Special Note: Before you begin this chapter, I want to take a moment to encourage people to stay safe as the world has suddenly gone into crisis mode due to COVID-19. I am praying for health and safety for all and wise decisions on how to deal with things. If you are concerned for the future, I encourage you to read the Bible and find peace and comfort in its words. We may not know the future, but I do believe everything is ultimately under God's control - do you?

Sherlock arrived home just before noon and entered the flat to find Molly sitting at the kitchen table. Victoria was in the feeding seat Sherlock had fastened to another of the kitchen chairs, and Molly was feeding her a pouch of baby food.

Molly looked up with a smile as he entered the kitchen. Victoria made a sound of protest as Molly's hand, which had been about to place a spoonful of apple and mango into her mouth, hovered inches away. "That didn't take too long," she observed, then returned her attention to Victoria and fed her the spoonful. She squeezed another one from the pouch onto the baby spoon.

Sherlock seated himself beside Molly to watch her feed their baby. He always enjoyed the way Victoria would open her mouth in preparation for the next spoonful of baby food when it was something sweet that she enjoyed; she was not quite as impressed with the savoury foods which she tended to push around with her tongue and expel, and Molly would be constantly wiping her face with her bib. Sherlock couldn't blame his daughter. He had sampled some of those pouches and thought a couple of them were quite disgusting, particularly the Courgette Aubergine and Red Pepper one. The Carrot Sweet Potato Swede one wasn't much better. However, Molly insisted that their daughter needed a balanced diet that included vegetables as well, even if most of them did not end up in Victoria's stomach. Sherlock could have pointed that out, but it was not worth an argument.

Victoria suddenly gave him a toothy little smile between spoonfuls of apple and mango purée. Mycroft was right, he and Molly had created an extraordinarily adorable child, although he supposed every parent felt that way. Sherlock grinned back as Molly asked, not looking at him, "So, how did things go with Mycroft, then?"

"Easier than I expected, actually. Once I acted as if I already knew he had planted Mary at the clinic to watch over John, rather than suspected, he asked how I had found out, and after that it was easy to extract the rest of the information from him."

Victoria blew a raspberry at him and dribbles of apple mango came out of her mouth. Sherlock knew that meant she had had enough. Molly of course tried to coax another spoon into their daughter's mouth. "Just a little more, sweet pea," she crooned and Victoria relented, opening her mouth for it even as Molly said, "And did he confess to helping Mary leave London as well?"

"Yep." Sherlock popped his p in satisfaction then watched as Victoria shook her head at the next proffered spoonful from her mother, putting her hands to her mouth. "I didn't bother asking for all the details, it's enough to know the truth."

Molly nodded and began wiping Victoria's mouth with her bib. "Did he elaborate on how he got to know Mary so well in the first place?"

Sherlock went over to the sink and wet a cloth to wipe Victoria's mouth and hands properly, then returned and finished cleaning his daughter up as he responded. "As I said, he tried to lie at first and say he didn't know her as anything more than an A.G.R.A. member. So I decided I'd act like I knew for sure that he had got Mary the job st the clinic where John was working." He gave her a smug smile. "Mycroft fell for it, and then he had to tell me everything. He said he didn't really know her as more than a member of A.G.R.A. who used the code name Gypsy until after the events of Tbilisi. She contacted him after she escaped, and he set the wheels in motion for her to change her identity and become Mary Morstan. Later, he asked for her help in befriending John after my supposed death and got her a job at the clinic."

Molly's mouth opened in surprise as Sherlock unbuckled and lifted a now clean Victoria from the feeding seat. "Do you intend to let John know about that?"

Sherlock decided to ask what Molly thought, to see if they were on the same page as they had been days earlier when discussing how he should approach Mycroft. He walked over to the sofa with Victoria, motioning for Molly to follow, then sat with his daughter on his lap. As soon as Molly had seated herself beside him, he asked, "What do you think I should do?"

He bounced Victoria lightly on his knees and waited for Molly to answer. He could see she was deep in thought, chewing on her lower lip for several seconds before answering. "To be honest, my instincts say to let the matter rest. John has moved on with a new life. Bringing up his past and more deception would serve no purpose but to make him second-guess whether Mary's love for him was sincere."

Sherlock nodded and smiled. It was very rare indeed that he and Molly disagreed, and as usual, this was a time where they were of one accord. "My thoughts exactly, and that is also what I told Mycroft when he asked if I intended to reveal the information to John. I did say, however, that if John were to one day start asking questions, I would not keep the truth from him."

