(A/N: This is a bit of a long chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it. There might be just a few FEELS in it. Please leave a review if you read. Thanks!)

Chapter 17 – Faith in Us

"That's absolutely beautiful. What're you playing?"

I glanced toward Victoria yet caught myself staring at the way that black dress fit her. Strapless and knee-length, it hugged her curves quite deliciously and finished with a satin ribbon tied at the waist like a gift for me to unwrap later. "Hm? Oh, it's just a little something I'm composing."

"Well, it sounds wonderful, but you need to finish getting ready. The car will be here soon, Sherlock. We're supposed to be there by eight. Where did you put your tie, and why aren't you wearing shoes yet?" She ran a hand across her forehead, pinching the bridge of her nose, and I felt a pang of guilt for agitating her, knowing she'd been rather tired and cross much of the day. "Believe me, I'm not really in the mood for this either, but Lucas went to a lot of trouble to do this, even after the week he's had, so just let him congratulate us in… you know, his very Lucas way. Eventually, you will get used to it."

"Dinner at one of London's most prestigious restaurants, three Michelin stars no less, with barely a week's notice, a car to fetch us, and I have to wear a godforsaken tie? Not seeing how that will become normal anytime in my near future, darling." Her face expressed a lack of amusement, and I set down my violin to focus on neatly organizing the composition notes on the music stand. She'd been on a mad tear, cleaning the flat that morning. "But for you, I'll make my best effort."

Finding my tie draped over the microscope in the kitchen, she brought it over, finally smiling. "Lucas genuinely wants everyone to get along. He did invite John and Mary."

"And Mycroft," I muttered, using my reflection in the window to tie a crisp Windsor knot. Turning to her again, I put on a smile and asked, "How does that look?"

"You…" She inhaled heavily, licking her lips, and I wanted to take her to our bedroom right then and there. "God, Sherlock, you really have no idea how handsome you are, do you? You worry too much about Lucas for nothing. I love you. I'm marrying you. He's never, never been the one."

Pressed between the window and Victoria's body, entangled in a passionate kiss, sliding my hands along her dress to her arse, pulling her harder against me, I didn't care one bit about dinner out. Another night spent celebrating our engagement alone at Baker Street sounded more than sufficiently appealing.

Unfortunately, we had other plans, and two hours later, the six of us were well into drinking, dining, and conversing at Le Gavroche. Although, Mary drank only water, and after one glass, Victoria complained the wine wasn't sitting well with her, opting for water as well. She'd behaved quite peculiar all day, and I'd expected socializing with our friends would put her to rights, but she still seemed a bit off.

She took a bite of her salmon she'd been eating at a painstaking pace then suddenly threw her fork on her plate, pushing her chair back from the table, and stood, swaying slightly. "Please excuse me. I don't feel well."

I stood as well, wanting to help but at a bit of a loss as to what I should do when Mary hopped up from her seat. "I'll go with her. Don't you worry about a thing." She gave me what I was sure she meant as a reassuring smile as they walked away, but still felt quite uneasy.

"Should I go ahead and send for the car?" Lucas asked, and I simply nodded, barely noticing as he left the table.

Something was amiss.

"Is there information of note you're failing to share, brother mine?"

If I had bothered to look, I was sure Mycroft's face wore the same smug expression as usual while I fit together the pieces of the puzzle…

"Sherlock, are you okay?" I looked to John and felt my heart racing. "Sherlock?"

"She's pregnant," I stated in the calmest tone I could muster.

The table fell silent for a few moments before John spoke again. "Sherlock, don't go making crazy deductions, jumping to conclusions, and getting hysterical with worst case scenarios. Maybe she's just sick."

Worst case scenarios? "No, you don't understand. Victoria is pregnant." Both John and my brother were being rather exasperating with their baffled expressions. "She's been of quite a temperament today, took a nap this afternoon, which she never does, and then tonight the wine didn't sit well with her, but she loves wine, now she's feeling ill." I was quite proud of myself for not overlooking anything. "My fiancée is clearly pregnant."

"Oh, brother mine, I have done a great many things to help you out of troublesome situations you've found yourself, but I am afraid even I must take the moral high ground and refuse any action on this matter."

I stared at my brother, blinking rapidly and trying to collect my thoughts. "Are you… I'm not even sure I can comprehend what level of absolute mortification is most appropriate at the moment. I tell you I'm going to be a father, you an uncle, and your immediate reaction is essentially one of threat assessment and damage control. If that's how you wish to be, very well, brother mine, but I'll have you know, both of you," I snapped sharply at John, "because don't think I didn't notice your insinuations… I'll have you both know that I noticed these things in Victoria as it happened that I've been carefully watching, having studied up on the earliest signs I could expect to confirm conception, hoping she'd be one to display symptoms as soon as six or seven days. I wasn't sure I could last two weeks without a sign, and I will be more than relieved once we can confirm with proper testing. What you both fail to see in this is that I'm not facing a worst case scenario and am not in need of anyone's help out of the situation."

The three of us remained silent until Lucas returned, and I kept fidgeting with anything within arms' reach worried about Victoria. "The car's ready when you are, mate." Lucas glanced toward the doorway where the girls disappeared off to the loo. "They aren't back yet? Is Vick alright? I can count on one hand the number times I've known her to be sick in the last twelve years."

"She's not sick, Lucas, she's pregnant." A smile twitched at the corner of my mouth, hearing myself say those words again. The more I said it, the more real it became, and I didn't want to stop saying it, though I mentally cringed at the lurking doubt in my mind, the smallest of fears that my deductions were wrong, but I pushed that aside, determined to remain positive. "It's too early to confirm, but the signs are there, and I'm rather confident in my skills of deduction."

