Author's Note: Hi guys. Thanks for the awesome feedback last chapter. It was fun to write and fun to read all your reactions. Thank you! This chapter is a small one because I've been crazy busy all week with no day off. Given that I am pleased with how it's turned out. 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.

The First Time Robbie Met Margot

For once during his visits to London, Anthea decided not to meet Robbie at wherever they were meeting for lunch. Instead she brought the town car to him and waited in the lobby. For one reason so he didn't have to waste too much money on cabs while he was here and also because they hadn't had time to decide where to go. Anthea only got the message that he was going to be in town two days ago when he had just got to his hotel room. They'd missed plenty of times to catch up due to that kind of behaviour in the past.

Robbie stepped out of the elevator, a parcel in one hand. He gave Anthea a big grin and held his arms out wide open like he always did and Anthea knew what to expect. Despite the smile on her face she waved off the incoming bear hug. It didn't work. Robbie took Anthea into his arms and lifted her off the ground. She squealed and laughed as her toes tried desperately to find the ground underneath her.

"Stop!" She hit him in his big shoulder. "The pram doesn't have the breaks on." She was laughing as she spoke.

"Ah!" A lightbulb went off in Robbie's head. He placed Anthea firmly black on the ground. Anthea put on hand on the handle of the pram and used the other to straighten off her clothes. "I keep forgetting you have a baby now!" The big punk laughed.

"No you don't." Anthea teased, crinkling her nose at her ex. "You have a gift for her in your hand." She nodded to the small parcel wrapped in tissue paper. The tissue paper was Robbie. The little ribbon on it had to be Cate.

"Ah, you got me." Robbie said, shoving his free hand into the pocket of his jeans. "I haven't been able to get over the fact that solo Ali got close enough to someone to have a freaking kid."

"Making you clucky?" Anthea teased. Robbie pulled a face and shook his head.

"Not something I'm made for there, Ali-bear." He patted Anthea on the shoulder (with the parcel – it was something soft). "I'll just enjoy the kids the people around me have without, you know, being responsible for anyone." Anthea smiled. That was probably for the best. She looked down at Margot, tucked a curl behind her ear, and then looked back at Robbie.

"You want to see your latest little friend?" Anthea asked. Robbie winced.

"Shit!" He cursed. Okay, maybe he did keep forgetting that Anthea had a baby.

Robbie came behind Anthea and glanced into the pram over her shoulder. Margot was awake chewing on Patches' front left paw. Robbie snorted. Anthea glanced at him. He leaned in closer and peered at Margot closely.

"No kidding. That there is a real mix of you and that genius of yours." That was probably the gentlest Anthea had ever heard Robbie's voice. Sure, he was a big teddy bear but the old punk was definitely rough around the edges. This was a gentle Robbie and it was strange. "Sheesh. Works well together." He said. Anthea closed her eyes and stifled a laugh. It came through her nose as a sniff instead. She then looked at her cute little daughter again.

"Those eyes." She almost sighed but stopped herself in fear of sounding weak in front of this particular ex. "Every time I look at them I see Mycroft."

"I mean, sure." Robbie shrugged. "They're his eyes, but have you seen her nose?" He and Anthea looked at each other. "Ali, that's your nose on a tiny creature." Anthea actually laughed that time. She rolled her eyes for good measure.

"The tiny creature is Margot." She reminded Robbie. Robbie chuckled to himself. With his big hands, manly but with musician fingers probably as long as Mycroft's, Robbie gently pinched Margot's cheek.

"Hey, little guy." He said. Margot's big deep blue eyes blinked up at him. "I'm your mum's first boyfriend. But don't worry; I ain't out to ruin your parent's relationship. I got my own girl. When you're older she'll make some pancakes for you and you'll flip out. Then we'll leave you and your sugar rush to your parents and never return."

Margot pulled Patches' paw out of her mouth and babbled at Robbie. The big guy laughed again.

"I think she liked that idea." Robbie nudged Anthea. Anthea smiled at him.

"I think so too." She humoured Robbie. She then exhaled and turned her body to face him. His hair was cut and newly died black, it looked strangely too neat. At least his clothes looked like good old him to Anthea. "So!" She changed the subject. "Food for us!"

"Yes!" Robbie nodded cheerfully. "Food!"

"Want to go to a fancy dessert place Myc and I sometimes go to or should we show Margot what real food is like and go to that gross diner near my old flat again?" Anthea asked, putting forward the two options that appealed to her the most. One more than the other, honestly, but she could go for both. Robbie scoffed and almost sneered.

"Gross food, for sure!" He exclaimed. "Someone needs to give this kid a real education in the culinary arts."

"I was hoping you'd say that!"

The diner was great and felt like old times; eating gross food at this place after class or parties. Except now the staff wasn't so much older than them and there was a baby in their company. They both got food from the all-day breakfast menu – a very common menu they ate from after studying late or… doing other things late.

Robbie always made Anthea feel like they were kids again. That was always the appealing thing about Robbie. Almost the opposite of what was appealing about Mycroft. Mycroft's suave sophistication and mystery made you feel more adult than most adults in the world. In fact Anthea would be hard pressed to think of anything they had in common. Maybe the fact that the Holmes siblings always hated being told what to do but that was a respect thing more than an anti-establishment thing. Maybe their acceptance of people for who they were regardless of gender, sexuality, race, or identifying feature but again that came from completely different reasoning. Maybe it was a soft core within a whole bunch of outside sharpness and traps even if the tough shell was created out of different things for different reasons.

