Three months later.
"So, this is the infamous 221B Baker street," Katherine took Leem's hand.
He helped her from the back of one of London's black cabs as she gazed up at the home of Sherlock Holmes. Her nose scrunched as her eyes flitted from the small sandwich shop to the black door leading to the apartments upstairs. It was an overcast day, so typical of their weather, and the street was quiet. Leem raised a brow.
"What's that look for?" He asked as he tugged her against his hip.
Kat smiled. "It seems so modest."
He laughed. "Unlike Mr. Holmes?"
She shook her head. "Well, yes but actually, I was thinking of all the stories about him and this place that the papers like to print. I don't know . . . it's just so odd to finally see it in person. It's difficult to reconcile it as a real place."
Leem's hand slid around her waist and he kissed the top of her head. She sighed and closed her eyes a moment to savor the feel of his protective embrace. She still could not quite believe they were together at times and that she had a proper boyfriend. Not only was he her boyfriend, he was her dream man – sweet, fierce, loyal, and oh, so ruggedly handsome. She would deem him perfect except that he could never seem to shake his tendency to treat her as if she were in constant mortal peril. She could hardly get up to go to the bathroom (which was quite frequent in her pregnant state) without him jumping up to clear her path. Of course, she didn't tease him on the subject because she found it endearing and knew he was coping through hyper-vigilance.
Truth be told, Katherine empathized with him. She hardly knew what to do with herself. Sometimes, she found herself just giggling nervously for no reason because she was both giddy and terrified about what was to come. She had no reference for being a mother. She had never even babysat! What the heck was she going to do?
"Shall we?" Leem murmured into her hair.
"Yes, of course," Kat snapped from her trance. "I can't wait to see Molly again."
Once inside Baker Street, Katherine met the landlady Mrs. Hudson who chatted animatedly as she led them up the stairs to the Holmes' flat.
"Oh, wait until you see my little girl," Mrs. Hudson exclaimed as they reached the door. "She's beyond precious."
Katherine blinked. "Is she your granddaughter? I thought-"
The older woman shook her head vigorously and tittered. "No, but she may as well be. I have no children of my own, you see, so I've adopted the lot of them."
Katherine felt guilty then. She hadn't particularly liked Mr. Holmes when she first met him, thinking he was arrogant. Not to say that she still didn't think he was a bit of a prig, but underneath it all, he was an admirable man who seemed to ingratiate himself to the warmest, kindest and most generous people one could meet. Not only that, he had risked his life to help her. If she wasn't already head over heels for Leem Coley, she could very easily have developed a crush on the gorgeous detective. So, when she stepped into his flat and saw his radiant wife, she couldn't help feeling all was right with the world.
Well, all was right with Molly as she bounced a tiny bundle in her arms. Even though her hair was in a bit untidy in a loose bun and she still wore her pajamas and a dressing gown, but she had a bright look about her. Sherlock, however, stood off to one side staring into the distance with a slight frown on his face. He looked frozen in a just-awoke state with hair ruffled and dressing gown hanging from his frame like a drape. She half expected a breeze to come along and flap the hems about while he remained stationary.
"Oh, Leem! Katherine!" Molly said cheerfully, "How nice to see you. It seems an age since we last spoke."
Leem stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Yeah, it's been too long. Sorry, Dr. Molly. Things 'ave been hectic."
Katherine gave her a hug, careful not to squish the sleeping baby in her arms. When she looked down, her breath caught. Swathed in a pink cotton blanket was a perfect little angel's face with the tiniest, pert, upturned nose. A soft down of reddish, brown hair adorned her perfectly round head. She was a miniature replica of Molly with a hint of Sherlock. As Katherine gazed upon the baby girl, her eyes began to sting. Then tears collected along her lids, making her vision swim. She sniffled.
"What's wrong?" Molly asked.
Katherine fanned her face to dry the tears threatening to spill. "Nothing, Molly, she's perfect, just perfect. I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful baby. Congratulations."
Molly smiled with a happy sheen in her eyes. "Thank-you. I think so too, but then, I'm biased. I'm her mother."
"As it should be," Leem agreed. "What is the little duck's name ?"
"Melisande Siger Holmes," Molly replied as she stroked the baby's cheek.
Leem scratched his head and folded his arms, straining the buttons of his shirt (nothing ever seemed to fit his muscular form quite right). "Siger? Isn't that Mycroft's middle name?"
Molly giggled. "Yes, lord, you should have seen his face when we told him!"
Katherine glanced over to Sherlock still standing in the corner. He reminded her of a mannequin and sculpted to appear as if it were trying to sort calculus equations in its head.
"Did he look anything like his brother?"
Molly laughed as her eyes flicked to her husband. "Erm, yes, actually, almost an identical expression. You will have to forgive Sherlock, though, he's done that a lot lately. I think he's having trouble processing all his eventualities now that Melly is in the picture."
Katherine tucked her lip in. The poor man and poor Molly! As if reading her thoughts, Molly waggled her free hand.
"Oh, don't fret. His little spells have their upside. I've been able to put Melly in his arms and then go grocery shopping with neither of them being cognizant of my absence. In fact, I much prefer this state to his more frantic episodes - like some of the experiments he's been conducting lately."
Leem's brows wrinkled. "Experiments?"
Molly's face turned pink. "Ah, um, you know Sherlock . . . he's skeptical about everything. Yesterday he was testing diapers against the claims they make on the tele. Then, of course, he just had to take it one step further. Let's just say, he's unimpressed with the tensile strength of the most popular nappy brand."
Katherine covered her mouth as she snorted a laugh. Unexpectedly, Sherlock roused from his meditative state.
