Author's Note: This chapter is a part of the WWDD Facing Fatherhood collaboration series. Other stories in this challenge include: "Taking care" by Sonea27 and "Bedtime Stories" by Fell4

Five Hours in Ye Old London

Chapter 8: The Negotiation

A swirl of red flashed as father and daughter returned to the library. "We're back!" the child announced cheerfully as she released her father's hand and wandered back towards her mother, who was seated on the love seat across from Watson and 'cousin' Helen, both of whom were seated in the wing chairs. "Did you miss us?" she asked her mother as she came to a halt in front of her.

"Always," Helen answered with a smile, reaching a hand up to cup her little girl's cheek. The period dress Ashley was wearing still took a little getting used to, though ironically enough the child seemed to find playing dress up in Victorian clothes fun. Pity she didn't have her iPhone any longer. This would have been such perfect blackmail material for when her daughter was all grown up and back to being a badass, leather clad, gun slinger.

Ashley flashed her mother a dimpled smile. "Good, you should always miss us. We're a lot of fun, aren't we, daddy?" she boasted as she swayed from side to side in order to make her dress swing around. She really liked making her dresses flare and swing out.

"A lot of fun," John agreed as he sat down next to Helen on the love seat and raised his eyebrow in a suggestive manner.

Helen was unable to stop herself from smirking and raised her eyebrow back at him with the message of "Behave, we have company."

A sly smile curled at the corners of his mouth. Behaving was so boring.

The right corner of her mouth pinched up in amusement. She knew exactly what he was thinking without him saying it. She flashed him a slightly more stern look that meant "Not in front of the children."

He rolled his eyes and gave a soft laugh.

Across from them, James and younger Helen watched the volleying of facial expressions between the two and tried to figure out what they were saying without words. She found it rather unsettling to know that the deep bond between herself and Druitt had only gotten stronger over the years.

Winston's standing up and stretching of his short, pudgy legs caught the child's attention. Grinning, Ashley called the dog's name and was delighted when he waddled over to her. "Let's play," she told the dog and ran towards the round table where they had had tea. Revived from his nap earlier, the dog barked and gave chase. The adults watched in amusement as the two chased one another around the room, with the child squealing loudly and calling the dog to catch her and the dog barking now and then, but mostly wheezing, as he complied.

The view from behind of the tutu-ed furry butt waddling caused the blonde version of Helen to begin giggling, which in turn induced Watson to shake his head in mock woe. "That is just not right," he murmured as he clenched his pipe in the corner of his mouth to keep it from falling out.

"Yeah, that dog will probably never be quite right in the head again by the time we leave," Druitt teased his old friend. "You might need to get a replacement."

Ashley halted her play at that and came back to stand near Watson. "I'll take Winston if you don't want him anymore," she offered hopefully, putting her little hands behind her back and flashing him the sweetest smile she could muster.

"Ashley," her mother reprimanded, "you cannot have James' pet."

The child turned her innocent look on her mother. "But daddy said he could get a replacement."

Helen aimed a reproachful look at John, which he deflected with an unapologetic smirk, and turned back to her sneaky child. "Winston belongs to James, not your father. James likes his dog. He has not offered to give him away now, has he?"

"No," Ashley admitted slowly, "but he didn't say I couldn't have him either," she reasoned as she refocused her energies back on Watson. "I'd take real good care of him," she started off. "I'd feed him every day… and brush him… and take him on walks… and we could play tea party all the time… and I'd put the best dresses on him," she solemnly promised.

Entertained, Watson snorted a laugh and had to quickly remove the pipe from his mouth and swat at the lit tobacco he'd knocked loose from his pipe onto his leg. Beside him, blonde Helen laughed aloud and stared in adoration at her little bargainer. The child definitely had wits about her, especially if she was motivated. She was curious to see how far the child would go in trying to obtain the desired canine.

"You forgot to mention you'd paint his nails and put hats on him," John added mischievously as he grinned at Watson.

