Sherlock smiles when he finishes reading the book, and his smile grows when he sees Lily's hopeful face. "It's lovely."

"Thank you," she says.

"I wanna read it!" Rosie shouts.

John laughs. "I'll help you," by which he meant he'll read it to her. Sherlock hands John the laptop and turns back to Lily.

"Now that your book is done, are you going to focus on your bakery?" he asks.

Her smile drops a little. "I suppose I should."

He sits down on the couch and gently pulls her with him. "What's the matter?"

"I don't know." She sighs. "I still want to — open a bakery, I mean. I've just been putting it off for so long and it seems like such a monumental task. My fund isn't replenished yet, besides. I don't know if I could afford it."

"Yes, but... Well, Speedy's is the perfect place, right? How long will it be available?"

"And what about my job in the fall?"

"We could help, while you're there. It's just downstairs."

She smiles at him again, then hugs him. "Thank you, Sherlock. I'll keep that in mind while I'm thinking about all this."

They sit and watch John read to Rosie for a bit, laughing at his voices and Rosie's reactions. When he's done, Lily says goodbye and goes back downstairs. Sherlock sits in his chair, and Rosie comes over with one of her dolls. "Beatrice needs a diaper change. Can you help?"

Sherlock refrains from sighing. Beatrice hasn't been around for a while, but she must've found her somewhere in her room this morning. Lestrade bought her the awful thing that cries, wees, and poos likely to laugh at Sherlock and John having to clean up after it. At least if they got a dog, it would love them in return.

He grabs a dish towel, lays the doll on top of it, and helps Rosie change the thing's diaper, while the thing cries. Rosie puts the pacifier in its mouth to shut it up. "She cries so much."

"So did you," John says, coming into the sitting room.

"When I was a baby?"

"Yes, when you were a baby."

"Wouldn't Marcy be much more fun to play with?" Sherlock suggests, referring to her doll that doesn't need batteries — or fed or changed. "Or your trains?"

"Trains are boring right now," Rosie replies. "And Marcy's name is Daisy now. Like a flower."

"When did that happen?" John asks.

"When Lily came. We have flower names. Daisy does, too."

Daisy, Sherlock thinks, is not a bad name for a dog.

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Lily cleans her flat while on the phone with everyone about the book. She calls her parents first —her mom, who's at the store, then her dad, who's working with Uriah. She tells them both at the the same time, and as Uriah celebrates, she hears something crash to the ground, as he knocked something over in his excitement. He's using his published book character as his fun fact about himself for the rest of his life, apparently.

Next, she calls Raven, who is also very excited to have a published character named after her. Then, she's able to call Gabby to discuss more about illustrating it. She assures everyone that their names will be on the book to give them credit for their help. Finally, Liam calls her back, now on lunch. He asks her to read him the email, which she does.

"That's so exciting, Lil," he says.

"I know. I'm buzzing," she replies as she wipes down her counters. "Now I just need to think of a better title."

"Uriah's Great Mistake."

"Hey, now."

"Alright, alright, I'll leave the titles to you. Have you told Sherlock?"

"Right after you hung up. John read it to Rosie, too, and she loved it. So now I know it's going to work."

"A Rosie stamp of approval is really all you need."

"Exactly."

He chuckles, then asks, through a mouthful of food, "How are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Lily laughs.

"How are you doing?" he repeats. "You know, since the whole... Moran thing."

"You don't have to call it the 'Moran thing.' I'm doing a lot better since I got kidnapped and almost killed. Sherlock's still bruised, though, not that he's complained about it."

"My bad."

"Better bruised than dead."

"Yeah, I know." He pauses, and Lily hears rustling on the other end, then the bell of a shop door. "Listen, I'm proud of you. I don't know if that means much, I guess, but after everything that's happened this summer... I mean, did you ever think you'd be solving crimes with Sherlock Holmes?"

"Not exactly."

"And now you have a boyfriend, and you've wrote another book, and you've faced death, like, multiple times. I've never seen you so brave before in my life. The way you talked to Moran, I couldn't believe it."

"Well, I can assure you, I was terrified."

"But you did it anyway. That's what matters."

She soon has to hang up, as Liam has to return to work. Lily continues cleaning until lunch time, then looks through her fridge for something to eat. But nothing sounds as good as a sandwich.

She walks upstairs to Speedy's. He's put up a sign in the window, advertising that he's selling the place. A price isn't listed, though. He's in the back when Lily orders, but he comes out after she's gotten her food. She leaves it in the bag, chewing on her lip.

