Author's Note:
Just some cute family interaction time.
Sherlock nearly choked on his food. He ate like a dog? He wasn't really sure that was compliment and then he realized she meant it was because he had just eaten the food out her hand. He smirked and humored little Sandi once more, and ate the next offered slice this time with a small growl. It would probably make their daughter laugh so he didn't care if he looked and sounded ridiculous for it.
Another blush spread across Thomas' cheeks. "I love have you Dad." He loved both his parents a lot but differently. He wasn't sure there was a way to explain it so he didn't even try.
Right away the giggling from Amy managed to distract him and John glanced at the other two from across the table. "Would you look at them, just goofing off?" He moved his fork and gently held in in front of Thomas' mouth. "Fancy yourself a bite? It's very good."
Before long Amy was nothing more than a bundle of laughter, blue eyes bright as she watched Sherlock. "Papa, you's is silly," she said as another loud burst of giggles came from her mouth. "You was making sounds like a dog last night, too! You must likes dogs."
Christ, their daughter had heard them? Even with the shower going? Right. Of course she had. Sherlock smirked a bit and glanced briefly to John, certain a look of mortification would be on his husband's face at being heard.
Thomas shook his head. "Salads are yucky." He didn't really like them. In fact, he didn't really like anything that was supposed to be 'good for him.'
John blushed furiously right away and bit his bottom lip as he gently tugged Thomas closer, lifting the fork up to take the bite that their son rejected. "Baby Girl, we were just imitating dogs," he murmured, knowing he wasn't going to be fooling their son in the slightest.
Amy tilted her head curiously and studied John before glancing back at Sherlock. "Why does you act like dogs in the shower? I just thoughts that you guys was wrestling a'cause you love each other."
How was he supposed to answer that question? "Sometimes Dada and I make noise when wrestling. A lot of adults do it Baby Girl." There the truth without actually revealing anything.
Thomas rolled his eyes and decided to not even participate in the current conversation. He was finished with his food and that meant it was time for his toy! He reached into his Happy Meal box to see what toy he had gotten today.
It was hard to miss their son rolling his eyes and right away John blushed even more. "Amy, you're almost finished with your meal, too! You'll get your toy!" He watched Thomas with a smile on his face, rubbing gently at the boy's shoulder.
Amy nodded her head, clearly accepting the answer as she ate her last chicken nugget and apple slice. "I wants it to be a pony, Dada, a'cause I likes ponies lots," she said softly as she held her hand out and looked at Sherlock expectantly. "Toy."
Sherlock almost laughed at John, because it was obvious his husband was trying desperately to distract their daughter. He gave John a smirk before returning his attention to little Sandi. "Of course Baby Girl." He reached into her Happy Meal and pulled out the toy. He opened the plastic bag for her and then put it in her hand.
Thomas had gotten a Transformer and he opened up the tiny legs and arms to make it into a robot instead of a car. He crashed the toy into his box with an explosion noise and then sent the box flying across the table.
All John could do was sit back and relax, enjoying watching both of their children simply relaxing and not having to deal with any of the stresses that their lives always seemed to bring. Watching Thomas act like a little boy made him grin happily. During times like this he constantly felt like they were doing a good job with him.
Right away Amy's eyes went wide, looking at the small pony in her hand before starting to gently gallop it across the table, occasionally squealing before she looked around at her family. Everybody seemed so happy and that hardly happened. "I likes it when we is all happy."
This was why they had taken the holiday right here. To have the whole family happy, it made Sherlock smile. He didn't want to ruin the moment for them so all did was smile and nod at little Sandi's words. She was right of course.
Thomas continued to play with his Transformer, obviously in his own little world of make believe where the only thing that currently existed was the toy in his hands.
John moved his foot under the table to gently rest it on top of his husband's, holding the man's gaze with a soft smile. Years ago he would have never imagined any of this. Not Sherlock as his husband and certainly not kids after that fact. Yet here they were, a little family that tried to be as perfect as their lives would allow. "I love you," he whispered as he tilted his head to the side.
Amy watched her brother for a long moment, her eyes glancing between her pink pony toy and Thomas' Transformer. It was clear that she was slowly growing jealous of the toy that the boy had and before long she was squirming in her chair and reaching for it.
Sherlock gave John a warm smile. "I love you too." He ran his foot up his husband's and then the leg, the smile turning into a slight smirk. They really couldn't do anything at the moment but that didn't mean he didn't like teasing the hell out John.
Thomas was snapped out of his blissful moment the second Amy reached for the Transformer. He wanted to yell and say it was his but instead he relinquished the toy to her.
John watched Thomas for a moment before looking at their daughter pointedly and holding his hand out. A moment later the Transformer was back in his hand and given back to Thomas. "Your toy, mate, she doesn't always need it." It was clear that Amy wasn't too upset because the table hadn't erupted into World War Three and that was quite the relief. Taking care of the children had certainly distracted him from the foot wandering up his leg.
