The Black Book - AU - Locked to seaweed_writes

[ihadabadday]

He was lucky with his expertise he was able to find a job relatively quickly in a field he was familiar with. John looked down at his mobile as the alert came through. Christ. It was going to take him at least twenty minutes, if he was lucky, to get to the scene. But, he packed his things into the case and headed out.

He had been in Afghanistan for five years. First as a medic, then a doctor, and finally a hunter. He still was a doctor, but he had been assigned to an elite unit in the desert. Part of him felt a bit odd about all of it. But he didn't quite mind.

He made sure he had everything before he left.

He heard the annoyed voices, before he saw anyone as he entered the room.

"Oi. Who're you?" A man with two days of stubble and mussed black hair asked.

John paused and looked him over before his eyes landed on the gentleman in the suit with salt and pepper hair. There he was. "DI Lestrade? I'm Doctor John Watson, the new Occult Specialist, I just started last month." He gave him a smile, wanting to be nice, but not too friendly. People got jumpy around the occult. He saw it all the time in Afghanistan, and even here in London.

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[ihadabadday]

He smiled and stroked Elizabeth's little head. "They really are. Just as William was wonderful at that age."

He loved his children, all three of them. They were perfect.

He watched as Elizabeth pulled off the nipple. "Here. Let me have Thomas." John took the little boy from his mate and brought him to the other nipple.

[seaweed_writes]

Sherlock ever so carefully handed Thomas over to John. While it was wonderful to watch then feed from his mate, it also made him feel a little... unnecessary. They had their Papa, who fed them and held them close.

He knew it was silly and he shouldn't feel like that, but he felt like a third wheel in a way. John had carried the children for almost 8 months, he had given birth to them, and he was taking care of their most basic need now.

"You need to sleep, and so will they, after they feed. And then, we can get you back home, where you can rest and recuperate."

[ihadabadday]

John nodded. "You'll be getting up with them." He teased, a fond smile on his face. Goodness how he loved his mate. And their children.

"I am sure William is eager to meet his siblings." John noted.

[seaweed_writes]

"I'm going to try to take care of them as much as I can the next few days, I assume with the help of your mother, so that you can rest. You've had a hard 8 months. You need to sleep and rest for a while. " Sherlock said.

"When they are done feeding, we can put the min their bassinets and let them, and you sleep a bit. I'll stay here to guard you all." Of course he didn't really think that they needed guarding here, but it he wanted to try to make John laugh. He always loved John's laugh.

[ihadabadday]

John laughed at that. He couldn't help it. Of course Sherlock would. He smiled and let Thomas finish nursing. He pulled him off.

"Alright, Thomas go to your Daddy." He informed the little boy.

John then yawned and settled back. He soon started to drift off.

[seaweed_writes]

Sherlock took Thomas first. He was an expert at burping them by now. He burped Thomas and cleaned him up, then put him in his bassinet. Elizabeth, who while smaller was also much hungrier was second. He also burped her and put her down.

Then he settled next to John, stroking his hair softly. "Sleep, my love. Sleep. Our babies are safe. You did your job, keeping them safe all this time, They are happy and healthy. Sleep for now, until the need to feed again. I love you so very, very much."

[ihadabadday]

Soon enough they were home. William was at school. John held Elizabeth close as Sherlock unlocked the door.

They had asked his mother for privacy when they brought the babies home. They knew they would have plenty of visitors in the coming days.

John stepped inside the house. He was still getting used to it. It wasn't Baker Street. But it would do to raise their family.

He smiled when he saw everything was straightened out and neat.

[seaweed_writes]

Sherlock held Thomas tight with one arm while he unlocked the door with the other. It was strange, coming into a totally quiet house. For the few months that they had been there, it had been a cacophony of them and William and Martha and Mycroft all in and out at different times.

And now it was two men, and two sleeping babies. The cots were already set up in their bedroom, where they agreed that the twins would sleep, at least for the first couple of months, until they got a bit bigger and stronger and they'd feel more safe leaving them in their own room.

Sherlock closed the front door behind him softly, then padded back to their bedroom and laid Thomas down, giving him a soft kiss on the top of his downy soft hair, the same color and straightness as his Papa's, not his own.

He walked back into the living room, where John still had Elizabeth, who was now stirring a bit. The house wasn't even all that lived in yet, they'd only been there a couple of months, and there were still boxes to unpack, mostly William's old toys that he'd outgrown.

He was glad they'd decided to keep them, now.

[ihadabadday]

He looked up and smiled. "The house doesn't feel like home yet." John said after a moment. He knew it would be that eventually.

He leaned in and kissed Elizabeth's head. The little girl squirmed a bit, but settled down.

[seaweed_writes]

"It will be." Sherlock smiled and touched Elizabeth's tiny little curls. Where Elizabeth looked mostly like him, (though both of the twins had oddly gotten John's round nose) Thomas looked a lot more like John, even down to his dark dark azure eyes.

"Soon, there will be packets of nappies and wipes and powder and toys and all sorts of things everywhere. And then it will be a home." Sherlock chuckled.

"If you'd like to put her down, Thomas is already sleeping, you can try to get some rest- at least a few hours before they wake up hungry again." They were almost like clockwork, almost exactly every 3 hours they've been waking up to feed, and then almost immediately going back to sleep again.

[ihadabadday]

John got up carefully and went up to their bedroom to lay Elizabeth down. He tucked her in gently and smiled. What a precious child. Thomas as well.

He made sure he had the baby monitor and made his way back downstairs. The blonde sat next to Sherlock. "Goodness."

[seaweed_writes]

Sherlock laughed and gave John a long kiss. "I doubt William is getting much done at school today. I'm sure he anxious to meet his brother and sister. I talked to your mother. She is going to drop him off but isn't going to stay, so the four of us will have some time to ourselves."

