"I know, you know."
Sherlock looked up from his casefile to see Mary Watson staring at him. When the hell had she got here?
"John's parking the car. I'm sorry if I startled you"
Sherlock sighed and put his case file down. He hated it when people interrupted The Work.
"Fine, fine. You were saying?"
"I know."
Sherlock rolled his eyes. Gods, normal people were infuriating.
"What are you babbling about woman?"
Mary narrowed her eyes at him for that. She was a trained killer, he could do to remember his manner sometimes. She decided to ignore that for now and have her little chat before John got there.
"I know what you were going to say to him. On the runway."
If Sherlock was surprised at her words he hid it well.
"Although your intelligence surpasses most of the goldfish I am forced to endure on a daily basis, I hardly think your talents run to mind reading"
Mary shook her head and smiled at him.
"I don't need to mind read, it's glaringly obvious Sherlock."
Sherlock still didn't flinch, but there was a slight darkness that passed over his face. Only anyone who had studied him for any length of time would have seen it; that slight sideways look and brief purse of the lips. Mary of course noticed as well.
"Ok then Sherlock, let's do it your way. I'll 'deduce'- at this she lifted her palms to face him and moved her middle and index finger on both hands in an up and down motion making air quotations –" what you were going to say."
Sherlock gave a snort, but it was lacking his usual poison. He was clearly worried about what she wanted to say.
"If you must, although I warn you I find others pathetic attempts at deduction tedious at best."
Mary smiled again.
"Yes but as you know, I am not most people. You know my skill set. I think you just don't want to hear me because you know I'm right."
Sherlock sighed. Mary took this as a sign to continue.
"You invite him to live with you and don't kick him out within five minutes, which I am sure you would have done with anyone else. You care for his opinion of you more than anyone else's. He's your only 'friend'. You were hurt when you thought he'd deceived you, then devastated when you found a bomb on him-"
Sherlock raised his hand to silence her.
"How can you deduce when you weren't even there?"
She ignored him and carried on.
"You jumped from a building for him. You took a bullet and then didn't say I'd shot him to save his feelings. Sherlock Holmes doesn't do things like that. You even stood up at our wedding and made a speech- which was mostly horrible by the way- to make him happy. I know why."
Sherlock considered her for a moment.
"I hardly see what is unusual about looking out for ones best friend."
She gentled her tone a little for what she was about to say next.
"Sherlock. He's more than just a best friend though, isn't he?"
Sherlock had walked away, looking out of the windows so his back was facing her. She'd seen the flinch though. She was right. She'd known it. He didn't answer.
"You think I've not seen how you look at him when you think no one sees you? You are in love with him Sherlock, and you have been for a long time."
Sherlock was tense, but he turned round all the same.
"Don't be ridiculous. Surely he's told you about The Woman?"
Mary laughed at that.
"Yes Sherlock, and I'm sure you managed to convince her as well. I'm sure you cared for, certainly desired her, but it wasn't the love you feel for John."
Sherlock took a deep breath. He didn't even realise he'd balled up his hands and had been clenching and unclenching his fists.
"You are wrong."
She looked at him sadly.
"No Sherlock. I am not. You know I am not. No one would have willingly put themselves through so much pain otherwise. I'm sorry Sherlock, if that's any consolation."
He sank into his armchair and put his head in his hands. His voice cracked slightly as he spoke.
"The only consolation is that he's happy. I'm glad I could help make that so."
Mary walked over and kneeled down the best she could in her current condition.
"I thank God you did every single day."
Sherlock raised his face to look at her. There were tears in his eyes and he looked wretched. It broke her heart it really did. She knew what it was to love John Watson.
"You surprise me once more Mary Watson. Not everyone would be comfortable knowing their husbands best friend…"
She shushed him.
"Not everyone's husband is lucky enough to have a friend as good as you. I would never get in the way of that. Sometimes I feel you'd be better for him than I am."
Sherlock chuckled a little.
"But as he's said- he's not gay."
She appraised him a second.
"Neither are you. Not really. I'd wager John's the only man who's held your interest for long."
He was, truth be told, a little uneasy. He wasn't used to anyone apart from his brother picking him apart like this. Well, John too, but that he didn't mind.
"That's neither here nor there."
"If you told him though, if you told him and he realised he felt the same, I'd understand. I think he did feel the same when you jumped, but he's never voiced that to me. Yet you've done so much for him. Of course he'd still get to see the baby. If you told him…"
He clasped her hand, an extremely un-Sherlock gesture.
"What matters is what John feels now. You took care of him when I could not. You kept him happy and safe. I would not undo that. I made my vow on your wedding day to protect what you have. I will keep that vow no matter what."
Mary reached out a hand and stroked a loose curl away from his forehead.
"That said Mary…"
She looked him in the eyes and what she saw there frightened her a little.
"If you ever hurt him again, I will end you. I do not watch my love with another just for his heart to be broken."
She nodded.
"John told me once that Lestrade said you were a great man, and hopefully you could be a good man too one day. I think you are the best man I have ever known. Thank you, Sherlock."
Outside the room, there was a witness to this discussion. John had managed to find a parking space just around the corner. He'd ran up to 221B and made his way up the stairs not long after Mary. He was light on his feet and supposed they hadn't heard him. He'd caught her mentioning making a deduction and thought he'd listen for fun. He'd gotten more than he bargained for.
His heart thumped in his chest. 'Well now. Uh. It's fine. It's all fine. It's good actually' his brain tried to supply. However the tears running freely down his cheeks suggested otherwise.
"Shit."