Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“Have you noticed she’s more graceful now?” James asked one day, Alice had been with them for one and a half weeks, and the alpha still couldn’t get enough of staring at her.

“Alice?” Q asked from the kitchen, fixing himself some tea.

As if we talk about anything other than Alice. James thought, grinning. Each day it was a new revelation; did you see her yawn? Did you see her stretch?

“Mm.”

“Well she’s got to get better at controlling those limbs eventually. Yesterday she hit herself in the face when I was feeding her.” Q commented, sound disbelieving and exasperated by their daughter’s flailing limbs. James, who had seen Q’s own morning flails for years now, was just grinning down as he shook Alice’s tiny feet.

She was watching him, she was watching a lot more these days, awake for longer in between meals. But she was still very demanding on the meal front. Q was looking a little pale some days. James wondered if they shouldn’t change the ratio of nursing to bottle-feeding slightly so that Q could take a break, but the omega wouldn’t hear it.

Given that Q’s stubbornness could be legendary and that the man’s childhood was something of an issue when it came to parental care, James wasn’t going to push him too hard yet. He was, however, keeping a close eye on things. Besides, as Q had pointed out, his body was just adjusting to producing that amount of milk now; stopping Alice feeding wouldn’t instantly stop the flow.

Q came back over with a mug for both of them and sat down to also stare at Alice. James grinned, the thought occurring to him that Alice must think they were both quite obsessed. The little beta’s gaze flickered over to Q and fixed on his face, starting to puff out her lips in imitation of sucking. The omega sighed and dropped his mug to go pick her up.

“Don’t.” James halted him with an arm around his waist. Q sighed.

“James, we’ve talked about this.”

“And you only fed her five minutes ago, she can’t be hungry already, if she gets worried feed her then.” Q looked a little uneasy at the prospect and sat back, one hand going to hold Alice’s as the other reclaimed his tea.

James sat back, feeling a satisfied relief. Between Alice having Q’s constant focus and the omega’s own memories of neglect, he worried that they’d soon end up in a vicious cycle. But the pup relaxed and did no more than watch them and try to swallow her own fingers with both parents leaping to stop her.

All was quiet for a long while until James turned on the TV and the sound of some nature program’s twittering tropical birds came on. About to switch channels the alpha paused when Q started flapping at him.

“No no no stop she likes it, look!” James looked down and Alice was…

“Smiling?” He questioned, numbly, as Alice’s eyes looked from the colourful moving greenery of the TV over her head to their faces, offering a muscle-movement type of smile.

“Oh, she has your smile!” Q beamed, looking over to James with delight in his eyes. James continued to stare dumbfounded for a while. “She’s smirking!” Q laughed, bending over in hilarity-born weakness. Slowly an incredulous smile drew over James’ own lips and Q was fumbling for his phone to take a picture of the pair of them before either could stop smiling.

Next time Alice asked for food, James picked her up and pressed her to Q’s chest before the omega could even react.

Well played pup. He thought proudly, stroking her head as she suckled away.

-00Q00-

Once Q was more or less steady on his feet, James made a visit back into MI6. Eve had practically forced him to come in and show an appearance. It turned out to involve just as much interrogating as he’d feared. At least Q would probably be spared the worst of it now.

Q Branch was practically a crush zone the moment he entered, a throng of minions accosting him for information and peppering him with gifts to take back to their boss. They seemed to be under the impression that Q was a magpie and that their pup a glutton given the amount of cakes, technological goods and general trinkets being passed on.

Some of the mothers in the branch had gotten together to fashion a sling for transporting Alice in. James rather liked that one.

The betting pool of names and genders had even transpired some winners once James revealed who Alice was exactly. The agent had also noticed Tanner slipping M a twenty with a reluctant expression to the alpha’s smug one.

Apparently nothing was sacred any more.

“You cannae blame ‘em, even me and Trotter had a bet going. Neither of us won though eh. I bet you were having an omega boy what with all ay the worrying you two were doing.” 0010 informed Bond in the break room preferred by the agents.

“This is the thanks I get?” Bond questioned mildly playing affronted. Alec grinned over from where he was lounging on the opposite couch.

“Ey she’ll be pissed an all! She didnae win anything either.” The blonde agent in question walked into the room and Campbell hailed her. “Ey Trotter! They’ve only gonnae had a beta girl!” 0011 looked over, dropping the last of a frightening amount of coffee into a mug with her un-bandaged hand.

“Damn. I thought for sure the quartermaster was cooking up an alpha with all the trouble it was causing. Damn.” She came over to slouch down and James turned to Alec’s grinning face with a raised brow.

“Don’t tell me you bet as well?” The grin only widened.

“Couldn’t do it mate. Insider knowledge, wouldn’t be fair.” James narrowed his eyes.

“Insider knowledge?”

“Well the sonograms. Q showed me the pictures, pretty damn obvious she wasn’t a boy if you two hadn’t been so keen on not looking.” Bailey burst out laughing and Daisy barely concealed her snort at James’ fixed expression.

“What?” Alec asked of his friend’s face, grinning wider at the annoyed expression.

“Damn you Trevelyan.” James cursed, wondering why he hadn’t thought of that, or hadn’t noticed Alec’s less-than-surprised greeting of their daughter. The other double ohs simply cackled at his would-be pout.

