"We're good! She's slept through the night twice in a row now--" he squeezes Rosie fondly, and she coos and pats at his nose-- "so I actually feel human, which is pretty damn great. I know I probably can't expect it every night for a while yet, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts."
He glances at her purse, and his smile goes a bit lopsided. He can put two and two together. Or one and one, really.
"So, Rosie's had her breakfast. No big changes to her schedule, everything's still in the same place, if you order in something get the receipt and I'll cover it later, and if you take her out for a walk just text me when you go out and when you get back." For a second he's quiet, and then he adds, "I don't think he'll mind if you go in his room, but make sure you put up the baby gate if you do while Rosie's awake, yeah?"
John does look good, better than she expected considering. Sleep does wonders. So do cute babies. Molly smiles at the two of them fondly.
"Sounds good," she says to John's instructions (even though she'll ignore the bit about the take out receipt). "We'll be just fine, won't we Rosie Posie?"
She reaches out and Rosie wraps a strong grip around Molly's finger and squeals in delight.
"Oh..." Molly says to his comment about Sherlock's room, surprised for a moment. She blushes. "Oh, no. I wouldn't. There's really no reason to."
Not one she can think of anyway. It might be different if they'd been together a while and she'd spent time there, but, she doesn't really feel comfortable invading his space like that without him around.
"But...er...thanks. And, um, thanks for the texts the other day. I do appreciate the support."
"Hey." He steps closer, puts a hand on Molly's shoulder. "Molly. Sorry, I didn't mean to be--look, I really am happy for you both. And I mean it, I think you can pull it off, getting him to understand all this... being an actual human... stuff."
Rosie's big eyes swivel to take in Molly, and John takes the opportunity to start handing her off.
"And you know whatever I can do to support you, I absolutely will, except being late for work right now. All right?"
To: Molly From: Sherlock
9:15 AM: Oh, and send a photo of the baby. I want to track how the structure of her face is developing and see if I can project what she'll look like in a few years.
"Thank you," she says. "I hope I'm up to the task. So far he's been...well, lovely, actually."
She smiles and blushes again. She knows it's the honeymoon period (so to speak) and things will settle into normalcy (or whatever is closest to that for Sherlock) and that there will be issues to work through. Having John's support means a lot.
Molly takes Rosie from John and kisses her chubby cheek.
"Yes...go, don't be late. We'll send you some pictures through the day. Say bye to daddy."
Molly uses her hand to move Rosie's like she's waving at John. The alert sound on her phone goes off again and Molly bites her lip. Yes, definitely bored on a train Sherlock.
John grins. He knows he's had a somewhat different version of that expression on his face when Sherlock's texted him incessantly out of pure boredom.
"Thanks again. Bye, princess! Bye, Auntie Molly!"
And then he's gone, his warm laughter sort of lingering after him.
To: Molly From: Sherlock
9:17 AM: If John hasn't yet left, tell him he's got a window of eighty-one seconds to get out the door before his chances of being late by at least six minutes increase by two hundred percent.
9:17 AM: It's not true but he doesn't need to know that.
Molly and Rosie wave bye until John is out the door and then Molly grabs her phone out of her purse to see what Sherlock's on about.
"Uncle Sherlock is very bored, Rosie," she explains to the baby like she could possibly know what she's saying. "You'll learn that a bored Sherlock is a worrisome Sherlock."
Molly sits down on the couch with Rosie on her lap as she checks her texts.
To: Sherlock From: Molly
9:20 AM: I think I'd like your father.
9:20 AM: I don't know if sexting is appropriate while I'm watching John's baby.
9:21 AM: IMG_005.jpg (She sends a "selfie" of Rosie on her lap.)
9:21 AM: John's left already He says "Bye, princess." which I'm pretty sure was meant for you. ;) .
9:23 AM: You probably would. He's a harmless old softie, loves musicals and fancies himself a cowboy at times.
9:24 AM: She's not going to be conscious the entire time. And if you need privacy, I do have my own bed there.
9:24 AM: It's dishonest to write "LOL" when you smiled but didn't actually let out a sound, isn't it?
(He's stretched out on the train at the moment, feeling satisfied with his work and energized and... and glad to be returning to London. To dinner plans and ballet tickets. It's about as close to normal as he may ever skate, but the fact that it's with Molly elevates it into the extraordinary.)
9:25 AM: Sherlock Holmes! You're not suggesting I have a wank in your bed while your niece is napping?
She has missed him these days and has, well, relived the events of Saturday a couple times while he's been gone. She admittedly also feels a bit eager to skip through the dinner and ballet part of the evening, knowing what potentially lies on the other side. It would be a bit uncouth of her though to just take him straight away to her bed. Not when he's got such a nice evening planned.
