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“Molly!?”
“Yes, Sherlock?”
“Are you all packed and ready? We have to be at the hangar in an hour.”
“I know, I know, I’m coming.” Molly huffs and she drags her suitcase behind her.
“I must say I am actually glad that John couldn’t come. I’d much rather take my girlfriend on this case with me. Plus, Italy can be a romantic place, don’t you think?”
Molly beams happily. “Absolutely.” Her face then falls. “We shouldn’t be so happy though. We are going to an orphanage to speak to a little girl whose family was murdered. She’s just a little girl Sherlock. That’s terrible.”
“I’m sure it will turn out to be a rival or an ex or something of the sort. Her parents were international fashion models, that’s usually the case in famous murders.”
“That’s not the point, Sherlock. The point is that she’s just a child, and suddenly her whole family is gone and she’s alone and scared.”
“That’s why I’m bringing you along Molly. You’re much better with kids, and a lot softer too.”
“Softer?”
“You know what I mean. Kinder, more relatable, motherly…”
“Motherly?”
“Yes.”
They stare at each other in silence for a moment and he clears his throat. “We should be going.”
“Right” she smiles shyly.
A few hours later they are on their private plane, courtesy of Mycroft. Molly had been dozing and Sherlock had been thinking about the details of the case. The mother and father, both international fashion models, were killed and so was their six-month-old daughter, however the five-year-old daughter escaped scot-free. {How did she do that? How did she escape?} Their vehicle was thought to be purposely ran off the road, and plunged fourteen feet, 4.4 meters, into the Arno river. The vehicle sunk and fully engulfed with water for at least ten minutes before the witness claims he saw the little girl treading water and crying loudly for help. By the time medical divers got to the rest of the family they were already deceased. The bodies were taken to the nearest morgue for autopsy; nothing out of the ordinary, all three of them did die of drowning. The remaining daughter was taken to a home for orphaned and abandoned girls while she is processed through the Italian Adoption System.
Sherlock feels a nudge on his elbow and comes out of his mind palace, looking over into the eyes of Molly. She’s tired but content. “Sorry...I was in my mind palace trying to organize the events and facts of the case.”
“Don’t be sorry. I figured. I’m just…really sad for her.”
Sherlock nods slowly and wraps an arm around Molly’s shoulders, pulling her close. “You have a gigantic heart, Molly Hooper. It’s one of the things I adore about you. You can make me more human.”
Molly smiles slightly. “You already are human; you just work with fact and not emotion.”
“For the record, I do feel bad for the child. I went through trauma as a child, as we established, so I can only imagine what this will do to her going forward. However, I am here to solve the murders, not find the perfect home for her.”
“I know that…I just feel guilty. I know it’s crazy because I don’t know her or her family, but she’s so little…”
Sherlock kisses Molly’s head and nuzzles her temple as she relaxes into his arms. “That’s why I needed you here with me Molly. You’re the one who can make her feel like someone will listen. You will make her feel like someone cares. You have a very calming effect. I would know.”
She nods softly and kisses him gently. He kisses back softly and smiles. “I love you.”
Molly grins. “I love you too.”
“I hear Florence has some very nice restaurants, and the hotel suite is absolutely divine. We have our own floor. The Presidential Suite.”
“We do?” she gapes.
“Mhmm. Even better though, it’s on Mycroft’s dime.” he winks.
She giggles and interlocks their fingers. “That does sound divine, Mr. Holmes.”
Sherlock smiles mischievously and cups her cheek, kissing her deeper than the last time. Molly chuckles and returns the kiss, which enjoyably turns into a good snog.
~~~~~~~
After getting settled into their luxurious hotel room and taking the time to fill their bellies with a delicious Italian meal, Molly and Sherlock head to where the authorities are keeping the orphaned girl. Sherlock wants to interview her about what happened, and Molly is there to comfort her if she becomes to upset to talk. Molly gently squeezes Sherlock’s hand supportively and gives him a small smile of encouragement when they approach the building. He returns the smile slightly and gets out of the cab with her.
Molly takes a deep breath and hold his hand, walking into the building. They meet with all the appropriate people to explain that they are the ones working with the police for the case. After some deliberation with the authorities and the caretakers, they are guided to her room, and there she sat, all alone in a big bed, looking tinier than Sherlock would have imagined.
She was a tiny little girl with beautiful olive toned skin and big brown doe-eyes, similar to Molly’s. Her hair was shoulder length and a light brown color. Her fingernails were painted a pretty purple color and her face was surprisingly stoic, no tears, no crying, just calm silence as the girl looked out the window from the bed that could swallow her whole. “Shock.” Sherlock thought to himself. A moment later he and Molly were the only ones standing there, nearly scared to approach this tiny girl and her brave face.
