the girls ready for bed early, do you think you could put them to bed so Martha and I can watch?"
He shrugged. "Fine with me." While the Pride of Britain awards show sounded interesting, he didn't mind if he didn't watch from start to finish. Perhaps he'd just watch some of it.
Later that evening, at around eight o'clock, Sherlock prepared the bath for Victoria. "Come on, Victoria, bath time," he told her, as Molly stood to give Christina her bath in the kitchen sink.
"She's going to be too big for the sink soon," Molly commented to him, just before they went their separate ways. "I think, when she is a year old, we can start giving them their baths together."
Hearing this, Victoria said, "Want bath with Chwisty!"
"Soon, sweet pea," said Sherlock as he took her by the hand to go upstairs.
By the time he had finished bathing Victoria and returned downstairs with her, Molly was in the front room again with Christina. Martha was still in her chair dozing, but she awoke as soon as Sherlock appeared with Victoria.
She opened up her arms for Victoria. "Come and give Nanny Hudders some cuddles, lovey," she said to Victoria. Sherlock was pleased that she tried to give equal time to both girls.
"Why don't we do our Bible reading and devotion already?" Sherlock suggested to Molly. "You have to get up early for work."
Molly smiled at him, obviously realising he was suggesting it intentionally so they could do it with Martha in the room. "Sounds good."
Sherlock brought down his Bible and the Our Daily Bread devotional. He read the Bible passage and the reading from the devotional because Molly was holding Christina.
He was quite surprised and happy to discover Martha had been listening when she made a comment about the devotional reading. "How lovely of those brothers to donate funds for malnourished children for every taco they sell."
"They're doing what God called them to do," said Molly. "Not everyone is called to be a missionary or a clergyman. We show our faith in different ways, as God leads us to do."
"Like with the play you put on last year as a fundraiser," commented Martha. "Raising funds for cancer research was a worthy cause. Perhaps you should have been nominated for a Pride of Britain award."
Both Molly and Sherlock laughed at that. "I think our contribution was a drop in the bucket compared to what other people have done," said Molly modestly.
"Speaking of which," said Sherlock, looking at his watch. "I should probably put the telly on already. The show will be starting in ten minutes."
He turned on the television, and Victoria immediately said, "Watch film, Daddy?"
"No more films tonight, sweet pea. It's almost bedtime for you."
Martha rubbed her back comfortingly. "Do you want me to read you a little story?"
Victoria put her arms around the elderly woman's neck. "Yes Nanny, wead me a stowy."
"Please," said Molly with a stern look at Victoria, beating Sherlock to telling her the same thing.
"Please, Nanny," said Victoria.
Sherlock went to the bookshelf and pulled out Three Little Monkeys, which was a favourite of Victoria's. By now, he knew it so well, he could practically recite it from memory. Victoria loved it when he provided the sound effects, so he did so on this occasion as well.
Victoria made delighted giggles while Christina looked wide-eyed at her father from her position on Molly's lap next to Sherlock. When he did the sound effect for the monkeys spitting out soap, Christina suddenly let out a delighted gurgle of laughter because he was also tickling her.
"You're funny, Daddy," said Victoria with a giggle of her own.
After Martha finished reading the story, Victoria scrambled off her lap and walked over to Sherlock, climbing onto him. She put her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Love you, Daddy."
Sherlock grinned and kissed her forehead. He loved it when Victoria made spontaneous gestures of affection like that. "Love you too, sweet pea."
"Oh, the show's starting," said Molly, and Sherlock turned his attention to the television.
Sherlock decided he'd stay and watch until Victoria grew sleepy.
The first award was for a six-year-old boy named Tony. His story was truly special, and Sherlock saw tears come to the eyes of both Molly and Martha. He was close to tears himself, truth be told. The little boy, abused as a baby by his birth parents, was a double amputee because of that abuse. Inspired by Captain Tom's story of doing 100 laps of his garden with his walker, Tony took it upon himself to walk 10km in June on prosthetic legs using crutches. His goal was to raise £500 for Evelina London Children's Hospital, the hospital that saved his life. He succeeded in his quest five days early, and in the end, he raised over £1m.
"A truly inspiring story and such a worthy recipient," murmured Molly, as she blinked back tears.
Sherlock could feel Victoria slump against him, and he looked down to see her eyes had closed. "Let's get you up to bed," he said, reaching beneath her arms to lift her as he stood.
He bent down with her for kisses to her mother, Christina and Martha, then carried her upstairs and placed her in her cot. He groaned in annoyance as she said sleepily, "Baby Wose." Of course, she wanted her baby doll.
"Daddy will get her," he said, dashing down the stairs to retrieve her doll from the playpen, earning a raised eyebrow from Molly, until she saw what he was doing.
He bounded back up the stairs with the baby doll and handed her to Victoria. who cuddled her. "Night, Daddy," she said and closed her eyes.
