A/N Sorry, late again. Had some Trouble with my account, something didn´t work, but it´s fine, now. My very special thanks go the Raeya and Guest Stephanie. And of course everyone else, reading and enjoying this story.
John handed Sherlock the photo. "That´s me, with Homer."
John grinned, "Homer? An unusual name for a teddy bear, Sherlock."
"I know. I got it taken anywhere. Do you see how worn it is?"
"Now you look, but you don´t obsereve, Sherlock. He is not worn up, he is loved." John stroked Sherlock's arm.
"Would it be inappropriate if I'd kiss you now?" Sherlock asked seriously.
"Given by what we have just done, Sherlock? Absolutely not. And you don´t have to ask. It is perfectly normal to do it."
Sherlock grinned briefly. "I have some problems with 'normal', John."
"We´ll figure that out, Sherlock. We´ll take it slow, from now on. Just a little more time to adapt. First of all, we need to confirm our suspicions. I mean, I don´t have a lot of doubts, looking at this pic. The similarity is immense, you could be twins. "
"My child," Sherlock smiled and kissed Carys nose.
"Let's go visit Molly, John. I want to have in black and white."
oOo
An hour later, John and Sherlock entered St. Barth's. Molly dropped her scalpel in shock, when Sherlock entered pathology with a little girl on his arm. "Oh my God," she whispered.
"Not quite, Molly. I need your help. Right now. Our friend on the table won´t run away."
"N-N-No, c-certainly not." Molly ran after Sherlock, who obviously was in a hurry.
"Oh, hi John." Molly looked at John and Sherlock and then put a hand over her mouth. Even if Sherlock might think, she wasn´t capable of achieving so much, Molly recognized at first glance, the change between John and Sherlock. And she was relieved a little bit, it was not because of her, that Sherlock was not interested.
"How can I help?" Molly wanted to know. "And who is this lovely little girl? Hello you." She smiled kindly at Carys.
"Carys, this is Molly. M-o-l-l-y." Sherlock repeated the name calmly and clearly. Carys nodded, "Molly?"
"Very well, my dear. We need a DNA matching, Molly. Between Carys and me."
"Between you and Carys?" Molly Hooper repeated uncertain, then she threw a close look at the little girl. She got Sherlock's eyes, Molly was sure. She would have recognized them among thousands. They belonged to the man she loved, since she had seen him for the first time. Molly sighed. It made no difference to convince herself again and again, that it was completely crazy to love Sherlock Holmes, Molly just didn´t get him out of her head. And now she should do a paternity test? Now that Sherlock obviously coupled up with John? Molly sighed again. But she resorted to the cotton swabs and carefully took a sample. One from Carys, another one from Sherlock.
"It will take a bit. Who is her mother?" Molly couldn´t help to ask this question.
"Emma Hicks," John answered for Sherlock. "But we still do not quite know the relationships."
Sherlock's phone buzzed.
How is my beloved niece? She still alive? Would be reluctant to waive MH
Niece is at her best. However, Mummy´s angry SH
Nothing else expected MH
"Mycroft?" John wanted to know.
"Who else, John. How long will it take, Molly?"
"I'm fast, Sherlock, but two hours is the smallest." Sherlock nodded. "This gives us some time to drive to Islington. I´d like to get some answers. We´ll be back in two hours. You´re coming, John?"
Without waiting for an answer, Sherlock had disappeared with Carys on his arms and his usual flapping coat through the door, right away.
John shook his head, "He will never change," he muttered and quickly put on his jacket. John kissed Molly´s cheek, before he left. "Thank you, Molly. Also in Sherlock´s name." Molly blushed, "all right. ... I'll do it gladly."
Sherlock was already sitting in the cab, when John came out of St. Barth's. "You could at least say goodbye to Molly, Sherlock," John said, slightly accusingly. "You always take her for granted, that´s not nice."
"Not nice, Sherlock Papa," Carys repeated and sounded exactly like John. Reproachfully.
"Well, I guess you´re right, then. I probably have to apologize to Molly, when we are back."
oOo
Thirty minutes later the cab stopped at Borrow Street and John paid the fare. "What number was it, Sherlock?"
"524, the yellow house." Carys was restless and cried softly, "Mama and Carys house. Mama home?"
"I do not know, my child. We´ll have a look, right?" Carys nodded and pressed herself at Sherlock´s chest.
