"And you now, Doctor Watson. Please say your vows."
John cleared his throat and looked up. He would never forget they way those eyes shone on this sunny afternoon; it was a gaze that would be, forever, his. "Sherlock."
"For so long, I was broken. I was a doctor back from war with no life here, no friends nor family. All I had was the pieces and rules, rules to follow. I was supposed to make friends and find love, the ordinary kind, the kind a man like me is meant to have. But then I met you, Sherlock. I met you and we broke all the rules."
"Our love was not clear at first. We went from flat mates in our little Baker Street to fugitives running hand in hand down London's gas-lite streets. All I wanted was to see you smile, to never see you unhappy. And I was afraid, Sherlock. Afraid that I would lose you if my fingertips brushed too close or my gaze held too long. Maybe I was afraid to lose myself too. Lose myself in you. It's funny, though, because that's all I want to do now."
"And then it was too late. Too late for us, for me, for you. Too late down on the pavement, too late up on the roof. Too late. All I could think those next few days, weeks, was how it hurt to say goodbye, but how it would have hurt so much more if our love had been spoken. You were my almost lover, Sherlock. And to you I said goodbye."
"I said goodbye and then I said hello. You came back when I had just left. And I am so sorry, Sherlock. For leaving you when my heart told me no. It wasn't easy to move on, and maybe I never really did. I am here, with you, today…when I asked for a miracle, Sherlock, I was not granted one. You were always supposed to come back to me. But I will never forget the day I came back to you. That was our miracle, Sherlock. That was our one more miracle."
"You took my hand in the London streets and made me feel alive. It was the first time we touched, truly touched. As a doctor I know that touch is nothing more than skin on skin, but that night, that winter night, our touch was so much more. All I wanted was to feel your touch forever. After the rooftop, the only touch I had was of an almost lover. It was the touch of stone."
"As I hold your hand today, I am reminded of each and every touch we have shared. As flat mates and friends, as almost lovers and lovers of two beating hearts. I am reminded of skin and stone and stars. Our touch is a reminder that broken hearts and broken men do not stay scattered, in pieces, forever, for ours was a touch that healed. I vow to you that our touch will last a lifetime, my dearest Sherlock. I vow to hold your hand against this beating heart, now and every day to come. I vow to hold your touch, forevermore."