A/N: All right kids, here you are... the reactions you've been waiting for! I hope they live up to your high expectations of me.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Gabriel and Scarlett.
Irene smiled sweetly as they approached. Another mask, Sherlock thought. This time she had opted for a simple black suit and her hair hanging loose about her shoulders. He could see the scars of her age and illness clearly etched on her face and body this afternoon. All of the things she'd been trying to hide the previous day. He wasn't sure if this was some sort of peace offering, an attempt to look more maternal or just some other weird 'Irene-game.' "Sherlock," she said, reaching out to take his hands and pull him in to a chaste embrace. "Thank you for doing this."
He nodded and allowed her to kiss his cheek. He had to find a way to relax. If he was ill at ease with Irene, both Gabriel and Molly would be as well. The last thing he wanted to do was make the two of them uncomfortable. Well… more uncomfortable than they were already. Reaching behind, he pulled Molly into his side. "Irene Adler, this is –"
"Molly," Molly interrupted, offering her hand. "Molly Holmes." Sherlock smirked. Molly would not be a mouse today. It was exciting to see her assert herself by wearing her new surname like a suit of armor.
"My, you have been busy, Sherlock," Irene said as she shook Molly's hand. The two women made eye contact, neither one blinking. "You must indeed be something special, Mrs. Holmes."
"I like to think so," Molly replied.
Irene smiled and nodded before kneeling down gracefully so that she was on level with Gabriel. "And you must be Gabriel." The little boy pulled back slightly, keeping a hold of Sherlock's jacket and attempting to hide his face behind his hip. She chuckled softly. "How precious! He's shy," she said, glancing up at Sherlock.
Sherlock nudged him with his hip. "Say hello, Gabe."
"Hello," Gabriel replied almost inaudibly and looked up to his parents for reassurance that he could touch her. They nodded and he reached out to shake her hand.
Irene smiled and her eyes glistened as she fought to keep her emotions in check. She was still, holding on to Gabriel's hand and examining every nuance of his face, as if she couldn't quite comprehend that he was real. "Sherlock… he's… he's beautiful. I just can't take my eyes off of him." Gabriel wrinkled his nose, clearly not wanting to be called 'beautiful.' "He looks so much like you. I can hardly see myself at all."
"He makes faces that look very like you," Sherlock commented.
She grinned and brushed her fingertips lightly through his curls. "Gabriel, will you sit with me at tea?"
"Well… I…"
"It's all right, Gabriel," Molly said. "Miss Adler came all this way to see you." He nodded reluctantly and let Irene lead him into the tea room.
They must have looked like a very strange gathering indeed as they sat around the little table in a corner of the room overlooking the beach. The waitress came over and took their orders. "Dad, can we have biscuits?" Gabriel asked. Sherlock nodded and handed off the menu.
"Do you like biscuits, Gabriel?" Irene asked. "Which ones are your favorites?"
"Mrs. Hudson makes chocolate ones that I like the most," he replied, playing with his teaspoon.
"Mrs. Hudson? Oh yes, the old lady that owns the house," Irene said. "I think I remember her."
"You know where my flat is?"
"Oh yes." She giggled. "I can't believe you're still living in that dingy little flat on Baker Street, Sherlock."
"I happen to like that dingy little flat on Baker Street," Sherlock grumbled. "It's a little small with all of us living there, but I can't imagine leaving."
"Does John still live there too?"
"John and his wife, Mary—" Molly began.
"Wife? You mean John got married?" Irene chuckled. "And here I thought he was just holding out for you, Sherlock."
"Charming to the last," Sherlock replied through a thin-lipped smile. As if by Divine Intervention, the waitress reappeared with a pot of tea and a tray of biscuits, distracting them from conversation for a few precious moments. Irene started to pour a cup of tea for Gabriel, but Molly beat her to the pot. She poured Gabe a cup of tea and let him put a bit of milk into it.
"Where's the honey?" Gabriel asked.
"There isn't any honey. Just use sugar," Sherlock said, handing him the bowl of sugar cubes. Gabriel shrugged and began piling cubes into his teacup until Molly stopped him.
"So tell me all about you, Gabriel," Irene said. "Tell me every little thing. How old are you?"
Gabriel stirred his tea. "I'm seven. Well, almost. I'll be seven next month."
"Seven! Wow. You're such a big boy. The last time I saw you, you were just a tiny little baby."
"You saw me?"
"Of course I did, precious. The second you were born. You had quite a set of lungs, if I recall." She laughed at the memory. "Your little face got so red and I asked the nurse if you would burst something if you kept on like that. You looked a bit like your dad then too, you know."
"I did?"
"Yes. You had a head full of curly black hair even then."
Gabriel blushed and slid down in his seat a little. He used his spoon to scoop tea into his mouth, slurping until he cast a glance in his father's direction. Sherlock shook his head, mouthing "no." He sat up again and pushed his cup aside. "My sister has curly hair too, but it's reddish."
"Your sister?" Irene asked, coughing as she sucked tea down her throat unexpectedly.
"Yeah. My baby sister, Scarlett. She's… uhm…" Gabriel looked back at Molly. "How old is Scarlett?"
"Three months," Molly replied.
Irene chewed lightly on her lower lip and Sherlock could tell that she was trying desperately not to laugh or give any sign of her disbelief. He understood that his newfound domesticity was difficult for some to take, especially a person whom he'd known at a time in his life that was particularly turbulent. "I just can't believe how much you've changed, Sherlock," she said, turning her gaze on him. "What was that you said about sentiment? Something about a chemical defect?"
