Author's Note:

I am doing an absolute terrible job updating this. I'm sorry. I really am trying to do better.

John smiled into the hug before watching as Amy squirmed in her car seat. "Would you mind if I got a pint while we ate?" He had been craving beer for quite a while and fancied trying some American drinks while they were around. He moved around the car and opened the door, getting Amy out of her seat.

Amy just yawned and rubbed at her eyes, resting her head on John's shoulder with a smile. "That was a good nap," she said softly before smiling at Sherlock.

Sherlock shook his head. "Of course I don't mind. You can eat or drinking whatever you want." He smiled at John and then opened the door for Thomas and helped their son out of the car. "Let's get you some food." He wasn't sure he would eat, since he had forced himself to do so this morning for breakfast.

John's stomach was rumbling and for the first time that day he was hungry. He had no idea how long that feeling would last so he knew he needed to definitely take advantage of it. "I wanted to make sure it wouldn't upset you," he replied with a smile of his own as they started making their way toward the entrance of the restaurant.

Amy kept herself curled happily against John's chest before watching her brother. Apparently they'd both fallen asleep and that thought alone made her smile. "'Mas, thanks for takings a nap with me."

Sherlock put in their name. The wait wasn't that bad. Fifteen or twenty minutes. There was place to sit while they waited and he took a seat on one of the benches. He glanced over to John with a small smile. "Of course not. Just because I don't drink doesn't mean you can't. You are fine Love."

Thomas clung to his Daddy, still a bit sleepy. He leaned into Sherlock as they sat down. He smiled at Amy. "I guess we were both tired Sis."

John smiled just a bit, leaning to the side to give his husband yet another kiss. The slight misunderstanding earlier made John want to do nothing more than hold his husband close, whisper in his ear...but they were out in public and he knew he couldn't do that. Especially with their children. "Thank you," he whispered softly before looking at both of their kids. Awake but definitely still sleepy.

Amy hiccuped a bit before watching her parents curiously, eyes wide before she looked over at Thomas. It was clear in her sleepy mood that she wanted nothing more than the comfort from her older brother so she held her hand out, wiggling her fingers.

Sherlock smiled as he returned the kiss. "Of course. Anything for my adorable husband." The smile twitched into a smirk. He reached out a hand and took his husband's with a small squeeze. It was a way they could be close without upsetting anyone. Usually he didn't care but he didn't want a repeat of McDonald's so soon. Why people felt the need to come up to them in the first place was beyond him.

Thomas smiled and took Amy's hand. He kept curled against his Daddy though, worried letting go would result in him getting lost again.

So there they all were, holding hands and waiting for their dinner. To John it was the most relaxing moment he'd had in ages. They were content, sitting in a restaurant. Nobody was disturbing them, in fact a younger couple was smiling happily at them. It was a relief. "I can be adorable for you," he replied as he turned his head to smile at his husband. "But only you."

Amy watched Thomas with a smile, tightening her grip on her brother's hand without a second thought. Everything was so calming and she couldn't help but continue to relax.

Sherlock smirked at John. Their name got called and he got up with his family and followed the hostess to their table. It was a big booth. He placed Thomas gently in the seat and then slid in next to their son, so he could sit across from his husband. The hostess set up a booster seat for little Sandi before handing them their menus.

Thomas took the menu, finally waking up and his feet swinging back and forth. He wasn't sure what he wanted yet. He looked over to his Dad. "Am I allowed to get a Coke?" He had never had one. The rare occasions he was allowed soda it had always been Sprite or something similar.

John looked at Thomas once he had Amy settled into her booster seat, glancing at Sherlock before nodding. It was holiday, wasn't it? "Yes, Thomas, you can have a Coke." After a small nod he started looking through his own menu. A nice pint would help fill him up and it would go well with the bit of steak he planned on getting once it caught his eye.

Amy looked up at her Dada before clearing her throat. "I would likes a Coke, too, Dada, and then...um, meats, please." She nodded and then looked over at Sherlock expectantly to see if he would order food.

