A/N: OK, so I'm apparently making up for the short chapters before with this one. It's long, but I think you'll like it. And hopefully it will keep you entertained while I'm trying to get the next chapter of "Sandwiches" done. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing! They make me so excited! :)
When Sherlock and Molly arrived home from their doctor appointment, they found Gabriel sniffling between Mary and John on the couch. His eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks were still glistening with drying tears and his expression was glum. They exchanged glances as they stared at the threesome on the sofa. Some sort of news program was on, but they weren't really watching it. Gabriel's homework lay strewn across the table, but it didn't look complete. Apparently there had been some kind of blow up over the course of the afternoon.
"Hello, everyone!" Molly chirped, pulling off her coat and hanging it on the hook by the door. "Don't you all look… despairing."
John smiled and ruffled Gabe's hair. "We got some disappointing news today," he said.
"Oh? What happened?" Molly asked, sinking into the unoccupied armchair. Gabriel wriggled from between them and went to Molly, climbing into her lap and sighing miserably. "Did you get into trouble at school today?"
"No," he replied, his tone taking on the low and dangerous timbre that Sherlock had when he was suffering though a bout of depressed boredom.
"Aaah… lovers' quarrel," Sherlock offered as he flipped the switch on the kettle. "What horrible thing has our Katie done?"
"Katie didn't do anything. She can't help it really, but I don't care. I'm mad!"
Molly brushed Gabriel's hair back from his forehead in an attempt to soothe him. She could feel the frustration radiating off of the little boy in waves of heat. Even the curls at the base of his skull were wet and stringy. "Well just calm down now and tell us what happened. Perhaps we can help."
"Nobody can help. Katie's mum is making her move back to America."
"Oh, Gabe!" Molly exclaimed, pulling him into a tight embrace as tiny tears rolled over his cheeks again. "I'm sorry. Why are they moving?"
He sniffled. "Katie's mum is going to have another baby and she wants to be closer to Katie's gram. So she can help take care of the baby."
"Well, babies need a lot of care," Mary said, absently running a hand over her own swollen belly. "But they're a lot of fun too."
"No they aren't! Katie says that when her little brother was born that he cried all the time and didn't sleep at night and he smelled. And now he's bigger and he can walk, so he messes up all her toys and gets her into trouble. Last week she got into trouble at school because he drew all over her homework with crayon. Babies suck!"
"Gabriel! Don't use that expression," Sherlock called from the kitchen.
"But Dad! They do!" He scrambled out of Molly's lap and over to where Sherlock was preparing two cups of tea. "If her mom wasn't having another baby, Katie would get to stay here in London! They mess everything up!"
"But I thought you told me a while back that you wouldn't mind having a little sister," Sherlock replied, chewing on the corner of his lip and trying desperately not to look suspicious as he cast a sideways glance toward Molly.
"I don't remember saying that. And if I did say that, I must have been crazy. I never want a little sister! Or a little brother for that matter! Besides, I like being the only kid. If we had a baby, you might like it more than me."
"That would never happen, Gabe," John said. "And there will be another baby. What about mine and Mary's baby?"
"That's different. It doesn't have to live here with me," he grumbled. "When I'm sick of it, it can go home."
"Don't hold anything back, Gabe. Tell us how you really feel," Mary joked. "Silly boy, everyone would love you just the same, no matter what. Love isn't like a cup of tea where there's only enough for one. You can't drink it all up."
"I don't care." He glowered and turned to Sherlock, pointing an accusing finger. "You and Molly just better not have any babies! I won't let one mess up my life."
Sherlock's eyes darkened and his jaw was tight. He didn't like anyone trying to tell him what to do. Least of all a nearly seven year old. He knelt in front of Gabe, speaking with as much patience as he could muster. "First off, you would do well to remember with whom you're speaking. I won't have a child telling me what I can or cannot do. Second, Katie's life is not messed up by her mum and dad having another baby. They might have moved back to America no matter what. Your life isn't ruined either. Just because she moves away doesn't mean she's dead. There's Skype and email and amazingly enough—even a plane that flies between here and New York. And you have lots of friends at school that you like almost as much."
