A/N- Guys… I love you so much. I have been so ridiculously busy recently and I'm SO SO SO SORRY for not updating.. I am trying, but life keeps getting so out of hand. Thank you for your patience, and I hope that this chapter is worth it! It was a LOT longer than I expected.
Chapter 5- Tea at 221B Baker St… Or Not
Elspeth spent the entire next day in her pjs. She ran around after her father trying to re-clean the things he'd just cleaned. The final straw was when she almost broke the skull on the mantlepiece. However, instead of shouting at her, John simply turned the telly on a cheerful children's program that Elspeth loved. That kept her quiet and still until John came in and asked her if she'd like to help him bake cookies to have with tea.
"Yes!" she said enthusiastically. And enthusiastic she was. Elspeth managed to make the biggest mess John had ever seen. He was hard pressed to keep up with her messes. He vowed to give her a bath after this adventure.
Finally, the cookies were in the oven. And Elspeth was covered in flour and dough. John had gotten off easily with only a dirty jumper.
"Let's get you in the bath, shall we?" he asked, "Don't wanna be covered in flour when your friend gets here." Elspeth giggled and nodded. John got her in the bath, then changed his flour covered jumper for one of his oldest, but nicest ones- a soft, oatmeal colored thing that Sherlock had loved.
"Daddy!" Elspeth called a few minutes after that, "Help, please?" John walked into her room and saw her room covered in clothes, and her wrapped in a fluffy white towel, brown curls dripping water into the middle of the floor as she looked around her in frustration. John laughed slightly.
"Daddy!" she said indignantly, "Not funny! Want to look nice!"
"I know, love, I'll help you," he said with a smile. About 10 minutes later, the room was slightly tidier and Elspeth was dressed in a dark purple sweaterdress(Mycroft sent her a new wardrobe every season) and black leggings. Her dark curls were dry and sort of tidy and her bright blue eyes were shining. She then proceeded to run into the kitchen and peek into the oven at the cookies that were baking for their guest.
"They're not ready yet, Elspeth," John said tolerantly.
"I know, Daddy," she replied, still watching them intently, "I just wanna find out if they're gonna blow up."
"Why would they blow up, Elspeth?" John asked suspiciously. Elspeth was saved from answering by the doorbell.
"Never mind, love, your friend is here!" John said enthusiastically, "Would you like to get the door?"
"Yes!" Elspeth cried, then he heard her thumping down the stairs and opening the door. John set up the tea at the kitchen table as the two came up the stairs. The door opened and closed quietly. John turned around to speak to their guest, and he froze, dropping whatever it was that he'd been holding. There, standing at the door chattering happily and familiarly with his daughter was…
"Sherlock?..."
Sherlock was absolutely petrified today. He would never admit it to anyone of course, but he was. He compensated by deducing people until they either ran off or were frothing at the mouth. He was dressed in his nicest suit with the purple shirt John liked so much. He knew that John was going to probably do something like punch him, he just hoped that John allowed him not only back into his life, but into his daughter's life as well. Sherlock had spent so little time with the girl, but he already loved her with every fiber of his being, in a way he had only ever loved John before. He couldn't let her escape so quickly. Or John for that matter. Finally, Sherlock hailed a cab.
"221B Baker St." he reeled off the familiar address like he was just going home from a long day solving cases. Because, in a way, he was.
He stood at the door for five solid minutes before he convinced himself to ring the doorbell. After a moment, he heard Elspeth thump her way down the stairs and open the door.
"You came!" she said excitedly.
"Of course I did!" he said with a smile, swinging her into his arms, closing the door, and making his way up the stairs.
When he opened the door of the flat, he stared around him in wonder. It was almost identical to the way he had left it. It was home. He was lost for a few moments, absentmindedly chatting with Elspeth about her day and her life and the cookies. Then he was brought back to earth by the most beautiful sound in the world.
"Sherlock?..." John whispered, looking like he was afraid to believe what he was seeing. Sherlock couldn't speak, so he simply nodded.