Damn it. Little Sandi was expecting him to eat, wasn't she? Sherlock wasn't hungry at all. He had already forced himself to eat once today. Was he going to have to do it again? There wasn't much he wouldn't do to make Amy happy. He wondered if John would be okay with her having a Coke too, since they had never let their daughter have soda before. Too much sugar, is what his husband would say.

Thomas grinned, obviously pleased with being able to get a Coke. He had never had one, but it seemed to be everywhere in America and now he was even more excited than before. His feet continued to swing. "Can I get Shepard's Pie?" He had never had it before but it sounded delicious.

John nodded at Amy and right then made the decision to get her a bit of ham so he could slice it up and she could eat it. "Of course you can, Thomas," he replied with a soft smile, looking at the boy on the opposite side of the table. "It's holiday and we'll have soda just once." It would be a rare treat for Amy and despite deciding to let her have it he was still extremely hesitant.

Amy sat back in her booster seat, looking around the restaurant curiously as she tried to focus on everything around her. Lots of people, something she enjoyed looking at. They were all talking, smiling and laughing, and it was making her eyes bright up without a thought.

Oh good. It looked like he wouldn't have to eat anything after all. He looked up to John. "Do we want to get an appetizer?" He thought maybe the children would like it but he wanted to see what his husband thought of the idea.

Thomas was all ready to order so he put his menu down. "Daddy, do you have a pen or pencil?" He wanted to draw on the paper place mat in front of him while he waited.

John looked over the appetizer menu before shrugging just a bit. Irish pub or not they still had a few American appetizers. "Mozzarella sticks? They'd both like that," he suggested with a soft smile. Hell, he'd even have a few himself. Not eating breakfast had taken quite the toll on his body and he was starving. "I'll pull it into pieces for Amy," he added. Without a thought he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pushed a pen across the table with a smile toward Thomas. "Just in case we needed to fill something out at Ellis Island."

Amy looked over at John as he spoke her name, clearly unaware of what was being discussed. All she knew was that she heard her name. "I wants a Coke, please," she repeated softly with a blush.

Sherlock nodded. "That sounds fine." He glanced to Thomas and then back up to his husband a smirk crossing his lips. "I came prepared." He dug around in the bag he had brought and pulled out a small pack of crayons and placed them on the table for Thomas.

Thomas took the pen and crayons as well. He flipped over the place mat, where it was blank. He began to doodle with the pen and then picked up a crayon to begin coloring.

John smiled warmly as he watched their son. Their little boy was so wonderfully creative and he loved it. Coloring, writing, drawing... He could see Thomas as quite the artist in the future if that was something he kept up with. When the waiter came up to them he ordered a pint of beer, two small Coke's and Mozzarella sticks before glancing at his husband. In the excitement of just being with his children he realized that he'd never asked Sherlock what he wanted to drink.

Amy clapped her hands as John ordered the Coke's and right away she was bouncing in her booster seat, eagerly waiting on Sherlock to order so she could get her drink faster.

Sherlock watched Thomas curiously for a bit and then glanced up to the waiter, as he realized they were waiting on him to order. "Just tea for me, please." Tea in America wasn't quite the same but he still craved a cuppa every now and then.

Thomas wasn't really drawing anything specific. It was just a bunch of shapes. He couldn't draw people or objects or anything like that but he did like to doodle and color.

John moved his foot under the table and gently set it on top of his husband's with a smile, pressing down on it. "Would you fancy a few bites of my steak?" It would probably be a bit too much for him to eat anyway and he had no idea when he'd lose his appetite while eating his meal. "Maybe some of my vegetables? I know you'd love those."

Amy watched Thomas curiously, head tilted slightly to the side so she could watch her older brother as he continued to draw and color. She knew that she couldn't do that and instead settled on swinging her feat and gently patting her hands against the top of the table.

Sherlock smirked a bit as he nudged John's foot back. He shook his head at the offer of food. Hopefully it wouldn't upset his husband. Their drinks came first and he thanked the waiter. He added sugar, from the packets a the table to his tea and took a slow sip, once he had stirred it.

