Thanks once again you guys, you're too sweet and your words keep me going. And of course thanks to my wonderful beta There's A Time Lord In Lima! Remember that if there's anything you want to see Sherlock tackle as a dad just leave it in a review or PM me and I'll do my best to write it!
Ducks in a Row
Sixteen weeks old
"Sherlock, would you stop that pacing? You're driving me crazy." John huffs loudly from his chair by the fire, watching the consulting detective move back and forth in front of him. He'd been pacing for the majority of an hour, waiting for Molly to arrive with Annabelle for her first official stay at Baker Street.
To say Sherlock was nervous was probably putting it lightly.
Even with John and Mrs. Hudson around, he still felt uneasy being alone with his daughter without supervision from Molly. He hated to admit it, but he relied heavily on her presence when caring for Annabelle and she seemed to only bring out the best of him in those circumstances. But, he supposes this is something he has to do eventually.
He turns to John, ready to offer a biting remark when he hears the door downstairs open and he smiles. He greets Molly when she comes into the den, carrying Annabelle's car seat and a diaper bag that looked ready to burst. He carefully takes the baby from her as she sets the bag on the floor, waving at John who has already moved towards the carrier and begins making faces, oblivious to Sherlock's eye roll and Molly's laughter.
"Alright," she says, opening the bag and revealing what seems like the contents of the entire nursery, "I've brought her bottles and formula, plenty of diapers and her favorite blanket. She's got a few toys too and if she starts to fuss for no reason be sure to give her one of the softer ones to chew on, and-" before she can ramble any farther, Sherlock puts a finger to her lips.
"Molly, please, you're worrying. John and I have got this under control, everything's fine." He doesn't miss the skeptical look in her eyes but she manages not to bring any of her thoughts out loud. The last thing she needs is to make Sherlock doubt his abilities.
Through a sigh she says, "Oh, I know. I've just never left her before and I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with an empty house for once."
"It's called sleep, dear!" Mrs. Hudson calls from across the room where she's just appeared, Annabelle resting contently on her lap. Molly grins and looks longingly in her daughter's direction before walking over and kissing her forehead, pushing her dark curls back.
The more she looks at her, the more she realizes she looks exactly like Sherlock.
"Goodbye, love, I'll be back to see you in the morning. You be sure to keep Daddy and Uncle John in line, alright?" She locks eyes with Mrs. Hudson as she straightens up and the old woman grins, understanding etched in her aging features.
"Don't worry; I'll keep an eye on this lot. You just go home and relax." With her goodbyes out of the way and nothing more to keep her there Molly finally leaves and Sherlock looks around, both excited and nervous. It isn't until John speaks up that he actually moves from his spot by the door where he said goodbye to Molly.
"Why don't we all have dinner and then we'll find something to do?"
They come to the decision to order in, Chinese food scattered on the kitchen table while Sherlock warms a bottle in the microwave. When it's done and he deems it safe for Annabelle to drink, he cradles her in one arm as he sits at the table with John. He manages to get the hang of eating with a baby in his arms and he becomes rather impressed with himself.
John thinks he's just showing off.
After her meal and a quick change, Annabelle is placed on the floor with her blanket and a row of toys as Sherlock lies on his stomach in front of her, watching her as if she was a rare specimen he was observing.
"What are you doing?" John finally asks him, tired of watching and finally lowering himself down next to the pair. Sherlock gives him a look that suggests the answer to his question is fairly obvious and John internally regrets asking.
"I'm learning, John. How do you expect me to play with her when I've absolutely no idea what she likes?" He picks up a ring of plastic colorful keys and waves them in front of Annabelle before dropping them, watching green eyes light up as she smiles.
John just rolls his eyes.
"She's not a puppy, Sherlock; she isn't just going to fetch it." He picks up the keys and holds them out to her but she immediately loses interest and starts babbling instead, looking at her father. Sherlock grins and stifles a laugh, pretending it doesn't hurt when John slaps his arm in retaliation and they launch themselves into an argument Mrs. Hudson has to break up as she scoops Annabelle off the floor and scolds them like school children.
They learn very quickly that when Mrs. Hudson promises to keep them in line, she means it. She's actually very frightening when she wants to be.
As it nears eight o'clock, Sherlock gets Annabelle ready for bed and settles into the rocking chair in the corner of his room. She's wearing her orange pajamas with the monogrammed butterfly on the front, wrapped snugly in her favorite pink blanket as she sucks on her pacifier. They settle into a rhythm as Sherlock hums a tune he would normally be playing on the violin and toys with her impossibly tiny fingers before he sighs and his face hardens.
"I know I don't really know what I'm doing," he tells her softly, "but regardless of what your Uncle John says, I am trying much harder than you think. I believe it's only fair if we make a deal, just between the two of us. Alright?" He smiles when she grips his finger and blinks sleepily.
"I promise I will never stop trying to be good to you and your mother, even if it takes the rest of my life to get there, and in return you can promise to be a little patient with me and if I'm messing up you'll let me know. You'll tell me what I'm doing wrong and together we'll fix it. We can learn together, how does that sound?" When he looks down again Annabelle is fast asleep and he carefully stands up and tucks her into her bassinet.
Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he stands back and watches the rise and fall of her tiny chest and feels his heart swell with pride knowing that he was capable of love like this. In the past it seemed like a fairy tale mothers would tell their children before bed knowing it wouldn't come true. But it did, and the proof was in front of him, sleeping soundly in the form of the little girl who changed his life in a matter of moments.
Up next: Grocery shopping, relationship talk and a question!