-00Q00-

Without James at home, Q found himself at a loss for a while. Once he’d fed, changed and cleaned up after Alice for the umpteenth time and the pup didn’t seem to want to sleep, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with her.

“Usually I’d be talking to your father right now. And you’d be watching, you like to watch… god not in that way, what’s wrong with me.” Q hid his face in his hands and opened them again to find the baby beta curling fists before her eyes.

“Oh, copycat, well, that’s learning. And impressive you know, I’m sure I remember Mycroft saying I didn’t learn to mimic until two months… But don’t tell Daddy, he still thinks I’m a genius.” Q chattered, sitting down in front of Alice’s cradle nest cross-legged.

Exercises and entertainment, how efficient. Q hid a wince as he sat, still fairly sore from the waist down.

“Alright, lets start with something simple shall we?” Q stuck his tongue out and watched Alice’s eyes boggle at the strange face. Trying not to laugh, Q repeated the gesture, watching the little girl’s mouth attempting to do the same thing.

He probably shouldn’t feel so giddy with excitement about it, really.

Copycatting turned into infant yoga, which turned into Q dancing gingerly around the kitchen whilst reheating Mycroft’s latest food package and singing. Alice in his arms waved hers as if unsure what to make of it. Finally after a feed for both of them, Q was very thankful for his new nursing proficiency allowing him to eat on the go too –he was about as ravenous as their pup, the omega settled down to read to the tiny creature.

“Here’s something then, ‘The Masterchef cookbook.’ I reckon we’re up for that, ready?” Alice blinked at him, allowing Q to remove her fingers from her mouth and clutching at his hand in return for a kiss to the cheek.

“Excellent. So,”

The cookery lesson went on for half an hour, before Alice demanded another meal. That was apparently then enough activity for the day for another few hours interspersed with more feeds. Q passed the time with dosing and fashioning a paper hat for Alice, some e-mails to branch who were very excited at all the news James had imparted and demanding photos.

Q scrawled ‘get back to work’ on Alice’s hat and sent them a picture. There was immediately a response of requests to put Alice in comedic clothes and poses. Shaking his head fondly Q left them to control themselves and stretched.

His body was taking its time to recover. Still his gait was unsteady and at some points downright shaky. Everything lower would occasionally ache and be sensitive to even James’ gentlest touches, much to the alpha’s disappointment when he wanted to help. Things were getting back into working order though, and pottering around the house helped a lot. There were lots of chairs if needed and everything was close. True, the once lovely house they’d brought now looked little short of an advertisement for a baby shop, but easy access was more or less essential with Alice’s occasional and unpredictable blowouts.

Charming, what his life had come to. From R&D explosions to, well. Less said on that the better, probably.

Finishing the clicking stretch Q wandered into the kitchen. Even tired, he couldn’t drop off like Alice at half hour intervals. He needed to be doing something to occupy his mind. M still had him banned from actual MI6 work for a while, probably for the best, lest Q started writing ‘diaper’ instead of ‘diagram’ or something embarrassing like that. His brain was still catching up from the hormone dump of pregnancy.

Still, it was nice, nicer than he’d imagined, to be at home with his pup. Glancing at the book he’d been reading her, Q picked it up and pondered for a minute before getting some pans out. Might as well learn something new. It could be a mum and pup thing.

The thought should have made him roll his eyes or question when he’d become a homebody, but instead filled him with content excitement, that he could share some routine with his daughter… one that didn’t involve the more gruesome aspects of the digestive system, at least.

Picking an easy recipe, Q began attempting cakes. When Alice had another bought of wakefulness at four Q enlisted her help.

“There now you sit here and, yes, excellent, keep staring, here, hold this. That’s a new texture, I’m sure that’s good for you in someway.” Inevitably the sugar bag planted next to Alice spilled, but given her fascinated little fingers moving through the small granules, Q didn’t mind the cleanup effort too much.

-00Q00-

“How was I to know you’d name the little pup in minutes? Just thought I’d put a bet down before coming to the hospital.” Alec quipped as James shook his head, leading his friend back to their house in the dark evening. There was no stopping the smile threatening to break into a grin under the calm exterior of his face. Even after just a day out of the house he couldn’t wait to get home to Q and Alice. The fact that he was bringing Alec home with him was the topping on the cake.

“You put in a bid for Gertrude.” He bantered back, rolling eyes visible in the tone of his voice, but so were the corners of his smile. Alec laughed, bright and careless and alive.

“I thought Q would get in there first.” The alpha admitted with a grin and a shrug towards James as they headed up the steps to home.

Inside warm and cosy lighting was beaten by far by the scent of mate and pup. Alec looked no less welcomed by the sight of Q cuddling in a nest with Alice, enjoying some tea and TV.

“There’s my geniuses.” Alec called through a grin. Q looked up as the alpha strode into the room to carefully extract the omega from the nest for a hug. The younger man rolled his eyes but let Alec have his way, offering back a short nuzzle. Clearly the movement sent Alec over the moon as he tried to plant a sloppy, teasing kiss on Q’s head. Another welcome and familiar bloom of warmth swelled in James’ chest. The alpha dropped his bag of Q-branch goodies by the stairs and headed in.

Rounding the sofa the agent bent to gently kiss Alice’s shock-haired head and snuffle her neck. The wriggle and gurgle he received along with a wrinkling, sniffing nose was enough to send him grinning.

