Author's Note: Hi everyone. Thanks for understanding and thanks for the kind reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed what I could post. This chapter is a bit longer and the continuation. I really like what I wrote this time. It feels like it has a good flow. Let me know. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Clearly I don't own Sherlock. The show is the baby of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, while Sherlock Holmes itself is the creation of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Margot's Christening

"Don't spend the whole time on your bloody phone this time." John lectured Sherlock in the middle of Baker Street. Both men were dressed in suits. John held Rosie with one arm. She was in blue dress and not interested in this in the slightest. She was probably well used to the tone her father was taking with her uncle.

"I won't." Sherlock responded like a precocious child who was upset but accepting that good behaviour was expected of them.

"I mean it, Sherlock." John warned with a stern look. "I've watched the video of Rosie's christening. You might as well not have been there." Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"I won't!" Sherlock insisted harder and more petulant. He pocketed his phone in his breast pocket. "This time it's different."

"Yeah?" John looked at Sherlock accusingly. "How's that?" He didn't believe him.

"Because last time I was trying to solve Moriarty's return. This time I am not." Sherlock explained. "We don't even have a moderately interesting case to think about. I'm going to have to pay attention." He grimaced to prove a point. All an act of course. After seeing Sherlock come over a few times to 'measure' Margot she doubted he wouldn't be interested and involved in this.

"Alright." John relenting, trusting the genius detective… kind of. "But if you are on your phone I'm giving Jamie permission to steal it off you."

"Give me permission?" Jamie yelled from the kitchen. She was in there with James. She had her arms folded across her chest while James ignored the entire thing and tried to straighten the bow in Hope's soft blonde baby hair. "If I looked over and saw anything passed a lock screen I was going to snatch that thing no matter what." John smiled – impressed. Sherlock rolled his eyes and shifted his jacket like instinctively protecting his phone. Mycroft over by the front door was rubbing his temples with his eyes closed.

"I'd just nick your phone later." Sherlock muttered. Jamie stepped forward, stopping in the transition from kitchen to living room.

"I'd like to see you try." She challenged. Her face was stony. Sherlock sniffed.

"I take John's phone all the time from his pocket and you think I can't take yours from a purse?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"My purse is an extension of myself. I'd feel it." Jamie practically whispered. Sherlock's eyebrows raised. He hummed thoughtfully and rather pompously.

"Magical thinking." He announced. "I wonder which personality disorder that gives you."

"Oh dear God," Mycroft moaned, or rather he whined, from the front. He was pressing on his temples now. "We made the wrong choices." Anthea cracked up laughing. John looked at the elder Holmes sympathetically. He made similar choices, after all. Jamie blew air through her lips.

"No you didn't." Jamie waved off in Mycroft's direction. "I like Sherlock more than I like you. We're just mucking around. Calm down, Frosty." Sherlock muffled the urge to laugh at the name. His lips twitching as air escaped his lips instead.

"It's still the wrong choice." Mycroft muttered. Anthea smiled at him. She looked down at Margot in the pram. She was swimming in her white tradition gown but she didn't care. She was more interested in sucking on Patches' paw. Anthea's heart hardly ever felt warmer than it did at this moment.

"I think they're the perfect choices for Margot." She said. "It sounds just like conversations at home."

"It sounds like most conversations here, too." John said. His brows furrowed then a moment later he looked up at Anthea and cocked his head to the side. "Do you think we're teaching the kids the right way to interact? I think this might be bad." Anthea snickered and shrugged. She thought it was pretty great. The words might be bickering but the room was full of love.

"It doesn't matter anyway." James called from the kitchen. "Sherlock's not going to risk upsetting Molly Hooper with his behaviour." The annoyance that flashed through Sherlock's eyes was a little more real than it was when directed towards Jamie. James stepped back from Hope. "I can't get this stupid hair thing straight."

"I can't breathe in here." Mycroft murmured. Anthea looked over to him. He'd lowered his hands away from his face now and was looking over to the wall the couch sat in front of. No people. Less stimulus.

"Mycroft." Anthea called out softly. He looked over and immediately seemed to settle as his eyes locked onto her.

