Disclaimer: I own nothing of Sherlock BBC.

The pathologist pushed away the sandwich, doubting any food that she ate would stay down and it had been going on for days now. Molly thought she must have eaten something wrong and contracted stomach flu or something like that. Glancing at the CCTV stationed in her lab, the pathologist gave a weak smile and hoped to assure her husband, Molly knew he was watching, that she's fine.

Being the British Government, Mycroft had a habit of overthinking matters and with his plate full with the country's affairs, Molly did not want to add on to his burdens so she kept silent about her symptoms and decided to visit John later on though the pathologist's indisposition would not remain a secret anymore when Molly's bodyguards informed their employer of her whereabouts.

Mycroft's position brought a certain degree of risk to both himself and his family so to stop him from constantly worrying about her safety, Molly agreed to seek protection from the bodyguards in plainclothes each time she stepped out of the house but they would only show themselves if the situation became too dangerous for her despite not used to be hovered over. The pathologist even had a second chauffeur to drive her around when David was unable to do so as the British Government's schedule was considered priority according to protocol.

The door opened and to Molly's surprise, Mycroft walked into the room. "Your condition is too worrying to continue putting the doctor's visit on hold any longer, my dear." He started to gently pull his wife away from the table. "I'm sure it's nothing serious, Mycroft. In fact I was planning to visit John after work." Molly grabbed his sleeve to stop him. "We need to visit a specialist for this." Was her illness that severe? "For the past week, you had been experiencing unusual tiredness, nausea and not to mention, your period was late."

The British Government lowered his eyes and with a slightly excited expression, placed his hand on her abdomen lightly then the pathologist finally comprehended what her husband was talking about, exclaiming a soft "Oh". "Not recognizing the signs early enough does not make you a bad mother, Molly. You would be a great mother to our child and I know it." She covered her hand over his with a smile. "You would be a great father too, Mycroft. Sherlock did not turn out too bad in the end. Don't worry, we would learn together."

When he found out that Molly was pregnant before she even realised it, Mycroft's first thought was questioning himself if he would be able to raise their child well for becoming a parent was the heaviest and most important responsibility one could ever take up in their life. Till now, the British Government still encountered difficulties in revealing his vulnerabilities to the people close to him, especially his wife even though she was the one who opened up his heart because Mycroft wanted to be strong for Molly, to protect her from the world that he saw for himself how dirty and dark it was.

Yet she was able to see through his façade but instead of feeling exposed, the British Government gained strength from her and for once, he was able to march forward without apprehension as Mycroft was no longer alone, he had Molly and their child now, a family of his own. After she was confirmed by the OB/GYN to be nine weeks pregnant, their parents were most ecstatic about the news and Sherlock seemed interested enough at the prospect of his nephew/niece. Mycroft and Molly discussed and chose to not know their baby's gender until he or she was born so it would be a pleasant surprise for them.

Mycroft might not speak about it but Molly got a feeling that her security detail had increased as a result of her pregnancy and she understood the need for it, becoming a mother made her protective of their baby too. True to her husband's words, they soon had their first fight which Molly could not even remember what the cause of it was, possibly an insignificant one that somehow escalated to a proper quarrel.

Molly's anger was quickly blown off and not one to brood over it, she pushed herself up from the bed and went to find Mycroft to talk things out. The pathologist opened the door and found him to be standing outside their bedroom with one of his hands raised, preparing to knock. "I'm sorry." They looked at their spouse and spoke at the same time.

Mycroft signalled to Molly, allowing her to continue first. "This might sound like an excuse but my raging hormones were probably all over the place and my temper just suddenly hit the roof but I should never take it out on you, Mycroft. I'm…" She explained guiltily but was stopped by him. "I added fuel to the fire too. Today's work was particularly draining for me and I leashed out. Forgive me?" The British Government caressed her cheek.

"Since this was our first argument, we should create the custom of ending it with make-up sex?" Molly's hands boldly slid down past his stomach. "Don't start what we could not finish, my dear." Mycroft caught her playful hands. "Who said we could not finish it?" The British Government sighed. "You are in a delicate condition, Molly."

Ignoring his words, she bit his bottom lip teasingly. "I asked the doctor about it and he said it's okay so long we are careful. I missed you, Mycroft. Or did you find me unappealing now that I'm pregnant?" His own desire was hard not to notice and eventually he gave in. "I missed you too, Molly and now that you are carrying our child, I found you more than ever alluring but I would need to be gentle with you."