Ashley brightened and vigorously nodded her head. "Yeah, I'd do that. And I'll give him cookies for breakfast too. The yummy chocolate chip cookies the Big Guy makes especially for me," she negotiated eagerly. "I'll even share my chocolate milk with Winston."

The adults all laughed at the silliness of the whole thing. "Ashley," her mother explained, "you cannot feed a dog chocolate. It's poisonous and will harm the animal."

James' eyes widen a bit in surprise. "It will?"

Laughing, Helen stared at him in disbelief. "Yes, it will. It's harmful to the animal's heart."

"Oh," Watson murmured, looking down guiltily at the animal. Winston rather liked chocolate, in addition to the Devonshire cream he managed to get a hold of now and then. Of course, Winston also liked to snack on smelly shoes too. The dog didn't exactly have the most discriminating of tastes.

John snickered. "You might be requiring a replacement sooner than you planned."

His daughter, encouraged by her father, swished her dress back and forth in excitement. She was going to get the dog, she just knew it. "See, you can get a new dog and I'll take Winston," she rationalized. "Everybody wins!"

Druitt threw his head back and barked a laugh. His daughter was quite the little schemer, just like her mother. Beside him, the mother of his child shook her head, thinking what a sneaky little schemer her daughter was, just like her father. They eyed one another as they subtly pointed to the child then back at the other.

"I believe I would be drawing the short end of the stick on that deal," James said to the resourceful child as he thought about how much she reminded him of her parents. Especially her mother, who could talk even the sanest of persons into doing the craziest of acts. "It took six months and several pairs of ruined shoes to get that one," he said as he pointed to the dog that had come to sit by the child, "successfully trained. He's rather unmotivated. If I got a new dog I would have to go through that all over again, and I don't think Langley will appreciate all the required cleanup."

"Perhaps the issues with training reside with the trainer and not the trainee," the blonde beside him suggested, grinning as Watson turned a frown on her. She batted her eyes at him innocently in reply. She so did love teasing him. When he got really embarrassed his ears would tinge pink.

"Whose side are you on?" he asked in mock indignation.

"Hopefully mine," the child said as she turned her dimpled smile on 'cousin' Helen. "You think I should get Winston too, right?"

The blonde gave an adoring smile to the girl. "I would give you anything you wanted if it were in my power," she sweetly promised.

The darker version of Helen snorted softly and rolled her eyes. "Do not encourage her, please. You'll understand eventually that God made children cute so that you have to keep them even when they drive you to want to throttle them."

"Oh, I can't imagine ever feeling the need to do that," the blonde naively refuted, once again staring adoringly at her daughter.

Helen and John both snorted. "Can I have that in writing?" he asked cheekily.

"No," the brunette answered quickly before her younger version could answer, "you cannot."

Ashley, not liking that the adults were not focusing on her, piped up. "You know, my birthday is coming up. Winston would make a really nice present," she blatantly suggested to Watson, who grinned at the child's attempt at manipulation.

Her parents merely shook their heads. "Ashley," her mother warned, "I already said you could not have James' dog."

The child pouted and scuffled her socked feet on the floor. "But it's going to be my birthday. You have to give me what I want for my birthday. It's the rule."

"Where did you hear that?" her father asked in surprise. "There is no such rule."

"Uh huh, there is too," his daughter insisted.

"Is not," he contradicted.

"Is too, daddy! You have to give me what I want for my birthday," she repeated confidently.

"We will try to give you an excellent birthday present on your birthday," John promised. "You will just have to wait to see what it is."

Tilting her head, the child turned her big puppy dog eyes on her father and said, "If you really loved me you'll give me what I want for my birthday."

John's mouth dropped open and he turned to the brunette beside him. "Really? Six years old and she's already using love as a guilt trip? Tell me that's not an inherent female trait?" he sarcastically aimed at his lover.

"Oh, then I guess you're a female too because you've done the same exact thing," she retorted back with a glare.

