John didn't notice the black car till it slid up right next to him on the kerb.

"Hello John", said a well-modulated voice. John sighed. "Hello Mycroft," he said before he turned round and got into the car.

He resignedly settled into the plush seats and waited patiently but Mycroft just fixed him with a piercing stare strangely reminiscent of his brother.

"Well? Do you have anything you want to say to me? Or did you require the pleasure of my company merely for glaring practice?" John asked.

"Actually, John I rather thought you had something you wished to say to me", Mycroft leaned forward slightly with a meaningful look.

"Look I really don't know why you indulge in this cloak and dagger stuff every time… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well then, I see I'll have to be more explicit", Mycroft leaned back with a put upon sigh.

"That would be helpful, yeah."

"What are your intentions regarding my brother, John?"

John huffed a laugh. "What? My intentions? I have no intentions towards him at all, Mycroft. Apart from trying not to kill him the next time he puts body parts in the fridge!"

Mycroft did not look amused. He said in a soft voice filled with pure menace, "I'd strongly advise you to reconsider, John. If I find that he has been hurt in even the slightest way, I will hold you responsible. And you will not enjoy the consequences."

"What the hell has got into you, Mycroft? I would never hurt Sherlock – you know that." John said bewildered. Conversations with Mycroft were always murky, with more implied than uttered, but even so this was beyond the pale.

"Then when do you intend to bond with him? Let me know a suitable date and time and I will make all the arrangements," Mycroft said coolly.

"What?!" John spluttered. "I don't plan to bond with him – whatever gave you that idea?!"

"Well the fact that he is currently pregnant with your child had something to do with it. Did you think I would let a Holmes child be born without bonded parents?" Mycroft retorted, the menace back in his voice.

John stared at him mutely, too shell shocked to say anything.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out? I visited him this morning on a business matter and your flat was saturated with his hormones. When I questioned him, he refused to discuss it with me, of course…so childish still…" Mycroft shook his head regretfully. "And so, that brings me to you Doctor Watson. I do hope you are joking when you say you don't want to bond with him."

"Sherlock's pregnant? I…I didn't know", John rubbed his forehead.

"Ah! That explains it. I'm surprised you didn't smell it on him though, even if it is early days. But then, I do have a very sensitive nose…"

"Shut up Mycroft! How can Sherlock be pregnant? He's never… I mean…" John didn't know where to begin expressing his tumultuous feelings. He looked around his leather padded cage, trying to make sense of what he was being told.

Mycroft's tone softened. "No need to get worked up, John. As a doctor you should know that… ahem… protection doesn't always work. Now it's more important that you two bond as soon as possible…"

"I'm not going to bloody bond with him! It's not my baby! We've never…"

"John!" Mycroft's sharp voice cut through is objections. "Stop this nonsense immediately! Are you trying to say my brother sleeps around with different Alphas?! That he is not loyal to you?"

"I don't mean that Mycroft… no. But…"

"Then do the right thing John. I know you both have tried to be very discreet about your relationship and that may be wise given the dangerous lives you lead. But still, everyone knows there is only one Alpha in Sherlock Holmes' life and that is you. And as for you, well your blog says it all, 'Sherlock lives means John Watson lives'!" Mycroft said with a smug smile. "Now I leave you two to sort it out. Tell Sherlock I'm sorry for having spoilt the surprise."

ooooo

And that's how John Watson found himself in the living room at 221B, glaring at the consulting detective who lay on the sofa with his eyes closed.

"Well?" he asked, his hands clenching and unclenching, his breath coming in short, angry pants. John Watson was not pleased.

"Boring."

"Nope..no you don't get to say that and get away this time Sherlock. Is it true? Are you pregnant? Sure smells like it now, though I didn't catch a whiff when I left this morning…"

"Whatever…"

John closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and took in the sculpted face that haunted his dreams, the fringe of curls that added a touch of vulnerability to the sharpness of his cheekbones, those beautiful lips that could rapidly spout brilliance or invective with equal ease, that long, pale throat made to be kissed, that shirt stretched so tightly over his lithe body… John's mind suddenly returned to the matter at hand. No signs of a baby bump. That meant early days, as Mycroft had said.

