Chapter 38: Reaching for the stars and a man touches the moon

'Present, London - 2010'

Tuesday morning starts exactly like the day before. Waking up and a visit on the toilet but today he had no excuse for it. No alcohol the day before, Mycroft was right the first symptoms are showing. Not that it was a surprise. John was only in denial about the fact that he had an invisible and very deadly sickness living inside his cells. Something he couldn't change or fight against it with his own powers.

In the kitchen was the miracle drug waiting for him. Experimental, John was a lab rat again, like with the time machine. But he didn't care not that it had bothered him the first time. He opens the bottle and takes the second dosage. The first was the day before with his dinner and new episode of Doctor Who. He will show Sherlock this show. He will love it. And they can point out the mistakes in history together. Sherlock will be better at it but that was alright.

His hope that the new medicine would take away the nausea had been destroyed but that wouldn't stop him from going into work today or any other day that will follow. Sherlock was waiting and even if he would take a break for a day John doubt his condition would be better.

One his way to work he gets a call from Mrs. Hudson. John feels guilty, he hadn't called her in days, yes he had an excuse but it wasn't right anyway. He loves this old lady already. She is one of these people who can reach your heart without effort and stay in there for the rest of your live.

"Good morning Mrs. Hudson. How are you?" He ties to sound euphoric and not dead tired like he feels.

"Morning John. I´m great. I have got news that my tenant will be back tomorrow, he is better and is looking forward to come home. But I wanted to ask you out for tea if you have time. I know I´m an old lady and I´m talking too much but it would be really great." She sounded lonely, good thing her tenant will be back soon. Even when an ex drug addict isn't the best.

"Of course Mrs. Hudson, I would love to. I enjoy our time together. There is a new place down the street from your flat. I could pick you up after work and we can try it out." It wasn't that new and he noticed the sign after his first visit. She might have too and tired it out already.

"That would be lovely. Can´t wait for it. When William had come home probably I will introduce you two. You will like him. He is sometimes a bit lonely, I think." Mrs. Hudson ends the call and John felt a bit better.

Today was the whole team in the office. Lestrade was working on a fine tuning for the time machine, Anthea, right, great alias was on her phone next to Mr. Boss with his bloody newspaper, Molly and her cloth obsession. God where did Mycroft find all this strange people.

They working very efficient and following their daily program, for a change you have to say. Like Moriarty was but it didn't give him the chance to get more information about the next missions. Or the first. There had to be some file about it. He knows Johnny boy writes a report after every mission. But he can't find them. Not when everyone was walking around him, just being there was too much.

Yesterday was the opportunity but the few hours weren't enough to search everything. He had to be careful, also was he very aware of his stalker, how he likes to call them. Today was no window to disappear for a second. Not only was Mycroft here who was looking far too often his way, no Lestrade and Anthea find to many reasons to be close to him.

The only thing was, he couldn't be sure that they do it on purpose. There was no proof, they were doing their jobs. He will have a closer look on it later, right know he have to do his job too.

That's the reason he doesn't like undercover work. HE has people for things like this but he makes an exception. For Sherlock, always for Sherlock.

Finding a busy office the perfect environment to watch the other immortal Mycroft is only with half a mind in the conversation he has with John about the next mission. Sherlock is part of the NASA Moon Project. And they want to know how far his influence is reaching.

Mycroft isn't sure what exactly the immortal is doing in his office. It was a mistake to let him stay but after Sherlock had picked him out and told him to not intervene there was only observing left and Mycroft hates this part of his job. He had people for something like this. People who get paid for watching and following immortals that working undercover in a time travel office.

When did his life start to get complicated like that?

'~1969 AD, USA'

The start of the rocket will be a week from now and everyone was panicking already. Sherlock had told them hundreds of times that the calculation are correct, that everything will work out this time. They will reach the sky, the moon and everything but looking at his colleagues he doubts that even one of them would remember their names right now if ask.

Jackson was on his sixth coffee, his finger were shaking slightly, Mike was dead tired, his third night without sleep and Thomas, let's not talk about him he just ran into a wall while reading the last report on a test.

This situation would be much funnier when he had someone to tell them thinks like that. But they were all too nervous about the start, they wouldn't understand the lightness of his mind, his confident that everything will work. Sherlock wasn't sure where it came from but it didn't change his mood.

Right at the moment as he wanted to return to his calculation he feels it, him. John was here again. The last six year had gone much faster after he had found the work at the Space Program. He was busy, needed his mind and could work as long as he wanted. But still six years without John.

Finding John was very easy. Most times he let John find him but today Sherlock felt like jumping his boyfriend. Yes, Sherlock was excited about the rocket launch too, like his colleagues, only less negative about its outcome.

John was sitting on the floor right next to HOPE, a slightly green color covers his face and Sherlock knows imminently what's wrong.