They made their way to the bed and the pathologist began to eagerly remove his trousers. "I'm afraid the pregnancy had stimulated another kind of hunger besides eating in me." The British Government smiled indulgently. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Molly." Mycroft made sure that his wife was ready for him before he slowly eased his way into her. Unlike the usual swift and precise thrusts, his unhurried strokes brought out a whole new set of different sensations for them and coaxed Molly's orgasm as she gave a soft cry at her release.

The British Government withdrew from Molly and tucked her into bed. "How are you feeling?" The pathologist replied languorously. "Very much satisfied." Mycroft smirked. "That's always good to know but are you feeling well? It was not too strenuous for you?" Molly touched his cheek. "The baby and I are fine, Mycroft. See?" She placed his hand over her slight bump and they felt a fluttering movement. "Do you want to continue? You had not…" He stood up and kissed Molly's forehead. "Rest, you must be tired and don't worry about me, I would take care of myself. Sleep now, it's late."

Mycroft sat down on the chair in the study room, trying to find a comfortable position with his erection. "You would not be able to work in this condition, Mycroft. Marriage's not just all take and no give; it's a balance of both. You were very considerate to me just now but I'm your wife so let me help you. Let me pleasure you too." Molly sat astride on his lap and the British Government's hands immediately went up to support her back. "Careful, my dear." The pathologist smiled and unzipped his trousers once again.

It welcomed her every touch and Mycroft groaned under Molly's ministrations. "I'm going to…" He wanted to warn her in advance. "It's alright." She then covered his member with a handkerchief that the pathologist took out from one of the drawers in their bedroom and increased the speed of her hand movements. Mycroft's eyes rolled back as he ejaculated. "Thank you." The British Government conveyed his emotions into two simple words and a kiss.

Minutes passed after Molly helped cleaned him up and rearranged his trousers; Mycroft had recovered his strength and carried her back to their bed. "Don't bother to wait up for me, you and the baby need to rest. You have work tomorrow." The night might have started badly but ultimately it ended gloriously for the couple.

"By now you do realise that I had more than one copy of your video, Sherlock?" The pathologist rested her weary body on the comfortable leather car seats and lazily asked her brother-in-law. "Then could I at least take some blueberry muffins back? I…needed them for an experiment." Both of them knew very well the real reason why he wanted those muffins and it was not in the name of science but Sherlock would rather die than admit that the Holmes brothers shared more than just their intelligence and height so Molly did not further comment about it and simply nodded as Sherlock escorted his sister-in-law back home.

Being one that preferred to plan ahead, Mycroft wanted to be entirely prepared in welcoming their firstborn so their home had already went through the process of babyproofing and the baby room, painted in yellow and green, was ready by the time Molly was in her third trimester. As she reached the advanced stage of her pregnancy, the pathologist's workload started to decrease where nowadays Molly mainly handled the paperwork and less of performing autopsies.

It meant she had the spare time to be more fully involved in Sherlock's experiment, recording the development of a foetus which Molly personally thought it was rather sweet of the consulting detective except he brushed it off as a mere scientific documentation that might aid in his future investigations and the pathologist snorted but chose not to contradict him.

Being pregnant had its many perks and one of them was being on the front row seat of the Holmes brothers' I Am Definitely Smarter Than My Brother: The Baby Special. "Name the '5 S's' in calming down a new-born baby." Molly asked while eating a cookie that she just baked. "Swaddle, Side or Stomach position, Shush, Swing and Suck." Sherlock elegantly pressed the table bell and answered proudly.

"That's correct. One cookie for you and one for my husband as consolation." She distributed the rewards accordingly. "That's against the rules, Molly!" The consulting detective complained loudly. "I'm the referee, judge, presenter and viewer so my words are final." Molly overruled her brother-in-law's objections as Mycroft enjoyed his cookie. "You should never question a pregnant lady, Sherlock." His brother added insult to injury. "I'm not going to stop you from getting fatter than you already are, Mycroft." Sherlock retorted. In the end, Molly broke up their fight by saying that he could bring some cheesecake home.

Mycroft was in a meeting when Anthea entered the room and interrupted the discussion. The British Government knew something serious must have happened otherwise his assistant would never barge in like that. "Gentlemen, I beg your pardon as I have a very important business to attend to and would not miss it for the world. We would continue this some other day. Meeting adjourned, thank you." Mycroft announced and walked out without a backward glance.

During the ride to the hospital, the British Government's fears crawled back slowly but surely. Was he really ready? How did one even get ready for the arrival of their child? If only there was a manual for this. Ready or not, the baby was currently making his or her way to the world so Mycroft and Molly would have to help each other in becoming parents since no one was equipped to be one right from the start no matter how prepared they thought they were; it would be a learning journey for them.

