Chapter 8:

"I know what you're going to say, but just let me say this anyway. Sherlock, you are the love of my life and it made me the happiest man alive when you agreed to marry me. I want to take the next step with you. Sherlock, I want to raise a family. I want to have a baby."

John's words echoed in Sherlock's brain.

"I want to have a baby."

Sherlock stared at John. John cleared his throat and adjusted his position on the bed, so he was fully on the left side.

"Well, I've gotten that off of my chest. So, now you know." John turned a steady shade of scarlet and pulled the sheets over his legs. "I'm going to bed now. Please turn off the light when you're done changing." With that John pulled the covers up to his chin, rolled onto his side, and closed his eyes. Sherlock stared for a moment, perplexed. Then he crawled into bed next to his husband. He shook his shoulder.

"John." He didn't respond. Sherlock shook his shoulder more urgently. "John!" John turned over and faced Sherlock.

"What?"

"I was under the impression that you wanted to speak to me." John raised his eyebrows. "About something with great importance?" He prompted John. John cleared his throat.

"I uh, I figured I'd give you some time to think about it. Now that you know that's what I want… you can think about how it will affect you." John rubbed at his left temple and sighed. Sherlock blinked.

"John, I don't know what to think about." John frowned.

"What do you mean?" Sherlock shook his head to clear his thoughts and leaned against the headboard.

"This… All this is new to me. Being attracted to someone, falling in love… I've never experienced it before. I'm- I'm really just making it all up as I go along." Sherlock sighed heavily, as if it were some great burden to admit that he didn't know what he was doing.

"Sherlock, this isn't exactly a repeat for me, either." John said, scooting closer to his husband. He exhaled quickly and wrung his hands. "Look, we can talk about this tomorrow-" Sherlock cut him off, apparently not listening.

"I wouldn't know what to do." He said, frowning and staring at the wall opposite their bed. John looked over at the man beside him.

"I'm sorry?"

"If we had a child… I wouldn't know what to do John. I hardly knew anything about affection until I met you. I-" Sherlock stopped talking and placed his head on his knees, pulling at his hair with his hands. John put his arm softly around Sherlock's shoulders and leaned in next to him.

"Sherlock, I don't understand. What are you worried about?" Sherlock's shoulder's fell.

"Everything John. And that just makes me more worried. Sherlock Holmes doesn't get scared; he doesn't worry. And yet, here we are!" Sherlock lifted his head and rubbed his temples. "You were honest with me, so I'm assuming it is only right that I am too; I'm scared that I don't have enough emotion left." John frowned and tilted his head unconsciously.

"I'm afraid I don't follow you." Sherlock shook his head, but kept his eyes closed.

"I spent years distancing myself from my emotions. That way, it is easier for me to tap into my brain, easier to keep my mind palace free of useless…" Sherlock waved his hands in the air, searching for the right word. "… fluff! When you and I got together, I was happy. I was content; but also confused. Emotions and I had been apart for ages, and yet, here I was being ruled by them once more. Now here I am, fully and irreversibly in love with you. My whole heart is owned by you. Now we talk about adding another person into the mix. I'm afraid that because of all the years I spent, trying desperately to feel nothing, I won't be able to fix that. I won't have enough love for two people." Sherlock took a shaky breath and looked up at John, who was shaking his head.

"That isn't true Sherlock; you will never run out of love." Sherlock bit his lip in disbelief, but John took his face between his hands, demanding the consulting detective's attention. "If you won't listen to me, just look at the evidence all around you! Mrs. Hudson! You practically killed a man when she was hurt! What about Greg and Mycroft?" Sherlock snorted into his hands, but John was not deterred. "You deny it, but think about it. When push comes to shove, you have their backs, and you know they've got yours. You love so many more people than just me, and they all love you. You don't have to be worried about not having enough. Love is not a material thing, Sherlock. It is not something that fits into equations or experiments. It is a part of you, and no matter how hard you try, it will always be there, in your life. As will I." Sherlock nodded, and looked at his husband.

"John, I- I want to have a baby." John blinked.

"You do? You're not just saying that to make me happy? You actually want to start a family?"

"Yes John. I actually want to start a family." John's face broke into a large smile. He leaned forward and kissed Sherlock passionately and Sherlock responded with equal happiness. Suddenly, John pulled away and looked Sherlock in the eyes.

"We're going to be fathers! Sherlock, we're going to be dads!"

