Mycroft Holmes stepped up to the door of 221B Baker Street and knocked twice before entering. He took off his jacket and hung it on an empty hook by the front door and set his umbrella beneath it.
"Mrs. Hudson?" he called as he made his way to her door. She opened it just as he knocked.
"Hello, Mycroft. Come in, come in." she held the door open for him and he stepped inside. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Sit down, dear." She gestured to an empty seat at the table.
"Not a worry at all." He told her as he took a seat.
"I've just had a talk with Mary. She's so worried. Would you like some tea?"
"I am aware." He knew she would prepare the tea whether he responded or not. No sense in wasting breath.
Mrs. Hudson busied herself by pouring some tea into two cups. "She's worried about John. You know how it is with our boys, don't you?"
"Yes, Mrs. Hudson. I am aware. I do see everything that goes on in that flat of theirs."
"You had better take those cameras down, Mycroft. I won't have my building bugged, I tell you."
"Hmmm. Yes, Mrs. Hudson." He humored her and accepted the cup of tea she handed him. It wouldn't be cool enough to drink for another two and a half minutes, so he set it on the table.
"I wanted to talk with you about Sherlock." She told him as she sat down across from him. She took a sip of her tea and jolted a bit when it was too hot.
"And why is that, Mrs. Hudson?"
"You're Sherlock's brother. Surely he tells you things, or you figure them out. I thought you might have more insight on this whole thing than I do."
"And what makes you think that he would tell me anything?"
"Well he certainly doesn't tell me anything, and he has to tell someone. He doesn't have many people to confide in, and he wouldn't tell John anything about this."
Mycroft sighed. "Sherlock is a very difficult topic of conversation, Mrs. Hudson. But yes, I do have a full understanding of this situation. From both parties."
"How bad is it? For Sherlock, that is."
"Not very good, I'm afraid. He's barely sleeping. Not that he did before, but the fact is that he actually tries to sleep. And he can't. He tosses and turns and has many what I can only assume to be violent nightmares that cause him to wake up in a panic."
"I hear him shouting in his sleep. Calling out John's name and other things that I can't remember. Do you know, he actually sleep walked down into my flat a few weeks ago? I came into the kitchen that morning and found him asleep on my couch. When I woke him up, he started apologizing profusely to me about leaving me for those two years."
'So that's where he went.' Mycroft thought. "That seems very out of character for him. Are you sure you didn't just dream it up?"
"Oh, I'm sure. It's hard to dream up something as ridiculous as that."
Mycroft took a sip of his tea that had finally cooled to his preferred temperature. It was good tea, he had to admit. It was green tea with a hint of… Pomegranate? He sniffed it. Yes, pomegranate.
A knock came from the main door.
"Oh, I'll be right back. You stay put now." Mrs. Hudson told Mycroft and left to answer the door.
Mycroft heard her exchange greetings with someone. A man, middle-aged. Mrs. Hudson told him to come in. His footsteps were loud and somewhat heavy. Tall, professional. Must have a high-up position in the workplace.
Mrs. Hudson brought him into her flat. "Would you like some tea?" she asked.
"Yeah, tea would be lovely. Thanks." In came the ravishing silver fox, Greg Lestrade.
Marriage issues. No, recently divorced. In the dating pool again. Mycroft deduced. Slightly uncomfortable with Mrs. Hudson, he's clearly not around her much without Sherlock or John.
"Oh, hello, then. I'm Greg Lestrade." Lestrade said to Mycroft.
"I am aware." He replied and stood to shake Lestrade's hand. "I'm Mycroft Holmes."
"Holmes? You're Sherlock's brother, then? I don't believe we've met before."
"No, we haven't. Our paths have never crossed until now, it should seem. Such a… shame it is." Mycroft looked Lestrade up and down while his attention was turned to Mrs. Hudson handing him a cup of tea.
"So what's this all about, then?" Lestrade asked as the three sat down at the table.
"We're worried about Sherlock and John." Mrs. Hudson told him.
"What for?"
"Well, John is getting married."
"And?"
"And, well…"
"And John is in love with Sherlock. And vice-versa." Mycroft deadpanned.
Greg leaned back in his seat and sighed. "Still?"
