A/N: Annnddd... we're back! A bit shorter than some, but nonetheless entertaining. This weekend was a lot of fun. I sold lots of books and even managed to catch a few Sherlock cosplayers. I was also pleased to see some really sweet reviews from some of you faithfuls: Empress, Renaissance, Joely, Morbid- so many folks to name, but a blanket shout out to anyone leaving reviews- LOVE YOU! Really, you make it all worthwile. Those of you that are Parade's End fans, I was smacked with inspiration for a fic- so stay tuned on that front. Anyway, I'm rambling... here goes.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Gabriel and Scarlett
"Happy birthday, Mum!" Scarlett and Gabriel sang at volumes to wake the dead as they stood over the bed. Molly's heart leapt out of her chest as she awoke with a start, sitting straight up. Her children stood over her with their smiling faces. They looked so adorable that she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed. Gabriel was carrying a tray with a cup of tea and a saucer of scones and jam. Scarlett stood beside him with a single yellow rose.
"Hello!" she said, trying to sound cheerful despite her sleepiness. Scarlett pushed her way past Gabriel and climbed into the bed beside her. She handed over the flower and hugged her mother tightly.
"Scarlett!" Gabriel scolded. "That's rude to just get up in her bed like that."
"You not my daddy!" Scarlett snapped, snuggling against Molly's side.
Gabriel sighed and put the tray across Molly's lap. "Sorry, Mum."
Molly giggled and kissed his cheek. "What a nice birthday surprise! Breakfast in bed with two of my favorite people." She scooted over and patted the mattress beside her, making room for Gabriel to crawl in too. Before Molly could get her teacup to her lips, Scarlett had already stolen one of the scones and devoured it.
Gabriel rolled his eyes. "You're not supposed to eat Mum's breakfast!"
"Daddy says I'm 'sposa share!" she growled.
"Not Mum's food for her birthday!"
Molly put a hand on Gabriel's arm and patted it gently. "It's all right, Gabe. I'd never eat all of it by myself." She handed him a scone and all three munched on the breakfast in bed. "Did you two do this all by yourselves?"
"Yes," Gabriel said. "Well, Dad helped a little. He made the tea."
"Nena make scones for your bird-day," Scarlett declared, taking one of them and holding it up to Molly's lips. Nena was what Scarlett had decided to call Mrs. Hudson. Gabriel followed suit, alternating between the formal and familiar.
"She did? Well they're delicious, precious." Molly squeezed Scarlett once more and let the little girl feed her bits of sticky scones. "Where is your father?" she asked Gabriel.
"He was still wrapping your present," Gabriel said.
"Oooh… what's he getting me?"
Gabe shrugged. "He wouldn't tell me because Scarlett can't keep a secret."
"Can so!" Scarlett argued, looking highly offended by her brother's lack of faith. "I dint tell 'bout the necklace!" Suddenly realizing what she'd done, Scarlett gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth as if that might bring the words back. "Oopsie."
Gabriel heaved an exasperated groan and hid his face in his hands. Molly chuckled and hugged both children, kissing Gabriel's cheeks until he was laughing with them. "Don't pretend you're too old for me to kiss you, Gabriel Holmes!" Molly teased.
"She wasn't supposed to tell you about your present," Gabriel said when he could catch his breath. "So you have to pretend to be surprised."
"Of course!"
Seconds later, Sherlock appeared in the doorway balancing a cup of tea in one hand, two small boxes in the other and his violin case under his arm. One of the boxes was wrapped in simple purple paper with no bow and the other in paper that had obviously been designed by Scarlett and Gabriel. It was white drawing paper with colorful doodles and 'happy birthday' drawn all over it. The top had been adorned with a fluffy red bow. "Well finally," Sherlock sighed, feigning annoyance. "I'd begun to think you were going to sleep the day away."
"Well it is my birthday," Molly giggled.
"Are you quite sure?" Sherlock teased, setting the presents on her lap. "Has it always been on this day?"
"Only for the last thirty odd years or so."
"Open box, Mummy!" Scarlett chirped, already pulling at the bow on the package.
"Stop, Scarlett!" Gabriel said, pulling the box from her hands. "You're going to rip the paper!"
"I help!" she shouted back.
"Here… don't argue," Molly said, taking the box away from them. "Both of you can help me unwrap it." She smiled and let Scarlett pull at the corner of the paper. "Did you make the wrapping?" Scarlett nodded, transfixed by the bit of cellotape stuck to her thumb. "Bre help too."
"I wrote the happy birthdays," Gabriel said. "I wanted to draw the hearts so they'd look like real ones with veins and stuff, but Scarlett insisted on making them blue and purple."
"I think they're beautiful," Molly said, kissing Gabe's cheek again. A small velvet box was uncovered and Molly recognized it as a box from her favorite jewelry shop. After their first Christmas together, Sherlock had helped her accumulate quite a collection of their custom pieces.