"I agree. We certainly shouldn't lie about it if John asks, but if he doesn't, there's no harm done. Those events are well and truly in the past." She paused a moment, then added slowly, "I think we also have to consider the possibility that Rosie might want to know more about her birth mother when she is older. If I put myself into her shoes, I know I'd be curious about it."

"That is a possibility," conceded Sherlock. "It is a bridge we will cross if and when the time comes."

Victoria made a little giggle of delight as Sherlock bounced her a little more.

"Sherlock," Molly's voice suddenly took on a sharp note, "you shouldn't be bouncing Victoria so hard. She just ate, and before that I breast-fed her."

Sherlock frowned. "She's fine, she's having a good time." He looked at Victoria, "Aren't you, princess?" He bounced her a little more and then Victoria's happy expression changed, and he was rather shocked when she opened her mouth and a stream of baby food flew out onto his shirt.

"Famous last words," said Molly with a sigh, and Sherlock looked at her ruefully.

"Remind me to listen better next time you tell me something," he said with a twist to his lips, and Molly got up to collect the wet cloth to once again clean up Victoria's face and dab at Sherlock's shirt.

"You had better go get changed while I put Victoria in the playpen," instructed Molly after she had cleaned them both up. "It's time for us to have lunch, anyway."

Sherlock did as he was told, taking off his suit jacket and shirt and setting them aside. They would need to be sent to the dry cleaner as soon as possible, he supposed. He thought a moment, then decided to not bother putting on another suit jacket or good shirt, selecting one of his more casual checked pattern ones.

By the time he returned to the kitchen, Molly had the leftover vegetables warming in the microwave and was making their roast beef sandwiches at the counter by the sink. He watched her quietly for a few moments, thinking how grateful he was that there were no longer any secrets between them, that there was no secret past for them to be concerned about. By now he had told her everything about his past drug usage, the difficulty he had had with addiction, the way Mycroft had him trained as an MI6 agent to serve as a distraction from returning to drugs. There were details from his past as an operative that he could never reveal, but he suspected she knew it was likely he had killed people in extreme cases of danger.

There had been times when his life would have been forfeit if he had not pulled the trigger first. That training had served him well when he had been prepared to shoot the vest of explosives John had been wearing at the pool. He had also left more than one dead body behind when he had rescued Irene, although there was no need to tell Molly about that either.

Those situations had been entirely different though, as he had discovered after shooting Magnussen. He had felt sadness over causing the loss of life, but with Magnussen he had also felt guilt. Fortunately it had been some time since Sherlock had been plagued by nightmares from his past activities. He supposed they would still occur occasionally. But certainly the frequency had reduced enormously. He'd had a couple of short relapses into drugs in those years before he became a detective, mostly as a result of recurring nightmares which he sought to escape. Thankfully those days were all in the past. Attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings now and then at his church had also helped Sherlock to understand his addiction and how it had been unwittingly fed by his experiences as an agent.

One of the reasons Sherlock admired Molly, as well as loved her to distraction, was that she had never shown any sign of judgment over his past. For so long he had felt unworthy of her love, but she had changed all that, made him realise he deserved love as much as anyone else, and his life had never been better. She had also been encouraging when he had brought up the idea of going to NA, saying she thought it would be helpful for him as he continued his recovery. He would always be thankful to God for her support.

He walked behind Molly where she stood at the counter and slid his arms around her waist in a gesture he often did, resting his chin atop her head. "I love you, baby," he told her, and she stopped in her task long enough to twist in his embrace so he could kiss her.

"Love you too."

He released her and then remembered his talk with Anthea - Andrea, he reminded himself. "By the way, I learned something new today when I went to see Mycroft."

Molly cut the sandwiches in half and put them on plates while he busied himself making tea for them. "Something else about Mary?"

She moved to the microwave, which had beeped to indicate the vegetables were done, and extracted the dish as Sherlock responded. "Nope. It was about Mycroft's assistant, Anthea. She's engaged."

Molly spooned some vegetables onto each plate. "Oh, That's lovely, I've only met her a couple times, but she seems like a very nice woman."

Sherlock set the teacups on the table and collected forks for them to use while Molly set the plates onto the table. "She's not only engaged, she's pregnant."

He was a little startled when Molly grinned and said, "I hope she gets married soon enough so that she can get into a nice wedding dress. I remember the one dream I had where we got married when I was pregnant, and I only just fit into my wedding dress."

Sherlock grinned back. "Ah yes, that delightfully silly friends with benefits one."

