"So, do I call you Daddy now?" Jessica had asked on her first official night in 221B Baker Street after Sherlock and John tucked her in. When they'd arrived at home from the meeting it was to find that cleaners had been through, and that Sherlock and John's things had moved back to his old room, while what had once been their room was converted into one fit for a child as mature and precocious as Jessica. In the corner was tucked the cabinet from her old bedroom, the one painted like the TARDIS.

Smoothing wrinkles out of the orange blanket, Sherlock suddenly became very stern. "You call us whatever you want to, Jessica," he said. "You can call me Daddy, or Sherlock, or Mister Holmes, or Mister Holes, or Mister Homes, or whatever you'd like, as long as you keep your Daddy right here." Where any other adult would have pointed to her heart, Sherlock placed his hand over the memory center of Jessica's brain. "You remember how he loved you, and Doctor Who, and BaCoN, and pink trainers, and then you call us whatever feels good." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Sleep well."

John did the same on the other side of the bed, brushing her hair back. "Goodnight, Jess. We're right downstairs if you need us, and if you need another blanket they're in the closet. I've also, uh, put a cup of water right here in case you get thirsty. Oh, and there's a night-light over there if you don't like the dark, shall I turn it -?"

"John," Sherlock said softly, and John smiled, embarrassed. They both got up from the bed and moved as one to the door.

"Goodnight," she called after them just before they turned out the light, and a million tiny dots of glow-in-the-dark paint that hadn't been visible before bloomed to light. "Whoa, cool!"

They smiled up at the ceiling, grateful for the week they'd had to prepare (Sherlock now knew much more about the solar system), and closed the door until it was only open an inch.

Jessica's first day of school was another week later, and Sherlock couldn't seem to help prowling around the classroom and telling the teacher, "She's bright, and gets bored easily with mundane work, so make sure she has something engaging. But nothing too hard for her! She's not einstein, even with the potential she has. And make sure the other children don't pick on her, she had problems with that at her old school, but don't baby her either, she's a big girl, she knows how to take care of herself. However don't let anything be resolved through violence, and-"

"Sherlock," John said softly, and Sherlock cut himself off, embarrassed. They hugged Jessica goodbye and let her go.

Two months later, just before Christmas, it was Careers Day at the school, and after talking about it Sherlock and John decided they would both go, and Jessica could could choose if she wanted to talk about doctors or Very Important Scientists and Detectives.

And they were running late.

"I told you not to go running after the gunman, Sherlock!" John snapped in the back of the cab. "So what did you do? You bloody ran after him! You're lucky you only got your nose bloodied and not shot off!"

Sherlock rolled his eyes but looked just as frantic as John felt. "Yes, yes, I was an idiot, now take a left, I said! A left, you imbecile!"

They downright leaped out of the cab as it pulled up to the school and sprinted through the corridors in search of Jessica's classroom. By the time they got there, all of the parents had taken their children home and Jessica was sitting at the teacher's desk eating a biscuit.

"I have the best family in the whole world," she said matter-of-factly to Mr. Helde, of whom she was reportedly very fond. "I had one daddy who got me my trainers and painted my cabinet like the TARDIS and taught me how to climb a tree, and now he's in heaven looking down on me every single day no matter what. And because my daddy was so nice, God really liked my daddy, so He used the TARDIS to go back in time and make sure that my two new daddies were born. They found me and took me home and then they adopted me. So now I've had three daddies, and they're all really cool. One is a scientist and a detective, and he catches baddies and does experiments and makes fish fingers and custard sometimes. My other daddy is a doctor, and he makes people better and does funny voices at the supper table and lets me ride on his shoulders because he says it makes him feel taller. We go on adventures and when they have a super important case to go on - they solve mysteries - I get to go to Nanny Hudson's flat, or sometimes to Uncle Mycroft's house, and it's really big!"

"It sounds like you have an extraordinary family, Jessica," smiled the portly older man. His eyes flickered up to the door and caught on Sherlock and John. "Come on in, you two, I was just having the most enlightening conversation with your daughter. She's remarkably bright." He was beaming behind his gray beard, completely enamored with the charming girl.

Jessica spun around and grinned at them. John and Sherlock dropped breathlessly into chairs on either side of her, red-faced with exertion and shame. "We're so sorry we didn't make it in time, Jessie," John apologized. "We were - there was a - erm." He cut off, scratching his face, and smiled apologetically at the teacher.

"We helped DI Lestrade catch another baddie," Sherlock supplemented from his seat, rubbing sweat from his eyes. "Look, he punched me right in the nose, see?"

Smiling up at him, Jessica replied, "It's okay, Daddy. Can we go home now?"

Sherlock blinked, taken aback. His face flushed, and his mouth worked for a moment before he actually could form words. "O-of course. Thank you for looking after her, Mr. Helde."

"It was a pleasure," the teacher insisted, leaning across his desk to shake their hands before they departed.

Walking down the pavement toward 221B, Jessica sandwiched herself between Sherlock and John and took their hands. "Papa, can we watch Wall-E after dinner tonight?" she asked, looking up at John.

Now it was the doctor's turn to blink. He was not quite as subtle as his husband as he beamed back at her with a strange shine in his eyes. "Of course we can, love. As long as you finish your coursework first."

"Oh, I did it already. It was really dull."

"Of course it was," John sighed.

He raised his eyebrows at Sherlock, silently asking and where did she learn that word from, Daddy? but the taller man just grinned and led them home.