221b was enveloped in silence of the sort that only occurs in those hours when night is just being replaced by day. Molly was working the first night shift she'd taken since Isabel's birth 3 months earlier, leaving Sherlock alone with both children.
The consulting detective was stretched out on the sofa, lost in his mind palace while he tied up some loose ends from his latest case. While Dominick slept soundly upstairs - he took after Molly in that respect, rarely having a sleepless night - Isabel was in her moses basket by Sherlock's chair. After 5 minutes of gurgling and kicking her little legs, Isabel had decided that the quiet approach was getting her nowhere. The little girl sucked in a deep breath, screwed up her normally angelic face and let out a wail louder than should be possible for someone so small.
Sherlock's eyes snapped open as he retreated from his mind palace. Even his quick mind took almost 3 seconds to process the sound of his daughter crying, though once he did he was on his feet and leaning over the moses basket in a heartbeat.
"Shhh love.." Sherlock's usual low baritone was as light as could be while he carefully scooped his daughter up into his arms. "keep that up and you'll wake your brother." The detective gently patted Isabel's small back as he held her securely against his chest. When the baby's cries had quieted to soft coos and gurgles Sherlock assessed what her immediate needs were. A quick sniff of the air told him a nappy change was most definitely in order and from the way the little one was currently attempting to suckle on his shirt collar he also deduced that a feed would be necessary. Remembering a lesson he'd learned on his first night alone with Dominick, the consulting detective decided that the nappy change was the most immediate priority.
Luckily for Sherlock, Molly was as always much more organised than him and had laid the changing matt and other nappy changing essentials out on the kitchen table before she'd left for work. After some one-sided negotiation and the tickling of tiny feet as a distraction, Isabel was soon furnished with a fresh nappy.
"Are you hungry, love?" Sherlock asked, placing the lightest of kisses to the top of his daughter's head. Once the baby was settled in the crook of her father's arm, Sherlock swept around the kitchen and took a pre-made bottle out of the fridge. Isabel babbled happily to her father while he heated the bottle up. Father, daughter and bottle were soon settled in Sherlock's chair, the detective's eyes focused only on his little girl's face while she sucked on her bottle. As he frequently did with both of his children, Sherlock catalogued every small change there had been in Isabel's face. He marvelled at the mirror image of her mother that she was, even down to the scaled down version of Molly's ears that she had. There were a considerable number of people who might have died from shock had they seen the look of utter contentment that graced the so-called sociopath's face while he fed his daughter.
With the little tummy now thoroughly full, Sherlock shifted Isabel onto his lap, letting her tiny chin rest against his hand while the other hand patted her little back until she was well and truly burped. With a low chuckle, the detective stood up, moving Isabel against his chest and making his way over to the window. The curtains were open, revealing a sky that was growing steadily lighter by the minute.
"Mummy will be home soon, love." He murmured to the quietly cooing baby against his shoulder. Sherlock began to hum softly, a song from one of the many Disney films Molly loved and often sang to both Isabel and Dominick. Detective and daughter stayed by the window, Sherlock's eyes closed as he swayed slightly from side to side. So lost was he in the quiet sound of his daughter's breathing that he didn't notice the equally soft footfalls of his wife as she made her way up the stairs. Molly stopped in the doorway, watching two of the three loves of her life. The horrendous night she'd had was immediately forgotten as a smile crept over her face.