"But not like Katie, Dad! She was my first friend!"
"Agreed, but it's hardly the end of the world."
Gabriel's lip trembled and he threw himself against his father, sobbing. "She's my favorite and I probably won't ever see her again!" Sherlock embraced the little boy, picking him up and shushing him gently as his tears wetted the shoulder of his jacket. He passed a cup of tea to Molly, then continued up the stairs with Gabriel, a hopeless look marring his normally confident countenance.
An hour later he returned sans Gabriel, looking exhausted. "Mols… I don't think we should tell Gabe about the baby tonight," he sighed, flopping on to the sofa dramatically.
She smiled, sitting down beside him and taking his head into her lap. "If not tonight, then when?" she asked, threading her fingertips through his hair.
"Just before we bring it home," he replied, closing his eyes.
"That bad eh?"
"Terrible. He's so upset, Molly. Apparently Katie's family is moving back to New York in the spring, assuming her father gets a new job. Of course, to Gabe they may as well be moving tomorrow." He sighed, letting her gently stroking fingers relax the tension of the day away. For a fleeting moment he wondered why on Earth he hadn't acquired a live-in girlfriend before. Molly had a way of quieting the raging thoughts that rocketed around in his head day and night. Her calm demeanor and simple wisdom often shocked him into perspective when nothing else would. "Wait. Where are John and Mary?" he asked, suddenly noticing they were gone.
"They went to pick up take away. Chinese. Is that okay?"
"Whatever. I'm not really hungry."
Molly giggled. "You never are. It's a wonder you have any strength."
"Anyway, Gabriel is inconsolable. He's convinced that Katie's new sibling is the root of all evil. I can only imagine what will happen when we tell him our little secret." He sighed once more, resting his hands against his forehead as if a swift chop might block out this new wrinkle in their situation.
"It will be all right," Molly said, leaning over and placing a light kiss on his forehead. "He'll either be happy or he'll throw a full on tantrum, both of which can be dealt with. I mean, what's the worst he could do, Sherlock? I don't think he's going to move out. I mean, he's not seven yet."
"Funny," he grumbled. "I just hate seeing him this way. Despite our own selfishness, he's very upset about Katie."
"I know. I remember the same thing happening to me when I was about his age. My best friend in the world was a little girl that lived down the block. Carrie was her name. Her dad was in the military. He was on a tour in the Middle East someplace and when he came home, he got transferred to another base. We always said we'd keep in touch, but…"
"But you lost touch, blah blah blah… I know."
"Rudeness!" Molly exclaimed, thumping his ear. "Anyway, that's a big loss for a kid. Hell, I can only imagine what would happen if John moved away. You'd stroke out the first day."
Sherlock sat up slightly, "Now whose being rude?"
Molly giggled and wound her fingertips into the messy curls at his temple. "But like most things with children, this will seem like the end of the world right now, but in time it won't seem so bad. Maybe Katie's mum will even change her mind. A lot can happen in a few months."
"Apparently so," he replied, cutting his eyes toward Molly's belly. "And by the way, how often do we have to go see that loathsome doctor?"
"She's a midwife."
"What's the difference?"
"An epidural," she replied. "And once a month. You don't have to go every time if you don't want to."
"I don't want to. But I will. Not that I relish the idea of watching that woman manhandle you. God, she reminded me of this Russian secret police agent I met while I was dead. If the midwife thing doesn't work out, I think she could have a career in aggressive interrogation."
"Well if I had any national secrets, I'd talk," Molly sighed. "I almost asked her this afternoon if my tonsils were okay." He laughed and it was a most welcome sound to Molly's ears. She did not like when Sherlock was unsettled. It always made her feel like she was balancing on the edge of a dagger, staring out over a bottomless pit. "But it will be okay, won't it? The baby?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"I dunno… just seems odd."
"We have Gabriel."
"Technically, you have Gabriel. I mean, we aren't married or anything."
Sherlock opened one eye and stared. "What difference does that make?"
"Well… in a court…" she stammered. "I wouldn't have any claim to him, should you decide to kick me out."
