A Genius, a Doctor and a Little Girl: S2 Pt.7

“You wanted to see me?”

Viola perked at the sound of her Aunt Molly, who walked in bundled up against the cold in a large coat, a long pink and magenta stripped scarf and a rather colorful sweater, her long brown hair swept back into a ponytail.

“Yes.” Sherlock turned from the window from where he gazed out and thought to face the coroner. “Molly?”

“Yes?”

“Would you…like to-”

“-have dinner?”

“-solve crimes?”

Viola barley manages to keep herself from giggling at the incredibly awkwardness that hung in the air.

“Umm…”

“I need someone to act as my assistant.”

“Oh…then it was a no go from John?”

“…To put it lightly.”

Sherlock clears his throat after a long stretch of silence.

“…I’m going to get dressed, as I have several cases today to attend. I shall return in a moment.”

“O-Oh, okay.” Molly nods, and Sherlock walks by her, going to his room.

The brunette watches the detective walk away, her deep chocolate eyes a little- okay, really confused. Seeming not the notice that Viola was there, she sheds her scarf and jacket, folding them together and putting it on the table.

“Hi Auntie Molly.” She jumped, whipping around and looking at Viola, the young girl lounged in what was once her mother’s chair.

“O-Oh, my God, Vi, you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Sorry.” The young Holmes giggled. “I was watching the rather awkward moment between you and Daddy, is all.”

“It was rather uncomfortable, wasn’t it?” Molly manages a smile. “But on another note…” She holds her arms out. “Don’t I get a hug at least? I haven’t seen you since your last birthday!”

The curly haired kid jumped up and ran over, hugging Molly and smiling.

“It’s good to see you, Auntie Molly. You changed your hair, you’ve been exercising and…” The little girl’s mouth fell open as she stared up at her aunt. “You got engaged!?”

“My my, you do your daddy proud.” She beamed, petting the little girl’s hair back from her face

“I just saw the ring, plus you kinda have that glow. Like ladies on the telly.”

Molly laughs, sitting down at the table.

“I wonder how long it’ll be before your papa says something.”

“He’ll be nice and wait a little while. Probably at the end of the day.”

“I guess we’ll see then, won’t we?”

“Uh-huh.”

The two girls sit across from each other, and it’s a few minutes later that Sherlock comes from his room, dressed in a clean pressed white shirt and black suit, finding his daughter and friend giggling and laughing, papers on the table and pen in eithers hand.

“Okay, okay!” Molly giggled. “Then what happened?”

“Well-”

“Viola?” The three all looked toward the door at Mrs. Hudson. “Dear, your mother’s on the phone. He wishes to speak with you.”

The laughter and glow disappears from the little girl’s face, and she looks to Sherlock.

“…Daddy, do I have too?”

“Yes, love. I know you’re upset with him, but hurting him won’t make things different.”

Molly looks between them, and Viola, after a long moment, she sighed and nodded.

“I know. Come with me, though?”

“…Of course.” Sherlock took his daughter’s hand as she walked over to him. “Molly, we’ll be back in a moment. Make yourself at home. We have a full day ahead.”

“O-Oh, alright.” The young woman watched the girl and her father walk downstairs, hand in hand, and felt something was off with Sherlock Holmes and his world.

And it upset her.

********************~~~~G.D.LG~~~~ ********************

“Daddy, I don’t wanna talk to Mommy!”

“Viola, I know you don’t, but he is your mother, you need to talk to him.”

The little girl glared up at him and Sherlock wants to smile at the similarity between those large pale doe eyes and another equally lovely dark blue pair, but he doesn’t, knowing it would only upset her more.

“But Daddy…” She pouts. “He’s being a meanie!”

“No buts and that fact is currently irrelevant. Now talk to your mother.”

“Ugh!” She threw her hands up in the air and headed into Mrs. Hudson’s kitchen, her scarf flying out behind her. “Fine!”

“I’ll be waiting upstairs.” He called after her, but she didn’t reply, probably ignoring him.

Sherlock sighed, shaking his head but unable to help smiling the tiniest bit.

“I am not looking forward to her adolescent years…” He heads for the stairs. “Not at all…”

********************~~~~G.D.LG~~~~ ********************

Viola took the phone from Mrs. Hudson, sitting at the table and resting the phone against her ear.

