Three years later
Sherlock put the finishing flourish on the last chorus of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as Mrs. Hudson and Molly applauded.
"Oh, I just love that one, Sherlock," said Mrs. Hudson, patting him on the cheek. There was a knock on the door. Mycroft rose to open it, welcoming John and Mary inside.
"Hello, everyone! Terrible weather out there!" John laughed, having only walked up the stairs from 221C, the basement flat he and Mary had begun renting after their marriage last month.
"Yes, John-congratulations on your marriage. I'm so sorry I was unable to attend. I trust you received my gift?" Mycroft shook John's hand, giving him a genuine smile.
"Yes, Mycroft, it was very generous. We look forward to our vacation as soon as the holidays are over. Hello, everybody!" he nodded toward Lestrade, clapped Sherlock on the back and gave Mrs. Hudson and Molly a hug each.
"So, Sherlock, should we be expecting wedding bells anytime in your future?" Lestrade asked jokingly, cradling his third glass of wine and smiling.
"Marriage is an unnecessary institution created on the obsolete grounds of dowry and-"
"What he's trying to say is 'we don't need to be married to know how special our relationship is," said Molly, wrapping her arm around Sherlock's waist and hugging him.
"No, I'm saying that marriage is idiotic-"
"Shut up, Sherlock," Molly smiled up at him, stopping him mid-sentence.
John and Mary laughed at Molly's endearing response, and began unloading gifts.
"Shall we do gifts, then?" asked John, pulling a brightly colored package out of a bag and passing it toward Mrs. Hudson.
"Scarf," said Sherlock, receiving an immediate warning look from Molly. "Sorry."
The entire room laughed this time.
XXX
After a deluge of colored paper, Christmas crackers, and plenty of laughter, all the gifts seemed to be opened. Mary was just finishing a rather amusing story of one of her and John's more tragic attempts at a first double date with Sherlock and Molly when Molly stood up and walked across the room.
"There's actually one more gift for you, Sherlock," she said, handing him a small package.
"Don't you dare guess what it is," said John, warningly.
"I don't have x-ray vision, John, you're just predictable."
The box was wrapped neatly in bright red paper, with Molly's handwriting across the top: "My Dearest Sherlock XXX."
Sherlock smiled at the reference to their very first Christmas together and pulled the lid off the box.
He immediately put the lid back on the box, sat it down, and jumped up as if something had bitten him-staring at the box with widened eyes. The room went silent.
"Sherlock, what-" John began, but Molly took another step forward, tentatively.
"Surprise," she smiled, though it was cautious.
"What's in the box, Sherlock?" asked Lestrade, as everyone else in the room shifted uncomfortably.
Sherlock picked up the box and removed the lid again, slowly lifting out a deerstalker hat. A very tiny deerstalker hat.
It took the room about ten seconds to make the connection, then silently glare at Sherlock, unsure of how to react.
Sherlock stared at the hat, eyes still wide, mouth open. Finally, his open-mouthed shock stretched into an enormous grin as he reached out and hugged Molly tightly.
There was an audible sigh from the room as everybody began celebrating at once. Mrs. Hudson and Mary ran to Molly and began hugging her and rubbing her belly, asking her when she was due, while Lestrade and John went to Sherlock and clapped him hard on the back.
"Papa Sherlock," said Mycroft with a grin, "Mummy's not going to believe this one."
"Uncle Mycroft," Sherlock squeaked, "I'm going to be a father!" The brothers hugged as Sherlock continued to smile and run his fingers through his hair.
"I'm due in July. We should be able to tell in about four weeks if it's a girl or a boy," said Molly instinctively dropping her hands to her still mostly-flat tummy-though Sherlock convinced himself he saw the beginnings of a small bulge there.
"You know what the greatest thing about this is, right?" John asked the room. Everybody turned and stared at him.
"Molly, you were able to keep the fact that you were pregnant a secret from the world's finest consulting detective."
Everyone laughed as Sherlock gave Molly another tight hug, followed by a gentle kiss. He let his hand fall to her belly, smiling at the thought of the future. "I love you," he said, looking into her eyes.
"I love you too, Sherlock."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. While this story is finished, I have a few other ideas brewing for the future! Thanks!