Thomas stopped coloring to take a sip of the Coke. It was even more delicious than he had imagined. He probably wouldn't be allowed another one so he decided to sip it slowly rather than gulping it down.

John picked up his pint and took a large drink, looking at his nose as the foam spread across it. A soft chuckle escaped his mouth before he lifted his hand up and rubbed it away. The comfort of Sherlock's foot simply nudging his own was enough to keep him happy. "How is your American tea, Love?"

Amy reached out for her small drink, mouth around the straw in moments as she took a sip. Right away her eyes lit up, looking at Thomas and then her parents as she took another drink. "I likes that," she whispered in awe.

Sherlock shrugged a bit. "It's okay. Miss tea from back home already." He gave John a slight smirk, and drank his tea. He thanked the waiter when the appetizer was brought. "Careful, they will be hot inside." He continued to run his foot along his husband's, enjoying the small contact.

Thomas took a mozzarella stick carefully and put it on a plate to cool. He continued his random drawing, gnawing on the top of the pen every now and then.

John reached forward and grabbed a Mozzarella stick, pulling it into several pieces before setting them on a plate in front of Amy. "Listen to Papa, they're hot," he warned softly before looking back at Sherlock and smiling. "I bet I can make far better tea in our hotel room just for you," he murmured with a wink.

Amy studied her food before reaching out for a little piece and putting it in her mouth. After taking a tiny bite she grinned, kicking her feet happily. "I likes this," she said with a smile.

Sherlock smirked. "I'm sure you can. You do make rather wonderful tea. Why do you think I have you make it all the time?" The smirk only got bigger. He continued to sip his tea for a bit before glancing back over to John. "How is the beer?"

Thomas colored a little while before finally picking up the Mozzarella stick and taking a bite. He nodded in appreciation then turned the appetizer around to the part uneaten and dipped it into the sauce before taking another bite.

John nodded and took another sip of his beer, inspecting it through the glass with a shrug. "Different but good. I'm not used to American style beer," he murmured. But he kept drinking it because it was delicious and he hardly minded it. A beer was a beer to him and he wasn't going to stop drinking it because it was something he wasn't used to.

Amy kept picking at her mozzarella stick with a grin, glancing between her parents before looking across the table at Sherlock. "Can I haves a beer, Papa?"

Sherlock nodded at what John said and then his eyebrows raised at little Sandi. "Sorry Baby Girl. Beer is an adult drink. You won't be allowed to have any for awhile. Thomas isn't old enough either." Maybe that would make her feel better. Amy idolized her older brother.

Thomas continued to keep to himself, quite content with his task of drawing and coloring. He grabbed another mozzarella stick when he finished off the first one, dipped it in the sauce and continued to eat. He took another sip of the very tasty Coke.

John couldn't help a soft giggle as he glanced down at Amy, biting his bottom lip before looking back at his husband. The man was an absolutely perfect father and that was a stellar example of it. Without a word he lifted up his beer, taking a drink as his foot tapped against his Sherlock's.

Amy nodded, settling for her Coke instead. It seemed like a good enough answer, really, and if Thomas couldn't have it then it was definitely fair. "Well I guess I will just haves my Coke, then, Papa, and then haves tea when we gets back."

Sherlock smirked at John and gave a slight shrug, as if to say 'I can't help it if I am perfect and amazing.' He went back to sipping his tea, deciding he was going to get another one even if it wasn't as good as his husband's. He continued to let his foot run along John's, letting it slide up his husband's leg every now and then. When their food came, he asked for another tea.

Thomas finally stopped his doodling, to eat his food. It looked and smelled really good. He dug in excitedly, his feet still kicking back and forth under the table. It was most certainly good. Different than anything he had tried but still good.

The moment their food arrived John reached over to the side to cut up Amy's thick slice of ham. Once that was done he turned to his steak, mouth watering at just the sight of it. But he was soon distracted by his husband's foot on his leg. God he wanted the man and they were in a bloody restaurant with their children. A soft blush spread across his cheeks and he didn't even bother to hide it before glancing up at Sherlock.

