I plan to turn this into a series the "Recall Series" (creative right?) But it will encompass beginning to end. I hope you all enjoy it! and please review it helps me thinks and makes me very happy :)
John sat by himself on the couch in the empty flat. Sherlock was off running about on a case for Lestrade and John had had a meeting. John's meeting was over and odds are the case was solved. The lonely man on the couch didn't feel any better.
The tell tale signs of feet thumping on the stairs already told John that the case was solved and the culprit brilliant. But right now even Sherlock's face all lighted up with exertion and excitement could not lift the weight on John's shoulders.
"John it was brilliant. A toothpick, all of it! Done with-" Sherlock stopped abruptly staring at the defeated grey colouring of his face. "What happened? What did they say?"
Sherlock took a seat on the coffee table directly in front of John and clasped his hands over the weary doctors. John couldn't meet his eyes.
"John, please tell me." The pleading from Sherlock broke John and as he cried Sherlock pulled him close.
"They said I'm better." John said weakly as he clutched Sherlock, "better and ready to go back." The last part was whispered. Sherlock took in a breath.
"No, they can't do that." Sherlock was shocked John being sent back was an option, but not an actual option, as in they didn't think it would happen. "What are we to tell Andrew?"
"The truth."
"Of course tell him that his father is going back to Aphganistan and might not come back?!" Sherlock was on the other side of the room by that point.
"He is old enough to know. And what would you tell him? Your father went to visit your Aunt Harry he may or may not come back he could have abandoned us?" John stood in front of the detective. "I would rather the truth."
"Fine." John pulled Sherlock close and ran his fingers through the dark curls, "When do you leave?"
"A month." John said into his partner's neck where he replaced the words with kisses.
"Dad, Father, I'm home!" Andrew called as he entered the flat. John was in the kitchen making dinner while Sherlock was reading through case files at his desk.
"Andrew, your home early. I thought you had football practice today." John said as he added more spices to the pasta sauce.
"Got canceled and not a total loss." Andrew snuck up stairs hoping that Sherlock would miss all the tell tale signs that he had skipped practice today to hang out with friends.
"He skipped." Sherlock added as he snapped a file closed with finality.
"Even I could tell that, Sherlock." John replied as he set plates on the table, "When are we going to tell him?"
"Soon, if you want." John nodded as Sherlock kept his eyes firmly placed on his key board.
"Tell me what?" Andrew called as he entered the room grabbing a piece of garlic bread of the plate.
"Hey! Wait for dinner, you!" John chuckled as he smacked their son's hand, making him drop the piece of bread.
"Your father is being called back to Aphganistan." Sherlock said cooly from the door way leading to the living room.
"Hahaha, don't joke about that." Andrew said plopping into a seat, "We all know that is an actual possibility. When is your meeting with them anyway? It's soon right?"
Sherlock and John glance at each other, he hadn't remembered that the meeting had already taken place. They didn't know how to tell him now. Andrew had been living with them for a while, a few years now, they celebrated him coming into their small family it like a was birthday. He had no where to go after his parents' murder and John refused to let the poor boy go into the orphanages, to be left at the cruel hands of the system. So they did the only "logical" thing, in Sherlock's words, and adopted him. Three years they had had a great time as a new family, Sherlock had gotten the hang of help Andrew with "useless" school subjects, even astronomy. Though, Sherlock sometimes ran around at random times of day, John had cut back on that and gotten a steady job at the local clinic so he could be there for Andrew, their adopted son and best decision of their lives. Soon Aphganastan was going to ruin it, tear them apart and leave them as two. They would be strong for him, he knew they would, but John knew Sherlock was going to get hit harder than anyone and it was Sherlock's reaction that scared John the most.
"Yeah, it's soon, Drew." John said quietly as he turned away from them to spoon pasta into a bowl.
"No, John, you wanted to tell him the truth. Telling him anything else now would be lying. Just tell him!" Sherlock ended in a yell. Andrew flinched slightly at the table, Sherlock's rants were fearsome indeed.
"What is Father talking about, Dad?" Andrew spoke from the table quietly as he kept his eyes fixed resolutely on the empty blue plate in front of him his freezing fingers clasped tightly underneath the table.
John left the pasta on the counter as sat carefully at the table across from Andrew Watson-Holmes.
"I met with them today." John whispered is the silent room, everyone held their breath not even Mrs. Hudson down stairs made a sound.
"What did they say?" The words were small, and painfully reminded John of how he sounded when he had first come to live with them, small and afraid.
"They said-" John's voice cracked, "They said I'm fit to go back on active duty."
The tears started to form in Andrew's eyes as he kept his gaze fixed firmly on his bare cold plate.
"When do you leave?" Andrew asked after a silence that seemed to last an eternity. Even Sherlock had lost his angered exterior when facing the crushed dreams of a boy whose soul wish to have a family that could stay together, he thought he was going to have it with John and Sherlock, that was until the news of John's possible departure to a place he may never come back from.
"A month." The word had barely left his mouth before Andrew was gone from the table. Plate crashing to floor, shattering into pieces.
Sherlock flinched at the noise.
John didn't move and his eyes didn't rise.