“You can come closer…everyone is afraid to come near me. I think they’re scared of making me cry. And yes, I know English, my parents taught me from the minute I was born and so did school. That’s why I don’t have such a heavy accent like everyone else. I do know Italian too though, obviously.” Her voice is small and adorable, but she speaks with confidence.
Sherlock blinks a few times. This was definitely not what he had in mind when they told him she had become orphaned. Instead, he fully expected a child wrought with sadness and tears. Oh, how he could barely handle crying children, so he supposes he should be glad.
Molly looks shocked as well but walks over to the bed, gently sitting on the edge. “Hello, my name is Molly, and this is Sherlock. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Cassidy Jade Micelli. But everyone calls me Cassie.” She looks up at Sherlock with her childlike innocence. “Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective? Cool. Is he here to find who killed my parents and sister?”
“Well, yes he is Cassie. We were wondering if you could tell us what happened from your point of view…it would really help him figure it out.” Molly says softly, knowing that she may be putting on a brave face, but she is still only five.
Sherlock walks over slowly and sits next to Molly, looking at the small girl. His eyes flicker around her, deducing her life.
Sweet, rich, disciplined, eldest child, big sister, raised by parents not nannies, secretive, genius, dislikes the spotlight, powerful, book-smart, hidden, bi-lingual, unique ability, kind, loving, sad, genius, genius, GENIUS.
Sherlock narrows his eyes a bit, scrutinizing her without realizing. “Sherlock.” Molly nudges him out of his mind palace.
“Hm?”
“Cassie is going to tell us what happened now, are you listening?”
“Yes, yes, listening. Do go ahead, Cassie.”
“Well…my mummy and daddy had the same day off. They only do about six days a month, so they were taking me and Chloe, my baby sister, to the park and then we were going to get some ice cream and I don’t know what else. We were driving for a little while and they were talking, and I was playing with Chloe in the back seat because she can get fussy on car rides. And then suddenly my Daddy saw a truck speeding to the side of our car and he tries to move ours out of the way but the truck was going too fast and…” her little voice gets softer and more vulnerable. “And the truck hit us. It hit Chloe’s side and pushed us off the bridge and then...I-I remember being underwater. I couldn’t breathe and I-I tried to get Chloe’s car seat unbuckled but it was stuck.” She tears up and her lip trembles. I shook my Mum and Dad, but they were asleep. I didn’t know if they were already dead, but I think Chloe was...sh-she was bleeding cause the water was red…my Dad was too and my mum a little bit.”
Tears fall down her cheeks and she sniffles, flashbacks plaguing her and making her cry. Molly tears up and gently scoots over, wrapping her arms around her. Cassie looks so little in her arms.
She murmurs gently and soothingly, stroking her hair. “Oh shh...I know...I know sweetheart. I am so sorry that happened to you. You know what though? I’m here now, and if you ever need to talk I’ll be there for you. I can even give you my number if you want. Okay?”
Cassie sniffles and nods before calming herself down, pulling away slowly and rubbing her face before continuing. “All I remember after that is waking up in the water again…my lungs hurt a lot. I still couldn’t breathe. I remembered that my Dad’s window was open so I swam out of it and up to the top of the water until I threw up water and could breathe again. I yelled for help over and over and over…nobody heard me for ages.”
Sherlock nods slowly. “How did you survive? You passed out in the water at least twice. HOW?”
“Sherlock!” Molly snaps.
“I’m just wondering, that’s not possible. You can survive underwater for ten or fifteen minutes. Especially at her size. It makes no sense Molly.”
“Well she’s here and she’s alive, thank God. That’s all that’s important.”
Cassie draws her attention down to her hands and fiddles them the way Molly does when she’s nervous or doesn’t want to say something.
“What is it…you’re holding back.” Sherlock looks at her as gently as he could muster. “If you know something, you must tell us.”
“I don’t know anything else Mister.”
“You’re lying.”
“Sherlock, a word.” Molly says strictly and pulls him to the side of the room. “She bloody lost her entire family and she is grieving. You need to stop laying into her, she’s a child.”
“A genius child.”
“What?”
“You heard me. She’s a genius. I can tell going by her mannerisms, her vocabulary, the way she forms her sentences and the way she described the scene nearly to a tee, including the gory details of blood in the water. She may be a small child, but she’s a genius, she knows something that she isn’t telling us and I plan to get it out of her because I need every piece of information that I can get.”
“No. I think she’s had enough for today.”
“What do you mean no? We’re here to solve the murder.”
