Dinner with Friends
Sherlock looked over at Molly, biting her lip nervously as she looked out the window of the cab at the sprawling estate they were driving through. He put his hand on top of hers, on Eleanor's carry-cot between them.
"You look more nervous than you did meeting my Mother." He commented.
Apparently it wasn't a helpful comment, as her face flushed brighter, and her eyes went down to her shoes.
"It was easier with her coming to our flat. This place is so big, I've never been anywhere like it." Molly told him.
"It's just a house. And it's just dinner with friends. Absolutely no reason for you to get nervous." Sherlock said casually. The house was now in view, as the taxi got closer.
"What if they don't like me?" Molly asked quietly.
"They will love you. But even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter. We don't have to socialise with them. After tonight we don't ever have to see them again if you don't wish to."
The car stopped, and Sherlock got out quickly, going round to help Molly out, before taking out Eleanor. He passed their daughter to his wife, before slinging her bag over his shoulder. Who would have known taking a baby somewhere required so much stuff? Fully equipped, he linked his arm through Molly's before striding up the steps and ringing the doorbell.
The door was opened by the butler as before, but they had hardly got in the door before Elsie came hurrying into the lobby to meet them. She came to a stop right in front of them, practically bouncing on her feet. Her eyes had been glued to Sherlock as she approached, but when she reached them, she instead turned to Molly.
"Hello, I'm Elsabeth, but you can call me Elsie. You must be Sherlock's lucky lady. I'm sorry, I didn't get your name." She said, holding out her hand.
"Uh, hi. I'm Molly." Molly said, glancing quickly over at Sherlock before taking Elsie's hand. She was surprised to be pulled closer, for a kiss on the cheek. Elsie was smiling broadly when she pulled back, entertained by Molly's nervousness. "Nice to meet you Molly" She said, before turning her bright smile on Sherlock, and tiptoeing to kiss his cheek too. "And nice to see you too."
"Elsie." He nodded in return, trying to hold back his own massive grin at his wife's reactions to Elsie's exuberance.
Elsie turned back to Molly, holding her breath slightly.
"Can I meet her?" She asked, her eyes bright with excitement, flicking down to Eleanor's carry cot.
After another quick look to Sherlock for reassurance, Molly lifted the cot up and turned it for Elsie, who immediately let out a huge 'aww', before reaching in to pick her up.
"Oh isn't she adorable!" She cooed, cradling Eleanor in her arms "She'll be a heartbreaker just like her Father. What's her name?"
"Eleanor." Molly supplied for her.
"A queen's name? How audacious of you." She smirked at Sherlock, knowingly. "It's perfect."
"Oh Elsie, you could have let our guests at least get out of their coats before you accosted them." Another female voice echoed across the hall. Another young woman entered, closely resembling Elsie, except for her darker brunette hair, pulled back in a bun. Molly recognised her from the wedding photos as Elsie's sister, the recently married Charlotte.
"Lottie. I didn't expect you to grace us with your presence, being as you only got back from your honeymoon late last night." Sherlock greeted her.
"Sherlock. You never change do you? I suppose I should be thanking you really, for getting my ring back to me." She acknowledged, kissing Sherlock on the cheek with less enthusiasm than her sister had.
"Don't mention it." He said with feigned humility.
"Sorry about my sister. She's been so excited." Lottie turned to Molly, kissing her cheek too. "She's already been asking me when I'm going to start making babies. I keep telling her, if she wants a baby that bad she's going to have to start putting more effort into finding someone to make them with."
That got a laugh from Molly, helping her loosen up a bit. Lottie led them through to a comfy sitting room, where the rest of the family had assembled to wait for them. Sherlock made a proper introduction of Molly and Eleanor to the rest of the family, and soon they were all chatting comfortably, though Molly was decidedly uncomfortable with how much attention Elsie was paying to Sherlock. While she could see Sherlock treating her with the same ease of friendship that he did with John, it was clear that Elsie was more admiring of him. There was even something a little off with the way she talked to Molly, like she was trying too hard to be friendly.
Sherlock was not ignorant of the undercurrents between his friend and his wife, but uncertain of what to do about them. He was giving Molly's hand reassuring squeezes whenever she seemed to need it, but he knew Elsie was watching, and could practically read her thoughts behind her eyes. She was thus far rather unimpressed by her rival for Sherlock's affections. He probably could incite Molly to show a little of the fire she hid so well, but knew he'd have hell to pay for it later. Really, the women needed a chance to sort it out between themselves, without the pressure of the family surrounding them. A slight smirk turned up the corner of Sherlock's mouth as an idea came to him, and his hand dipped into Eleanor's bag.
AN: This one is thanks to another prompt from superlc529, who wanted to see Elise and Molly meet. I have to say, this particular chapter got away from me a bit. From the second the reached the house it sprouted a mind of its own, taking me hostage until I met its terms. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I would love to hear your thoughts on what you think Sherlock is up to ;) Hopefully this will be more of a challenge than my usual cliffhangers.