I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 93 : Christmas shopping

"Don't you think we should return to the shop where you've found the painting last time ?" suggested Molly, deadpan.
"I'm not sure my abs would resist to a new visit." chuckled Greg.
"I really don't see why seriously. They were delightful, weren't they ?" winked the young woman.
"Yes, undoubtedly." nodded the yarder. "Very professional to."
"Is it just me who is completely dumb or are you as lost as I am ?" John murmured to Sally.
"If you are dumb, then we are two." replied the policewoman, glancing a rather confused look to the other man.
The four of them were sat alongside the Camden canal, enjoying a warm plate of Indian curry for all of them except Greg who had chosen a giant burrito, burning himself twice with the hot meat. They had arrived in Camden a few minutes earlier, taking advantage of this bright and cold Saturday afternoon to finish their Christmas shopping. Gregory had already bought Mycroft's present a couple of weeks ago but he was still looking for some presents for his three older children and he was pretty sure he would find everything to please them in the market.
"So what are you looking for Greg ?" Dr Watson asked his friend.
"Absolutely no idea." smiled the detective. "That's the thing when kids stop believing in Santa, they also stop doing lists."
"So the plan is to stroll across the place until you find something that may interest them ?" wondered Sally in a grin.
"Pretty much yes." nodded her boss. "Well I think that Sarah would probably be happy with a pair of Doc Martin's and a couple of t-shirts but for the boys I have no bloody ideas ..."
"I kinda like this plan." John agreed.
"You think you'll find something for Sherlock down here ?" Molly questioned him.
"Oh no, for that I may pay you a visit on the 23rd." the man laughed. "No, I'm looking for a present for my sister. She've invited me for lunch a couple of day before Christmas so I suppose it would be rude not to present her with something."
"Wasn't she in rehab ?" remarked Donovan, surprised.
"Yes, she is just out since a week." nodded Watson. "And I have good hopes it will work properly this time."
"That's good news ! Finger cross than." smiled Greg before burning his tongue again with the burrito yammering like a kid, making his friends laugh greatly.
"What are you doing on Christmas day Sally ? Going to see your parents ?" Molly wondered after they had caught up their breath.
"No, I don't really fancy a six hours round trip just to have lunch with them as I'm working the next day. I'll visit them later but this year we will go to Scott's family in Kingston." denied the young woman. "What about you ? Down to Cornwall ?"
"No this year my mum convinced my dad to visit me in London, so it will be just the three of us at home." smiled the post-mortem. "Can you imagine that, I've been living in London for nearly 13 years now and my Dad never came to visit. He doesn't really like the cities. Farmers for generations ..."

"Look, that's cute." Greg remarked, showing a t-shirt to Molly.
"Yes, very cute, but I'm not sure Sarah will really appreciate it ..." replied the young woman with a little smile.
"Why ?" wondered the detective. "It's nice."
"How old is she ? 13 isn't it ?" retorted the post-mortem. "Well I'm not sure for her, but if I had been presented something like this at 13 I would probably have felt a little offended ... You see, teenagers aren't really into those kinds of characters anymore. This one is better."
She handled him another t-shirt depicturing the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory in a vintage style that Greg hadn't noticed before. His daughter, just like him, was a great fan of the show and, unlike him, always had considered the Eleventh Doctor as the best one when her dad thought that ten was still a little better.
"Nowadays girl don't want to be consider like little princesses anymore you know ? They want badass female leads and are as geeky and sporty than the boys !" smiled Molly, apparently very pleased with this idea and showing her friend another t-shirt depicturing Hermione from Harry Potter, arms cross on her chest over the inscription 'Don't challenge a muggle-borrn'.
"I know, but it's hard for me to admit she isn't 6 anymore ..." smiled the inspector.
"Oh and while we are on the subject I'm not sure that Lucas will love a Cars t-shirt either. You'd better keep all those Disney stuff for the last two ... Just an advice." remarked the young woman making her friend chuckled.
"What a shame ... I was thinking of a Winnie the Poo complete cosplay for him !" the latter replied, deadpan.
"That's to match the Eeyore cosplay you have bought Mycroft, isn't it ?" retorted Molly, as deadpan.
"Piglet, it's piglet." denied the detective before the two of them break into laughters.
"Once again it seems like you two are having a lot of fun about things we can't understand." remarked John while joining the two others, Sally by his side as they both had stopped in another shop to by some new phone cases.
"Oh look ! Owl and Rabbit !" Greg half-yelled, making their laughters even greater and the two other's confusion even greater too.
"I think we are going to pretend we don't know them and just walk away. What do you think of that ?" Sally proposed to Watson.
"Who are you talking about ? I see no one I know in this shop ..." replied the other one in a grin, their two friends still laughing so hard that they were actually crying.