"And what fun family drama am I missing?" Nikola greeted as he entered the room carrying two more bottles of wine, one in each hand.

"Nikola, stay out of my wine cellar. It's bad enough you drain the one I have at home. There's no need to drain this one too," Helen chastised him, though her heart wasn't really in it. She was still too annoyed with John's inference that women used loved as a tool of manipulation.

Tesla grinned, knowing from the look she was aiming at Druitt that he was the one in disfavor and not the vampire himself, and answered, "It's her cellar, not yours."

"We're the same person," Helen hissed, then added "Well, sort of," as she caught the look of confusion on her daughter's face.

Ignoring her fussing, he wandered over to the table to get the cork screw, asking his goddaughter as he passed, "And what are you up to, little one?"

Sensing an ally, Ashley turned her smile on her godfather. "I want Winston for my birthday but daddy doesn't really love me enough to give him to me. He said I have to wait for my present."

"Really?" Nikola asked with an amused tone as he watched Druitt sputter and squawk, "What?"

"Ashley!" her mother reprimanded, "That is not what your father said." Her younger version had a much startled look on her face. Perhaps her little angel wasn't quite the little angel she thought she was.

Watson grinned. "She's good," he said, motioning to the child with his head.

"Yeah, you can laugh now but just keep in mind," John said to the sleuth in Latin, "that she's your godchild the first go round, which means you'll be on the receiving end of her little schemes too." He laughed smugly as his startled friend quickly looked back at the child while beside him the blonde's eyes widened. "Was there any doubt he was going to be the godfather? Really?" he dryly asked her.

"Um, hello?" Tesla interjected. "There was me?"

"You were playing dead and had been underground for decades," Helen reminded him.

Waving her comment away with his hand, Nikola remarked, "Details, details," and took a sip from his wine glass. Not a bad year at all he thought as the smooth liquid slid down his throat. Not a great year either.

Tiring of turning her head back and forth as the adults conversed, the child groaned loudly to get their attention. "If I can't have Winston for my birthday then I want my first choice," she declared as she walked up to stand before her parents.

"And that would be?" her father prompted with a raised eyebrow.

Ashley grinned broadly at her parents as she dropped her bombshell. "A baby sister."

Caught off guard, the blonde version of Helen started coughing while her darker counterpart and John's mouths dropped. They hadn't seen that coming. Their daughter had not mentioned wanting a sibling before. James, meanwhile, regarded his godchild… well according to John she had been his godchild… with renewed respect. She was a sharp, sneaky little thing.

Rolling his eyes, Tesla observed, "Puppies are cuter and less messy." The very idea of Helen giving John having another child was not something he wanted to contemplate.

"But baby sisters are more fun to play princess with," Ashley countered. "And puppies can't talk or play coloring book."

Her parents exchanged worried looks. "Pet, I'm not sure that's possible," John slowly said. "We can't just get a baby because you want one."

"Sure you can," she asserted. "Don't you know where babies come from, daddy?" she asked her father. Behind her, Nikola and James snickered, having a grand old time watching John be put on the hot seat.

"Do you?" he returned, wondering what crazy answer his only child would cook up.

She nodded. "Uh huh. Babies come from mommies and daddies sleeping together."

Eyes large, John turned to the mother of his child, noting that she also had a deer in the headlights look, before turning back to his daughter. "Who told you that?"

The child shrugged then scrunched up her face. "You and mommy sleep together every night. How come we don't have a baby yet?"

"Um…," John answered, throwing a panicky look at Helen.

"Darling, perhaps we can discuss this when we get home," she suggested. At which time she could come up with some benign answer for her clever child's delicate question.

Eyeing her father, Ashley said, "Maybe you're not doing it right, daddy."

"Excuse me?" John retorted, shocked at his daughter's suggestion. He heard Helen's snort of laughter and turned to glare at her, then at the other three adults laughing as well.

