After re-reading the letter that Sherlock sent him, John settles down to formulate a reply, shaking his head a little with quiet amusement as he thinks about the dark-haired, insane man. He has the feeling that Sherlock would have been on edge during the get-together at the pub in the first place, much less meeting new people - ones who aren't put off by him at least - and being forced to be civil with them. Between that and meeting new people, it's no wonder that Sherlock got a little paranoid. And yes, he admits, maybe he did talk about Julia a bit much in his last letter but he didn't have much else to talk about. So now, the doctor settles down to do damage control and hopefully settle down the younger man, even though he will get the letter weeks after he sent his.
~oOo~
Dear Sherlock,
You're right, I did talk a bit much about Julia, and maybe it was a bit odd that I mentioned her brother in the way that I did. Then again, it had been a slow week and I didn't have much else to talk about. Julia and I work together, we're stationed together, so I suppose I have a bit more interaction with her than others. If you want, I can give you more detailed accounts of other people I work with, like Dr. Martz, an older man who chain smokes and has absolutely zero bedside manner. But I have a feeling you don't want me to talk about him either.
I didn't really tell Julia about you, either. She noted that I was writing letters and it's an odd thing considering most people send emails and the like anymore. I explained that I met you through letters, one of those 'write to a soldier' deals, and we've been corresponding ever since. I told her you were a good friend of mine who I stayed with on leave during Christmas. Other than that, I didn't even give her your name, or any details about you. I'm not even sure anything I said was gender-specific. So stop being paranoid about that. I'm a private person, I don't want people crowding around me to hear what latest news I have whenever I get a letter from you. I prefer to read them in private. Or close to it, at least not with a lot of prying eyes about.
As for Lestrade's girlfriend, I think that you should maybe take a step back on that one and re-evaluate. Maybe she does have some secrets but everyone is entitled to those. You were under a lot of stress that night and you don't like socializing in general, so maybe you were a bit distracted. Or high strung from having to be there in the first place. If you can't deduce what it is, then I think it's probably not important. You get everything major and most minor things, but you can't see everything all the time. So just relax. Let it go and be grateful that you met someone who can put up with your shenanigans, I have a feeling there aren't many of us.
And I am not going to tell you Julia's last name, you don't need to know about her, she's not important. Just someone I work with. And you're right, she shouldn't have been lecturing me about smoking, but don't worry, I haven't picked up the habit again, I haven't had one since that one time I told you about it. I don't know what it was about that night, I just really, really felt like I had to have one. Bodies do some really weird stuff sometimes, especially when it gets tuned into our psyche.
You never told me about your last case. I told you, I'd like to hear about them. It kind of makes me feel a little bit grounded to hear some of what is going on in London, but also I like hearing about how you solve cases. It's completely fascinating. I only wish I was there to see it in person, it's much more impressive that way. But, we must take what we can get.
I wish I could tell you something that would help when you get frantic like that. It worries me a little, what you might do in that state. I just hope that if you get too worked up, you will just calm down. Take a deep breath and try and focus on one thing and force everything else to the background. You tend to get worked up when too many things are coming at you from too many different sides.
Tonight I feel homesick again. I've been looking at the sketches that you gave me, the ones that are hanging by my bunk, and I miss London. I had forgotten how much until I went back for Christmas. Maybe it's ridiculous, I went so long without seeing it, but being back there is like seeing an old friend again. No matter how long you're apart, you can fall into step easily again.
Well, I'm getting bloody poetic, aren't I? Must be the late hour, I just realized what time it is, so I should probably finish this up. I hope that you have settled things down a little or at least managed to satisfy your curiosity. And a belated Happy Valentine's Day, I totally missed it. Also, almost two years of sobriety, right? Congratulations on that, it's something to be proud of. Now if only I could get you to stop smoking. That would be the coup. But I can't exactly help you through that from here. I look forward to receiving your next letter, Sherlock.
Sincerely,
John
~oOo~
Reading the letter, and laying it down slowly on his desk, Sherlock does as he's bid and takes a slow, deep breath, imagining the older man frowning at him disapprovingly and glaring a little. As comical as that might be it also soothes Sherlock's nerves and allows him to smile a little at the letter. Yes, eh has been rather high strung over this whole girlfriend thing, not having found anything out about her, at least nothing out of the ordinary. And now he hears that this Julia woman is just someone John talked with out of convenience. Nothing more. So he's quite comfortable and relieved. Gently, he folds the paper up and tucks it with his others, smiling a little as he brushes his fingers over the paper. Yes, he's a very tactile person, and he loves the feel of them, glad of this form of communication rather than impersonal emails. You can tell so much more by a person's handwriting. Later, he would think of some way to help with John's homesickness, but for now he drags himself off to bed after being up for nearly three days straight, flopping down on his bed and barely kicking off his shoes before he's unconscious.
Sometimes I think Sherlock just needs a hug. And John should just hang onto him for a little while until he relaxes. But alas, that cannot happen. And I am not saying anything about these two women. :) You'll just have to read and see! Glad you are enjoying so far, sorry this took me a few days to load up.
Reviews/Comments welcome!