Mycroft frowned but tilted his head toward me. "I believe it would be in error to disagree with your assessment. The evidence does seem rather irrefutable, and you, dear brother, would be most knowledgeable regarding possible dates of conception, which incidences contraception failed."

"He's right, or you're both right," John added. "You were certainly right about Mary, and the symptoms you're talking about are medically sound. And as Mycroft pointed out, you'd best know the timing of it all."

Lucas slowly looked around the table, clearly gauging the tension among the three of us then smiled at me, clapping me on the shoulder. "Well, I don't care what anyone else says, mate, I think it's fantastic news, and I'm happy for you both. Congratulations. If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, you let me know. With everything … I'm less busy." Despite our differences, I felt a pang of sympathy for the bloke, the way Lizzy ran off to Paris with that photographer not even a week before their wedding, scandalous tabloid fodder to plague the Fieldings. "I'm freed up to be a dedicated uncle to the little guy… or girl."

"Excuse me." Mycroft turned indignantly on Lucas, surprising me given their general congeniality toward one another. "You're of no blood relation to either Victoria or Sherlock; therefore, I'm the only uncle sitting at this table. In fact, I'm the only uncle at all."

"Oh, shut up, Mycroft, minutes ago my child was nothing more than a 'troublesome situation' as far as you were concerned," I nearly growled, already feeling keenly protective of my child. My child. I loved the sound of that. And regardless of what he said at the time, I knew Victoria was right about my brother, his overprotective nature. Eventually, either on his own or with a bit of assistance from Mummy, he would come around completely on the matter. That didn't change the fact he was being an absolute arsehole. "Victoria will have it no other way but Aaron and Lucas both acknowledged as uncles, so just step off your pompous little pedestal now."

At that moment, I spotted Mary and Victoria reemerging and quickly excused myself, grabbing her clutch with every intention of whisking her away. Lucas was right on my heels. "Don't feel like you have to defend me to your brother, Sherlock. What's the worst he can do? Be an arrogant arse?"

"He's the British government. You don't want to know the worst he can do," I replied under my breath, swiftly wrapping an arm around Victoria's waist and waving Mary off with a quick 'thank you' and a forced smile. "Darling, how are you feeling?"

"Dizzy and terrible. I just want to soak in the tub then sleep." She rested her head on my shoulder, and I ran my fingers over her flushed cheeks. "Lucas, I'm sorry. You must be paying a fortune for this dinner only to have me flush it down the toilet."

"Vick, really?" He waved a finger at her in mock admonishment. "You let Sherlock take you home. Glancing to me, he added, "and I'll check on you tomorrow if you don't mind."

"Stop around for tea if you like. I'm sure we'll be home with Victoria needing her rest and all."

There was a definitive air of appreciation in his tone as we said our good-byes and further mentions were made of seeing one another the following day before Lucas hugged Victoria goodbye and gave me a firm handshake, quietly telling me to take good care of her, not that anyone needed to tell me to do so.

We had just arrived at Baker Street when my phone buzzed, and I checked to find a text from John.

Congratulations. Sorry I didn't say before. You've changed. All in good ways. I just don't know what to expect from you now. –JW

I ran a bath for Victoria and helped her settle in to relax a bit whilst I went to make her some soothing chamomile tea and texted him back.

No apologies needed. I've changed. So have you. You're still my best friend. We're both learning what to expect now. –SH

By the time I'd returned to check on Victoria, I'd rid myself of my jacket, tie, and waistcoat, and she was washing her hair. "Here, let me help you." I knelt on the floor beside the tub, insisting more than asking permission, satisfied with the way she relaxed into my touch as I worked my hands through her hair. "You do realize what this means, don't you? Feeling unwell like this?"

She froze, still as a statue. "Sherlock, it'll be another week before a test could tell us anything. Try not to get your hopes up, just in case. I don't want us to be disappointed if this isn't it."

I placed my hand low on her abdomen, over where our child would be, where I felt sure it was, spreading my fingers wide. "I'm not a religious man. I don't believe in a god or a higher power. However, I do have faith in us, and because of that faith, I believe the signs I see are not false or specious. I don't need logic and deductions to know what I do. In my heart, I feel it, a sense you're carrying my baby just as strong as knowing I love you, Victoria."

Long after she fell asleep that night, my mind kept me awake. Thankfully, she was a heavy sleeper, and I moved in bed to situate my head on her stomach, pulling her nightgown up to rest my hand over our baby again. There was something in the action that felt remarkably soothing.

"I know you're in there, though nothing can tell us for certain quite yet, and you can't hear me. Perhaps it's rather silly of me, wanting to talk to you, but I want you to know from the very beginning that despite what you may one day hear about me and the person I once was, I am your daddy, and I always loved you and always wanted you. Unquestionably, unreservedly, unconditionally, always. … Although I don't know if I want you to be a boy or a girl yet, but no matter. I'll learn everything I can to be ready, and your mum will be here to make sure I don't muck it all up. She's a fantastic woman. You'll love her. Hopefully you'll love me too."

Victoria complained I slept with all the stillness of a tornado, but the next morning, I awoke in the same position as I'd dozed off, my hand unmoved, Victoria sound asleep. And I never cared any less than I did in that moment about such trite nonsense as Earth revolving around the sun. My whole world had shifted to revolve around the two beings in that bed with me at 221B Baker Street— my soon-to-be wife and our child. I didn't care that I could only physically see one of them. They were both there, and they meant everything in the world to me.

(A/N: Again, reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!)