'And you said yes?'

Sherlock rolled his eyes and set down his coffee. 'Of course I said yes. I always say yes.'

'But you're okay with that?'

He shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips. 'It's John.' How he continued to feel at all embarrassed by his own sentimentality at this stage in his life baffled him. He made a point of swirling his coffee and clearing his throat. 'At any rate, I can't be utter rubbish at it. William seems to be doing alright.'

'Well, he's only three.'

'If it's a terrible idea, you can tell me.'

'I didn't say it was a terrible idea.' She smiled. 'I think it's a lovely idea, actually.'

He chose to ignore the colour rising in his cheeks. 'We'll have to find a donor first. John suggested hiring a surrogate, but I want to make sure we get the genetics right.'

She shook her head. 'Of course you do. So you're finding someone together?'

'That's the plan.'

'Have anyone in mind?'

Sherlock fixed her with a long, steady look. She almost choked on her coffee.

'What, me?'

He scoffed. 'Of course you.'

'You want me to have your baby?'

'I want you to donate an ovum to assist in the conception of my child, yes. You don't have to carry it if you don't want to.' Her continued stare prompted the oft-ignored polite capabilities of his brain. 'If that would be alright, of course. I wouldn't want you to contribute if you weren't comfortable with the idea.' Her silence was making him edgy. He tried to be patient. He was dreadful at being patient. 'Well? What do you think?'

'I think you're mad, but that's nothing new.' Her eyes turned to the milky contents of her cup, twirling her spoon as she considered the right response. 'Do I have to give you an answer now?'

'I'm in no rush.'

'Is John?'

'He can wait.'

She smiled, eyes still on her cup. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Of course.'

She could feel his eyes boring into her but she couldn't look up. She was afraid she'd find softness in that gaze instead of curiosity and then, she knew, she wouldn't make a rational choice. Part of her was furious he would even suggest such a thing. After everything she'd already done for him-the lies she had told, the secrets she'd hid, especially the ones she'd kept from John-this should be the final straw. But it wasn't. Of course it wasn't.

This was every apology and thankyou she was owed.

Molly met his eyes then, stoic and imploring, needing confirmation of what she already suspected. 'Why me?'

He smiled a little. If he had been another man, he would have taken her hand. It was funny how she'd learned to read him that way. 'If I'm to father a child, I want the two best people in the world on my side.'

'We're always on your side.'

'I know. And with John keeping it in check and you as its mother, it might stand a chance of not being a complete arse.'

She chuffed on a laugh. 'I'm sure he'll be perfect. And clever, of course.'

'Why does everyone assume it'll be male? It might be a girl.'

'With all of the boys in the Holmes family? I doubt it.' She smiled. She looked as though she might cry. 'Could we do it here? I've got everything we'll need.'

'I'd like that very much.'

He was beaming now, that odd, impish smile of his that tugged at her chest no matter how long she spent around him, how many of his asinine, foolhardy actions she witnessed. She twisted on her stool and thought. 'I have one condition.'

'Anything.'

'I don't want him to know it's me.'

His brow furrowed. The grip on his cup tightened. 'Molly-'

'I'm not saying I won't be a part of his life. You won't get rid of me now, not if Will has anything to say about it.' That seemed to decrease his concern a bit. She took a breath. 'But he won't be my son: he's yours and John's. And I don't want to get in the way of that.'

'You wouldn't.'

'You don't know that.' He didn't argue; he couldn't, really. She shrugged. 'Maybe I'll have my own someday. But for now, I'm just helping out my friends. Simple as that.'

'What if he wants to know?'

'That's a long ways off. We'll figure it out later.'

'And you promise you'll be around?'

'Every Sunday, same as usual. Someone has to keep an eye on you.'

He nodded, the tension in his shoulders gone. 'Alright.' If he had been another man, he would have embraced her. If he had been another man, this would be a very different conversation. She smiled at the thought. 'I can't tell you how much this means to me.'

'I know.'

'It's on your terms. Whenever you're ready, I'll be here.'

'I'm not ready yet.'

'I know. That's alright.'

'Tell John he owes me for this.'

'He's already ordered flowers.'

'It's a bit more than flowers, isn't it?'

'He knows. It's a start.' He stood and flicked up his collar. She rolled her eyes. He smirked and kissed her cheek. 'Take all the time you need.'

Molly turned back to her coffee, now cold and sludgy. She wondered what it might be like to have normal friends. She had to admit that the thought was not appealing.