The Holmes Called A [Sherlaide III]

A Holmesian Reveal

"Congratulations, you're both wrong!"

One Week Later (March)

"We've probably all said it too many times, but still, I never thought we'd ever see Sherlock come this far." John mused as he walked with Mary and Rosie through the warm, sunny Park. The little blonde haired girl skipped along in front of them, following a pair of butterflies. Mary chuckled and squeezed his hand, keeping a close eye on their daughter as she turned to respond.

"That's true. But all he needed was to find the right person and once he found Adelaide, the rest seemed to fall into place. I'm more intrigued that they wanted to do an actual gender reveal. I never thought Sherlock would be interested in such things. Makes me wonder if we should have done one for ours." Her free hand absently rose to her own protruding tum. She was now only a week from the due date with their baby boy, whom they had chosen to name Alexander Sherlock Watson. The blogger had absolutely refused to pass down either of his names, and the detective himself had requested the styling so that there wouldn't be so much confusion later on.

For the past few days they had been busy putting final touches on Alexander's nursery and doing a few final classes, so they were glad to get out into the spring weather and participate in the gender reveal picnic that the Holmeses had planned. The inner circle had been abuzz with bets and guesses all week as to what Adelaide and Sherlock would be having. There had not been a single hint from them either, so everyone who had been invited was anxious to find out.

The Watsons finally arrived at the small, tucked away pavilion where the picnic had been set up. It wasn't done up, likely so that passersby wouldn't get too curious and wander near, although there was plenty of food and sweets. Mary chuckled as she looked over the spread, spying a suspicious cake in the midst of the goodies, "Maybe they decided to do a cake reveal?"

"As a matter of fact, we didn't. Those are quite generic," Sherlock remarked from behind the Watsons. They turned around to find him and Teddy standing there, the red Doberman wiggling with excitement. Sherlock smiled and greeted them, "It is good to have you both here."

"We're even more glad to be here, mate." John replied as the two best friends shared a casual side hug. Mary brushed a light kiss on the detective's cheek, not in any condition to try and greet him with her usual hug.

"We've been excited for this all week, Sherlock!" She added onto her husband's response, bending a little to scratch behind Teddy's floppy chocolate ears, "I don't suppose you could tell us now, could you?"

The brunette shook his head and chuckled as he ruffled Rosie's unruly blonde curls. The girl was more interested in her canine friend, giggling as Teddy obliged with several doggie kisses, "No. You shall all find out at once, after everyone has gotten through the main part of the picnic."

Adelaide walked up then, grinning brightly. After another round of greetings and basic catching up, she and Mary split off to chat with Iona, Missus Hudson, and Tara, who had been setting up the last of the picnic selection. Teddy, who had been harnessed and placed on a longer leash, trotted off after them, sticking close to the zoologist, "Has he..?"

"Teddy? Yes, he's seems to comprehend what's going on. He's grown more protective, so we are watching his behaviors closely. Do not worry," Sherlock assured, "Ah. Here come Gayle and Molly."

John found it strangely easy to trust the statement, knowing well that Adelaide, let alone Sherlock, would never permit Teddy to regress. He brushed aside his concern and refocused on the intimate celebration at hand, as well as keeping an eye on Mary. Just in case.

Finley and remaining Holmeses were the last to arrive and then the picnic began. A lot of their energy was spent keeping Rosie and Teddy away from the food tables and voting on whether the baby was a girl or a boy by choosing pink or blue clothespins and clipping them onto their shirts. Of course, there was plenty of discussion about Sherlock as well- everyone was proud and exceptionally happy for him and where he'd gotten to with Adelaide.

Sherlock didn't show it, nor would ever admit it, but the words of his closest friends did a great deal to further sooth his still present self-criticism and fear. Adelaide gave him smiles and loving kisses to reinforce the positive environment, squeezing his hand supportively throughout the picnic.

Finally it came time for the reveal. While everyone else was distracted, Adelaide rifled through her bag and extracted two homemade confetti pipe-wands, both filled with the telltale color.

She called everyone's attention, "Alright. I think we've made everyone wait long enough for this. But first, let's see the vote tally. Who thinks it's a boy?" The Holmeses, Greg, Missus Hudson, Finley and elder Watsons gave their votes, "A girl, then?" Rosie shot up her hand with the pink clothespin as the remaining lifted theirs as well. Adelaide and Sherlock shared a chuckle, "So the majority votes a boy. Darling?" He wrapped his arm around her waist, and then they whipped the confetti wands in arcs, releasing the contents.

Pink and white confetti burst out and the group reaction was slightly delayed, but it was worth it. Rosie squealed with glee, dancing up and down, half because of the confetti rain and half because she had been right. Mark and Violet broke down into a puddle of joyous tears, joined by Iona, Finley and Charles. Tara, Molly and Mary were in between- so excited and emotional for their friends that they couldn't stifle their own tears or stop congratulating the expectant parents. Mycroft didn't even seem remotely upset he had been wrong, his eyes shining with pride as he clasped Sherlock's shoulder once, his message clear. John and Greg playfully teased the detective, laughing and grinning with him.

There was no doubt that day to Adelaide or Sherlock that their unborn daughter had already won everyone's hearts.

Sorry for the long wait!! I have been super busy and stressed but I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!! Love y'all!! 😘

Big shout out to mmkn2005 for all her support and inspiration!! 💕❤