Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Baby!”

“Hmm?”

“Baby! Daddy! Baby!”

“What?”

“Mum! Baby! Today!”

 John Watson cracked open one eye, trying not grin. Today was the day that he and Mary were going to watch little four month old Emmeline Holmes while her parents ran errands for the morning and most of the afternoon. And no one was more excited about babysitting than Scarlett Watson, who adored the tiny Holmes.

“Yes. Today we’re watching Emmeline!” Mary said happily, sitting up in bed. John opened his other eye and his smile grew as he saw Scarlett sitting at their feet, the world’s biggest grin on her face. She crawled up the bed slowly until she was settled between John and Mary.

“I am so happy!”

“We can tell, sweetheart,” Mary said, leaning in to give her daughter kisses. She giggled and kissed her mother back before throwing herself at John, and John lovingly pressed a kiss against her temple.

Just then the alarm went off on Mary’s phone, and she laughed. “She only woke us up a few minutes early! I expected her to be here hours ago!”

“No, our little sweetheart wanted her parents to be well rested before babysitting! Isn’t that right, Scarlett!”

“You told me I can’t come in ‘til the dinos were on the telly!”

“That too,” John said, laughing as Mary smacked his arm lightly.

“Alright. I’m going to shower. You make breakfast.” Mary leaned over and kissed John lightly, and Scarlett laughed, clapping her hands. Mary dropped another kiss on her forehead before climbing out of bed.

“What do we want for breakfast this morning?” John asked, sliding out of bed and putting on his robe. He took Scarlett’s hand and lifted her out of bed, laughing as she squealed and kicked her feet.

“We wants porridge!”

“Porridge it is then!”

-----

By the time Sherlock arrived later that morning, Scarlett had run off some of her energy in the garden with Mary. John had sat down with her during breakfast and reminded her that she had to be a bit more calm and gentle than usual, because Emmeline was just a baby and could be hurt easily.

The two year old took the advice to heart.

“Good morning!” Scarlett said brightly, when Sherlock stepped into the living room. She jumped from the sofa and cautiously approached Sherlock.

“Good morning,” Sherlock said, carefully setting Emmeline on the floor in her car seat. Scarlett dropped to her knees and leaned into the seat, observing the smiling baby. After a moment, she pressed a kiss to her forehead and then stood up.

She wrapped her arms around Sherlock’s leg and gave him a tight squeeze. “Molly?” she asked.

“She isn’t feeling well,” Sherlock said, crouching down so he could give Scarlett a hug properly.

“That’s sad,” Scarlett said, pulling away from Sherlock.

“What’s wrong?” John asked, stepping into the living room. Sherlock deftly handed him the changing bag.

“Molly has been nauseous all morning.” John’s eyebrows raised and Sherlock looked a little chagrined. “I don’t think she’s pregnant; we’ve only had s-e-x,” he rolled his eyes at the spelling, but John and Mary were adamant about keeping things clean around Scarlett, “three times since Emmeline was born, and we were very careful. But we’re going to stop by Bart’s and Mike is going to draw some blood. We should have the results before the end of the day.”

“Wow.”

“Wow, what?” Mary asked, finally joining everyone in the living room. She handed Sherlock a baggie full of crackers and a bottle of water.

“Molly might be…p-r-e-g-n-a-n-t,” John said, voice hushed. He glanced down to see Scarlett once again entranced by the smiling and now giggling baby in her seat.

Mary’s eyes widened and she glanced at the crackers she just handed Sherlock. “No wonder she wants those.”

Sherlock pursed his lips and then glanced at Scarlett. “Thank you.” He shook the bagged before sliding it into his pocket. “Emmeline should be ready for a nap by 10:30. She had a bottle right before we left Baker Street. Everything is in the bag. Mary already put the milk in the fridge. Molly and I should be back before four.”

“No rush,” Mary said, smiling brightly. “We really enjoy spending time with Emmeline. Isn’t that right sweetheart?” They all looked down to see Scarlett trying to unfasten the baby from her seat.

“Yeah!”

They all laughed. Then Sherlock moved towards the door, and John followed him out, clapping him on the shoulder. “I hope, for the sake of your sanities, that Molly is just feeling under the weather.”

