As Alex approached to bat for the first time, she looked towards the stands.

This morning she had pestered John until he crack of dawn to phone Sherlock to inform him of the game times. After all, Sherlock had promised that he'd be here.

Alex didn't get time to properly look before her teammates were shouting for her to get a move on. Swallowing thickly, she exhaled deeply and stepped up to the batters square.

This game was meaningful for various reasons. The main one being that Sherlock may be here and the second being that the voting for team Captain was approaching at a rapid pace.

Sherlock had received John’s phone call earlier that morning as he was reading the newspaper. Of course he was going to Alex’s match. He said he would go so he was going. End of. He wasn’t going to miss this for the world.

He had even refused to take a case that morning from Lestrade that, according to the photos that had been sent to him, was probably a 7. A very good 7. But he had to watch Alex’s match. Not only had he promised her that he would go but he was now rather looking forward to it.

So at 10 o’clock precisely, Sherlock got a cab to Alex’s school, making sure that he would be there on time for the match which was due to start at 10:30. As he got out of the cab he straightened his coat, ruffled his hair and raised the collar of his coat before he walked over to the sports field where he presumed the match would be.

Alex hit the ball that came hurdling towards her with ease, taking off without a second thought. This game was practically second nature to her by this point. She'd been play since the age if five, for God's sake. She loved everything about it - even being in a team wasn't too bad. She got along with them fine and the girls even backed her up against Mina so they were decent enough in Alex's opinion.

The hit had been good, great even.. but the other team had stronger fielders and Alex was stopped at the third base earning her team half a rounder. 

As the next batter set off, Alex ran to fourth and joined the back of the line of batters. Her team congratulated her before she turned her attention to the stand. 

When she spotted Sherlock, she beamed and waved excitedly before gesturing to where John had saved the other a seat in the front row of the stands. John looked towards Sherlock upon seeing Alex pointing at him. 

Sherlock waved back, a smile immediately appearing on his usually downcast face. He looked to where Alex was pointed and spotted John so began to walk over to his ex-mate.

Once he reached John, he said a quick ‘hi’ before sitting down next to him and catching up with the game again.

"How are you?" John asked, a bit awkwardly, after a few moments. Alex had a while before she would bat again and it would be rude to just sit there and ignore the man. "Any good cases?" 

“I’m good thanks.” Sherlock replied quickly, taking out his phone to turn it off so Lestrade wouldn’t disturb him at all. “Yeah a few. A good one this morning.” Sherlock kept it short and sweet, knowing that John didn’t really want to make small talk with him.

"You solved one that quick?" John asked with a small, kind of nervous laugh. "You're still as brilliant as ever" He complimented, smiling genuinely and ignoring the way his heart thud at the sight of the man sat beside him. 

“Uhhmmm... no.” Sherlock looked down, licking his lips, for once feeling anxious by John’s compliment. “I didn’t solve it. Told Lestrade that I was busy and that they would have to try and figure it out on themselves.”

"You skip a good case for this?" John asked, finding it hard to hide his shock. 

The work was everything to Sherlock and yet he dropped it all for Alex. His smile returned within moments, however, utterly proud at how wrong he'd been about Sherlock and children.

Sherlock could read the shock on John’s face when he first told him the truth. Before he knew about Alex he would have never given up a 7 case for anything at all but now he was doing it at the drop of a hat.

“Good to know that I have pleased you.” Sherlock joked, looking back to the sports field.

John laughed at that. "I am impressed." He confirmed. 

He had an urge to lean over and press his lips to Sherlock's jaw or at least show affection somehow. But John fell silent in an attempt to stop the feeling from overwhelming him.  

He looked up at the field to see Alex approaching the batting box. "Alex is up."

Sherlock smiled and hid how pleased he was with what John had just said even though he had managed to impress John so many times in the past but this felt different. So different.

Sherlock looked to the field and watched as Alex stepped up the box, getting ready to hit the ball.

Alex found it easy to hit the ball, once again. She rarely had trouble with hitting the ball. As the ball came towards her, she swung and hit it. It goes far, she can tell by the way the bat rattled and the way her team were cheering. She didn't stick around to watch it however, and set off around the pitch. The deep fielders ran as fast as possible but it was hopeless, the hit was too good for them to have a chance. 
 