"Sherlock Papa do not go away." Sherlock swallowed and touched her knitted cap. "Certainly not, Carys. I will not leave you alone, you hear me? I'm there and John is also. You must not be afraid, my child. Everything good again?"
Carys sniffed and nodded. "Looking for Mama now."
"It's the top floor, Sherlock. Shall I ring?"
"I don´t think, that´s useful, John. Can you take Carys for a moment? Thank you." Sherlock handed Carys over and drew an elongated object from his pocket.
"But you don´t wanna break in, right?"
"John, please. This door isn´t locked. You see?" With a soft 'click' the door opened. Sherlock stuck his picklock away.
"I didn´t see anything." John and Carys hatched after Sherlock into the house. The house wasn´t necessarily looking appealing, but apparently Emma had no choice. Sherlock was still nibbling at the question, how in the world she had come to his sperm donation. He ruled out sudden impoverishment, she could not have been a patient of the clinic. Unless ... Before Sherlock could think this idea to an end, a door opened.
"Hello? Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?"
"We´re visiting Miss Hicks." Sherlock said.
"Well I´d know about that. I'm Hank O'Donnell, her landlord. Owes me a few months' rent, this piece of shit. Kicked my crown jewels, when I wanted to cash in, you understand?" Hank laughed dirty. "What do you do with her brat? So she does know, who's the father? Oh well, then yes, you can jump in, see it as child support. 2500 honest english Pounds. I´m taking cheques, too."
John jumped reflexively aside, when Sherlock rushed to the landlord, pushed him against the wall and pressed his forearm to his throat.
"Once again, you call the mother of my child names and I will cut you into small, handy pieces and feed you to the dogs. And my child is not a brat, we understood each other? You´re gonna say good-bye to your 2500 Pounds, think of it as pain and suffering Money, you have paid to Emma. And now open up her apartment, before I forget my manners." Sherlock hissed. His eyes were stabbing Hank.
".. A r."
"I did not understand you, Mr. O'Donnell."
"Yes, sir."
"Then go ahead, butthead." Sherlock pushed him halfway up the stairs. Carys, meanwhile, clung to John. Obviously she was afraid of Hank, what Sherlock still made a bit angrier. "Go ahead, I said," he growled.
Hank was shaking, when he put the key into the lock. "P-please...help yourself," he wanted to do a runner, but Sherlock grabbed him by the collar again.
"The furniture and personal items of Miss Hicks will be picked up, as soon as possible. I'll look around thoroughly and check if something is missing. If so, we'll talk again about the small, handy pieces."
John, who was still standing on the stairwell, handed Carys back to Sherlock.
"I´ll help him downstairs," he grumbled. Less than two minutes later, Sherlock heard a rumble and then a muffled scream. He grinned, apparently John made the man realize, how serious the situation was.
He looked around. The apartment was small, but clean and tidy. There were a lot of pictures of Cary's on the wall and of course, Carys footprints from the hospital, right after birth.
"Mama not here," Carys noted with a thin little voice. "Where's Mama?"
Sherlock sat down with her on the sofa bed. "We´ll find Mama, Carys. Don´t you worry, right?" Sherlock stroked her cheek. "Do you like to show me where you are sleeping, love?" She nodded and slipped from Sherlock's lap. She grabbed Sherlock´s coat. "Come." She led him into the second room, which was not much larger than the first, but quite evidently, only the nursery. It was all there, a child needed and it did look very lovingly furnished. Not very expensive, like Sherlock noted, but that did not matter. He immediately recognized, how important Carys was for Emma and how huge her despair must have been. She knew herself no other choice than to leave her child with a complete stranger.
oOo
"Sherlock? Have you found anything?" John stuck his head into the nursery. "I didn´t have time, John. But there´s a cabinet in the living room, the papers might be inside. I´m packing a few things for Carys."
John found the cabinet immediately and as always, Sherlock was right, of course.
"She has worked for Mason & Mason, Sherlock. A law firm. The last paycheck is from September."
Sherlock reappeared. He looked at his watch.
"Too late, to pay them a visit now, John. But they will be top of the list for tomorrow. Let´s go back to St. Barth's. How is Mr. O'Donnell?"
"He has assured me, he´s very, very sorry about his behaviour, Sherlock." John rubbed his right hand. "Let's go and find out, what kind of news Molly has got for us."
oOo
Molly took a deep breath, when she looked through the microscope, again. She didn´t quite understand how that was possible, but Sherlock was Carys father. Without any doubt.