bakerstreet | On Your Doorstep

On Your Doorstep

They ended up on your doorstep, quite literally. Bloody, possibly. Bruised, most definitely, though the wounds may be mental. You probably don't know them from Adam, yet you couldn't find it in you to turn them away - whether they wanted you to or not. So you opened up your home, just for a little while.

But it's getting to be more than a little while. Both of you are finding a comfort zone, because you didn't simply open up your home. Admit it or don't, but you've opened up your heart all the same.

Their's is slowly following, if its reluctant at all.

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What? I'm fine...

[Sherlock's eyebrows pinch together when he tries to go through his mind looking for the name 'Alice', but it only lasts a few seconds before the realisation hits.]

Oh, the baby. She's fine. Wait here.

[He holds his hands up, then he turns back around. When he comes back, he'll be holding a clean looking baby wearing a cute pink and yellow onesie. He carries her over to the sofa and kneels down in front of it to be closer to John.]

Molly brought some supplies round after we finished patching you up.

[ He finally smiles at the sight of his daughter, all clean and snug in Sherlock's arms.

But his smile falters, his expression becoming more grim as he finally admits, ]

It was Mary. And David. They attacked me at the flat. Tried to kill me and take Alice with them.

[Sherlock had been unwilling to hold Alice the first two hours after he sewed John up, but since Mrs. Hudson handed her off to him, he hasn't really wanted to put her down.]

Mary and David... did they say anything to you during all of that?

[He'll need to contact his brother with the information... well, chances are Mycroft already knows the details. But he'll do it just in case.]

[ John slowly shakes his head, ]

I tried to get answers, asked 'why'. They never said anything.

[ He reaches out to caress the baby's cheek as she continued to nod off, sucking on a pacifier. ]

She likes you. Normally, she squirms when other people hold her.

She likes Mrs. Hudson, too.

[Sherlock looks down at the baby for a second, then he looks back at John.]

Or maybe she could just tell that mummy and her ex-boyfriend were going to betray daddy.

[He wants to know why. After everything they've been through, why would Mary do this? Does it have something to do with Moriarty re-emerging?]

I'll solve it, John.

[ John can feel his eyes watering again and he will later blame it on the pain meds and wonky mental state he is in. ]

Why did you make me go back to her, Sherlock?

[Sherlock frowns when John asks him, then he adjusts the way he's crouching down so Alice is facing her father.]

Look at me, John. No. Look at your daughter.

[He'll let him do as he asks.]

If you hadn't gone back to Mary, where would Alice be now?

[Really, he'd assumed that Mary was telling the truth about changing her ways and giving up her past. Then again, Sherlock could never tell when Mary was lying, yet Mary seemed to always be able to tell with him.]

[ John does look at her for a long moment before looking back up Sherlock. ]

And you think her being born into this kind of life is better?

You tell me.

[Sherlock presses the baby back to his shoulder so she can rest more comfortably.]

Mrs. Hudson's good with children.

No, I'm asking you. You always have an answer.

[ He watches as Alice seems to nuzzle into Sherlock's shoulder once she's back there. ]

What about you?

[Sherlock stares at John for several seconds. He's already got himself attached to the baby, but he doesn't want him to know about it.]

It should be fine. Can't be all that different than raising a dog.

[He gives her back a gentle pat when he says it.]

She can sleep upstairs in your room and Mrs. Hudson can take care of her when we're working.

... did you just compare my daughter to a dog?

[ Because really, Sherlock. ]

What?

[Sherlock just smiles at John. Alice doesn't seem to mind the comparison.]

I like dogs.

[ John stares at Sherlock before sighing tiredly, turning his head away. ]

I am far too lightheaded to argue with you right now.

[Sherlock turns his attention to Alice and talks to her in a hushed voice.]

I should drug him up more often. He's so compliant.

[Alas, he'll only keep John as drugged as he needs to be for the pain.]

John. Do you need anything before you fall asleep again?

[ The baby just gives a little huff through her nose, keeping her eyes closed. ]

A restart button would be nice...

Fresh out of those, sorry.

[Sherlock gives the baby a bit of a hug before he takes her off of his shoulder and forces her into John's arms. As much as he's been enjoying the cute factor, he figures John could use it a bit more in the state he's in.]

[ John tries to take the baby in his arms but hisses at the pressure she brings to the injuries around his chest. The baby whines and John shakes his head. ]

I can't. You keep her.

[Sherlock takes Alice back and he cradles her with one hand on her back and head and the other under her bottom.]

Are you telling me that if you were given a reset button, you'd press it?

[He tucks his face next to the baby.]

Don't listen to him, Alice. I'm sure he doesn't mean it.

[ He groans at that, turning his face away once again. ]

You don't understand.

[ He would press it if it meant Alice not having to go through this, not having a mother that was a killer and a liar, and to prevent Sherlock from going through what he did when he came back. ]

I understand well enough, John.

[Sherlock shifts the baby until she can get comfortable. She's starting to get fussy for being moved around so much when she just wants to have a nap.]

But I think you're wrong to cling onto some impossible hypothetical scenario when you could be focusing your attention on correcting the mistakes you've made and making something beneficial come out of them.

[Okay, so maybe he's speaking from experience.]

Sherlock, I've been through hell tonight. I'm allowed to feel sorry for myself if I choose.

[ Adding, ]

Let her sleep, would you?

And I'm allowed to tell you how silly you sound doing it.

[But Sherlock nods when John tells him to let the baby sleep. He'll stop moving around so much and as soon as John falls asleep again, he'll take her back into the other room.]

We can talk about this more when you're not drugged to the gills.

[ John keeps his face turned away, eyes closed and remaining silent. He'd much rather go back to sleep than deal with this rubbish life he has.

And the guilt he feels for bringing an innocent child into all of this. ]

[Sherlock stays knelt down in front of the sofa until he hears John's breathing even out to a more restful sound. Then, he checks the IV line and the bandaged up wound before he feels comfortable with leaving John to sleep.]

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