Sherlock walked into The Landmark Hotel, he passed a couple of waiters and began looking around for Watson.
"Sir, may I help you?" The host stepped toward him. Sherlock gave him a brief glance before noticing that he was an expectant father. A phone beep from the man's pocket reached Sherlock's ears and without missing a beat he leaned toward him. "Your wife just texted you. Possibly her contractions have started." The man quickly pulled his phone from his pocket. Sherlock turned back to the restaurant after the host had hurried out. He suddenly saw Watson and stared toward him before getting nervous and hesitating. A waitress that was on her way to a table ducked out of the way of Sherlock when he hesitated.
"Excuse me, sir." She softly spoke. Sherlock watched her for a moment and saw her bowtie. He quickly took a couple of steps to a couple sitting at a table he swiftly knocked a glass of water onto the man. When the man pulled back in shock Sherlock grabbed a napkin and patted his front, taking his bowtie and tying it on himself. Sherlock continued toward Watson, he ducked toward another man and grabbed his menu and glasses.
"Finished with that, sir? Allow me to take it for you." Sherlock spoke. When he had stepped away from the man he put the glasses on his face. Finally, he saw a woman's purse open on a table where he could reach. A black eye pencil was visible in the bag. He walked over and exchanged her menu with the one he picked up from the man and swiftly took the eye pencil and drew a small mustache on his face. After this gesture, he made it to Watson and knelt in.
"Can I help you with anything, sir?" Sherlock put on a thick French accept as he spoke. Watson didn't look up from his menu.
"Hi, yeah. I'm looking for a bottle of champagne, a good one." Watson spoke. Sherlock gestured to the menu.
"Well, these are all excellent vintages…" Sherlock began, keeping his accent.
"It's not really my area. What do you suggest?" Watson asked again.
"Well, you cannot possibly go wrong, but, f you'd like my personal recommendation this last one on the list is a favorite of mine." Sherlock pointed to the menu and Watson nodded. "It is, you might, in fact, say like a face from the past." Sherlock removed his glasses as he spoke. Watson passed him the menu and nodded.
"Great. I'll have that one, please." Watson spoke, he quickly downed the glass of red wine that was in front of him.
"It is familiar, but with the quality of surprise!" Sherlock exclaimed. Watson nodded and took out his phone.
"Well, surprise me," Watson replied. Sherlock dropped his voice and frowned, going to fetch the champagne.
"Certainly endeavoring to, sir." He scoffed under his breath. Watson had a text from Céline, it read,
She'll say yes. Don't worry.
Watson took a nervous breath after reading the text. He put his phone in his pocket and pulled out a red velvet box. He opened it and studied the ring he had picked up for Mary, his eyes softened and he focused on the ring, thinking of what he would say. Suddenly Mary rejoined him, sitting down across from him. Watson nervously shoved the ring into his pocket before she could see it.
"Sorry, that took so long." Mary smiled, she knew something was up with how nervous Watson was acting. "You okay?" Mary asked, Watson nervously shifted in his chair.
"Yeah, yeah. Me? Fine. I am fine." Watson smiled. Mary nodded.
"Now then, what did you want to ask me?" Mary asked. Watson watched her for a second and opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. He suddenly grabbed the bottle of wine on the table.
"More wine?" Watson asked. Mary giggled.
"No, I'm good with water, thanks," Mary replied.
"Right." Watson set the bottle down, he thought of the text Céline had sent and took a deep breath. "Mary. Listen, I know it hasn't been long, I mean, I know we haven't known each other for a long time." Watson began, stuttering through his words.
"Go on," Mary replied, endeared by his nervousness.
"Yes, I will. As you know, these last couple of years haven't been easy for me; and meeting you, meeting you has been the best thing that could have possibly happened." Watson continued, tears pricking up in the corner of his eyes.
"I agree." Mary giggled, trying to break some of his tension with some teasing.
"What?" Watson blushed.
