Next Installment! This one is based on Son of Man. I am actually quite proud of this one. It turned out completely different than I thought it was going to but I like where it ended up. I want to thank benedicted-cumberbatched so much for all of her help with this! I hope ya'll like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing! Well, actually I own Oliver, but that's it.

Five year old William Holmes had everything he could ever want. He had his Mummy and Daddy, his puppy Redbeard, and most importantly his older brother Mycroft. He was the best big brother ever. Will never left his side.

"Myc, will you play pirates with me?"

"Can't you wait an hour or so?"

"No, Nathan won't come out of his room and we're losing daylight! Blackbeard will get to the booty before we do! Come on!" Will said as he tugged at the tan jumper his brother wore.

Mycroft sighed, "Have you got the crew ready, Captain?"

"I get to be captain this time? Really Myc?" Will looked up at his brother adoringly.

"Aye cap. We've got treasure to find!" Mycroft said as he let his little brother climb on his back. He broke out into a run as soon as Will was secured. They ran through the halls and down the stairs. They ran past their father who chuckled at the pair of them from behind his newspaper. Once they reached the doorway to the kitchen Mycroft stopped and let Will down. He peered around the corner and jumped back as soon as he looked.

"We've got trouble Captain."

Will looked up at his brother with wide eyes, "what is it?"

"The Kraken!" Mycroft said as he grabbed Will by the shoulders, "what's the plan of attack?"

"We'll sneak past! It's the only logical solution, unless we want to go all the way around the house."

"Quite right, Captain. Sneaking it is."

The boys got down on their hands and knees. Will lead the way into the kitchen and crawled along the wall and stopped when he got under the table. Mycroft stopped beside him. They watched the legs of their mother as she stood at the sink washing dishes.

"How are we going to get past her Myc?"

"Very carefully, brother mine."

"If you two even so much as think about sneaking past me, I'll have your hides before you can say shiver me timbers." The brothers quickly crawled out from under the table to stand before their mother. Mycroft stood up straight with a look of distaste on his face, while Will giggled and put his hands behind his back swinging his shoulders to the front and back.

"Mummy, we were just playing. We don't really think that you're a kraken," Will said smiling up at his mother.

"I know you don't sweet thing. Were you and Adam having fun?"

"Yeah, we-" Will started.

"I've asked you to call me Mycroft, Mummy."

"Not now, Adam."

"I don't understand why you won't call me what I want you to."

"I named you Adam, so that is what I'm going to call you."

"You also named Will William but you still call him Will."

"Yes son, because Will is short for William. There is no way that one can get Mycroft out of Adam."

"I call him Myc, Mummy," Will said.

"Will, go see your father for a quick second."

"Mummy, every time you say that, it's never a quick second."

"William," she said sternly.

"Yes, Mummy" he said as he looked down and shuffled his feet as he walked toward the living room. His mother watched him until he walked out of the room and the door shut behind him. Not wanting to miss out on any of the conversation, he stuck his ear to the door.

"Adam Mycroft James Holmes, why must you question everything I say to you?"

"It is a valid question, Mother. Why did you put Mycroft in my name if you don't like it? Perhaps I do."

"Ask your father why it is part of you name. As to your liking it and wanting to be called that, it's fine. I shall still call you Adam. Out of habit if anything."

"Will, you would do well to quit listening to conversations you are not a part of." He turned around to see his father staring at him with his paper folded in his lap.

"Sorry Daddy."

Scott Holmes chuckled at his youngest son with his unruly curls falling down in his face, his paper pirate hat fighting to stay on his head. "Come here, son." He rushed to his father and climbed up in his lap.

"Daddy, can I ask you something?"

He wrapped his arm around Will and hugged him close, "anything you want."

"Why does Myc fight with Mummy about his name?"

"Well, he wants to be called one thing but your mother wants to call him something else. She loves your brother's name so she has a hard time giving it up."

"But why does he not want to be called Adam."

"I think he wants to be different from everyone else. He wants something that will set him apart."