"It's okay." She smiled to him. "This is all good."

"For now, maybe." Mycroft bemoaned yet his breathing had relaxed. "Wait until –"

"We found my camera!" Mrs Hudson yelled on her way up the stairs. Anthea looked towards the door. She could see Mrs Hudson waltzing up the stairs with a digital camera in her hand held in the air. Behind her Violet and Siger were coming up the stairs following her. Sherlock hadn't told her that she knew where it was. No one but the eager older couple offered to help. No one offered their phones up for cameras. There was a photographer there and three of the people in the room were trained to hide from most cameras. Another one just didn't want to do photos.

"Speak of the devils." Mycroft looked down at his hands. He tugged on both cufflinks a few times each.

"It's for Margot." Anthea said to him. She tried to get his attention and hoping that would help him further. "They all just love Margot." It was great for Anthea to see even if it was Mycroft's hell. Her words did help. He swallowed his breath and nodded.

Mrs. Hudson came through the front door, walking right past Mycroft. She now held the outdated digital camera in both hands. She went into the kitchen and stood by Jamie. As Mycroft's parents entered they, somewhat knowingly, did acknowledge him but just with a quiet smile. He gave a forced one back.

"Now dear," Mrs. Hudson said to Jamie. "I want you and Sherlock with the baby first. Then we'll get you all in a group photo." She was smiling from ear to ear and with any other group that energy would probably be infectious.

"This stupid bow." James grunted. "Now the loops are wonky." If he was listening to the rest of the room anymore it wasn't obvious. Given his training he probably was but the only thing that mattered was mission: hair bow. Jamie laughed to herself at her husband's obsession with it. Mrs. Hudson rounded around the table to have a look.

"It looks just fine." She said to the tallest person in the room. James looked down at her.

"You think so?" He asked, hopefully.

"It's kind of sweet lopsided." She said. James' hopefully expression turned to despair. Jamie was about to go help him when Mrs Hudson put her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "Go stand with Sherlock." She… asked? Ordered? Anthea and Mycroft shared a look.

Anthea picked up Margot to hand her to the soon to be official god parents. She tried to take Patches off Margot but she argued with an angry pout and a cry that hurt Anthea's ears being so close.

In about 80% of photos from that whole day Margot will be holding Patches.

Christenings and baptisms rarely vary from each other. The most changes Anthea had ever seen depended on what denomination the parents were and that effect how much sitting and standing happened… and occasional kneeling with the really strict Catholics. So it was hard to say that Margot's christening was in any shape or form special because it wasn't.

It was the same as any. Sherlock and Jamie held Margot while some holy man neither Anthea nor Mycroft knew drizzled blessed water on her head. The grandmother cried while the grandfather held it together but looked dopey and proud. Guests watched, feigning interest in the whole thing. Photos were taken at every possible moment. It was typical. There was nothing noteworthy.

Except it was Margot's christening. That's what Anthea discovered; when it's your own kid it was kind of special. It wasn't the same kind of excited feeling you get when you are the one becoming God parent. It wasn't how Anthea felt becoming Hope's family and judging by Jamie's big bubbly smile and Sherlock's stern face it wasn't how they were feeling either. But it was still very special. Watching two of the people you love most in the world protecting your daughter's immortal soul (if you believe in that kind of thing – as Sherlock put it), and more importantly vowing to be a force in her life.

During the ceremony Anthea leaned in close to Mycroft to whisper to him.

"Still think we chose the wrong people?" She teased. Mycroft inhaled. His eyes were trained on Margot.

"No." He replied in a low velvety tone. "They would die for Margot." Anthea looked out into the pews. She caught sight of Carol and her husband sitting next to James and on the other side of James was Walter. She saw Molly sitting next to John. She was Violet and Siger up from holding hands so tight their fingers were white.

"So would a lot of people here." Anthea answered Mycroft. There were other people there who would do a lot for the little girl – Lady Smallwood had made time to attend (she was the only member of PALL invited), Greg Lestrade was sitting behind John and Molly having come in a little late. A few of Anthea's old friends had managed to come and so had a few of the nicer people from work. Varya had sent flowers. Anthea hadn't invited Tim but he'd found out and sent her a text this morning anyway.

