A/N: I'm having a terrible day today, so I thought adding to this story might make me feel better. I certainly hope it gives you a smile!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Gabe, Scarlett, Katie and Isabel. And of course, Cat the dog.

Molly hadn't said anymore about a possible addition to their brood, but Sherlock could tell it was still on her mind. They'd gone on a shopping trip to find some new clothes for Gabriel, who seemed to outgrow all of his clothes at once. Molly wandered away and they finally found her lurking in the baby section. She claimed she was looking for teething drops for Scarlett, but her wishful expression did not go unnoticed by Sherlock as her fingertips slid over the boxes of tiny nappies. Scarlett had evidently picked up on this vibe as well and she was not having it. In her own, devious little way, she thwarted any physical contact between her parents. If they sat together on the couch, she insisted on climbing up between them. If they kissed, she immediately wanted in on the action, insisting that both parents kiss her instead. She had also suffered a setback in her toilet training that always seemed to manifest itself late at night whenever Molly and Sherlock decided to make love. She would invariably come toddling into the room, sniffling and announcing that her bed was wet. This would lead to a half-hour of stripping down Scarlett's bed, washing her up, getting her into clean pajamas, remaking the bed and coaxing her back to sleep. Often Gabriel would even get up to see what was going on, which would then get Scarlett riled up again and the process of going back to sleep would be even longer. By the time these potty emergencies were over, both parents had lost interest and only wanted to sleep. And just when they thought the fun was over, they'd get up the next morning in a terrible mood that would last all day. The last time it happened, it was so bad that Greg Lestrade suggested that Molly take a coffeebreak so they could go shag in a broom closet and get it over with. While Sherlock agreed with his little girl's sentiment, the methodology was proving to be upsetting, to say the least. Once you start having sex on the regular, it's nearly impossible to go back.

"I can't take it anymore!" Sherlock exclaimed, his shouting waking Molly with a start. It was after three in the morning and he'd just come back from putting Scarlett down. "Every time, Molly!"

"What? What are you talking about?" she asked, her speech slurred with sleepiness. "What time is it?"

"3:12. Exactly one and one-half hour from when Scarlett barged in. Molly, I have to tell you. I've never wanted to hit our youngest, but tonight it was all I could do to refrain."

Molly sighed, sitting up and realizing that she probably wasn't going to be going back to sleep anytime soon. "She's just a baby, darling. And the pediatrician said that regression was normal, especially in girls."

"I'm not talking about her wetting the bed, Molly! Other than the complete inconvenience of it. Tonight, she flat out refused to go back to sleep. As in, she looked at me and said 'No, thank you, Daddy,' when I said she needed to go back to sleep. She asked if she could have a sip of water and despite the fact that's probably what caused the whole mess in the first place, I complied just to get her back to sleep. I went into the bath to get the water and when I came back she was out of bed and in Gabriel's room with Cat. Luckily, she didn't wake Gabriel up or I'd still be there!"

Molly watched as he threw himself around, angrily tossing his teeshirt into the chair by the window. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying not to giggle at his display. He was like a child whose toy had been taken away. "I'm sorry, love. Come back to bed. I'm sure I can rekindle your fire," she said.

He flopped on the bed dramatically, pulling the duvet over his pale shoulder. He looked just like Gabriel during one of his epic pouting sessions. It was too much and this time Molly did laugh. "No. I'll injure something vital if I'm interrupted without crossing the finish line again."

"Oh don't be a baby, Sherlock," Molly snickered.

He looked stung. "I'm not! You try routing all the blood in your body toward one particular organ and then having to reroute all of it back to where it started in the space of a few minutes! It hurts, Molly! And don't think it still isn't slightly uncomfortable even after an hour." He rolled over, punching his pillow and showing her his back.

She cuddled up behind him and slid her arm around his waist. "Sherlock… don't be grumpy," she whispered against the cuff of his ear. Her small hand, cool from the chill air was splayed across his belly. She lazily stroked the soft line of hair just under his navel. "I'm awake now."

He rolled over, grasping her wrist tightly and pinning it behind her. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing," he hissed.