Sherlock nodded his head and offered a small smile before stepping out of the house. John waved at Molly, who was sitting on the passenger’s side of a car that was probably borrowed from Mycroft. She gave a little wave and rolled down the window. “Sorry I couldn’t come in,” she shouted, her voice sounding a bit tired.

“It’s alright. We’ll send Emmeline your love!”

After the Holmes’ drove off, John returned to his living room to see Emmeline nestled in Scarlett’s arms, with Mary cuddled up beside her. Scarlett was very gently stroking Emmeline’s hair and cooing softly. John just grinned broadly and sat down beside them on the sofa.

“Mummy said we can play after her nap!” Scarlett whispered, when she felt her father’s presence beside her on the sofa. “So we’re napping soon!”

“Right. You’ll nap too?” John asked.

“Yeah!”

“Enthusiastic napping from Scarlett?” John and Mary exchanged glances. “We’ll take it,” Mary said, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

All too soon, Emmeline went from being a wide awake four month old, to a sleeping baby, at 10:30 on the dot, just as Sherlock said. John carefully stood up from the sofa and picked up Emmeline, carefully putting her in the bassinet that they had set up by the armchair. Since she was already swaddled, she didn’t fuss or wake up as he stepped away from her.

“Nap time for me!” Scarlett said, stretching out on the sofa. Mary stood up and retrieved a small throw blanket, tucking her daughter in on the sofa. She pressed a kiss to her forehead and stepped to the side so John could do the same.

When both children were sleeping, Mary and John made their way to the kitchen. “Is it going to be like this all day?” Mary whispered, leaning into John as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Wouldn’t that be a treat?”

They were quiet for a moment, and then John sighed dramatically. “This is boring!”

-----

Lunch was a simple affair, peanut butter and jam sandwiches for Scarlett, John, and Mary, and a mixture of pureed apples and breast milk for Emmeline. They all sat around the table, Scarlett in her high chair and Mary holding baby Emmeline.

Once lunch was finished and everyone (mostly Scarlett) was washed up, they moved to the sitting room, where John and Mary watched over Scarlett as she laid on the floor with Emmeline to play. They only had to remind Scarlett to play gently two times, and for the duration of the afternoon there was much laughter, shrieking, and giggling coming from the two girls on the floor.

Surprisingly, Emmeline fell asleep without being swaddled again on her small play mat, and Scarlett curled up beside her, once again stroking her hair and cooing softly. “I think she learned that from you,” John said, after Mary settled on the sofa beside him, handing him a cup of tea.

“I do coo quite a bit, don’t I?” Mary asked, sipping her tea. “But Sherlock does it too.”

“He does,” John said, chuckling.

Scarlett looked up at that moment, her brows furrowed in annoyance. She held one finger to her lips but didn’t say anything. “Oh, sorry!” Mary whispered, apologizing. John snorted and then at the glower Scarlet sent him, he apologized as well.

As the afternoon continued, Scarlett disentangled herself from the sleeping baby on the floor and nestled herself between John and Mary on the sofa. Eventually sitting in silence was too straining on the two year old, and John went outside to the garden with her to kick around the soccer ball. After playing and running around for nearly an hour, they went back inside and Mary was gathering all of Emmeline’s belongings from her changing bag.

“Sherlock texted. They’ll be here soon.”

“No!” Scarlett complained, pouting and stomping her feet to where Emmeline was still sleeping.

“Don’t wake her up,” John warned, just as Scarlett threw herself on the floor beside Emmeline. “We’ve had a very good day, and I don’t want you to spoil it.”

Scarlett contemplated her father for a moment, and then she looked to her mother, who was also looking at her sternly. Then she sighed and nodded her head once, curling up beside Emmeline and throwing her arm over her.

When Molly arrived soon after to pick up Emmeline, she looked a bit tired, but overall in a good mood. “I hope she wasn’t any trouble today?”

“Not any trouble at all.”

“She was perfect,” John said, looking up from where he was kneeling on the floor, repacking the changing bag. Mary, Scarlett, and Molly were working on getting Emmeline situated in her car seat.

“Oh, that’s so great!” Molly said brightly, picking up the seat and holding it in the crook of her elbow. “Sorry I can’t stay long! I’ve got to get home and nurse her and Sherlock’s in the car.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! We can play catchup during dinner sometime this week!” Mary said, kissing Molly on the cheek and following her to the door.

