"You're doing it wrong!" Sherlock said, yanking the screws out of John's hands and attempting and failing to get the two wooden pieces to fit together the way they were supposed to.

"Oh, and you're doing it right?" John asked with an arched eyebrow, grinning with satisfaction as Sherlock failed to do it correctly either after having berated John for doing it wrong for a solid twenty minutes.

"Well, what do you expect when you don't use the instructions?" Sherlock asked irritably, sweat dotting his brow.

"You were the one that told me to throw them out!" John said, "I told you that was a bad idea. How do you expect to safely put together a crib without instructions?"

"Fine! Go fetch the instructions out of the rubbish bin" Sherlock looked mortified that he had to admit that he needed instructions.

"Ah…..so you admit, you need instructions? You can't figure it out with your superior intellect?" John asked cheekily. He knew he was enjoying himself entirely too much but he couldn't help it.

"Don't be a smart arse. Just get the instructions" Sherlock said, chucking a nearby plushy at John's head before he ducked out of the nursery to get the instructions from down stairs. Nursery…..it was hard for John to fully believe that the room that had been his own for years was now, in a matter of weeks, going to be his daughter's nursery.

As was usual these days, John felt the familiar stirring of nerves in his belly at impending parentage. Mary's due date was in two weeks and most of the time his mind was occupied in taking care of her and preparing for their soon be new arrival. Mary kept assuring him he would be a good father; oddly enough, Sherlock was right alongside her in her assurances. And that was what really calmed him; Sherlock couldn't be more assured about his ability to be a good parent than he was.

John fetched the crumpled instructions from the rubbish and went back up to the nursery to find Sherlock in his shirtsleeves, his face red from exertion as he tried to put the crib together and failing miserably. "Need this?" John asked with a smirk.

Sherlock was not amused. With a scowl he snatched the paper from John's hand and studied it.

"What am I doing wrong!?" Sherlock lamented, gesturing to the crib pieces, in the floor, rummaging through them on his knees on the floor.

"I don't know, but it is affording me a great view so I can't complain. Usually only one thing gets you on your knees, red and sweaty." John teased.

Sherlock turned around, very purposely not sticking his butt up in the air. "Oh, be a grown up, John." He said, looking annoyed but his pupils seemed larger than normal and if he hadn't so many times told John that indicated desire John would have looked right past it.

"I am…I am VERY grown up" John said with a smirk. Sherlock threw another plushy at John before proceeding to consult the crib instructions again.

Things were crazy and unpredictable in their new life in 221B but John wouldn't have it any other way. It had been a few months since they had all began to test their relationship and John still marveled at how it blossomed. Sherlock and John had no shortage of cases; they even had to turn some people down, especially now that Mary was grown to the point of being painfully pregnant. Work was dangerous and glorious as it always had been and though mostly Sherlock was in strict 'case mode' while on a case which meant he thought of nothing other than the work and that was fine; John loved the danger and thrill of it. Though, he was happy that they had had a few chances to have some on the side trysts which John couldn't think of without growing hot still.

Domestic life was bliss, true bliss, John would call it. He and Sherlock still bickered like little boys but they always had and it was just part of their personalities toward each other. Sherlock and Mary were still always sweet to each other; John still maintained that they were truly friends with benefits. They could be sweet and gentle with each other in bed and out of the bedroom they would watch crap telly and go out for brunch and shopping and all the silly girly things Mary liked to do and John couldn't believe Sherlock would do. John had to laugh about it; Sherlock was Mary's stereotypical 'gay best friend'.

Most surprising to John was how normal his and Mary's relationship had remained. He knew that bringing Sherlock into their intimacy was a big deal and was waiting for some earth shattering change to happen…..but it never did. There were plenty of moments they had with Sherlock and plenty of moments just he and Mary shared. They were both finally content with where they were at.

And, naturally, all activity now centered around the baby coming. Today, he and Sherlock were putting the last minute touches on the nursery, knowing that really any day now she could be here. Ironically, Mary was the calmest of them all; while John and Sherlock panicked about all the minor details and obsessed over what would happen when the baby did come, Mary remained cool and composed the entire time. She assured them that she would be fine, the baby would be fine and though they didn't believe her, THEY would be fine. John thought the verdict was still out on whether or not he would freak out completely when Mary went into labor.