"Why would I kick you out?"
"Well I don't know. Things happen."
"Molly, if I hadn't wanted you with me, I wouldn't have asked you to move in. I don't generally take back promises because they become inconvenient or difficult. It's one of my better qualities. So it doesn't make any difference whatever if we're married or not. For all intents and purposes you're Gabriel's mother just like you're this baby's mother. Two jobs at which you thoroughly excel. The truth of the matter is that I couldn't imagine my life without you in it, Molly Hooper. So in answer to your question, yes, everything will be okay."
Molly gazed down at her sleepy-eyed lover, leaning in to kiss his mouth softly. "You know, I think that's probably the first time you've ever said that you loved me with all of your clothes on."
"Don't let it go to your head." He sat up, cradling her head with one palm and pulling her in for a proper kiss. Their mouths moved slowly in perfect synchronicity. No matter how long they were together or how many times they had kissed, Sherlock never failed to steal her breath. She found that she could not just brush a chaste kiss across his lips. It simply was not possible. The more she kissed him the more she wanted to kiss him. Moments of affection most often led to marathons of passion that didn't end until they were lying amongst a heap of discarded clothing, gasping against one another. It was actually a wonder that Molly had gone this long without being pregnant.
Reluctantly she pulled away, draping an arm around his neck and letting her forehead rest against his. "I'm going to have your baby, Mr. Holmes," she said, brushing her nose against his.
"What?"
They sat up fast to see Gabriel staring from the bottom of the stairs. "Oh hi, Gabe!" Molly said, trying to sound as chipper as possible. "John and Mary should be back with dinner just any second."
He stumbled down the bottom step and stalked toward them. His face was set in a stony expression, his eyes were icy slits and his lips a thin white line. "What did you say about a baby?"
Molly and Sherlock looked at one another, each one pleading with the other to speak first. Molly won. "You weren't really supposed to hear that."
"Why not?"
"Because we didn't want to tell you while you were so upset, but… since you overheard…" Molly took a deep breath and plastered a gigantic, fake smile on her face. "We're going to have a baby."
"Who is?" Gabriel asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"We are. Your dad and me. And well, you too. I mean, it will be your baby brother or sister." Gabriel didn't say anything for a long time. He stood there in the kitchen, staring at them with that blank expression that Sherlock sometimes had. Perhaps he thought he was speaking. They could almost see the cogs turning in his little brain as he tried to think of something to say. Finally, Molly did what she always did. She kept talking. "We went to see the doctor today. We really found out last week, but we didn't want to tell you until we were sure. She says that it will come in July. A summer baby! Won't that be fun?"
"No!" Gabriel finally exclaimed, practically screaming. "No! No! No!" He accented each of his cries of protest with a heavy stomp of his foot. "I don't want a baby!"
"Well too bad!" Sherlock shouted back, standing up, prepared to face off with his son. "Because there's nothing to be done for it. It's coming and that's that!"
"Boys…" Molly started.
"You're so mean for doing this to me! It's not fair!"
"To you? Nothing has been done to you, Gabriel. It wasn't exactly planned!"
"I don't want a brother or sister! I like it being just me. You'll have another baby and then you won't even notice I'm around anymore because I won't be little and cute. It will be just like Katie's family!"
"That's ridiculous, Gabe. Like me, you have certain qualities which make you impossible to ignore."
"Just for the record, modesty is not one of those qualities," Molly mumbled.
"Molly and I won't love you any less."
"Yes you will. The baby will be yours! I'm only half yours. I'll be the half-brother. Only half as good as the other one." His voice sounded watery and tense. He was going to cry and it was obvious that this fact was only making him angrier. "You'll get to see the baby get born and be little—I was already big when I came here! The baby will even have a middle name that you get to pick! So now my best friend is leaving me and nobody will like me best anymore!" And with that, Gabriel ran back up the stairs, slamming the door to his room so hard that the skull fell off the mantle.
"That went well."