“Oh yes, that would be great! And I’m not p-r-e-g-n-a-n-t, just to let you know. Blood test came back negative.”

“That’s good news! I couldn’t imagine doing it again so soon.” Molly nodded her head in agreement and stepped out of their home.

“I’ll text you soon. I’m actually off on Wednesday, so Sherlock and I can stay out a bit later than usual on Tuesday, if you want to have dinner.”

“Perfect. I’ll let John know. Angelo’s?”

“Yes. I’ve been dying for pasta!” Molly said with a giggle, taking a few steps backwards. “Bye Mary! Bye Scarlett!” she called, after noticing the two year old with her arms wrapped around her mother’s legs.

“Bye Molly! Bye baby!” She unlatched one arm to wave enthusiastically. Then she added, “Bye-bye Sherlock!”

Mary and Scarlett returned to the living room to see John standing up with the car keys in his hand. “Since you’ve been so good today with Emmeline, how about we go out for dinner?”

“Yes!” Scarlett said, clapping her hands. She ran from the living room, presumably to gather her shoes and coat. Mary leaned in and kissed John on the cheek.

“You just don’t want to make dinner.”

“And you don’t either,” he countered, kissing her softly. Mary leaned against him and when they broke away from the kiss and rested her head in crux of his neck and shoulder. John wrapped his arms around her, running a hand up and down her back soothingly.

“Maybe…we could talk about trying for another one?” John whispered, and he felt Mary giggle and nod her head. Before she could say anything, Scarlett was back and was tugging incessantly at John’s trousers. He easily released Mary, only to gather Scarlett up and include her in their little family hug.

“Babysit all the time!” she exclaimed, nuzzling her head against Mary’s shoulder. “So much fun!”

“Oh, we will!” Mary said, taking Scarlett from John and wrapping her up in her arms. She smothered her forehead and cheeks with kisses. Scarlett giggled and said,

“Mummy! Silly!” Mary glanced at John from over Scarlett’s shoulder, her eyes sparkling.

John just smiled back, running a hand through his short blond hair.

He was definitely glad that they were going to talk later about having another baby.

Fin.

Chapter Text

“We should have started our sex holiday on the plane…” Mary complained as she followed John blearily down the brightly lit hallway and towards their hotel room, “Because now I’m too tired to be sexy.”

 

“You really shouldn’t call it a sex holiday,” John grumbled, glancing over his shoulder at Mary. He paused for a moment, just long enough to reach back and grab Mary’s free hand. Even though he was grumpy and exhausted, he didn’t want to argue with his wife on their honeymoon.

 

Their traveling plans were supposed to be quite simple. But long story short, their 23 hours of travel morphed into something close to 72, due to bad weather, lost luggage, delayed flights, and very rude customer service personnel in the States. Their luggage was due to arrive in the morning at the hotel and they were getting a refund for their flight and an additional four days for their holiday, so that was a plus.

 

“Here’s our room,” John said, reaching the end of the hall. Using the keycard he had been clutching in his fist since they left the front desk, he unlocked the door, and he and Mary stepped foot into the most glorious hotel room either of them had ever stayed in.

 

“Where’s the loo?”

 

Mary went off in search of the bathroom, and John locked the door behind him and went straight to the giant bed, sitting down on it and sighing in relief. A quick shower and bed was screaming his name, and then in the morning, he and Mary could start their honeymoon appropriately…or inappropriately, if John had his way.

 

“You’ve got to see the tub!” Mary called, and rather reluctantly, John stood up from the bed and shuffled his feet in the direction where Mary disappeared.

 

He knocked on the bathroom door once before opening it, pausing in the doorway at the sight of Mary, completely starkers, leaning over the tub and fiddling with the taps. Once the water was at a temperature she liked, she looked over her shoulder at her husband and winked. “Bath?”

 

“Oh God, yes!”

 

He began stripping immediately, smiling brightly at his giggling wife who returned her attention to the tub to pour in soap and oils. Just as John stepped out of his pants, his phone rang.

 

“Who would be texting you now?” Mary said, eyeing his jeans warily.

 

“I’ll give you three guesses,” John said, picking up his jeans and fishing out his phone. He wasn’t surprised to see a text from his best man. “Sherlock is an idiot!”

 

“What did he say?”