“We are also here to comfort a grieving orphan. She’s had enough for now.”
Sherlock stares at her annoyedly but Molly’s glare does not falter. “Fine” he growls. “I need to think anyway.”
Molly sighs and places a hand on his chest. “Sherlock, this is sensitive. We need to be careful, if we aren’t, you’ll end up getting nothing out of her. Especially if she is a genius as you say.”
He looks at her and his eyes soften. “Alright…I guess you’re right.”
Walking back over to the small girl, she sits back on the bed and places a hand over her tiny one. “Cassie, maybe you should rest. Sherlock and I will come by and visit tomorrow, okay?”
“I don’t need anymore rest…I’m tired of sleeping. I’m tired of being here, I want to go home” she says weakly. Molly’s heart breaks for her.
“I know, I’m sure this really stinks. Is there anything I can do for you?”
She looks up at her with her wide brown eyes, looking so sad and vulnerable, so alone. “I just want to go home…I- I want my stuff from my home. I want my bed and my room, and I want everything to go back to how it was.” Her eyes fill with tears again and she hugs Molly tightly, clinging to her. “I want them back” she whimpers. Molly holds her close and rubs her back, soothing her as best she can, and peering up at Sherlock, sadness in her own eyes.
Sherlock hesitantly goes over and sits, rubbing Molly’s back.
~~~~~~~
Molly glances over at Sherlock laying on the bed still as a corpse. His hands are steepled under his chin in classic fashion. Every so often he will make a little noise, going through the information in hi mind palace. Molly hangs up their clothing and pushes the suitcases under the bed. She the showers and puts on her nightgown, sitting at the desk and brushing out her hair. He’s been in there for nearly three hours now. After prying themselves away from Cassie, Sherlock had made a trip to the police station to talk to them about anything they know about the Micelli Family and who would be out to kill them. Molly had sat in the waiting area for two hours. She is grateful to be here and help out with the girl, but she still wishes it weren’t so tedious at some points. She grabs the room service menu from the drawer and looks through it, her stomach growling. Suddenly a gasp is heard from the other side of the room, and she smirks. “About time. You’ve been away for three hours.”
Sherlock sits up slowly. “That long? Sorry…there was a lot to go through and organize.” He strides over to her and gently drapes his arms around her shoulders from behind, hugging her gently. I’m sure you’re starved.”
“Yeah, a bit. I know you don’t like to eat when you’re on a case, but you really should have something.”
Sherlock kisses her cheek and smiles softly. “Well, I suppose it can’t hurt to get a little something. Get whatever you like, and umm…get me some fish and chips.”
“Okay” she beams up at him. Instead of moving he dips his head to nuzzle her neck, breathing in the fresh strawberry vanilla scent of her bodywash.
“Mhh…you know that’s my favorite Miss Hooper.”
Molly giggles and runs her fingers through his curls, tousling them gently. “Hmmm…nope…never noticed” she teases.
“Oh bollocks!” he exclaims pointedly. She laughs and smirks. “Wellll…maybe I noticed a little bit. It does seem to affect you a little.”
He snorts and scoops her into his arms in one swift motion. “Sherlock!!” she squeals and giggles as he flops back onto the bed with her. He beams down at her, and her up at him, their eyes looking into each other’s as he dips his head and kisses her lovingly. Molly eagerly returns the kiss, deepening it and wrapping her arms around his neck before melting into him. He hums in approval against her lips before breaking their snog, kissing down her neck slowly and meticulously, eliciting a small moan from her lips.
~~~~~~~
Sherlock turns over from under the sheet and smirks at her adorably. He strokes some hair from her sweaty cheek and hugs her close in his arms. “Mhh...I love you.” Smiling, she rolls over in his arms to face him and strokes his cheek. “I love you too. Now I’m really hungry!” He laughs softly and reaches to grab the menu, picking up the phone and placing their order for room service.
Sherlock grabs a shower as Molly freshens up again and dresses, waiting for their food to arrive. She pulls her hair into a ponytail and picks up her phone, scrolling through social media and grinning at the photos her friend Meena put up of her and her boyfriend. Molly wonders if Sherlock would be upset if she posted one of them on her profile. It’s only people that they knew and were friends with. As he steps out of the shower and into the room with a towel around his waist he can see she looks a bit perplexed. “Molly, what’s wrong?” he asks as he dresses.
“I was just wondering…would you mind if I put a picture of us on Instagram or something? It’s only our friends on there.” He goes over and sits on the bed next to her.
“Why would I mind?”
“I don’t know…anyone could look us up and see it I guess.”
