A/N: And now... John's reaction! I have decided to add a little Doctor Who in later chapters, just a little. 10th Doctor and Rose. Be ready. ;)
Please review! I like to know if I'm capturing everyone correctly, and your feedback is always appreciated. Thank you all for reading! It really means a lot! :)
"WHAT?! There's another one?!" John cried, shocked. "Any more secret relatives you'd like to reveal, Sherlock?!"
Sherlock shook his head. "No. Merlin, though, he…"
"What?! Because with your family, I think I've heard it all! Seriously! What's this Holmes like, Sherlock? Because he can't possibly be a random innocent citizen, being in your family!" John realized that that was a bit out of line right after he'd said it, but he was seriously hurt that Sherlock had kept his from him. Even for Sherlock, this was really insensitive.
Merlin stood awkwardly next to the door, saying nothing and turning redder by the second, clearly humiliated.
"You don't understand!" Sherlock shouted, furiously. "Merlin isn't like Mycroft and I; he isn't like anyone! Now I get why you may be cross with me, but don't take it out on him!"
Merlin frowned. "I-I'm sorry Sherlock… I didn't realize… I… ehm… Shouldn't have come…" He moved from the door to try to hurry past them, apparently to leave.
Sherlock barred his way with an arm. "It's okay, Merlin. You didn't do anything wrong. John's just a little surprised, aren't you John?" He glared at him.
John was shocked. Merlin's attempted exit hadn't felt very "Holmes"-like at all. It actually was kind of… selfless, in appearance. That was new.
"Uh… Yeah. Sorry, Merlin." John sighed, feeling a little bit bad for frightening him now. Sherlock was right. This was between them.
Sherlock, unsurprisingly, followed his train of thought. "Maybe you want to unpack for a minute?" he asked his brother.
Merlin nodded, quickly, apparently relieved to get away from the war zone between John and Sherlock. He turned and ran back into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Downstairs?" Sherlock suggested, looking toward the door.
John followed his gaze. "Yes. That'd be good."
They hurried down, meeting in the kitchen.
"How did I never know about this?" John hissed.
"Please, John. I would've thought you knew me better than that by now." Sherlock snorted.
John shook his head, taking a deep breath, trying not to give in to the 'punch me in the face' subtext. "I guess… But what about Mycroft? Why hasn't he mentioned him?"
Sherlock smiled, weakly. "We just… don't really talk about him that much."
"BUT HE'S YOUR BROTHER SHERLOCK! HOW COULD I NOT KNOW?!" John protested.
Sherlock gave a pointed look upstairs. "John, I know it may be hard for you to believe, being an idiot, as you are, but he's really very sensitive, so if you wouldn't mind keeping it down a little…"
"Really? A sensitive Holmes? That's a new one! Because surely Merlin would have told me about both of his brothers!" John snapped.
"Merlin…" Sherlock sighed, "I'll admit, is not exactly normal. But do not go around treating him like a freak! He has done that to himself quite enough! Now, John. I'm sorry we never mentioned our brother before, but you know how protective Mycroft gets of me?"
John snorted. "What, you mean with the military surveillance and all?"
Sherlock chuckled, darkly. "Multiply that by about a billion."
"But why?" John asked, having finally cooled down a bit, and now feeling simply annoyed "Why do you two worry so much?!"
Sherlock looked away. "Look. Merlin is going to stay here for a short time. As time goes on, he's going to begin to seem almost like the 'Normal Holmes' to you, I suppose. Well, don't be deceived. If you think Mycroft and I are unique… Of course, I'm not really open to discussing that right now, or ever for that matter."
"Why?" John inquired, frustrated.
"Because," Sherlock sighed, "People may call me a freak, but if Merlin is ever discovered, his life will be at risk. That's why he needs to stay here for a while. In any case, he is certainly easier for most people to live with than I am."
"Just like everyone else in the world's population," John muttered.
"You see?" Sherlock asked, grinning. "Pretty good, for a Holmes! Just give him a chance."
John sighed, feeling himself caving in. "Fine. But he is not taking my room!"
Sherlock looked relieved. "I'll go tell him then."
John nodded. "You do that."
Sherlock ran up the stairs, looking quite pleased with himself, as always.
However, John's head was buzzing with questions like a hive of bees on caffeine. Why was Sherlock acting so human? Why was Merlin such a secret, and who was he, exactly? And what made him unique enough to be a Holmes?