"Diaper manufacturers make the most egregious assertions," he muttered. "However, I am more concerned with the outrageous prices of breast pumps. They are essentially aquarium pumps that have been flow reversed to provide suction. For a fraction of the cost I could build one-"
Molly pointed her finger at him. "No!"
The detective blinked at her several times. "What?!"
"I am not going to use a homemade breast pump," she waved at her chest with her free hand. "So, cease that line of thought immediately!"
He opened his mouth as if to speak again but she emphatically thrust her finger in his direction again. "No!"
He sputtered a sigh and threw up his hands. "I am officially useless then."
Molly jutted her lip out in a pout and then walked over to him. His lips twitched as he gazed down at his diminutive wife. Katherine suppressed a smile. She was starting to recognize Sherlock's ticks, especially the trace movements that revealed his profound admiration for Molly underneath his cool exterior.
"No, if anything, you are exceedingly proactive, my love," Molly murmured. "I could not ask for a better father for Melly."
Katherine looked over at Leem. He had an odd look on his face, he had blanched a bit. She nudged him with her elbow.
"What is it?" She whispered.
His eyes flicked to her and he flushed pink. "Um, sorry, Kat. I-ah, I just completely empathized wit' Mr. Holmes. Like, it's you girls who do all the work. How does a man even begin ta make up for it?"
Katherine tipped her head to his shoulder. "Misery loves company, don't you know?"
Sherlock's laser-like vision shot in their direction. "You empathize, Leem?"
Then Katherine felt his penetrating gaze turn to her. She silently begged him for once in his life not to reveal their secret. They were there for Molly and his new arrival. She didn't want to make the visit about her and Leem. The detective's eyes flitted to her abdomen then to his wife.
"Erm, well, I just realized I have been terribly rude in not receiving our guests properly. Would you like for me to make some tea?" He asked unexpectedly.
Molly's eyes widened as if she wasn't quite sure she was dreaming or not. "Oh, yes, I think we would all appreciate that very much."
Leem cleared his throat. "I'll help, Mr. Holmes."
So, a consulting detective, a pathologist, a MI6 agent and a math professor sat down and visited over a cup of tea as if they were the most average of couples. Yet, their hopes and dreams for their futures weren't so different from most people. Sherlock seemed enthusiastic about all the things he was going to teach his daughter while Molly smiled lovingly at him. It was a wonderful few moments of normalcy, well, as normal as it could get for their lot. Leem and the detective exchanged tales of work. Katherine detailed her latest project tracking down a modern day Robin Hood hacker. Molly speculated about new research avenues her daughter had inspired her to pursue.
After their visit to Baker Street, Leem and Katherine decided to go for a walk in Regent's Park. The leaves in the park were just beginning to change colour for autumn. Leem held her close to his side until they happened upon a free bench and sat down across from the pond near Boating Lake. Oddly, the entire park appeared to have emptied in the waning dusk. Then Katherine noticed Leem's foot jumping next to her as he stared out over the water.
"What's on your mind?" She prodded.
He looked at her, his hands clasped on his lap and his handsome face a mask of uncertainty. "I . . . shite, Kat. I've been carrying something around for a month, not knowing if I should present it to you or not. Now I know I want to, 'cause I realized something today after visitin' Molly and Sherlock."
She blinked at him in surprise. "Ooookay?"
He rubbed a hand over his super-short hair. "See, I think if they can make it work, you know, and Mr. Holmes' job is pretty dangerous . . . then we can make it work. I mean, it seems so simple now. It's not one or the other, or it doesn't have to be."
Katherine covered his hand to stop it from jittering on his lap. "Well, it's rather not a choice anymore, is it? For better or worse, we're stuck with each other."
His left eyelid fluttered. "Do you want to be stuck with me? Like, officially?"
She laughed nervously. "Wh-What are you on about?"
Leem fished a small box from his pocket and scooted from the bench. Katherine felt all blood drain from her face. Her mouth fell open.
"Dr. Katherine Adams," he began softly. "My Kat. I know you're gonna think I'm cracked but I don't need another year or two or ten to know that I want you to be my partner. I look at you and I see everything, everything I think I was workin' towards that I didn't know was out there waiting for me and you don't need ta be Mrs. Coley or give up anything. I don't want a single thing about you to change. Hell, I'll even be Mr. Adams if you'll have me. I'll quit my job and clean your whiteboards. I'll take paternity leave and you can keep working. Whatever it takes if I can call you mine."
Happy tears ran down her cheeks as she looked down to see a thick gold band inlaid with diamonds and an unusual sparkling gem stone that reflected flecks of blue, green and black as its centerpiece.
"Ah, um, I hope this is a good enough bribe. It's a black opal from Slovakia. I-I thought you might like it."
"It's beyond g-gorgeous, Leem, my word," She stammered. "Are you asking me to m-marry you?"
He nodded then raised anxious eyes to hers. "Yes, and I've never been so terrified in my life. Please, c-can I be your husband?"
"Yes, oh my God, yes," Katherine dove forwards into his arms. "You daft man, I don't want you to change either. I love you."
He squeezed her tightly and once her hiccupping tears waned, he slipped the ring on her finger as she sat on his lap.
"What do ya think?" He asked gruffly.
She smiled and kissed him quickly. "It's perfect."
He nodded absentmindedly as he fiddled with it. "Yeah, and also, it'll be more than obvious to any git who looks yer way, so there's that."
She held it up, her nose scrunched as she examined it then looked to his bare hand. "Hmm, I might have to get you an engagement ring of your own, you know, now that you're promised to me. I can't have any other women thinking they have a chance with my future Mr. Adams."
A proud smirk tugged his lips upwards. "Don't worry, they don't. I love you, Kat. Just you."
His green eyes darkened when he looked at her again. "It'll always be you."