A/N: Hello! Thought I was gonna skip a day huh? I'm posting a little late, but I hope it's up to your standards. Trouble's brewing for the teenagers! I know you're trembling with anticipation! Again, thanks for all the reviews- they feed my muse! Enjoy!

Several nights later everyone was sitting around the table playing a less than friendly game of Trivial Pursuit. They had all insisted that Sherlock be on a team by himself and no one was allowed to help him. The twins tried, of course, but their answer to every question was Star Wars. The kids' team was a formidable opponent with Gabriel being almost as good with trivia as Sherlock. Katie seemed to forgive him for the time being, but he'd been trying to keep his distance a little. He didn't want their interactions to turn into another make-out session that would end badly. Gabriel didn't want to be in a relationship right now but he knew that if Katie kissed him then he wouldn't be able to resist kissing her back. And then she'd think they were back together. And then of course there was Jessica. She hadn't come around again since their first morning. Maybe she didn't fancy him as much as he'd thought. Or maybe she'd seen him on the beach with Katie and assumed that she was his girlfriend.

"Gabe… help me. I can't reach the dice," Jada said, breaking his train of thought. "It's my turn to roll."

"Oh. Sorry," Gabe replied, handing over the dice.

"It's okay," Jada replied with a smile. Before she could roll there was a knock at the door that led out on to the beach.

"Who could that be?" Molly said. "Are we expecting anyone this evening?"

Sherlock sighed. "I don't think so. But you know how Mycroft is. He just shows up." Sherlock opened the patio door to find Jessica standing there. He glanced down at his watch. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Hi. I'm Jessica. I was wondering if Gabriel was here?" Gabriel looked up, hearing his name. He leaned back, peering around Katie. His heart flopped in his chest to see the small blonde girl standing in the doorway. He'd half expected he'd never see her again.

"He is," Sherlock answered. Gabriel was immediately at his side. "See," he said, walking away.

"Hey Jessica. Where have you been? I haven't seen you on the beach the last couple of days."

"Yeah, my cousins got here a little early so we had to do stuff with them. But they're all gone except for my cousin Mark. He's staying for a while. Until we leave. He's our age. Mine and yours I mean." Gabriel could tell that Jessica was nervous standing in the doorway with his entire family staring at her from the table. "Wow… it looks like I interrupted…"

"No!" Gabriel said, a bit too quickly. "We're just having a game. Do you want to come in?"

Before she could reply, Katie had flown from the table to Gabriel's side and was already holding her hand out. "Hello. I'm Katie." She smiled a little too sweetly and casually threw her arm around Gabe's shoulder.

"Oh… hi," Jessica stammered as she shook Katie's hand. "Jess. I met Gabriel on the beach a few days ago. You must be Gabriel's sister?"

Katie chuckled. "Not at all. His sister's only eight. I'm Gabriel's BFF."

"Oh," Jessica replied and then laughed awkwardly. "Oh I see. Your best friend's a girl."

"Does that seem strange?" Katie asked, raising an eyebrow. "We've known each other since we were five."

"A little bit maybe," Jess replied. "If I had a best friend that looked like Gabriel, we'd be more than just friends."

Gabriel laughed really loud and insinuated himself between the girls. He could see the rest of the family watching them out of the corner of his eye and he got the distinct impression that Katie was about to mark her territory in some really horrible way. "Maybe we should just go talk on the patio," he said almost shoving her outside. He almost groaned when Katie followed, but what could he do? She was his best friend and he didn't want her to think she was unwelcome. Or maybe he didn't want Katie to know how much he was attracted to Jessica. "There, this is better. If we'd stood there much longer, my baby sister and brothers would have been jumping around us while we were trying to talk."

"Cute," Jessica replied, sitting down on one of the chaises. "Anyway, I came down to ask if you wanted to go see a film with me tomorrow night. The hotel where I'm staying has a little cinema. And that coffee shop you were talking about is right next door."

"Umm… sure! We could go see that new Marvel movie if they have it."

"Absolutely!" Jess exclaimed.

"Wait, Gabe," Katie interrupted, hopping up to perch on the railing. "I thought you and I were going to see that together."

"Umm… well…" What the hell was he supposed to say now? He couldn't just tell Katie that she could come. This was kind of like a date. Wasn't it? Suddenly he wished his father was out there. He was clever and could figure out what he should say. Fortunately, Jessica was on top of things.

"You can come too," Jess began. "My cousin Mark could come. We can double. Mark's really cute, Kate. I bet he'd like you a lot."

Gabriel smiled and nodded. "That sounds like fun." He turned and shrugged at Katie.

"Sure. Why not?" Katie replied.

"Great. Let me just go make sure it's okay with my parents," Gabriel said.

OoOoOo

Molly had kept up her silence for the rest of the game, for the ice cream afterwards, through her and Mary's walk on the beach, and through bath time with the twins. Now, as she lay on her back, staring at the ceiling and listening to the waves hit the sand outside while Sherlock kissed his way down her throat and across her chest, she couldn't stand it anymore. "I don't think I like this Jessica girl."

"Who?" he murmured, nuzzling the underside of her breast then kissing the plump crest.

"That girl who showed up here tonight for Gabe. I didn't like the way she looked at him."

"How did she look at him?" Sherlock asked, biting at her nipple lightly.

"Kind of the way you're looking at me right now."

Sherlock sighed and sat up, crossing his arms over his chest. "All right, Mouse. Spill it. Quickly before the mood passes."

"I don't know what it is. It's not as if Gabriel has never been on a date. But the only girl he's ever been on a date with is Katie. I can trust her, I suppose. But this girl just looks… fast."

"Fast?"