Amy continued to play with her pony, occasionally giggling as her feet wiggled. Before long, though, a woman captured her attention and she was still, head turned to study the stranger. "Papa, why is she glarings at us?"
Damn John for not reacting. Sherlock would have pouted a little but little Sandi's question drew his attention to a woman glaring at them. "Because she is jealous of our perfect little family Baby Girl." Not this again. Christ, they'd already been down this road and he honestly didn't want to deal with it again. Then again, they were in America where same sex marriage wasn't legal except for in a few of the States.
Thomas grinned happily from his toy being returned but it quickly faded as he too looked at the woman staring at them. Was this person like the lady from the island? Would she say really mean things about Daddy and Dad? He didn't understand why people were so hateful just because their family was a little different than 'normal' ones.
John bit his bottom lip and even let out a small groan as the lady stood up and made her way toward their table. Before she even opened her mouth he was standing up, sliding out of the booth to meet her. "If you say one thing about my husband or myself in front of either of my children I will not hesitate to defend them by any means possible." By this point he was practically hissing.
"Go Dada!" Amy squealed and clapped her hands, her pony toy long forgotten as she gazed up at John. "Yeah, lady! Don't messes with our family a'cause you's is just jealous!"
Usually Sherlock was the hot tempered one ready to throw the first punch at the first utterance of malcontent about their family but John was already standing and making threats. A bit not good. He stood up calmly and gently pulled on his husband's shirt. "Love," he murmured quietly into John's ear in hopes of making things less tense. "Miss, believe me when I say we have already heard whatever it is you have to say. Please just leave us alone. Our children don't deserve to see or hear anything that is unpleasant. Disagree with our life style all you want but don't make innocent children suffer in the process." He was fiercely protective of his family and he didn't want John going to jail because some stupid bitch couldn't keep her thoughts to herself. He was pissed too but he had somehow remained rather calm.
Thomas frowned. "Amy, no! Don't encourage Dada!" His voice was a frantic whisper. He glanced back at his parents nervously and then back to the lady, hoping she would just walk away.
It took several moment for John to calm down but the moment he felt Sherlock behind him and heard that soft, whispered nickname he managed to relax. The woman looked between the two of them, glanced at Thomas as the boy spoke to Amy, and then took a step back. Without saying a word she turned on her heels and walked away. "Jesus, why can't anybody just mind their own bloody business?" He turned to look up at his husband, biting his bottom lip as he did so. "So we're married, I don't see a problem since we clearly love each other!"
Amy looked over at Thomas and bit her bottom lip, looking at him before giggling. "But he was gonna stands up for us so why can'ts I? A'cause Dada was a fighter one time and he stills is!"
Sherlock let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding as the woman walked away. "There isn't anything wrong with it, people just don't understand." He smirked a bit. "I think they are just jealous that you are so adorable and you are taken." The smirk got bigger and he leaned down to give John a quick kiss on the lips.
Thomas frowned. "Fighting can get you in a lot of trouble." The words were practically mumbled. He had fought to stick up for his family and all it had done was get him in trouble. He didn't want Dad going to jail again or Daddy even. Amy wasn't old enough to remember, but he frowned at the thought.
The adorable comment had John smiling just a bit but it was clear he was very worked up about the entire situation and as he sat down next to Thomas he glanced back at the woman he was now making her way out of the restaurant. "People are just narrow-minded twats is what they are," he practically growled as he aggressively stabbed his salad and took a bite.
Amy blushed and looked over at Thomas as their father used a bad word, giggling to try and pass it off as nothing more than a slip of the tongue. "Well ats least we knows that we has the bestest family ever so's she can stay jealous."
Sherlock frowned a bit, John was obviously still upset. His husband had just used foul language in front of the children, something John never did. They were supposed to be having a good time on holiday and some American idiot had ruined it. Maybe his surprise would make things better. The family wouldn't be able to do it for about a week, but maybe it would lift their spirits now. He sat back down. "So, you know how Mycroft has connections everywhere? He got us a tour of the White House and some brief face time with the President. I wanted it to be a surprise...but..." He shrugged a bit.
A look of clear surprise crossed Thomas' face because his Dad had just used the word 'twat' in front of him and Amy. His eyes went wider at what his Daddy said. They were going to to get to meet the President of America? Wow.
Right away John's eyes went wide and he blushed as realization hit him. Had he just cursed in front of their kids? God, he was horrible. At least Sherlock's surprise was clearly making everybody around him far happier than his recent little slip-up. "Sherlock, that's fantastic," he said softly, smiling a bit as he reached across the table to grab his husband's hand. "Thomas and Amy, you're going to be famous back in London."