"Apparently, the Fall did nothing to sway John's feelings for Sherlock. He formed the emotions in that flat and when he left, they weren't present in his immediate life anymore. Once he returned to Baker Street, they returned. It's a form of nostalgia." Mycroft told them.
"That explains why John got back into the swing of things so quickly."
"I did find that rather odd, now that you mention it." Mrs. Hudson agreed.
"So what you're saying then is that John's love for Sherlock is just his mind remembering that he did in a certain place, and making him think that he has these emotions again? That they're, in a way, fake?" Lestrade asked, confused.
"Oh, no, he's always had them, they're as real as ever. You can't simply be completely rid of such a strong emotion by simply leaving the location it made a home in."
"The point is, dears, is that John, and especially Sherlock, are going to be miserable after the wedding. What I'm getting from what you're saying is that John won't know the full extent of his misery, and neither of them will know why they're so miserable."
"Not to be rude, but why does this concern me?" Lestrade asked.
"I can only assume that it's because you were one of the three people that Moriarty targeted, which means that you're close to Sherlock. One might almost say that you're friends with him. You sent a squadron of police to the flat when Sherlock texted you, asking you for help. You had no idea what he needed help with, but you did it anyway. Obviously you care about him, and maybe you know something we don't. You could also assist us in figuring out how to handle this. I'm here because Sherlock is my brother and I understand his situation entirely. Am I correct, Mrs. Hudson?"
"Oh, well, yes, I suppose you are. I called him here because he might know some useful information and he could help us out."
"Right, then." Lestrade nodded. "But John will still go out on cases with Sherlock, won't he? He's Sherlock's his best mate." Lestrade asked.
"Marriage changes people." Mrs. Hudson told him.
"As does a double homicide." Mycroft added. Lestrade laughed.
Mrs. Hudson gave Mycroft a look. "I going to have to have a talk with your mother."
"As do I. I have a file full of questions, comments, and concerns that I've built up over the years. Sherlock has a list."
Mrs. Hudson waved him off. "They're going to fade apart eventually. John's going to be so preoccupied with Mary, and they'll eventually want to start a family. It always happens. Mary won't want him out late with Sherlock or putting himself in danger. And you know someone else will want to hurt those close to either one of them. Marry knows that. She's smart like that."
"You're too smart for your own good, Mrs. Hudson." Mycroft told her. Lestrade smiled.
"My best friend Margaret, she was my chief bridesmaid. We were going to be best friends forever. We always said that. But, I hardly saw her after my wedding. She cried the whole day, saying, 'Oh, it's the end of an era!' She was probably right, really. I remember she left early. I mean, who leaves a wedding early? So sad."
"Oh, God. It's a load of foreshadowing, isn't it? Sherlock's the best man and John's best friend. It's more than likely that they won't see each other very much after the wedding."
"Well what are we going to do?" Mrs. Hudson asked.
"There's nothing we can do. At this point, they have to decide for themselves." Mycroft told her. "Unless we want to sabotage John and Mary's wedding. Which I wouldn't mind doing, but it might just get me killed."
"Well that's bloody brilliant then, isn't it?" Lestrade sounded exasperated.
Mycroft cleared his throat. "I would love to stay and chat about my younger brother's love life, but I have more pressing matters to attend to."Mycroft announced as he stood up and pushed his chair in. "Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Hudson."
"I'd better get going, too. Got a meeting in fifteen minutes and I don't want to be late." Lestrade said and stood up. "Thanks for the tea. What flavor is it? It's delicious."
"Green tea with pomegranate. You can find it anywhere they sell tea."
"I'll remember that. Thanks again."
"Have a good day, boys." Mrs. Hudson called after their retreating forms.
"You, too!" Lestrade called back.
"Are you going to the wedding, Mycroft?" Lestrade asked as they pulled their coats on.
"Possibly." Mycroft responded, picking up his umbrella.
"Only possibly? Why not, haven't got a date?" he winked.
Mycroft repressed a repulsed face. "No, I do not have a date. Weddings are of little to no interest to me, so I am debating on whether or not to go. I'm leaning toward the latter choice."
"You can come with me, then. My friend Molly's already got herself a date, so I'll be all by myself in a room full of unfamiliar people. We can be alone together."
Mycroft gave him a smile. "I'll think on it."
A/N: Reviews are always appreciated.
