As any bride or groom-to-be will tell you: planning a wedding is very stressful. Even Greg, who excelled under pressure was crumbling: he had had enough of the different shades of cream; he didn't realise that the material of the socks he would wear where significant; he had no idea why he needed to choose two types of cake and he he couldn't care less whether the bridesmaids had short or long dresses. It was all getting a bit much, even though he had done it once before- that time, Karen was determined to plan everything herself, so that every single detail would be exact, so up until now, he thought wedding planning was a breeze, it turns out that he was extremely wrong.
In the week leading up to the wedding, Gregory Lestrade barely saw his husband: they both juggled work and trying to plan the happiest day of their life, while trying to keep up with several plans and commitments. They had arranged to have dinner together on Thursday night -two days before the wedding- just the two of them, without the stress of planning, or relatives constantly stealing them away for a much needed catch up.
So when Thursday finally came, both men had cancelled all their commitments: phones were turned off, the dinner was cooking and they had made a pact to discuss nothing of wedding plans. This was their night, and nobody, not even the queen could take it away from them. Greg had prepared the most amazing meal, which would make every tastebud in the universe dance with delight, and as they ate, they quietly discussed their days:
"I had a visit from your brother today" Gregory remarked with a smirk on his face, eager to see his Fiancé's reaction, "He wandered in to the office, mentioned something about John, Coriander seeds, the spice girls, the periodic table and Jurassic world, before leaving more confused than he came in. Anderson found it most amusing, he filmed it, so it will probably be up on YouTube in a day or two"
Mycroft chuckled quietly, "He had never really been one for full sentences when he was in his mind palace: once he came into my room when we were younger, and simply said 'Conjunctivitis' and left, it turns out that he was solving the case as to why our butler couldn't find his trainers."
Greg grinned, "How old were you guys at the time?"
"Goodness, I think I was 13, so Sherlock must have been 6. He was a precocious child; thinking about it, he hasn't changed much"
"Your brother will never cease to amaze me" The detective inspector said, "And I thought I had seen it all, growing up with four other siblings. You and your brother have opened my eyes to a completely new world" He smiled, "I'm thankful for both of you, especially, you" He leaned across to where he was sitting and kissed him gently, "It's always been you, Mycroft Homes"
Mycroft beamed, "Well, I'm glad to hear you're not dating my brother. Not just because of Saturday, but I think John would possibly kill you."
"He's my best man" Greg replied indignantly, "the least he would do is break my nose"
"You forget, Gregory dear, that Dr John Watson, is not only the jealous type, but he was also a soldier.."
"He was a doctor!" Greg remarked,
"And as he will incessantly remind you: He had bad days"
The both laughed, and continued to eat their dinner with quiet conversation, followed by sloppy kisses.
•
The next day came far too quickly in Mycroft's opinion: he had risen from bed with a frightfully bad headache and no fiancé lying next to him. He groaned, mornings were certainly not his favourite thing. The government man sat up in his bed, casting his mind back to earlier days: back to the time where they spent a whole Christmas party together, discussing expensive alcohol and their adventures as teenagers; when he first went on a date with Gregory in the pouring rain; he thought of their first Christmas together; saying "I love you" for the first time; when gay marriage was legalised and they spent the evening with a tub of Ben and Jerry's realising that their teenage selves never thought this would happen, and finally, Mycroft's favourite memory of those two weeks in France. These thoughts happily spun through his mind as he tried to wake up. "I'm getting married tomorrow," He thought calmly, "To the most amazing man on earth-"
His thoughts were interrupted by Gregory bringing in two steaming cups of coffee, "Morning Love" He said quietly, sneaking in a kiss as he joined his fiancé in bed, "Sleep well?"
"I suppose I did" The government man replied, "I had a terrifying dream though: Sherlock and John kept swapping heads, and then when I finally got them back to their normal selves, they collided, and several more Sherlock and John's appeared, they were chasing me all over London. I had to run"
"I don't know what's more terrifying, Sherlock and John creating mini versions of themselves, or you running" the elder man teased, "however it does explain as to why you were kicking in the night"
Mycroft smiled at Greg's teasing, and then sighed sadly, "Sorry, Gregory dear" He apologised; the government man had been a victim of night terrors and the like since he first saw Sherlock laying on the floor of the bathroom from an overdose of drugs. No matter how much the younger genius detested his older brother, he could not begrudge the red head for helping him in his drug induced state that very first night, but, it has an effect on Mycroft: he suffered from dreams in seeing Sherlock in a similar state; he had to be counselled on how to deal with it and it almost got to the point where Mycroft was afraid to sleep- but since Gregory came along, everything became easier, as if there was someone there to protect him, even though he still had bad dreams, he wasn't afraid anymore.
"Myc, you don't have to be sorry. If I didn't get kicked in the night once in a while, there would definitely be something to worry about" he leaned over to Mycroft and kissed him softly, "It will be weird not sharing my bed with you tomorrow night"
Mycroft coughed, "It's my bed!"