Amy tilted her head to the side and looked at Sherlock, clearly curious about the turn of events. "President?" She looked at Thomas and then sighed softly. "Does that not has a Queen, Papa?"
A little better it seemed at least. Sherlock smiled at John and then looked to little Sandi. "That's right Baby Girl. In America they have a president rather than a queen." He would tried to explain the differences of government but he was pretty sure their daughter wasn't quite old enough to understand.
Thomas frowned. "I didn't bring anything nice to wear. I can't meet the President looking like this..." He was excited and nervous, his increased breathing rate proof.
All John could focus on was how excited their son clearly was about everything and it was distraction enough from everything that had just happened. "I'm sure that Daddy and I can find you some nice to wear," he said with a smile, reaching out with his free hand to run through Thomas' hair. "We'll probably need to do your hair up with a bit of product, too."
Amy looked up at Sherlock again before shrugging. "I thinks that Queens are better a'cause they is girls and girls are always better," she explained as she scooted her toy aimlessly across the table.
Sherlock smirked a bit at what little Sandi. Ah, their daughter's logic was always so interesting at times. He glanced over to Thomas. "I'm sure we can find you a nice suit your size, if you want."
"Maybe I should get hair cut..." Thomas was clearly talking to himself at this point, as he ran a hand absently through his hair. Despite his aspirations to be like Daddy as much as possible, he typically kept his hair short like his Dad's.
After a long pause John finally relaxed completely, sitting back against the booth as his thumb ran absently over Sherlock's knuckles. Leave it to his husband to make their vacation absolutely perfect. "We could get you a nice suit and a hair cut," he murmured to Thomas as he gently bumped his elbow against the boy's side. "You'll get to see the American military, too. That'll be very cool."
Amy was quiet after that, clearly keeping to herself now that her Papa hadn't responded to her. "Can I gets a new dress?" She asked softly, a blush spreading across her cheeks in a very Watson-like manner.
Sherlock smiled. Good, his family had successfully been distracted from that rude woman. He looked back over to little Sandi, his smile growing. "Of course you can Baby Girl. You will be the prettiest little girl in the White House."
Thomas didn't really know a lot about the American military, other than they did a lot stuff in the Middle East. He didn't really understand it or the concept of war for that matter. He knew what it meant, for a country to go to war, but it seemed to him that people went to war over the most ridiculous things ever. Wasn't it better to just get along? Less people dying that way? He glanced up to his Dad. "How come people go to war? You were in the military, right? Why...why did you go some place to kill people?" To him it was all black and white.
John blushed furiously and bit his bottom lip, looking down at Thomas and managing a soft chuckle. "People don't go to war," he said softly. "Countries do. And we don't go over there to kill people. We go because your country tells us to and while we are there we defend our country the best way we can," he explained with a simple shrug. "It's nothing more than that and for a while it was my job to go to other countries so I could defend England."
Amy's eyes lit up and she looked at Sherlock happily, clearly not able to contain herself at the thought of a new dress. "But thens I will need new shoes, Papa, a'cause they has to match. What colors should it be? Does they have colored dresses here, Papa?"
Sherlock could only smile even more at little Sandi. "Of course you can get matching shoes Baby Girl. You an get any color you want. You will look beautiful no matter what."
Thomas furrowed his brows as he tried to understand. "But...why do people join the military? Isn't it a volunteer thing? Why would people enlist when you might have to kill other people?" His wide eyes up stared up at his Dad, as he continued to try and understand.
John took a deep breath and smiled down at their son, trying to take in all the questions and keep himself as calm as possible. "It is a volunteer thing but for some people they decide that's what they want to do with their lives. It's a job, Thomas, and when you enlist you know the risks that you'll have to take." A simple shrug moved his shoulders and all he could do was pull the boy a bit closer to him.
Amy nodded as wiggled in her booster seat, clearly excited about the idea of getting all new clothes and shoes. "I has to look good since we is meeting the President," she said softly as she gently pushed her toy pony closer to her Papa. "A'cause he is super importants, isn't he?"
Important? Sherlock didn't really think so, but most people probably did. "Yes, Baby Girl. He is very important to the people of America. Like the Queen is important to us." The Queen wasn't really important to him either but he'd never been one for politics or anything involving the government.
Thomas still didn't understand but he nodded anyway. "Okay." He had a bunch more questions but so far the answers didn't make sense so he just decided to stop asking them.
John looked at Thomas and let out a soft laugh, placing a kiss in the boy's messy hair before pulling him even closer. "My answers aren't what you were expecting, were they?" He smiled just a bit and took a deep breath. "I enlisted because I knew somebody way before I knew Daddy and we needed money. It was my job for a very long time." That was all he would say because Thomas didn't need to know why he'd killed people. Sometimes he didn't even know.