Amy started to eat her food with a happy grin, not bothering to use her utensils and instead picking up the cut pieces with her fingers. "'Mas, does you likes your food?" She tilted her head to the side curiously as she watched him.

Sherlock couldn't help but smirk. He hadn't even meant to turn John on. He had simply wanted to continue contact anyway he could with his husband. Should he stop? Usually, he loved teasing John but they were out in public with their children. It probably wasn't the best of ideas. "Sorry Love." He dropped his foot to the floor.

Thomas nodded vigorously. "Yeah, Sis. It is really good. I like this food. I don't think it is American though. I think the menu said this place has Irish food." American or Irish, either way he was really enjoying the food from the restaurant.

John took a bite of his steak, chewing it slowly while keeping his eyes on his husband. "'S fine," he replied softly, a smile on his face the entire time. "Fantastic, actually." His foot was back on top of Sherlock's, tapping at it with a wink. All he wanted was to keep in contact with his husband. It was comforting.

Amy nodded but clearly didn't care, holding on to a bit of ham before eagerly shoving it into her mouth. "I likes it lots," she murmured with a mouthful of food, licking her lips before bouncing slight in her booster seat. "And we should eats here everyday forevers."

Sherlock smirked again. He kept his foot in place, but from time to time he would lift it up. They had never really done this before. Sure they kept contact during meals but they had never really...what was it called? 'Play footsie?'

Thomas smiled a bit. He knew that wouldn't be possible but no need to shatter Amy's illusion. He continued to eat his food and finally looked up to his Dad. "Can we get dessert too? Please?" He gave his best smile, hoping to win John over with it.

Dessert? There was definitely enough money for it but he wanted their kids to be eating healthy. It was holiday so John relented, nodding just a bit before smiling at their son. "Yes, we can. Nothing too big, though. You did just eat dinner." A simple restriction. Probably just some ice cream or the like. That wouldn't be too bad at all. Before long his attention was back on Sherlock, bouncing his foot just a bit with a playful grin.

Amy's eyes lit up at the thought of having dessert. They hardly got it at home because Dada was strict about what they ate but on holiday they got to try a lot of new things. "I wants a brownie with ice cream on top," she said happily as she took another small bite of her meal. "Can I has that?"

Sherlock smiled at John. "Keep giving in like that, and they will think they can have it every meal." He was teasing John of course. It honestly didn't matter to him what the children ate but his husband was the responsible one and tried to keep their children healthy with food good for them.

Thomas grinned. Yes! Dessert! "Maybe Amy and I can split one?" He had never had one, but he remembered seeing a dessert once and it was a really big portion.

John smiled warmly at Thomas and nodded in agreement. "I like that idea very much," he said before turning his attention to Sherlock. The smirk on his husband's face was more than enough to make him laugh, nudging the man's foot a bit harder this time than he had the past few. "Sounds like you at night," he murmured with a wink, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Amy was oblivious to everything going on around her and simply focused on dessert. "'Mas, we gets to share!" Anything involving her older brother was instantly amazing and she loved every second of it. For months now she'd do anything as long as Thomas did, too.

All Sherlock could do was smirk even bigger. He nudged John's foot right back, wrapping their feet together at the ankles and began to let the tip of his shoe trail along his husband's leg again. His second cup of tea finally came and he ordered dessert for the children. "You can eat it once your dinner is done."

Thomas grinned at Amy. "Yeah Sis!" He looked up to Sherlock. "Okay Daddy!" He continued to eat his food, taking a drink of his Coke every now and then.

John lifted up his beer, taking a drink but keeping his eyes locked on Sherlock over the rim. They were flirting with each other, something they hardly did. Their relationship had practically started with an 'I love you' and skipped any sort of flirting stage in the process. It didn't bother him in the slightest but having those moments now was quite wonderful. As he continued to eat his steak his feet wiggled, a soft shiver running up his body at the feeling of Sherlock's wandering foot.