"Hey, Lily," Speedy says. "How are you doing? I heard something about you and Sherlock getting into trouble on the news."

"Oh, we're alright. Now, anyway. I wanted to ask you..." She stops. "Sorry. How are you?"

He raises a brow at her. "I'm alright. Are you sure you are?"

She nods, then bites the bullet. "How much are you selling the place for?"

He leans on the counter. "Are you looking to buy it?"

"Possibly. I've been wanting to open a bakery."

Speedy laughs. "Well, that would be perfect on this street."

"The name would write itself."

He thinks a moment, then nods. "I've had a couple offers so far. Have you ever bought a shop before?"

"Never."

"Well, here's a good place to start."

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Can she afford it? Maybe. Possibly. The cost of the building, probably, but then what about the equipment and renovations? As charming as Speedy's is, it doesn't really look like a bakery, and it doesn't have all the equipment Lily will need to make multiple cakes, cookies, icings, and so on. There's also the problem of her job in the fall. Can she really have a bakery and teach at the same time? Sherlock said he and John would help, but he has his own job with a very unpredictable schedule.

She starts checking accounts and making some calls.

The first person she calls is the woman who hired her in the first place, though she has no idea what she's going to say. What's the schedule like? Do you think this is possible? It can't be much different than her old school, so there really is no point in asking. But with the bakery so close... As scared as she is, she wants to do this.

"Hello?" the woman — a Mrs. Peters — says.

"Hello, this is Lily Marlow."

"Oh."

Lily pauses. "Oh?"

There's a sigh on the other end. "Miss Marlow, I've been meaning to call you, I just... Well, I didn't know what to say and I was holding out hope..."

"For what?"

"The enrollment period for students is closing tomorrow, and we don't have enough children to put in your class. We have two other Year One teachers with classes that are already small. We weren't expecting such a low number, what with the sizes of the other years, and in the past we've needed three teachers, but... Miss Marlow, you're the newest hire. Most of these teachers have been here for years, and it doesn't seem right to let go of them when they have seniority."

Lily beams. "Wonderful."

Mrs. Peters is silent for a long time. "I'm sorry?"

"This works out perfectly. I think I'm opening a bakery. I wouldn't have time to teach, anyway."

"Oh." She's still stunned. "Oh, well, I'm glad. And I'm still so terribly sorry about all of this."

"Don't be. Thank you. Goodbye."

After hanging up, she sends a text to Liam, looks at her accounts again, and goes into the office. Her file of all her bakery stuff is in here — the Pinterest boards, the equipment, the menu ideas. The thing has a layer of dust on it, but she brushes it off. She may not be able to make it look like it does in her dreams yet, but surely she can find some used equipment in working condition.

By the time Liam is off work and able to call her, Lily has already saved a few tabs on her laptop of things she wants to get. Liam is practically shouting into the phone as he walks down the street, presumably about to hail a cab. "You're insane! Out of nowhere, and it is a good location, but what about your fund-?"

"The book is being published."

"Yeah, but not right now."

"Speedy already has other offers, and he said he'd give me a good deal, anyway. I'm also out of a job for the school year, so this seems like a good option right now. I can get loans or something if I need to. And I found some used equipment and the cutest decorations. I'm thinking a yellow theme. Or maybe a baby blue. Or... lilac? Lilac is also good. These tables come in all kinds of colors, so we have options. Oh, or what about a fairy garden? I can get the little toadstools and we can put plants everywhere-"

"It sounds like your heart is set on this."

For the first time in a while, she realizes he's right. "Yeah. Yeah, I think it is."

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Music is playing through the shop as Raven and Liam are painting the walls a forest green. Sherlock and John are painting tabletops red while Gabby adds white dots to the dry ones. Elliot and Uriah are building a shelf, and Lily and Rosie are going through a box of thrifted knickknacks and trying to decide which ones go in the bakery and which ones she should put in her flat. The fairy castle from Liam is already on the counter. In the kitchen, her father, mother, and Mrs. Hudson are trying to figure out the best place to put the equipment for maximum efficiency.

"This is significantly easier than renovating your flat," Uriah comments.

Raven stops singing long enough to reply. "Yeah, we're not moving a couch down the stairs this time."

Lily looks up. "Although, wouldn't a couch be so comfy in here? Like a light green one. Or a dusty pink."

"Or one with flowers," Rosie suggests.

"Wonderful idea. Somebody write that down."

The bell on the door dings, and in comes Mycroft and Molly Hooper — coincidentally arriving at the same time. Sherlock looks up. "Well, I am pleased to see one of you."

