Author's Note: Yay! Another chapter! I'm so glad you're liking the sequel so far. My goal is for weekly updates, but with my busy time of year at school, I can't make promises. Anyway, enjoy this and the feels it may give you! Once again thank you to GaeilgeRua for beta reading for me! Thanks and leave feedback if you can! xxDustNight

Disclaimer: All non-original characters, plot points, and information belongs to J.K. Rowling, BBC, or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.

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Nights in 221B
Rated: M
Pairing: Hermione/Sherlock, Sherlock/John (implied)
Summary: When Hermione leaves the wizarding world behind, choosing to aid Sherlock in his desperate search for Moriarty, she learns much more about the consulting detective than she ever thought possible.

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Chapter Two

Setting Sherlock's shirt to soak in the sink, Hermione stared into the sitting room where he was currently seated. He was dabbing at his nose with a handkerchief while using his other hand to idly scroll through email on his computer. He hadn't said much since John's abrupt exit, but she was determined to get to the bottom of this. Wiping her hands to dry on a towel, she bit her lip as she thought about the detective and the doctor. From what she'd understood, the two were close friends, so what could have happened to make the latter so violent?

Heading into the sitting room, she conjured some tea for the two of them before settling into the chair across from Sherlock's. He glanced up at her as he set aside his computer, exchanging it for the tea. Meeting her heavy stare, he relaxed into the chair, crossing one ankle over a knee. Stomach uneasy, Hermione set aside her tea before even taking a single sip. Almost in exasperation, she threw up her hands.

"What was that all about, Sherlock?"

"When unusually stressed, John tends to display aggression rather than use his words."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione reworded her question to try and get more out of the stubborn man. "Tell me why, Sherlock. Tell me why Dr. Watson came into your flat and punched you in the face, because if you don't, I'll find out in my own way." Smiling, she absentmindedly twirled her wand between her fingers as she met his gaze.

He raised his eyebrows at her threat, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Are you insinuating, Ms. Granger, that you're able to read my mind with your magic?" Her answering smile told him all he needed to know, so with a sigh, Sherlock gave into her. "One could say that John and I have not been on the best of terms this past year. After he married Mary, he and I sort of grew apart, and then, I met you."

"I thought you were alright with Mary?" Hermione asked as she dropped her wand into her lap and grabbed her teacup instead. "I never got the impression that you and Watson had issues; although, now that I think about it, you never really talked about him much."

"No," Sherlock replied, face showing no emotion. "Thinking about John, or even mentioning him…it hurt too much." Glancing away, Sherlock sipped at his tea, not wanting Hermione to see the pain reflected in his eyes.

"Sherlock?" She said his name softly, concern making her stomach clench as she contemplated whether to ask her next question. In the end, though, she knew she had to, so after taking a deep breath, she forged on. "You were in love with him."

He flinched, and that was answer enough alone. Swallowing audibly, Sherlock lifted his eyes to meet hers. "I hurt John immensely when I faked my death. I was all he had, and, selfishly, I took that away from him. Even if it was to save his life, I knew tearing myself away in such a manner could break him. So, when I returned, I was unsurprised to find him involved with Mary." Setting his tea on the side table, he carried on. "I'd had this vision in my head that upon my return, John would declare his affections for me and we'd settle into an easy life of solving crimes and caring for one another. But as always, I missed something in my deduction."

"What was that?"

"John did not love me in the same way I loved him." Clearing his throat, Sherlock suddenly stood from the chair, stalking towards the windows and looking out into the night. "So I let him go—I let him wed Mary and I eased into the background, preparing for a life of loneliness."

Pulling her feet up into the chair, Hermione wrapped her arms around her legs before resting her chin between her knees. "But that doesn't explain what happened here tonight. I guess I'm failing to see why he would come here and just…break your face."

Snorting with derision, Sherlock placed his palm flat against the cool of the glass. "The last he and I talked, I may have insinuated that now that he had Mary, he didn't need me any longer."

"That isn't so horrible," Hermione started, but he cut her off.

"I told him I no longer needed him as well. I explained that he should forget about me and focus on making a family with Mary." Trailing off, Sherlock tried to get his emotions under control, but knew he was failing miserably.

As he turned away from the window to face her once more, Hermione gasped at the wretched look on his face. He knew he looked devastated, he could feel his heart breaking all over again as he relived the pain of his past. Falling in love with John had been a slow awakening, one he'd never expected. One day John was his flatmate and friend, and the next it was as if he was his entire world. Having to leave that all behind, and knowing he couldn't have him, almost killed him…almost drove him back to the drugs. Returning and finding the short man was no longer in his grasp was just as awful. Stumbling into Diagon Alley and Hermione saved him, entirely.

"He had to know you were lying."

"He did, but that did not stop him from being angry with me." Sighing, Sherlock tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers as he stood in the middle of the sitting room. "We haven't spoken since."

Understanding rolled through Hermione, and before she could even attempt to voice her suspicions, Sherlock did something to surprise her—he admitted his true feelings.

"The truth of the matter, Hermione, is not that I was in love with John—it's that despite the true and insurmountable affection I have for you, I can't help but feel some semblance of love for him even now."

Sliding to her feet, Hermione stood from the chair and padded across the room to stand in front of her lover. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek in her hand and brushed her thumb across his cheekbone, taking care not to make his face hurt any worse than it already did. "Sherlock," she whispered, her heart aching at the look in his sea-coloured eyes, "there's nothing wrong with being in love with two people at the same time. I'm sure if you just talk to John, he'll understand you never meant to truly push him away. He's your best friend, he'll come around."

Covering her hand with his own, Sherlock leaned down and captured her lips in a chaste kiss. She sighed into the embrace, but pulled back after only a moment. Now was not the time for kisses and distractions. They had a case to solve, and unfortunately, they needed John's help. Now that she knew more about Sherlock's relationship with the man, she could move forward with trying to get the two back to working together, but at the same time…she worried what that meant for the two of them. Mary was still in the picture, but if John found out Sherlock's true feelings, what would happen to not only Mary, but herself as well? Only time would tell.