Amy finished up her small meal in no time, pushing her plate toward John with ease as she took a sip from her Coke. "'Mas, I thinks you will get more a'cause I is kinda full and doesn't want to eats too much," she explained with a small nod. "I hopes that is okay withs you."

Sherlock couldn't stop smirking at John. He had been smirking so long, his cheeks had started to hurt but he hardly cared. They had never really done this before and he was quite enjoying it.

Thomas was getting full too actually. What was the saying? His eyes had been bigger than his stomach? But Daddy had already ordered them dessert so he would eat some anyway. Hopefully it wouldn't make him sick by eating too much.

John glanced between their two children for a moment before looking over at his husband. "I know that dessert is already ordered but if we need to take some back to the hotel that's just fine, too." The last thing he needed was for their kids to over-eat, especially after everything they'd put in their bodies that day to start with. With that said he turned his attention back to his husband, taking in the smirk with a happy smile. They were nothing more than two playful people clearly in love.

Amy nodded at what John said before the dessert arrived, set right in between them. The waiter handed them each a spoon with a smile. "'Mas, you can goes first," she said with a smile, licking her lips. "A'cause I thinks that you deserves it lots more."

Sherlock continued to run the tip of his shoe along John's leg. He stretched out a little, letting his other foot wander to his husband's. He tapped it lightly, the smirk still plastered on his lips. He was obviously very amused by their foot play. His tea was brought with the children's dessert and mixed in some more sugar, stirring it before taking a sip.

Thomas took the spoon and took a small bite. It was delicious, just like everything else but man he wasn't sure how much more he could eat. He dipped the spoon into the dessert again, taking another little bite.

For a quick moment John took his eyes off of Sherlock to make sure that their children weren't going to over-eat despite the fact that they clearly enjoyed their dessert. "Remember that we can take some to the hotel," he said softly before glancing back at his husband. There was a proud smile on his face as he ran his own foot gently up Sherlock's leg.

Amy watched Thomas for a moment before leaning forward with her spoon and taking the small bite that she got. Right away she let out a squeak, clearly enjoying the food she was eating. "I likes that," she whispered with wide eyes as she grinned at her older brother. "I really do likes that."

Sherlock sipped his second cup of tea. He smirked as he felt his husband's foot running along his leg. Why hadn't they done this before? Probably because he never would have entertained such a thing when they had first met. He had certainly changed a lot for John.

Thomas smiled. "It is good Sis!" After a few more small bites he put his spoon down. He couldn't eat anymore. It was delicious but his tummy was very full.

Years ago John would have never thought he would have this with his husband. Here they were, though, with their children and everything. It was relaxing and he loved every second of it. One hand lifted up off of his beer to sign across the table 'I love you' to Sherlock as he noticed their children were done eating. The waiter was clearly magic and arrived with a white Styrofoam box, easily putting the meal away.

Amy set back in her booster seat with a small hiccup, both hands on her small stomach. It was pushed out slightly due to the amount of food but she looked extremely happy. "Full," she murmured as she glanced around the table tiredly.

Sherlock smiled, put down his cup of tea and signed back. 'Love you too.' Well then, it looked like dinner was over. He paid with a credit card, it was easier than trying to convert a bunch of money. He left a generous tip for their waiter. He got up from the booth and waited for the rest of his family.

Thomas put away the pen and crayons, along with his doodle in the bag. He grabbed it and crawled out of the booth after his Daddy. He was ready to get back to the hotel and go to bed.

John picked Amy up before sliding out of the booth with a smile. After a moment he turned and picked up the dessert that they would be taking back with them. "Bed time is it?" A gentle smile tugged at his lips and he looked around at their entire family. "Back to the hotel we go, then!" He held Amy a bit closer as they made their way outside to the car. Once their daughter was in her car seat he moved into the front seat and sat down.

The moment Amy got herself to be comfortable in her seat she fell asleep, clearly content due to the amount of food in her stomach.

Sherlock helped Thomas get settled in the back seat, before getting in next to John. He navigated the streets of New York with seemingly no problem as he drove them back to their hotel.