Alex crossed fourth base with a grin plastered on her face, her team surrounding her. She smirked, knowing that achieving the first full rounder of the game was going to make people seriously consider voting for her as Captain. 
 

Sherlock smiled as he saw the ball fly across the field with such speed that it looked like no one would catch it. Before he fully comprehends what he is doing, he is standing up cheering with the rest of the team who were chanting ‘Alex, Alex’ over and over again. When she finally made it past the fourth post he grinned proudly and claped loudly, happy that Alex achieved what she did.

John smiled, clapping softly and cheering once. He doesn't stand like Sherlock but he can understand Sherlock's excitement. He was similar, if not worse, the first time he saw Alex get a full rounder with such ease. She truly was a brilliant player.  

Sherlock sat down suddenly, realizing that he was making a fool out of himself and made sure to seem more interested in his coat than his daughter’s game. He didn’t mean to be so enthusiastic over such a small thing but for him it wasn’t small. It was a bloody big thing.

"She's great, isn't she?" John said grinning, his eyes on the game once again. 

Alex was at the back of the queue for her the batters again and it wasn't long now before it would be time for the teams to switch (the seven minutes inning was coming to an end). Alex's team, St. Richmond's, was three points ahead of the other school at 7 rounders to 4. 

“Yes, she is.” Sherlock said, smiling at John, his teeth actually showing as he smiled. “How did she get so good?” He was always rubbish at sports so he wondered where the hell she managed to be able to play as good as she did considering this.

John shrughed. "I played a bit of football in school but I was never overly great. Too short. But Alex... She's just got a gift. Her closest friend, Nathan, plays too but he's on the boy’s team. They always used to hit the balls back and forth in the garden when his mum brought him round for play dates and stuff. They grew up loving it together, it's made her passion about it..." 

Nathan… “Are Alex and Nathan… dating?” Sherlock questioned knowing that kids nowadays were starting to date at such a young age. (Much too young if he was honest!)

John openly laughed at that as he shook his head. "No, God, no. I.. No. When you meet him, you'll see. He looks at her like he would a younger sister. When they're older... Maybe. But right now, definitely not" 

Sherlock sighed with relief, practically sagging with relief. He really didn’t think he was ready to talk to his daughter about boys…. Maybe he would never be ready to do that. “Good.” He muttered, looking back at John and smiling.

John chucked at the relief evident in Sherlock, beyond glad that Sherlock was already so protective of Alex despite not knowing her long. John still felt guilty over it all but he'd be no use to anyone if he just continued to dwell on the past. 

The referee blowed the whistle then and Alex's team dropped their bats into the small cage like holder before they jogged out to their fielding positions. John watched as Alex jogged into her position as a deep fielder. 

"She can bowl really well too but she prefers to be a deep fielder. Much like you she likes showing off" John added the last bit with a teasing smile.  

Sherlock laughed with his mouth closed, trying to contain his laughter. It was true. So true. He could see the way that Alex held herself while she was a fielder. He could see that she was trying her hardest to make her teammates see how good she was so they would vote for her. She was trying so hard and luckily she was doing rather well, catching almost all of the balls that flew high in the air and managed to get the balls that rolled across the floor back to the bowler as quickly as possible.

"God, she's got two people out already. There's only been a few batters..." John watched his daughter with pride. Even if she was showing off, she was bloody well good at the game and deserved to be Captain with all the hours she put in. 

The time seemed to fly from there and the game moved on quickly. Before they know it, all the parents from St. Richmond's were on their feet clapping and cheering the girls as the final score was announced. 15-12. 

Alex waved to Sherlock and John with a wide grin before she went with her team to the changing rooms. 

"We have to go wait by the school gates" John informed Sherlock. "Bloody hell, our daughter is gifted!" He laughed, pulling his coat back on. 

Sherlock laughed with John, agreeing with the statement. “Don’t know how that happened but she is super talented at rounders.” Sherlock followed John, wrapping his coat firmly around him as there was a slight chill in the air. “Maybe we should take her out for a celebratory lunch?” Sherlock asked.

John nodded, agreeing. "That sounds like a great idea. There's a few restaurants around here, unless she wants a takeaway… There's a few she likes but I never know with her… We'll just have to see."
 