OoOoOo
Gabriel lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He'd heard John and Mary come in a while before and their cheerful talking and laughter. They were all so happy. How could they be so happy when he was so miserable? No one had even bothered to come up and tell him that dinner was on the table. He supposed he should get used to it. Once their stupid baby got here, no one would even notice that he was missing. It would be all baby this and baby that. The baby is so cute! The baby is talking! The baby took two steps today! Sssh… the baby is sleeping! And Katie had told him all about how the oldest gets blamed for everything. He wondered how his Uncle felt about being an older brother. Suddenly he had an idea.
Gabriel slid down from his bed, patting Cat on the head and gesturing that she should stay. He crept down the hall, making sure to avoid the squeaky step. Everyone was in the lounge talking and watching telly, even his dad. His eyes scanned the room, making sure the coast was clear. He skirted past the stairs and down the hall to his dad and Molly's bedroom. Molly always left her mobile on the nightstand when she came home from work. As he slowly opened the door, he spied it right away, glistening in the light coming from the window. He swiped it quickly and shoved it deep into his pocket before bolting down the hall, around the corner and down the stairs. 221C was always empty and he knew where Mrs. Hudson kept the spare key.
Once inside, he pulled out Molly's mobile phone and turned it on. Unfortunately, it was password protected. Gabriel chewed his lip and closed his eyes, flipping through his Molly file. What would she use as her password? Not his dad's name—it was too long. Maybe Tobias, her cat that lived in Mrs. Hudson's flat (Tobias hated his dad)? He tried it and got an angry red screen for his trouble. The realization hit him so hard he gasped. Of course… Molly's dad's birthday. 04-09. He typed it into the touchpad and amazingly it worked. The screen opened up and he flipped through her contacts until he found the entry he needed: Holmes, Mycroft.
The phone only rang once before his uncle answered. "Doctor Hooper?" he answered without saying hello.
"No, Uncle Mycroft. It's Gabriel."
"Gabriel? Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. How are you?"
"I'm well. Why are you calling from Doctor Hooper's mobile? Is everything all right?"
"Well… that depends on what you consider to be all right," Gabriel replied, trying to sound as grown up and dignified as possible. He needed his uncle to take him seriously. "I kinda wanted to talk to you about something."
"Where are you?"
"I'm at home."
"No… 221B does not, despite its many faults, have peeling wallpaper."
Gabriel whipped around. How did his uncle know that? "I'm in the empty flat. I didn't want anybody to know I was calling you."
"Well… out with it then. What is it that you need, Gabriel?"
"Do you think I could still go to one of those sleep away schools?"
"What? Why would you want to? I thought you liked living in London with your father and Doctor Hooper. That you liked your school."
"Well… I do, but…"
"But?"
"Dad and Doctor Molly are going to have a baby. And I don't want to be here when it gets here." He could feel the tremble bubbling up in his throat and he swallowed hard to keep it down.
"Oh really? When did this happen?"
"I overheard them talking earlier. They said it was coming in July. And… I don't want to be somebody's big brother! I like being the baby!"
Mycroft chuckled. "Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, Gabriel, but going away to school doesn't stop you from being someone's big brother. I should know."
"Then what should I do?" He sniffled. "I love my dad and Molly so much that I couldn't stand it if they loved that stupid baby more than me! I just don't want to have to watch. Maybe I could come live with you?"
Mycroft erupted in a coughing fit. When he could breathe again he replied, "You don't want to do that, Gabriel. Your father and Molly will not stop loving you just because they have another baby. And I'll tell you a little secret…"
"What's that?"
"A sibling is the best friend you'll ever have in your life. They make you absolutely bonkers at times and there are days when you'd like to have them imprisoned, but for the most part, no one will ever love you more. You'll fight and hurt one another, but as long as you have a sibling, you'll always have an ally. And as the older brother, it will be your job to take care of him or her. And he will worship you."
"You think so?"
"Trust me."
Gabriel thought this over for a moment, deciding that he should probably give the baby a chance. If his dad said it would be okay, then it would be. After all, his dad was Sherlock Holmes—the man who knew everything. "Thanks, Uncle Mycroft. But if I hate it… can I come stay with you?"
"Of course." Gabriel giggled, knowing that he would only say that if he was certain Gabriel would be fine.