Thinking he didn't hear her, Ashley repeated herself. "Maybe you're not doing it right." She patted his arm, much like she had seen her mother do to others when they needed her help. "Do you need help making a baby, daddy?"

Laughter erupted in the room at Druitt's expense. "No, I do not need help!" he forcefully replied. Where did she get this stuff from he wondered.

Helen bit down on her bottom lip trying, and failing, to stop the laughter that kept bubbling up. The flushed look on John's face was quite amusing. He was not at all pleased at having his sexual prowess questioned, especially by his young daughter.

"I don't think you know what you're doing," she criticized, earning her a very unfavorable look from her disgruntled father.

"I can assure you I most certainly know what I'm doing in the bedroom," he retorted, earning himself a slap on the arm and a hiss of "John!" by the child's mother.

Ashley patted his arm again. "Are you sure, daddy? I bet we can get you a picture book that shows you how to do it," she assured earnestly. "You know, like my potty book."

Dropping his head as his cheeks flushed deeper, her father gasped, "Oh, dear Lord." He was never going to live this one down he knew as he listened to James and Nikola roar with laughter while younger Helen had clapped a hand over her mouth in a sad attempt to maintain her lady-like appearance as she giggled hysterically. Her older version gave up her battle to stifle her giggles and had thrown her head back onto the sofa to laugh with abandonment while her arms clutched at her stomach.

"Thank you for your offer of help, my dear child," John said through gritted teeth, "but I think I can manage on my own."

She eyed him skeptically. "I don't know. I haven't seen any results yet," she said, causing another roar of laughter from the other adults.

Gasping for air between laughs, Nikola added, "Suddenly it all makes sense." He smirked at James as he motioned towards their classmate. "If only he had had picture books at Oxford. Imagine what he could have accomplished!" Watson laughed so hard he ended up sliding out of his seat and onto the floor where he was immediately set upon by his dog. Still laughing, he held Winston at bay after getting a big sloppy lick across the mouth and nose.

Growling, John started to rise to throttle Tesla and was stopped as Helen caught and held fast to his sleeve, softly barking his name in between laughs. Held captive, he turned his anger onto her. "What about your mother? Why does she not bear any blame in this?"

Helen stopped laughing to glare back at him. "What?"

"Don't be silly," Ashley said with a roll of her eyes that was a perfect imitation of her father as she came to place both of her hands on her mother's leg. "Mommy's a doctor. She knows everything already!"

"That is so not true," John muttered, annoyed by the enormous smirk his lover beamed at him.

"Uh huh, is so," his stubborn child insisted.

"Is so," Helen agreed and grabbed her daughter to shower her with kisses, causing Ashley to squeal and giggle. She did so love her little girl. Losing Ashley had been the most painful time of her life and to have that joy back was the greatest gift she had ever been given. Lighthearted, she looked at her partner and grinned. Together they had unintentionally recreated their little masterpiece. Reaching over, she stroked his hand hoping to abate his temper. The warm feeling of her hand on his and the intimate way she was looking at him helped to squelch the annoyance he was feeling and he let out a long, put upon sigh.

"What's your third choice for a birthday present?" Helen asked her still giggling daughter.

"Nothing," Ashley insisted with a strong shake of her head. "It's either a baby sister or the dog," she proclaimed as she held out both arms to emphasize there were only two options on the table.

"I'll buy the dog!" Tesla offered quickly. "How much?" he asked James, who just chuckled.

"Forget it," Watson grinned as he pointed to his godchild. "I want another one of her. Life would never be dull with such a little negotiator in the family."

Helen grinned. It was true. Ashley was a handful and had a smart little mouth on her. Life would never be dull. Another one would only double the fun. She squeezed her eyes shut briefly as she gave John a sweet smile. She would wait until they got home and had recovered from this crazy trip before she broke the news to him that he would be a father again. Perhaps she'd even buy him a picture book to explain how the birds and bees worked she thought wickedly to herself.