Molly coloured slightly. "Don't tease me. You also had a dream where I was obviously pregnant when we got married, except that I didn't get to wear a wedding dress in that one."

"That is true," agreed Sherlock. "Well, Mycroft said she is getting married in late February. I spoke to her and suggested she turn to you for pregnancy tips if she needs them, even suggested we have her and her fiancé over for dinner sometime. I gave her your number. I hope that's okay with you."

Molly didn't answer immediately, she went through to the sitting room, presumably to make sure Victoria was okay. When she returned, obviously satisfied that Victoria would be fine as they ate, she said, "That's absolutely fine, Sherlock. It still amazes me how you have changed so much as to be willing to invite people we are not very familiar with to have dinner with us."

"I really should have cleared it with you first," responded Sherlock before taking a big bite of his roast beef sandwich.

"Honey, don't worry about it. I hope Anthea has a better time with her pregnancy than I did." She took a bite of her own sandwich.

"Well, if the fact that she had to make a quick trip to the loo before she returned to escort me back to the lift is any indication, she might not have an easy time of it either. In fact, that was one of the things that alerted me to the fact she was pregnant," Sherlock informed her, taking up his fork to spear a roasted potato.

"Oh, poor thing," Molly responded sympathetically. "I wouldn't wish my extreme morning sickness on anyone even if it did yield a wonderful result."

They continued to eat, making an occasional comment to one another.

Once they had cleaned up the dishes, Molly remarked to Sherlock, "It's very quiet in there. I wonder if Victoria has fallen asleep in the playpen."

They walked together into the sitting room and discovered this was indeed so. Victoria had apparently fallen asleep while clutching a Detective Pusheen plush toy that had been a Christmas gift from Greg and Lori Lestrade. The little toy even had a deerstalker hat, and Sherlock had complained to Molly afterwards that Greg had especially bought it for Victoria knowing how the detective detested the deerstalker he had been given years earlier by the New Scotland Yard police force. Sherlock was relieved that that particular hat had gone missing quite sometime earlier, and he still suspected Molly had thrown it out, despite her protestations to the contrary.

Victoria, however, loved her toy, and the damp status of the side of the toy indicated that she had been happily gnawing on it before falling asleep.

Sherlock felt it was time to bring up the subject of the missing "ear hat" again. "So, Molly, my sweet," he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders from behind as she leaned into the playpen to observe their sleeping daughter, "when are you going to admit you threw away that deerstalker of mine?"

Molly twisted her head around and gave him an impish smile, "I have told you many times I did not throw it away." Then she tilted her head slightly and added, "However, it may have become mixed up with some things of mine I was donating to church when they were doing a charity drive for the homeless a few months ago."

Sherlock kissed her temple to show he was not cross. "You are a little minx for keeping the truth from me for so long, but I'm glad to know it will be put to good use, hopefully by someone on the street. Better than languishing in a corner of the wardrobe, out of sight."

Molly giggled. "You never know, maybe someone in your homeless network ended up with it and is wearing it even now, never knowing it once belonged to you."

"Perhaps so," agreed Sherlock. He looked at the adorable dimple in his wife's cheek as she smiled. "You know, Molly, seeing as Victoria is asleep in here, that means our bedroom is free for some recreational activity."

Molly leaned into him. "Shouldn't you be thinking about seeking out some new client consultations? And I need to be getting some sleep as well, seeing as I'm on night shift."

Sherlock smirked and eased her unfastened cardigan off her shoulders and let it slide to the floor. As he did so, he feathered a row of kisses down Molly's face and along her neck, eliciting a little shiver from her; she loved her neck being kissed. "Always time for a little pro-creation practice before you go to sleep, don't you think?"

"Oh fine," she said in an annoyed tone, but Sherlock wasn't fooled for an instant. "But you have to get the video camera and move it into here so we can hear Victoria if she wakes up."

Sherlock proceeded to do just that. He certainly hoped this would be one of the times when Victoria would not interrupt them while they were in the throes of passion. That had happened often enough, and it was a bit of a mood-killer.

He retrieved the camera from the side of the cot and brought it out into the sitting room, setting it up so that the camera was angled to display their sleeping baby on the video screen usually kept in the sitting room. "All good?" he enquired, looking at Molly hopefully as he showed her the display screen.

She answered without words, giving him a come-hither look and reached for him, trailing her fingers along the side of his face and delicately touching his lips which tingled at the caress. Then she lifted herself up on tiptoes, and he bent his head to meet her lips with his own, kissing her deeply for several moments, as he felt his insides warm from the contact, as always.