“And how’s Blastles today? Getting a belly, good.” Alec placed a large hand on the pup’s full stomach and gave a playful rub-shake. Alice ruffled awake more and wrinkled her nose in snuffling-fashion at the large, unknown alpha. Beside him, James heard Q sigh audibly in relief. The worry that Alice would be afraid of things easily was something they’d probably have to talk about. She was a calm pup, which was lucky given Q’s pregnancy nerves and James’ general hyper vigilance.

Alec leaned down and gently cradled up the baby to let her sniffle his neck a bit, small hands curiously scrunching over the stubbled skin of his jaw at the prickly feeling. There was a curiously ‘whuff’ ish noise of a sigh and Alice smacked her lips contentedly.

“Gaah,” Dragged out the pup nonsensically and wriggled a bit. James felt that strange sense of manipulation come over him again and he stole the babe back, much to Alec’s amusement, and handed her to Q. Blinking a bit after he’d done it, the alpha could hear his friend’s snickering.

“Damn she’s only gone and got you two house broken. Little minx aren’t you?”

Alice had become transfixed at the sight of light glinting off Q’s glasses, and didn’t respond. This seemed to not upset Alec in the slightest however, who reached out to grinningly pull her mad hair into spikes.

“Shame she got your scruffy hair James.” The alpha commented, patting James on the arm in consolation.

“Oi!”

“Alice is perfect. Don’t suggest otherwise, agent.” Q commented with a quiet threat as he tenderly moped up some drool from his pup’s mouth with a sleeve. Both agents grimaced a bit, mostly at the destruction of clothes. Q was wearing one of the rather nice designer pregnancy tops Mycroft had thrust upon him. Even given that Alice was his child, the insult to fashion was a little too close to the bone.

They also didn’t have a car seat in the Aston for the same reason, although that had been a joint decision and hidden under the grounds of ‘safety’. Both of them knew perfectly well that they both just couldn’t face putting an Aston Martin through potential sick ups and other pup related mess.

Childhood, yes. Baby-dom, no.

James felt that he needed to enforce some rules, given that Alice made him want to do increasingly stupid things, like baby-proof antique Jamaican furniture.

“How is the home front?” Q asked them both, settling down cross-legged with some pain, both agents watching him like a pair of raptors.

“Your branch-“

“Are getting bloody awful, keep moping about and mooning over you like some bloody lost calf. Every time I walk through the doors they look up with desperation only to turn glum.” Alec complained with no real heat. Q frowned worriedly.

“Yes, they were quite eager when I emailed today. It’s nice really, at least I know I’m missed.”

“Course you are.” James added, and slid closer to greet Q properly as Alec got up and stretched.

“My room’s free right?” He asked, heading upstairs either way.

“Make yourself at home.”

“Might as well move in while you’re at it.” James teased, and had a pillow thrown at him.

All his immediate pack under one roof.

“James.” He turned back to where Q was watching him, running tentative fingers over his pup’s head. “There’s something I’ve wanted to try for a while.” Of course, every bit of Bond perked up in shameless erotic interest.

He was very glad the he hadn’t been given time to voice it before Q requested a pack nest.

Not that that wasn’t a lovely idea to of course… just that even exhausted from pup care and worrying over Q, James still had enough left in him to crave more carnal impulses on occasion. He didn’t find himself particularly shocked at this.

Alec was delighted. James was left holding Alice and rather unhelpfully acting as the ‘centrepiece’ for the two nest crafters. Q had been gently flustered with his mate’s initial help and kindly appreciative. Alec had told him cheerily to get out of the way.

To be fair, James could grumble in silence but not actually blame either of them. His nesting was improving, and Q complimented his constructions quite charmingly, but he was leaps and bounds behind the pair of them.

“Well I get to hold you don’t I?” James conspired with Alice, stroking her chin. The pup sneezed and got some snot on his hand. Grimacing a little, the alpha reasoned this was his punishment for trying to side his baby against her mother for even an instant. By the time he had dutifully cleaned up the nest was complete.

Q arranged Alice’s specific area carefully, a little protected indent where she could lie flat on her back unfettered with too much stuffing, protected from harm. Alec watched on with intrigue, clearly new to at least one aspect of nesting. James was relieved for that much.

Job done, Q snuggled up curled around the pup’s indent with a finger curled in her tiny hand, and almost immediately fell asleep. The pair of them made quite a sight, both open-mouthed and drooling a little.

A picture was diligently taken before the two alphas tucked in their quartermaster and squashed into the nest.

Apparently sharing beds, berths, sofas and floor space in the past did not mean Alec and James were entirely nest compatible.

“Get your leg out of my knee space.”

“Get your foot away from my foot then.”

“That’s my side of the pillow.”

“Yeah, and it’s my footrest.”

“What are you doing to my elbow?”

It went on in that vein until Q made an unhappy grumbling noise at the same time as Alice and the alphas forced themselves to be mutinously chivalrous.

James was less than best pleased to find photographic evidence when he next woke of him and Alec snuggled together and clearly snoring. Alec’s priceless expression was nearly worth it though.

