Main Characters: Dr. John Watson and Mary Morstan
Disclaimer: The characters, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Watson and Mary Morstan belong to the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This short story is based from the first Sherlock Holmes movie in 2009 by Guy Ritchie under Warner Bros. Pictures. Byron is mine.
Author's Note: This is my first fanfic of Sherlock Holmes although he's not the major character in the story. Some parts in this fanfic are mixed with the movie, the books of the same name from above, and my imagination. Oh, by the way, I haven't read any of late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books.
My heartfelt gratitude goes to fellow Sherlock fan, 'LP', for the quick confirmation of Dr. John Watson's family and suggestions. I want to thank my fellow Sherlockfans, CIfan, & Candyfans for their generous feedback and suggestions. Thank you so much.
Enjoy!
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Watson's Shattered Tryst
'Well done, old boy!' Dr. John Watson indignantly said to his long-time comrade and colleague, Sherlock Holmes. The doctor dismissed their table, leaving the world's wisest consulting detective behind at the Royale restaurant the same night.
The dark, chestnut-haired surgeon, who formerly was involved in a battlefield in Middle East, was conspicuously deep in his thought as he rushed himself coming after his future bride, Mary Morstan.
'How could Holmes say such a thing after I, not once but twice, requested to not to dig my fiancée's privacy deeper that would certainly make her uncomfortable,' the doctor scowled in silence as he was walking away through the crowd with his sword cane. Had dining at the Royale tonight been such a good idea?
In a matter of seconds, John's frustrated face gradually softened. He did not regret the gathering, which he had arranged so the two most important people in his life could get to know one another. Watson couldn't help but recall Holmes' peevishness earlier as the wavy, dark-haired detective greeted Mary in an odd manner, as if he didn't want her around.
'So, I have been delaying the task of presenting my fiancée to Sherlock Holmes because I was indeed searching for the perfect time, and yet he had to ruin it, although I chose this moment before moving out of our...excuse me, I mean, MY flat in a week. Mary and I have been seeing each other for some time now, and I have not got any chance to introduce Mary to my friends in Rugby club, or some in the hospital where I had worked, except for Holmes, whom I considered very special. We shared the flat for nearly a decade [A] and I looked up to him like my younger brother. Additionally, this was to celebrate our last case together...'
"Mary!" Watson called out to Mary as he caught sight of his dear lady hopping into the horse drawn carriage.
The stunning man in his dark, frock coat with navy blue and olive green striped scarf also climbed in and gently settled himself next to Mary. He placed his cane on the floor and inquired, "Are you alright, darling?"
"John, you didn't have to follow me here. I'm fine…," replied the blonde-haired lady without even looking at the doctor's sincere eyes.
Watson's heart sank terribly when he noticed Mary's tear descended on her cheek. The doctor drew closer to her. He lightly slid his arm around his fiancée and placed his left hand on hers. "Mary," he began. "I apologize for what happened. I honestly didn't expect Holmes would proceed this far, whereas I have warned you about this preposterous ability of his."
"The fault is mine," said Mary, shaking her head back and forth. "I insisted on your friend by mollifying my curiosity when you told me about his brilliant detection on people he meets whether they are strangers or not...by allowing me to see the kind of power her has."
Sherlock's bold sidekick came up with a way to lighten the mood instantly. "You know, on my first meeting with Holmes through my old friend, Mike Stamford, I was incredibly stunned when he bluntly surmised that I was a war doctor and recently returned from Afghanistan. It was remarkable, but frightening."
The governess composedly faced her fiancé and returned with a straight question. "Did he mention your personal life at the same time?"
John paused for a moment and diverted his eyes in opposite direction. He sighed a little and continued, [B] "Not until I handed him my pocket watch and from there he read that I had a father and an elder brother…" The conversation John had with Sherlock regarding his older, unnamed brother was quite fresh in his memory. The ex-army doctor admitted that he had bitter relationship with his unhappy brother and there was never closure between them before he departed the world.
'I was at the point of losing my temper for I could never discern Holmes' unbelievable skills on bringing up my long gone family just by bloody guessing the old watch! I was not absolutely certain if I should believe him, or if I should assume he saw me at the graveyard...'
Mary leaned against Watson's hard shoulder and slid her hands around his waist as she commented, "Please, don't take my opinion of your friend so profoundly, but I frankly find him outlandish."
"Not at all, Mary. That old boy is simply too smart and farfetched in his own way, but believe me, he's a good person to associate with once you get to know him better," Watson calmly stated in defense of his soon-to-be former flatmate.
"John, does this detective's pointless approach towards me have anything to do with your cutting off your partnership with him in homicide cases? Or leaving the flat in Baker Street, for that matter?" asked the lady in the purple, satin gown under Dr. Watson's cheek. He detected the slight sadness in her voice.
John let out an amiable chuckle. All he wanted was a nice and peaceful get together to enjoy everyone's company as normal customers usually do at the finest restaurant. He'd imagined the three of them conversing about subjects other than Holmes' great power of deduction.