Molly laughed. "What do you mean?"

"You're just trying to get me in a compromising position again so you can harvest my seed!"

She burst into laughter and when she saw his face, looking so serious, she thought she might die. "Harvest your seed?"

"Exactly," he snapped. "You want to have another baby and you've managed to conspire with our children to get me so incredibly frustrated that I'll impregnate you!"

Molly sat up, offended by his words. "Wait a minute, you're the one that was so keen! I fell asleep while you were putting Scarlett back to bed!"

"It's a scientific fact that the male's sperm count goes up the longer he goes without ejaculation! These carefully timed Scarlett attacks are devious means to germinate!"

"You're insane," she sighed. "Forget it. Keep your… seed."

"I will!"

"Good!"

"Fine!" Sherlock rolled back over, angrily.

"Just remember how you turned me down in a few hours when you're having a meaningful relationship with your right hand in the shower!" He glared over his shoulder, watching as she threw the covers aside and grabbed her dressing gown.

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep in the bottom bunk with Cat!"

OoOoOo

"So… what do you think?" Sherlock sat with John on the bench in the park, his back ramrod straight and his jawline tense. He had finished relating the story of his fight with Molly and was more confused now than when he started.

"You're asking me for advice?" John tried to hide the smile. "The great Sherlock Holmes needs advice from little old me. I hope someone's writing this down."

"Shut up," Sherlock grumbled. "Just… you're better at this sort of thing than I am. Tell me what to do, because it's been two days and Molly won't even speak to me."

"Are you serious?"

"I would never joke about such a thing. She's been sleeping in Gabriel's room on the bottom bunk. Of course, she won't be doing that tonight since Katie's sleeping at our flat again." He shook his head, ruffling his fingers through his hair then pulling his coat tighter around him. "I don't know how to handle this. I admit that my argument may have been a little irrational the other night. I was very tired and very…"

"Frustrated?"

"Exactly." It suddenly occurred to Sherlock why he was so angry that night. It really had nothing to do with his sex life being upheaved by what he had dubbed 'Scarlett Attacks.' It had more to do with the fact that in the back of his mind, he felt like Molly was just waiting to pounce on him and get herself pregnant. "Just out of curiosity, has Mary said anything to you about wanting another baby?"

John shrugged and shook his head. "Not yet. I think she's pretty happy with just the one right now. Which suits me fine. Why do you ask?" John paused, and then the color drained from his cheeks. "Molly's not… she's not pregnant again is she?"

"No!" Sherlock answered a little too emphatically, then calmer. "But she wants to be."

John looked skeptical. "Did she actually tell you that?"

"Yes."

John nodded slowly. He was still, after two years, still trying to process Sherlock's almost contented domesticity. "Well, I guess it's not surprising. I mean, Molly never made any secret that she wanted a large family."

"No, but I'm just not… I mean, I love Gabe and Scarlett—you know that. But I feel like I've just gotten the hang of all this. And adding another child to the mix right now…" He sighed and let his shoulders droop. It was most unlike him. "It's bad enough that we have Katie Adams all the time these days."

John looked out over the park to see Gabriel and Katie climbing the jungle gym across the way. Isabel and Scarlett sat in the sandbox several meters away, amazingly not fighting just yet. "Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. What's going on there?"

"You'll have to ask Molly for any details. Most of that got caught in the filter, but as far as I can tell, Katie's parents are in the midst of some kind of marital discord. They don't have the intelligence to shield their children from this and so Katie, the only one old enough to be bothered by it, doesn't want to go home. I can't say I blame her."

John seemed stunned. "How much time is she spending there?"

"She's been at Baker Street every weekend for the last month and most days after school until dark."

"Damn. I mean, I can sympathize, but it's a little much to ask you and Molly to take her in."

"Well she's not really any trouble. She's a sweet child, but things are getting a little cramped. And I think Gabriel's starting to get a bit jealous having to share his parents and everything else with another sibling. Which brings me back to my original point—what should I do about Molly?"

"Well I'm pretty sure that apologizing to her for the other night is in order."