"Hey love. What to relax a bit." John opens tired eyes and nods. Sherlock sits next to him and guides John´s whole upper body down so John´s head was resting on Sherlock´s lap. "Want to know something about space and the rocket?" John nods. Sherlock can only imagine that the time travel had this effect on him. He doubts that any kind of boss would send John on a mission in this condition. Even when John fights it, no sane person would let him even leave the bed.

Sherlock listens to John´s breathing and feels the heartbeat through his hand on John´s chest. The other hand was petting his head in a smoothing motion.

The immortal tells John everything he can think about. Like the job he got by accident. Sherlock visited a lecture at some university and asks a few questions, he hadn't known that there was a recruit for the NASA Space program. Sherlock tells John about the tests they did, the accidence and mis-launches. The frustration of his colleagues but also the fun they had. Sherlock tells John about Neil one of the astronauts that will be on the moon when everything works out in a week. And he tells John about the stars and the beauty in them. At that time John was feeling better and finally asking him what his favorite constellation it. Sherlock had no answer for it; he didn't know there were any.

John laughs about it and promised to teach him everything about it.

"John, can the doctors in your time do anything for you. Or did Mycroft give you something to make it better?" John was looking up at him. Judging his questions as it seems.

"I have something but I guess it will take some time. Don't worry. We still have a few years. Don't know how many missions but I hope not too much. A lot of stuff happened the last 20 years. Many opportunities to meet." John smiled again.

"Okay but I will send you home now. Maybe you can go to bed early today." John chuckles.

"Not quite jet. I have promised Mrs. Hudson a visit with tea at a new location. She is really a lovely lady. Like a mother but sometimes scary and very strong. I won´t let her be alone this afternoon." There was no use in discussing the matter.

Sherlock helps John up and closes his arms around the smaller man. Feeling the heat, a bit higher body temperature then normal. Sherlock notice the difference. Another symptom that was attacking his lovers body.

John and Sherlock look each other into their eyes. Just looking and taking in the other persons present. "You still want to?" John needed no translation for the question.

"Yes." They get closer and kiss for the first time since ages. It feels like millennia but it were only a few days for John and a few years for Sherlock. Still it tastes sweet and innocent, like the first time. John wonders if he will think about it like that when he had live his first thousand years.

'Present, London - 2010 '

Now John has the proof for his radiation poisoning and the symptoms are getting worse. There was no reason why he should have got sick again. At least his colleagues were ready for him. A bucket and water ready as a chair to sit on it. They look all far too worried for John´s liking. He was still not used to this kindness and everything. It will take a while, after years of no one and nothing to worry about.

Everyone was offering him a ride home, a cub, another visit from the doctor but John had promised Mrs. Hudson to take her out for tea. In the end he couldn't get Molly to leave and invited her to come with them. Mrs. Hudson likes her, people in general like her. One more makes no different. At least the two women could talk while he works on the tea that it stays down.

If this is getting worse John has no idea how he should work. With the weakness in his body, the nausea and he is getting a head edge.

After felt watched the whole day Moriarty had stayed a bit in the background. He, or better his alias wasn't as close as the others to Johnny boy but he offered his help and put on a mask of worry.

This day was useless Moriarty concludes as he left the building and uses his first chance to slip out of the sight of his stalker team. He needs something, anything to find out how and why this whole time travel thing started. They must have met before the first mission. There would be no reason to choose Johnny for it. He would never be the first choice for something like this and Sherlock, yes what let him change like this. His creation had such a good start, Rome, his time in London as the Ripper. Moriarty was proud but after this something changed and the only reason for it had to be John Watson, this small man, who was nothing special, was interrupting his plan, destroying it.

How did they start? The answer had to be in their first meeting.

For a second Moriarty thought about to visit Sherlock again but he wouldn't have changed his opinion on the offer in a few days. What are days when you have centuries? He could wait, an immortal has nothing better to do and if the condition of his toy worsen further in that rate, there was no worries about it. John Watson would die in a few days.

Sherlock and John hadn't met jet, so no immortality for Sherlock´s pet.

Sherlock was ready. He had collected his belongings packed his clothes and everything else into his bag, his violin in her case and was now waiting in an empty room. Only with the picture of John in his hand, the picture from the medical file, the file that tells him John would die.

He hadn't asked Mycroft about the pill, it would destroy him to know that John hadn't taken them. It was only one night left in this institution. Tomorrow Mycroft would pick him up so Sherlock could get back to his flat and get everything ready.

The day after tomorrow was the big day. He will finally meet his John, without hiding behind masks and covers. He would finally be able to touch John again after all this years of waiting and more waiting.

Sherlock remembers the last time his past-self had met John, remembers this tears, the promise. He will make sure that John will never again have to shed tears like this. Never again.