-00Q00-

Alice’s umbilical stub dropped off towards the end of her second week of life outside the womb. James suggested framing it but was shot down fairly swiftly with mumbles of ‘Sherlock’ and ‘unpleasant’. Still, James felt a little…wrong somehow, throwing it away. In his hand, blackened and hardened though it was, lay the very thing that had kept the pup attached to Q for the last eight months. This stub had kept Alice fed and healthy. Putting it out in the bin seemed a bit like sacrilege, no matter what Q said.

James walked back into the house and down to the basement. From Q’s study he grabbed a small, sealable plastic bag to keep the stub in, and put that in a draw of his own desk.

Hopefully no one would go cleaning in there and think something odd of him. Laying a hand briefly on the drawer when it closed, James went back upstairs satisfied.

Treacherously his mind spun to images of more little stubs kept alongside that of their sibling’s and he shook himself. He hadn’t expected the frequently surging desire to get Q pregnant again, to have more pups. They’d barely had their first.

The urge was hardly practical; the alpha knew this. He didn’t even really want more pups right now, just that James knew he probably would in the future. Q would probably take some convincing if he asked too early anyway. Maybe in a year or two…

Speaking of siblings and hiding umbilical cords, James came upstairs to find Q on the phone, clearly to Sherlock, with Alice balanced in his arm nonchalantly.

Half of him wanted to rush over and half of him wanted to frame the sight in his mind forever; Q looking so beautifully at ease with something like this.

“Well have you tried locating the source through- Oh, alright, fine. Bring it over… You want me to go there? Have you even cleaned, Alice can’t- Really?” Q seemed sceptical of Sherlock’s apparent promise that the place was clean. “Alright, we’ll be there… No it would take far too long to explain it too you.” A moment was taken to grin smugly before Q said goodbye and hung up.

“You feeling up to an outing?” Q asked him as he put the phone down, swinging Alice back into two arms and coming over. James pulled them both into a hug because he could. Alice wriggled between them as Q’s chin dropped contentedly onto his shoulder.

“What did Sherlock want?” Q sighed a little, without ire.

“He’s trying to locate some hidden files on a remote computer for a case Scotland Yard are struggling with. Wants me to lend a hand, so it must be fairly complicated… I thought we could go and take Alice to the park after, or at least for some fresh air that isn’t a doctor’s office.” James stroked Q’s hair in thought.

“Showing off our pup hm?” The idea shouldn’t have been as ridiculously appealing as it was. Twenty minutes later found them striding out with Alice securely attached to Q with the Q-Branch baby sling, James shouldering a large bag of essentials and the pup dressed smartly in the footed onesie Sherlock and John had brought for her.

Together they probably made quite a sight.

Which probably explained all the inexplicable attention they were drawing.

James had thought Q being pregnant was bad. Q with a baby, however, seemed to draw every single touchy-feely person within the vicinity like a magnet. For two people who used to be able to walk out untroubled nine months ago, the effect was fairly frightening.

“Ooh how old is she?” Crooned one elderly couple waiting to cross the road with them. At first the attention wasn’t unpleasant. James hadn’t been wrong about ‘showing off’ Alice.

“Just two weeks tomorrow.” Q replied, proudly, the rather respectful couple merely nodding and beaming.

“Fine pup, congratulations.” Nodded the moustached elderly alpha to the pair of them, and even reached out to shake James’ hand, his beta wife smiling dotingly.

“Thank you.” The agent replied, a bit bemused, but smiling a little. Their paths diverged beyond the road.

Down on the tube however, things got a bit unnecessary. The fact that James’ senses went on high alert having both mate and babe in such a frantic environment probably didn’t help.

“Hello there, what a cutie!”

“How old is she?”

“Oh hi there baby!”

People were pulling faces, leaning over and, god, going to touch.

One beta male leaned over Q where he sat; waggling fingers as if to tickle Alice and Q lunged, snap-snarling at him. The man yelped and jumped back from Q’s lethal but –in James’ mind- frankly adorable growl. The beta’s friends guffawed and laughed at him as he held up hands in surrender to Q’s glare and bared teeth.

At the sign of submission Q turned and buried his head next to Alice’s, nuzzling their pup who cooed and waved little arms to get closer. James was still a little stunned that Q had had faster reactions than him.

They weren’t lying about the fabled protective drive of mothers for their pups. James’ hand found and curled over the back of Q’s neck, a steady presence.

The show of teeth gained them the desired room until they disembarked the train.

Once out however, the whole thing repeated. People in the street stared or pointed or even approached. Clearly Q was reaching the end of his tether.

“They keep closing in, I don’t like it.”

“Want me to scare them away.”

“Let’s just get inside, god there’s a group of them there waiting!”

“Just get past them Q, come on, fast.”

“Let’s just run, run!”

They did. Well, more jogging really, given Q’s still recovering gait, both of them laughing and sputtering breath as they stumbled past a group of affronted looking teenagers who had either hands of phones outstretched, and made it to the door of 221 Baker Street.

James picked the lock and they tumbled in, breathless and panting through their laughs. Alice was waving chubby arms and imitating their smiles adorably.

“There you are, what took you so long?” Sherlock opened with, poking his head around the stairs.

“Decided to walk.” James informed lightly.

“Are you both alright?” John questioned, coming round to beckon them up. “Come on, have a sit down.”