"Sherlock, you have to tell me! Your bloody brother just gave me an earful… he… he wants us to bond!"

Sherlock sat up at that and looked speculatively at John. "What did you tell him?"

"What do you mean what did I tell him! I said no, of course… not sure he listened to me", John said pacing about the room. He turned to Sherlock. "Look… it's okay. So you are pregnant. It's fine, it's all fine."

"I know it's fine. I'm not the one who needs reassurance, John." Sherlock turned his head with a little pout. His little Omega mannerisms never failed to amuse John but today it just made him more upset.

"Who is the father? I didn't even know you were in a relationship… Are you planning to bond with them?" A part of John's mind tried to whisper that he had really no business getting this nosy or this agitated. A much larger part waited with bated breath to hear if he was going to lose Sherlock irrevocably…

"No John…I'm not going to bond with anyone. Don't be tedious. Now if are done trying to sort out my affairs, I have an experiment to complete," Sherlock said and leapt up from the sofa. He went into his bedroom and slammed the door leaving John still standing in the room with his mouth hanging open.

ooooo

John spent a restless night trying to make some sense of his feelings. He had realized some time ago that he was attracted to Sherlock. He just didn't know if it was right for him to feel this way about his closest friend even if he was an unbonded Omega and a gorgeous, brilliant one at that. In any case, Sherlock never seemed to have any interest in him or any other Alpha else for that matter. And for a while that was enough. While he thought…and thought some more… about how to get a sense of what Sherlock might feel about him.

Now he was not just hopelessly in love with his flatmate but also having to go through the pain of knowing that Sherlock had been claimed by someone else. He had spent his Heat with someone else, been bred by someone else. The very idea was like a physical ache that tore him apart. John's belief that despite Sherlock's intensely private nature, he was the one privileged enough to share the most intimacy with the man, was shattered. He wondered if things would have been different if he had accepted his feelings and approached Sherlock sooner.

The next morning depressed and grumpy, he went down to breakfast. He found Sherlock already smartly dressed and perusing the newspapers calmly. As if he hadn't just delivered a crushing blow to John.

"Good morning, John", he said almost cheerily. "Looks like you didn't have a good night's sleep. Nightmares?"

"Uh…yeah."

"Lestrade just called up. He has a case for us. We need to be at Scotland Yard in twenty minutes."

"Oh. So you're planning to…you intend to carry on with the cases then?"

"Of course! Why not?" Sherlock asked looking irritated.

"Right! Right. Just thought that in your condition…" John said feebly, feeling more stupid with every passing second. Of course Sherlock Holmes would continue tracking down dangerous criminals even if he was pregnant.

"I am pregnant John. I'm not dead."

"Just…be careful okay? You might want to think about the kind of cases you're taking up. Nothing too dangerous might be a good idea over the next nine months…"

Sherlock was looking at him as if he had landed from another planet. "Nothing dangerous?! John do you even know me?"

"Oh God. Just forget it okay, forget it!" John said shuffling over to sit at the table with his plate of toast. It was clear to him that now he would just have to take extra care of Sherlock because the maniac was clearly incapable of doing it himself. Even when expecting a child.

He realized Sherlock was not eating anything. "You have to eat when you're pregnant you know, genius or not", he said as Sherlock sighed exasperatedly and flipped a page. "Not hungry!"

"Well, that's not good enough. I'm going to make you some toast and you're going to eat it whether you like it or not", John said getting up and moving towards the kitchen.

"What…?" Sherlock said a bit bewildered. "I said I'm not hungry."

"It's not for you. It's for the baby!" John yelled from the kitchen. Then he turned around with a grin, "And I'll put some strawberry jam on it shall I? You know you like it and I just bought a jar yesterday."

"Whatever", Sherlock shrugged with a roll of his eyes which John correctly interpreted as 'yes please'.