The doctor responded with as much support as he could muster while caressing Mary's soft hair, "Think positively, darling. Holmes is decisively aware that I have to retire, so I can maintain my medical career and the area I'm moving to is much nearer to my working place."
"I'm sorry I splashed my wine at your friend's face. I know I shouldn't have behaved that way after I forced him to deduce me. However I just couldn't repress my anger when he insanely accused me of leaving my deceased fiancé over someone like you." Watson endured a warm teardrop quickly that fell on his hand from Mary's eyes and she grasped his back securely. She hastened to add in a whisper, "How impertinent of your friend. If only he knew how much it pained me when I received the crushing news of Byron's murder..."
'If you had not, I would have jabbed my stubborn partner's leg with my cane under the table just to silence him. Little does he know that you and I have already discussed your loss,' John remarked, and then directed his head at the passing carriages, wondering of his best friend's odd actions. He had to confess that he would miss his adventures with the sleuth once he's settled down.
'Holmes...is my relationship with a woman a threat to our friendship? Are you not at least happy for me? I want you to know that my friendship for you will never change, no matter what...'
With Watson's great sympathy for his dear fiancée, he managed to wrap his strong arms around the young governess and to fondle her back simultaneously as he spoke. "Ssh, it's alright, darling. He deserved it. Let us put this event behind us, shall we? I assure you, I will have a word with Holmes as soon as possible. Hm?"
A moderate nod was the governess' response.
John and Mary did not squander the good moments while they had had their loving arms on each other. In a short time, John nonchalantly released himself from Mary's grip to observe her beautiful eyes were similar in color to the ocean.
Holmes' crime partner snatched his watch from his pocket to look at the time and focused his attention back on Mary. He tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear as he tenderly suggested, "It is too early to go home. Would you like to take a quiet walk with an old man in the park?"
The invitation filled Mary's entire face with happiness. She looked at Watson and answered back in a sweet tone, playing with her fiancé's striped scarf with her hand. "There is nothing in the world that would make me happier than to walk anywhere with you, John. And no, you're not old for me."
John beamed an adorable smile at his fiancée. Without wasting a single second, he knocked twice at the small mirror to direct the coachman to their destination. The sound of the horses' neigh was heard from the background as they went on their way.
"I have something that might cheer you up more, Mary."
"What is it?"
The two pieces of surprise that were hovered by Watson in front of them had immensely radiated Mary's entire face with happiness and she gasped, "Two tickets for [C] 'Otello' opera? Oh, John, I've always dreamed of watching this! My friends have seen it and recommended me to watch it as well," the young governess exclaimed.
"I'm glad to hear that you're happy, dear. I guess I made the decision on choosing the best performance we'll both enjoy," Watson affirmed jovially as he stroked his mustache, and then he reckoned, "Originally, I was going to hide this surprise until tomorrow night, but I..."
At Mary's enthusiasm, she drove her arms to snuggle around John without waiting for her fiancé's unfinished sentence. The governess sighed heavily as if the trouble suddenly left her body and could freely breathe when the doctor embraced her in return. She shut her eyes for a bit and she raised her face to glance at the thoughtful, teal eyes of the certain gentleman. "You have no idea how thrilled you have made me feel, John. Thank you."
While Watson was exchanging long and amorous gaze with Mary, remembering how enamored he'd been of his fiancée's beauty and kindness since the moment he'd set eyes on her at a grand gala he and Holmes had attended. Unfortunately, they had been undercover back then. It had taken the two, fearless detectives weeks to solve a cold, major case.
There was a time when John had been acknowledged by Mary that she wasn't prepared to receive any suitor on account of her mourning for the loss of her late, would-be husband, Byron. John understood this and decided to remain as friends and wait patiently. Soon after that, the doctor was indubitably overjoyed that Mary accepted his proposal of courtship. [D]At first, John had feared he'd be disappointed, thinking that someone young and smart like Mary would shun a man with a physical injury from the war like he had.
Dr. John Watson brushed the tears off Mary's smooth face with the back of his index finger. Gracefully, he lifted the young woman's hand towards his lips. It was hard for Mary to mask her shy smile as the kindhearted and charming doctor was showing signs of affectionate for her.
And subsequently...together they closed their eyes. Watson led himself to meet Mary's soft lips and surrendered to a deep and tender kiss.
~ The End ~
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Footnotes:
[A] In the movie, it was not clearly explained when Dr. John Watson started living in 221B Baker Street with Sherlock Holmes, but in one of the books of the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 'A Study in Scarlet', stated that they met and lived together in the year 1881.
[B] From the book of the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle called 'The Sign of Four', Dr. Watson gave his watch to Sherlock Holmes and he deduced that the watch had originally belonged to his late father, and passed on to his older brother as inheritance, who also died, and they were never mentioned in other stories.
[C] Otello by Giuseppe Verdi the opera is frequently performed throughout the world.
[D] Also from 'The Sign of Four', Dr. John Watson was having nervous thoughts before he proposed to Mary.
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Thank you for reading! Hope you like it. Reviews are welcome.
© EnakaT 2012
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EDITED: Dec. 17, 2012