James didn’t feel he needed one, but Q’s steps wobbled up the stairs a bit through his remaining laughs, and the omega swiftly took a seat near the laptop. Slowly he unravelled Alice and caught her up in his arms. The little lady let out a small cry and nosed into her food source pointedly. Evidently all the exercise and new assault for her senses required more milk.

“Err, excuse me.” Q murmured, bashfully, and turned a little bit away to undo his coat, jumper and shirt for Alice.

“Don’t worry, how’s she doing?” John soothed, putting some tea down for Q and settling opposite. James ditched the bag and picked a coffee off the table, stretching pleasantly. Sherlock sat himself down next to Q, causing the omega to jump a little in surprise as he slowly pulled away the shirt a bit further to help.

Sherlock’s obvious curiosity and fascination was intriguing really. James knew he’d grown up as a child with Q being a pup, but it didn’t sound like they’d really seen much ‘natural’ parenting, even in the early years… He seemed almost transfixed now.

Even as James watched, sitting down next to John amiably, the detective’s hand rose to stroke through Q’s hair with quiet familiarity.

“Next one you have, I want to be told immediately. I need to document the event.” He murmured with conviction, free hand reaching to run fingertips over Alice’s suckling face. His curiosity was almost childlike in itself.

James shuddered a bit. He didn’t think he could take the stress of Sherlock being more involved along with his own protectiveness and Q’s panicking.

Alice took her usual length of time to feed from both sides of Q’s chest and followed up with one of her wakeful periods.

James and John took turns holding her and lounging around whilst the two Holmes brothers got down to business. The doctor also presented the pictures he’d taken at the hospital, placed neatly in an album with plenty of space for more. Some of the photos, especially the early ones of him and Q cradling Alice just after the birth, were hard to look at without feeling that warm spread of emotion in his chest.

Alice’s birth felt longer than two weeks ago already.

In return James showed the more recent snaps he’d taken on his phone, which John humoured well, given how Alice generally looked identical in each. Sherlock came over to sit on the floor and play mimic with Alice whilst Q tapped away on the computer, plied with tea and biscuits.

“She shows an impressive amount of cogniscence already.” Sherlock complimented. Well, James assumed it was a compliment.

“Stop comparing her to me, she’s a much faster developer.” Q called over vaguely, concentrating on the screen. Sherlock frowned at Alice.

“You learned fast when you started.” He replied, taking one of Alice’s feet in hand to examine her toes through the fabric of her sleep suit. “She’s bigger than you were. Chunkier too.” John laughed a little.

“She needs to get a little chubbier still. Weight will start going on soon. Then you’ll be a proper pudgy pup, wont you?” John commented, grinning as he shook Alice’s hand. The babe looked on confused, blinking large eyes doefully. “Christ she’s got his expressions doesn’t she?” The doctor grinned over at James, who smirked.

“She’s got his calm.” Q murmured. James glanced over and watched him type for a moment, surprised pleasantly by the words. He’d thought that she got her calm from Q.

-00Q00-

“Happy two weeks pup, congratulations.” Q announced mid-morning on Sunday, resting his elbows on the frame of Alice’s crib. James had put her there for a bit of kip before leaving for work in the morning. The excitement of going to visit Sherlock yesterday had left Alice a bit unsettled out of her routine and the night had not been fun as a result. It was the first time Alice had simply cried for closeness rather than food and being dirty.

Alice looked up at him a bit wibbly, lips wobbling and eyes miserable.

“I know, you had a tough night, but you’ve been doing very well. Growing, developing. Its very impressive.” Alice watched him and then let out a little whimper. “Shh, okay, its okay,” Q reached into the crib to lift her up, “don’t tell your dad I’m such a sap with you okay? Our little secret. Now how about a bath, hmm?”

Small fists curled into his chest as Alice’s head nudged pupishly into his neck, sniffling there. She spent a lot of time sniffing, watching. Q assumed she was trying to cement herself into familiarity. A survival mechanism. Everything she did was fascinating, really. Although Q might be biased, just slightly.

Bathing together was almost as satisfying as nesting together, and Alice seemed to like the feeling of water. Her hands smeared over Q’s wet skin in the shallow bath, seemingly fascinated by the different texture, little feet pudging happily into the softened flesh of his still swollen belly.

Always learning. Q propped her up against his raised knees and indulged in bathing her sporadic hair with a tiny amount of their pup-safe shampoo. It smelled a little of calming things, along with her soap, something comforting that wouldn’t overwhelm her senses or clog up James and his’ noses from smelling her naturally endearing pup-scent.

The fact that she smelled so much a part of them was amazingly satisfying.

Q took his time washing each gentle squidge of skin, gaining a few of those reflex smiles from Alice, and each tiny toe and finger, around her ears, the new novelty of her cute belly button.

“Good grief what have you done to me. I used to be quite sensible you know, but you’ve taken over haven’t you?” Alice wriggled in what Q translated as her happy way and almost purred along with Q when he nuzzled her neck for probably more minutes than was necessary.

She was like a living addiction to him. Every moment spent not with her seemed a moment wasted, ridiculous as it sounded.

Probably it helped now that her milk demands had plateaued slightly and his personal recovery was improving. Her hunger was set to grow again over the next week for another growth spurt, already she was a bit bigger, certainly chubbier and less soft-skulled than she had been at birth, which was a relief. For now, Q thought he’d just enjoy his rejuvenated energy for the day.