John watched as Sherlock ate his toast and then forced him to have a cup of tea, his Alpha side feeling strangely satisfied. Sherlock merely glared at him as if to indicate what a great sacrifice he was making for John.

ooooo

Sherlock's scent had changed but it still wasn't strong enough. Which was why the Yarders did not pick up on it immediately. It was only when Sherlock and Lestrade were crouched over a computer looking at pictures from a crime scene that the inspector suddenly reacted. He jumped back and said in astonishment, "Sherlock you smell…pregnant!"

"Excellent deduction, Graham! Now if we look at this photogr…" Sherlock said distractedly.

"Wait a minute! You're pregnant? Really?" Sally Donovan broke in looking shocked.

Sherlock looked up and smiled tightly. "Yes, it would appear so. If you are all done exclaiming about the obvious, maybe we can get back to the mystery of why this man was murdered."

"Now wait a minute!" Lestrade interposed grinning. "This is a pretty historic day! Sherlock bloody Holmes, our resident genius… pregnant! Many congratulations", he said extending his hand. "And to you John! You sly old dog!" Lestrade said turning to John and clapping him on the shoulder.

"What? No…" John began before Donovan burst in, "Well I suppose congratulations are in order John but seeing as it's the Fr..I mean Sherlock, maybe I should say, all the best!"

"Wait no. It's not like that. It's not…" John tried again feeling ridiculous and looking to Sherlock for help. The mad bastard had gone back to staring at the computer while Donovan went around sharing the news with the other Yarders.

"Greg…look just because he's an Omega and I'm an Alpha... I mean I'm not…" John began again before Anderson burst in.

"No! I can't believe it! I just can't imagine him with a child!" he said looking as taken aback as the rest.

"You couldn't use your imagination if your life depended on it, Anderson!" Sherlock said sharply.

"Good luck with that John!" Anderson said nodding meaningfully at an increasingly agitated John.

"I'm not the father!" John burst out and plunged the room into silence. He had been loud and he could see the officers sitting outside craning their necks to hear better. Lestrade, Donovan and Anderson had frozen. Then Lestrade began chuckling. "Nice try John but it's too late now. The cat's out of the bag! Or should I say, your bun's in his oven?!" he guffawed loudly at his own joke while John winced.

Sherlock still seemed more interested in the crime scene photos and John felt somehow reluctant to repeatedly disown his baby in front of Donovan and Anderson. "If you are done with your juvenile comments, perhaps you would be interested in knowing that it was the man's father who did it Lestrade", Sherlock said his deep voice breaking through the Yarders mirth. Donovan and Anderson left and Sherlock began explaining his deductions to Lestrade.

"Wow! You got all that from the photographs?! Pregnancy is making you even more brilliant!" Lestrade grinned while Sherlock looked at him indignantly. John endured another round of back slapping.

"Why does everyone think I'm the father! Who says an unbonded Alpha and an unbonded Omega can't just be friends!" John expostulated once they were outside. Sherlock gave him an enigmatic look but didn't say anything. "Who is the father Sherlock? Why can't you tell me? Have you told him about the child?"

"Taxi!" was Sherlock's response said as he flagged down a cab.

Later that evening John had a date with Michelle, the new waitress from Speedy's. Sherlock had been busy with his experiments when John got dressed and left the flat. "And remember Sherlock! No harmful chemicals, no poisonous gases, no fires!" he warned Sherlock as he left and received a grunt in reply.

ooooo

John was quite looking forward to the date. Sherlock's pregnancy had left him feeling completely wound up and the Yarders assumptions had made matters worse somehow. And he still didn't know who the father was. The normalcy of a comfortable date with a nice Omega was just what he needed.

After a few minutes with Michelle, John had relaxed enough to laugh and hold her hand across the table. She smiled shyly and John was about to come up with his best line when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Lestrade next to him looking quite…furious?

"Hi John, wondered if I could have a word with you?" he bit out.

John suddenly panicked a bit, "What is it? Is Sherlock okay?" he asked getting up.

"Sherlock's fine. Now if you will just…" Lestrade said as he guided him out of the restaurant.

"I'll be back in a minute Michelle", John called out.