Sherlock tips her chin and looks into her eyes. “I am not ashamed of you. You can post whatever you like. I love you, Molly Hooper and nobody and nothing will change that. I promise you.”
Molly looks up at him and smiles softly. “We never discussed it, and you do have an international reputation, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it.”
“Well I am. I’m yours, and I don’t care who knows.”
A smile spreads across their faces mutually and there is a knock at the door signaling dinner has finally arrived.
~~~~~~~
Four days in, Molly and Sherlock have been visiting Cassie every day, through working on the case. They even got to bring her a bag of her favorite things that she mentioned from her home. Sherlock convinced the authorities that he needed to see the home for the case, and they let him bring a few things to her. She has really warmed up to both of them, and even impressed Sherlock by naming all of the bones in her body; to be fair, that also made Molly extremely proud.
By day six, Sherlock had solved the case. The murderer was hired by a superfan of her father’s who just so happened to date the ex of her mother, and together due to jealousy, they made a plan to kill them and make it look like a car accident, not knowing the kids were in the vehicle as well.
As they pull up, Molly’s eyes begin filling with tears. Sherlock looks concerned. “Molly…why are you crying??”
She sniffles and wipes her face, sighing. “I- I don’t want to leave her.”
“We have to leave her…the case is solved.”
“Do we though? I mean...she has no one.”
Sherlock swallows as his mind flashes back to the conversation he had with his younger sister Eurus after she had killed people. “I had no one.” It was the reason she became so deranged and detached. Nobody was there to guide her or her magnificent mind towards goodness. Knowing Cassie is brilliant, albeit not nearly so as Eurus, it suddenly worries him how she will grow up with nobody solid in her life. Nobody permanent.
“Wh-what are you saying?”
Molly looks down and fidgets with her fingers nervously, knowing that this was never brought up in conversation, never so much as an inkling of an idea, and their relationship still being fresh is still a factor as well. “I…I don’t know. It’s crazy.”
“Crazier than dating a consulting detective?”
She smiles a little and shrugs, still nervous to bring it up. “Well, our relationship is so new, and you’re just getting used to it, and I don’t want to freak you out by suggesting things that may alarm you.”
Taking her hand, he gives it a small squeeze. “I’ll be okay. What’s on your mind?”
Molly takes a deep breath and chews her lip. “She’s a really really brilliant kid. She reminds me a lot of you, and I think she could learn a lot from you, and you would be a good role model for her in that regard.”
“And…”
“And she’s grown a bit attached to me as someone she can talk to and lean on and feel safe with too, and she enjoys learning about anatomy and medicine and such, I think it’s lovely, especially for being only five…”
“Molly…”
“I want to adopt her.” Molly blurts out a bit and closes her eyes softly, worried about the backlash from Sherlock. She can only imagine the look of surprise on his face.
He swallows hard and strokes Molly’s hand. “Molly, look at me.”
A hint of regret crosses her face as she opens her eyes and looks into him, met by not shock or repulsion, but softness and love. “I think that you would be the perfect mother to any child. They would be privileged to have you as a parent. Your kindness and gentleness and love…you were meant to be a mother Molly.”
“W-Well er…thank you…um...”
“I would of course be her adoptive father, then.”
Molly blinks and looks at him. “Wait what? You knew what I meant?”
“Of course I knew what you meant, Molly. We are in love aren’t we. It is traditional for two people who are in love to raise a child together, not apart.”
“You want to be a parent with me?”
“Oh for God’s sake.” he exclaims and kisses her lovingly. “Yes. I’ve taking a liking to her, and I think I can teach her a lot, like you said. Not sure how Mycroft would handle the news though.” Sherlock smirks, imagining the horror.
Molly giggles. “Oh God.”
“We will have to apply and go through all the proper channels, however, I will need Mycroft on our side if we plan to speed the process along quicker than usual.”
“I agree, but we should probably ask Cassie first. It’s her choice.”
Sherlock nods and takes Molly’s arm, escorting her to Cassie’s room. She is reading one of the many medical and crime journals Sherlock had snuck her days before.
“Hello Cassie.”
Cassie beams. “Sherlock, Molly! I’m reading about the part of the brain. Cool, huh?” she hops off the bed and hugs Sherlock’s leg. He smiles fondly and pats her head.
“It’s an important part of science. I’m sure Molly could teach you all about it.”
She then hugs Molly and grins up at her cutely, brown eyes mirroring each other. “Hey, let’s read together for a moment. Sherlock has to go talk to some people about something important okay?”
“Okay” she sits back on the bed and shows Molly what page she is on as Sherlock leaves to speak with the staff about if it is possible to adopt her.