"Don't his brain set him apart?

"Doesn't, William. It does, but I think your brother wants a name that fits his brain. Do you understand?"

"I think. He wants a name that sounds as smart as he is."

"Something like that," Scott said.

"Daddy?"

"Yes"

"Would I be smart like Mycroft if I went by Sherlock instead of Will?"

"I happen to think that William is a very smart name, but if you would like to go by Sherlock, I will let you. It might take your mother a while to get used to it but she will get there, just as she will with Mycroft. Hopefully Nathan will keep his given name, or Mummy might lose her mind. Will," he shifted his son so he could look at him in the face. "I know that you don't fully understand why your brothers do what they do, or why your mother reacts the way that she does but one day you will. All of the answers will become clear. You'll grow up to be strong and wise, you just have to give it time. You'll have help along the way of course but you'll do it yourself. Do you want to know why?" Will nodded. "Because you are my son and because you are strong, in more ways than you know. You'll grow up to be a good man. Just do me a favor and don't grow up too fast."

"Ok Daddy," Will giggled and hugged his father.

"Captain," Mycroft called from the kitchen, "The kraken is going to let us pass."

"Gotta go, our treasure has to be protected!" Will said as he jumped off of his father's lap.

"Don't let ole Blackbeard win, son."

"Never fear, Daddy. Captain Holmes is on the case!" Will said as he ran towards the kitchen thinking about what his father said. He couldn't worry about that now. His treasure was waiting for him!

10 Years later

Sherlock was home for the holidays, the only Holmes child home for break. Mycroft was too busy with his new job and Nathan well, that's a whole other story. Home alone with his parents. He almost wished he had stayed at school but then he'd have to put up with the annoying students that stayed behind. His parents seemed more entertaining than that, but as he watched them dance around the kitchen, he began to second guess his decision.

"Are you too going to actually talk to me, or just dance around the kitchen? If not I'm going back to my room"

Meredith and Scott Holmes backed away from each other and his father straightened his bowtie.

"Must you wear those? They look ridiculous," Sherlock snipped.

"You do know that the more you complain about them, the more I will wear them right?" Scott said as he clapped Sherlock on the shoulder.

"I don't understand the enjoyment you get out of torturing me."

"I don't believe you ever will, dear," his mother chimed in. "You're trying to be too much like Mycroft."

"No I'm not. I'm nothing like him. He likes his work far too much for his own good. I know when to stop."

"Sherlock, dear, you don't work. You hardly do your schoolwork by what your teachers tell us."

"Are we really going to talk about this now?"

"Sherlock, we spend all of that money for you to barely get by. You are so smart; you can do so much better than this."

"Yes, but it's not worth my time. They are all idiots, the students and the teachers."

"Sherl-"

"I'm going for a walk," Sherlock said as he walked out of the kitchen. He sighed and shook his head has he put on his jacket.

He didn't know how long he walked or how many cigarettes he had but he knew that he would have it coming from Mummy when he got back. When he saw the house, he noticed that most of the lights were out. He might be able to postpone his mother's fury for a few more hours if he was lucky. They had left the door unlocked and the kitchen light on. He opened the door as quietly as he could, stopping before it creaked. He stepped into the kitchen to turn the light off and found his father sitting at the table.

"What happened to that little boy who loved pirates?"

Sherlock sighed as he realized that he couldn't escape his father. He sat across from him and looked at his hands. "He grew up."

"Throwing a tantrum at your mother and I when we bring up school and storming off to smoke is not grown up, William. It's childish and rude. You used to be so sweet. You were a ball of energy that never ceased to make us smile. All of us. What happened?"

Sherlock didn't know what to say. He knew the answer. He knew it whether he wanted to admit it or not. "He left," he whispered.

"Sorry?"

"He left," he said louder. ""Mycroft went to school and left me alone. Nathan wouldn't come out of his room long enough for me to say anything to him and you and Mum had other things to deal with. I know that you two did what you could, but Mycroft was the only one who seemed to want to put up with me."