9:26 AM: I think most people understand that LOL doesn't always literally mean LOL.
9:27 AM: I suppose. Only ever had the one dad, so I can't compare.
9:27 AM: I am suggesting exactly that, and if you're feeling guilty there's no need because I did it myself in Saturday night.
And Sunday morning, before he got up. And at the hotel that afternoon, and in the middle of the night. And he's fairly sure once he gets back to London he's going to need a private moment in one of his bolt-holes. His body seems to know it's missed a lot and has a substantial amount of catching up to do in terms of sexual satisfaction and exploration.
9:28 AM: Also, I suppose, LOL. Though not at the previous suggestion, that's legitimate.
Molly blushes at the text even though there's no one around to be embarrassed in front of (who knows what she's even talking to him about). She blushes mostly because she's actually considering it. The idea of getting herself off in his bed where he has also gotten himself off previously, is, well, more enticing than it should be.
"I'm sorry, Rosie," she says to her niece. "Adults are terrible. Don't ever become one. And certainly never meet strange boys and fall in love with them and have sex. Actually, I'm lying, when you're old enough have loads of sex with whomever you want. As long as it's consensual and you're being safe. And don't ever tell daddy I said that."
She kisses Rosie's head and feels like Mary would agree with her though.
To: Sherlock From: Molly
9:32 AM: You're putting pictures into my head. :P
9:33 AM: I should pay attention to Rosie now before I win the worst babysitter of the year award.
Molly looks at her phone for a moment and then to Rosie and then back to her phone before she sighs and types out another message.
(Mary may have left letters and videos for Rosie, and one of them may be about How To Respect Your Own Body And Sexuality. And since Mary herself pretty much fit the definition of "met strange boy, fell in love, had sex", she's definitely not going to knock it from beyond.)
To: Molly From: Sherlock
9:36 AM: No need, I've already won that. John was not happy about the baby-gate maze I proposed putting together at Baker Street.
9:37 AM: So, around noon? Perfect.
Somehow he doesn't even need an emoticon to convey the smug look on his face.
The morning unfolds pleasantly. It's sunny out, Rosie's in a rare angelic mood (even if she does still drool and get snot all over everything)--and, not long after 10 AM, Sherlock texts over several sketches he's done on a cheap notepad he bought at the Waterstones in the train station. Little girls, no more than six, all with different features but all with recognizable aspects of John and Mary's faces.
(He decides he'll make a birthday present of them to John later. That seems like the kind of thing that would have made Mary happy, too.)
By noon he's back in London and has burned through approximately three-quarters of his to-do list--all errands, all away from John's place, because he's been warned in very strong terms what John will do to him if he comes home and finds them on the living room floor or something. And a sudden wicked idea comes to him about which bolt-hole he wants to duck into for their "appointment".
11:56 AM: I'll be settled in approximately seven minutes. Less if you actually left the spare key to your place under the false rock and didn't throw it in your purse again.
Molly and Rosie are out for a walk when she gets Sherlock's texts with the sketches. They are pretty impressive actually. She texts him after they get back and she's got Rosie on the floor of the sitting room for some tummy time.
To: Sherlock From: Molly
11:00 AM: I didn't know you could draw.
He's a continual surprise in all sorts of ways. So far, all good.
At 11:30 Molly changes Rosie's nappy and then makes her a bottle before they settle into the rocking chair in the nursery. By noon, Rosie has finished most of the bottle and her eyes are drooping. Molly puts her down in the crib and rubs her tummy gently as she drifts off the rest of the way. When she appears to be out, she puts the baby monitor on and heads back out into the sitting room.
12:10: Did you find the key?
It's amusing to her that he's at her flat and she's at his. Or, well, sort of his for now. She didn't expect him to go there but she doesn't mind. He's spent plenty of time at her place while she wasn't there. She does sort of wonder why he doesn't just come to John's, although that may be crossing a line in her job as babysitter. Likely if he were there, she wouldn't let things progress very far anyway.
12:11 PM: Picked the lock. I'll teach you sometime.
12:12 PM: Your bed's comfortable. Might consider similar for Baker Street once it's mostly habitable again.
He sprawls out, grinning, cheerfully ignoring Toby's brief protest at being locked out of mummy's bedroom yet again.
12:13 PM: You're welcome to move to my room.
The room he's currently occupying in John's place already looks like typical Sherlock: small piles of papers and magazines and other whatnot grouped by classifications it'd probably take him an hour to explain, a copy of 101 Stories of the Great Ballets on the nightstand along with some terrifically dense text about organic chemistry, post-it notes with his spiky handwriting all over the walls.
