Ripple

Chapter 14: In This Moment

By: Raven612

Summary: The intensity of last chapter is dealt with.

A/N: You all have no idea how awful I feel about taking forever with this chapter. I had so many uni. projects and assignments to do, and then my brain was fried for a while and I didn't want to do any sort of thinking for a while, but here I am and here's the highly anticipated answer!

*Evening of Day 9 of Hell*

Harry had no idea the intensity of the situation she had just walked into, but as soon as she walked in, a deafening silence assaulted her. She looked up fearing the worst, but she saw four sets of eyes on her. She swallowed; it felt like her intervention all over again. She looked between them all.

"What?" she asked slowly.

John and Sherlock both looked away.

Anna and James grinned and scrambled from Sherlock's lap, "Mummy!" they shouted as they moved towards her. She knelt down to hug them, but her eyes remained fixed on the two men curiously.

"Fantastic timing as usual sis," John tried to tease to lighten the atmosphere. He caught Sherlock's head snapping up to look at him out of his peripheral vision. John sucked in breath and lifted his good hand to scrub down his face.

"Hello Harriet," Sherlock greeted and gave her a sharp nod.

Harry nodded back and picked James up. She situated him on her hip and looked between her brother and Sherlock, "What did I interrupt?" she asked with a raised brow.

Anna giggled and pulled on her mother's pant leg, "Mummy, Uncle Lock and Uncle John are getting married!"

Harry blinked as she snapped her head up to look at John, "What?" she gasped quickly and then flinched at the sound of her own voice in the quiet room.

Sherlock cringed back, and John turned to look at him. He frowned apologetically, and opened his mouth to tell Harry off when Sherlock beat him to it.

Sherlock's chair slid back sharply as he stood. A muscle jumped in his neck from clenching his teeth so tightly together. He blinked as he looked at John, and then settled his gaze on Harry, "I don't see why John and I pledging our lives together should be so surprising. You married Julie because you love her, right? Then why is it so surprising that I would want to do the same with John?"

Harry blinked, and open and closed her mouth a few times, "I-well…because you're Sherlock," she stammered.

Sherlock snorted and cut John off once more, "Oh yes, Sherlock Holmes the high functioning sociopath…I keep forgetting that about myself, well I was wrong because I found someone I could love and care for. I may not love every damned person in my life, but I also do not want to spend my life with every damned person in it. I only want John. I only love John with every bit of my heart, and since it seems to be the trend these days to wear rings to announce to the world you are bonded to someone then yes, yes, I want to do this. I want anyone who looks at either of us and sees the rings we wear to know that we love and belong to the other. So excuse me if that is something I'd like very much to happen." Sherlock's chest heaved after his rant. It was so quiet. His mind and body were telling him to flee. He had never, ever bared so much in one instance. He wasn't sure how to handle it. Harry's eyes were wide as she stared at him, but he didn't care about her. He looked at John.

John stared up at Sherlock with wilderment and joy in his soft blue eyes. For the life of him, his damned brain couldn't kick in and make him speak. He was at a loss. He'd never heard Sherlock speak so passionately of something that didn't deal with deductions or science. "Yes," he suddenly blurted out, and then chastised himself for such a sudden and unintelligent response.

Sherlock grunted and stumbled forward. He stared hard at John. He wasn't exactly sure what John was agreeing to, or rather he did, but his mind was ablaze and he couldn't focus. John grinned then, and Sherlock felt like something had settled home in his chest, he took a deep breath and smiled back at John. Neither man quite heard the cheers from the twins in the background or the appreciative laugh from Harry, all either man saw or were aware of was each other. Sherlock stumbled to John's bedside and fell heavily down next to his hip. John laughed and wasn't aware of the tears until Sherlock lifted a hand and wiped one away with his thumb.

"I never…I never thought…Jesus…is this real?" John muttered as he stared at Sherlock. He lifted his own hand to cover Sherlock's on his face. He turned his cheek into the warm and familiar touch.

"I-it's real John I-I assure you of that," Sherlock whispered and leaned forward. He pressed his forehead to John's.

John laughed again and shook his head in disbelief, he lifted his good hand and clasped it to Sherlock's neck and smoothed his thumb along the fine hairs on Sherlock's neck, "Are you sure Sherlock? You have to be absolutely positive of this or…or I'm not sure what," he gasped out as his emotions began to well.

Sherlock moved closer and squeezed his eyes shut to better shut out the world, "John Hamish Watson…if there was ever anything so vital to my survival and my sanity…John you are it, you have always been it. I don't care about the work or the problems…none of that matters if I can't have you with it. The twins might have pushed things a bit faster than I had wanted them to happen but…I'm glad they did. John I-" Sherlock cut himself off as he pulled in a deep breath.

John sensed that he was beginning to think of something he didn't like. John tipped his head up to place a soft kiss to Sherlock's forehead, "I'm here, I'm right here love," he whispered quietly and moved his hand up to gently feather through Sherlock's curls.

"John," Sherlock nearly sobbed as he surged forward and wrapped his arms around John's waist.

John hiss in discomfort. He settled his good hand in Sherlock's curls as he felt the spot where Sherlock's head was buried become damp with tears. John bent forward and nestled his lips in the curls. He just hummed and stroked Sherlock's hair, "Shhhh, I'm here Sherlock; I'm not going anywhere and no one is going to make me. I love you, I love you so much," he whispered between kisses.

