Sophia Holmes and the Sign of Three (Sherlock's Daughter Fanfic) *Completed*

Chapter Fourteen - The Sign of Three Part VI

I watch from the high table as the guests start to 'mingle' before the reception begins.

Molly has already taken her seat with Tom and is canoodling with him in the corner, repeatedly kissing his cheek while Tom grows ever-more awkward. It turns out she really does have a type - according to Mycroft, 'Tom' was given a new identity after being bought out by him. He was the assassin with his gun trained on us when dad faked his suicide. The only reason he didn't shoot was because Mycroft's team got to him before he could and persuaded him otherwise. He's also the lookalike that Moriarty sent in to kidnap the Bruhl children, which just shows how obsessed Molly is with dad.

I watch as the photographer takes a photo of them, then moves around to Mrs Hudson and Mr Chatterjee who are sitting a few seats away. Judging by their continued relationship, Mrs Hudson has either forgiven him for already having two wives, or she hasn't yet found out about the one in Islamabad.

As he drifts off to photograph the other guests, I search the crowd for Janine, wanting to keep a weather eye on her while I confirm or reject my suspicions. Unsurprisingly, I find her stood with dad.

Wanting to assert my presence, I make my way through the crowd to join them.

"He's nice," Janine says, looking admiringly at a passing waiter.

I sniff deeply. "Traces of two leading brands of deodorant, both advertised for their strength, suggestive of a chronic body odour problem manifesting under stress," I say, stopping beside them. Janine eyes me carefully, then raises her eyebrows.

"Okay, done there." She gestures towards the kitchen where another waiter is carefully pulling a skewer from the middle of a joint of roast beef. "What about his friend?"

"Long-term relationship, compulsive cheat," dad answers.

"Seriously?"

"Waterproof cover on his smartphone," he points out. "Yet his complexion doesn't indicate outdoor work. Suggests he's in the habit of taking his phone into the shower with him, which means he often receives texts and emails he'd rather went unseen."

Janine moves her admiring gaze to dad. "Can I keep you?"

"D'you like solving crimes?"

"Do you have a vacancy?"

Dad's eyes drift over to where John is standing with Mary, and I clear my throat. He's acting the same as he always used to with mum - making snappy deductions in order to impress. The fact Janine is brunette is just rubbing it in.

"Janine, can you give us a minute?" I ask, and she shrugs and heads off.

Dad looks at me questioningly. "What?"

"Are you going to tell me why you're chatting up the chief bridesmaid?"

He looks at me, taken aback. "I wasn't, I was just ... chatting. The best man is supposed to interact with guests." I raise my eye, not buying it. "Okay," he says, his voice dropping quieter, "she's PA to Charles Magnussen. Thought it might be useful to keep her close."

I freeze slightly at the name. Does Mary know her chief bridesmaid works for the same man she's being threatened by? Or is that the reason for her befriending her? It also doesn't do anything to stop my suspicions. I clear my throat, and look back at dad. "And that's it?"

"Of course that's it, what else would it be?"

I raise my eyebrows and look away, then do a double take as someone comes through the door. "Looks like he came," I say, nodding towards the scarred man in the army uniform, then smirk. "John Watson's 'previous commander'."

Dad glares at me, then looks to the door as John moves forward to greet him. We go over to Mary, but keep watching John and Sholto.

"So that's him," dad says to Mary, his voice sounding disapproving. "Major Sholto."

"Uh-huh," Mary nods.

"If they're such good friends, why has he never mentioned him before now?" I ask.

Mary looks surprised. "He mentions him all the time to me. He never shuts up about him."

"About him?" dad asks.

"Mm-hmm." She takes a sip from her wine glass then grimaces. "Urgh. I chose this wine. It's bloody awful."

I narrow my eyes: surely she wouldn't choose a wine she didn't like, so she must have had a change in taste. Tied together with the sickness this morning...

"Yes, but it's definitely him that he talks about?" dad says, cutting into my thoughts.

"Mm-hmm," Mary confirms.

"I've never even heard him say his name," dad says.

"Well, he's almost a recluse – you know, since ..."

"Yes."

"I didn't think he'd show up at all," Mary admits. "John says he's the most unsociable man he's ever met."

Dad balks. "He is? He's the most unsociable?"

"Mm."

"Ah, that's why he's bouncing round him like a puppy," dad says bitterly, and I roll my eyes. John's not the only one bouncing around like a puppy trying to impress.

Mary grins and hugs his arm. "Oh, Sherlock! Neither of us were the first, you know."

Dad looks down at Mary. "Stop smiling."

"It's my wedding day!" she says indignantly and dad rolls his eyes and pulls free, walking away.

I watch him go to the back of the room and pull out his phone before calling someone - Mycroft probably - and I frown. Dad never calls. Never. In fact, the only time I've known him call anyone was on that fateful day three years ago. I look around at everyone else in the room. When did things start to change so rapidly? Three years on and I feel everyone has changed so much. This is a far cry from our life as we used to know it. I wonder if things will ever truly return back to normal. I'm starting to doubt it will.

I turn to Mary. "Did you know Janine is Magnussen's PA?" I ask her quietly.

She nods. "We met a few years ago. Most of my friends are people who are closely linked to anyone likely to use my past against me."

I raise an eyebrow. "Neat. So do you actually like any of them?" Mary smirks. Sounds like why I would make friends. "Do you happen to know her last name at all?"

Mary thinks for a moment. "Moriarty, I think. Why?"

I grimace. Thought so. Both are Irish with dark hair and warm brown eyes, and apparently obsessive attitudes towards dad. Probably working for Magnussen because he knows she had a psychopathic criminal mastermind of a brother which she didn't want getting out. 

I turn back to Mary, fixing a smile. The last thing she needs to be worrying about now is that. "Doesn't matter."