Mycroft walked briskly towards Molly's hospital ward and could hear her painful grunts when he got closer which jolted him into a run, past caring if others would see it, instead of slowing down. "You are doing very well, Molly. Breathe through the contraction. That's it, breathe." Sherlock stood by the bed, encouraging his sister-in-law as she squeezed his hand tightly. "Mycroft!" The contraction passed and Molly exclaimed in relief. "I'm here now, my dear." Another contraction quickly started and the pathologist gripped her husband's proffered hand, pushing with all her might.

"I could see the baby's head now, Mrs Holmes. At the next contraction, try to push consecutively for ten seconds alright?" The doctor informed as Mycroft wiped the sweat off his wife's forehead and supported her head when Molly made one more push. The pathologist gave a shout and soon they heard a baby's cries. "Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Holmes. It's a girl." One of the nurses placed their daughter in Molly's arms and the baby screamed at the top of her lungs, broadcasting her arrival to this world.

"Would you like to do the honours, Mr Holmes?" The doctor asked, handing the scissors over to the British Government. Dazed, Mycroft cut the cord and their daughter was temporarily taken away for cleaning and weighting. "It's a girl, Mycroft. We are parents now." He bent his head to kiss Molly and their individual tears mixed with each other's like how their baby was a combination of them. "Thank you, my dear. You gave me a daughter and a family. You and Maya completed my life."

"6 pounds and 3 ounces, your daughter is very healthy, Mr and Mrs Holmes. Congratulations. What is her name?" The nurse brought the baby back, wrapped in a pink blanket and Mycroft cradled her to his chest. "Maya Violet Sarah Holmes." Molly grinned as she watched how the British Government instantaneously became enamoured of their daughter, stroking Maya's soft cheeks and gently rocking her. "Thank you, Sherlock. I would be in a terrible mess if it were not for you."

The consulting detective looked up from making funny faces at his niece. "You did all the heavy lifting, Molly. Dad and Mummy would arrive here any moment now to see their granddaughter so it would be wise for me to leave first before Mummy started talking about weddings again. I would see you soon, Maya and congratulations Mycroft; you finally contributed something good to this world."

Sherlock drew out a genuine smile and left the ward with his coat swishing about. "You have a dramatic and childlike uncle, little one and I do pity you for it but I'm certain you would be smarter than him though I'm even more inclined to believe that you would be smarter than us brothers combined." Maya yawned at her father's statement.

Unable to spend a lot of time with their daughter in the day, Mycroft would usually volunteer to look after her when the baby woke up during the night so Molly could have a good night's sleep. Like clockwork, Maya's cries sounded from the cot nearby. "I would go and check up on her, my dear. Go back to sleep."

The British Government checked her diaper and concluded that Maya just wanted attention from her parents since she was fed an hour ago so Mycroft picked their daughter up, giving her exactly what she wanted. "Shh, let's not wake up Mummy, little one." With her face red and scrunched up, he carried the baby out of their bedroom and into the baby room. Sitting on the rocking chair, Mycroft hoped the movement would calm her down.

"Why don't I tell you a story? Once upon a time, the British Government decided to kidnap a pathologist named Molly Hooper." Maya started to whimper. "Don't worry, little one. This story would have a happy ending." Mycroft smiled as the baby seemed to understand his words and decided to stop crying, looking at him curiously instead. He knew their daughter was smart and that was not the talk of a biased father. "So they lived happily-ever-after?" Mycroft raised his head and looked at Molly who was standing by the door. "Yes, they did."

Author's note: Wohoo! I reached the end of this story (my longest one too) and let me tell you it's not any easier than writing a sad one, haha but of course I had fun and enjoyed myself tremendously. If what I wrote about the labour process was incorrect, apologies. For every single reader who followed right till this last chapter, thank you so very much. I hope to see you all soon :D

** To Jeannie (thank you for leaving your name so I could properly address and reply to you), you might not be too bothered about Mycroft's OOC but I still felt the need to apologise and for those who shared the same sentiments, I'm sorry. Thank you for liking Downfall too! (Not sorry that I made you cry, hehe). I purposely made this story a lighter one because I wanted to know if I could actually write a happier story instead and hope you were not too disappointed.

** To Modoko, hope this would not come out as weird to you (lol) but I L.O.V.E your enthusiasm for Mollcroft! And if you read my other stories, their endings were rarely happily-ever-after but I'm glad that I made it so for this one :) Please enjoy *hug hug*