Hugs
Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock or anything.
Author's note: Yay! I had an idea and here it is! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Apologies for the late update, please review, I really want to know what you think! Thank you!
Sherlock and John had been invited to a family reunion at Holmes manor. They had arrived a little later than everybody else because they had been wrapping up a case, but the large family were happy to see them
The children of the family had gone to bed and now the adults had moved to the large sitting room. Around everywhere sat cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents even second cousins, pretty much all family members.
John walked in last after having trouble finding the toilet... again. All the seats were taken and John looked around while everyone spoke quietly.
"Come and sit on my lap, John." Sherlock said, sitting in an armchair, saying this between his conversations with his father.
John sighed in defeat, Sherlock really had no clue what was socially normal and not, but he was slightly tipsy from the wine and he sat himself in Sherlock's lap, Sherlock interlaced his hands around John's stomach.
Some of the family gave them odd looks, finding it strange that the family member that was rather sociopathic could be so very human and loving around this army doctor. However Sherlock's teenage second cousins decided to wolf whistle, causing the rest of the family to laugh and John to blush slightly.
Later in the evening John had fallen asleep against Sherlock and the rest of the family were still in deep conversation.
Sherlock didn't notice it but John started twitching in his sleep and he made a few odd noises now and then. Nobody noticed that Doctor John Watson was in the depths of a nightmare.
Not until the good doctor started talking did the room quieten down and Sherlock frowned and looked down at John's head which rested on his shoulder. Concern and dread filled Sherlock as soon as he realised that this was a memory in a nightmare, and one he would rather his family didn't hear. Sometimes John had nightmares about Reichenbach, but he occasionally had ones about the pool. And sometimes he just had visions, and Sherlock knew it would be almost impossible to wake him.
John said "Evening... This is a turn up, isn't it, Sherlock?... Bet you never saw this coming... What. Would you like me. To make him say. Next?... Gottle Gear. Gottle Gear. Gottle Gear... Nice touch this. The pool, where little Karl dies... I stopped him. I can stop John Watson too. Stop his heart..." Everyone in the room frowned and Sherlock shook John slightly "Wake up, John. It isn't happening anymore." Sherlock said urgently.
"Sherlock, run! ...Your sniper pulls that trigger, Mr Moriarty, then we both go up!" John whispered.
Sherlock shook his head and sighed in sadness.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... yeah, I'm fine... Sherlock, Sherlock! ... Oh, Christ... I'm glad no-one saw that... you, ripping my clothes off in a darkened swimming pool... people might talk." John mumbled.
A couple of people smiled, maybe this was getting better, but most people remained serious.
Then John's hands twitched and his breathing was heavy "Please, no, please... PLEASE! ... I'M NOT SHERLOCK HOLMES!" John shouted in distress. Everyone became very serious again.
"John, you have to wake up, I'm here. We're not there anymore. You're not there, please, John!" Sherlock said to no avail.
John seemed to stop for a few moments but then he started almost trembling in fear and he whispered "Sherlock... you have got to get me out, please, Sherlock, now!" he said.
Sherlock didn't know how to bring John out of his visions.
"Jesus, Sherlock, it was the Hound, did you see it? You must have!" John said "NO IT'S NOT! IT'S NOT OKAY! I SAW IT AND I WAS WRONG!" John shouted.
Then John's hands grabbed onto Sherlock's that were still around his waist "Shut up, Sherlock, shut up. The first time we met, the first time, we met, you knew all about my sister!" John said seriously.
"Oh no." Sherlock whispered.
"What's wrong?" One of the younger adults asked curiously.
"My suicide, you probably all remember he saw me fall and spoke to me on the phone." Sherlock said sadly.
John mumbled a couple of times but then he screamed "SHERLOCK!" and he fell silent and didn't even breathe. Sherlock leant around so he could see John's face.
Then John gasped in a breath and said "I'm a Doctor, let me through, please, he's my husband, please let me through." John slurred his words "Oh, God, no, Jesus, no..." John said, he sounded completely disorientated and heartbroken.
"John! John Hamish Watson if you don't wake up now I will put my experiments in the food part of the fridge!" Sherlock threatened weakly.
"SHERLOCK!" John shouted and his eyes startled open and he propelled himself forward, got his gun out of his trouser pocket and pointed it at Sherlock, who had stood with his husband.
Sherlock put his hands up in surrender.
"Sh-Sherlock?" John asked, his voice shaking.
"It was just a nightmare, John. I promise it's me." Sherlock said and reached out a cautious hand.
John looked sad and confused and he slowly put the gun in Sherlock's hand.
"That's it, it's alright." Sherlock said and handed the gun to Mycroft.
"You're not dead." John said, reassuring himself.
"I'm not dead." Sherlock reinforced the reassurance and put his arms open, John quickly walked into the hug, burying his face in Sherlock's neck.
"I hate my nightmares. I thought nothing could be worse than after I came back from Afghanistan. But seeing you... I can't... I don't want to sleep anymore, I can't face that again. Please, don't let me sleep again." John said.
"John, you need to listen to me, you've seen a lot in your time, you will always have nightmares, what matters is that I will be there when you wake up." Sherlock said "You need to sleep."
John took in a shaky breath and nodded.
Sherlock felt John's tears against his neck but didn't alert anyone else of the soldier's silent crying.
"Come on, I'll make you some tea, then we can go to our room, watch some crap telly, and maybe we can prank call or text Lestrade." Sherlock said.
John pulled away slightly "Don't be so mean!" he said with a smile.
"Come on, it's funny, remember last time?" Sherlock asked with a smirk. John snorted and wiped his eyes.
"Good evening everyone, do have a good sleep. I doubt we will sleep so I do apologise if our talking or the television disturbs you." Sherlock said, taking John's hand and walking towards the door.
"Sherlock, you both need to sleep!" Mycroft protested.
"John and I never sleep when we have a nightmare, so naturally we will stay awake with each other, do keep up, Mycroft!" Sherlock said and continued out the room.
Once they were in bed with crap telly on in the background Sherlock got his phone out, disabled the caller ID and opened a text message.
"What should we say? What should we say?" John said eagerly, they both lay facing each other, playing footsies under the covers and excited about prank texting.
"Oh, the possibilities, there are so many!" Sherlock said with a grin.
"How about... 'I'm sorry I haven't had the courage to say this before, but I love you Greg. All my love, Anderson'?" John suggested.
"Yeah!" Sherlock quickly typed it in.
"Oh, and add three kisses!" John said.
"Done and sent!" Sherlock grinned.
The next time they saw Lestrade he was staring with terror and complete dislike at an oblivious Anderson, who was blowing his nose. Sherlock and John had to leave the room before they let out their uncontrollable laughter.