Molly is picking up the sitting room and kitchen a bit when he texts back.
To: Sherlock From: Molly
12:15: I'm glad you're enjoying my flat. :P
12:16: Just cleaning out a bottle. About to go there.
She takes the baby monitor with her as she goes into Sherlock's room and closes the door. He has sprawled out surprisingly efficiently in the space considering the short amount of time he's occupied it. More like the Consulting Tornado.
She knows Sherlock is not much of a phone talker, but it seems easier than all this texting. Plus, she'll get to hear his voice. She's missed his voice.
"Hi," she says to him when she answers, her body warmed just by the sound of his voice. She curls her body up onto her side like she's a teenager who's just gotten a call from the cutest boy in school.
Texting her has been--well, it's been fun, but hearing her voice is both a pleasure and a relief, somehow. He likes that she enjoys talking to him. He likes listening to her.
"So how exactly does this kind of conversation start?" His grin turns lopsided.
Even that bloody awful phone call of the previous week couldn't wreck Molly's enjoyment of Sherlock's voice over the phone. It always felt like he was telling you the secrets of the universe somehow. Maybe it was just because he so rarely talked on the phone that it felt special.
She laughs at his questions.
"Usually with 'what are you wearing?' but I'm going to disappoint you with that answers since I'm dressed to spend the day with an infant," she says. "I didn't bring my basque with me."
Although she does have something nice with her to put under her dress for the evening. Something for him to unwrap later.
He laughs, and it's almost a purr. "Considering I haven't got myself costumed or anything either, I hardly have room to be disappointed in what you're wearing."
There's a pause, and then:
"Now, how much you're wearing could be an issue for negotiation."
His heart rate's starting to pick up even though things are still playful--or maybe because they are. The hand not holding the phone slips that first button free and trails down to the next.
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zvi
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Date: 2017-02-15 01:46 am (UTC)He glances at her purse, and his smile goes a bit lopsided. He can put two and two together. Or one and one, really.
"So, Rosie's had her breakfast. No big changes to her schedule, everything's still in the same place, if you order in something get the receipt and I'll cover it later, and if you take her out for a walk just text me when you go out and when you get back." For a second he's quiet, and then he adds, "I don't think he'll mind if you go in his room, but make sure you put up the baby gate if you do while Rosie's awake, yeah?"
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Date: 2017-02-15 02:03 am (UTC)"Sounds good," she says to John's instructions (even though she'll ignore the bit about the take out receipt). "We'll be just fine, won't we Rosie Posie?"
She reaches out and Rosie wraps a strong grip around Molly's finger and squeals in delight.
"Oh..." Molly says to his comment about Sherlock's room, surprised for a moment. She blushes. "Oh, no. I wouldn't. There's really no reason to."
Not one she can think of anyway. It might be different if they'd been together a while and she'd spent time there, but, she doesn't really feel comfortable invading his space like that without him around.
"But...er...thanks. And, um, thanks for the texts the other day. I do appreciate the support."
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Date: 2017-02-15 02:46 am (UTC)Rosie's big eyes swivel to take in Molly, and John takes the opportunity to start handing her off.
"And you know whatever I can do to support you, I absolutely will, except being late for work right now. All right?"
To: Molly
From: Sherlock
9:15 AM: Oh, and send a photo of the baby. I want to track how the structure of her face is developing and see if I can project what she'll look like in a few years.
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Date: 2017-02-15 02:54 am (UTC)"Thank you," she says. "I hope I'm up to the task. So far he's been...well, lovely, actually."
She smiles and blushes again. She knows it's the honeymoon period (so to speak) and things will settle into normalcy (or whatever is closest to that for Sherlock) and that there will be issues to work through. Having John's support means a lot.
Molly takes Rosie from John and kisses her chubby cheek.
"Yes...go, don't be late. We'll send you some pictures through the day. Say bye to daddy."
Molly uses her hand to move Rosie's like she's waving at John. The alert sound on her phone goes off again and Molly bites her lip. Yes, definitely bored on a train Sherlock.
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Date: 2017-02-15 03:05 am (UTC)"Thanks again. Bye, princess! Bye, Auntie Molly!"
And then he's gone, his warm laughter sort of lingering after him.
To: Molly
From: Sherlock
9:17 AM: If John hasn't yet left, tell him he's got a window of eighty-one seconds to get out the door before his chances of being late by at least six minutes increase by two hundred percent.
9:17 AM: It's not true but he doesn't need to know that.