“Alright then, we’d better get out my little Hermione.” Q quickly washed himself down after laying Alice gently on a towel outside the bath.

Dressing had become a lazy occurrence, and this morning Q dried them both off and then let Alice have some bare skin time free of the diaper. He vaguely knew her routine well enough now to predict a ten-minute safety zone. Leaving himself top-free as well the omega snuggled them both down wrapped in blankets on the sofa for some TV whilst they both ate breakfast.

He couldn’t explain why Alice suckling triggered his own hunger and calmness, but supposed it was a rather sensible evolutionary imperative. If he ate every time Alice did, he’d keep up his own strength too. Certainly Q was far from gaining weight right now.

Either way, the routine brought about a closeness that Q had been convinced he’d have never felt outside of his relationship with James.

-00Q00-

It was going to take a while to get used to the sight of Mycroft’s easy handling of Alice but very newly curious nature with her. His brother clearly knew how to handle a baby, but not how to have fun and genuine interactions with her, so to speak. Now here he was, sitting not five feet from Q and keeping Alice perched on his knees whilst bouncing her and making quiet ‘babump babump’ noises.

At a loss, the omega fixed himself a drink of orange juice. He was still not to drink too much tea, apparently, and Mycroft’s food supplies contained a new and shamefully delicious fruit drink each week.

“How’s your recovery Star?” The alpha asked, bringing the pup back to his chest. Alice nosed into the slight pudge of his breast hopefully before wrinkling her nose at the ‘lack of milk’ smell. At the disappointed whimper of want, Q smiled indulgently and went over to take over the duty of feeding the hungry pup. James said he was too quick to give in to demands, but he couldn’t bring himself not to.

“Coming along. Walking is certainly easier.” Mycroft hummed and immediately moved to check his hips, as the alpha usually insisted upon. Q sighed but allowed it, used to the behaviour by now.

“The swelling seems to be going down nicely.” Q huffed a small laugh happily, he’d be glad when any swelling started going down. Between his hips, belly and chest his body was having a whale of a time.

“You’re always so concerned, I’m alright Mycroft, really.” Brown eyes met his deeply, surprising Q at the contact.

“I will always be concerning myself over you, Aster. Since no one did back then. The three of us, we’ll look after each other now.”

Q could admit to being rendered speechless as Mycroft’s hand closed over his.

“And now your pup as well, we’ll do better this time round. I’ll do better.” Q’s expression softened and he brought his hand free to stroke Mycroft’s cheek and rest on his shoulder.

“You’ve done brilliantly. I haven’t had to do more than re-heat food for the last two weeks,” Q grinned. “No more atonement. Be here because you want to be, and because I want you to be, not because you feel you must. I couldn’t have done this without you.” Q informed him, genuinely, smiling as he sat back, arms around his suckling pup. Mycroft shook his head as he used to when Q was a child and not understanding some key issue, except the movement was so fond now that it looked another breed.

“Oh my little Star. Yes you could.” Q just blinked as Mycroft shifted to kiss his head and place a hand carefully on Alice’s, holding her closer to where she latched on.

Somehow, it didn’t feel weird at all.

Is this what closure feels like then? It feels like peace.

Q pulled Mycroft into a tighter hug and they sat there wrapped around the next generation of Holmes until the alpha cleared his throat gently for release.

-00Q00-

James’ games with Alice had progressed to what Q insisted on calling ‘play snuggling’. The alpha preferred to name it ‘baby wrestling’, which Alec mocked him for but also swore he wanted to join in with. The man had been in every other day to help out for a few hours, taking care of Alice either with them or whilst they passed out. It was nice to have an opportunity to snuggle with Q, even if that closeness was all they had the energy and health for. Alec booking his overdue and extensive leave for around this time had been a godsend.

Baby wrestling was fun for both him and Alice, and required only an available soft floor space and the pup being in one of her wakeful moments.

James always started and ended with a playful nuzzling session before initiating a few different tactics. Stretch sessions were fun, Alice’s wide-eyed expression when she realised how long she could stretch was adorable, and had begun to be repeated to a lesser coordinated extent in her own times. Tickling was excellent, because it gave an excellent opportunity to read the pup’s body language.

Alice wasn’t really ticklish yet, but she seemed fascinated by the dancing points of pressure and would reach little fingers to capture and squeeze the hands on her, often bringing them to her lips to gnaw on. James would count that as her winning a point. His final move was Body Awareness and Coordination.

“She’s not a trainee agent James.” Q would comment from behind a laptop and mug of tea, curled on a chair as he half watched the spectacle.

“She’s a little genius is what she is. Who’s a clever ducky Almione?”

“Please never call our daughter a ‘clever ducky’ again. If anything she’s a falcon. Or a swan.”

“Or a Qlet. Are you a Qlet? Are you a Qlet?” Alice sort of flailed. “That’s a yes then.” James slowly raised one of her little feet up in the air again and jiggled it, waiting for the inevitable smile as Alice tried to kick up her other foot reflexively. James then swapped to that leg and vice versa. Or did the same with her arms until the little beta somehow managed to curl up into one of her tiny balls or lift all four limbs into the air like an upside down turtle.

“Arrr you win!” James growled playfully, bending for a nuzzle that had the little girl tipping her head to the side for access and whuffling little coos and happy-wriggles, snuffling away at his own scent.