Twenty minutes later, Sherlock enters the room and nods sharply at Molly who glanced up from the book.
“Cassie…Molly and I need to...ask you something important.”
Cassie puts the book down and looks super nervous, the day she had the first day Sherlock questioned her about hiding something. “You didn’t do anything wrong, don’t be worried.”
“Okay…then what is it?”
“Well..Molly do you want to ask her?”
Cassie looks over at her with concern, but affection.
“Well Cassie…I know it is really soon and you are still mourning your family. Of course we would never take that away from you. However, we were wondering…well...how would you feel if Sherlock and I adopted you?”
Her jaw drops and her eyes widen. “What? Really?”
“Yes, really” Sherlock grins.
Cassie wraps her arms around Molly’s neck in a big hug and sniffles. “I’d like that.”
“Oh, Cassie we would too.” Molly sniffles and hugs her close and protectively. “It’s a long process, and there will be a lot of paperwork and a lot of other things to work out but I just want you to know that we will never give up and we want you to be ours. You made a big impression on us, and you are such a sweet and smart girl. It’s because of you that we even thought of wanting a child. Not any child though, only you.” Molly grins and strokes the little girl’s hair soothingly as she begins to cry tears of joy. Sherlock joins them and wraps his arms around both of them, smiling. “I never thought I would say this, but “my family.” Wow.”
Molly’s eyes water and she leans back on Sherlock, kissing is cheek happily. “I love you.”
“I love you too Molly. Always.”
“You mean that?”
“One hundred percent. I know I am not always an ideal partnet, but I will never falter in caring or loving you. You must know that.”
“I do. You mean the world to me too, Sherlock.”
“Eww you’re being too mushy” a little voice says from between the hugs. Molly and Sherlock chuckle and smile at her.
~~~~~~~
After going back and forth to Italy dozens of times and getting Mycroft on board to help the process between governments, making sure all the right documents were filled out and all the right legalities were handled; after going to court to prove themselves fit despite not being married, and despite all the challenges the international authorities posed, Sherlock and Molly finally got to take Cassie home to London. They decide that it’s best for her to live at Molly’s house, because it obviously has a lot more room and a spare bedroom, which could be turned into Cassie’s. Plus no client foot traffic.
“Now, I know my house is nothing like the huge, huge one that you are used to, but it’s home. It’s cozy but also roomy enough.”
Cassie nods and walks in looking around at all the trinkets and the art that are among the shelves and walls. Then she spots the bookcase and beams. “You have a big bookcase! Can I read some of them??”
Molly chuckles. “Well some of them are still too old for you, but you can go through the medical stuff and the few encyclopedias I have if you like.”
“Yay!!” she grins happily and jumps up and down.
Sherlock grins and picks her up, bringing her over to take a look at the taller shelves of the bookcase. She goes through what I there and picks put a couple that she would want to read soon. “Thanks.” She smiles cutely as he puts her back down.
“You’re welcome Cas.”
Molly raises an eyebrow. “Cas?”
“Yeah, that’s Sherlock’s nickname for me! Isn’t it awesome?”
Molly smiles affectionately at how excited she is to be there with them, even though she still has nightmares and struggles with the loss of her family at night. She suppresses a lot, the way Sherlock does, but Molly let her know that she is always there for her whenever wants to talk about it.
“Yes, it’s very awesome!”
“Sherlock, are you going to live her now that I’m here?”
Sherlock glances at Molly. “Well, actually I’m not sure. I don’t think we have really discussed that yet, but I will need to go back and forth to Baker Street for work anyway. Now that I have you both that just means I’ll be around here more often. Molly was a reason enough, and now that you’re here I’ll make even more of an effort” he winks. “Why don’t you go and start some reading alright?”
“Okay Sherlock.”
He pulls Molly aside and holds her hips gently. “So…about the living situation…we do actually have to talk about that.”
“Well I just assumed you would use Baker Street as your workplace, and you could stay her the nights you are not on a case or need to think. How does that sound?”
“That sounds perfectly reasonable. Molly, you’re incredible, have I told you that lately?”
“In that exact way, no. But don’t worry, I know you think so” she chuckles.
Sherlock pulls her close and hugs her against him, all the stress and tension from the past few months dissolving away from them as they embrace.
“She’s an amazing kid.”
“I know. She has a bright future now, because of you and me. We can make it that way for her. I know she will have to adjust to everything since she is in a new country, and a new home and she’ll be in a new school, but think she will thrive. It’s just different. I mean, we’re no millionaire fashion models.”
Sherlock chuckles in his deep velvety voice and smiles. “No? I think we could be.”
