Mrs. Holmes [Book III]

A New Quest

March: A Few Days Later

Susanna got off her bike and breathed, "I'm not putting it off any longer. I'm going to sit him down and we're going to talk about this." She inhaled again and entered the building, bidding Missus Hudson a quick greeting before heading upstairs to the flat.

As she expected, Sherlock was perched in his chair with his hands under his chin. Susanna took a moment to admire his serene appearance, as well as the shine of his wedding band. Then she put away her helmet and purse, removed her shoes, and cleared her throat, "Darling."

"Welcome home, Love. Good day at work? Although there is something weighing on your mind." Sherlock greeted, flashing his eyes open as he finished the statement. Susanna smiled and walked over. They shared a kiss and then she straightened, gesturing to the bedroom.

"We need to talk, Sherlock."

His gray-blue eyes sombered, "Very well," He knew what they needed to talk about. The brunette nodded and followed her to their bedroom. She perched on the bed while he sat on the lounge. After a minute of gathering their thoughts he spoke up, "Go on, Susanna."

Susanna nodded, "Sherlock, after I had that dream I knew that it was time to seriously discuss having a family. Raising a family has always been one of my life long goals. The thing is, it could be sooner rather than later that I won't be able to conceive naturally, or the risks become so high that it would be unsafe to even try. I don't want to wait until I'm in my forties to have children. That's five years away and time goes by in a flash," She sighed, "I feel that I have reached the point where I am ready to take on the responsibility of raising a child. I am ready to love them, care for them and protect them. I need and want to have you by my side. I would not have my family with anyone else, Sherlock,.. No one else."

He knew she had more to say, so he remained silent. Finally she took a deep breath, "You're my husband, best friend and lover. I Love You more than anyone else. So I will respect your wishes if you do not share my goals to start a family. I won't burden you with a child you don't want. It wouldn't be healthy for any of us in the long run to bring a child into the world without both of us truly wanting and loving them. But know that when I saw our child in the dream, I loved them immediately." She had made her case. Her lips pressed closed and Sherlock considered her remarks for a minute before clearing his throat.

"In your absence, Susanna, I dedicated those seven days to determining how I truly felt about children and family. I know very well that your wish is to raise children and I am certain that you are the makings of a wonderful mother. I am also keenly aware of the time constraints regarding the ability to have a child naturally. But, as you know, until a few years ago I would never have settled down with any other human being, let alone have a family. I grew up in an environment from which grew my intolerance for sentiment. Then John and you came along and completely turned my life around."

Sherlock inhaled sharply and his eyes,  matching Susanna's, tinged red. He stood up and bounced on his heels for a second or two before taking a couple short steps closer to her, "I Love You. As my Lover, Wife, and Best Friend. As I've said many times before, You are the only person I will settle down with and love as my equal companion. John complements me, but you complete me. Both of you hold me up and support me. And because of your efforts which have transformed me from a machine into a man, I have come to embrace sentiment," Sherlock breathed and lowered his gaze to the floor, "Susanna?"

"Yes, Darling?"

"I have come to a conclusion after my many days of research and deep introspection."

"... And?"

He lifted his eyes and met her gaze, "I want to have a child with you. I may not be completely prepared but I am ready to take on this new quest with you at my side. I will not desert you or our family. I will be actively involved. All I ask is that we first get thorough examinations done."

Susanna burst into tears, sobbing from relief, ecstasy and a brew of other emotions, "Really, Sherlock? Really?"

Sherlock got onto the bed and embraced her warmly, "I mean it with all solemnity. I sincerely, truly want a child. Our child. I Love You and I will love them too. I swear it."

She nodded, head tucked against his chest, "Thank you, Sherlock."

"No need to thank me, Love." They didn't register that they'd fallen back against the pillows, tangled up in the blanket and each other.

Once Susanna had calmed down she adjusted so that she could see him clearly, "I agree to the tests on one condition."

"Name it."

"You won't deduce or guess that I am pregnant. It's something that I want us to discover together, or that I figure out and then tell you."

"So you don't want me to tell you when you might actually be expecting?"

"You're my husband, not a pregnancy test."

He thought it over, "Very well. Condition accepted. I will do my level best to not be the one who tells you. When I told Mary she should get a test when she got pregnant with Rosie, I remember that John was both shocked and at least a little annoyed."

"I bet. He lives with deductions twenty four seven. I'm sure he didn't think you'd be the one telling them that Mary was expecting, when they hadn't even guessed."

He chuckled, "I'll arrange for the examinations tomorrow. The sooner, the better."

"Mmm.." Susanna snuggled back into him, but didn't feel sleepy. Excitement coursed hotly through her and she couldn't relax enough to feel drowsy after Sherlock's revelation.

Thank you for reading!!