Sherlock couldn't wait to see the look on John's face when he saw him. There would be shock first, then amazement and then happiness. Yes there may be a bit of anger but once Sherlock explained himself it would be fine. They would solve crimes as they once did, the thrill of the chase calling to them. A consulting detective and his blogger one more on the streets of London. Things as they should be.
Sherlock stepped up to the door that most certainly wasn't 221B Baker Street. He would have to convince John to move back as quickly as possible. Why he decided to leave Sherlock didn't understand. So perhaps the memories may have been strong, Mrs Hudson still remained and he knew Mycroft moved most of his belongings into storage. John had ended up keeping a few things. Sentiment.
The doorbell rang an annoying high pitched tune than only enforced his desire to get John back where he belonged. He put in his most charming smile and listened as John came to the door. Strange though, his footsteps sounded lighter. Had he lost weight? A good few meals at Angelo's would fix that.
The door opened.
"I'm sorry we don't want any...it's you"
This wasn't John. This most certainly was not John. Wrong gender to start with. Sherlock's eyes flitted over the woman before him. Mid to late thirties, career in journalism but with rich parents, owns a cat, no two, currently unmarried but seeing someone, seeing John. Sherlock recognised the necklace she was wearing as one from the same shop he bought all his girlfriends present. Judging by the quality, it seemed this one had lasted longer. It also appeared John had told her of him. And it didn't seem he spoke highly.
"Sherlock Holmes, at your service" He flashed her his charming smile which had got lost in the slight shock at her not being John and gave a little wink. Apparently people liked that.
She slapped him. It appeared she was the exception to the rule. "He thought you were dead" She spat at him, trembling at the anger coursing through her.
Sherlock barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "That was rather the point. It would do no good for him to think me alive"
"No good..." The woman huffed in disbelief as she shook her head, short blonde hair falling in front of her eyes. "You really have no idea what it's been like for him, do you?" Her voice grew loaded at the end until she was nearly shouting. People began to stop and stare at the them and she noticed. "Come inside" she ordered him.
Sherlock entered the house. Not that large but Sherlock knew Mycroft must have had a hand in its purchase. The first thing that truly struck Sherlock was how...bland the place looked. Were it not for the fact he knew John lived here, he would think it a house that was about to be sold. It lacked any of the character that Baker Street had had. Admittedly, that might have been mostly due to him, but still.
"I would offer you tea but I'm not feeling very hospitable at the moment" The woman said dryly as she settled herself onto thesofa. Sherlock himself sat on the leather chair that was much less comfortable than Johns chair at Baker Street. He idly wondered what's happened to it.
"You know about me, yet I don't even know your name" Sherlock commented.
"Mary Morstan" The name sounded familiar; her father had a thriving family business.
"And how long have you been seeing John"
Mary raised a delicate eyebrow. "Coming up to about 6 months now. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out yourself"
"I had suspicions but I thought it polite to ask"
"You, polite? That goes against everything I've been told about you"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a delight" Sherlock ignored the muffled scoff. "So tell me, when will John be getting home?"
"In about an hour" Mary answered him, eyeing him warily.
"I'll just come back later then" Sherlock made to rise but Mary stopped him.
"Oh no you don't. Not yet" She stared at him until he slowly sank back down.
"Problem?" Sherlock inquired.
"Do you really think turning up out of the blue is the best way to reveal yourself to him?" She asked, leaning back with her arms crossed.
"Well I did think about jumping out of a cake" Mary closed her eyes and sighed.
"You really are just as he described you" She murmured before opening her eyes and watching him calmly.
"I'll talk to him first. Prepare him for it before he sees you" Mary told him, daring him to argue with her. Of course, he dared.
"Why go to the trouble. I'm sure he'll be over-joyed. Once he's certain it's not a trick of course"
Mary stared at him incredulously. "You seem to be underestimating John's reaction"
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Fine, he may be a tad angry, definitely shocked"
Mary shook her head. "You really have no idea what affect your death had on him, do you?"
"I'm sure it was difficult for him but he's a strong man and it was hardly as if he were alone. He had Mrs Hudson, Lestrade, Molly and Sarah among others"
"I wasn't there for the beginning" Mary told him, "But from what I can gather, your death near traumatised John. Nightmares to start with, some he still occasionally has. His limp has come back, only sometimes, but it's there. He left Baker Street within the first few weeks and only sees Mrs Hudson when she forces him to have tea with him. Greg lost his job, as did Anderson and Donovan. He still checks up on John from time to time, good man that he is, but he's busy rebuilding his reputation after your little stunt. Molly has a new man in her life and Sarah moved. You were pretty much John's whole world Sherlock. He didn't know how to live without you, without the drama and the solving crimes. He coped Sherlock, but it took a long time for him to finally live again and I'm happy to say I helped with that. I will not have you ruin that"
Mary finished her speech breathing heavily. Sherlock was silent as he absorbed her words and his eyes skimmed the room until they fell on a liquor cabinet. The bottle inside was only a quarter full and Sherlock pursed his lips as he thought of John turning to alcohol for comfort, just as his sister did. Fortunately there was a layer of dust on the handle that suggested the cabinet had not been opened in a while, at least a few months. Most likely since Mary came into his life. Sherlock felt unwanted gratitude towards Mary.
