Festive Memories

Reaching the time of Christmas 221B Baker Street was packed. Sherlock paid no heed towards his guests having his wonderful Doctor of a boyfriend locked at his side, Sherlock was actually enjoying himself this year. Everyone did this time. The extra guests included Molly, Mrs Hudson, Lestrade, Donovan and Anderson - begrudgingly - arrived with Lestrade but kept to themselves. The entire room was brought to a stunned silence when even Mycroft showed his face, his assistant, though there, did not as she was keen on keeping her eyes glued to her Blackberry screen.

Time had passed, drinks and presents were exchanged and for a while everyone remained joyful. A cab pulled up outside the snow-clad street. The occupant hammered on the door, "Hold that thought, Sherlock I'll get it" Lestrade offered to keep the Landlady off her feet and never daring to ask the new couple to part. The guests and hosts fell quiet as Greg grunted and seemingly chased after someone "Oi! Hang on, you can't just barge in here" "I already have!" The woman slurred angrily "Johnny!" She shouted stumbling up the stairs. John wide eyed Sherlock, "Oh no" he utter quietly to himself rubbing his eyes with his right hand, "What's wrong?" Sherlock inquired "Johnny!" The woman shoved herself into the flat nearly taking out poor Molly in her tracks "Johnny," She hiccuped "something happened" "Harry... What are you doing here? You never said you were visiting the last time I called" John pulled away from Sherlock towards the occupant of the doorframe.


Harry almost began to whimpering "Something happened" Harry repeated swaying on the spot. "What?" "Clara" John groaned to himself "It's not funny, Johnn!" "I wasn't laughing Harry. What happened this time?" "It's officially over between me and her. Divorced. I gave you my old phone... need to talk to her..." John let his shoulders sag in sympathy "Harry, what you actually need is to lie down and rest for a bit" Harry seemed offended "You never looked out for me before!" John scoffed smirking at his elder sibling "You know you're absolutely right. I never defended you, stood up for you, spent hours on the phone with you, picked you up at random bars at the dead of night or at the crack of dawn to keep you safe or bail you out or become a shoulder to cry on. I wanted you completely miserable" Harry shoved past him picking up bottle of red Merlot and took a heavty swig.

Angered John strode up to his sister near the fire place and attempted to grab the bottle of wine out of his sister's grasp suddenly self-conscious about his height, "No!" Harry flung the wine bottle out from reach by extending her arm behind her, "You are not controlling me" John rubbed his face hard forgetting the room was occupied by so many eyes and witnesses to a secret portion of his life. "No I want to help. Put that down" Gasping a laugh Harry continued placing the wine on the mantle. "You sound just like her" "Who?" "Clara, Mum, those son's of bitches at Rehab, take you pick" "Better that than Him" Harry flinched away from her brother "Don't you dare. Don't you dare bring that monster into this!" "Why? You are acting exactly like him, that why Mum left us, that's why Clara left you. How are you still not able to see that yet?" Swaying hazardly around the room Harry flailed her hands up in the air madly "Oh look at the great Golden Boy; Johnny Watson here, setting an example for all" Harry nearly tumbled on the chair reserved for clients, John bit back a growl "Harriet" The younger warned "What Jonathan?" Harry knew he despised her using his full first name, "Are you going to hit me?" "No. Never. I would never stoop to that level" "He did" Harry anounced plainly "To both of us, do you remember?" A "Yes" was hissed out under a dark gaze, Harry triumphantly strode about accepting her win, she stopped and leaned on his chair across from her bottle "What he did to me because of who I am was terrible but you... your scars... I'm surprised you didn't pack off at sixteen like I did" Sherlock watched his partner physically and mentally take a step back from Harry "All of that is behind me" John's voice wavered in uncertainty and mortification as his past was being revealed in front of everyone he didn't want to know.

"Is it really?" Harry invaded John's personal space "That's why you completely cover up using your hidious wooly and fluffy jumpers to prevent showing scars He made like this one?!" Harry viciously yanked John's left arm causing him to yelp in pain from the aggitation from his shoulder wound, shoving his sleeve up to the crook of his elbow and grabbing his wrist in an angered drunken vice revealed a ringlet scar curving around his forearm "Only one of the many! Why? Why did He do that to us?" Taking a deep breath John answered timidly becoming aware of six eyes in the room with him "I don't know" After a few seconds he added "He isn't here anymore" "That's right, good ridence" "But that doesn't mean He still doesn't have his influences" Harry glared daggers dropping John's arm hard "Don't say that" Hints of fear came across those three words in instinct she snagged the Merlot back in her right hand, 'Her crutch in coping' John thought solemnly "It's true," He started picking up a tad of confidence "You are reanacting one his greatest moments" John's sarcastic spite rose from an unknown place within him but it wasn't going to be thrown anywhere else. In turn, something fierce sparked inside of Harry. "Johnny. Take. That. Back" "No" John stood his ground "Why should I, Harriet? You are practically his double now" Harry lost it, winding up the near-empty bottle back like a bat and swung swiftly. The assult was brutal enough the glass shattered on immediate impact of John's cheekbone and temple "You BASTARD!" The elder Waston screeched. Collapsing backwards, already unconscious, John thumped to the floor after colliding with the thankfully dimly lit fireplace on the way down.


"John!" Sherlock dove to his fallen boyfriend's side feeling an active but slower pulse under his shaking fingertips resting on the tanned neck. Everyone else took some sort of action, Mycroft knelt by his brother's side with Holly hovering over them making sure nothing irrational was done by the shock and anger rising in Sherlock's stomach and mind. Greg, Donovan and Anderson arrested Harry for assault and public indecency, Harry was in no fit state to be simply escorted out of the flat as she too was shocked by her own actions.

Molly helped clearing the fallen items and objects near the fire pit, John was lucky it was already warm inside, the addition of burns wouldn't have been accepted as a cruel Christmas gift from his sibling. Mrs Hudson had gone into hysterics and sobbed in the kitchen. Mycroft whispered into his Brother's ear "Don't do anything pedestrian, Brother-mine" and left with Holly in tail. Molly knelt the other side of John facing Sherlock, never had he looked so afraid, whole body trembling, even his inky hair bobbed up and down "Sherlock," The brunette tried being met with a silent sharp glance "We need to call an ambulance" Sherlock nodded returning all attention to his unconscious best friend and boyfriend "Okay" She finished phoning an ambulance watching Sherlock move his unstable, viciously shaking hands to pull John's head onto his lap and keep his right hand brushing through John's ash-blond hair while his left secured itself in John's hand he rose backwards a little while analysing the red substance leaving John's head but concluded that it was only wine seeing as his fingers were bare of anything that resembled blood, the liquid sparkled with pieces of glass reflecting the low lighting in the room.

Paramedics arrived shortly under orders of a 'Holmes' but that clearly wasn't Sherlock. The Detective was nearly forced away from John refusing to leave his side as John would do for him if the roles were reversed. Molly explained that Sherlock was his partner and was extremely protective. Sherlock was allowed to follow John in the ambulance never letting his grip go on the blonde's hand. Sherlock noted that John's eyelids were fluttering; Conclusion - John was dreaming about his past.