"What?! What is going on Greg?! What is so important? I was on a date", he said as soon as they were outside.

"I can see that! I just can't believe you! Does Sherlock know?" Greg said agitatedly as he fixed him with another death glare.

"Of course he knows! What is your problem?"

"He knows?!" Lestrade shook his head disbelievingly. "And what is my problem? What is your problem John! How can sit there coolly cheating on Sherlock?"

"What?! I'm… I'm…" John said but Lestrade was not done.

"He may be a difficult man…hell, he can be a real pain in the arse! But that doesn't mean you can get him pregnant and then go…gallivanting about with your girlfriends. He…he probably doesn't understand how relationships work so you may be able to feed him some nonsense. But I won't let you treat him like this! You go home now and you take care of him!"

"I'm not the father of his child! And I will date whoever I want!" John said now rather unreasonably angry himself.

"Look John", Lestrade let out a deep breath, clearly trying to be calm. "You guys have probably had a fight, correct? Well which couple doesn't have one? I can also easily believe that Sherlock is the one who instigated it. But now that he's expecting, you should really make up with him. He'll probably be too proud to apologize. But we all know how much he loves you. And don't go around saying stupid things like you're not the father. It can't possibly be anyone else! Go home John!"

John was interested in one part of that tirade, "How do you know he loves me, huh?"

"By the way he looks at you John, as if you're the only person he can really see. Whatever else he may be doing, his attention is always on you. By the way he seeks your approval when he does something right and the way he worries about your disapproval when he knows he's been bad. By the way he brings your name into every conversation even when you're not there. You know this already John. I know you love him too. Now just go home to him alright?"

John made an excuse and ended the date with a very unhappy Michelle. He walked back to Baker Street refusing Lestrade's offer of a lift home so that he had some time to think about things. His head was reeling. Did Sherlock care for him at all as Lestrade seemed to think? But if so, then how could he be pregnant with someone else's child?

Maybe he had had a one night stand… though that didn't sound like him. Could he have possibly had a secret relationship with someone and been dumped? It would explain why he was so reluctant to reveal the father's name. John's inner Alpha growled a bit. He would kill the bastard who had dared to hurt Sherlock. Sherlock was probably too proud to say anything and had decided to bring up his baby on his own.

Well, there was no need was there? If Sherlock was willing, John was more than ready to take care of Sherlock and his baby. It didn't matter to him if the baby was sired by someone else. It was a part of Sherlock and that was good enough. Feeling much better now that he had sorted through his feelings, John entered 221B.

ooooo

Sherlock was lying on the couch in his favourite pose with his hands steepled under his chin. "So…date didn't go well then?" he said without opening his eyes.

"Sherlock…" John began only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Woohoo!" Mrs. Hudson gave her customary greeting as she walked in with a plate of cupcakes. "Oh John, here you are! You didn't tell me the good news, you naughty boy!" she said as she set the plate down in front of Sherlock and patted John's arm. "Congratulations. I am so happy for you and Sherlock!" she said excitedly.

"Mrs. Hudson, I…" John said struggling to find the right words to disabuse her.

"Now Sherlock, I've made these nice little cakes for you. I'll bring up some mince pies a bit later shall I? You need to eat more now young man, you're eating for two!" she said with a giggle as Sherlock continued to ignore her.

Mrs. Hudson turned to a hapless John. "Oh, I always knew you two would get together. I am so excited! And John, I know you young people don't care about these things but a church wedding would be nice, you know! A formal bonding ceremony…"

"Mrs. Hudson!" John interrupted loudly. He found himself unable to continue as Mrs. Hudson jumped and looked at him in surprise. He cleared his throat and continued, "Thank you for the cakes."

"Oh, that's alright dear… I'll leave you two alone now", she said with another knowing smile.

John sighed. "Everyone thinks it's my baby", he said in a defeated tone and looked at Sherlock who hadn't stirred. He lay motionless, with his hair looking wild and his face peaceful. Quite suddenly John was overcome by a fit of giggles.