"I had no idea my death would affect John so much" Sherlock eventually said.
"No" Mary muttered quietly "You did not. Why did you?"
"Fake my death?" Mary nodded. "If I hadn't then you wouldn't have a boyfriend. Lestrade wouldn't have been around to lose his job and Mrs Hudson wouldn't be offering tea"
"They would have been killed" Mary's eyes widened. "Moriarty threatened to kill them unless you killed yourself"
Sherlock looked at her suspiciously. "You seem to know an awful lot and I doubt John would have told you everything"
"You're right. I'm a journalist and I covered the 'fall of Sherlock Holmes'. I was one of the few journalists that portrayed you in a better light, suggesting that everything you said was true and Moriarty existed"
"I guess that wasn't well received. Moriarty was quite thorough in his quest to discredit me"
"It was better received than you might think. Don't tell me you haven't heard of the 'I believe in Sherlock Holmes' tag. There are many out there who never believed the lies of Moriarty. I believe Anderson is head of one of the groups"
Sherlock wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Anderson?"
Mary glared at him. "Don't be rude about the poor man. He's become one of your biggest supporters. Greg has been telling me how he's been trying to track you. In fact, he did say that you were coming back. I should have trusted him"
Sherlock couldn't keep the repulsed look off his face. Though he also did find it interesting; the one man who never kept his dislike of him secret, now one of his biggest supporters.
The sound of shouting travelled through the walls causing Sherlock to wince. "The sooner he moves back into Baker Street the better" he remarked causing Mary to raise an eyebrow.
"That will probably take longer than you think" Sherlock looked at her with slight confusion.
"Why on Earth would he want to stay here?" The mere notion of it sounded ridiculous.
"It will take John time to come to terms with your resurrection Sherlock. Things will not automatically go back to the way they were before. For one, I'm here now and if you think for one minute I'm going to leave just because you're back you've got another think coming" Mary gave Sherlock a little smirk that promised that she would make his life very difficult for him should he try and interfere with her relationship with her.
"I wouldn't dream of it" Sherlock answered her with a twitch of his lips. Mary was far different to John's previous girlfriends and he liked it. Much more tolerable and strong-willed. A good match for John.
"Good. You will need to prove to John that you are sorry for your actions. I don't care if your truly not' She hastened to add when Sherlock was about to interrupt "but you need to show that you regret putting John through everything he has been and you can start by not assuming anything. Allow John to adjust in his own time, get used to things and choose himself how to sort things out. You will start with explaining why you faked your death and tell him he has the option of returning to Baker Street if he wishes it. You will not expect, force or manipulate. I would also suggest you don't think he will stay in Baker Street for too long. I do plan on sticking with him" This time, Mary's smile was a lot more fond as she thought of her future with John and whilst normally Sherlock would find this unacceptable, she was throwing a spanner in the works so to say, Sherlock found he didn't mind as much as he normally would have.
"You have planned this out very thoroughly, a bit too thoroughly for someone who thought I was truly dead" Sherlock said and Mary gave a half smile.
"It's true, I did think you were dead but I couldn't help but wonder. For John's sake I'd hope it truly was a lie and scenarios would wander through my head. It seems they weren't a waste of time after all"
"Obviously not" Sherlock muttered. "It appears I have miscalculated how the nature of my return would not be beneficial to John's welfare. Considering you now know John better than I, I will follow your lead on the matter"
Mary gave a small laugh. "I believe we know John about the same, just in different ways. You know things about him I doubt he would ever tell me and vice versa. Now, John will be home in about half an hour. Go out and buy a packet of his favourite tea, assuming you haven't forgotten" Sherlock looked offended at the very thought and Mary smiled. "Come back and you can stay in the guest room while I speak to John. When he's ready I'll give you a call"
Sherlock nodded and stood. Mary got up as well and he moved towards her, a hand outstretched.
"I would like to thank you, Miss Morstan, for being there for John when I could not"
She slipped her hand into his in a firm shake. "No thanks necessary Sherlock, and please, it's Mary. I am glad John has a friend who is willing to die for him" She gave a smirk which Sherlock returned.
Sherlock left not soon after, to do as Mary suggested. It was not the type of welcome he'd expected but Sherlock found that perhaps that was a good thing. Things definitely wouldn't be the same, but with time and a few lengthy 'heart to hearts', they could be better.
I have other ideas that follow this so tell me if you would like this to be made into a series