"This is from us, Mum," Gabriel said as she opened up the box to reveal a pretty locket. It was obviously vintage with filigree laid into the facing in a lacy heart pattern. A small, amber colored stone decorated the center. Molly opened it to find a tiny picture of Sherlock, Gabriel and Scarlett staring back with goofy smiles. Obviously not a posed picture. Molly laughed, despite the stinging tears at the corners of her eyes. "Don't you like it?" Gabriel asked, looking worried at seeing his mother's bittersweet reaction.
"Of course she does," Sherlock said. "She often reacts to happiness with tears. I'm not sure what that's about. Most women do that." Molly laughed harder at Sherlock's matter-of-fact answer.
"You hav'a put on now, Mummy," Scarlett declared.
"Quite right, Sugarfoot," Molly said, letting Gabriel help her with the clasp. It was the perfect length, falling in the hollow of her cleavage to rest close to her heart. "Did you pick it out on your own?"
"They did," Sherlock answered. "The locket was Gabriel's idea." He sat down on the edge of the bed, sliding an arm around Molly's waist. "The next one is from me."
Molly gave him a sidelong glance. "Can I open it with them in the room?"
Sherlock laughed and nodded. "Yes, silly."
She smiled and turned the neatly wrapped purple package over in his palm. The lines and folds were perfect. It was as if the present had been wrapped by a machine. Obviously Sherlock had been on YouTube again. "I almost don't want to mess up the wrapping," she teased. She pulled the paper away from a long, flat black cardboard box. When she opened it, there were two things inside. The first was a bit of parchment with musical notes scrawled across it in Sherlock's messy but elegant hand. She unfolded the paper and saw that it was a piece of music. "What's this?"
"You complained that I'd never composed anything for you. Which wasn't true."
"Oh?"
"Look at the date." She turned the piece of paper over and read that the piece was titled "Miss Hooper in the Lab." The date underneath read, October 21, 2005.
Molly seemed confused as she stared at the inscription. "I don't understand."
"You don't remember the date?"
"No… sorry…"
Sherlock smiled. "That's the day we met. The exact date, in fact."
"You wrote this… the day we met?" Molly stared up at him, her eyes wide and glazed with unshed tears.
"Well, part of it. I finished it last night while you were sleeping."
"But… why would you? Why would you have written this then?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Suddenly the realization of what this meant dawned on Molly and she couldn't stop the tears anymore. Sherlock looked completely mystified by this response and looked at Gabriel. "Why is she doing that? What did I say?"
Gabriel shrugged. "Maybe you should just play it." Sherlock stood up and played Molly's song from memory. As if he'd played it a thousand times and never missed a beat. The melody was both haunting and hopeful. The notes were perfectly timed, put together very scientifically, but they had an organic feel to them that instantly put one in mind of the pathologist's nervous smile and the glinting of the sunlit fire off of her hair. The music flowed from his instrument, as natural and free as the beating of his own heart and by the time he was through, Molly was clutching both children and sobbing. She made no move to wipe the tears away and let them roll down her cheeks until there was a big wet stain on the duvet over her lap.
"Oh… Sherlock…" she sniffled. "That was beautiful. Why didn't you ever play it for me before?"
He set the violin on the chaise by the bed. "I wasn't ready for you to hear it, I guess." He gestured for Gabriel and Scarlett to move over so that he could slide into the bed beside Molly. She snuggled against him immediately, tucking her head into the crook of his shoulder. "I wrote most of it the day we met, but I didn't finish it until this morning. Was it okay?"
Molly grinned and nodded.
"Wha' dis?" Scarlett asked, waving the other piece of paper around.
"This is for you too," Sherlock said, taking the paper from Scarlett and handing it to Molly.
Her eyes scanned the certificate, getting wider the more she read. "This is too much," she murmured. "A complete spa day? Really?"
"You think that's too much? I got Mary one too so she could accompany you, but don't you dare tell John." Molly nearly bounced Scarlett off the bed throwing herself at Sherlock.
"Mummy!" Scarlett shrieked as Gabriel pulled her away from the edge.
"Oh, sorry darling," Molly said as she climbed astride Sherlock's lap. "Thank you," she said, pressing a chaste kiss against his mouth that deepened as he wound his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter against him. She pulled away, feeling her cheeks flush with heat. Both children stared at them. "Uhm… why don't you both go watch telly for a bit," Molly said. "I'm sure your breakfast is getting cold."
"I not hungry, Mummy," Scarlett replied, clearly not getting the message that her parents wanted her to scram. Gabriel was much more perceptive. He'd lived with them a long time.
"Come on, Scarlett. We can watch cartoons in my room." He knew that would work. Scarlett always begged to be allowed to snuggle up in Gabriel's bed and watch telly. Sure enough, she leaped down from her parents' bed and ran for the door.
"Come on, Bre!" she said excitedly. "Happy bird-day, Mummy!" she called. Gabriel gave a dramatic, put-upon sigh and marched out into the hallway, slamming the door behind him.
"He's such a good boy," Sherlock growled, rolling over and pinning Molly beneath him.
Molly giggled and nodded. "Now… I'm ready for my real present."