By now, they'd reached the school gate and simply had to wait for Alex. John put his hands in his coat pockets, saying hello to a few parents that greeted him. They all looked at Sherlock, question in their eyes, but John offered no explanation. Frankly, he thought the majority of people here were nosy and he didn't view many of them as friends. Alex was the same.
 

After a few moments, John heard a familiar voice from behind him. "Hello, John" 
 

Smiling, John turned around and greeted the boy. He turned to Sherlock and gestured to the boy. "Sherlock, this is Nathan. Alex's best friend since the age of three."
 

Automatically, Nathan offered his hand. He was very mature for his age and John's sure that's another reason Alex got on with him. "Hello, sir" He said to Sherlock, flashing a smile. 

At first Sherlock simply looked the boy up and down, giving him a stern look but after he has taken a good look, he held his hand out for the boy to shake, looking down at the young boy. “I have heard a lot about you.”

"Likewise" Nathan smiled, dropping his hand to his side. "It was a good match, wasn't it?"

John nodded, smiling back at the other before looking around to check if Nathan's mum or dad was about. When he spotted the boy's mum, he waved to her. She waved back before she continues talking to another women, content that Nathan was fine with John. 
 

They didn't get to say much before the team came out again. Parents cheered again as their girls appear, now dressed in their own clothes. Alex approaches them and before either John or Sherlock get to hug her or congratulate her, Nathan launched himself at her and hugged her, laughing as he does. 
 

"Well done, Alex! You were great!" 

Sherlock’s eyebrows shoot up, his mouth wide open as he stared at them. He wabout to reach out and pull them apart but John grabbed his hand before it could even touch the pair. He looked over to John still shocked.

"It's not like that." John mouthed at Sherlock, smiling softly and squeezing Sherlock's hand before letting go. 
 

Alex was slow to response to the hug but she does, wrapping her arms around the taller boy and resting her head on his shoulder for a moment. For now, it's a cute friendship but John has a strong feeling that as they get older, it will evolve into something more and frankly, John would be happy with Nathan as Alex's boyfriend. He was far smarter and nicer than other boys here. That being said, he still made them sleep in separate rooms when they had sleepovers and would intervene if he thought they were acting a bit too adult for their ages. 
 

The two pull away after a few moments and Alex pressed a kiss to Nathan's jaw. That's when John cleared his throat. Alex immediately stepped away from Nathan and smiled at her parents, not seeing the way Nathan turned pink. John glanced at Sherlock, giving him a look that suggested maybe he was wrong.

Sherlock raised his eyebrows in a ‘I told you I was right’ way. Of course he was right. He always is. “I was just talking to your father about getting some food?”

 Alex nodded, smiling. "That sounds good" 
 

She said goodbye to Nathan and the boy went back to his own parents before the three of them head towards John's car. John opened the door for Alex and Sherlock before he went and climbed into the front of the car. When everyone's in, he started the car up and began to drive towards the cluster of restaurants in the town.
 

"Do you want to go to the Chinese place?" John asked, knowing that was his daughter's favourite at the moment. From the back seat, Alex nodded.

Sherlock took out his phone, turning it on before scrolling through all the missed calls and messages from Lestrade. However he quickly got through them, turning off his phone again so he can have some peace. 

“Do you think the team will vote you captain after your performance today?” Sherlock asked, turning around to face Alex as he speaks.

Alex smiled and gave a small shrug. "I'm not sure but I have a good chance. If not me, then Jasmine. She's a good player but… I want to be Captain." She laughed, not caring if she sounded arrogant. 
 

John smiled back at them as he pulls into a parking spot. He hoped Alex did get it. He'd not met any of the girls on the team but Alex was so determined and dedicated - and on top of that she kept on top of any work she had to do for school. She deserved it. Nathan and her practised all the time. With a small frown, John made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Nathan and Alex when they were practising. Nathan was a good kid but he was still a boy and being one himself, John knew that sometimes all men were after was one thing - age twelve or age seventy. 

Sherlock smiled and got out of the car, opening the door for Alex. “If you really want to be captain you could pay people to vote for you but make sure you don’t tell your father that I mentioned that. I think he would cut my tongue out if he did.”

