A/N: So I decided to do this case a bit differently. Normally I have us hear about the murder after the fact, but for this particular one I felt experiencing the event was called for. You'll see what I mean, hope you like it.

And to the guest reviewer, I haven't seen Mark Gatiss in person (cause that would be the best day of my life and I'd tell you all about it) but considering my Tumblr icon is him with a beard, I have seen the bearded Gatiss

xXx

Amanda walked to the front door, wondering angrily if it was Greg bringing the kids back early because he got called away on a case. If it was he was not going to leave before she gave him a piece of her mind.

She opened the door a bit more abruptly than expected and a tall blonde man jerked his head back, a bit surprised by her angry expression.

Seeing who it was, Amanda's anger quickly melted away and a surprised smile light up her features.

"Chris hello, I wasn't expecting you. You want to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"That'd be lovely." The blonde man replied.

Amanda stepped aside and gestured for him to come in; closing the door once he was inside. She led him to the kitchen and busied herself with getting the offered beverage.

"It's nice to see you, was there any reason you came by?" She asked pouring black coffee into the mugs, setting one down on the counter in front of the blonde.

"I thought it was a nice day and wanted to come by and see if you and the kids wanted to go out for ice cream."

Amanda smiled at the man, stirring her own cup after adding cream and sugar that she had set out on the counter.

"That's sweet, I'm sure the kids would've loved that if they were here. You know we could always do something together. Maybe go to the cinema."

Chris's smile fell, "That's fine. If you don't mind me asking where are they?"

"Oh their father had the day off and he coerced me into letting the kids spend the day with him."

"What why?" Amanda didn't see it but Chris' eyes had bugged out and his breathing was growing ragged.

"As much as I don't like, considering he wasn't there when we were married, the kids do need to see their father. If he spent as much time working or spending time with his precious boyfriend with them then they'd wouldn't be constantly asking when's the next they'd see him." She hadn't been looking at Chris when she started ranting and looked over at the blonde to apologize. Her blood ran cold when she saw him holding one of the kitchen knives in his hand with a wild look in his eyes.

"Chris-Christian, what are you doing?" Amanda asked warily, slowly backing up.

"Why would you do that? Why would you let them go with him?" He asked his voice manic.

"He's their father, I can't fully deny him or them to see each other." She said cautiously, her back bumping into the counter behind her. She slowly put her hand on the counter groping for anything to defend herself with.

"He doesn't deserve them! You've said so yourself!" Chris roared descending on Amanda slowly.

"I know but he's their father." She cried out, hoping he would see how mad this was.

Chris didn't hesitate in plunging the knife into Amanda's stomach, twisting it upward. Once he realized what he'd done he let go of the knife and backed up a few steps in panic. Amanda crumpled to the ground and Chris ran out of the house.

As she tried to pull herself to the hallway and a phone, Amanda cursed herself for not listening to Dan and Thomas' warnings about Christian.

xXx

Greg had Lizzie unlock the door because his hands were full with the bookcase for Thomas' room. The boys were whining and urging their little sister to hurry up. They were closer to the door than Greg, holding the other end of the heavy bookcase. Lizzie finally got the key in the deadbolt and twisted it, swinging the door open a few seconds later.

She quickly scurried inside and up the stairs to open the door to Thomas' room, making things easier for her brothers and dad.

With some struggling the Lestrade males got the bookcase in the room and Thomas busied himself with filling it up with the many books stacked around his room. Dan was sprawled out on his little brother's bed, exhausted and Lizzie was helping her older brother gather the books up and putting them in place.

Greg smiled at his children and went down the stairs to get the rest of the things they had bought that day. At the bottom of the stairs he wondered why Amanda hadn't come out to berate him about not giving her any warning about the bookcase. He looked in the lounge and when he didn't find her there he crossed the hall and opened the door to the kitchen.

"Oh God" he whispered, when he laid his eyes on Amanda sprawled on the floor a knife in her chest, blood pooled under her unmoving body.

Greg quickly crouched beside her, brushed some of her wavy blonde hair out of the way and pressed two fingers to her neck, trying to feel a pulse.

He cursed when there wasn't one there.

"Hey dad do you want some help with the rest of the-" Dan said opening the door to the kitchen. The words dying on his lips when he saw the blood and his father crouched next to his mother's body.

Greg quickly got up and stood in front of his oldest son, blocking his view. He put his hands on Dan's shoulders and gave him a slight shake to get his attention.

"Dan I need you to stay calm and do exactly as I tell, can you do that?" The boy nodded numbly trying to look around his father. "Look at me. I need you to go upstairs and keep your brother and sister in Thomas' room until I come to get you. Under no circumstances are you to tell them what you've seen. If they need to use the bathroom, make sure they don't go anywhere near the stairs. Alright? Can you do this for me?"

Dan looked into Greg's eyes, determined to follow his father's orders. "Yes dad."

"Good, now go. And remember tell them nothing."

Dan nodded at Greg and quickly climbed the stairs. Greg sighed and pulled out his mobile dialing the dispatcher.

"Hello this is Detective Inspector Lestrade. I'm calling to report a murder at 45 Rosehill Avenue, Sutton. I've secured the scene, please send a forensics team."

Greg hung up and started to wonder how he was going to tell Lizzie and Thomas their mother was dead. Putting that off until the team arrived and started working the scene Greg called Mycroft.

"Gregory hello, did you have a good day with the kids after I left?"

"Mycroft I have to ask you something."

"Course love, you can ask me anything."

"Can you make some room at the flat for the kids to stay with us?"

"Of course I can. Is Amanda alright with this, I know how she is about them spending time with you."

"My" Greg took a deep breath not wanting to say it but his fiancé had to know. "Amanda's dead."

"What how? Are you alright, are the kids, did they see it?"

"From the looks of it she was stabbed with one of the kitchen knives. I found her after we got that bookcase you helped Thomas pick out in his room. Thomas and Lizzie didn't see, but Dan was looking for me when I was checking her pulse. Oh My, I don't know how I'm going to tell Thom and Lizzie. How can I tell them their mother is dead?" Greg choked out that last question, reality crashing in that his children were motherless.

"Gregory, love, listen to me. You've got to pull it together. You need to keep Thom and Lizzie away from the body, don't let them see that. Remember your training love. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I know My, Dan's keeping them distracted upstairs. I already called it in. Please get here soon; I can't do this without you."

"I know love. I'm leaving now."

Greg hung up and sat at the bottom of the stairs waiting, trying to think of ways to tell his two youngest that their mother was dead.