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Obviously. But what about the baby thing?"

OoOoOo

Gabriel and Katie perched on top of the jungle gym, looking down at the park below. This was their favorite place. They felt so high above everyone else, like it was their own little world. It was warmish this afternoon and the breeze and sunshine felt good against their faces. "Gabriel?"

"Yeah, Katie?"

"My mum is moving in with my Gram next week. Thomas and Martha are going too, but at least they'll be in England. My dad says it's just for a few weeks, but I think he's just telling me that to make me feel better." Then, without warning, she burst into tears. Gabriel inched over to where she was and hugged her tightly, letting her cry against his shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, Katie," he said, wishing that he had something more reassuring to say. "At least they won't be fighting all the time."

"I know," she sniffled. "But I'm going to miss them."

"Well, you'll still get to see them, won't you?"

"They're trying to work it out," she replied, sniffling and rubbing her eyes on the heel of her hands. "My dad has to fly for most of the week, so I'll probably have to stay with my Gram until he's home. But my mom says that means I'll probably have to change schools to one closer."

Gabriel gasped. He couldn't conceive of not seeing Katie every day at school. She wouldn't even live close enough for them to play in the park unless she was with her dad! "You can't change schools, Katie! Who's going to keep me from getting in trouble because I tell the teachers they're stupid? Who will eat my broccoli at lunch?"

Katie shrugged. "I'm sure somebody will eat your broccoli." Suddenly, she threw her arms around Gabriel and hugged him again, hanging on so tightly that he couldn't breathe properly. "I love you, Gabe!" she almost shouted, startling him. Then she took him completely by surprise, pressing a sloppy kiss right on his mouth.

OoOoOo

"I don't know, Sherlock. I agree with you that having another baby might be particularly stressful right now, but I can't tell you what to do. I'm sure that Molly is feeling herself getting a little older and she probably knows there aren't that many shopping days left til Christmas, as it were." Sherlock could feel his eyes rolling back in his head as John droned on and on about women, menstrual cycles and mid-life crises. "As a doctor she's well aware that the risk of certain disorders increases as the mother gets older, as does the risk of having twins."

For a moment, something caught Sherlock's eye and he sat up on the bench. "Oh dear Lord…" he sighed.

"Sherlock, are you listening to me? I mean, you asked for my opinion and now that I'm giving it to you—"

"Look," Sherlock interrupted John, pointing off in the direction of the playground.

"Look at what?" Finally, Sherlock grabbed John's head and turned it toward where Gabriel and Katie were sitting atop the jungle gym. "Oh my God… are they?" He squinted into the sunlight, trying to see better. "Are they kissing?"

"Yes."

"What do we do? I mean… they're nine."

"You're asking me?" Sherlock asked.

"Well, that's your kid doing the snogging."

They didn't have time to react, as Scarlett was on it way before they could construct an appropriate response. "Bre!" she squealed, getting to her feet with a little help from Isabel. "Bre kiss Katie!" Both toddlers began running toward the jungle gym as fast as their tiny little legs could carry them.

"She doesn't see the rail around the equipment," Sherlock said, getting up. "Scarlett! Izzy!" he shouted.

Both turned to look at toward Sherlock as he sprinted across the park toward them with John right behind. It was enough of a distraction and just before he could reach them, Scarlett tumbled over the edge of the plastic rail around the play area. She went down hard, her head connecting with the corner of the jungle gym. Isabel tumbled after her, the two looking like perfectly timed Dominoes.

Unlike Isabel, Scarlett didn't immediately start screaming. She looked dazed. By the time Sherlock reached her, Gabriel and Katie were on the ground, the former already trying to pick her up. "She hit her head, Dad," Gabriel explained. That was clear enough. A large bruise had already begun to form on her forehead, but the worst was the blood. Evidently in the fall, she'd bitten her lip hard and blood poured from the wound. As soon as Scarlett noticed that she was bleeding and saw the alarmed look of her father and brother, she began to scream. "John!" Sherlock called, for a split second forgetting that John had his own injured child to look at.