Alex giggled at that. "That's a nice idea but my pocket money doesn't stretch that far and the girls would tell on me"

John was ahead of them, talking to the women working here to ask for a table. It wasn't long at all before the three of them were being seated at a round table that made it easy for them to all talk. 

Sherlock took out his phone again but just to make sure that it was definitely off, he really didn’t want to be disturbed. “When is your next match?” Sherlock asked Alex, looking around the restaurant to make sure he is facing the door (a rather weird thing to do for normal people but considering that he is Sherlock Holmes and something bad always seems to happen when he was around it isn’t a weird thing to do at all.) Luckily he was facing the door so he looked at Alex as she answered him.

"Errrrr, a few weeks, I think" Alex answers, looking to the door and wondering what Sherlock was looking at. She didn't look back to her dad though when she sees nothing. Her eyes had been drawn to something else. 

A very familiar man was sitting with a woman, kissing her neck and mouth with a large grin. Alex frowned. Of course, that caused John to follow her gaze. 

He paused before swallowing. "Alex… Stop staring" 

She looked back to John in disbelief. "How can you be calm? You've been dating for almost three months" 

"Three months too long, clearly" John answered calmly, knowing he couldn't get upset in front of Alex despite the betrayal he felt. 

Sherlock turned around and tried to see what Alex and John were looking at. He spotted the couple that they must be talking about because everyone else in the restaurant was really old and he didn’t think that John was so desperate that he would date an elderly person.

Sherlock turned back around and looked at Alex, mouthing “Which one: the man or the woman?” He did this because he wanted to see whether John had turned back to dating women which was highly likely considering that John had only ever dated one man and that was Sherlock.

John kept his eyes on the menu, so he doesn't see the exchange between Alex and Sherlock.

Alex glanced at John before she mouths back to Sherlock "Man". She then goes back to looking over her menu, sort of pleased with the situation. In the sense that it meant she had more chance of having a proper family - not that her dad was currently feeling down. Even though he was trying, Alex could see that John was upset. He'd liked the other man enough to be hurt by this, but no where near enough to be heartbroken. 

“Oh.” Sherlock mouthed, looking down at the table. He was quite shocked to hear that it was the man. He had always assumed that the only man that John had ever liked was him but now he could see that that wasn’t true. It seemed that Sherlock had only made John realize that he might be bisexual or even gay.

John sighed as he puts his menu down.  He does his best to smile at the others but lately he's not been too good with hiding his emotions. He wasn't so much upset that he didn't mean anything to the man sitting across the restaurant as he was upset to think he was such a worthless date that he'd been cheated on and lied to. 

"Have you chosen what you want to eat?" 

“Uhmmm… no.” Sherlock admitted quickly looking down at the menu to choose something really quickly. Whilst everyone else was looking through the menu, Sherlock was thinking about the boyfriend (now ex-boyfriend) situation.

Surprisingly, John had managed to hide his emotions quite well (only so that Alex wouldn’t know how much it was hurting him to see his cheating boyfriend in front of him.) but Sherlock could see right through the act. John was hardly making eye contact with either of them and that was the first sign that he was upset. Maybe this was a bad idea after all…

They all ordered their food and drinks and John slowly brightened back up, remembering they were celebrating and that Alex had been wonderful in her match. 

After ten minutes, he'd forgotten the situation with his boyfriend/date and was focused solely on his family. He'd deal with his negative emotions later, out of sight. 

Sherlock even managed to enjoy himself, laughing when John and Alex do and telling stories about his job when Alex asked him questions. When the bill came, he quickly paid it before John can even attempt to do so but allows him to tip the waitress who served them because he knows that he will only get grief if he doesn’t let him.

John smiled softly at Sherlock when he paid for them and smiled wider when he realised what Sherlock was doing.  He tipped the waitress and they quickly collect their coats and left. They thank the woman that gave them a table as they walk out and before long they're in John's car again and driving towards the house. 

It felt less awkward now to John, about Sherlock coming back to the house. There hadn't been much discussion of it but it would be nice for John to sit down and have a cup of tea with Sherlock after Alex went off to bed - which wouldn't be long going by the way she was rubbing her eyes and yawning. She had worked her butt off during the game and it wasn't getting earlier. 