Better yet, comparing the three greatest romantic relationships in Anthea's life how was Tim the outlier? He was probably the most normal. The lawyer. Not enough like one of the other two in any significant way to make sense.

Not interesting to think about, not right now. Not when Anthea had finally gotten the gift from Robbie shoved in her face.

Robbie was playing with Margot in her highchair while Anthea dealt with the layers of layers of tissue paper. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Robbie making Patches play air guitar (or bass?) while Margot looked at it like it was crazy.

The present was a grey onesie with The Beatles embroidered on it in the correct font for the band. It was cute and very Robbie and Cate. Anthea sniffed a laugh. She held it up, gaining half of Robbie's attention.

"Music related, of course." Anthea teased, crinkling her nose. Robbie shrugged.

"It's Liverpool. It's easier to find something with The Beatles on it than it is to find The Cure or something." He put Patches down on the counter. Margot did not look pleased. "And I said to Cate 'if you got to start somewhere the classics are a pretty good place'." Margot reached for Patches and Robbie pulled him further away. Margot babbled in protest which only made Robbie smirk.

"It's cute." Anthea let him have his due compliment. "I like it." And Mycroft wouldn't complain too much about it. "Thanks."

"It's nothing." Robbie said. His small and real sweet looking smile said otherwise. "This kid already knows what she wants, doesn't she?" Robbie changed the subject. He meant the way she was trying to get Patches from him. Anthea rolled her eyes. He was right, after all.

"She's a Holmes." Anthea pointed out. "Have you ever read Dr. Watson's blog?" It was a good example of typical Holmsian behaviour.

"Sometimes, yeah. Only when people I know turn up in it." Robbie answered. Anthea didn't say that to people to expect them to say yes, really. It was a popular site, she supposed.

"Oh." She said.

Margot tried to reach for Patches when Robbie seized her little hand. He leaned in close to the high chair. He took her little hand up to his face, and used her index finger to push his nose. When he did he pulled the strangest face he could manage. For a second it looked like Margot was going to scowl at this rather than smile or cry which would have been weird to see a baby do. She froze and then frowned. Then, just a moment later, her little nose crinkled up and she giggled brightly. Robbie let go of her hand.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed.

"What?" Anthea frowned in confusion.

"Huh." Robbie's mouth pulled into a smirk on one side of his face.

"What?" Anthea demanded. Robbie looked at Anthea and nodded to Margot.

"She crinkles her nose just like you." He said.

Did she?

Anthea looked at Margot.

If she did crinkle her nose then Anthea had never been fully conscious of it. As one who never sees their own habits it might be hard to see it in others.

"Look." Robbie said. He did it again. He took Margot's hand, booped his own nose, and pulled an extreme face. Sure enough she crinkled her little nose and then giggled. Anthea leaned back in her chair, feeling shocked and… well, a little bit more in love with her daughter.

"That has to be new." Anthea said to Robbie. "I've seen her laugh and smile so much and I swear I don't remember that." But then again maybe she never noticed. Anthea got out her phone. She typed a text to Mycroft.

Margot crinkled her nose before laughing at Robbie. Twice. Not quite experiment worthy but, hey! She did it! – A x.

She hit send.

"New or not," Robbie said. "I can't get over seeing you in this small creature."

"Margot." Anthea corrected.

"Yeah, I know she's Margot." Robbie rolled his eyes. He handed Margot back Patches and she was positively delighted to have her best friend back. Robbie smiled. "But she's still a small creature. Nothing wrong with that." He rubbed his hand over her head, scruffing up her soft brown hair. "I would still be a small creature if my metabolism didn't die before I did."

"Now you're a big idiot." Anthea sighed jokingly.

"Hey, screw you, Ali." Robbie gave Anthea an obscene gesture with his hand. "No one at this table is an idiot."

"Yeah, whatever." Anthea laughed. Immediately after her phone pinged.

I know Margot crinkles her nose. She's your daughter, after all – M.H.

Anthea pulled a face at her phone.

Our daughter. – A x.

I don't have that particular quirk. That is all you, my dear. – M.H. x.

"If it makes you feel better," Anthea said to Robbie as she locked her phone and put it away. "Mycroft is an idiot, too." Robbie quirked an eyebrow.

"Then you have a really weird definition of idiot." He said.

"Maybe I do." Anthea said, feeling content and annoyed at the same time.

"Weirdo." Robbie snorted. Anthea kicked him under the table. Above the table you wouldn't have known any better – Robbie didn't even flinch. He just leaned over and pretended to want to steal Patches again. Margot was already growing suspicious of him. Smart girl.

Author's Note: Okay? I hope so! I really do! Please let me know! I wish I could say next chapter will be on Wednesday but with my birthday on Sunday, an assignment due Monday, and another due Thursday, I am going to be pressing myself to even have something done by Thursday. After that my life calms down a bit but I don't think we'll get next chapter until at least Thursday. I hope you understand. Thanks to our guest reviewers; Guest and honey. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! I can't wait to hear your thoughts and see you again in about a week!