Sherlock Holmes met the Doctor exactly three times. The first was for a present, the second was for an adventure and the last was for a chance.
The Doctor, an awkward man who could barely control his own limbs, followed by his current companion, a young girl with dark brown hair and a clean white smile, walked through a futuristic museum hall full of famous human skulls. They rested in haunting glass boxes, labeled with an odd array of eternal names.
"Look at all these, Clara! Anyone in particular you'd like to find?" The Doctor beamed.
Clara sniffled, "Doctor, don't you think this is a bit disgusting? Displaying people's skulls and all?"
The Doctor paused for a moment, pondering Clara's opinion. He replied, "Not in the slightest. I've seen much more disturbing displays than this one at countless museums, all over the universe. Plus, this museum wasn't created by humans, just some other races fascinated by human culture."
Suddenly the Doctor noticed a name, one he was rather familiar with. The skull reminded him of an important acquaintance. He pictured the skull sitting on the mantle in a special flat, and realized what he needed to do. He whispered to Clara, "I need to do a favor for a friend, and it might get us in some trouble. When I say run, we're going to sprint to the TARDIS. Got it?" His companion rolled her eyes, clearly disapproving of his plan, but nodded.
The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and made his way toward the container. Clara examined the plaque, reading the name of the skull Dr. John Watson. "John Watson? Who was he?" Clara asked.
The Doctor shushed his companion, and then he used his sonic to open the lock on the lid of the box. As he grabbed the skull from inside, red, security lights began to blink and an alarm sounded. Sticky footsteps of a peculiar, alien race (known for their studies in human history) approached. "RUN!" he shouted, darting toward his blue box, which was parked on the other side of the room. Clara followed him without question.
As they closed the TARDIS door, the Doctor handed the skull over his friend. He began pressing buttons and turning knobs. His confused companion shouted, "Doctor! Are you going to tell me where we're taking this thing?"
"To a little boy in need of a friend!" He declared with excitement.
A lonely boy sat outside his parent's intimidating, dark mansion, resting his back against one of the vine covered stonewalls. Most children would have been shocked to see a large blue box materialize out of thin air, but the boy was just curious. He loved puzzles, and this new mystery would entertain his afternoon.
The puzzle became more fascinating when a man and a woman emerged from the box. Using the knowledge of anthropology he'd gained through reading, he noticed that the female held a male skull in her hands. He calmly addressed the pair, "Hello, I'm Sherlock Holmes." He pointed to the man, "You're an alien . . ." Next he pointed to the girl, "… you're from the future, and that's the skull of a man who was older than sixty when he died."
The curly-haired boy spoke like an adult, yet to Clara, the lad appeared no older than seven. She asked, "How did he know all of that?"
The Doctor smirked and squatted to the boy's height. He said, "Great deductions Sherlock! How could you possibly know all of this?"
The boy didn't seem the least bit faced that a stranger knew his name. First, he pointed toward the open door of the police box, "That box is not a normal nineteen-fifties, public call box, it is some sort of spaceship that appears smaller on the outside. Clearly not human technology." He turned to the Doctor, who stood up, and he spotted the sonic screwdriver, "Also, you are carrying that thing, which is not a human invention."
The lad faced the girl next, "As for you, I noticed your style of dress was not something current, but also was not something from the past. In addition, you had a very tiny phone in your jacket pocket. We don't carry phones that small yet, but I'm sure we will someday. Finally, I have studied anthropology in books. The cranial sutures of this skull are not very pronounced, meaning the person's death occurred well past middle age. I knew the skull belonged to a male because of the slanted frontal bone and boxed chin."
The Doctor smiled brightly and looked over at his companion, who was completely stunned by the small boy's deductions. The extraterrestrial took the skull from Clara and handed it to the tiny detective. He declared, "You're going to need this skull in the future, and I promise, you will soon understand why. Let him serve as a reminder that everyone deserves at least one good friend in life, and he will always be here to protect you. You'll see me again soon." He turned and walked back to his ship, Clara in tow. They shut the door behind them, and the ship began to fade away. As it disappeared, it made a sound that Sherlock would always remember.
Inside the TARDIS, Clara asked, "Will you really see that boy again soon?"
The Doctor replied, "Not exactly. I won't see him, but he'll see me. A younger version of me will meet an older version of him." He paused for a moment, reminiscing about his times spent with the great detective. Then he continued, "Well Clara, don't you have an important date coming up sometime in the 21st century? We can't keep her waiting!"
Author's Note: I apologize for errors, because my beta isn't home. Also, the idea of the Doctor bringing Sherlock John's skull is not original to me, I saw it a while ago on Tumblr. I don't remember the original source, but if you know please send me a message so I can give proper credit. Most of this fanfiction will be based off of Wholock 'headcanons' that have been floating around tumblr. I will be posting another chapter in a bit.