She lets out a laugh and slaps his chest playfully. “Speak for yourself mister, you’re like a finely sculpted statue of a Greek god.”
A smirk creeps across his face and he nuzzles her nose. “Well that would make you a goddess, which, by the way, you are.”
Molly’s face turns red and she rolls her eyes. “Sherlockkk.” He grins. Come on, let’s go spend some time with our daughter. Wow that is weird to say. Our daughter.”
“Our daughter…wow. Just wow...”
~~~~~~~
The news of Cassie’s adoption shocks all their friends, but they all welcome her with open arms. John teases Sherlock about being a father, and to a genius no less. He claims that Sherlock will “get a taste of his own medicine” finally. Mrs. Hudson adores having Cassie around to help her out with Rosie and sometimes at Speedy’s. Lestrade was speechless, then got drunk enough to question if he actually heard right the first time, the shock eventually turning into happiness for Sherlock, a man who he personally saw grow into who he was today.
Sherlock comes home to Molly’s house after an arduous case and smiles, seeing them eating mac and cheese and watching a movie, cuddled up in the big, cozy blanket that usually adorns the back of Molly’s sofa. “Hello my beautiful girls.”
Molly grins and kisses him gently as he leans down to do so, and then he kisses Cassie’s head. “Hi Sherlock!”
“That’s looks delicious. Homemade Molls?”
“Of course. I saved some for you in case you were hungry. It’s in the fridge, you can heat it up.”
He nods and slips his Belstaff off, hanging it on the coat rack and grabbing a bowl to heat up. A smile crosses his face as he joins them on the sofa. “What are we watching?”
“Just a silly show.”
“Yeah, there’s nothing interesting about it!” Cas pipes up.
Sherlock nods. “How was school?”
“It was okay I guess...too easy. But I want to be with people my age, so…it’s okay.”
“Well you’re a smart girl. I knew you were too good for them.”
Cassie giggles and hugs his side and he grins. “Did you uhh..make any friends?”
“Friends? No. They’re all stupid. I did help a boy who was being bullied though and we started talking. He’s really nice. I don’t know if we are friends though.”
“A boy!? Already!? Absolutely not!”
Molly snorts and Cassie smirks. “Firstly, I don’t like himmm, like him. And second, I don’t want to date anyone.”
Sherlock huffs. “Well you were about to give me a heart attack, don’t do that to me.” He hugs her close. “You are too little and too young for that.”
She smiles cutely. “I know, I knowwww. Don’t freak out. I’m gonna go get some more milk.”
“Do you need any help, sweetheart?” Molly asks.
“I think I can do it if the gallon isn’t full.” She walks over to the fridge, looking so tiny in comparison, and takes out the milk, struggling slightly with it’s weight. When she goes to pour it, it comes out too fast and the glass falls, shattering near her feet and cutting her.
Molly and Sherlock gasp and jump up from the sofa, running over to her as tears well up in her eyes. Sherlock gently scoops her up and sits her on the counter so Molly can take a look at her foot that is bleeding. Cassie begins to cry, only when Molly leans down to examine her.
“Heyy…it’s okay Cassie, it was just an accident. It’s not a big deal, okay? Let me see your foot so I can clean it up. I know it hurts lovey, I’m sorry.” Molly coos and grabs a napkin so the blood doesn’t drip onto the floor, and cradles her foot with it. She makes Sherlock grab the first aid kit so she can remove the glass. Sherlock hands her the tweezers and ears fall down Cassie’s face. “No, you can’t, I’ll do it!”
“What? Cassie, I’m a doctor. I’ll be gentle, I promise.”
“No!! You can’t! You can’t! You won’t love me anymore!” she sobs.
Molly looks at Sherlock confused. “Cas, what are you talking about? It was an accident, we aren’t angry.”
Cassie cries more. “You won’t love me anymore, I want my mom!”
Molly tears up and gently hugs her close. “Oh sweetheart...I know you miss your mom and dad. I do have to get this glass out though. I’m sorry, but it has to be done.”
As she sobs, Molly very gently removes the glass from her foot. Before she can bandage it, her foot glows a soft yellow and the skin heals itself completely, leaving no trace of cuts or blood, as if nothing ever happened. Molly stares for a moment, not believing her eyes, and Sherlock gapes at the sight, the gears in his mind turning at high speed. “What the--impossible.” He murmurs.
Molly swallows the uncertain lump in her throat and looks up at Cassie, who is still crying. She stand up and hugs her close, stroking her hair to soothe her. “Shh…it’s alright now. It’s okay. You’re okay.”