Scott looked hurt, "Son, I never realized how his going to school effected you."

"Yes, well it did and I don't want to say anything more about it. It happened and there's no changing it."

"Sherlock," Scott sighed as he leaned on the table. "You do know that there are times you will be alone in life. No, you will never be completely alone, your mother and I and Mycroft will always be there to help you, even though it may seem like we are not. But, son, there are things that you will have to face alone. I know that you can face them all and come out standing tall. You may be battered and bruised but you will survive, you have so far," he got up and walked by Sherlock and towards the door, "You'll be a good man, Sherlock, you just have to believe that for yourself. Make sure you lock the door before you head to bed," he said as he walked out of the door.

"That's the problem," Sherlock whispered to himself.

20 years later

As Scott Holmes sat with his wife watching his youngest son dance with his new bride, who cradled their son between them, he wondered how they had made it to this point. He couldn't lie; there was a point in his young son's life, where he thought he wouldn't make it. Drugs have a way of destroying people and they nearly destroyed Sherlock Holmes. Had Inspector Lestrade not shown up when he did, Sherlock wouldn't be out on that dancefloor and little Oliver would not exist. Scott had to thank that man one day.

"I never thought we'd see this day," Meredith sighed as she leaned against her husband.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and toyed with the ends of her hair, "what do you mean, Dear?"

"Well, Sherlock in general. Him finding a woman that would put up with him, and being as sweet as Molly is, having a child for goodness sake!" Scott chuckled as he kissed her head.

"No, I knew he would be fine. He's our son after all. Did he worry me for a while, of course. He worried us all, but I knew that he would make it through somehow. He found his way and found what he needed and they are standing right there," he said as he pointed to the couple on the dance floor. "He didn't even know he needed them." He looked at his wife and smiled.

"He's never known what's good for him," Meredith sighed.

"I do hope you're not talking about me," Sherlock said as he walked up beside his mother with Oliver perched on his hip.

"Of course we are, Sherlock. That's what happens at weddings. People talk about the bride and groom, and their precious son. Now, give me my grandson if you don't mind." Meredith said as she took Oliver from him.

"Take him, he needs to be changed," Sherlock chuckled.

"Oh, I don't care. We need to have a little chat anyway, don't we Oliver?" She walked off towards the bathroom listening to Oliver babble about his day.

Sherlock sat in his mother's chair and grabbed a toothpick off of the table. He fiddled with it as he watched Molly dance with John. "She wasn't wrong. I've never known what was good for me. I kept Molly at arm's length for years. I didn't want to accept what she could represent, what she would change if I allowed her in."

"What changed?" Scott asked as he looked at his son.

"Me. After I jumped off that roof, after I had to stay away for years, after Magnussen, after everything that happened, she was still there. She never left me, not once. I realized that she was my saving grace. I realized that I would be truly happy if I just let her in. I'm just lucky she was still willing to put up with me." He looked down at his hands, "I never thought that I could love somebody as much as I love her. I never saw myself as a father. I honestly didn't see myself living past the age of 24, but then she showed up. She has given me everything I never knew I wanted, everything I never knew I needed."

"You've gone and grown up on me, Will." Sherlock looked up at his father. Scott just smiled, "You're a good man son. I'm proud of you."

Sherlock stared at his father then smiled. "That means a lot coming from you." He chuckled and clapped him on the back.

"What are you two talking about?" Meredith said as she walked up to them.

"Nothing of importance," Sherlock said as he stood up. "Alright young man, let's get you back to your mother before your Uncle John dances her feet off." Sherlock lifted his son out of his mother's arms. Oliver started giggling and waving his little arms around, "I would appreciate it if you didn't slap me in the face, son," Sherlock sighed as he walked off towards his wife.

"He's a good boy isn't he?" Meredith asked.

"No Dear, he's a good man. We've all known it all along," Scott smiled at his wife and kissed her head. The pair looked toward their youngest son as he gazed down at his wife with a smile on his face. "The only difference now is that he's letting everyone else know."