"Yes. Like she's got… you know… experience."

Sherlock couldn't help laughing. "What makes you think that?"

"I don't know! You're the detective, Mr. Science of Deduction. You tell me. What's wrong with her? Because all I've got to go on is mummy intuition which you're always telling me is ridiculous and biased."

"You want me to deduce a fifteen year old girl?"

"Yes."

"Now?"

"Of course now! Why not now?"

Sherlock raised his eyebrow and cast his eyes downward. "I fear I wouldn't be able to concentrate."

Molly giggled. "Well neither will I until you tell me there's nothing to worry about. Go ahead then," she said, sitting up in the bed and pulling the duvet up to her chin.

Sherlock sighed and pushed his hand through his hair. "Fine." He sat down beside her on the bed and steepled his fingers under his chin, thinking for several minutes. "Fifteen year old girl. Her accent indicates that she's from the midland region… probably Shropshire. Gabriel stated that they were staying in the hotel which indicates her family probably has money, but she also seems fascinated by Gabriel's stories about London so she's pretty sheltered. She's never lived in a large city. Her cousins came to join them which points to her having a large-ish extended family. Her attire this evening was acceptable for the beach—board shorts and a thin teeshirt covering a swimsuit top. However, it was after 9 pm and the wind on the beach where she presumably walked to get here was quite chilly. In fact, when you and Mary walked there earlier, you commented that you had to put on one of my jumpers and you wouldn't allow Scarlett to go with you for fear of her getting an ear infection from the cool, damp air. That indicates that the girl was trying to show off her figure intentionally for Gabriel. That could be construed as wanting to show him her sexual availability and/ or openness. Given the isolation of the region where she lives, it's possible that she's more promiscuous, statistically speaking."

"Statistically speaking?"

"Of course. Statistics indicate that people who live in smaller, isolated communities are more likely to be sexually active earlier. Simply put—there's nothing to do there except have sex."

Molly stared at Sherlock as if he had suddenly sprouted a horn in the center of his forehead. "You were supposed to make me feel better."

"Sorry, Mouse. I can't control the deductions. They just sort of… happen." He rolled over on his side and slid an arm around Molly's waist.

"Is that so?" she said, sliding down under the covers and sidling up against his body. "Well I'll take that under advisement next time."

"Do that," he said, kissing her lips gently.

"Mmmhmm," she hummed. "In the meantime though, Detective Inspector Krauss from the Sussex Police called this afternoon and said that you were expected at ten tomorrow morning."

"Snooping 'round my mobile again, were you?" he growled, biting her earlobe as his hands wandered under the duvet and across the slope of her belly.

"Well I thought you said no cases this month…" she sighed.

"I have no recollection of saying that." He rolled over on top of her. She tried to wrap her arms around his neck, but evidently he was relishing his dominance tonight. He grabbed her hands, pinning them behind her head as he kissed her soundly and growled against her mouth. Molly lost herself when he was like this and was content to be his plaything. So far this month they had been making up for lost time, reconnecting as lovers, instead of just being parents and it was glorious. She couldn't complain too much about Sherlock taking a case. In the last few days, he'd slowed himself down and allowed Molly to explore his body and mind and soul in a way she hadn't since Scarlett was born. And he had done the same, coming up with new and interesting ways to pleasure her. "God, you really are a genius," had been uttered many times. When she was younger, Molly had always thought that marriage and children would be the death knell of intimacy. This week had proved her so terribly wrong that she was now embarrassed that she'd ever thought such a thing.

Suddenly a rapping at the door stopped them cold. "Bloody hell…" Sherlock growled. "What?" he shouted. Finn opened the door and started in dragging a sniffling Will behind him. "No. No no no…" Sherlock said with a heavy sigh of exasperation. "No. When someone asks you what, you don't just come in. You say, 'Daddy may we come in?'." He gestured for them to leave. "Try that again." He and Molly quickly threw their pajamas on as the boys walked out, closed the door and knocked again. "What is it?"

"Daddy, we're coming in," Finn shouted making Molly burst into laughter. He didn't wait for an invitation and barreled right on into the bedroom.

Molly had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the deadly serious expressions on her sons' faces. "So what's going on, jellybean?" she asked as Will immediately pulled away from his brother and threw himself into his mother's arms.

"He says there a monster in our closet," Finn explained.

"There is, Mummy! There is!" Will whined, hiding under his mother's arm.

"See."

Sherlock sighed and mumbled, "What the hell is my life coming to?" Molly smacked his arm. "Will, there's no such thing as monsters. Go to bed."

"Uh huh!"

"No, there isn't."

"Uh huh!"

"See!" Finn exclaimed. "He's keeping me awake."

Will scrambled up the side of the bed and across Molly's lap to dive into the space between his parents. "No monsters get me here. I sleep with you, Mummy."

"Don't be ridiculous, William," Sherlock said. "There's no such thing as monsters. I promise."

"But what if there are, Daddy?"

"There aren't. I can assure you."

It didn't matter if Will's argument was valid or not. His big green eyes and trembling chin had already won Molly over. She was snuggling the boy against her side and brushing his thick dark curls away from his brow and kissing him noisily. "You're all right, sweetie. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"What if there's a monster in your closet, Mummy?"

"Then Daddy will beat it down," she replied without missing a beat.

"Okay, Mummy," Will sighed, snuggling down under the covers.

Sherlock's expression fell. "Why don't you come up too, Finn. It'll just be a party," he grumbled sarcastically.

"Okay, Daddy," Finn replied, climbing up Sherlock's side of the bed and into his lap. Finn arranged the covers over them and grabbed his father's hand, curling his tiny fist around the thumb. "Can we watch telly too?"