James could just catch Q’s heart-melting smile out of the corner of his eyes, face soft in simple love for the two of them. It made James’ heart soar with pride and happiness.

-00Q00-

Everyone was exhausted. At three weeks old Alice seemed to have hit a growth spurt of gargantuan proportions. The demand on Q’s milk had left the omega faint with fatigue in an all too literal fashion. Alice’s squalling for food was even struggling to rouse the man from the bed these days, where he’d spent the last two days.

“Q, love?” James tried luring his mate awake with tea on the second afternoon. Just back from a short stint at work taking his left over tried patience of on the hapless recruits. Alice was stirring fitfully in little miffed noises, greedy and growing and pushing Q to go above and beyond in the milk department. They’d upped the formula intake as well, but the little lady wanted from the source.

Q barely woke up; blinking eyes open to half-mast and mumbling something as he shifted a little uncomfortably.

“Shh, don’t get up.” James soothed. Q managed getting to and from Alice’s crib well enough as if driven by instinct, but otherwise his body had pretty much diverted all resources to furthering milk production. The belly Q still wore from pregnancy had shrunk considerably as fat was eaten through to supply the required milk. James wasn’t certain Q was eating enough, either. But it would pass, another couple of days and Alice should calm.

Pre-emptively he helped Q roll over and sit up enough to guzzle down the tea, leaning heavily on James, warm and limp with exhaustion.

“There, alright? Can I get you some food?” It wasn’t so different from Q’s heats, except that the source of the exhaustion was vastly different. Q nodded and hummed quietly, eyelids falling shut and leaning against James further. Glad that he’d already brought up a plate of food the alpha fed Q a sandwich with his fingers in small bites and followed it with some chicken soup. By that time Alice was sounding stroppy.

James detached himself and settled Q down, bringing their baby to him. He’d have given her the formula, but Q had already started leaking at the sound of the pup crying.

The routine carried on into the night. James rang in to MI6 to announce his absence for tomorrow when he couldn’t get Alice to take from the bottle at all. She latched onto Q greedily when he stumbled downstairs drunkenly at the sound of the unstoppable screaming wail of their previously perfect little girl. Collapsing into a chair with her, the omega promptly fell asleep. James wrapped them both up and helped support Alice, fretting about Q’s health through the whole thing.

Even once Alice temporarily finished there was a bead of milk growing again at Q’s nipples in preparation.

James had tried carefully wiping it away one time, only to accidentally start a stream and have Q frustrtedly storm, well, stagger, into the bathroom with a cold cloth clamped to his chest to stem the flow and stay there till Alice began whinging again.

At night, paranoid about Q’s energy and furthering the omega’s exhausted stress, not to mention fowling his mood, James set an alarm too quiet for Q at intervals just before Alice tended to get cranky. This method pre-empted any fits, although it did mean that he was once again just bringing Alice to Q to nurse and then separating them again.

Q barely woke up throughout, simply accepting when James came over and rolled him gently before pressing their daughter into his arms to have her fill.

There was no possibility that Q could manage the next day alone. Any attempts at getting up were zombie-like and fairly unsteady. Q ate ravenously yet lethargically. Bond followed his mate and pup’s routine of sleeping between every feed pretty much. Life became surreal for a day before things begun to clear up and calm down. Alice slept longer and ate normally, Q’s now larger milk supply satisfying her and lasting longer. The omega spent another day alternating between stuffing his face and passing out without talking very much before managing to regain his energy and optimism.

James breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. And found himself holding a distinctly heavier, larger pup than he had three days ago.

“Was that outfit always so small on you?” Alice blinked innocently and offered one of her James-like smiles.

“Good thing you’re cute.” Q muttered tiredly and with not a little truth in his words as he grabbed a chocolate bar from the cupboard and slumped down next to James on the sofa. The alpha felt Q’s weight lean warmly on him and shift to kiss his throat, beneath the ear. “Thank you.” The murmur felt like a shot of pride and when the omega offered half of his chocolate bar, James grinned and turned to kiss him.

“You’re welcome.” He murmured against Q’s chocolate-covered lips. Sleepy green-brown eyes caught his and held them as if happy to stare his way forever. Alice waggled her hands at Q with a cooing noise and then smiled again. Q snorted with a lot less ire.

“Yes yes, you’re worth it. Just be nice to Mummy today alright?” Q requested, taking Alice and tucking her close. James wrapped an arm around the pair of them, feeling Q calm as Alice watched his face peacefully. Long fingers traced over fuller cheeks and slightly more haired head, gaining happy coos in response. Alice certainly knew to turn the charm on at the right times, voice never raising beyond a pleasant gurgle and acting innocent as the pup she was.

“She’s grown already.” James’ hand reached out to cup her cheek and Q’s hand in one go, their fingers moving together and Q smiling affectionately once more, recovering from the sleepless ordeal.

“Wonder how tall she’ll be.”

“Hair colour too, once we get more of it.” Q added, stroking some of the longer, slightly thicker hair up in a spike.

“Eye colour.” James replied, shifting slightly to rest on his hip, bringing them closer together with the movement. Q’s legs swung up over his and nuzzled into his neck.

“The sound of her voice.”

“First words.”

Q sighed contentedly and James nosed through his hair, feeling an uncertain but thrilling sense of future and excitement.