"I agree I'm the best thing that could have happened to you," Mary spoke. Watson laughed, his face flushing a bit.
"Mary…if you'll have me, Mary, could you see your way, if you could see your way to…" Watson spoke, about to ask. Sherlock glided in his accent back and holding two champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne.
Sir, I think you'll find this vintage exceptionally to your liking. It has all the qualities of the old, with some of the colors of the new. Like a gaze from a crowd of strangers." Sherlock spoke in his crazy accent. Watson kept trying to get him to leave and Mary was giggling at the absurd situation. "…suddenly one is aware of staring into the face of an old friend." Sherlock took off his glasses. Exasperated, Watson turned toward him.
"No, look, seriously could you just…" Watson realized who he was looking at and suddenly froze. Mary quickly tensed at the change in demeanor Watson had.
"Interesting thing, a tuxedo. Lends distinction to friends, and anonymity to waiters." Sherlock spoke. He suddenly felt a little choked up. Watson just watched him. Mary looked between the two men. Watson met her gaze and she saw his eyes were filled with tears. Watson shakily stood.
"John?" Mary asked, concerned. Sherlock nervously looked at Watson. "John, what is it? What?" Mary asked again after another moment of silence. Watson punched the table.
"Well, short version…not dead." Sherlock replied to her. Sherlock was also getting nervous."A bit mean, springing it on you like that, I know. Could have given you a heart attack, probably still will. But in my defense, it was very funny." Sherlock pleaded. Watson began to breathe heavy, thoughts were racing through his head. "Okay, it's not a great defense." Mary gasped, putting it together.
"Oh no…you. You…" Mary began, at a loss for words.
"Oh yes," Sherlock replied, his gaze not leaving Watson.
"You died. You jumped off a roof." Mary observed. Sherlock shook his head. Before she could continue he cut her off.
"No. I'm quite sure. I checked. Excuse me." Sherlock dipped a napkin into Mary's water before speaking to Watson again, trying to get some reaction from him. "Does yours rub off, too?" Sherlock joked. Watson finally looked up at Sherlock.
"Do you have any idea what you've done to him?" Mary snapped at Sherlock. Sherlock began to panic.
"Okay, John, I'm suddenly realizing I probably owe you some sort of an apology," Sherlock spoke. Mary stood as Watson clenched his fist and slammed it again.
"All right, just ... John? Just keep breathing." Mary spoke.
"Two years." Watson finally spoke, his tone thick with anger. "For two years, I thought…Céline and I thought…" Watson trailed off, thinking of all that he went through, thinking about Céline's suicide attempt. "Now, you let us grieve, hmm? How could you do that?" At the mention of Céline, Sherlock felt tears prick up in his eyes. Watson began to speak again but Sherlock cut him off to prevent himself from crying.
"Wait, before you do anything that you might regret, one question. Just let me ask one question." Watson watched him, his gaze full of anger. "Are you really gonna keep that?" Sherlock joked. Without a second to think or reply Watson tacked Sherlock, choking him. Mary jumped up and three nearby waiters rushed to pull Watson off of Sherlock.
Céline was wrapping up her evening class and collecting papers from all of her students. When she was the last one in the classroom she rubbed her eyes and yawned. She checked her phone and sigh. Nothing. She was waiting for Watson to update her on how the proposal went. She decided to wait before texting him for a follow up and put her phone in her bag. It had been dying and was at 3%. Céline then pulled a small notebook and opened to a page with her shopping list. She read through it as she put her bag on her shoulder and walked across the street to her apartment.
Sherlock, Mary, and Watson were sitting in a café. They had been thrown out of the restaurant and had relocated. Watson and Mary sat opposite Sherlock. Sherlock was explaining.
"I calculated that there were thirteen possibilities once I'd invited Moriarty onto the roof. I wanted to avoid dying if at all possible. The first scenario involved hurling myself into a parked hospital van filled with washing bags. Impossible. The angle was too steep. Secondly, a system of Japanese wrestling…" Sherlock spoke before Watson cut him off.