“Hello?”

“Viola?” Her Mommy seemed relieved. “Hey sweetheart, how’re you doing?”

“I’m fine. Just hanging out with Daddy and Grandma.”

“Oh…I see.” He cleared his throat, and Viola could hear the uneasiness in his voice. “How…How is he?”

This takes the little girl aback, clearly surprised, before she slowly smiled.

“He’s okay. He’s crazy, handsome, and really cool. Just like you always told me he was.” She reaches up to fiddle with her necklace. “We had breakfast and we played and he’s even letting me help with the case Uncle Mycroft gave him. It’s been a lot of fun.”

“He’s doing what!? Are you talking about the possible attack he told me about last night?! Did that smack to the head I gave him knock something loose!?”

The slight peace evaporated as she realized what he’d said.

“You did what?”

“Oh-um…” John hesitated, hearing the unsettling calm in her voice. “Well…last night, he showed up in disguise as a waiter and…I told him I wouldn’t help him. I was extremely upset and I did attempt to strangle him twice and I head butted him, but I hope you can understand why I did.”

He listened for a minute, but didn’t hear anything.

“Vi? Viola, honey…are you still there-?”

“YOU’RE A HORRIBLE MUMMY AND A WORSE FRIEND!” She screeched, causing the doctor and the landlady in the other room to jump. “DID YOU EVEN TRY TO TALK TO HIM?! DID YOU?!”

“W-Well…” He felt his face flush in embarrassment.

“Exactly!” She shouted, earning a surprised look from Mrs. Hudson. “You didn’t give him a chance! Did you give him five minutes, just you and him, without Mary around?!”

She’s quiet for a long moment.

“He still has the locket…”

John froze, knowing exactly what she was talking about. The matching silver locket that he’d had buried with his lover almost three years before. The twin locket to the one he’d given her just the day before.

“I know how upset you must be!” Her voice was angry still but softer. “But did you ever think about how he felt? He had to fake his death, leave me and you and Uncle Lesty and Auntie Molly, everything he knew, just to protect us… Mommy, you’re not a bad person, no one can say you are, but…you’re not exactly the brightest either.”

John was in a slight state of shock with the fact that his daughter had just called him an idiot.

“But I’ll see you, later, Mommy.” She cleared her throat. “I wanna go help daddy.”

“W-Wait. Viola, sweetie-”

“Good-bye.”

She hung up on him, setting to phone down and sighing sadly.

Mrs. Hudson kneeled as much as her hip would allow her beside the little girl who was as much her granddaughter as Sherlock and John were her family.

“Oh, Viola…” She brushes a downy curl behind her ear, and caressed her pale cheek soothingly. “Are you okay, dear?”

The little girl looks at her grandma with teary eyes, seeming more like a little girl than ever.

“Grandma…I don’t ever wanna be a grown-up…It’s complicated and stupid and people just end up hurt…” She sniffled, wiping at her eyes. “Mommy is mad at Daddy, and I’m scared they’ll never make up and Mommy will marry that lady, and I don’t want him too… I want us to be a family again…”

“Oh, there, there, dear…” She hugged the little girl tightly. “I know things are bad right now…But they’ll get better. It’s going to take your Mommy a little while to be able to forgive your Dad. He was in such a bad place after Sherlock died.”

Viola nods, sniffling again.

“I member…”

And she did.

During the bad times, besides work, shopping, and taking care of her, Mommy didn’t do much else. There were times when he’d just sit around, staring off into nothing but pretending he was watching her play or draw. She could only remember it faintly, but she had asked him once, if he could, if it was possible, have Daddy come back from the dead. She didn’t get answer and Mommy didn’t talk for three days afterwards. For the next nine months, as she grew, she learned better than to bring up anything that was anyway related to her Dad.

She pulled away from Mrs. Hudson.

“I’m…gonna go upstairs with Daddy, okay?”

“Go ahead, sweetie.” She smiled, kissing her granddaughter’s head. “Put that brilliance of yours to good use.”

Viola giggled.

“Okay. I will.”

With that, she hopped off and raced upstairs, the look in her crystal eyes that Mrs. Hudson had seen many times before ....in that of Sherlock Holmes.