The following Monday, Sherlock and John were on a train to Dartmoor. Sherlock spent the first part of the journey complaining about the patchy wi-fi, until John commandeered his mobile and told him to get some tea and sleep, in that order. The detective grudgingly complied, but was soon asleep huddled in his coat, with his head on John's shoulder. John sighed in relief at the silence, and went back to reading his Kindle in relative peace. Not surprisingly, Sherlock was up most of the night before they left, sawing away at the violin. That was a behaviour that would need to be modified when they had a baby in the flat! (Of course, Sherlock would probably just go up to the roof and play – or use a mute) At any rate, John was glad that Sherlock was getting some sleep now, as he would be less aggravated by the paperwork and physicals, etc., that lay ahead for both of them.
When they left the train at Exeter, they went to the car rental agency to collect their car. Sherlock had organised it beforehand, so they only had to show a card and pick up the keys. Since Sherlock knew the way, he drove. John never got used to the sight of his husband driving - he always thought of Sherlock as riding in the back of a black cab. Since they had a little way to go, John decided to close his eyes a minute or two. He leaned over to put his head on Sherlock's shoulder, and was asleep in a few minutes.
When they arrived at the front gate to Baskerville, this time they had the proper ID, and were granted access to the facility without difficulty. On arriving at the main building, they parked the car and went to the door. Although Sherlock was a tad disappointed that John didn't need to pull rank this time around, John was glad they were not on borrowed time with a stolen ID. Sherlock and John were greeted by Dr. Stapleton herself, and taken to a room where tea was laid, for some initial talks. Since they had been on the road for a while, they appreciated the tea and biscuits. Then they followed Dr. Stapleton to her lab. She took detailed medical histories of both John and Sherlock, even though she had their medical forms via Mycroft. She wanted to be certain that everything was accurate and up to date.
They each were photographed extensively, so that features could be studied and compared to the child. Dr. Stapleton explained it was to have a complete visual record of them both. Samples were taken of several bodily fluids. Dr. Stapleton explained that in about 2-3 weeks, the cell lines should be ready to grow into whatever type of cell was needed - in their case, eggs. She told them they would be notified when that had been achieved and they could decide whose cells would be used for eggs, and the other would, obviously, provide the spermatozoa. Semen samples had been taken from both of them and frozen for future use. Obtaining those samples was the stuff of much giggling from Sherlock and John, sequestered in one of the 'sample' rooms. Hopefully, no one heard them...
Sherlock and John were taken on a tour of the stem cell division and they observed several artificial wombs in the process of gestating an animal, and in one case, a human baby. They were both fascinated by the process, asked lots of questions, and thanked everyone when the tour was over. They then drove to the Cross Keys, where they had stayed before when they were investigating the hound. Gary and Billy were pleased to see them again, and this time they had a double room with a bath. After being poked and prodded for what seemed like days, both were ready for a shower and then dinner in their room.
The next day, John and Sherlock took a hike around the moor, noting the lack of "hound" stories and sightings. The moor was still wildly beautiful, although as Henry Knight said, quite bleak. They were happy to spy some of the moor ponies and took photos of them.
That evening, after a long soak in the tub, and a glass - or several - of wine by the fire, even Sherlock was ready for bed, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. When morning came, they had breakfast at the Inn. Gary and Billy wished them well, and hoped they would return in future. John and Sherlock thought about their surprise if they appeared with a baby, and grinned as they returned to the car.
Once they turned in their rented car, the trip back was uneventful, with Sherlock and John both dozing for much of it. A day of medical testing, followed by the next one with a hike and wine with dinner, was enough to tire them out once they were sat in their compartment with the heat on just enough to make them even drowsier. Sherlock woke first, and spent the time on his laptop, the wi-fi working better this time. He checked his email for cases, but saw nothing of interest. It was just as well, since they had lots of planning to do, and when they were notified of the readiness of the cells, decisions to make. They decided to take Molly and Greg into confidence first, after Mrs. Hudson, about the baby in general, as they were knowledgeable about the items they would need. John thought they should just tell them that he and Sherlock had decided to find a surrogate and have a child that way. It was a known method, and shouldn't raise any red flags. John phoned Greg and invited them to dinner at Angelo's the next evening, and then phoned Angelo to make the reservations, so that he could make something special for the group.
They got a cab back to the flat and stopped in at Mrs. Hudson's to let her know. They brought her favourite flowers and some fancy tea cakes that she liked. She knew they were up to something as soon as she came to the door, but let them in and they all were soon sat at her table, having tea and some of the cakes. She looked from one to the other expectantly, and finally, Sherlock began.
" Erm – Mrs. Hudson, John and I have decided that we want to try and have a child. Mycroft is helping us to find a suitable surrogate. He will do the initial screening as to health, character, etc., and present us with a short list of candidates to interview. With his access to records and such, it should greatly simplify the process for us. We'll keep you advised of the progress of our little project - that is, if we may continue living here once we have a child -?" he finished on a questioning note, as he wasn't entirely sure that she would say yes.
He needn't have worried. Mrs. Hudson jumped up and gave him a big hug, followed by one for John. "Oh, Sherlock, that is wonderful! I just know you'll be such good parents – awww - that's lovely!" she responded, tearing up a bit. "Of course, you may continue to live here - I'd not have you anywhere else. Besides, this way, I'll have grandchildren - you are my boys, after all! You may have as many as you can fit into the place, if you wish! And, there is always 221C - I know it had a problem with damp and mould, but as you both know, I had it all fixed up last year. It would be fine for a lab, that way your experiments won't be anywhere near where a child could get into them."
"Thank you, it's a great idea," answered John. "I've wanted his experiments moved out of the flat for ages now, and 221C would be perfect for that. Sherlock could get in the equipment he needs to make it a proper lab, and we'd be able to have only FOOD in our fridge!"
"Hush, John - you know I only forgot to label a specimen twice - or so..." Sherlock said, slightly put out by the comment. "Oh, and Mrs. H, could you please not mention it to anyone yet? We're going to tell my parents and John's sister as soon as we've decided on a surrogate - it may take a little time to find the right person."
"Of course, boys, not until you want me to. Oh, I know Violet is going to be so happy! And I can see your dad now, decorating for Christmas - he'll be over the moon!" she replied, smiling.
Both John and Sherlock were pleased by this, as they really didn't want to move house if possible. Mrs. Hudson was like a mother to them both - and an extra "grandmother" surely couldn't hurt! They stayed a bit longer, then went upstairs to prepare for some telly and then bed, as they both felt tired despite having a nap on the train.
After showers, they both went into the sitting room in their pyjamas and dressing gowns, and curled up on the couch together to watch some telly. John chose Dr. Who, and Sherlock sat through it indulgently, lying on the couch with his head in John's lap. It was his favourite way to "watch" since it meant that his sweetheart would run his hands through the curls, and Sherlock could doze off again. Of course, he wasn't fooling John with this at all. A while later, John was shaking Sherlock's shoulder and saying, "Wake up and come to bed, Sherlock, it'll be freezing here later. Come on, you wanker, it's after 11!" Sherlock rose and stretched, and followed his husband back to their bedroom.
A/N This work was not beta-read, all mistakes are mine alone. No copyright infringement in intended and no profit was made. PLease leave a review if oyu are enjoying this story- thank you,
~joan