Café

When two o'clock finally came John finished putting away his files and unsuccessfully attempted to slip out unnoticed by the flirty nurse (John was pretty sure her name was Maria) and was a good twenty minutes late meeting Maryna. When he arrived he found her sitting in the corner next to a window over looking the street, biting her lip and worrying away at the edge of her cup. She looked up and caught his eye, giving him a nervous wave as he took the seat across from her. She looked so uncomfortable that John suddenly found himself feeling nervous, "Are you okay?"

Maryna tilted her head slightly to the side, "Yeah. No, ah, I'm sorry."

John was officially worried. Maryna had seemed like the definition of confident since the moment John met her. She had been blunt and inappropriately flirtatious and sure in all of her movements. The barista brought John his tea and he thanked her before offering a friendly smile to Maryna.

"Don't be sorry, what did you want to talk about?"

Maryna smiled slightly and brushed some loose hair out of her face, "I just; I have no one else to talk to. I told you that I've been dating Casey for about three years now right?"

John nodded as she continued.

"I don't understand how I didn't see it, looking back it's so obvious. I feel like over the years Casey has slowly been editing people out of my life. All my friends are his friends. Now that things are possibly going to shit, I have no one to talk to."

John placed his hands over Maryna's to still them, "Hey, I'm your friend and I've never met Casey. So why don't you tell me what's happened that's got you so worked up?"

"I'm pregnant."

"And that's not good?"

She smiled sadly and shook her head gently, "I took the test a couple weeks ago, and since then I've been trying to feel Casey out. He very adamantly does not want kids. This morning I had a doctor's appointment and they confirmed that I am six weeks pregnant and that everything looks good with the baby."

Maryna took her hands away and crossed them over her stomach, "John, I heard the baby's heartbeat and I fell in love. I don't know how to talk to Casey about it… I feel like he's going to leave."

John frowned and leaned back against his seat, rolling his warm cup between his hands, "I don't know Casey, but you need to tell him soon."

"What if he wants to leave?"

Honestly John thought that Maryna would probably be better off without Casey, everything that John had heard about him made the man sound like a right bastard.

"Well, that's something you need to decide. What do you want?"

Maryna looked down at her hands and bit her lip, "I love him, but I love this baby more." She spoke so quietly that John barely heard her. She waved her hand as if to push the bad thoughts away and looked up at John, "Enough about me. How are things going with you and that overly handsome detective?"

John furrowed his brow, how were things with him and Sherlock? She tapped the table expectantly as she took a sip of coffee, "Well?"

He sighed and looked down at his tea while relaying the events of last night and that morning to Maryna. She smiled and banged her hands on the table, "But that's so cute! And you kissed! That's great!"

"It would be great if he didn't panic immediately afterward and lock himself in his room."

"Oh"

"Yeah. He was probably still sleeping, dreaming about someone else. Then panicked when he woke…" he let the sentence trail off and Maryna cocked her head to the side and pointed at him, "Or, just hear me out, he was dreaming about you and panicked when he woke up to it being real. I mean, if I was dreaming about someone and woke up to kissing him I would, well, I would devour them. But I definitely would be mortified for a hot second."

"I don't know."

"Well, speak of the devil. You can ask him yourself."

John turned to look behind him, and Sherlock was indeed walking into the café. He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face, and Maryna smiled brightly up at Sherlock, "Hi there!"

Sherlock ignored Maryna and looked at John, "John."

Maryna looked between the two of them, then started putting on her coat, "Well, I'm sure the two of you have much to talk about. I need to get going anyways, I have work this evening."

John nodded at her, "Hey, tell me how the talk goes. And if you need anything, anything at all call me okay?"

She stood and Sherlock slipped into her seat. She touched Johns shoulder lightly, "Thanks John, I really appreciate this." Then she turned towards Sherlock, "Bye Sherlock."

Sherlock did not acknowledge her in any way and continued to mess with his phone. Maryna frowned then leaned down next to Sherlock and let her voice slip into a sultry purr, "Mm, Sherlock, aren't you just sex on a stick. I bet you'd look real attractive all-"

Sherlock jerked back and looked at her with what to anyone else would look like complete boredom, but John could see the downright terror there. John thought about saying something, but Maryna broke out into a huge grin and said, "Oh good, so you can hear me." Sherlock gave her the harshest glare that John had ever witnessed. Maryna raised an eyebrow, and then Sherlock icily said, "Goodbye Maryna."

John had not thought it was possible, but Maryna smiled even bigger and turned to John with false awe, "Oh! He even knows my name!" Then left after shooting a wink at Sherlock. John tried to cover his laugh with a cough, but Sherlock heard and glared at him.

Casey was walking back to his and Maryna's flat, grocery bags in tow, when he saw something that made his stomach drop. Maryna was sitting in a café with some bloke, holing hands over the table. She had been acting strangely, nervous and evasive. Yes, Casey had known that something was going on, but he had never imagined Maryna as one to have an affair. The guy looked familiar so he took another couple of steps to get a better look. It was the guy who had that ridiculous blog that Maryna started reading the other day, Watson or something. Casey grit his teeth and continued to his flat. He decided to find out who this Watson was and make sure he knew whom he was dealing with.

John waited a whole minute, watching Sherlock fiddle with his phone, before clearing his throat, "Sherlock, what are you doing here?"

"Hm? Oh, I was just conversing with Lestrade and it seems that there are things we must discuss."

John waited for Sherlock to continue, and when yet again Sherlock said nothing he closed his hands around his tea and took a deep breath, "Look, Sherlock, if you want me to move out…" He waved a hand, searching for the right words.

Sherlock looked up from his phone, slightly wide eyed, "Don't be stupid John, why would I want you to move out? Of course, if you want to move out I will respect that."

John paused, slightly startled by Sherlock declaring that he would actually respect a decision of John's that he did not agree with, before answering, "No, no reason for me to move out."

"Okay. Good."

"Yes, okay."

Sherlock smiled at a message he received then tapped the table and slipped his phone into his pocket, "Come on John, were needed at the University. We have a case."

John threw back the last of his tea and followed Sherlock out of the Café and into the cab. The familiarity of being on a case, knowing that that would be the only thing holding Sherlock's attention for the time being, settled the worry and tension clawing at John's mind.

:::::

Ah, look at me making stuff happen... Kind of.

Huge thanks to the people who reviewed last chapter, dana-san, Jozefiend, WL Chastain, Librasmile, Tabby, x-Midnight-Writer-x, beemoh, kok, The Stare-Master, and NerdAndProudForever. Thank you so much, reviews make my day! :D

I hope you guys all enjoyed the chapter, please review. I want to know what you guys think!