Holmes and Watson's baby? This guy!

Suppose Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson had a love-child.

Yes, technically, it was probably impossible for two Victorian men to combined their DNA in a mutual offspring, no matter how much man-love they had or indulged in. And then there's the whole time they would have had raising the child to make sure their nurture was as powerful as their nature. But suppose they could have, and would have, and did.

The detective and the ex-military man. The genius and the fellow people could relate to. The man on a hiatus, travelling all over, and the steady, reliable, good man.

Put all those things together, and who do you get as the Holmes and Watson baby, out of all the other characters in fiction?

Well, before I name the name, you first have to put all images of Mr. "I can play any part" Tom Cruise and his movies out of your head. Just like you have to do with the vampire Lestat and the book Interview With A Vampire. Movies are good for some books, but sometimes a celebrity ego and the business side of cinema can try to force some movie star's image over the top of a well-drawn character. (Yes, we have Downey, we've had Moore, we've had Plummer . . . Holmes is pretty much movie-star proof at this point.) So, with that disclaimer, here is who I'd like to propose as the child of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Jack No-Middle-Name Reacher.

Lee Child's character from a string of best-sellers may not have the flash of Holmes, but getting Watson's common touch gives Reacher a different spin on determined detective work. Jack Reacher has near-perfect powers of observation AND an equal appreciation for a good woman. (Hey, what good are powers of observation if you can't observe for pleasure now and then?) On point after point, Reacher combines the best of both members of one of the world's greatest partnerships . . . seemingly balancing out the "weaknesses" of either.

But given that this is a theoretical fictional hybrid of two legendary creatures, I wouldn't presume to say that he is the only candidate for an example of what the two could produce by such imaginary procreation. Surely there must be other possibilities out there.

Any thoughts?