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Holmes pulled the number up in his contacts. His father had been told first, and while he was not disapproving he was not as happy with the news that he would be a grandfather as Holmes would have hoped. He had time to get used to the idea, though, and the only thing he had asked was to meet Irene in person. Holmes was not looking forward to that dinner. Now he was about to tell his cousin, and he hoped he got a better reception to the news from Sherlock.
Sherlock picked up on the third ring. “This is a surprise,” he replied.
“Are you available to talk now?” Holmes asked.
“I’m having lunch with a friend,” he replied. “I only answered because it was you.”
“I have news,” he said.
“Then let me excuse myself.” Holmes could hear him faintly say “Excuse me for a moment, Molly” before there was silence. Two minutes later he spoke up again. “All right. What is your news?”
“Irene is pregnant,” he said, bracing himself slightly.
“Do you want the child?” Sherlock asked after a moment.
“Of course I want the child!” Holmes said, glaring slightly even though his cousin couldn’t see him.
“Then congratulations,” he replied.
“Oh. Thank you,” Holmes said, dropping the glare. He ran his free hand through his hair. “My father didn’t take it as well as I would like.”
“You’ve only been reacquainted with Irene for two months, and my uncle never did strike me as the type to want grandchildren anyway. Your mother would have been much more pleased with the news.”
“Yes, I know,” he said quietly. “And I think she would have liked Irene as well. My father wants to meet her, and I doubt they will get along.”
“Don’t assume you know everything, cousin,” Sherlock replied. “Irene may surprise you, as might your father.” He paused. “Have you told Mycroft or my mother yet?”
“No and no. I wanted at least one person who would be happy for me.”
“My mother will be happy for you. Our mothers were close, despite our fathers best intent to foster a rivalry between the families. She may ask for visitation rights. And then I know she will start badgering Mycroft and I to give her grandchildren.”
Holmes chuckled slightly. “It’s probably never going to happen. Mycroft is married to his work, and I suppose you are as well. If you ever went on a date I would die of shock.” Then he paused as something registered. “Are you on a date now?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You asked someone named Molly if she’d excuse you for a moment. You said you were having lunch with a friend. I just realized you’re having lunch with a female friend.”
“And she is just that: a friend. Molly Hooper helped me fake my death, and she’s become a good friend since then. She fancies me, but I do not feel the same way towards her.”
“Poor girl.”
“Why do you say that?” Sherlock asked.
“To fancy someone who will never feel the same way towards you? It’s an exquisite torture.”
“Well, I never asked for her to feel that way. But she assures me we are at least friends. I do enjoy her company, and if she’s willing to just stay friends then I won’t lose her company for a long while.”
“I bet if you ever ask any woman out it will be her. I mean, how many women do you converse with on a regular basis?”
“Three: Molly, Mrs. Hudson and Sally Donovan.”
Holmes made a face. “Sally. I feel for you.”
“I’ve made an effort to be nicer to her. We can at least stand to be in the same room now. I doubt we will ever be friends, but I do not think she hates me as much as she hates you.”
“I never should have gotten involved with her,” he said, shaking his head. “That was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.”
“Well, that part of your life is over. You do not need to worry about her. It is not as though you and Irene are planning to move back to London, correct?”
“No. New York is home now.” Holmes paused for a moment. “She will most likely be moving in with me at my home. She’s planning on meeting Joan in three days.”
“I wish you the best of luck,” Sherlock said. “Having two women under the same roof will be hard.”
“Three,” he replied. “Well, of a sort. Two actual women and one woman who isn’t really a woman.”
“Oh?” Sherlock asked, intrigued. “Who is the woman who is not really a woman?”
“My very own Mrs. Hudson, though mine goes by Miss instead. She is a transsexual.”
“That makes perfect sense for your household,” Sherlock said with a slight chuckle. “Your partner is a former surgeon, your lover was a dominatrix, and I’m assuming your new tenant is a transsexual housekeeper?”
“I am glad you find it amusing, cousin,” Holmes said, but there was no malice in his tone. “If I remember correctly, your partner is also a former doctor.”
“Not former. He still has rotations at a clinic,” Sherlock corrected.
“Touché,” Holmes said. “Is it not strange how our lives have continued to have increasing parallels?”
“Perhaps there is something to a shared destiny,” Sherlock said. “It would be an interesting study to see if the phenomenon applied to complete strangers who shared a name, as opposed to us, since we are family after all.”
“That would be an interesting avenue to explore one day,” Holmes replied. “It would take a lot of research, though, and is probably less scientific than the experiments you like to run.”
“Which would put it right up your alley.”
“Possibly.” Holmes looked around. “Not that this hasn’t been a pleasant conversation, but I suppose I should tell the rest of the family now.”
“I would call my mother first, then Mycroft,” Sherlock suggested. “You’ll get a warmer response from your aunt.”
“Yes. I am sorry for the conversations you will have with Aunt Victoria after this,” Holmes said with a grin. “Hopefully they will not be so burdensome.”
“I believe I can handle them. Take care, cousin, and congratulations once again.”
“Thank you.”
Holmes hung up first, and Sherlock stared at his phone. Irene was definitely never going to leave the family now, he knew that for sure, and he suspected soon he would hear a diatribe from his brother. For the moment, though, there was nothing he could do about it. After a moment he left the alcove and went back to the table where Molly was sitting. “I’m sorry I had to leave. It was my cousin.”
“Oh, that’s all right,” she said with a smile. “Did something happen?”
“He found out he’s going to be a father,” Sherlock said.
Molly’s eyes went wide and she leaned forward. “Irene Adler is having a baby?” she asked quietly. Sherlock had trusted Molly with the truth about what happened in New York; after all, she had kept his own secret well enough. He would trust her to keep Irene’s as well.
Sherlock nodded. “I do not know how far along she is, but it can’t be more than two months.”
“Huh,” Molly said as she leaned back in her seat, surprised. “That’s surprising, considering what she did. Are they happy with the news?”
“I believe so, yes. My cousin seemed happy enough while we were chatting.”
“That means you will have a first cousin once removed,” she said. Sherlock raised an eyebrow slightly and she blushed. “I made a study of genealogy, to try and find out more about my own family. I have a few of those running around. If I ever have a child all those children will become my second cousins.”
“Did you find out anything interesting about your own family in your research?” Sherlock asked, intrigued.
“A few things, yes,” Molly said with a nod.
“Tell me about them.”
“Are you sure?” Molly asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Sherlock nodded. “I’m interested in learning more about you, Molly.”
“If you’re sure,” she said with a nod before picking up her glass of water. “For starters, I’m distantly related to the royal family through Princess Diana…”