A/N: Just a little fluff for this rainy day! Sherlock left alone with two tiny humans? Perhaps not the best idea I've ever had. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Gabe and Scarlett.
OoOoOo
"Daddy?"
The small sound at first wasn't enough to wake him. It was simply another sound in the swirl of noise in the back of his mind. In dreams, the waking world seems so far away and is easy to ignore.
"Daddy?"
There it was again. Sherlock swum through his subconscious, seeking out the source of the noise. He couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. It was the first time he'd slept deeply and for more than an hour in three days. But it was too late. He was cresting the wave back to reality and willing his eyes to open. It was crazy, but he could actually feel someone watching him.
"Daddy. You wake?" Sherlock opened his eyes with a startled gasp. It was dark, but he could see Scarlett standing next to the bed, her face level with his. He immediately assessed her state of mind: anxious, but not upset. There were no tears, so she wasn't hurting in any way. She was shifting from one foot to the other, almost dancing.
"I'm awake, baby," he replied in a hoarse, sleepy voice. He rubbed his eyes and sat up on one elbow. A glance beside him revealed that Molly was already gone. 4:30a.m. Of course. She had agreed to work the odd mid-shift for the week. "What's the matter?"
"I gotta go to the loo, Daddy," she whispered.
Sherlock nodded and sat up, still trying to shake the remnants of sleep from his brain. Since Scarlett had started training, they were trying to encourage her to get up and ask for help if she needed to go in the middle of the night. The only snag was that Molly was usually here to help her. "Well go on then," he croaked, rising from the bed and nudging her toward the bathroom.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "You come too, Daddy."
He sighed. "Yes, love. I'm right behind you." Recently, Scarlett had decided that she did not like going into rooms by herself if it was the slightest bit dark. He couldn't help laughing as she walked into the loo and immediately began to sing to herself. The whole time she was sitting on the toilet, she sang the little nonsensical song. She must have sat there for five minutes with very little evidence that she actually had to go. He sighed with exasperation. Had he really been awakened from a dead sleep for this? Sherlock could hear Molly's voice in his head, scolding him for being impatient. "We have to encourage her."
"Okay, Daddy. I done," she announced finally. He helped her get cleaned up and redressed. She tried to bypass the sink with a, "No thank you, Daddy."
"Oh yes," Sherlock chuckled, steering her back to the little step stool. She sang the Happy Birthday song as she washed her hands, like Molly had taught her. Sherlock thought it was the silliest thing ever, but even he had to admit that it helped her time how long she should wash. Perhaps someone should have taught Gabriel, who more often than not, just ran his hands under a splash of water. "All right, Scar-baby. Back to bed with you," he said, helping her dry her hands on the flannel by the sink. She smiled and kissed him sloppily on the cheek before scampering back into his bedroom. He walked in behind to find the little girl struggling to climb up the side of the bed. "What are you doing?"
"Scar sleep wiv Daddy," she replied with a tiny grunt as she slid back to the floor.
"No, I think Scarlett needs to sleep in her own bed," he said, scooping her up. A few weeks previous, it had been decided that Scarlett could graduate from her cot to a toddler bed. Of course, now that they had gone to all the trouble to convert the damn thing, she never wanted to sleep in it. She always started out there, but most mornings she would wander into their room or Gabriel's. Molly kept telling them it was just a phase. That she was just afraid to be on her own and she'd grow out of it, but Sherlock wasn't convinced that it wasn't an evil ploy to avoid additional siblings.
"No, Daddy. You lonely with no Mummy. I sleep wiv you."
"I think I can cope," Sherlock replied with grin, kissing her cheek. "Besides, I may not be going back to sleep."
"Yes, Daddy. You go back to sleep wiv Scar-baby." This time she wriggled from his grasp, pushing back from his chest until he let her go so she could scramble onto the bed.
"Scarlett," he said, trying to sound stern, but failing miserably. "You must go to your own bed. You have to learn to be on your own."
She was clearly not listening and had already snuggled under the duvet, her big eyes peering out. "Please?"
He sighed, knowing he was defeated once more. Finally he nodded and climbed into bed beside her. She immediately curled up against his side, using both her chubby hands to push his arm out of the way so that she could nestle against his chest. She liked to lay her ear against him where she could hear the light thump of his heartbeat. As soon as she was sleeping, he would get up and carry her back to her own bed. It seemed like such a good plan until Sherlock drowsed back to unconsciousness, listening to the slow rhythm of his daughter's breathing.
