Pa and I, we're famous. Since we're in the world, people know who we are. The nurse says that people have sent us presents. She brings clothes for us to try on so we can go outside to meet grandma and grandpa. I'm very nervous. I get brand new clothes and they fit me perfectly. I wear jeans for the first time ever. Pa has a pair too. It's strange to see his legs disappear. I've never seen him wear trousers before. But first the doctor person looks at Pa's ankle. It hurts Pa a lot, but he wears a brave face and holds my hand. The doctor is concerned. He tells me not to worry about Pa, but that just scares me even more. I don't know much about the world, but I know he's lying.
I struggle with shoes, I keep falling over because they make my feet heavy and I go CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP all around the new room. John makes me stand on his feet and holds my hands and we walk around the room. It feels strange and we can't stop laughing and Pa has never smiled so much. I knew he'd like the Somebody.
Pa puts sun tan lotion on my face and makes me wear a mask because there are a gazillion germs in the air that want to kill me. He picks up the cane the hospital gave him to help him walk and we leave the room. In the outside but not the outside people stare at us as we walk past. Pa keeps his head down and looks at the floor, so I do the same. We get in a lift and it's all shiny with lots of buttons and it travels up and down like a rocket. I get to press the button and we go down and we arrive in a new space. When we get to the big sliding doors, they open all by themselves. The brightness hurts and Pa puts my sunglasses on my face. They pinch my nose. Pa has a bigger pair. He takes my hand and we step out into the real outside.
The ground is different. I jump up and down. We follow the nurse towards tables and chairs. There are people waiting for us. I can see uncle Mycroft. He stands up as we get nearer. Pa is gripping my hand so tightly it hurts. We walk around a glass wall, that's so invisible I almost don't see it. I see grandma and grandpa for the first time.
Sherlock lets out a breath as he takes in the aged faces of his parents. Mycroft stands to the side watching them all. Time seems to have frozen as their mother steps towards Sherlock and reaches out to touch his face. He holds still, his expression unreadable behind the sunglasses as she skims her fingers over the bruises on his jaw. The silence is deafening and he can't breathe. They only have eyes for each other. Tears well up in her eyes as she takes in his appearance. Her hand runs over his short hair and she swallows to contain her emotion. Sigar Holmes steps forward and places a supportive hand on his wife's shoulder.
Sherlock opens his mouth to speak, but stops to glance down at Jack who is hiding behind his legs. Glancing at his parents, he immediately notices a change in their behavior. His mother's face is rigid and she stares at Jack with a certain intensity that frightens him. Sherlock smiles uncertainly and gestures the benches. "Could we sit down? My leg is rather sore," he whispers.
John starts to walk away, but Violet Holmes calls out to him. "Doctor Watson, would you watch the child for a moment?" She turns to Sherlock. "We would like to speak to you alone," she tells him.
Jack hugs his Pa tighter. Sherlock looks at his brother for guidance, but Mycroft appears just as confused as he is. John steps forward. "Come on, Jack, why don't we go for a walk? There must be something you'd like to see."
Jack takes his hand and John and Sherlock share a look as they walk away.
"I don't understand," says Sherlock quietly, watching them leave. "Jack really wanted to meet you."
His mother glares out across the car park. His father swallows. "Sit down, Sherlock."
They all take a seat. For a long moment, no one says anything. Sherlock wrings his hands together. He's had thirteen years to prepare, yet he has no idea what to say. His parents aren't exactly forthcoming either. He can't make his voice go any higher than a whisper, as though this moment might shatter.
"I missed you," he says. "I missed you so much. I can't imagine how worried you must have been. I'm so sorry."
Their expressions change once more. Even Mycroft can no longer look his brother. Sherlock has never seen him look so… guilty. His mother's eyes are shut and his father doesn't know where to look.
Guilt.
His heart plummets to his stomach. "Oh," he breathes. "You didn't look for me."
Violet Holmes sighs. "We thought your disappearance had something to do with drugs. It was the easiest thing to tell everyone. It was the only thing that would get the police off our backs. It wasn't very hard to convince them."
