Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! It's much appreciated. Another thanks to There's a Time Lord In Lima for the beta! Also, if there's any scenario you'd like to see Sherlock take on feel free to leave it in a review or PM me!
Ducks in a Row
Two weeks old
Two weeks after Annabelle has settled in at home, Sherlock and John officially master the art of diaper changing.
Well, sort of.
It starts when John accompanies Sherlock to Molly's for a visit, babbling on about how he should see her more and Sherlock shouldn't hog his daughter as much as he does. Quite frankly Sherlock find this statement ridiculous and the argument carries all the way to Molly's.
As they finally reach the front door John prepares to knock but Sherlock pushes his way inside, leaving him on the porch and peering inside curiously.
"John, you're letting the cold air in. Get inside." Sherlock's voice takes on a scolding tone as it calls to John, making the doctor smile and shakes his head as he shuts the door behind him and kicks off his shoes. He's about to take a seat on the couch when a flustered Molly comes scrambling down the hallway with pursed lips as she mutters under her breath. She spots him and breathes a sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank goodness. I was hoping you came with him this time." Relief is mixed in with the exhaustion in her voice as she slips into her coat just as Sherlock appears with Annabelle in his arms.
"I need to run to the market," she announces, "we're out of formula, and frankly, I could use some fresh air." She turns to Sherlock and bends down to press a kiss to Annabelle's forehead.
"Be sure to change her," she says, picking up her keys, "you know where the diapers are." She's out the door before either man can open their mouth and suddenly, they're left alone with the new baby. John glances at Sherlock who is looking down at Annabelle as if she's grown another head.
Apparently it's one thing to be with your daughter while her mother is in the room but when paired with only your best friend who has about as much experience with children as you do it's like something out of a horror story.
And as if on cue, she starts to fuss.
For a moment both men are silent and they take turns looking at the little girl in Sherlock's arms, her nose scrunched up in obvious agitation. John blows out a breath and clasps his hands together behind his back.
"Well then, I guess we should change her, huh?" Sherlock looks at John as if he's suggesting they rob a bank, but eventually he sighs and leads the way to the nursery. Inside they gently lay the crying baby on the changing table and John talks to her in a high pitched voice Sherlock finds rather annoying.
"I really don't think that's helping. If anything she's getting louder." Sending a scowl in his friend's direction John accepts the diaper and wipes being handed to him as Sherlock removes the tiny pink onesie and sets it aside. Clapping his hands together in front of him he looks at John as if expecting something. All he can do is raise an eyebrow.
"What? Don't you know what you're doing?" His tone is slightly accusing and Sherlock huffs in response. Of course he knew what he was doing. He's watched Molly do it at least twice.
"Don't be stupid, of course I know what I'm doing. Hand me one of those wipes will you?" John obliges and Sherlock takes the wipe before carefully taking the soiled diaper off his daughter. Both his face and John's scrunches up and the two share a look.
Sherlock carefully cleans the crying little girl and once he's finished sends a triumphant look in John's direction, obviously pleased with his work. In return John smirks and folds his arms across his chest.
"You do realize you still have to put the new diaper on her, right?" The smile falls almost as quickly as it was formed and Sherlock can only grumble under his breath when John hands him a clean diaper and sits back to watch.
Almost five minutes later Sherlock is still wrestling with Annabelle and the new diaper, tiny legs flailing in the air as he tries to maneuver her into a better position. By now, John has stepped in to help and the two men argue over which way the diaper is supposed to go and whose hand is in the way of whose. The bickering continues until finally there's a triumphant laugh and the two of them stand back to admire their handiwork before Sherlock scoops Annabelle up and rubs her back soothingly.
"Well that wasn't so bad," John says, hoping Sherlock didn't pick up on the weariness in his voice. In all honesty, he never knew babies were so complex.
"Ah, I see you two have become masters at diaper changing." The duo spins around and sees Molly smiling at them, looking slightly calmer than she had before. Sherlock smiles back, trying to look convincing and tells Molly it was a piece of cake and there was no way two grown men would ever have trouble putting a diaper on an infant.
John nods, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.
With a raised eyebrow, Molly moves forward and takes Annabelle from Sherlock, cooing in her ear and carrying her to the kitchen for her bottle. It's obvious she doubts the story but thankfully she says nothing. As soon as she's out of sight they each are able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"She is never to know about this either, alright?"
John smiles and holds back a giggle. "Of course."
Eventually John catches a cab home, needing to prepare for his shift and before he goes he's sure to hug Molly and kiss Annabelle, promising to visit again very soon. Molly can tell the little girl will have him wrapped around her finger in no time.
As she prepares to settle in for the night she sits on the couch, Annabelle resting in her swing next to her. Her green eyes try hard to stay awake but the soothing motion soon has her asleep and Sherlock watches with a smile, settled on the couch beside Molly. He finds that he can never bring himself to actually leave without fighting the internal struggle that bubbles inside of him.
"I'm so glad you have John for a friend," Molly's voice says suddenly, her eyes on the TV although he's sure she's not actually watching it. He folds his hands in his lap and looks at her, curious.
"And why is that?" There's a pause as she yawns, stretching before settling back against the couch.
"I don't know. You always seem to be at your best when he's around. And I can tell he loves that little girl as much as you do." She smiles in Annabelle's direction and looks back at Sherlock, cocking her head to one side. "I knew you could do this, Sherlock. I knew from the very beginning."
She reaches up and drops a light kiss on his cheek and his face flushes slightly. He swallows thickly and runs a nervous hand through his hair, but something inside of him is alive with a new feeling he hasn't felt since he was told he would be a father.
He's hopeful.
And it makes him smile.