With his free hand he led her towards the bedroom, then set the video monitor on her bedside table.

Things were just getting rather heated in the bedroom when Victoria let out an audible sigh. That gave Sherlock a few anxious moments as he and Molly both glanced over at the monitor. He smiled with relief when the baby merely shifted slightly and did not wake, and he returned his attentions to Molly.

Some time later, Sherlock gently disengaged himself from Molly's embrace and left her to sleep. He got dressed again and picked up the video monitor, then returned to the sitting room and placed it on his desk. At this point he didn't really need the monitor, he could see the playpen from his vantage point, and he would hear Victoria if she woke, but he did like to glance occasionally at that sweet sleeping face with the soft brown hair that framed it.

Sherlock turned on his laptop and went to his email. As usual, there were requests for consultations to be sorted through.

Why do people think I have nothing better to do than ascertain whether their lovers or spouses are cheating on them? he wondered for the umpteenth time. There were plenty of private detectives out there for that sort of thing. These days he tended to have a very narrow view of people who acted so shamefully, and he preferred to use his talents for nobler pursuits that involved proper mysteries - missing heirlooms, even missing people. Those cases brought greater personal reward when he was able to solve them.

He was just contemplating what email to respond to with an offer of consultation when he received a text from Greg Lestrade.

Hey, Sherlock. Happy New Year. I have a rather interesting case for you if you are interested - involves a pair of severed ears, not from the same person, delivered in a cardboard box to a Miss Sarah Cushing of Croydon. Could use your help if you can be here at ten in the morning so we can visit the lady who received the mysterious package. May just be a prank by some medical students she had to evict, but if not, I'm sure you'd enjoy a nice, juicy murder investigation, wouldn't you? Feel free to ask John along as well. Let me know.

Sherlock's eyes lit up at the text. It had been a good long while since he'd had the opportunity to investigate a potential murder, especially one that involved severed body parts.

Immediately, he took up the video monitor and headed downstairs to see whether Mrs. Hudson would be available to babysit the following day so he could head to New Scotland Yard.

Mrs. Hudson opened the door to his knock. "Sherlock! Do you need me to babysit your daughter tomorrow?"

Sherlock was rather impressed that she knew him so well, but then again, he did tend to usually wander downstairs to see her only when he required her services or could smell her fresh scones. He gave her a rather bashful smile and nodded. "If you are available. Molly is on night shift, and Lestrade has requested my services on a case that involves a pair of severed ears. He would like me to be at the Yard at ten in the morning, but if the case is complicated, and it sounds like it might be, it will require a few hours of my time, and Molly will need to get her rest after lunch before she has her next shift."

She shuddered, obviously picking up on his words about his case. "Severed ears? That sounds disgusting, although I suppose it is preferable to you storing said ears in your fridge."

Sherlock pursed his lips and shifted slightly from one foot to the other. "At least I limit my experiments to the fridge in the basement flat these days."

"That is true," Mrs. Hudson agreed, taking the video monitor from Sherlock and peering at the sleeping Victoria. "Such a sweet little lamb, and oh my goodness, what is that toy with a deerstalker on its head she is holding?"

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Lestrade's idea of a fun gift for my daughter for Christmas, probably to remind me of that awful hat I used to wear."

"I noticed you haven't worn that in a very long time."

"Neither Molly nor I cared for it, and it has now found a better home via a charity drive for the homeless that was held at our church," explained Sherlock.

Mrs. Hudson returned the monitor to him. "I quite liked the hat, although I understand why Molly would not care for those lovely locks of yours to be covered up."

Sherlock felt a little flustered. As if he didn't have enough females obsessed with his hair, now his landlady was commenting on it too? "Yes, well, may I leave Victoria with you in the morning or have Molly bring her down after lunch?"

"Of course, dear," responded his landlady quickly. "You know how much I enjoy taking care of your baby."

Sherlock rested his free hand on her shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "I don't know what I'd do without you." Her answering smile of delight made him feel extraordinarily pleased with himself. It was nice to acknowledge the kindness of others. It didn't only make the recipient feel good, it gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling of happiness as well.

He returned upstairs and sat at his desk to send off a text to Lestrade.

Sorry for the delayed response. It sounds like a case that will take some time, so I needed to arrange for Mrs. Hudson to watch Victoria. I do not believe Molly would appreciate me bringing the baby along on an investigation. I look forward to hearing the details at ten o'clock in the morning and will see if John wishes to accompany me.

He then typed another message to John.

