Prompt fill I did for kneelbefore-thequeen on tumblr and thought I'd share here.
The prompt was: #53: Keeping a Secret.
Set after 2x24.
Disclaimer: Obviously, Elementary isn't mine.
—With the Bees, With You—
Sometimes on nights after they've solved a case, they would spend about a half an hour of their evening on the roof together with the bees.
Most times they sat in silence, drowning pleasantly in the warm buzz of the bees and the cacophony of the city that surrounded them.
Others, they simply talked. Sometimes about nothing in particular, and sometimes Sherlock would share about the cases he worked before they met, about the unique individuals he met over the years in his search for answers. In turn, Joan spoke of her time as a surgeon, what it was like, and the patients she met in the ER sporting all kinds of injuries and wild stories to go with them.
It was really nice.
Tonight, however, was less so. But that would be due to the fact that tonight was her last night at the Brownstone—her things had already been packed and moved, her closet was empty, and her room had been stripped of practically all her possessions.
Still, she was grateful that Sherlock was willing to sit with her up here one last time despite his misgivings about the move.
Eventually, Joan was the one to break the peace. "Hey, Sherlock?"
Her partner turned towards her just slightly, enough to indicate that he was listening.
Her fingers twisted and picked at a button on her jacket. "Don't tell anyone," she began, unsure of any other way to do it, "But this is one of the things I'm gonna miss the most."
Sherlock let out a small puff through his nose. "My lips are sealed, Watson," he murmured, his low voice solemn and yet still wry. "But I fear I cannot say the same for the bees."
Joan found her lips twitching as she glanced at the beehives. "That's alright," she replied, shifting back in her seat. "I think we can trust them not to say anything either."
As they drifted back into a more companionable silence, she more heard than saw Sherlock shuffle in his own chair, and she waited for him to speak.
"My roof will always be open to you, Watson," he quietly remarked after a moment and with such sincerity that Joan was left briefly stunned. "And my doors, at that… I would not divest you of this, no matter what disagreements we might have."
It did, however, reassure her that even though her decision had put them on shaky ground, it didn't mean the end for them.
Shaking her head, Joan gave a soft laugh under her breath. "Wouldn't spending most of my time here refute the point of getting another place?"
But Sherlock merely shrugged as he clasped his hands together and settled them in his lap. "My invitation stands—I leave it to you to do with it what you wish."
Joan turned to peer at Sherlock, who turned to face her in full only after a short moment, waiting. She gave him a tiny smile. "Thank you," she softly said at last.
And when she turned back to watch the bees, Sherlock found himself smiling lightly as well.
o.O.o
Hope you all enjoyed it! Feel free to hit me up with a prompt, be it a number one like this one, or just whatever.
RainLily^^