That broke through Sherlock's musings. He turned to look at John and looked at him questioningly.

"Mrs. Hudson wants me to make an honest man out of you", John said unable to stop chuckling.

"What?"

"She wants me to marry you and make you respectable."

"And why is that so funny?"

John stopped laughing abruptly and turned to look at his friend. Sherlock was looking at him wth an indecipherable expression, fixing him with that intense glare of his.

"I…I.. It's just funny. Making you respectable. I mean its not that its you're not… I mean its not funny that you and I get married…marrying you is not funny…I mean its not what made me laugh…its just…" John stuttered.

"It's okay John", Sherlock said turning away and waving a dismissive hand at him. "You don't have to get married to me!"

"But I want to…" John blurted out before he could stop himself.

"What?" Sherlock turned to look at him in surprise.

"I mean… I mean I wouldn't mind getting married to you." He took a deep breath and plunged in. "I wouldn't mind being a father to your child Sherlock. I would like to take care of you both."

Sherlock jumped out of the sofa and marched up to John. He looked furious. "You wouldn't mind? What is this? You want to marry me out of pity? Did I ask you for it?"

"No Sherlock! That's not what I meant! It would be my honour to be your husband."

"Your honour?!" Sherlock spat out. "What do I do with your honour? I don't need you or anyone else!"

"I love you, you insufferable git. Okay?! I've loved you for ages and I want you. I want to be with you," John shouted out.

Sherlock stilled at that. "Are you sure? Are you sure it isn't just a pregnant Omega making you feel this way. You've always wanted children…"

"Don't be an idiot! I've been thinking about my feelings for you for a long time now. Its only now that I've been brave enough to face what I want." John sighed. "Look I don't know what is going on with you… who the father of your child is, why you won't tell me their name, why you aren't with them… But I do know that I love you and I would love your child as my own. I just want to know if you care for me in the same way at all. And … and even if you don't, I'm still here for you, okay?"

Sherlock had been listening to him impassively but now he smiled as John had never seen him smile before. It was a thing of beauty that made John feel like the sun had come out of the clouds.

"Oh John, you are such an idiot!" Sherlock said as he tackled John with a tight hug that toppled them both onto the sofa. John grinned broadly holding on like he would never let go and nuzzling his neck. "My love", he said as he pressed soft kisses to his cheek, his jaw and finally those tantalizing lips.

After a little while, which John felt inclined to classify as the best moments of his life so far, Sherlock stirred in his embrace. He lifted his head from John's chest and spoke in a quiet voice, "John you really love me a lot don't you?"

"Hmm…" John murmured smiling as he brushed back an errant curl from his forehead.

"And you'll love me even if I do something that is… not good?"

"Yes, Sherlock… of course."

"How about if I do something …not good at all?"

"Sherlock..?" John looked questioningly at him. "Look if it's about the baby, then you don't need to tell me anything that you are not comfortable with okay? All I care about is that it's yours and I love everything about you. Even your 'not good' bits!"

"Well then John, you should know that there is no baby," Sherlock said baldly.

"What?!" John looked thunderstruck.

"I made up an essence using Omega hormones and was experimenting with it that morning when Mycroft barged in. the vial broke and it spilled on my body. I didn't really care when everybody started assuming I was pregnant as I knew the scent would wear off after a few days. But then they started thinking you were the father and I… I just wanted to see how you would react…"

John started to get up from the sofa a look of surprise still painting his face and Sherlock said contritely, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I know I should have told you but I've wanted you for so long too. But I just didn't know how to tell you… and I hoped… this would bring out your feelings to the fore."

"Which it did", John said quietly.

"Which it did. And I am glad of it!" Sherlock was watching John's face with a fair amount of trepidation.

John chuckled suddenly, "You are just… there's always something unexpected with you." Sherlock looked at him with a hopeful expression. "And that's what I love about you!" he said drawing his Omega in for a kiss.

"Mmm…" said the consulting detective as he nibbled his Alpha's lip, "And I do think you should start work on getting me pregnant soon … wouldn't want to disappoint Mrs. Hudson!"