Sherlock made small talk with Alex throughout the journey not wanting to disturb John from driving as it was rather late now. When they pulled up at John’s house, Sherlock got out, opening the door for an exhausted Alex who looked like she was about to drop. He followed them in, wanting to make sure that all get in alright. 

He stopped at the front door, not knowing if he should come in though. Last time that he had been in the house it was rather awkward between John and himself and he didn’t want another repeat performance. However they were getting on better now so he supposed that it might not be as awkward as it was before. It might even be nice to talk to John without young ears around.

John frowned a bit when he saw Sherlock hesitate. He smiled at the other and held the door open as a way of obviously inviting the other into the house. 

Alex slumped against the wall and yawned. "I, uh... I'm tired" 

John laughed and walked over to kiss her head. She gave them both a cuddle before she went upstairs. John smiled after their daughter before turning to Sherlock, smile still in place. 

"Tea?" 

“Okay.” Sherlock replied, closing the door around him and walking into the lounge. He awkwardly took a seat, sitting on the edge of the sofa so it didn’t look like he is making himself at home (even if at the back of his mind a voice was telling him to do so. All the voice wanted him to do is stuff all the rubbish that went on because John is and always will be the love of his life and nothing can change that.)

When John came in with the tea, he smiled at the way Sherlock was trying to be polite. As he sat down, John pushed Sherlock's shoulder a little. 

"Relax. You may not live here, but you're going to be here a lot and I'd like for you to feel at home here" John smiled, wondering why he was finding it so easy to talk to Sherlock now. 

Maybe it was because he knew he was at least mostly forgiven. Or maybe it was because this was Sherlock, the person who made him realise that all those times he thought he was in love weren't being in love. The love he felt for Sherlock had never been in the same league as any of John's relationships - that was for sure. This was the man he was most comfortable with. He'd held his hand, kissed him, explored every inch of him and had a child with him. It was no wonder John couldn't be awkward. It was Sherlock for God's sake. 

“I will try but it’s hard. It’s like you have a life here but I’m not a part of it…. It’s just weird for me, that’s all.” Sherlock sighed and looked down. “Sorry. That’s stupid.”

"It's not stupid, Sherlock" John replied, pouring the tea. "You've just got to remember that now you're part of that other life we seem to have. That I - We want you in our lives" 

“Good. I want to be a part of Alex’s life as much as possible. I have already missed so much so I need to try and make up for it.” Sherlock smiled, sitting back on the sofa slightly.

"You're already doing great" John complimented, handing him his tea. "She loves you, Sherlock. Even more than she did before she knew you. I'm not going to lie, I was rather jealous of all the attention she was giving you" 

Sherlock took the tea and drinks some tea before putting it down on the coffee table. “Jealous? Why? You can see that she really loves you. You are literally her whole world. Me? I’m just some random person who has walked into her life.”

John actually gaped at Sherlock for a moment. "For a smart person, you can be so stupid. Even before she met you, Sherlock, you were her father and she's always, always had the intention of meeting you. Me being jealous is silly, I know, but you thinking that is the stupidest thing I've heard in years and I spent lots of time around Harry and she's not the brightest bulb – got a few screws loose too" 

Sherlock looked down at laughed. “It’s not stupid. Makes perfect sense if you think about it. I came into her life and now you have to share her with me. That’s quite a big change.”

John sighed "Let's just say we're both being a bit silly and move on, hm?" 

John hummed and picked up his tea. He sipped before he realises what cup he's used for himself.

He put it down with shaking hands, memories of his relationship for the last three months flashing past him as he stared at the stupid cup. He remembered how he's been cheated on and looks down at his hands, which are balled up into fists.

Why wasn't he enough? Why did he go off with some woman..? He hated that he wasn't enough. 

Sherlock looked over to John when he heard the cup slam on the table. He saw John’s face and knew that it is a bad sign. “Are you okay?” he asked, putting his own cup down also.

John looked in the opposite direction to Sherlock, his eyes filled with tears. He had never been this emotional before he left Sherlock. He was so much stronger back then. 