"Let me guess which one," Mycroft replies.

Lily glances at Liam, who is frozen, looking at Molly, who has not yet noticed. Lily walks over, nudges Sherlock lightly, then turns to Mycroft and Molly. "I invited Molly, and Mycroft is welcome anytime, so whoever you're not pleased to see, keep it to yourself. I need taste testers for my menu."

"Oh, no, I'm only here to observe," Mycroft says.

Lily tries not to grin, then turns around. "Liam, that coat is almost done. Why don't you join Molly and me?"

"I- Well, Raven-"

"I'll finish it," Raven says. "You go and take one for the team."

"Yeah, he's got a really hard job," Uriah deadpans.

Lily's father exits the kitchen. "I would also like to volunteer to taste test."

Lily checks her phone. "The equipment will be delivered in half an hour."

"That's enough time for a taste test."

Lily concedes, hoping she can talk to her father enough that Liam and Molly will have to talk to each other. Though, he's getting his cool back now. Lily kisses Sherlock on the cheek, then exits the bakery, leading her three taste testers to her flat. Molly asks to use the loo before they start, and Liam turns to Lily.

"Remember how you used it to hate it when I meddled with your love life?" he whispers.

"Yes, and I worked out wonderfully for me, remember?"

Their father grabs a fork and starts eating a slice of cake. "Who's love life are we meddling with?"

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The menu is set, the decorations are up, and the equipment is in. Now, Lily has to order ingredients in bulk and hopefully figure out how she's going to bake all this to have enough to sell everyday, assuming people come in. When she has the ability, she'll need to hire an extra set of hands. As she's writing down everything she needs and how much, figuring out prices, the door opens. Sherlock enters, smiling. "The sign looks great."

"It better. I paid for it," Lily replies.

"I watered the garden for you," he says.

"Thank you. I might need those fruits for in here, eventually. Ingredients are expensive."

"You'll sell so much baked goods, you could buy a whole grocery store."

She chuckles, leaning on the counter towards him. "Are you certain about that?"

He leans forward, too. "Very."

"And your reasoning?"

"I believe in you." He shrugs. "And you put the brown sugar cookies on the menu."

She laughs. "I'll save you the messed up ones."

"I'll look forward to it."

"But you have to share them with Rosie, John, and Mrs. Hudson."

He frowns, so she nudges him, and he smiles again. "Thank you."

"For what?" She raises a brow. "Reminding you to be nice?"

"For being you." She looks down at that, unable to meet his eyes as she smiles. When she's finally able to look back up at him, he's still looking at her as if he's in a dream. "You're remarkable."

"Says the only consulting detective in the entire world."

"You are."

"So are you."

"Then I would know, wouldn't I?"

She shakes her head, chuckling, then reaches across to grab his hand. What would she do without him? Yes, she's lived most of her life that way, but she can't imagine what it would be like if she never met him. She definitely wouldn't be here, with a second book about to be published and a bakery about to open. When she looks back at him, he seems closer than before, and it's so easy to just close the remaining distance and press one, chaste kiss to his lips. His cheeks turn bright red, but he leans in again and kisses her back, and suddenly there isn't a large notebook in front of her full of expenses.

The bell above the door dings, and they pull away quickly.

"You should lock that when the shop isn't open," Sherlock says.

Liam lets the door close behind him. "I still would've seen you through the glass and been scarred for life regardless."

Sherlock rolls his eyes, squeezes Lily's hand, and heads for the door. "I'm off to get Rosie a dog, so I'll see you later."

"Bye." Lily smiles.

"Bye."

As the door closes, Liam pretends to gag.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Lily asks. "It's Monday."

Liam beams. "I quit my job."

"You did what?"

"I hate that prison, and I've got a good plan lined up. I figured if anyone could do the books here, it might as well be me. Plus, I have some savings I could invest in this place."

Lily is almost speechless. "You would do that for me?"

"Well, it's for me, too. Somehow, working for my older sister sounds better than my old boss. And... you know, maybe I would have more time to solve some murders and... see somebody here l'd like to get to know better. So..."

Lily grins. "I see my meddling is working so far."

"Yeah, yeah." He walks around the counter to look at the notebook Lily has. "So, where should I start?"

"Well, here's my list of expenses that I've got down at the moment."

"I see, I see. Hey, I have an idea."

"Let's hear it."

"Let's look at this stuff over lunch. We haven't been to that Thai place in a while."

Lily laughs. "Alright, let's go." They walk out into the bustling street to hail a cab, and Lily locks the door to the Baker Street Bakery.