Sherlock shivered and tightened his grip, "John…you can't…please…I thought…I thought you might leave me and then…and then I'd be alone again and…John," he groaned and nuzzled into him, his tears starting to die down.

John smiled softly, "Sherlock, look at me, see that I'm still here," he whispered and used his good hand to lift Sherlock's head to look at him. His smile faltered a little when he looked into Sherlock's blood-shot and red rimmed greys.

"I love you," Sherlock sighed as he closed his eyes and leaned forward to press his lips against John's.

John made a small noise of happiness as he gladly accepted Sherlock's kiss. He wove his fingers into Sherlock's curls to pull his lips tighter against his own. He loved the feel of those lips moving and sliding along with his own. John was the first to pull back when he felt a small hand on his ankle. He jerked suddenly, and remembered that there were other people in the room. His cheeks immediately heated up. Sherlock chuckled quietly at the sight, and kissed them both.

"Can I be a flower girl?" Anna asked and tried her best to scramble onto the bed before Harry hooked her around her waist and pulled her back.

"Annabelle, stop," Harry warned, but her voice was thick with emotion and tear tracks lined her cheeks. She couldn't help but beam at Sherlock and John.

Sherlock hastily wiped his face before looking over to Harry and the twins. He forced a smile for them, but didn't want to move from his position with John, "Well now you lot know," he muttered attempting to regain his composure the best he could.

Harry gave another laugh and surged forward after setting James down to capture Sherlock in a tight hug, "If you hurt my brother at all Sherlock Holmes, I will end you," she threatened, her voice thick again with emotions.

Sherlock blinked, aghast that she should suggest something so horrific, "Never Harriet, that..I could," he pulled back from her hug, his face ashen, and his eyes blinking as he looked between John and Harry. John reached and wove his fingers with Sherlock's and gave him a reassuring squeeze, "I will never, ever, hurt John, I swear on my life," he finally managed to say.

Harry sniffed and nodded as she reached up to wipe her eyes again, "Good…well…I already knew that but…he'll always be my little brother," she said and stood to her full height.

James and Anna couldn't stop grinning, "Yay! Uncle Lock, I knew you could do it,' Anna cheered as she moved to him and opened her arms for a hug too.

John giggled as Sherlock untangled himself and bent to give her a very quick hug, and then James as well. He lifted his freed good hand and rubbed it over his face. This would definitely be the craziest hospital stay of his life. He sighed and looked at Harry, "I am happy Harry, truly," he reassured her as Sherlock moved off of the bed to allow Harry access to give John a hug.

Harry chuckled and buried her head into John's neck, "I'm happy for you too little brother, bloody hell I never thought I'd see the day but…I wish you two all the best," she muttered and stood up again. She bent and scooped Anna up.

James hooked an arm around his mother's legs and leaned against her as he looked between Sherlock and John, "It's like mum says, love is crazy," he beamed then at what he said.

They all chuckled, and Sherlock nodded, "Aye…that it is James…that it is," he grinned and resumed his seat perched on the edge of John's bed.

Harry nodded, "Alright…well, now that that is over, the kids and I should go, you two need time together. We'll come by tomorrow afternoon, so get all the mushy stuff over now," she told them with a grin and set Anna down and helped them each into their winter coats and accessories.

John smiled and nodded, "You guys take care yeah? And…thanks for the well wishes, I love you all," he called and waved with his good hand as they started to leave.

Harry and the twins waved back and called out endearments of their own before the door clicked and Sherlock and John were left alone. John slowly looked over at Sherlock with a small smile. Sherlock gazed back with his own soft smile. He gently lowered himself to rest his head on John's good shoulder. He draped his arm around John's waist, "That wasn't a show John, I did mean every word I said," he whispered after a moment of silence.

John smiled and nodded his head, "I know Sherlock, if I suspected that you were just saying those things then I wouldn't have said yes," he muttered back and wrapped his good arm around Sherlock.

Sherlock shifted his head so that he could look up at John. He smiled softly and then shifted himself so that he could press a kiss to the material above John's heart, "I'm glad you said yes. You know how hard life with me is, but…I know we can do it John because…because I love you more than anything and I won't ever try and make you mad…I'm not saying you won't get cross with me ever but…but maybe it won't be so often now. I think too that…that I might love the twins a little bit," he smiled and tipped his head again so he could look up at John.

John chuckled and feigned a shocked look, "My God…the world must surely be ending tomorrow…Sherlock Holmes loves the twins even a little…well that's unheard of," he teased gently.

Sherlock gave him a frown and lifted himself up; he hovered over John's lips, "Shut-up John," he growled with a grin and placed his lips over John's.

End

A/N: So, thoughts on this final chapter? I tried to make it fluffy and great since it was the last, but this won't be the last story set in 'Twinverse,' but I am going to start on a different story where the twins aren't even a thought. Between posting my new epic, however, because that one will be a lot of work, I plan to post a few one-shots and 3-4 chapter 'Twinverse,' stories between the end of this and the posting of my new one. Again, no beta or Brit pick so anything that is wrong is all my own fault. Thank you all for reading and to those who reviewed, especially: Skyfullofstars, ongreenergrasses, tearfullpixie, MandaZ, KatheeHDS, ninjabearclaw, Defenderoftheearth, Kookie Killer, and Improbe Amber. Also a giant, giant thank you to all the anon reviews and the favourites and alerts. You all mean so much to me and are the reason I write!