"You know, for a genius, you can be remarkably thick." Watson snapped.
"What?" Sherlock asked, confused.
"I don't care how you faked it I want to know why." Watson snapped, his tone still full of anger.
"Why? Because Moriarty had to be stopped." Sherlock snapped back. Watson didn't say anything and just stared at him, Sherlock's face fell. "I see. Yes. 'Why?' That's a little more difficult to explain…" Sherlock spoke.
"I've got all night," Watson replied. Mary watched on, worried.
"Actually, um, that was mostly Mycroft's idea," Sherlock spoke. Watson turned bright red.
"Oh, so it's your brother's plan?" Watson darkly spoke. Céline had confided into Watson about the tiptoeing around romance her and Mycroft had been doing and this made Watson angrier than he already was. Watson began to fidget, angry. Before he could do anything Mary spoke up.
"Oh, he would have needed a confidant!" Mary exclaimed. Watson shot her a look. "Sorry."
"But he was the only one? The only one who knew?" Watson asked. Sherlock felt nervous all of a sudden. He looked down at the table.
"Couple of others." Watson geared up to say something in response but Sherlock continued. "It was a very elaborate plan it had to be. The next of the thirteen possibilities…" Sherlock spoke. Watson didn't let him continue.
"Who else knew?" Watson snapped.
"Molly," Sherlock replied.
"Molly?" Watson snapped, disgusted.
"John," Mary spoke, laying a hand on his shoulder. Watson calmed for a moment and glared at Sherlock.
"Molly Hooper – and some of my homeless network, and that's all," Sherlock spoke, trying to make it sound not that bad.
"Okay. So just your brother, and Molly Hooper, and a hundred tramps." Watson spat. Sherlock shook his head.
"No! Twenty-five at most." Sherlock replied. Watson threw himself over the table at Sherlock, attacking him again.
When she got home Céline dropped her bag on the couch. She went to her bedroom and changed into work clothes. She put her hair into a low ponytail and put on a triangle bandana so that it covered her head. She then changed into brown trousers and a silk navy blue button-up. She checked her phone and decided to leave it to charge while she went to the shop. She plugged the phone into her bathroom charger before grabbing a shopping bag, her purse, her grocery list, and heading out the front door.
Sherlock, Mary, and Watson were sitting in a café. Sherlock was holding a napkin to his lower lip. It was bloody from the throttling from Watson. Sherlock watched him.
"Seriously, it's not a joke? You're really keeping this?" Sherlock asked, gesturing to the mustache. Watson rolled his eyes.
"Yes. Mary likes it." Watson spoke. Sherlock quickly looked at Mary and shrugged.
"No, she doesn't," Sherlock observed. Watson looked over at Mary and she covered her face guiltily.
"Oh! Brilliant." Watson snapped, annoyed. Mary blushed.
"I'm sorry. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know how to tell you." Mary spoke. Watson shook his head.
"No, no, this is charming! I've really missed this!" Watson snapped. He suddenly got into Sherlock's face once more. "One Word, ". That is all I would have needed. One word to let me know that you were alive." Watson shouted.
"I've nearly been in contact so many times, but I worried that, you know, you might say something indiscreet…," Sherlock replied.
"Oh! That's why you couldn't tell me or Céline. You know Sherlock, things have been hard for me but…Céline…she…"
"I couldn't allow either of you to let the cat out of the bag." Sherlock defensively spoke. Watson frowned.
"Oh, so this is my fault?! Céline's fault?" Watson shouted again. Mary scoffed.
"Oh, god John." Mary scolded. Watson quickly snapped back.
"Why am I the only one who thinks that this is wrong – the only one reacting like a human being?! So you fake your own death and you waltz in 'ere large as bloody life but I'm not supposed to have a problem with that, no, because Sherlock Holmes thinks it's a perfectly okay thing to do!?" Watson shouted. Sherlock shouted back.