John sat at the kitchen table, papers strewn out in front of him. He sighed heavily and rubbed at his forehead.

"This isn't going to be easy, Sherlock." Sherlock looked up from his perch on the couch.

"Why not? Just fill out the papers and we'll be all set." Sherlock spoke loudly as his head was shoved into the couch cushions, blocking out most sound. John looked over at his husband and raised his eyebrows.

"Why are you upside down?"

"It helps me think."

"Right…" John shook his head, and looked back down at the papers in front of him. "It's not going to be as easy as you make it sound Sherlock. First we have to fill out this application form, then if the form is accepted, we have to have a home inspection-" Sherlock cut him off.

"Inspection? What are they doing that for?" John sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You know perfectly well why they have to do an inspection. It's so that they know for certain the home they are sending a child to, is nice, welcoming, and above all, safe." Sherlock flipped over so his head was on the left side of the couch and his feet hung off the other arm rest.

"Oh, that just wastes time! We know that our house is safe! Why can't they take our word for it?" The words had hardly left Sherlock's mouth when suddenly, something banged in the kitchen and smoke filled the enclosed area. John dove out of his seat and crashed to the floor, per his army training, and crawled out into the living room. Sherlock hadn't moved.

"You were saying?" John wheezed. Sherlock shrugged.

"Nothing to be afraid of." He dragged himself off of the couch and walked to the kitchen to inspect the damage done to one of his experiments. John stood up and brushed himself off, following Sherlock.

"We need to talk about this, Sherlock." Sherlock apparently wasn't listening. He lifted a smoking and cracked beaker and placed it in the sink, running water over it. It steamed and Sherlock opened the newly replaced window.

"I'm serious!" John said loudly, taking his husband's arm. "If we're going to have a child in the house, we need to make it-" John winced as muted popping sounds came from in the sink. "-less like a science lab and more like a home." Sherlock frowned.

"You've never had a problem with my experiments before. Unless they've caused some sort of a disturbance to your everyday life. Why are you so worried now?" John decided it was better not to look into the sink and headed back towards the table and sat down.

"Because, I'm afraid they'll deny us our ability to adopt." Sherlock spun around faster than John thought possible.

"Why would they do that? We're perfectly safe people who are more than capable of taking care of a child." Sherlock spoke quickly, with a hint of defensiveness in his voice. John raised his eyebrows.

"Sherlock, something just blew up on the counter. Do you really consider that to be safe?" Sherlock sighed and took the seat beside his husband.

"Why would it not be safe?" He asked, looking confused. John started at the expression on Sherlock's face. It was rare to ever see him confused. John would put good money on the bet that he'd been the only one that has seen Sherlock when he is puzzled.

"I was trained by the army to react the way I did. I moved without thinking. If we had a small child in here, do you think they would duck that fast? They would get hurt." John looked up at the still smoking beaker in the sink. "Pretty badly too. Sherlock, we need to fix this." John gestured around the room. Sherlock followed John's hands with his eyes and sighed.

"I suppose you're right…" John started. Another rarity; Sherlock admitted John was right. Sherlock turned in the chair so he was facing John completely and placed his hand on top of the doctor's.

"Tell me what I can do. I- I really do want this to happen, so if there is anything I can do to stop people from holding us back, I will do it. Tell me what I need to change." John stared at Sherlock for a moment, then leaned in and kissed him softly.

"You don't need to change a thing-" the beaker in the sink gave off a menacing sounding pop and John shook his head. "-except maybe the nature of your experiments. But I don't want you to change anything about the way you work, alright? You are absolutely perfect the way you are." Sherlock smiled and squeezed John's hand underneath his own.

"As are you." John smiled and together, they made a list of things that had to be done before the inspection. (It was quite lengthy, but not impossible.)

That evening, while in bed, John found himself wondering how he had gotten to be so lucky. He was lying next to the world's (sleeping) only consulting detective, who was amazing and talented, and married to John Watson. They had a beautiful home, steady incomes, and now they were going to have a child.

John's life had taken an unexpected turn when he agreed to meet Sherlock Holmes at 221b Baker Street, but John wouldn't have it any other way.

A/N: So that's it! That was the last chapter of "When it's Unexpected". Don't worry though, I will be posting another story about John and Sherlock's life once they have a baby. :) Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, marked my story under favorites and followed. That means the world to me!