He gently touched John's stomach. It had deflated a lot, but there was still some roundness to it, it would take a bit for it to totally go down to what it used to be, and he would always have a little extra softness to him.

But that suited Sherlock just fine. He loved John with just a little more to love.

"You should rest for a bit, John. Not sure if they will need to be fed or William will get home first, but it will be close, so it maybe be a bit crazy in a few hours." He smiled warmly.

[ihadabadday]

"I am resting." He informed his mate. He cuddled against him and smiled. He was content to let himself snuggle against Sherlock.

John let himself relax, enjoying Sherlock's hand on his belly. He quite enjoyed the touches.

[seaweed_writes]

"Okay." Well, Sherlock certainly wasn't going to complain about that. If John was content where he was, then that was fine with him as well.

Sherlock made tiny little circles around John's belly with one hand, and traced letters of love and adoration on the skin of John's arm through his shirt with the other.

"If you fall asleep, I'll wake you when it's time." He said, his voice a soft whisper. "I love you, John Watson, with my entire being."

[ihadabadday]

John smiled. He felt himself pulled into comfort and sleep.

Sherlock was there. The vampire was protecting him, and two of their three children. He knew nothing would happen to them.

He didn't know how long he slept, but he was aware of Sherlock gently shaking him awake.

[seaweed_writes]

Sherlock was very gently moving his shoulder to wake him.

"John... John. I can hear the babies on the monitor. They are starting to move around. They will start crying to be fed soon." He looked at his watch. "And William should be home about any time as well. It's time to get up." He was keeping his voice low and soft to gentle John into wakefulness.

[ihadabadday]

John stirred and nodded. "I'm awake." He smiled at his mate and then got up.

He instinctively put a hand on his belly, but flushed when he realized that he wasn't as large as he used to be.

The blonde then headed for the stairs to go up to the twins' room.

[seaweed_writes]

Sherlock was about to follow when he heard a car pull up and a door slam. There was what sounded like a stampede to the door (how can one 7 year old be that loud?) And then the door opened and William came running in, his face brightening as soon as he saw his dad.

"Dad! Dad! Where's Papa? I wanna see the babies!"

Sherlock shook his head and smiled. "William, love, you are going to have to learn to be quiet around the house. If they are sleeping-" Well they were crying now, Sherlock heard it on the monitor, and then John's voice a moment later.

"William, we are going to talk about this later. But put your books down and get changed out of your uniform. By then your Papa should be done feeding them and you can see them.

"Okay!" He threw his bookbag down (loud again) and ran off to his room. He was back less than 5 minutes later.

"Now?"

"Alright."

Sherlock led back up the stairs to the master bedroom. He knocked.

"John, are you finished feeding the twins? William wants to meet his brother and sister."

Sherlock waited of course because he'd rather his son not see his Papa breastfeeding. It would just be weird for all involved.

[ihadabadday]

John heard William come in and smiled. How was one seven year old so loud?

He soothed Thomas, whispering to him gently before letting him latch to start nursing once more.

He stroked the little boy's hair, humming softly. Thomas finished nursing and then he went to lay the little boy back down and get his sister.

Elizabeth quite the appetite, for being so small. But that was a good sign. He had just finish nursing Elizabeth when there was Sherlock knocking on the door. He covered himself back up and put Elizabeth over one shoulder.

"I am. Thomas needs to be burped still." He answered as he got up to rub and pat his daughter's back.

[seaweed_writes]

Sherlock kneeled down in front of William, his face stern. "Now William, I am being very serious right now. I know you are excited, but they may be sleeping or about to sleep, do you have to stay quiet. You can talk, just whisper. Okay?"

"Alright, Daddy."

"Good boy." He ruffled William's curly hair, which of course brought a snort of protest, then he opened the door, walked in, kissed John, and carefully picked Thomas up, putting a burp cloth on his shoulder to burp him.

"William, meet your siblings. I'm holding Thomas Scott Holmes, he was born first, and your Papa is holding Elizabeth Irene Holmes. She was born second. They are twins, but one was born right before midnight and one right after so technically they have different birthdays."

"That's weird!" William chuckled, and walked over to where John was holding Elizabeth. "Can I... touch her.. or hold her, Papa?"

[ihadabadday]

John got up and nodded. "You can. Sit in the chair." Once William as sitting, he put the little girl in his arms and made sure her head was supported.

"You don't have to whisper all the time, you can talk normally. But no yelling." He told his eldest, "I want them to be able to sleep through a normal day."

[seaweed_writes]

William climbed up into the chair and put his arms where his Papa told him, while Sherlock cleaned Thomas up and watched, with a warm smile. Their eldest son was just wonderful.

"She's so tiny." He said, in a very soft voice, almost a whisper. He held her tightly protectively against his body, supporting her head like Papa showed him.

Elizabeth yawned and wiggled a little in William's arms, then settled in and closed her eyes.

"Is.. she going to sleep here, with me holding her?" He asked, his eyes wide.

[ihadabadday]

John nodded and knelt down in front of William. "She might. It means she feels safe." He said softly.

He reached out and brushed William's curls out of his eyes. "You are their big brother. It's your job to protect them if Daddy and I can't." He said, "Just like Daddy and I, and Grandma and Grandpere protect you."

[seaweed_writes]

William looked down at the now sleeping newborn. "Does... she know that I'm her big brother, so... that's why she knows she's safe, Papa?"

His eye went wide at the second part. "B-b-but why would and Daddy not be able to take care of them? I dunno how to do anything.. feed or change nappies or anything else.. I can't take of them, Papa!" There was more than a little edge of fear in his voice.

[ihadabadday]

He leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "I meant at school William. And if you want to learn to change a nappie, Daddy and I can teach you."

John looked over to his mate and smiled at him.