Sherlock's ears are ringing. It's possible he's going into shock. "But I'm your son," he rasps pleadingly. "How could you do that? There wasn't a single day that passed that I didn't think of you. And you told everyone I was an addict?"
"What choice did we have?" she snaps, but falls silent under her husband's stern gaze.
"We can't change the past," he says, his voice older and wearier than Sherlock has ever heard it. "Your mother and I are relieved you are safe. After everything that has happened, we must put the past behind us and move forward. We will overcome this as a family. First we must wait for our lawyer to arrive and then we can discuss what must be done with the child."
Sherlock is still trying to process everything he's just heard. "Jack, his name is Jack. Whatever happens next, he'll be staying with me."
His mother shakes her head. "Sherlock, you have no obligation to the boy. We're not even sure he is your son."
"Of course he's my son," laughs Sherlock nervously. "Of course he is, I would know. I was there."
The three people opposite him squirm uncomfortably. Sigar Holmes clears his throat. "Yes, well, who named him Jack?"
Sherlock smiles, remembering. "I did. I couldn't decide at first, but in the end…"
"You made the right choice," says his father. "A child created that way doesn't deserve the traditional family name."
Sherlock tenses, his hands curled into tight fists. His mother nods. "We'll find a home for the boy, somewhere out of the public eye. We don't want any embarrassment and the quicker he goes, the faster you'll heal."
Sherlock can hear his own blood rushing. Mycroft looks outraged. That keeps Sherlock grounded. "Jack is my son. He's my responsibility and he's staying with me."
"Don't be ridiculous. How can we possibly explain his presence to everyone?"
"I'll tell them that he's my son," grits out Sherlock. "I'll tell them that he's my son and that I love him."
"Men aren't raped by women, Sherlock, can you imagine the shame of telling everyone?"
"Perhaps if you'd fought back harder…"
"Sherlock, you've never known what love is, even when we showered you with it, you can't say things like that, especially about some monster's spawn…"
Sherlock jumps to his feet, ignoring the pain in his leg. Mycroft also stands and puts himself between his brother and their parents. The only sound is Sherlock's heavy breathing.
"PA! Pa, look what I found! Flowers are real, Pa! PA!
Sherlock spins around to look for his son, just as his son crashes headlong into the glass wall.
I don't want to leave Pa, but the grandma lady says so, so John takes my hand and we go for a walk. I'm still having trouble with shoes and the Somebody teases me. He points at the cars and we go to look. Some are very shiny and they have four wheels, just like on TV. There are lots of different colours and sizes but they are much bigger than me. But my favorite is the ambulance. We watch as the sirens go and the lights flash as it drives away.
I look at Pa and he's still talking to uncle Mycroft and the grandparents. Then I see some plants, except these ones have colours. I pull John over to them. He says they are called pansies. Then he asks me if I can keep a secret and I say no because I don't have any. He laughs and quickly picks two pansies and gives them to me. I'm not allowed to tell anyone, but this way Pa can see them without having to walk on his bad leg. I see Pa and uncle Mycroft standing, so I run over to them.
"PA! Pa, look what I found! Flowers are real, Pa! PA!
"Jack, look out!" shouts the Somebody. But it's too late, because I forgot about the invisible wall and CRASH! I hit it hard. My nose hurts and I fall over. I burst into tears.
"Jack!" shouts Pa. "Jack, it's okay, I'm here," he cuddles me tight. "Oh god, are you alright? Here, let me see, it's okay."
Someone touches my face. I hear John's voice. "Nothing's broken, he didn't hit it too hard, thank goodness. I'm so sorry, I didn't realize he couldn't see the glass. I just thought…"
"It's okay," says Pa, giving me a kiss. "It could've been worse." He tries to pick me up, but instead he falls over. John carries me and uncle Mycroft helps Pa stand. They walk away quickly.
"Wait!" calls the Somebody, "What about…" he gestures at the grandparents.
"Leave them," snaps uncle Mycroft. "I'll deal with them later."
"Pa? What about grandma and grandpa?"
Pa covers his face with his hands. Something bad must have happened. I stare at the pansies that are still in my hand.
They don't seem very special anymore.