Through her sobs Cassie relays how scared she is of her ability. Sherlock recalls the day he first met her, and everything he deduced. Now a few things stick out like a sore thumb. Secretive, powerful, hidden, unique ability.
“M-my Mummy and Daddy told me never to t-tell anyone cause they’d be too scared of me and they’d take me a-away.”
“We are not afraid of you.” Molly cups her cheeks and strokes away the giant tears running down her face. “We love you no matter what and we are here to take care of you, Cassie. No matter what…right Sherlock?”
Molly looks back at Sherlock, who stands there looking completely puzzled. She notices it as his “buffering” face.
“He feels the same, Cas. It just takes him more time to process things sometimes. I promise.” She strokes her hair out of her face and smiles softly. “You can talk about it if you want. We won’t tell anyone. We would never do anything that would hurt you. Ever.”
Cassie sniffles and looks at her worriedly, with sadness and fear in her eyes. “I-…I was just born this way. My Mummy said her family had special powers too. My mum could change the way people felt. She called herself an empath. And well… I’m a healer. I…well...I can heal myself and other people. But only cuts and stuff…”
Sherlock finally snaps out of it. “Impossible…”
“Sherlock…not now.” Molly scolds him.
“I mean, incredible. How does it work?”
“Sherlock.” Molly snaps a bit.
“I-it’s okay..um..well if I get hurt it does what you saw. If someone else gets hurt, I just have to hold my hands over it and my hands glow a little, then they heal up.”
“Marvelous...Can you show me?” Sherlock murmurs in shock.
Cassie looks up at him. “But you’re not hurt.”
“Well, we can fix that.”
Molly looks at him worriedly. “Sherlock, what are you doing??”
“She can heal me, I won’t stay hurt. No worries. I’ll just do a prick, nothing crazy.” He grabs a knife and pricks his finger until he draws some blood. Cassie bites her lip and gently pulls his hand over to her then hovers her two tiny hands over his finger. Within a few seconds her hand glows a soft yellow and the blood and prick mark disappear, leaving him like new. Sherlock’s jaw drops in awe, questioning everything he thought he knew about the world. He was practical, and a realist. Magic was not supposed to exist in this realm of existence. As excited and utterly intrigued as he is, he’s a father know and he knows that Cassie’s well-being comes first.
Molly watches in awe and looks at Sherlock. She knows he loves their daughter, but she is still worried since he is a man of science and experiments. Sherlock look over at her and kisses her cheek. “Don’t worry…I know.” He murmurs in her ear. She nods in relief and smiles softly before cleaning up all the broken glass and gently helping Cassie off of the counter and back onto her little feet. Sherlock pours Cassie another glass of milk as she and Molly resume their spots on the couch. As he looks over at them, he can’t help a wave of pride and happiness wash over him. However odd it was, this was his family. He would always do everything in his power to protect them. There is just one final thing he needs to do to solidify everything.
~~~~~~~
A few weeks later, Sherlock, Molly, and Cassie attend little Rosie Watson’s third birthday party. All of their friends are there and Cassie impresses many of the adults with her knowledge and skill. It astounds them to hear those things come from such a tiny child. Sherlock has been teaching her the art of deduction and she is getting the hang of it slowly. Molly has spoken to Cassie about her powers and they came to a mutual decision that they should still be kept a secret to everyone except her and Sherlock. However, she is allowed to use them in an emergency or at home when she needs to. Sherlock mulls around, taking in the room and twiddling with things.
Molly comes up to him with a glass of wine and hooks her arm in his. “A bit fancy for a third birthday, don’t you think?” she giggles.
“Possibly. Could I um…speak to you on the patio? I think they’re cutting her cake soon anyway.”
“Yeah, of course. Is something wrong?”
“No no. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Okay…”
Sherlock leads her to the back patio where everyone is gathering around to sing to Rosie. Somehow she and Sherlock end up in the middle of the chaos and she smiles softly. “Rosie is going to love the cake Mrs. Hudson made for her. I bet she’ll have chocolate all over her by the time she’s finished.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” Sherlock mutters, distracted.
“Sherlock, you’re worrying me. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong, I just have something important to ask you.”
“Alright, well…what is it?”
Sherlock clears his throat, loudly and gently holds her hips. Cassie smirks, standing nearby but behind Molly, and gives him a thumbs up for encouragement. Suddenly the chatter and the conversations seem to dissolve, replaced with silence. Molly becomes a bit uneasy, but focuses on him.
