I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 9 : Alden

Mycroft and Greg were sat in a large and clean waiting room in a building in Somerset. They were holding hand, the auburn watching his feet and the DI examining an advertising poster displayed on the wall opposite him.
"Mr Holmes, Mr Lestrade ?"interrupted a smiling grey-haired woman who just stepped in the room."May you follow me ?".
Both of them raised to their feet, still holding hands. They followed the lady through a corridor and ended up in what looks like a large dinning room with eight or nine small circular tables and loads of children drawings on the wall. By the windows they could see a garden where around twenty kids from every age were playing in little groups. They had stopped to watch this scene but the grey-haired woman lead them through another corridor to what looks like a nursery where 5 toddlers from 6 months to 2 years were playing in balls pond and foam structures. Waiting on the door step, the official and the inspector were looking softly at this scene while the grey-haired, who seems to be the person in charge of this institution, was talking to one of the childcarer.
The young blonde woman approached a little boy and lifting him gently from the floor, took him in her arm before coming back to the two men waiting, accompanied by the older woman.

"Here he is." smiled the grey-haired woman. "This is Alden.". The little ginger boy hidden his face in the childcarer's neck, shyly. The elder Holmes ran a fond finger on the toddler's cheek. "Hello little man" he told him with a low voice.He was smiling like he haven't smiled since he had been a child himself.
"Like it was stated in his file, Alden is 19 months old and he is here since 10 months." continued the woman. "But you already know all that.". She turned to the child. "Alden, why don't you say hello ?" she suggested him softly.
Diffidently, the boy turn his head to the two strangers who was still looking at him. "Lo !" he said quickly before crawling his head in the young woman's neck again. The childcarer laughed quietly and asked "Would you like to carry him ?". Mycroft nodded and she handled him the toddler. Carefully the auburn bring him closer to his chest and put a little kiss on his forehead.
Gregory who had stayed quiet during this old time approached the little boy and took his hand. Seeing the little kid reminded him from the birth of his own children and of the joy he had felt at this moment. When he had splitted apart from Eleanor he never thought that he would felt this feeling again."Hello you ..."
"Why won't you take a little time with him here before we go back to my office for the final paperwork ?" suggested the lady to the two men. The inspector nodded to her and the two women discreetly disappeared, letting him and his partner with the little boy. The official put him back on the floor and asked him "What's your favourite game ?". Alden didn't answer but ran to game chest and took a little foam balloon from it. He kicked in it to make it roll to the auburn.
"Here we go ! A good kid, I'm telling that to you !" laughed Greg. "A new footy in the family!".
The elder Holmes kick back the ball gently, making the baby smile. "Beware the troubles ... Maybe I should try to exchange him before it's too late" he joked to his lover.
The ball came back to the grey-haired man this time. He juggled with it a couple of time before sending it back to the ginger who was looking at him with round eyes. When he received the ball he tried to do the same but ended up falling on his bump. Scared that he injured himself the official hurried over him but the child was giggling, finding this situation pretty amusing. He stood up to his feet and kicked the ball back.

They played with the ball for a dozen of minutes, Lestrade showing more of his acrobatic skills to the toddler who was heavily impressed – the auburn was nearly as impressed as the little boy, but didn't show it – before the grey-haired woman andthe blonde childcarer came back to them.
"Sirs ? Shall we go to my office while Alden pay farewell to his little friends ?" the woman suggested, then turning to the boy she added "You remember what I've said you this morning Alden ? It's time to say goodbye to your comrades and to prepare Mr Nobody for leaving ok ?" The child nodded then took the hand the blonde was offering him.
While they were following to responsible to her office, the auburn asked her "Who is Mr Nobody ?".
"His stuffed rabbit. It's a trick we use to make them realise they are leaving. They prepare the departure of their favourite toy so then they realise that they are leaving you see ?" replied the woman.
"That's a way of associating him to the arrangements made for their departure, isn't it ?" suggested the DI.
"Yes, exactly. It's more concrete for them, they are part of the process, it's positive for them." answered the lady, opening the door of a small but tidy office. "Please take a seat.".

They spent the next half an hour filling some paperworks and getting recommendation from the lady on how to handle the first days of the toddler in his new home. Because of Mycroft position in the Government, the process has been quite quick and easy and the future parents had had very few conditions to fulfil but the lady in front of them didn't knew that and was giving them the same speech she gave to every future parents who often had waited for years before being able to fulfil the adoption process. The official remembered the first conversation he had had with Gregory just 5 months ago and couldn't actually believe that all that had come real on this day.
When they exited the office and came back to the waiting room where they were sat earlier in the day Alden was waiting for them, standing next to a blue bag full of his personal belonging, a threadbare stuffed rabbit in his arms and a light jacket over his clothes to protect him from this windy day of May. The childcarer was holding his hand but as soon as he saw the auburn, he let her hand goand grabbed the official's. The two women said a last goodbye to the toddler before letting the two men leave with him.
A black car was waiting for them on the building's car park and a booster was installed on the back seat behind the driver. Gregory strapped thechild in it then take the front passenger seat while Mycroft crawled into the other back seat, near to his son.

The drive from the suburbs of Bath to the centre of London was supposed to take around 2 and a half hours but the driver enjoyed a fluid traffic to increase his speed on the main road and in less than 2 hours to had reached the Holmes house.
During the journey Alden had asked questions to the auburn about who he was and his house. When Mycroft had told him a little about his brother solving crimes the little boy had been rather impressed and that remind the official of Sherlock's own reaction before detective stories when he was achild.
The driver parked the car in front of the house's door and the elder Holmes, after exiting the car and reaching the other side of it, unstrapped the toddler. Greg picked up the bag in the boot and opened the door, letting the two others in.
Putting Alden on the floor and grabbing his hand, Mycroft lead the kid through the different room of the house. After showing him the dinning and sitting room and the kitchen, the auburn allowed the little boy in his private office - which was a rare privilege, even the inspector had only been invited there a couple of time - , showing to the baby his gigantic chess pieces and coat of armour.
Gregory then lead the boy to the second floor and showed him his room. The latter was really excited already and when he saw the pirate themed room that the couple had put together for him, he started running around the room and shouting happily. The two men sorted out the toddler's belongings in the closet and on the shelves.
"Why don't you come downstairs to have something to eat little man ?" asked theofficial. "What do you want to eat ?"
"Omelette !" answered the little boy, taking the DI's hand to lead him downstairs.

Gregory was standing on the living room's doorstepwatching his lover and his son playing together on the floor betweenthe couches. The little boy was rolling a miniature police car on the carpet, imitating the sound of the siren and the auburn was running another miniature car, pretending to be a robber.
The detective grabbed his phone from his pocket and took a picture of the two of them discreetly. He never thought he would one day see this scene happen, his partner with a kid, having fun and now that it was actually happening, he didn't want to forget it.
Suddenly hisboyfriend noticed his presence and smiled to him, asking the DI to join them. The inspector sat on the floor beside his son and grabbed another car. "Who do you want me to play Alden ?" he asked the little boy.
After a few seconds of cogitation, the kid replied "Bad." and continued shouting like a siren. He was obviously enjoying himself as much as the government official was. The latter was only wearing his shirt, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, the jacket abandoned on the nearby couch.
The boy miniature car finally won his pursuit against the auburn's miniature car and he jumped to his feet, shouting in victory. He kissed Mycroft forehead and jumped on Greg's back. "Sleep !" he asked happily.