Sophia Holmes and His Last Vow (Sherlock's Daughter Fanfic)

Chapter Three - His Last Vow Part IV

I try to block our the sounds of splashing water and laughs from inside the bathroom, and soon enough dad emerges from his bedroom, dressed in a white shirt and suit and looking a lot better than he did earlier. 

"So – it's just a guess but you've probably got some questions," he says, crossing into the living room and sitting down in his seat. 

"Yyyyeah," John says slowly. "One or two, pretty much."

"Naturally." He looks distractedly away towards the kitchen as Janine walks, fully dressed, into the kitchen for her coffee, then walks back into the bedroom. Dad smiles after her. 

"You have a girlfriend?" John asks, and I roll my eyes. That much was obvious.

"Yes, I have." 

"Why Janine?" I ask. 

Dad frowns. "She's beautiful, intelligent..." he trails off. I raise an eyebrow as he struggles to find another reason. "She has good legs?"

John snorts, but I look back at him, unconvinced. While she is completely his type - dangerous, confident ... brunette -  if I didn't know better, I'd almost say this is all a ruse. I don't know why he'd do it - maybe to try and get some reaction from me or John that we've been replaced so quickly. It certainly doesn't look like he's madly in love, despite all appearances. And dad has never formed a close - leave alone intimate relationship - in under a month. Not even with John. Perhaps it's a ploy to make Magnussen think she's his pressure point. 

He looks towards the bedroom again before turning back to us, suddenly serious. "Now, Magnussen. Magnussen is like a shark – it's the only way I can describe him. Have you ever been to the shark tank at the London Aquarium – stood up close to the glass? Those floating flat faces, those dead eyes ... That's what he is. I've dealt with murderers, psychopaths, terrorists, serial killers. None of them can turn my stomach like Charles Augustus Magnussen."

"Yes, you have," John asks, and dad and I both frown.

"Sorry, what?"

"You have a girlfriend," he says, just catching up.

"What? Yes! Yes, I'm going out with Janine. I thought that was fairly obvious."

"Yes. Well ... yes." John clears his throat loudly, and looks sideways at me. "But I mean you, you, you ... are in a relationship?"

Dad blinks back at him, clearly catching his drift. "Yes, I am." I grimace. That's too much information. 

"You and Janine?"

"Mmm, yes. Me and Janine."

"Care to elaborate?"

Dad draws in a long breath and looks up thoughtfully. There is is again - the look that he's making everything up as he goes along. He breathes out. "Well, we're in a good place. It's, um ... very affirming."

John points back at him. "You got that from a book."

"Everyone got that from a book."

The bedroom door opens, and Janine walks towards us, smiling. 

"Okay, you two bad boys, behave yourselves." Dad smiles happily at her as she sits down on his lap, and he puts an arm around her as she leans close to his face. "And you, Sherl, you're gonna have to tell me where you were last night."

"Working."

I stare over at them in disbelief. Well he certainly puts on a convincing performance. 

"'Working'," Janine repeats. "Of course. I'm the only one who really knows what you're like, remember?"

"Don't you go letting on," dad says softly, gently running his finger down the tip of her nose, then lays his hand on her arm as they gaze at each other for a moment.