OoOoOo
"Hey Dad, we had to read about coal mines last night for homework and write a paragraph about what we read. Would you read it?" Gabriel asked, opening his folder. Then he groaned. "Scarlett!"
"What?" she asked, throwing her arms up.
"You drew on my homework paper! Dad! She drew on my homework again!"
Sherlock pinched the bridge of his nose and took the paper from Gabriel. What appeared to be a giant eye with hair was dancing across the bottom of Gabriel's history homework. "Scarlett!" he started. "Why did you draw on Gabriel's paper?"
"I not draw," she said, going back to playing with the spoon in her cereals.
"Yes you did!" Gabriel whined. "Dad, she does it all the time. I'm going to get in trouble."
"I not draw on Bre part," Scarlett said.
Sherlock sighed. He hated when Molly wasn't around in the mornings and he had to be responsible for getting both children dressed, fed and Gabriel, at least, off to school. This particular morning, his phone kept buzzing with messages from Lestrade asking when he might be able to get to the Yard and the noise was driving him insane. He blamed the fact that he had been awakened so early and then went back to sleep. Not that he would trade the snuggle time with Scarlett, but now his head was groggy and his temper was short.
"It doesn't matter if you drew on my part or not," Gabriel scolded. "The teacher will think I did it!"
"Both of you stop arguing and eat your breakfast!" Sherlock snapped. Then he knelt beside Scarlett's chair, getting down on her level. "Scarlett, look at my face."
She turned and smiled. "Hey Daddy!"
"Hi. You don't touch things that aren't yours. Do you understand?"
"Okay, Daddy," she chirped, dropping a piece of cereal on the table and picking it up with her fingers to shove into her mouth. "I not touch."
"Dad," Gabriel sighed. "She says that every time."
Sherlock ignored him, holding Scarlett's gaze with a fierce one of his own. "That's right. You don't touch other people's things because the next time you draw on Gabriel's homework, you will get a spanking. Got it?" She nodded and went back to her cereals. "And try using your spoon with that, please," he said, standing up.
"Where's Mum?" Gabriel asked, watching as Sherlock read over the homework.
"At Bart's. Remember, she's working that weird shift this week," he replied absently.
Gabriel gasped. "Oh! I forgot. While you were in the bath, Mum called to let you know she would be late."
His head snapped up. "How late?"
"She said three o'clock."
Sherlock handed the paper back to Gabriel and ruffled his hair as he sought out his mobile. As he dialed the number for the lab, he felt the irritation rising on his skin and he tried to shake it off. He didn't want the first words he said to Molly in the morning to be with a biting tone, but this had the potential to mess up his entire day. Lestrade needed him badly, John was actually off for a change and his inbox was bursting. He'd been looking forward to getting out. Now he'd have to rearrange things to accommodate Scarlett. "This is Molly," came the weary voice of his wife as she answered the phone.
"Hi. It's me," Sherlock said.
"Hi you," Molly replied. "What's up?"
"When are you coming home?"
"Didn't get my message?"
"Sort of, though that's what happens when you leave messages with nine year olds."
"Well I'd been texting you all morning." Molly sighed. She was the one that sounded irritated. "I should be able to come at three. They found another body early this morning. Are you at home?"
"Yes."
"Wow, I thought you'd be with Lestrade by now."
"Well, I would be, but there are these two tiny humans that, for some reason, are unable to do things for themselves."
"Leave them with Mrs. Hudson. I'm sure she won't mind for a couple of hours until I get there. And Gabe is going to school, right?"
"I can't leave them with Mrs. Hudson, she's at her sister's for the week. And yes, Gabe is going to school, but I have to get him there first!"
"Well don't yell at me! I had to work. And I'd think you'd prefer for me to gather the samples off the body for you!"
"I'm not yelling at you, Molly," he sighed. "I just wish I'd known."
"Well I didn't know myself." He could hear some kind of commotion in the background and then the distinctive whine of Greg Lestrade in the background.
"Is that Sherlock?" Greg shouted. "Tell him to get off the damn phone and get over here now! I need him."
"Did you hear that?" Molly asked.
"Tell him to send Anderson over here to babysit and I'll be right there," Sherlock grumbled.
"Dad! I'm going to be late to school!" Gabriel called from the other room.
"Shit, I have to go. Tell Lestrade I'll be there when I get there."
Molly giggled. "I will. Bring me a coffee will you? The pot here's broken."
"Anything else, Highness?"
