Sherlock Imagines and Preferences

Single Father

Requested by PrincessPeach211 

I feel like the quality of my oneshots is getting worse each time I attempt to write something. Do you have the same feeling, or is it just me? Anyways, I hope you enjoy this oneshot. ♥

~***~

You held your father's hand tightly as you stood in front of your mother's grave, placing some flowers next to the gravestone, just like every Sunday. Your mother had committed suicide after suffering from postpartum depression for a long time. Sherlock had tried everything to help her, but he couldn't. 

You, of course, didn't know how or why your mother died. Sherlock thought you were too young to carry the burden of knowing that your mother committed suicide after you were born. It was hard for Sherlock, raising you all on his own. He didn't see himself as a good parent to you, he was still struggling with getting over the death of your mother and that wasn't helping with taking care of you. He saw so much of your mother in you, it hurt him every single day.

''Daddy?'' You called, breaking the silence. ''Yes, Darling?'' Sherlock said, his voice soft and filled with sadness. ''Why is mommy not coming home with us?'' You wondered. Sherlock smiled sadly and picked you up, fighting back tears. ''I'll tell you when you're older, okay?'' He said gently. You nodded tiredly and rested your head on your father's shoulder, the heaviness of the day getting to you. ''Tired.'' You mumbled sleepily. Sherlock smiled gently and kissed the top of your head. ''Let's go home.'' He whispered. 

Your eyes started to close as Sherlock walked back to 221B, with you in his arms. ''Go to sleep, Darling,'' Sherlock said, noticing you were struggling to stay awake. You hummed and closed your eyes, falling asleep instantly in the protective arms of your father.

Sherlock carefully placed you on the couch and covered you with a warm blanket, making sure you wouldn't wake up. You stirred a little but continued sleeping peacefully. Sherlock hurried to your bedroom to get you your favourite stuffed animal, an otter with a blue scarf that looked exactly like his scarf. He placed the stuffed otter next to you when he returned to the living room. You immediately wrapped your arms around it, hugging it tightly against your chest. Sherlock smiled softly and pressed a kiss to your forehead before sitting down in his own chair.

He buried his face in his hands as silent tears escaped his eyes. The grief of his girlfriend's death was still as painful as ever. He felt like a failure, not just because he failed to save your mother, but also because he felt like he wasn't a good father to you. He did the best he could, but it was hard being a single father. He often had to leave you with a babysitter, because he had cases to solve or other business to take care of. He constantly felt like he wasn't good enough for you, you deserved a much better parent. His silent tears turned into loud sobs and it caused you to wake up.

You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and sat up. You saw your father sitting in his chair, his hands covering his face as he cried. You got up from the couch and quietly walked over to Sherlock, clutching your stuffed otter in your hand. ''Daddy?'' You called softly. He looked up and stared at you as tears rolled down his cheeks. ''Oh, sorry, Darling. Did I wake you up?'' He asked, pretending to be fine. You nodded and crawled onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around your small frame and rested his head on top of yours. You looked at your stuffed animal and back at your dad's tear stained face, deciding that he needed it more than you did. ''You can have my otter, daddy.'' You said. ''He makes everyone happy.'' 

Sherlock smiled slightly as he took the stuffed animal from you. ''Thank you, Darling.'' He said, more tears rolling down his cheeks. ''You're welcome.'' You smiled. Sherlock wrapped his arms tighter around you as he continued to cry. ''I love you, baby girl.'' He whispered. ''I love you, too, daddy.'' You said, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

''Can we visit mommy again tomorrow?'' You wondered. Sherlock nodded and kissed your cheek. ''I think your mother would like that.''