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Date: 2017-02-15 03:23 am (UTC)"Uncle Sherlock is very bored, Rosie," she explains to the baby like she could possibly know what she's saying. "You'll learn that a bored Sherlock is a worrisome Sherlock."
Molly sits down on the couch with Rosie on her lap as she checks her texts.
To: Sherlock
From: Molly
9:20 AM: I think I'd like your father.
9:20 AM: I don't know if sexting is appropriate while I'm watching John's baby.
9:21 AM: IMG_005.jpg (She sends a "selfie" of Rosie on her lap.)
9:21 AM: John's left already He says "Bye, princess." which I'm pretty sure was meant for you. ;) .
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Date: 2017-02-15 03:31 am (UTC)From: Sherlock
9:23 AM: You probably would. He's a harmless old softie, loves musicals and fancies himself a cowboy at times.
9:24 AM: She's not going to be conscious the entire time. And if you need privacy, I do have my own bed there.
9:24 AM: It's dishonest to write "LOL" when you smiled but didn't actually let out a sound, isn't it?
(He's stretched out on the train at the moment, feeling satisfied with his work and energized and... and glad to be returning to London. To dinner plans and ballet tickets. It's about as close to normal as he may ever skate, but the fact that it's with Molly elevates it into the extraordinary.)
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Date: 2017-02-15 03:44 am (UTC)From: Molly
9:25 AM: He sounds lovely.
9:25 AM: Sherlock Holmes! You're not suggesting I have a wank in your bed while your niece is napping?
She has missed him these days and has, well, relived the events of Saturday a couple times while he's been gone. She admittedly also feels a bit eager to skip through the dinner and ballet part of the evening, knowing what potentially lies on the other side. It would be a bit uncouth of her though to just take him straight away to her bed. Not when he's got such a nice evening planned.
9:26 AM: I think most people understand that LOL doesn't always literally mean LOL.
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Date: 2017-02-15 03:56 am (UTC)From: Sherlock
9:27 AM: I suppose. Only ever had the one dad, so I can't compare.
9:27 AM: I am suggesting exactly that, and if you're feeling guilty there's no need because I did it myself in Saturday night.
And Sunday morning, before he got up. And at the hotel that afternoon, and in the middle of the night. And he's fairly sure once he gets back to London he's going to need a private moment in one of his bolt-holes. His body seems to know it's missed a lot and has a substantial amount of catching up to do in terms of sexual satisfaction and exploration.
9:28 AM: Also, I suppose, LOL. Though not at the previous suggestion, that's legitimate.
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Date: 2017-02-15 04:11 am (UTC)"I'm sorry, Rosie," she says to her niece. "Adults are terrible. Don't ever become one. And certainly never meet strange boys and fall in love with them and have sex. Actually, I'm lying, when you're old enough have loads of sex with whomever you want. As long as it's consensual and you're being safe. And don't ever tell daddy I said that."
She kisses Rosie's head and feels like Mary would agree with her though.
To: Sherlock
From: Molly
9:32 AM: You're putting pictures into my head. :P
9:33 AM: I should pay attention to Rosie now before I win the worst babysitter of the year award.
Molly looks at her phone for a moment and then to Rosie and then back to her phone before she sighs and types out another message.
9:35 AM: I'll text you at nap time.
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Date: 2017-02-15 08:14 pm (UTC)To: Molly
From: Sherlock
9:36 AM: No need, I've already won that. John was not happy about the baby-gate maze I proposed putting together at Baker Street.
9:37 AM: So, around noon? Perfect.
Somehow he doesn't even need an emoticon to convey the smug look on his face.
The morning unfolds pleasantly. It's sunny out, Rosie's in a rare angelic mood (even if she does still drool and get snot all over everything)--and, not long after 10 AM, Sherlock texts over several sketches he's done on a cheap notepad he bought at the Waterstones in the train station. Little girls, no more than six, all with different features but all with recognizable aspects of John and Mary's faces.
(He decides he'll make a birthday present of them to John later. That seems like the kind of thing that would have made Mary happy, too.)
By noon he's back in London and has burned through approximately three-quarters of his to-do list--all errands, all away from John's place, because he's been warned in very strong terms what John will do to him if he comes home and finds them on the living room floor or something. And a sudden wicked idea comes to him about which bolt-hole he wants to duck into for their "appointment".
11:56 AM: I'll be settled in approximately seven minutes. Less if you actually left the spare key to your place under the false rock and didn't throw it in your purse again.
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Date: 2017-02-15 09:32 pm (UTC)To: Sherlock
From: Molly
11:00 AM: I didn't know you could draw.