Ten minutes later they all had caught up their breath and made their way out of the shop, after Greg had paid for the two t-shirts the post-mortem had picked for his daughter. Most of them had found all what they were looking for but the detective still had to buy his middle son a present and despite having strolled through nearly the entire market he still had no idea what could please the young boy.
Seeing that they were no where near to find the last present and frozen by the December weather, Sally proposed the others to have a coffee in a nearby Starbucks before resuming their shopping, an idea that they all accepted enthusiastically. The closest coffee shop was just five minutes away from their position and when they entered the warm and cosy place, most of them let out a relief sigh before taking place in some of the couches near the window.
"So, what does Lucas like exactly ?" wondered Donovan while John was ordering their drinks at the bar.
"Football, cars, Pokémon. Classic laddish things I suppose." replied the detective, not over enthusiastic.
"He must have one thing he prefers over all." remarked Molly with a gentle smile.
"Yes, Chelsea freaking football club. But he already has jerseys, a scarf and a ball. He also like Dr Who but now that I've got Sarah something Who related, if I got him one too there is going to be a war between the two." sighed Greg before rolling his eyes.
"Brothers and sisters. I'm quite glad I never had any." laughed the post-mortem.
"So do I, so do I." nodded the policeman "The only other thing he like on telly would be horror films."
"You know I've seen a little shop that sell quite great psycho costumes not far from where Sally and I bought our phone cases." suggested John, placing their warm drink in front of them.
"You really want Eleanor to murder me violently ?" Gregory laughed.
"Tho, it would be kind of a very nice and gory horror film. Nice present in a way for a horror geek." grinned Dr Watson.
"One day I'll murder you and I swear it will look like an accident." laughed the yarder.
"May I remind you I've got a 'Sherlock investigate your murder' card ?" retorted the blonde before taking a gulp of his latte. "But more seriously, this shop also sell some great poster of horror films, Hammer's mostly. If he is into this kind of things it could be great to have a couple of those framed, what do you think of that ?"
"Well yeah, that could be great. I could have one or two for Myc' to if I find some of his own favourites, that would put some colour in his cave ..." nodded Greg.
"Well he already has Reginald to bright up his days." chuckled Molly.
"Right. Tho I'm not sure if he is in his office or in the waiting room where Anthea works." the detective grinned.
"If so, poor her. Quite of daub really ..." remarked the post-mortem, making her friend laugh.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you but who are you talking about ? Does Mycroft have a new assistant ready to kidnap me everytime Sherlock doesn't pick up his phone ?" wondered John, half-jocking, half-worried at the perspective of being kidnapped once more by his brother-in-law's staff.
"Don't worry, this one should do you much harm, well except if it fell on you as it is quite large." the yarder chuckled. "It's a painting we bought a few weeks ago in a charity shop with Molly and which appeared to be a lost family portrait of my dear husband."
"Quite of an adventure." nodded the post-mortem. "Never been able to fit it in the plastic bag by the way ..."
"You are doing it again. We are completely out of the joke." warned Sally before her friends continued with their private jokes.
The two of them explained what had happened in the charity shop while they were finishing their drinks, all of them struggling not to choke of their coffee each time Molly was to imitate the old ladies voices. Their drinks finished they made their way to the shop John had talked about and spent more than half an hour choosing a couple of posters for Lucas and a few others for Mycroft, debating between them of the best horror movie they had seen and of whether gore was or wasn't needed in a film for it to be considered as horror and when they finally made a choice and Greg had paid for his purchase, the night had already fell and all of them decided that it was time to go home, John and Greg calling out for a cab while the two young ladies made their way to the nearest tube station.