Author's Note: This isn't a chapter so much as it is two one-shots of the Doctor comforting Mycroft and Sherlock. I couldn't find a way to make them fit into another chapter but I still wanted them to be a part of the story.

Chapter Twenty-One

"Call it."

At Mycroft's command, the Doctor checked his watch and exclaimed, "Two hours, forty-four minutes, and thirteen seconds."

"A new record," Sherlock cheered, high-fiving his brother.

The three beamed down at the completed puzzle. It was a 1000-piece compilation of the skyline of London. It only made sense that Sherlock and Mycroft were phenomenal at jigsaw puzzles. Putting together the pieces of a puzzle was the Holmes' brothers calling.

"Well done," the Doctor praised, "Alright. Time for bed."

"In a minute," Mycroft excitedly remarked, "I finally reached the last volume; The Angels Take Manhattan. I want to read it."

"Err…Mycroft…" the Doctor hesitantly said.

"It'll only take a few minutes," Mycroft promised, ducking into the library.

He emerged half an hour later. The Doctor had put Sherlock to bed and was now expectantly leaning against the console.

"Oh," Mycroft managed.

"Yeah," the Doctor softly said.

Mycroft closed his eyes and whispered, "So…did the Angel end up sending her back to the right time?"

"They were happy in the end," the Doctor sighed, "According to their letter."

Mycroft opened his mouth but didn't comment. He knew that if he was ever in the situation that Amy and Rory were in, he would still write a letter to the Doctor, reassuring him that everything was fine. After all, sometimes the Doctor needed to protect his companions and sometimes it was the other way around.

"Did you ever go back and tell Amy the story?" Mycroft asked.

"Yeah," the Doctor sighed, "She still wanted to come into the Tardis and I told her that she would; in time."

"Where did you go after that?" Mycroft softly asked.

The Doctor smiled at that and explained, "I told the Tardis to take me where I needed to go. We ended up landing in a park in London."

"Really?" Mycroft muttered, surprised at the anticlimactic ending.

"I know," the Doctor gently continued, "I looked around and couldn't figure out what was wrong. I peeked out onto the street and saw an upset boy try to race across, just as an unobservant driver came up the road."

"No way," Mycroft whispered.

"Yep! And then the three of us sailed across the clouds with pirates. Honestly, I needed it just as much as the two of you did."

Mycroft went over to the door and opened it, glancing out at the celestial bodies.

"You know," Mycroft softly said, "Sometimes I think that the more you care, the more you have to lose…"

He expected the Doctor to immediately reject this and go off into a rant about how caring was one of the most important things in the universe.

Instead, he came up next to Mycroft and quietly remarked, "All lives end. All hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage, Mycroft."

He put a hand on Mycroft's shoulder and continued, "But do you know what?"

"What?"

The Doctor gave him a kind smile and said, "It's not a disadvantage."

Mycroft smiled at that and silently stared at the stars.

"It's unbelievable," Mycroft finally sighed, "Billions…trillions of stars and planets and universes are out there. How can one person possibly make a difference in…that? One person from one planet from one solar system in a never-ending universe…"

"You enjoy jigsaw puzzles, right?"

"The way I see it," the Doctor softly explained, "The universe is like one massive jigsaw puzzle. And everything…every person and alien and star and planet…is nothing more than a small piece. Billions of small pieces that make up one giant puzzle. And so you may ask, how can a single piece possibly make a difference in that puzzle? And the answer is quite simple: as far as the big picture goes, the universe would still be the universe without that one piece. But the puzzle would be incomplete."

Mycroft smiled and said, "For the record, I'm glad that the Tardis took you to the park."

"So am I."

Mycroft glanced back at the console, acknowledging the blue box, as he said, "Thanks."

The Tardis hummed and Mycroft chuckled, "I know, I know. I never have to thank you."

() () ()

The Weeping Angels were coming towards them. They wordlessly screamed as they reached for Sherlock.

The youngest Holmes brother woke with a start. He glanced around the room, his cheeks flaming as he realized that he had had a nightmare.

Sherlock let out a sigh of relief when he realized that Mycroft was still asleep. He crept into the console room, wearily glancing around. The Doctor wasn't there.