 

John rolled his eyes at his phone and said, “You will undoubtedly save a lot of money by not purchasing prophylactics since you already impregnated your wife. Happy Sex Holiday. Cheers!—SH”

 

-----

 

In the morning, or rather, later in the afternoon, John woke to the feeling of Mary snuggling against him, her head tucked beneath his. He smiled and rubbed at his eyes before draping his hand over her waist. Mary lifted her head and whispered, “Sex or breakfast?”

 

John was quiet for a moment, as if he was contemplating his answer. “Either way, I’m going to eat something, aren’t I?” he asked cheekily, enjoying the wicked gleam that took over his wife’s face. Mary laughed wickedly and moved to straddle John’s hips.

 

“Will we ever leave this hotel room?”

 

“Well, we currently don’t have our luggage, so unless you suggest we travel around naked, we’ll have to make due until later this afternoon—err—evening.” John’s eyes traveled over Mary’s naked body appreciatively and then he smiled. “I’m not complaining.”

 

“Me either, now that I think about it.”

 

John pulled Mary down until she was nearly laying on top of him. “Alright?” he murmured, his lips brushing against her cheek.

 

“Perfect.”

 

They shared a few chaste kisses before the familiar sound of John’s phone ringing from the bathroom interrupted them. “Ignore it,” John whispered, and Mary murmured something against his lips before kissing him a little more enthusiastically.

 

They managed to ignore the phone the next two times it rang, but when Mary’s phone burst to life from the nightstand beside the bed, they both jumped in alarm.

 

Mary reached for her phone and read Sherlock’s text message out loud. “Stop having sex and tell John to answer my texts.” Rather aggressively, her fingers tapped against her keyboard. John could just barely make out her grumbled speech. “Leave us alone. WE ARE ON HOLIDAY!!!”

 

Mary tossed her mobile over her shoulder and dropped her head to John’s chest.

 

“Breakfast?” he asked.

 

-----

 

The sun had long since set, but John and Mary were enjoying an evening stroll down the beach. Their luggage finally arrived on the morning of their second day, and the two took full advantage of exploring the island that they were on.

 

“I love you, you know,” John said, pulling Mary into his side. He gave her a squeeze and smiled warmly at her. “I love both of you.”

 

Mary smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. They hadn’t talked much about the pregnancy that had yet to be confirmed with a urine, blood, or regular pregnancy test; that could be dealt with when they returned home. They did agree that Mary should take the proper precautions regardless, avoiding fish and alcohol. “We love you too, so much.”

 

John pressed his forehead against hers and Mary let out a shaky breath.

 

They stood in silence for a few moments, John’s hands moving soothingly up and down Mary’s back, before their peace was interrupted by their phones ringing; first John’s phone, then Mary’s. They chose to ignore it, but not even a minute later, John’s rang again.

 

“That’s it!” he growled out, digging his mobile from his pocket.

 

“Don’t throw it in the ocean; I don’t think we’ll be able to replace it here.”

 

“I’m not throwing it in the ocean…yet.” Without reading the text, he shut down his phone. “You better do the same if you want some peace and quiet.”

 

“Good idea!”

 

With their mobiles tucked safely in their pockets, John stepped away from Mary and picked up her hand, leading her back to the blanket where the remnants of their picnic dinner were. John had every intention of cuddling with Mary and gazing at the stars for the remainder of the evening.

 

-----

 

IGNORED TEXTS FROM SHERLOCK HOLMES:

 

To: John Watson

From: Sherlock Holmes

Stop ignoring me. Lestrade won’t give me a case. I’m bored.

 

To: Mary Watson

From: Sherlock Holmes

Your husband won’t answer my texts. Please inform him that I’m going to hack onto his blog and wreak havoc.

 

To: John Watson

From: Sherlock Holmes

You should change your password. Your great-great-grandmother on your mother’s side’s maiden name and Mary’s birthday was too easy to deduce.

Chapter Text

After a relatively quiet Christmas Eve with Sherlock Holmes and his parents and brother, John and Mary went home with a sleeping Scarlett tucked away in the backseat of their car.

 

When they arrived home, John and Mary exchanged pleased glances and then as quietly as possible, they got out of their car, closing the doors softly. Mary eased Scarlett out of her seat and cradled her sleeping daughter in her arms. John gathered the bags of gifts and Scarlett’s changing bag and followed his wife to the door.