After much cursing and even more sweating, John and Sherlock finally got the crib assembled.

"There….that looks good, even if we did have to consult the directions" John said, running a hand along the crib railing appraisingly.

"Not bad, once I figured it out" Sherlock said, clearly taking all of the credit for the job. "Now, all that's left is for you to get in"

"Get in where?" john asked in confusion.

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "You have to get in the crib and make sure it's structurally sound" he said as if John were completely ignorant. "You don't want the first time any one's put in here to be when you put your fragile newborn daughter in it."

"Sherlock, I am a grown man and I'm not getting in a crib. I'd surely break it anyway" John said.

"Actually cribs are made to withstand the weight of an adult so that parents can sleep with their children in them" Sherlock said in his know it all voice.

"Well, then why don't YOU try it out?" John said.

"You are much shorter than me and much more easily able to fit into it" Sherlock said, "Besides, you are the daddy"

"Yeah and you're the papa…..so, hop right in" John said gesturing toward the crib. John still had to laugh a bit at the name. After much deliberation and throwing out of Sherlock's ridiculous suggestions on what the baby would call him, he had finally accepted the name papa.

"Fine….I'll do everything" Sherlock said dramatically with a roll of his eyes.

John was rewarded with the hilarious sight of watching Sherlock's long, lanky frame climbing into the crib. After several long minuets of arraigning himself and his long legs inside the crib to John's laughter, Sherlock finally managed to get in. Putting his hands on his hips, his bravado ruined when he hit his elbows on the crib, Sherlock gave John a smug look. "There…I did it. See, you were just being a baby about it" he said ironically nestled into the crib.

John laughed behind his hand. "Ah, yes, I'm the baby even though you are the one in the crib" he joked.

"At least I cared enough to test that the crib is structurally sound" Sherlock said though his red cheeks said he was embarrassed.

"I'll give you that; stand up job" John said, trying to sound serious but he didn't last long before laughing as he patted Sherlock's head condescendingly from the crib.

"Well lookie there…what a cute baby" Mary commented, walking through the doorway carrying some shopping bags of last minuet items.

Sherlock blushed further and muttered something about 'structural integrity' as Mary walked over to him. She petted his hair and he leaned into the touch with a smile like a cat getting petted. "Aww…there's my beautiful little boy" Mary said affectionately, running fingers through his hair.

"Not me…I'm not your baby" Sherlock said though he was grinning too widely to be believed. He seemed to be quite content with the idea of being theirs. John was quite content with that idea as well. It was what had brought then all together; if Mary hadn't been able to fully recognize how much Sherlock needed them they wouldn't be where they were now. But John knew that as desperately as Sherlock needed them, John and Mary needed him just as much. They just hadn't ever had to face a reality where they didn't have him like Sherlock had.

"Oh, sure you are. Don't be silly" Mary said, rubbing Sherlock's head one last time before moving back over to the shopping bags she had brought in, to the obvious disappoint of Sherlock.

"You'll have to see what I got today. I ordered it special and it finally came in" Mary said with excitement as she rifled through the bags. Sherlock seemingly recognized how ridiculous he looked sitting in the crib now that Mary wasn't rubbing his hair and awkwardly climbed out.

"Isn't it perfect?" Mary asked as she pulled out a white infant bodysuit with pink lettering on it.

When John saw the words My mummy and daddies love me written on it he had to laugh. It was perfect for their oddly perfect life. It was not conventional by any means but for them in was the only kind of life imaginable.

"That's great" John said when he stopped laughing. "God, can you imagine the looks we're going to get from her teacher one day when she goes to school?"

It was an offhand comment but as soon as John said it he realized the significance of it. Their relationship was still new and he was sure that perhaps they all felt that it was still on tentative and shaky ground. John's sudden comment implied that they were not only okay now but would be years from now. Years from now, they would still all be together. John could see the smile on Mary's face at the revelation and a greatly relieved look on Sherlock's face as if that confidence was just what he needed to assure him this would be alright.

"I'm sure we will manage it just fine" Sherlock said simply but there was a war of emotions on his eyes as he met John's. "We have faced much worse."

"Yeah, you're right" John agreed. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were all going to be just fine.

Well, that's it. THE END. Thank you so much for everyone who has read and reviewed this story. This has been my own personal favorite of all of my fics and I have enjoyed sharing it with everyone.