The Tardis prepared him a cup of tea which he thankfully accepted. He took a sip and suddenly heard a soft whining noise. It sounded like a dog that was running in its sleep.

Sherlock whirled around, confused. He then hung upside down and saw that the Doctor was in his hammock, in the midst of a nightmare.

"Doctor, Doctor!" Sherlock cried, "Hey! Wake up!"

The Doctor remained asleep, his face writhed with pain.

Sherlock glanced up at the ceiling and politely asked, "A little help, please?"

The top hook of the hammock suddenly snapped and the Doctor's head came crashing down. He woke with a start and rubbed the forming bump on his head, shouting, "Blimey."

"Well, that's not exactly what I meant," Sherlock murmured, "But thanks. Doctor, are you alright?"

"Other than the concussion," the Doctor joked, leaping to his feet, "You okay?"

"Had a nightmare," Sherlock admitted, "Apparently, I'm not the only one. Tea?"

The two sipped in silence for a while before Sherlock suddenly burst out, "Why did you pick us as your companions?"

The Doctor gave a start and exclaimed, "Why wouldn't I? You two are—"

"Yes, I know," Sherlock furiously said, "We're brilliant. But the thing is…we're not."

The Doctor looked shocked and Sherlock continued, "You're a Time Lord. You have two hearts and twenty-seven brains and you have amazing hearing and you can speak thousands of languages! You can travel through time and space and regenerate! You can see moments in time before they even happen! You're married to a Half-Time Lady and you're friends with an immortal man! You've had companions who were paradoxes and could bend the fabrics of the universe to come back. You've had companions who have broken the walls of time to travel back and forth between this universe and an alternate one. We're just humans, Doctor. We're not part of a paradox. We haven't shaped the entire universe. And maybe we do do something brilliant in the future but I honestly don't see how it can be greater than anything that you've seen before! We're not special. We're not extraordinary. We're not brilliant!"

"Hey, hey, hey," the Doctor gently said, grabbing Sherlock's shoulders, "Don't even say that, Sherlock. You are brilliant."

"No we're not!"

"Yes, you are."

"No we're n—"

"Sherlock, listen to me," the Doctor quietly said, "You're right about one thing. You and your brother are humans. Nothing more. You aren't part of a paradox and you aren't at the core of the universe and you don't have Time Lord Characteristics and you aren't going to be immortal. Sorry. You are and will always be a human…!"

"Is this supposed to be helping?" Sherlock asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes," the Doctor exasperatedly said, "Because you have still done amazing things. You have still been amazing. You have solved mysteries and you have taken down a supercomputer and you have defeated Weeping Angels and you have defeated Daleks and you have befriended aliens and you have stood by me as my companion and have proven just what it means to be human."

His voice was escalating with each incredible accomplishment, "Sherlock Holmes, you are a human. You have one heart and one brain and one life. And so far, you've experienced eight years of that life and so far, you have been brilliant! The fact that humans don't need to be a mystery to be brilliant is, in itself, brilliant. And you're always surprising me. You and Mycroft are both always surprising me. Because even though you're only human, you face thousands of challenges with adversity! You stand by my side and stare into the universe, eager for another adventure! You get excited, you get scared, you get angry, you laugh, you cry, you feel emotions that many other species cannot comprehend! Humans are brilliant and as far as humans go, you two are brilliant humans."

The Doctor finally stopped, catching his breath.

Sherlock was rendered speechless by his fierce rant.

"Wow," he whispered, "Thanks, Doctor."

The Doctor grinned and said, "How many times do I have to say it…you two never have to thank me."

Sherlock frowned and exclaimed, "Well, I know that I don't have to. But it's social obligation to thank someone when they help you."

The Doctor laughed at this and kindly said, "Alright then! I humbly accept your social obligation. Now, come along."

The two crept back into the brother's bedroom and the Doctor tucked him back in.

"Doctor? Sherlock?" Mycroft mumbled, half-asleep, "Is everything alright?"

Sherlock stiffened, not wanting to tell his brother about his nightmare.

Fortunately, the Doctor smoothly said, "Everything's fine. I had a nightmare and Sherlock was keeping me company."

Sherlock flashed the Doctor a grateful smile and the Doctor said goodnight.

Sherlock glanced up at the glass roof and his smile widened. It was hard to have nightmares when the stars were watching over him.