Amy tilted her head to the side, stretched a bit in her booster seat, and then whimpered as she held both of her arms out to Sherlock. It was clear she was getting a bit restless in the chair and fancied being held by Sherlock over anything else.
Sherlock picked up little Sandi the moment he saw her hands reach out to him. "We will be leaving soon Baby Girl. Dada is just being slow at eating." He turned his attention to John with a sideways smirk.
Thomas shrugged a little. "Adults never really explain anything," he muttered more to himself than to his Dad. It was true though, adults always seemed to be reluctant to say certain things just because he was a kid. Something he didn't really understand.
John looked at Thomas before letting out a soft sigh, closing his eyes for a long moment. "When you're fighting a war you sometimes don't even think about what's going on," he whispered so only their son could hear. "You're more worried about yourself and the people you're supposed to protect so sometimes...you just pull the trigger."
Amy curled into Sherlock's chest with a small yawn, ending it in a squeak as she looked across the table. "I thinks that Dada and 'Mas is talking," she murmured as one hand clutched tightly at Sherlock's shirt.
Sherlock frowned a bit but kissed the top of little Sandi's head. "Take a nap Baby Girl. That way you can enjoy Ellis Island when we get there." Maybe they should just take the Subway, even though he didn't really like that thought. They had lost a few hours because of Thomas getting lost.
Thomas frowned. "Yes, but why join the military to begin with? Do people join because they killing others?" He sighed. "I guess I just don't understand the point of wars or even having a military. It sounds stupid to me."
John chuckled just a bit and shook his head. "Sometimes people need the money and it's a very easy way to get a job and get paid," he explained, hoping that was an answer his son wanted. "But a lot of people don't really know why we have wars and I don't either even though I've fought in a few. It's just there to protect people of countries in case another country decides to be stupid."
Amy looked up at Sherlock, her eyes half open. For a moment she looked more like a young John than anything. "Okay," she whispered as she yawned again before her body relaxed and she easily fell asleep.
Sherlock smiled as little Sandi fell asleep in his arms. He brought a hand up to gently stroke through her hair. He listened to John's and Thomas' conversation quietly, not wanting to interrupt.
That made even less sense. Thomas sighed. "So...people join the military for a job that pays them to kill other people?" Why would anyone do that? "Isn't that...um...a merc...mercenary then?" He had read about them in some books that were probably too old for him but enjoyed anyway. Books for kids his age were usually stupid.
John had never thought about it like that and suddenly envied their son for how amazingly intelligent he was. "In some cases I guess that is true, yes. But when a military of any sort goes into another country it isn't to just kill people, it's to help the citizens of that country and maybe get rid of a really bad leader." That much was definitely true and it was something he'd done in both the countries he'd been sent to.
Amy squirmed just a bit, her shoe digging into Sherlock's leg before she settled down again. The hand in her hair was definitely calming enough to keep her asleep in a louder than usual environment.
Sherlock continued to run his hand through little Sandi's hair, remaining quiet so their daughter will be able to fall into a deeper slumber. If Amy continued to be restless, he would get up and walk around outside with her. John and Thomas were busy talking anyway.
There was so much he still didn't understand but they were supposed to be on holiday and looking at things. Maybe they should go? "When we leave can we...not walk?" His lower lip trembled slightly at the thought of getting lost again. He didn't want to get separated from his family again.
John accepted the change of subject with ease and moved to gently pull Thomas into his lap. "How about I carry you to the tube? I think that's what we'll take now." He looked up at Sherlock and his look told his husband that they'd talk about everything later. "How does that sound?"
At the sound of John's voice Amy's little face scrunched up and she moved herself impossibly closer to Sherlock's body.
Sherlock raised his eyebrows a bit but gave a slight nod. He stood slowly, hoping his movement wouldn't wake up little Sandi. His long fingers kept stroking her hair and he moved outside where it was quieter. He was certain John and Thomas would be along shortly.
Thomas nodded. He wasn't usually fond of being carried but he was worried he might lose his Dad's hand again. He sighed. Just another stupid fear to have. Like aeroplanes.
John nodded and moved to slowly stand up, keeping Thomas close to him and pressing a quick kiss to the boy's temple. "All right, then, off to the tube we go," he said softly as he followed after Sherlock and smiled gently at their sleeping daughter. "I think the closest tube station is a few blocks that way," he said softly as one hand started to rub gently up and down Thomas' back.
The movement hardly bothered Amy and she simply continued to sleeping, mouth open just a bit as she took deep breaths.
Sherlock nodded. "Yes, I believe you are right. They call it a Subway here." He smirked slightly at John as they began walking down the side walk. His grip tightened slightly around little Sandi, so he could hold their daughter a little more securely while moving.
The excitement of the day had finally caught up with Thomas. Running around New York City scared out of his mind had left him rather exhausted. Maybe he should nap too. He rested his head against his Dad's shoulder and closed his eyes.