“We’ll have to wait and see.” Q’s smile could be felt against his skin.

“They say that’s the best bit…”

“But you want to do a different sort of test anyway, am I right?” Q looked up grinning at the indulgent amusement in James’ voice.

“I was only thinking of one or two spreadsheets.” James looked at him for a moment, looked at their pup and back into the eyes of his favourite person on the planet.

“Want to make it a bet?”

-00Q00-

Q would bet James only one thing; that Alice would surprise them.

-00Q00-

  ~Dear Blasty, sorry, not Blasty any more, probably. We’ve not got a name for you yet, being in that we’re keeping you a surprise. Sex, gender, the whole lot. Yes, I know, we’re possibly very foolish, and if all your baby pictures involve you in only yellow or white clothes then you now know why. Sorry for that. Well, a little sorry. Your father and I both love surprises. He calls you Rumbles, by the way. And Alec calls you Blastles in some unholy merger. That’s your Uncle Alec. I hope you get to meet him, but it’s not in my ability to promise you that.

  I’m afraid you might find our lives are like that more than they should be, and if you haven’t been told everything about us yet, I hope you’ll at least understand why. Also, feel free to ask, please. I do hope you’re curious about things. You seem that way right now.

  Even if I can’t promise you anything else, I promise you that we’ll love you, and take care of you, and be there for you. No matter what, I want you to know that you’re very loved. We might not be the best at this parenting lark, but hopefully you can be patient with us. We’re trying, we really are. And we promise to try and do right by you, no matter who you are, because everyone deserves to be loved…

  Any sappiness at this point I should say I blame on the pregnancy hormones. Don’t tell your Father I’m a sap, he’s still under the impression I’m a genius. Well, secretly, I hope you are too, in your own way. Secretly, I think your father is too. You should probably know that we’ve been in love from very early on, but I hope that you don’t need me to tell you that.

  Right now we’re excited, and scared. Mostly excited. Or a bit scared. You’re due to be born soon and it’s been quite a hectic few months. We’ll probably have told you about that already too, if you want to know. We might omit some details, but that’s probably for the best of everyone. Besides, Sherlock will probably have told you regardless. Hopefully he’s not attempted to take you to too many crime scenes or morgues. And Mycroft similarly will probably be enforcing museum trips on you as soon as you can walk. Don’t worry; I’ll always save you from them if you need it. John will probably be there to help too in that regard, at least with Sherlock.

  I’m looking forward to meeting you now. I’m not looking forward to your manner of arrival so much, but that’s my hill to climb. Maybe yours too one day, if you’re an omega or a girl… Christ that’s a strange thought. Probably best not to think about that right now.

  Hm what else? There’s too much to write, really. I’m sure you’ll be fascinating, you already are, and I look forwards to doing things together. Your father very badly wants to take us on holiday. I’m not sure how that will go, but he swears they’ll be no planes and I trust him. I hope you trust us too. I hope you can find your feet and that you’re never more afraid than you can handle. I hope you know you can always come home and we’ll be delighted to see you. I hope you can stay out of trouble unlike your father, and that you can always stand up for yourself unlike me. I hope you fall in love, at some point. I hope you feel love.

  But I hope mostly, and above all else, that you’re happy. Whatever family we have by the time you get this, and whatever paths your life as taken, please, just be happy, no matter what. Because you’ve already become an unending source of happiness for me.

  With love, hitherto unnamed pup.

 Q-Mother/Mummy/hitherto unnicknamed maternal figure.

  See you soon Xx

  20-1-2014

--22 Years Later--

“Calling all to board flight BA3809 to Aquitaine. Please proceed to gate.”

Long fingers folded away the well-read piece of paper from last year, although the date claimed twenty-one years previous to that. The warmed and fond smile that the old words never failed to create remained as Alice packed away the token from before she was capable of remembering.

It wasn’t hard to picture Mum writing it, when he had some of his ‘soppier’ and less organised moments. Bored and pregnant and trying to get out everything that wanted saying. Back from when he and Dad were less sure, when they didn’t know that all it would take was a hug to stop tears or a growl to terrify away monsters under the bed.

Thinking about all the inspiration they’d given her, Mum’s easy brilliance and Dad’s adventures, the hilarity of her uncles through the years and the encouragement of Alec… Thinking of her brother and sister back at home that clearly Mum and Dad hadn’t planned at the time of the letter, all the family holidays to extreme climates with Mum out of water and Dad in his element… Every bit of it was like a nuzzle from them both at home. Identical to the one they’d just given her at the gate, full of smiles and demands to watch out for bugs and wishes of luck and worries.

They’d always been what she needed. And more than a little encouraging and inspiring on her less calm, more manic days of panicking about her life, fretting like Mum and dramaticising like Dad. They had always loved her, and been there with open arms… even when her and her brother had ‘borrowed’ the Aston… Or when her and her sister had tried to bake Mycroft cakes when they’d stayed over and ended up flambéing half the house.

Really, they were a pretty great family, in Alice’s opinion.

Standing and shouldering her bag full of scruffy recipe notebooks and clothes, electronics and more gadgets than anyone outside of the security service should have, Alice forced a crazed strand of curly blonde hair behind an ear and focused green eyes on the gate, striding with a hint of her mother's clumsiness off to her first adventure.

-Fin-