WHOOP! Half way through a frustrating chapter about wondering around museums (which I love but apparently don't like to write about) I realized that I should just skip ahead.
John collapsed on the sofa in front of the T.V. Gods! Three Holmes in one day (well, two and a half) was exhausting.
"Unkie John. I wanna play with seaness kit."
John sighed. After a large argument explaining why two year old should not be given access to Bunsen burners or sulphuric acid Sherlock had brought Hamish every kiddies science kit that was available at the science museum. Something called the Chem 3000 Kids version; the new Scotland's yard forensic kit complete with crime scene tape (hopefully the hamster wouldn't get it) a genetics and DNA kit which Sherlock said he could use to show Hamish that he was his father. He didn't buy the children's microscope because he said he would teach Hamish how to use his own.
John had brought Hamish a little stuff T-rex that he suggested be called Tony Rex but Hamish had called Matty since he was Madock's brother. He had almost cried when Sherlock had said that if they had been alive at the same time Matty would have eaten Madock. He had fallen asleep hugging it and sucking his thumb on the train home but was now running around crazily again.
"No, you can play with them later."
"But I want to play with them now." Sherlock said walking in.
"Yeah."
"No, it's bedtime."
"It's seven o'clock I don't want to go to bed." Sherlock said.
"I was talking to Hamish."
"Oh, right."
"Story?" Hamish said sleepily rubbing his eyes.
"Yeah. Alright." John said. "Just give me a minute." God, days like this really reminded him he was getting old.
"I want…" Hamish turned to look at Sherlock and bit his lip. It was the first sign he had given that he didn't know who Sherlock was. John would have to talk to him tomorrow. But to say what, this is your father, as a two year old who had never had a father how would he know what that meant?
"I want Unkie.. Sher… Sher.."
"Oh god just call him Shirley." John snapped irritable and not just from tiredness.
Sherlock shot him an annoyed look.
"I want Unkie Shirley to read my story."
"Okay." John said. "Means I don't have to get up." He reached for the newspaper behind him, it was several days old but he still hadn't finished the first page. Not a murder thank god.
"I don't know how to do this John." Sherlock said in the reluctant tone he always used when he did not know how to do anything.
"What read, I'm pretty sure you do. Just make sure to do it out loud."
"Okay." Sherlock said letting himself be tugged away by Hamish.
John threw the paper onto the floor. There had been so many nights when he had just wished Hamish would just go to bed and let him have a quiet moment to himself. But now he felt annoyed that Hamish had asked Sherlock to read him the story. He Didn't want Sherlock to replace him. He needed Hamish to need him. Why was Sherlock his favourite all of a sudden?
"Unkie John look at the big fish."
"Yes, it's really really big."
"The blue whale is actually a mammal." Sherlock said standing behind them. "And apparently their penis's are called dorks and can be up to eight feet long. This is why discovery channel is useless."
"Mamma ell." Hamish said.
"They're the different types of animals. All animals fall into the types, Fish, Bird, Mammal, amphibian and reptile. The whale looks like a fish but actually it's a mammal like cats and dogs are." John said ignoring Sherlock.
"It got no fur."
"No, it hasn't." John agreed.
John looked over at Sherlock stood in the corner looking around with something close to disdain.
"Look!" Hamish said again pointing to the wall.
John looked confused trying to figure out what it was that he was pointing out.
"Look." Hamish repeated running up to the wall and running his hand down one of the pillars
John bent down and looked a little closer and saw that the pillars had stone snakes wrapped around them.
"Oh yeah, look at that." He turned to look at Sherlock. "See, he's inherited your observation skills."
Sherlock's eyes crinkled as he watched the little boy stroking the stone snakes.
"Dinosaurs!"
"No that's a representation of a snake."
"I think he's asking to go see more dinosaurs."
Sherlock got out what looked like a building schematic .
"When did you have time to buy that?"
"I didn't I brought it with me."
"Of course you did." John said, how could he forget that Sherlock had a strange ned to collect maps, modern or out hundreds of years out of date.
"There are electronic models of dinosaurs if we go into the next room."
"What's lect ron ic?" Hamish asked looking up from between them with big eyes.
"It means they move. Like they're alive." John answered.
"Will they eat me?"
Sherlock gave a chuckle. John looked at him stunned. He had never seen Sherlock laugh unless he was enjoying a murder or somebody was being what he perceived as stupid, this wasn't that kind of chuckle though. Was he actually enjoying the company of a child? It was a good thing, of course. Just surprising.
"No." Sherlock said patting Hamish's head.
"Again Again! Hamish shouted as the earth quake simulator stopped.