 

Surprisingly, Scarlett didn’t stir as they stepped into the house. Thankfully, Mary had the bright idea of changing Scarlett into her Christmas pajamas just as she was getting fussy towards the end of the evening, so all she had to do was put Scarlett in her cot. She hesitated by her sleeping daughter, smiling down at her.

 

She couldn’t believe that in the morning, Scarlett would be celebrating her first Christmas. It seemed like just yesterday she was brought home from the hospital.

 

“Don’t cry.”

 

Mary turned her head just slightly to look at John. She wasn’t even aware that her eyes were overflowing with tears. “None of that,” he admonished, wiping away the moisture. “You’ll have enough of that tomorrow. Come on, I’ve put the kettle on.”

 

-----

 

Mary woke to the sound of her husband speaking quite loudly, and the sound of her daughter’s high pitched laughter. “We should wake Mummy, shouldn’t we? I’ll tell her you’re hungry and she won’t have any other choice!”

 

Mary burst out laughing at the sight of her husband, still in his pajamas but wearing those ridiculous antlers that Mrs. Hudson had lying around Baker Street, and Scarlett wearing a matching pair of antlers; Mary had no idea where they came from or how John managed to get the antlers to stay on her head.

 

“Good morning, Mummy!” John said, bouncing Scarlett in his arms. Scarlett turned in his arms and waved her hands energetically, reaching for Mary. Mary sat up slowly in bed, allowing the duvet to settle at her waist.

 

“Good morning, baby!” Mary said sweetly, easily taking Scarlett and settling her in her lap. Once Scarlett was settled and nursing, Mary felt the bed dip, and then John was cuddled up beside her. Mary kissed his softly, whispering, “Happy Christmas, John.”

 

“Happy Christmas.” He stroked Scarlett’s blond curls softly and whispered, “I made that egg-cheese-potato-bacon-sausage casserole thing you like. It’s warming in the oven.”

 

Mary lifted a brow in concern. “How long have you been up?”

 

“Hours. I couldn’t sleep.”

 

Mary giggled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re just as bad as a child.”

 

Once Scarlett was done nursing, Mary’s stomach was growling and John picked Scarlett up. He offered his hand to Mary and tugged her out of the bedroom and to the kitchen, where the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the breakfast casserole was in the air.

 

-----

 

“The camera is on!” John said triumphantly, dashing around the tripod set up in the sitting room and going to Mary and Scarlett’s side. He dropped to the floor and tried to contain his laughter as Scarlett struggled to remove the wrapping paper on a small gift that was meant for John.

 

“That one’s not yours, sweetheart,” Mary said, taking the small gift and pushing it towards John. The couple had agreed to get only one or two gifts for each other for the holiday, and focus most of their attention on their friends, family, and most importantly, Scarlett.

 

“Why don’t we open this gift from Sherlock?” John said, careful not to rattle the gift; he already knew it was a toy piano, but he didn’t want to ruin the surprise for Scarlett…even if she didn’t understand all the fuss.

 

Mary ripped off a piece of the wrapping paper, and instead of continuing the removal of paper like the tried to get her to do the night before, Scarlett picked up the paper and stuffed it in her mouth, turning to look at her mother with a grin on her face. “Just like last night!” Mary said.

 

“Paper is not food,” John said, laughing softly and taking the paper out of her mouth and tossing it over his shoulder; out of sight, out of mind was the best method for Scarlett. “Mummy and Daddy will unwrap this for you.”

 

And the morning continued that way, Scarlett more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than her actual gifts. Their home was filled with laughter, squeals, and the smell of breakfast still lingering in the air. After John turned off the camera and Mary gathered up all the trash and put it in the bin, they crawled around on the floor either playing with Scarlett or watching her play with her new teething toys.

 

Eventually, Scarlett gave up on her new toys and crawled into Mary’s lap, all but collapsing from the excitement of the day. It didn’t take long for the little girl to fall asleep, just in time for her first nap of the day. Instead of getting up and moving Scarlett to her cot, Mary stretched out on the floor near the Christmas tree with Scarlett snuggled up in her arms. John soon joined them, and after snapping a quick photo of the three of them, he joined Mary and Scarlett for an early afternoon Christmas nap.

 

Before falling asleep, John nuzzled the back of Mary’s neck. “Best Christmas ever,” he murmured, and Mary giggled. “I love you.”

 

“Love you too.”