"I… I'm sorry. It's just… That's the cup he always used and it sort of just reminded me that I've been cheated on" His voice shook as he spoke and he felt stupid for breaking down this way. "This keeps happening. No Alpha is happy with me" 

Sherlock sat there, unable to do anything. In that moment he felt so helpless and awkward. If it wasn’t John who was breaking down he would have left as soon as he saw the tears but it is John. “No alpha? I was happy with you and I bet that loads of your past boyfriends/girlfriends have been happy with you.”

John looked back to Sherlock and blinked, wiping his tear away. He didn't think past 'this Alpha was happy with me' before he leaned forward quickly and captureed Sherlock's lips in a harsh, desperate kiss.

Sherlock lightly placed his hand on the back of John’s neck pulling him in. He doesn’t think about what this means only that he has wanting to do this for so long and now he can.

They kiss for some time, alternating between the harsh kisses and the slower, softer ones that meant just lightly teasing the tip of each other's tongues. 

It felt... incredible to have Sherlock's lips again on his. It seems like they hadn't changed at all in the past twelve years. He stills tastes and feels the same. John's hands automatically raise and allow his fingers to bury themselves in Sherlock's soft curls. They hadn't changed either.

It wasn't until John began to push Sherlock backwards so that he is lying on the couch before his mind catches up with him. He slowed down, but continued to kiss Sherlock for a few moments. Then, he gently pulled back and stared at Sherlock as realisation dawned on him. 

Oh, God. He's pretty sure he's just done what he's not meant to do...

When John moved away, Sherlock immediately realised what was going to happen simply from the look on John’s face. He honestly didn’t want it to go that far, he just wanted to taste the man he had been longing for for 12 years but once he started to taste him, he couldn’t stop.

"I..." John's not sure what to say. He wanted to tell Sherlock to kiss him again but he knew he shouldn't. "Let's just forget about that, okay? I was upset… I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry..." 

Clearing his throat, John stood and picked up his cup, heading into the kitchen to pour his tea into a different cup. 

Sherlock put his hands in his hair and shook his head, annoyed with himself. He should have just said that he liked it or something not just sit there like an idiot. But now it’s done and he has to respect John’s wishes. All he wanted to do was to make John happy and if forgetting what just happened does that, then he will keep to it. Sherlock sat there drinking his tea waiting for John to come back.

As John transferred his tea, he sniffed and stares down at the liquid. God, he's such a bloody idiot. Why did he have to go and kiss Sherlock? 

Even though it was stupid and reckless and could ruin the family that they were steadily building, John couldn't bring him to regret it. Kissing Sherlock just then had felt as amazing as the first time they kissed. It put John on cloud nine because it just felt right. Like Sherlock was the person he should be kissing... and maybe he was, but Alex came first. If he and Sherlock did do anything and fell out again because of it, Alex would be crushed. John couldn't risk Sherlock feeling he has to leave. 

When John returned to the living room, he was smiling softly and didn't look that upset anymore. He'd end things tomorrow and that would be the end of it. No more dating, not until Alex was content with their family. 

Sherlock smiled back, his hands gripping onto his trousers as he sat there. “Maybe I should go…”

"You don't have to. The spare room is always open to you... It's your choice, though. I just… I don't want us to be awkward, for Alex's sake. Of course, saying that, I'm always the one making it awkward for us." John gave a weak laugh. 

“I have a case that I need to work on. If I work on it tonight then I will have time to start sorting out Alex’s room tomorrow.” Sherlock lied effortlessly. He needed to give John some space, let him sort out his problems without Sherlock getting in the way.

Sherlock got up off the sofa, draining his cup dry before kissing John on the cheek and whispered.“If you need to talk just call me.”

John nodded, surprised but pleased with both the kiss on his cheek and Sherlock's words. And with the front door banging shut, the house was silent again.

"Okay" John replies, voice hoarse. He stands and shows Sherlock out, thanking him as he does. 

Sherlock walks back to his flat, needing the fresh air to calm himself down. Once he reaches his flat he feels a lot better and instantly lies on the sofa, entering his mind palace to try and sort things out.

John ends up falling asleep on his sofa, giving himself a stiff neck when he wakes at 3am and groggily walks up the stairs. He checks on Alex, out of habit, and when he sees her sound asleep, he makes his way to his own room and collapses on his bed.