"Shut up, John! I don't want everyone knowing I'm still alive!" Sherlock snapped.
"Oh, so it's still a secret, is it?" Watson snapped, disgusted and angry. Sherlock crossed his arms.
"Yes! It's still a secret. London is in danger, John. There's an imminent terrorist attack and I need your help." Sherlock spoke. Watson was taken aback. He looked from Mary to Sherlock.
"My help?" Watson thickly swallowed as he spoke it. Sherlock smirked.
"You have missed this. Admit it. The thrill of the chase, the blood pumping through your veins, just the two of us against the rest of the world…" Before Sherlock could finish Watson reared back and slammed his head into Sherlock's.
Céline wandered around the shop, picking up all of the things she needed on her list. She wandered one shop over after she had gotten her groceries and picked out a new candle for her bedside table and a new book to read. This time she grabbed Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie.
Sherlock and Mary stood in the street. They had been kicked out once more. Watson was hailing a cab a few feet away and furiously texting. He was texting Céline.
Céline, I need to see you tonight please call me.
He sent the message after trying to call a couple of times to no avail. Sherlock was tending to his nose, it wasn't broken but badly bruised and bleeding. He turned to Mary.
"I don't understand. I said I'm sorry. Isn't that what you're supposed to do?" Sherlock spoke, Mary rolled her eyes.
"Gosh. You don't know anything about human nature, do you?" Mary scolded. Sherlock shrugged.
"Nature? No. Human? No." Sherlock flatly responded. Before Mary could speak Watson hailed the cab. He waved at her to come over. He didn't want to see or look at Sherlock. Mary said goodbye and left toward Watson. Sherlock watched them leave and once the cab was gone he looked at his phone and fetched Céline's new address before heading over. When he got there he picked the lock and went inside. The apartment was small and clean. It was decorated well. Sherlock wandered to the kitchen island and saw her bag and folio and then he wandered into her room. She wasn't home. He sat at the desk in her bedroom, waiting for her to arrive. He rehearsed what he would say to her. He reasoned that she would be a lot nicer than John.
Céline had an armful of groceries. She was returning home and noticed that the door was unlocked. She frowned. That was what Sherlock did. She stared at the door for a long moment.
"No…you just forgot to lock it when you left," Céline whispered to herself. She went inside and set her groceries on the counter before looking around the living room, everything seemed to be in place. She took off her bandana and let her hair down. Sherlock was in her bedroom, he heard her come in and suddenly got nervous. She took a deep breath. "See? No-one is here." Céline reassured herself. She began putting the groceries away. She left her phone in the bathroom and didn't notice that Watson had been calling her on repeat for the last hour.
When she didn't come back to the bedroom right away Sherlock got more nervous. He frowned and began pacing around. Céline reached the bottom of the sack and grabbed her new book and candle. She went to her room to put it away. Sherlock hadn't heard her coming to the room and she caught him off guard. Céline stepped into the room and saw him standing there. She jumped at the intruder and after a moment she saw it was Sherlock.
"Céline…" He spoke, shocked. She stared at him, her eyes were wide. Time felt like it had stopped. She dropped the candle and book onto the ground and brought her hand to her mouth. She shook her head. Everything Sherlock had prepared to say escaped him. He just stood there mouth agape. Sherlock suddenly felt a wave of emotions, he felt tears fill his eyes.
"What…" She spoke, it was all she could say. Sherlock just stared at her like a deer in headlights. He didn't know what to say. Tears began to fill her eyes. "No…this isn't real." She spoke, shaking her head and laughing through the tears. She picked up the candle and walked over to her nightstand. She set it down. Sherlock saw her hands shaking violently. Her back was to him. She felt lightheaded and leaned against the nightstand for support.
"I'm going to turn around and you won't be there." Céline spoke. Sherlock followed her and stood right behind her.
"Turn around." He softly spoke.