He could almost hear Molly smirking on the other end of the line. "You could wear that sexy button-up I like. Nothing white. There's a lot of blood on this one."
"Oooh… my favorite. Good bye…"
"Sherlock!"
"Hmm?"
"Love you."
He smiled, a slight smugness to his grin. "I know it."
OoOoOo
"Where we go, Daddy?" Scarlett asked as Sherlock knelt in front of her, wiping the remnants of breakfast off of her cheeks.
"We have to go see Mummy at work, Peaseblossom," he replied. He knew Molly wouldn't be too happy about him bringing Scarlett, but what choice did he have? It wasn't as if it were a crime scene or anything. And she had been to the lab lots of times. She would simply stay in the lab instead of venturing out into the morgue itself. Gabriel had been completely jealous, but there was nothing he could do for it. School awaited.
"Where Bre?"
"Remember? We walked him to school."
"Yes, I 'member," she replied, then crinkled her nose in confusion again. "Why he not want to see Mummy?"
"Because he had school today. One day you'll have to go too," Sherlock said, though admittedly he wasn't paying much attention to their conversation. His brain was already racing with ideas on the case waiting for him at Bart's. Fifth body in as many days, all of them blondes, all of them found in roughly the same area, all of them wearing cocktail dresses—none of them connected in any other way. All of them completely exsanguinated. It had promises to be at least an eight.
"Daddy, I not like this jumper," she said, pulling at the neck with annoyance. "It itches."
"Sorry, baby. That's the one we have," he replied, standing up and steering her toward the bathroom sink.
"I get my princess shirt?"
"No, it's much too chilly out for your princess shirt. Besides, it isn't clean."
Scarlett shrugged, but seemed to accept this and allowed herself to be ushered into the bathroom to have her teeth brushed. Sherlock put the paste on her tiny toothbrush and she grabbed for it. "I do it myself, Daddy!" she exclaimed.
"Okay, you do it first and then I'll help with the rest," he conceded, honestly not wanting to argue with her. She smiled widely in the mirror and began brushing each tooth individually. Sherlock stood over her, watching with an amused expression until he spied the clock overhead. "All right, Scar-baby. Let me do the rest." Before she could protest, he took the toothbrush and scrubbed at her teeth, instructing her to open wider and tickling her belly to make her laugh so that he could reach her new molars.
Once they were done, they were finally ready to leave. Sherlock stopped to shoot a text to John. Meet me at Bart's lab. ~SH Scarlett waited patiently on her father, staring up at him with large eyes as he fiddled with his mobile. He glanced down at her and noticed she was shifting back and forth on her feet. "Scarlett, do you have to go to the loo?"
She shook her head. "Nope. I good, Daddy."
"You sure? Before you put your coat on?"
"Nope. I good, Daddy."
"It's a long cab ride," he said.
She scrunched up her face in annoyance and poked her lip out. Suddenly she looked so much like Molly that Sherlock gasped. "I good," she said again and held out her arms to have her coat put on.
Several minutes later, they were rushing down the street in the back of a cab, waiting for the light to turn. Sherlock was running through Lestrade's countless texts of panic throughout the morning:
I need you to come now. ~GL
Another body. ~GL
It's at least an 8. ~GL
Are you getting my texts? ~GL
I just tried calling you. ~GL
Sherlock, why are you ignoring Greg's texts? ~MH
I'm going to be late coming home, btw. ~MH
You don't even bother to ask me anymore do you? ~JW
Sherlock, would you please answer the Detective Inspector? ~M
It's a wonder that any of them could do anything without his instruction.
"Daddy?" Scarlett's voice was very small and he could barely hear over the road noise. She tugged on his sleeve until he leaned down to let her whisper in his ear.
"Yes, Peaseblossom?"
"I have to go," she whispered, then clasped her hands over her mouth to keep from giggling.
OoOoOo
Everyone looked up when they heard the clatter of the lab doors crashing open. John laughed. "That certainly sounds like Sherlock, anyway." Seconds later, Sherlock was rushing into the lab holding Scarlett around the waist out in front of him. Her clothes were disheveled and her coat hung off of one arm.
"What on earth happened?" Molly asked, pulling her child away from its father and clutching her tightly. Molly kissed her cheeks all over until Scarlett was giggling. "You look like you've been through the wars, darling." She kept a smile plastered on her face as she stared at Sherlock over the child's shoulder, mouthing "Why is she wet?"
"We uhm… had a little accident on the way over." He stared helplessly at Lestrade. "Please… take me to the dead bodies."