"You know what I mean"
It was true, being a traditionalist, Mycroft thought it was best that they didn't see each other the night before the wedding, meaning, that for the first time in forever (he was really spending far too much time with Gregory's youngest daughter, Charlotte), that they would be spending the night apart. Which broke Mycroft's heart in several places, all at once, just thinking about it. "I'll miss you" Mycroft said, "But seeing as I'm taking two weeks off for the wedding and the honeymoon, I feel like I should enjoy my last day as an unmarried man, and go to work. Sound good?"
"I agree with you" Gregory smiled, kissing him again as the younger man went to get out of bed and ready for work. His day was busy, with an abundance of things to do, but he had the morning off of work to get a few chores done, before the big day. Greg trudged down to the kitchen 20 minutes or so later, grabbing his to do list and his car keys, he set off.
TO-DO LIST BEFORE WEDDING
1. Collect Suits, Bridesmaid dresses and hats from the cleaners (there had been an unfortunate incident with Red wine one evening with Mycroft)
2. Check that everything is at the venue, including the food, (as that was forgotten at the engagement party)
3. Take his three lovely daughters to get their hair done at the local salon.
4. Write down what time they need to be collected (as there were several years last time)
5. Pack suitcases ready for the honeymoon (Mycroft still didn't know where they were going)
6. Pack overnight bag and try not to panic, (because as everyone has learnt from FRIENDS nothing is worse than having a groom go missing on his wedding day)
7. Remind self to go over to the flat and leave an abundance of notes for Mycroft to get home to.
Gregory finally got into work and hour later than expected, it had taken him ages to get almost everything done. The office was usually busy on a day like today, "murderers seemed to favour days of importance," Greg thought, remembering Charlotte's birthday a few years ago, where he couldn't turn up because of the triple murder that happened in the police station, which to this day, was probably one of the biggest police investigations that Greg had ever been a part of. Charlotte, who was 3 at the time, did not forgive him, and she certainly didn't care that Greg could of lost his job if he didn't remain at the station. But thankfully, today was quiet, though he never said it out loud, rule number one of being a policeman: NEVER EVER SAY THE WORD QUIET OUT LOUD. Hopefully, he would be able to sneak off early and spend some time with his children. When Karen left him, she took the kids, which was the most heartbreaking part of the divorce, but soon she was going to move away to Scotland, so stay in school, the girls would be moving in with him, so it wasn't too bad. Katherine, who preferred to be called Katie, was 18 and knew her own mind, and even though she looked so much like her mother, all her mannerisms came from Greg, anyone who saw them talking together would know they were related: from they way they paused when they were concentrating, to the way they smiled when thinking about their partners. Katie was about to leave for university in America, but instead of leaving early as most students did, she was determined to stay for the wedding and lead her sisters as bridesmaid. Annabeth was 14, and extremely close to her other sisters, especially Katherine. She carried many of Greg's physical features: the chocolate brown eyes and hair to match; the soft pale lips and a calm expression ever present on her face. The middle child was surprisingly accepting of everyone, and was the first girl to suggest that Mycroft become a part of their family. Charlotte, was 7, and reminded both Gregory and Mycroft of Sherlock: she was smart and decisive, and often she would go into her own little world, forgetting the real world around her- she also looked like Sherlock as well; strong physical features, as well as a mass of dark curly brown hair, of which she constantly complained about.
So when he knew that he was looking after the girls, he would always try to sneak off work early, just to spend a few more minutes with them. As Greg left the office, he saw a familiar black car waiting on the pavement for him, "Detective Inspector Lestrade, please do get in the car, you have an appointment at 5:30" Greg checked his watch and smiled as he saw it read 5:10, but he had no idea what this was about. He didn't even know where he was going.
18 minutes and 25 seconds later, the car was driving past St. James' park and Greg's mind continued to wander as to where on earth he could be going. As the car stopped, Gregory wore a very confused expression on his face.
"Mr. Bennet?" He asked the driver, "Why on earth are we here?"
"I expect you'll find out soon enough, Detective Inspector."
•
Gregory looked around him, "Bloody hell," He thought, "Buckingham palace, why the fuck am I here?"
The detective inspector ran his fingers through his hair and sighed; being told to wait patiently was not Greg's style, especially when he didn't know what was happening. A wave of nervousness rushed over him, and his mind started to panic-
"There is no need to worry, Detective Inspector Lestrade" He heard a familiar a voice, and he turned around to see the queen, "honestly," she said, "it's nothing huge"
He stood up, remembering his manners, "Forgive me, m'aam," the silver-haired man replied, "But I didn't expect any of this"
"Please sit," She commanded softly, "If you stand all day, you'll be no use man or beast tomorrow, are you excited, Detective Inspector?"
"Please, m'aam, call me Gregory." He paused, "How did you know about tomorrow?"
"Mycroft Holmes is one of the most important men in Britain, Gregory," she smiled, "of course I know about tomorrow. But, I would wish to know what are your plans for him?"
He sipped on his tea and chocked, "pardon me, m'aam, Plans?"
She nodded.
"I plan to try to make him the happiest man on earth," He smiled, thinking about his husband-to-be, "If there is a moment of sadness, I hope to make him happy, because I've seen him in pain and I could never see that again, M'aam. I love Mycroft Holmes very very much"
•
It was certainly an afternoon that would stick in the mind of Gregory Lestrade for years to come.
