Suddenly a parent

(Part 1 of Little Sherlock 2 – William returns)

Chapter 1: William´s return

It was what John would have called a normal Wednesday afternoon at 221B Baker Street: a spy novel, tea and a few of Mrs. Hudson´s greatest creations in the area of baking, the chocolate cookie. Yes, he could have called it that had Mycroft Holmes not chosen the precise moment the clock on the wall hit four o´clock to enter the flat with a primary school child holding his hand.

"John we need to talk." Before John could get a better look at the child Mycroft sent it to Sherlock´s room where the boy disappeared without another word.

"Great let´s talk, who is the child you sent to Sherlock´s room? And why do I have the feeling I won´t like what you have to tell me?" Mycroft sighed and sat down in Sherlock´s armchair.

"I think you have met the child before, remember William, my little brother as a kid? He is back." John´s eyes flew to the closed door at the end of the hall.

"William is a three year old and-" John stopped, thinking and counting. It had been nearly three years since Sherlock´s experiment and his adored the time he had had with that little boy he loved and adored. If you added to a three year old three years you got a six year old William, ready for primary school. "Is it really him?" John had thought he would never see him again. Some flashes of that time sometimes appeared in his flatmate but the small child had been taken away from him.

"It´s really him and I have to ask for a favour." John eyed him suspiciously. "He has to stay a child for a while. Let´s just say he made a few people very angry and this is the best way to hide him. Right under their eyes. He is safe like this and it gives me time to solve this whole mess. Would you be willing to be his guardian for this time?"

To be honest with himself, although John had expected this question, it was still a shock, being asked to become a parent to your best friend. Thinking of William, it wouldn't be fair to just run into this whole parenting thing without thinking about it a bit. Could he, an ex-soldier and doctor be a parent and this over a longer period of time? The small sleepy voice that had told John with his last words that he loved him suddenly appeared in his mind and gave the answer. "Yes Mycroft I will become William´s guardian."

"Thank you, John. I really appreciate it. He has to take one of these pills every morning." Mycroft offered him a little bottle with pills. "My scientists worked on it and they made it in such a way that he will stay at his current age. I also created papers for William that will put him in your care, officially. So no one will question it. You can even send him to school if you want." John found his arms filled with a stack of papers.

"…School, right. Wait, why wouldn't I send him to school?" Mycroft looked towards the closed door of Sherlock´s room again.

"He … Sherlock never dealt well with everything related to his age. School was pure horror for him and our parents. You might have found William at 3 sweet but the version you get today is different. At six years Sherlock had already learned enough about people and the world that he despised it all. It took me a long time to get him interested in something again. It also seems as if he remembers his time as William the last time. So he thinks he hasn't seen you in three years. And this he doesn't really understand."

John could feel guilt growing inside of him, even when he couldn't have done anything to change this. Still now William thought he hadn't wanted to see him, play with him, read to him or any of the other things they had done together. Not a very glorious beginning for this child-parent relationship. He would have desired for a better start.