“Molly…you…” Sherlock clears his throat again. “You are the strongest, kindest, gentlest, most intelligent, and most beautiful woman I could have ever had the good fortune of knowing. You have kept me right, kept me sane, and on some bad occasions, kept me alive. I have not always been a good man, or a good friend, and I know I was just getting a hang of this boyfriend thing, and father thing. The point is, I’ve always needed you, even when I didn’t know it. I always needed you, and I always will need you. You keep me grounded and you complete my crazy, adventurous, and somewhat insane life. I never knew the true meaning of the words I Love You, until I realized that just as much was true between us. I could go on but I’m rambling so I will cut it short so Rosie can eat her cake…but um…Doctor Molly Louise Hooper…” Molly’s eyes fill with tears as she watches Sherlock slowly drop to on knee in front of her, pull out a velvet ring box, and take her hand in his. “Will you marry me, and do me the biggest honor of becoming my wife?”. He opens t box to reveal quite a large, and very exquisite diamond ring.
Molly begins to cry softly and nods. “Oh my God, yes. Sherlock, yes. Yes!” she squeals and hugs him tightly, nearly tackling him to the ground. Everyone laughs and cheers for them as Molly plants a kiss on his lips. “Mmming”
She giggles and pulls back. “Huh?”
“I said, I still need to give you the ring.” Molly laughs and blushes deeply, holding out her left hand as Sherlock slides in on. It fits perfectly of course. They receive another round of applause and she beams, tears slipping down her cheek. Sherlock hugs her tightly then grins, inviting Cassie over to join in their family hug.
~~~~~~~
Over the course of the next year, Cassie becomes closer friends with Jake, the boy she helped at school. Molly gets promoted and takes on not only her original duties, but a position as an advisor to new pathologists, Sherlock has been taking less cases as usual to spend time with them, but has taken ones of more pressing importance to keep him mind sharp, spending those nights at Baker Street.
Sherlock has gotten badly injured on no less than four occasions, except now his lovely daughter chooses him to be not injured, healing him when he desperately needs it.
The day before the wedding arrives and Molly seems very nervous. Sherlock wraps his arms around her from behind and nuzzles her neck. “I’d rather think you’d be excited, not nervous.”
“I am excited. But I’m nervous too. No just because of the wedding.”
“Why?”
Cassie walks in and smirks, clasping her arms behind her back as Sherlock so often does when he’s deducing. “Oh, obviously surely! Even I could figure it out.”
“Oh, is that so?” he raises an eyebrow and looks confused.
“Yep!”
Molly chuckles a bit and looks back at Sherlock. “You really don’t know?”
He furrows his brow. “Know what? No, I don’t know. Not just the wedding?”
“Wow the serviettes really have distracted you.”
“Tell me.”
Cassie smirks again, looking at Molly.
“It’s elementary, dear Sherlock.” Molly brushes her lips on his. “Cassie, would you like to tell him? I have full faith that you know exactly what I’m talking about.” She pulls away and blushes, wrapping her arm around Sherlock’s middle.
“Dad, she’s going to have a baby!”
Sherlock takes a sharp breath and looks at her, eyes wide and utter shock on his face. “Wh..”
“She’s right. In fact. I- I’m pregnant, Sherlock.”
He embraces her tightly and nuzzles his face into her neck. “Oh my God..I..we..we’re going to have a baby?”
Molly nods and blushes. “Our own little baby…”
“How did I not know??? I knew when Mary was pregnant!”
“Oh, don’t look so pouty, Mary was a lot farther along. I’m only about 6 weeks.”
Cassie beams and hugs them. Sherlock gently places a hand over Molly’s abdomen and tears up a bit. “Wow…I..I’m speechless.”
“Oh, that’s a first!” Molly laughs, and Sherlock smiles adoringly. “But, we have some more news too.”
“More than a baby??”
“Yessss. Cas, isn’t there something you wanted to tell him?” She nods and smiles cutely. “Well…since you’re marrying Mum and she’s gonna have your last name…well..I was wondering if maybe I could have it too?”
Sherlock’s eyes well with tears and he squats down to her level. “You want my last name?”
“Yeah. I want to have the same name as my new Mum and Dad. And the baby” she beams.
“Ohh Cas, I would love that.” Cassie hugs him tightly and he holds her protectively. “You are most definitely a Holmes little missy. You have been regardless of name. I love you.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
Molly grins and walks them over so they can all watch a family movie on the couch. She cuddles Sherlock and gently strokes his curls. “Sherlock Holmes, this is your legacy. Our incredible little family, and a reputation that proceeds you.”
“All I need is you three. I can’t wait to become your husband tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait to become your wife.”
“I can’t wait to become a Holmes!”
Sherlock and Molly laugh softly and cuddle on the comfy couch with their eldest daughter, eagerly awaiting everything the future has to hold for them all.