"You of all people should know how much I enjoy chemical defects," Sherlock replied cooly, wishing for all the world he had a cigarette.
Irene ignored him, instead turning her attention back to Gabriel. "So, Gabriel, do you go to school?"
"Yes."
"But not boarding school?"
"Nope. I like my school, but I don't want to sleep there."
She smiled. "What's your favorite thing to do at school?"
"Science is my favorite. But I like to read too."
"Reading is important. What sorts of books?"
"All kinds, I guess. I'm reading Harry Potter right now and also a book about dinosaurs."
"How can you read two books at the same time?" Irene asked with a chuckle.
"Duh. I have one by my bed and the other one in my bookbag for school." He smiled and shook his head. "And the Harry Potter book, my dad is usually reading to me. He does awesome voices."
"Really?" Irene asked, suddenly very interested.
"His Voldemort is scarier than the guy in the movie." Gabriel reached for a biscuit. "Anyway, I like school. My teacher this year isn't as good as Miss Winslow, but he's okay."
"You have a man teacher this year?"
"Yeah, Mr. Scott. Dad doesn't like him much because he likes mum a lot."
"That's not true," Molly and Sherlock said in unison.
"Yes it is, Mum. He's always asking about you. Anyway, he says I could probably skip a year if I wanted to, but I like being in the same class with Katie."
"Who is Katie?"
"She's my best friend." Gabriel shoved the rest of the biscuit in his mouth. "She lives down the street from us. She was supposed to be moving back to America with her mum and dad, but then her gram decided to move over here instead. She has a new little brother."
Irene looked wistful. Her countenance was almost sad as she gazed up at Sherlock. As if she were coming to terms with all of the regret that had been bubbling, just out of reach of reality for all these years. "He seems very happy with you, Sherlock. And you, Molly." She pulled a handkerchief from her purse and dotted her eyes, trying to look unobtrusive about it.
"Are you sad, Miss Adler?" Gabriel asked.
"No, darling," she said, putting her kerchief aside and offering Gabriel a wide, put on smile. "But you mustn't call me Miss Adler."
"Then what do I call you?" he asked matter of factly.
"Oh… well… whatever you want. Irene or even Mum if you like."
Gabriel cut a sideways glance toward his parents and clasped Molly's hand under the table. "I can't call you Mum."
"Why not?"
"You aren't my mum," Gabriel said with a completely serious expression. There was no malice there or anger, just simple truth. "Doctor Molly's my mum and if I called you and her mum then it would confuse my sister too. So I'll just call you Irene I guess." He shrugged and gulped the rest of his tea.
Irene nodded. "Whatever you want, dear." She looked a little hurt and looked helplessly at Sherlock. "But no, I'm not sad." She chuckled. "I bet you're going to be a detective like your dad when you grow up."
Gabriel wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No way. I think I'd be too scared that people would shoot at me. I think I'd rather be a doctor like my John and my mum. But maybe for animals instead. Or maybe a famous musician!"
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. I play the violin really good, don't I, Dad?"
"You're a regular prodigy, Gabriel," Sherlock replied.
"My teacher says I'm the best of all the kids my age that she teaches. I have a solo in the recital next month." He looked back at Sherlock and Molly quizzically. "You can come if you want to."
Irene smiled. "I'll certainly try."
"I think next I'll try playing the piano. Katie takes piano lessons but she hates it. Mary says it shouldn't be too hard for me because I already know how to read the music. Can you read music, Irene?"
She giggled. "Not at all. But why do you have a violin teacher? If I remember correctly, your father was a very accomplished musician."
"He's too fussy. I tried to get him to help me with my solo and he yelled at me."
"Sherlock!" Irene exclaimed, feigning shock.
"He wasn't listening to what I was trying to tell him," Sherlock replied, trying to defend himself. "And Scarlett was wailing in my ear at the same time."
Gabriel giggled. "She usually likes it when we play, but I kept making mistakes and it was making her mad." He was wiggling in his seat and finally looked up at Sherlock. "Dad?"
"Yes?"
"I have to use the bathroom."
Sherlock sighed. "Can't you wait?"
"Noooo…" he whined. "I have to go nooww…"
Sherlock sighed and looked to Molly who finally piped up. "Go ahead," she said, plastering a smile on her small, devious mouth. "Miss Adler and I will be just fine on our own for a few minutes." She watched as they disappeared across the restaurant and into the men's toilet. "Well, it's finally nice to meet you after all this time, Miss Adler."
"Irene, please…"
"No. I don't think so. Miss Adler will do fine for now." Molly leaned forward, taking another calm sip of her tea. "I'm not exactly sure what you're up to, here. I'd like to think that you're here on an honorable mission to see how your offspring has been doing all this time. As a mother, I understand that motivation completely. But, also, as a mother I can't even comprehend leaving my child at birth. Either of them."
"Look, I don't expect you to understand…"
"I wasn't asking you to. I'm just letting you know that I love the two of them and our daughter more than anything else on this earth and I'm willing to do anything… anything… to protect the life we've created for ourselves. I just wanted you to be aware of that fact in case this is some desperate ploy to weasel back into Sherlock's life."
"I would never—"
"And who could blame you? You were a fool to let him slip away the first time. But that's neither here nor there. Just know that I am a pathologist and very aware of how to make you disappear if you ever hurt either of them again." Molly exhaled and pasted a sunny smile on her face. "And now we can move on."