"You're really here?" John asked. Sherlock nodded again. Then a flash of rage flickered across John's face.
"You… You…" John began ranting and raving at Sherlock. Elspeth tightened her arms around Sherlock's neck.
"Daddy?" she whispered in John's direction, "Daddy? What's wrong?" her little voice continued rising in fear, "Daddy? Stop! Daddy! Daddy!" Sherlock rubbed Elspeth's back as she began to cry. John began coming towards them, apparently not hearing his daughter's voice.
Suddenly, there was a gigantic explosion that came from the kitchen, followed quickly by a horrible smell. Everyone froze, and reason came back into John's face. He managed to look sheepish. Elspeth on the other hand, looked jubilant.
"It worked!" she cheered. The two men looked at her. "Uh-oh," she whispered, blue eyes huge in her small face. They ran into the kitchen to see the smoke leaking from the oven. Luckily, the explosion seemed to be contained within the oven. John turned the thing off and opened it, while Sherlock put Elspeth down and opened all of the windows to allow the flat to vent. When he noticed what was happening, John nodded at Sherlock. Elspeth stood near the wall and tried to be invisible.
After completing these tasks, John turned to Elspeth. She whimpered a bit. He walked over to her and crouched down with some difficulty.
"Love," he asked, patiently, "What were you doing?"
"It was a 'spirament," she said quietly, "I put lots of the powdery soda stuff in there when you weren't looking, I wanted to see if they actually blow up like Mrs. Hudson said they would!" John simply sighed.
"Let's not try that one again, shall we?" he said. She nodded quietly. He hugged her.
"Daddy?" she whispered.
"Yes, baby?"
"Why don't you like my friend?" she looked scared again. John looked sad.
"I'm sorry for scaring you, Elspeth. And I do like your friend, I like him alot. Did you know he's actually your other daddy, Sherlock? I didn't know your daddy was still alive and it surprised me. I was kind of angry at him for leaving, but I'm sure that there's a good reason for him to leave us like that. Do you think we should forgive him?" John asked his daughter seriously. Elspeth thought for a moment, then stared at Sherlock intently.
"Yes," she said, "He was worried about you and worried about seeing us. He wanted to see you, but was scared. He's been away from home for a long time. He also cares about us very much."
"Alright, baby, I trust your judgement. Go get some shoes, your scarf, and the coat that Uncle My-my gave you. We're taking him out for dinner instead of tea." She nodded and ran off toward the stairs.
John finally looked at Sherlock.
"I've missed you," he said finally.
"I've missed you too," Sherlock said in his deep tenor. At that moment, Elspeth came back and hurled herself into Sherlock's arms.
"You're my Daddy!" she announced to him happily.
"Yes, it seems so," he said, grinning with happiness as the three of them left the flat.
Later that night, Sherlock paused a moment to reflect on how exhausted he somehow was. Probably because the whole dinner, Elspeth refused to let go of him. Then, when they got back, she showed him all of her experiments and had him play with her and tuck her into bed.
"She's a handful, huh?" a familiar voice said, making Sherlock look up. John was standing there, smiling, holding out a cup of tea.
"Definitely," Sherlock replied, taking the cup and sipping the familiar tea, "Thanks."
"She's exactly like you," John looked at him sideways with a grin. Sherlock grinned back as he put down his cup. Caught in a sudden wave of emotion, Sherlock hugged John.
After a moment of shock, John grabbed Sherlock as though he was trying to hold the detective in place. Sherlock rubbed John's back, slightly awkwardly, until he realized that his army doctor was shaking with sobs. At that, Sherlock felt tears running down his face as well. He leaned over to John's ear and whispered quietly,
"I love you, John Watson,"
"I love you too, Sherlock Holmes," John replied, stunned out of tears for a moment before breaking into renewed sobs. Sherlock carefully kissed the doctor's hair, then led him to the couch. The two fell asleep there that night, crying and cuddling and just reveling in each other's presence. Finally together again, for good this time.