Chapter 1 and 2 REVISED & CORRECTED! I read it over to get a feel for Chapter 3, and the mistakes were killing me! :)


"John!" Sherlock shouted in the flat. "John!"

The army doctor turned onto his side in bed. "Sherlock," he mumbled. "Go to sleep. The whole neighborhood can hear you."

"Damn the neighborhood!" Sherlock shouted irritably. "I need you, John!"

John grumbled and tumbled out of bed. "Sherlock," he whined. He rubbed his face with his hands and sighed. "What is it now?" he asked, entering the main room of the flat. "We've caught the murderer. The case is solved. Your deductions were brilliant as ever. And Anderson didn't even speak at the crime scene. What could possibly be wrong?"

The consulting detective shook his head and pointed a slim finger at John. "You!" he muttered. "You were not at my side during crime scenes and interviews. My deductions were not 'brilliant', and I couldn't be this 'nice person' as you call it."

John groaned and poured himself a cup of tea. "Sherlock, we have gone over this before. Mary-"

"Damn that woman!"

"Damn that woman?!" John growled angrily. "Jesus Christ, Sherlock. 'That woman' is my wife now."

"But you're living here," Sherlock argued.

"You're drunk again, aren't you?" John observed after smelling something a little stronger than tea on his friend's breath. "Sherlock, really?"

"No, I'm not drunk-"

"I don't live here, Sherlock," John pressed on. "Mrs. Hudson is finding you a new flatmate and in the meantime, I am renting out this flat until Mary and I find somewhere suitable to live."

The detective lowered his eyes. "But I don't want you to be replaced."

John sighed heavily. "We'll still have cases-"

"NO!" Sherlock shouted abruptly. "No, John. I can't do that."

"It's not your choice! Mary and I are married-"

"... then I should have died..." Sherlock muttered under his breath. "I shouldn't have died for you, John. I should have died for my own good..." he repeated for John to hear him.

"Sherlock..."

"No, John," the consulting detective said. "I can't accept her."

The army doctor sighed again and clenched his jaw. "Then what can you accept?"

"... us..."

"Pardon?" John asked.

"Boys," Mrs. Hudson called. "A man is here to speak to you!"

"Sherlock-"

The taller man's face darkened. "It's nothing," he muttered. "Come, we've got a client."