CHAPTER TWO

A/N Spoilers and whatnot in Chapter One.

A door slammed with some force making the two men jump.

"What the…" muttered Greg but John could see Mrs Hudson standing there, her arms folded with a face like thunder.

"I'd better go," said Greg. "I'll see you two at the Yard shortly."

"We'll be right behind," promised John and, as Greg left, turned to face his landlady.

"John Watson, how could you?" she hissed.

"What on earth are you talking about?" asked John, genuinely baffled. Surely, she couldn't have been offended by the kiss?

"Cheating on Sherlock. And so bloody blatantly, right outside my front door!"

John sighed. They'd never really managed to convince her that he and Sherlock weren't a couple. She really had the wrong end of the stick this time.

"I've got a good mind to go up there right now and tell him," she said, biting her lip. "I'm disappointed in you, John. Very disappointed."

"Can I get a word in?" he asked. "Come on, come and sit down. We need to talk."

He steered her into her flat and sat her down at the kitchen table, sitting opposite and looking into her eyes so she couldn't doubt his sincerity.

"Mrs Hudson, Sherlock and me…we're not a couple. He's not my boyfriend, he's my best friend and we share a flat. That's it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, but…"

"No buts. He's not and never has been or will be my boyfriend. Greg is."

"The inspector? Isn't he a bit old for you?"

"No," said John exasperatedly. He's really not. He's funny and charming and the kindest man I know. He's who I'm sleeping with, Not Sherlock. No one is cheating on anyone."

"I see now. Thank you for clearing that up, dear. I would have made a right clot of myself, wouldn't I?"

"Just so long as you understand. Now, we need to be elsewhere. See you later."

Sherlock was waiting impatiently upstairs.

"what was all that yelling about? Is Mrs Hudson having some kind of fit?"

"She saw me kissing Greg and thought I was cheating on you. I've put her right."

Sherlock looked positively pained.

"Oh, I see. So, you and Lestrade. Hmmm."

"Yes, we're actually dating now." John looked his flatmate in the eye.

"Well, you've been having sex with him since before Christmas so I suppose some sort of recognition of the fact makes sense."

"How did you…? Never mind."

"Many signs, John. And you always smell of his aftershave when you come home."

"Are you going to be okay with this?" John was genuinely concerned. It wouldn't be the first time Sherlock had thrown a spanner in the works of his love life.

"I think so. Please, John, don't hurt him. He's far too valuable to me for you to just throw him aside when you're done with him."

"I can assure you I won't be doing that."

"Very well, "concluded Sherlock. "Shall we go?"

Three weeks later John joined Greg at their favourite restaurant in Chinatown. Greg looked very fine that night, dressed in a kingfisher blue shirt and black jeans. John felt very guilty.

"I feel like I've been neglecting you," he confessed as Greg nibbled on a prawn cracker.

"Don't be daft," said Greg softly, squeezing John's hand." I've been really busy and I'm happier knowing that there's someone keeping an eye on Sherlock, especially since Moriarty appears to have vanished."

John shivered. Ever since that man had walked free from the Old Bailey John had been expecting retribution. Sometimes he felt the universe was holding its breath and it was making him edgy and fretful.

"Anyway," Greg continued. "You're here now."

John smiled, linking his fingers with Greg's on the tablecloth, his eyes never leaving Greg's.

"I don't want to be anywhere else," he admitted. Greg gave him a very knowing look and started on another prawn cracker.

John woke early the next morning. He was in Greg's bed but he was alone. He could hear movement downstairs so he stretched out and grinned at the memory of what had happened when they had ended up here after the restaurant, how easily that beautiful blue shirt had slid off Greg's shoulders onto the carpet and how inventive his lover had been in bed that night, so much so that even the memory was getting John turned on all over again.

He found Greg in the kitchen, already dressed for work, and helped himself to coffee.

"I've got to go shortly," said Greg apologetically. "I was just coming up to wake you."

"It's fine, I'll go with you," said John, draining his cup as Greg looked for his car keys.

Greg offered to drop him off but John declined saying that he had stuff he needed to do. Greg kissed him goodbye and drove off as John headed for the Tube station.

Being more or less kidnapped by Mycroft Holmes hadn't featured heavily on John's to-do list that day, but it happened. He listened in horror at what Mycroft was telling him and returned to Baker Street with a heavy heart, bowed down with the knowledge that Moriarty was by no means done with his friend.

Greg and Sally Donovan were already there, much to his surprise.

"There's been a kidnapping…"

TBC