A/N: John is observant; that's why Sherlock likes him :)

A Heart of Gold


When John first met him, Inspector Lestrade had said: "Sherlock Holmes is a great man, and some day, if we're very very lucky, he might even be a good one."

John completely agreed.

Sherlock could scowl and scoff, and play sociopath all he wanted, but John could see the truth. The expression "A heart of gold" suited Sherlock – not now, but soon, some day. At the present John reckoned it was more of a rusty yellow than anything else, covered up so well it fooled almost everyone.

But Lestrade saw, and John saw, and they both knew that one day - when that rusty heart of Sherlock's was finally polished, using trust, friendship, and sentiment, and everything Sherlock shied away from - that brilliant golden shine from underneath would eventually glow through. And then, the whole world would finally see the good man known as Sherlock Holmes, the man John followed to the ends of the Earth.