Mycroft looked at James, then to John, then to his parents, and back to James. His mind was singling out the ones who would probably risk the most.

"I know." He gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod. "But Sherlock and Jamie hold not only the loyalty, love, and conviction. They're also impetuous enough to not follow any instinct of self-preservation." A thought crossed Anthea's mind. She crinkled her nose and looked up at Mycroft.

"You just complimented your brother's recklessness." She teased. She never expected anything of the kind to come out of Mycroft's mouth. He hid a scowl that threatened to crows his face and ended up looking mildly perturbed. He looked down and met Anthea's gaze.

"Only when it comes to protecting Margot." He added his addendum. Anthea nodded. She moved closer to him and leaned in so their arms were touching. A gentle Mycroft friendly form of public affection.

"Obviously." She hummed.

Her eyes fell back on Margot. She still had Patches in her hands. No one could take it off her. Bless that little girl, as stubborn as her parents but worthy of so much more love than both of them. She already had it, too.

Anthea and Mycroft sat in the back of the town car as it slowly made its way through the streets of London. Margot had fallen asleep the moment she was put in the car seat. Patches had fallen to the ground and Anthea had made a note to pick it up when they got out of the car.

"Congratulations." Anthea said wryly. She was talking to Mycroft but was looking down at her phone. "You survived." Mycroft hummed as his eyes narrowed, staring at something unseen out the window. His fingers clenched tighter on the handle of his umbrella. Anthea was surprised that the wood hadn't developed grooves yet. Then again it was a sword so maybe the wood was sturdier than the average umbrella handle.

"Don't celebrate too soon, my dear." He spoke with apprehension. "The day is not over yet." Anthea smiled. She had meant he survived the hard part.

All that was left was a small reception. John had suggested that, since Mycroft refused to have people in his home, he and Sherlock have people over after the Christening.

"It's what people do." He had said to Mycroft.

"But we're not people." Mycroft replied.

"That's true." Sherlock had said to John with a very serious face like he hadn't considered that fact.

It was much smaller than the Christening which was already small by event standards. It was the people who had been there in the morning plus Molly and Carol. And Walter was allowed in too, after Anthea reminded him he was a guest, but he had turned down the offer. It wasn't that bad. For sociable people, anyway. Anthea could take it or leave it, believing herself to fluctuate quite easily between introvert and extrovert. For the Holmes brothers it had been a long day with a lot of stimulus. It would probably be a hard day for Margot if she couldn't just sleep whenever she felt like it.

"I swear the only reason Sherlock agreed to host this was because he knew I'd hate it." Mycroft sounded very much like the teenager whining to his parents or friends about his younger sibling. Anthea would have called it probably very true before they got passed a lot of their issues. Now though?

"I don't think so." She said. She bit her lip. "Okay, maybe that's half the reason." She looked at Mycroft and crinkled her nose as she smiled cheekily. He returned her gaze and sniffed, lifting his nose in the air.

Mycroft took out his pocket watch and looked at the time.

Anthea read an email and forwarded it to the right people.

"How long do we have to stay?" Mycroft asked listlessly. Anthea glanced over. He was looking out the window again. She looked from him to the sleepy Margot. So tired she had dropped Patches on the floor. They were both done. Anthea's heart felt full.

"Half an hour." She offered. Mycroft nodded gratefully.

"Half an hour I can do." He sounded more confident now – like that news had helped him find renewed energy.

"And we'll leave your parents at Baker Street overnight." Anthea added. One of Mycroft's hands came off his umbrella. He hunched over and rubbed at his eyes.

"That sounds incredible." He breathed.

Anthea laughed. She put her hand on Mycroft's knee and squeezed it lovingly.

Author's Note: What did you think? Was it acceptable? I think it was but my thoughts don't always line up with some of your guys' thoughts. Only one guest reviewer this time: Singing Ferret. So thank you. Thanks to the rest of you who reviewed last chapter. I leave for Japan tomorrow night I think so while I'm away for two weeks I'm going to have an update by a week. So I'll probably see you in about 7 days. Also remember to tell me things that you want to see!