Lestrade has a case that involves a couple of severed ears. The game is on! Would you like to meet me at the Yard to consult with Lestrade at ten tomorrow morning?

He had just sent off the text when a response came in from the detective inspector.

Great. I can't wait to see what you make of it. Speaking of your daughter, how is she enjoying her Christmas present from Lori and myself?

Sherlock made a face when he read the second sentence and formulated a response.

Regrettably, it seems to have become her favourite toy. She is at this moment clutching it to herself as she takes a nap.

He was about to hit the send button when he thought better of it. Rudeness was part of the old Sherlock, and he needed to remember that. Old habits died hard at times. He deleted the word "regrettably" and sent off the text.

The response of a thumbs up emoji assured him he had made the correct decision in removing the first word.

A sound came from the video monitor Sherlock had placed back on the desk, and he glanced at the screen to see Victoria stirring.

Sherlock went over to the playpen. He lifted Victoria out, feeling extraordinarily pleased when she greeted him with a smile and said "Dada."

He was still a little proud of the fact that her first word had been 'Dada' rather than 'Mama'. Of course it might have had something to do with the fact that whenever he was alone with Victoria he would say to her, "Can you say 'Dada'? 'Da - da'." He was not about to admit to his daughter's indoctrination though. Molly had been slightly miffed by Victoria's apparent preference for saying that word, but in actuality their baby had begun also saying Mama only a couple weeks later and Sherlock suspected Molly at that point had begun doing her own method of indoctrination when he was not around.

Victoria shifted in his grasp and reached back towards the cot. With a little sigh, Sherlock retrieved her Pusheen toy and she began to gnaw on it as he returned to his desk and sat with his daughter on his lap.

His phone pinged and he used his free hand to pick it up and read the message which had come in from John.

Just cleared it with Kayla. I'll meet you there tomorrow. Kayla also wanted to see if you, Molly and Victoria are free to come for a little birthday party for Rosie's 2nd birthday next week Saturday.

Sherlock mentally calculated Molly's schedule. She would work the weekend after her week of night shift was concluded Friday morning. That meant the following Saturday she would be off.

Wouldn't miss it for the world, he responded back to John, as he balanced Victoria on his lap while tapping at the keys.

He was about to replace his phone on the desk when it pinged once more. It was one more text from John, and the words confirmed that his decision to not divulge the information to him about Mary unless absolutely necessary had been the right one.

This is going to be such a great year isn't it? Working together again, watching our children grow. I'm so blessed, Sherlock. I couldn't ask for more than I've been given.

Sherlock sent off a thumbs up emoji and set down the phone again. He lifted Victoria so she was face-to-face with him.

"And there's all the proof I need to let sleeping dogs lie, Victoria," he told his completely uninterested daughter who continued to suck on her toy.

Yes, he thought, placing a kiss to his daughter's forehead. He had been able to close the file on Mary and could move on in making the best of the life he had been given when she had saved him from death. He was sure she would be proud of the way her "Baker Street Boys" had moved on with their lives and found happiness. Mary would have approved of Kayla as well because she would have seen how the other woman loved Rosie as much as she had.

Indeed, as John had said, this year promised to be a good one for both of their families.

Rest in peace, Mary, he thought to himself, returning Victoria to a seated position on his lap and cuddling her to him, feeling very thankful for everything he had. Rest in peace.

Author's note: I found it interesting to discover the different types of baby food used in England and how they come in pouches rather than jars. Some of the food combinations do not sound very appetizing to me! How about you?

What did you think of the additional backstory for Sherlock's past that I provided - plausible or not so much?

So, things are resolved - for now. I feel that John would not actively pursue anything else to do with Mary, when you think about his response to her in the Christmas conversation. "The problems of your past are your business; the problems of your future on my privilege."

But... I am not discounting the possibility that Rosie might get curious about her birth mother when she is older. There's a possible story there, and perhaps I will write it if I'm still writing Sherlolly next year and the show doesn't return for season 5. Season 5 would mark the death knell for my time here.

So, what did you think about the conversation regarding the deerstalker? I've never cared for the hat, it covers Sherlock's lovely curls. Therefore, Molly is of the same opinion. So yeah, I wanted to get rid of it once and for all ;)

There are references in this chapter to two of my dream stories - From Friends with Benefits to Endless Love, and Sherlock's Dream of What Might Have Been.

The request from Greg for help with a case alludes to a real one from ACD canon.

Anyway, I hope to hear from you with your own reflections upon this story. Help keep my creative muse alive with your feedback!