John sighed they had been standing on the simulator that was made up to look like a Japanese shop for three turns and the lady in the crowd behind them who had been in the queue waiting shot them an evil look.
"One more time." Sherlock said patiently. "There's still lots more to see."
"Okay." Hamish said.
The floor started to shake.
"Hold on." Sherlock said taking Hamish's hands and wrapping them around the safety bar.
John smiled, screw the angry sour faced woman behind them.
"What flavour ice cream would you like Hamish?" Sherlock said smiling down at his son.
Hamish looked up at him shyly and shook his head.
"Oh, you can't read can you, right well they have pistachio, rum and raisin.."
"Chocolate or strawberry Hamish?" John said.
"Chocolate." Hamish said excitedly jumping up and down as his fingers clung on to the top of the glass counter.
Sherlock frowned slightly and turned to the waitress.
"Two scoops of chocolate in a bowl please then one vanilla cone and one rum raisin."
"Rum Raisin?" John asked.
"That's still your favourite isn't it?"
"Yes. I think I told you that once maybe four years ago."
"I do listen sometimes you know."
"I thought you only ever memorized important things."
"I thought you said that knowing things about your friends is important."
"I did but I didn't know you were paying attention."
"Thank you." Sherlock said taking the ice cream.
"So what next?" John asked when they had sat down outside.
"I am tired John." Sherlock said with a tone John had never heard it was as if he was sharing a secret he didn't really want to reveal. "I have had enough, I never knew ... I always found it fun. I never knew there would be a time when there would be too much death too much violence."
John looks at him, perhaps the last few years had been hard on him, something had left Sherlock Holmes a little broken.
"I do not know what to do. All my life I have been training my mind for one thing alone. Now that I am tired off it, what do I do?"
"You can do anything Sherlock. You're intelligent enough to do anything."
"I know that." Sherlock gave a cocky half smile. "I just don't know what to do."
"Are you really going to give it up?" John asked not able to believe it, not knowing if he wanted to believe it. Sherlock Holmes, there was nobody like him. John wouldn't like it if there was the world only had enough room for one Sherlock Holmes.
"I don't know. I'm so tired."
John nodded.
"So. "He said trying for a happier tone when he noticed the little boy looking between them. "What next?"
"I just told you I did not know."
"Yes, but what I meant was are we going to the science museum?"
"Oh, yes." Sherlock answered.
John looked down at Hamish, the one sure way to get a two year old to stay quiet for a few minutes was to give them ice-cream. Sure enough Hamish was sat their pushing the last bits of half metal ice-cream around the bowl, big smile on his ice cream covered face.
"Hamish." John sighed. "You've got ice-cream all over your face."
Hamish stuck his tongue out and tried to lick his cheeks.
"Yum, yum, yum, yum."
"May I?" Sherlock asked just as John was about to reach over and wipe Hamish's mouth. John watched in slight surprise as Sherlock reached into the big bag John had brought with him, got out a wet wipe and proceeded to wipe Hamish's cheeks with it.
"All done." He smiled.
"Thank you." Hamish said.
"Look at this Hamish." Sherlock said.
They were stood in the large room full of 'science experiment' for kids. All around them screaming children were running around.
Sherlock was pointing at a large red plastic circle that looked like part of a gramophone except it was well over a meter in diameter. Their were two of them on either side of the room and they were high up so they had to be accessed by stairs.
"If you whisper something to Uncle John from one side of the room whilst he's at the other he wouldn't hear you would he?"
Hamish shook his head though John knew it was probably not because he knew the answer but because he knew what answer Sherlock wanted.
"But if you whisper into that and John steaks his ear in the other one then he will hear. Do you want to try?"
"Yeah." Hamish said atheistically starting to run to the other side of the room followed by Sherlock. John smiled in a tired and fond way before heading up the steps and putting his ear the gramophone thing. He heard Hamish's high pitched voice.
"I love you Unkie John."
John smiled, his chest felt like it was swelling. No matter how hard raising a kid was it was all worth it in moments like this. Just as he turned around to leave he swore he heard Sherlock's voice say 'I second that.'
Today had proven something to John. He Didn't know Sherlock as well as he thought and that made him extremely uncomfortable. He used to love running around London with Sherlock? And though he knew that with Hamish around he couldn't get involved in crimes anymore . But a tiny part of him held onto the possibility but now Sherlock had confirmed it himself. He Didn't want to solve crimes anymore. He wanted to be a father. It was what John had wanted so why was he so disappointed?
"He's asleep. I read him a very interesting chapter of forensic entomology but he fell asleep five pages in."
John sighed and looked up at him.
"Let's just go to bed."