Part 13 - John
John had set off for a full English Breakfast enjoying the absolute bliss of completely un-hazardous food. Then, just to make sure, he went to the place where he and the Doctor had first met. Of course the TARDIS wasn't there, but he felt giddy about being at the place nonetheless.
When he got back home, Sherlock was gone. He'd left no note, no text, nothing. Sherlock being this childish about Rose, sulking about him having been kissed, it made him grin. Perhaps all hope was not lost, perhaps Sherlock was jealous, which meant that he maybe, hopefully felt something for him. On the other hand, Rose took his attention away from Sherlock, so it could be just that, too.
Ah, well.
John busied himself around the flat as he waited for Rose to call, doing the washing, throwing out some of the really nasty experiments (if Sherlock wanted to keep them he shouldn't let them lying around like this) and tidying up.
Rose called him in the late afternoon.
"Hi John!"
"Rose. " He was quite at a loss of words now.
"I'm free for the rest of the day, what about you? Can we meet?"
"Yeah, sure! What about we meet for dinner somewhere?"
"Um, what about... " She stopped.
"What?"
"It's not, well, what about... 221b Baker Street?"
"Here?" John looked around nervously. He had tidied up, but only to the standards of two bachelors sharing a flat...
"Yeah, I mean I've read all about it, refreshed my reading, actually, and you've already seen the TARDIS, and I thought..."
John's face fell a bit. "You want to meet Sherlock."
"What? No! I mean, does he know about the Doctor?"
"No."
"Then, we should meet elsewhere, I want to talk to you."
John's mood lifted again.
"He's not here. Don't know when he'll be back, though."
"Then, I can be there in a few minutes?"
"Yeah, ok, you know where...?"
"Yes, sure!"
John laughed. "See you then?"
"Later, John!" and she hung up.
Still grinning he looked around him. And suddenly a few minutes didn't seem enough.
And already he heard somebody knock at the front door.
Before he could race down the stairs, Mrs Hudson had already opened the door.
"Yes, dear?"
"It's alright, Mrs. Hudson, she's here to see me", John cut in.
"Oh, John, all right then. Sherlock's not come home yet, has he?"
"No."
"He left with that nice detective. Said they had go country-side."
"Oh, okay. Thanks." John waved Rose in and ushered her up the stairs.
"A few minutes?" he hissed at her back.
"Well, two is a few, too, isn't it?" she grinned down at him.
"You just hoped that I didn't have time to clean up and that there were some clues to one or another case are lying around, right?"
"Got me."
"Don't mind the experiments, then."
They talked and talked. John ordered take-out and the they talked on, forgetting time until they heard the front door slam and two pairs of footsteps thump up the stairs.
Sherlock barged in and stopped cold in his tracks when he spotted them sitting in the kitchen, tablets with empty take-out boxes between them.
Holding hands. John refused to let go of Rose's hand at the nasty look Sherlock threw him.
"Hi Sherlock. Lestrade. How's your case been?"
"Easy." Sherlock snapped.
John lifted an eyebrow. "Care to tell me about it? I am your blogger, after all."
"Nothing much. Twin sister killed shortly before her wedding. Stepfather benefited. Only thing was to prove that and how he did it. Sister had said something about a 'speckled band'."
"It was a swamp adder." Rose cut him short.
Sherlock had set up to continue talking but now he looked like a fish out of water.
Lestrade stared at Rose, then at Sherlock, then burst out laughing.
John watched the exchange in growing horror. He tried to keep his giggles in, but he couldn't help it.
"What... how?" Sherlock sounded as shocked as John had ever heard him.
"It's really elementary, you know..." Rose started, but John shut her up by placing his hand over her mouth.
"Oh, please. Sherlock, don't take her seriously. It was a joke. She just guessed."
"But... she was... right?" Sherlock still hadn't gotten his breath back.
"She was?" John tried to look astonished, but failed miserably, because he started giggling again.
"Oh, shut up!" Sherlock turned around, his coat twirling dramatically out behind him and stomped out of the room.
Lestrade wiped tears of laughter out of his eyes.
"What... really, you guessed?"
Rose had freed her mouth of John's hand. "I read a book where a swamp adder had been called a speckled band a few days back. It just... popped out of my mouth."
John broke down with a new fit of giggles.
Dimly, he heard Rose and Lestrade continue talking.
"Oh dear. I think he's got a laughing fit. John, are you all right?" Rose came around the table and crouched down next to him. She placed her hand on his arm and he just collapsed against her, burying his head against her neck, not able to stop laughing. It made his stomach hurt.
Lestrade blinked his eyes furiously and tried to keep in his own urge to guffaw.
"You take care of... that... then, Miss?" he head-pointed at the laughing heap of John she held on to.
"I will, Inspector."
"Okay. I'll let myself out. Bye."
"Bye."
John took a long time calming down. After a while he started to hiccup, which got the giggles going again.