AN: Sorry this chapter took so long, it's been a crazy busy week, then my spare time got sucked into a wormhole by and addictive game... but hopefully I'll be back on track now.

The next day, while Molly was at work, they started reconnaissance on Kaitlin's home and school. At first glance Sherlock determined that the house that was on record as her residence was a façade. It was maintained to look like it was lived in, but wasn't actually where she lived. This was confirmed when she left school, a sleek black town car (not dissimilar to those Mycroft favoured) picked her up from her school, took her to the house, where she waited outside a few minutes before another car came and took her away, no doubt to her real residence, and Moriarty's. This car took such a deliberately confusing route, that they soon gave up on the idea of following it back to Moriarty, and settled on the idea that they'd have to intercept her somewhere before then.

It was back at the Watson's house, with Charlotte asleep in the next room, exhausted after being dragged around all day with them (carrying a baby would make them seem less conspicuous near a school, Sherlock had pointed out) and fresh cups of tea forgotten and cooling next to them that they made their plans.

"Could we just pick her up from the school during the day... Maybe say her uncle has had an accident and we've been sent to collect her?" John suggested.
Sherlock shook his head. "They won't let just anyone take her, they'd need some kind of ID, probably a signed note from the guardian. I could forge one, but it'd be far too risky"
"Because they'd have seen us. If Moriarty does report the child missing, they'll remember us, probably have CCTV footage as well." Mary chimed in.
"Exactly. Best to avoid school grounds altogether if possible." Sherlock agreed.
"Okay... So that leaves us with the house itself, try to catch her between car rides, or one of the car journeys." John listed their other options
"There's a camera in the front of the house, pointed directly at where she waits. And there's bound to be other, more discreet security there too. The house is a no go." Sherlock quickly responded, with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"The car then." John nodded.
"Extracting her on the move is going to be tricky, if even possible. I doubt we could get them to pull over, and nudging them off the road isn't an option if we want to avoid hurting her. And even if we can get them to stop, we won't be able to extract her without causing a scene."
"Unless we get her to come to is willingly." Sherlock said, a smirk lighting up his face as an idea came to him.
"Go on" John asked skeptically.
"The car that picks her up from the school arrived only minutes before she came out, I imagine it's on a very tight schedule. She didn't greet the driver when she got in, suggesting that they change drivers regularly, so she doesn't get familiar with any of them." Sherlock explained.
"Oh! That's brilliant." Mary said as she understood.
"Sorry, what? All I heard were deductions, not a plan. Care to fill me in?" John asked.
"Sherlock is suggesting we stop her usual car getting there and have our own waiting to pick her up. Isn't that right?" Mary grinned, looking back at Sherlock.
"Wouldn't be difficult to rent a car of the same make and model." Sherlock nodded "and we'd only need to delay the other driver 10... 15 minutes maybe."
"Shouldn't be too difficult in London traffic." John agreed "Maybe your homeless network could help, maybe put up some diversion signs, send him round the houses?"
"I'll get Billy on it." Sherlock agreed. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out, reading the message. "Molly is home, I'd best be off... I'll start putting things in motion tomorrow morning, the faster we move in this the less chance Moriarty will realise what we're up to. Mary, I assume you have a bolt hole in the city somewhere you intend to take the girl?"
"Of course, I'll get it set in the morning, install some cameras, take some toys over" Mary agreed.
"And rent the car too, if you wouldn't mind."
"Why-"
"Fake ID. To be safe." Mary explained before the question was fully out of her husband's mouth. At that moment Charlotte woke up and started crying from the next room. "Oh, she's hungry, that's me. See you tomorrow Sherlock." Mary said, jumping up and giving him a peck on the cheek on her way past. Sherlock smiled and nodded to John, who got up to walk him out.
"What arrangements have you made for Charlotte, during all this?" He asked on the way.
"Tomorrow is her nursery day, so she'll be there during the day, And Mary has filled the fridge with pumped breast milk for when she's away with the girl, so I should be fine with her for a few days. And no, before you ask, you cannot take some home to experiment on." John told him.
"Shame." Sherlock replied dismissively. "Actually I was thinking for her safety. If all goes wrong and Moriarty decides to return like for like, a daughter for a daughter."
"I hadn't thought about it." John admitted, frowning in worry now the idea was out there "You'd think having an assassin and a soldier for parents would be enough to keep her safe." He stopped in the doorway, eyes staring blankly out past Sherlock.
"I'll get Mycroft to put a security detail on her. Do let Mary know, wouldn't want them making her jumpy and someone getting hurt." Sherlock reassured him.
"Thanks." John swallowed "See you tomorrow then."
Sherlock nodded and left, stopping at Angelo's on the way home to pick something up for dinner, as he'd deduced from the lack of punctuation in Molly's text that she'd be too tired to cook. Sure enough when he got home she was blinking heavily, having just woken up from an unplanned nap on the sofa.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I haven't got anything on for dinner! I just meant to sit down for a second and-"

"I know." Sherlock smiled, holding out the takeaway bag for her. "Busy day?"

Molly sighed in relief, getting up and taking the bag off Sherlock, bringing it into the kitchen to plate up. "You have no idea. This big actor died, you probably haven't heard of him, I've seen some of his stuff though, and anyway he was brought in to us… and even though there was no sign of foul play the family still wanted a full report done, and were making such a scene, and of course the paparazzi were all over the place…" She chatted away, giving him the full run down of her day as she got them drinks and set the table where he had sat down. "Anyway, how was your day? Solve any interesting cases?" She asked as she set their plates down and sat opposite him.

"Nothing worthy of retelling." Sherlock shrugged.