He's a continual surprise in all sorts of ways. So far, all good.
At 11:30 Molly changes Rosie's nappy and then makes her a bottle before they settle into the rocking chair in the nursery. By noon, Rosie has finished most of the bottle and her eyes are drooping. Molly puts her down in the crib and rubs her tummy gently as she drifts off the rest of the way. When she appears to be out, she puts the baby monitor on and heads back out into the sitting room.
12:10: Did you find the key?
It's amusing to her that he's at her flat and she's at his. Or, well, sort of his for now. She didn't expect him to go there but she doesn't mind. He's spent plenty of time at her place while she wasn't there. She does sort of wonder why he doesn't just come to John's, although that may be crossing a line in her job as babysitter. Likely if he were there, she wouldn't let things progress very far anyway.
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Date: 2017-02-15 09:48 pm (UTC)From: Sherlock
12:11 PM: Picked the lock. I'll teach you sometime.
12:12 PM: Your bed's comfortable. Might consider similar for Baker Street once it's mostly habitable again.
He sprawls out, grinning, cheerfully ignoring Toby's brief protest at being locked out of mummy's bedroom yet again.
12:13 PM: You're welcome to move to my room.
The room he's currently occupying in John's place already looks like typical Sherlock: small piles of papers and magazines and other whatnot grouped by classifications it'd probably take him an hour to explain, a copy of 101 Stories of the Great Ballets on the nightstand along with some terrifically dense text about organic chemistry, post-it notes with his spiky handwriting all over the walls.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 10:12 pm (UTC)To: Sherlock
From: Molly
12:15: I'm glad you're enjoying my flat. :P
12:16: Just cleaning out a bottle. About to go there.
She takes the baby monitor with her as she goes into Sherlock's room and closes the door. He has sprawled out surprisingly efficiently in the space considering the short amount of time he's occupied it. More like the Consulting Tornado.
You've certainly made it your own.
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Date: 2017-02-15 10:41 pm (UTC)From: Sherlock
12:17 PM: I like to get comfortable.
Speaking of which.
You normally shower before you go to bed, don't you? The pillows are absolutely full of the smell of your shampoo.
Not his best transition, but it is something he's noticing very strongly right now and sincerely enjoying.
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Date: 2017-02-16 01:21 am (UTC)From: Molly
12:18: Is that a good thing?
She can't tell over text if he's complaining or praising it.
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Date: 2017-02-16 01:31 am (UTC)From: Sherlock
12:18: Yes. Is it too early to admit I'm hard?
He can't help it. Having her scent on him again is bringing back powerful memories of exactly what they've done in this bed together.
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Date: 2017-02-16 01:40 am (UTC)To: Sherlock
From: Molly
12:19: I don't want to put words in your mouth but it sounds like maybe you missed me.
12:19: Or your prick did, at least. ;)
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Date: 2017-02-16 01:49 am (UTC)From: Sherlock
12:20: That pathologist in Cardiff really was ghastly.
12:20: Which is to say, yes, on both counts.
12:20: The bed at my hotel was too big.
Sherlock's not exactly sure how sexting is supposed to work, really, but it seems like an ideal time to start unbuttoning his shirt.
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Date: 2017-02-16 01:52 am (UTC)From: Molly
12:21: I missed you too.
12:22: Call me?
She knows Sherlock is not much of a phone talker, but it seems easier than all this texting. Plus, she'll get to hear his voice. She's missed his voice.
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Date: 2017-02-16 01:57 am (UTC)Less than thirty seconds after that text, Molly's phone rings. There's an audible grin in his voice, one that warms it and pitches it at a low rumble.
"Good afternoon."
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Date: 2017-02-16 02:26 am (UTC)"Hi," she says to him when she answers, her body warmed just by the sound of his voice. She curls her body up onto her side like she's a teenager who's just gotten a call from the cutest boy in school.
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Date: 2017-02-16 02:40 am (UTC)"So how exactly does this kind of conversation start?" His grin turns lopsided.
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Date: 2017-02-16 02:50 am (UTC)She laughs at his questions.
"Usually with 'what are you wearing?' but I'm going to disappoint you with that answers since I'm dressed to spend the day with an infant," she says. "I didn't bring my basque with me."
Although she does have something nice with her to put under her dress for the evening. Something for him to unwrap later.
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Date: 2017-02-16 02:57 am (UTC)There's a pause, and then:
"Now, how much you're wearing could be an issue for negotiation."
His heart rate's starting to pick up even though things are still playful--or maybe because they are. The hand not holding the phone slips that first button free and trails down to the next.
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