He bent down to kiss her forehead. "Night my little princess." At least she wasn't insisting he kiss her baby doll as well at night anymore.
Downstairs, Sherlock saw Molly had put Christina to her breast for a last feeding. "When you're done, I'll put her to bed and take my shower," he told Molly, who nodded.
Fifteen minutes later, with Christina also placed in her cot and video monitors left downstairs with Molly, Sherlock took a shower. He debated whether to go back downstairs in his dressing gown or not, then realised he had often worn his dressing gown in front of Martha at Baker Street, even if it had always been as a covering over his clothes.
Captain Tom - well, Captain Sir Tom now, received his award near the end of the show. Sherlock had his arm draped around Molly when she yawned and said, "I think I'm going to just go upstairs now for my shower."
He kissed her cheek. "Alright, love. I'll be up soon myself."
He watched the last few minutes of the show, and at the end of it, Martha asked if she could keep the television on to watch the news afterwards.
"Of course. Just turn the television off before you go to bed," he told her.
He stood and was about to leave the room when his attention was caught by the first breaking news story. He'd have to tell Molly about that, he reflected, after listening to the report.
When he went upstairs, Molly was just emerging from the bathroom, and they entered their bedroom together. "Guess what I just learned on the news," he said as they slipped into bed together.
She looked at him curiously. "What?"
"Prince William had the virus in April, but kept it quiet at the time because he didn't want a panic to erupt."
Molly's mouth opened in surprise. "Oh, wow, that's really interesting. Understandable, though. Can you imagine if we learned that both the heir to the throne and his own heir had the virus, even as the prime minister was battling it? I don't blame him for keeping quiet about it." She paused, then asked, "Nobody else had it as well? Kate or the children?"
"That wasn't discussed. I assume not, although who knows?" He reached to pull her against him. "Anyway, just wanted to share that tidbit of news. Martha is still downstairs watching the news."
She gave him a sly grin. "Are you telling me that to make sure I keep any sounds of pleasure to a minimum when we make love, so we don't offend Martha's sensibilities?"
He grinned. "I'm more concerned about your own sensibilities, Molly. Don't forget the time when Victoria was only a few weeks old, when we broke in your yellow armchair? Afterwards, we were pretty sure Martha had heard us because we had heard a noise from outside the door, and she was in the habit of popping upstairs to visit unannounced."
He could see the colour rising in Molly's cheeks at the memory. "Don't remind me. That was extremely embarrassing."
"Hence my warning that our houseguest will most likely come upstairs at some point soon while I am in the midst of having my way with you."
Molly giggled. "You've made your point."
He kissed her then, as he always loved to do, feeling her soft lips yield even as her body did the same with his tender ministrations.
Afterwards, having succeeded for the most part in their quest for quiet, Sherlock reflected that, given the choice of curtailing his detective activities for a while or curtailing his nightly ones with Molly, the former was vastly preferable. Another lockdown was coming, but it would end, and on the upside, it wouldn't affect his personal life, which was more important than anything else. "Goodnight, my love," he whispered into the darkness.
She made a soft murmur of contentment. "Goodnight, my dearest love."
Author's note: Phew, another installment finished, and a pretty long one. I decided to not split it, because it takes place over two days, and the second day is much longer.
When I write one of these, I have a few things in mind I want to write about. The little watch scene I set up in the last story, and is based on my husband recently doing the same thing for me - buying me a new watch, rather than replacing the watch band. He was a bit surprised to see this "ladies watch" had a much bigger face and band than he expected, based on the picture. Anyway, I appreciated his sweet gesture, and, being legally blind, I don't mind a bigger clock face. If you have seen images of Louise Brealey wearing big reading glasses in a video, that is how I envision Molly's. Later, the reading of Our Daily Bread and Mrs. Hudson's comment came from me looking at the actual devotion for November 1st. You can download the app and see the devotion for yourself..
For reference, I made mention of Sherlock and Molly watching Lady and the Tramp during their engagement. That happened in A Journey to Love, Faith and Marriage. The talk of Mrs. Hudson "hearing" them was at the conclusion of Sherlock's Dream of What Might Have Been.
I have to express thanks as usual to THEONEWITHWHEELSASH for alerting me first to the upcoming second lockdown, which is what prompted me to write another installment, because I felt it was an important development. Then, she told me about the Pride of Britain awards, and I just had to add that in. I wish we had something similar. I'd rather see regular people getting awards for doing special, philanthropic things, than celebrities getting awards. The information about young Tony and Captain Tom's awards is factual, if you'd like to do a search on Google. And finally, when my friend told me the breaking news on Sunday night about Prince William having also had the virus, I thought it was another important thing to add into the story. Therefore, it's a pretty long one-shot again.
I hope you found the story engaging enough to read through it and enjoy it. Will you tell me what you enjoyed the most?
Follows/favourites and feedback always appreciated.