Brunch

"Hey Greg, sorry I'm late. I lost track of time whilst talking to Mrs. Hudson." John said, sliding next to Greg on the bar, ordering two more pints.

"It's fine I just got here half an hour ago. I got held up at the store. One of my frequent customers came in late for his order pickup. He was quite upset with himself for not being punctual as usual. It was a bit adorable really." Greg started to have a small smile spread across his face remembering his favorite customer.

"Adorable? I thought I was here to console you after a divorce, not talk about the man you fancy?" John nudged Greg causing Greg to start blushing.

"Yeah, well he's the reason why the divorce happened. Amber got a bit jealous of my client and one thing led to another and that led to a fight. We decided a divorce was the best way to handle the situation. Frankly I am a bit pleased with the new arrangement. So is Amber, she is already engaged. turns out she had been seeing someone else and this just gave her an out."

"Wow, you really are handling this well."

"Enough about me, how do you know Mrs. Hudson?"

"Oh, well I know her because of the man she works for, Sherlock Holmes. He is the one who is tailoring my clothes, to better ride the bike you modified for me."

"There is something else to it, you have a blush coming across your face."

"Yeah, Ok, there is something else. We went on a date about a fortnight ago, but it got cut short when a client of his had an emergency. We are having a brunch in two days to make up for it. I went with Mrs. Hudson, his land- his housekeeper, to shop for said brunch."

"Good on you mate! I hope it works out for you. I thought you seemed happier if a bit distracted earlier."

"Yeah, speaking of things working out I hope you and this customer of yours work out."

"I think it will. He is definitely interested. He under orders and over orders just to come into the shop. I don't think he expects me to know what he is doing, but that is just part of the game." Greg and John continued to talk, leaving the conversation of their love lives to the back burner, choosing instead to talk about sports and how business was going in general.

Sherlock and John finished brunch and John was preparing his leave when Sherlock stopped him.

"Why don't you stay for a bit longer, I enjoy your company so it would be of no burden," Sherlock said with an almost shy demeanor that was quickly suppressed behind the facade of a good host.

"I enjoy your company too Sherlock, and if it is truly of no hindrance than I would love to stay and continue enjoying the company you provide." John was happy to oblige Sherlock, he did truly find him fascinating although he didn't know why.

"Great! Any questions just ask. Also note that there is nowhere in this house you are not allowed, now I do have some work to do, but it is nothing I have to give full attention too. I have done it so many times I can do it in my sleep." With that Sherlock got up from his chair and into a spare room off of the hallway. "You can follow me John there is enough room in here and there is a spare chair," Sherlock called from down the hall. John followed and sat in the chair near where Sherlock sat working. They sat in a comfortable silence the only thing disrupting it being the sound of the rocking chair John sat in and the sewing machine Sherlock was using. Neither of them was aware how long they sat in that silence, but eventually John spoke up scared that such a peaceful atmosphere would lull him closer to sleep than it already had.

"So what made you become a Tailor, I know you have been sewing since you were young, but who taught you? Why a Tailor?" They had exhausted all polite and normal talk during brunch and now John really wanted to get to know this man better.

"Nothing really made me, but I did find that I enjoyed it and I learned most of what I know from my father and sister." From the way that he said sister John knew to refrain from mentioning her at this time. Clearly the two were not on friendly terms.

"Your father must be some seamstress if you are half as good as he is!" A faint blush tinted Sherlocks's cheeks, but his eyes flashed with something far from innocent.

"Yes my father is amazing, sadly I did not pick up on my mothers most fascinating trait." The look in his eyes had dissipated and had been replaced with something similar to longing.

"What trait is that?"

"Being able to read people." Sherlock has a whimsical sound to his voice when he stated thus. The wonderment of doing something like that shone in his eyes.

"I don't think I understand what you mean by, read people."

"What I mean is the ability to look at a person and know their life story. To observe the populous and know what makes them tick. How to be able to help or hinder them in the best way. Can you imagine how many more people I could possibly help if I had that ability? I would be able to leave this town and go to London or to other parts of Europe and find the most interesting cases for my Tailoring." As Sherlock progressed in his small speech his excitement grew and so did Johns. As he watched this man speak about something he longed for and loved, he could only imagine how wonderful it would be to be in this man's presences all the time.

"That sounds amazing!"

"It is, maybe you could meet my mother sometime and she could show you what I am talking about." Only after he finished talking did Sherlock realize the implications of saying such a thing and John quickly changed the subject not wanting to go down a path that could lead to cutastrafy if wandered down too soon or quickly.

"What makes you think you don't have this ability? If I remember correctly when I walked into your shop you knew immediately what is was I needed. You also did not need to write down a single thing you measured and yet the clothes you made for me fit perfectly."

"I understand what you are saying John I do, but you haven't seen what my mother can do. I am nothing in comparison to her." The look of longing appeared again on Sherlocks's face causing John to have a tightness begin to grow in his chest.

"Sherlock, you might think you are no comparison, but to me I don't think there is anyone else who could be as fascinating as you." A blush started to creep up Sherlocks face, wiping away the look of longing and bringing forth a sheepish grin. "Um," John said with a cough, "who taught your father to sew?" The room was beginning to get too warm for Johns taste and the tension was becoming too thick.

"It is a skill that gets handed down from father to son, originally it was mother to daughter, but when one of my ancestors only had boys the tradition changed, and then changed again to have the father or mother teach all of their children how to sew in order to have the skill that is needed for every person as much as the need to know how to cook."

John's response was cut off by his growling stomach. John hadn't realized how long he and Sherlock had been talking and how late it had gotten. He was also glad to have the conversation cut off, their conversation kept circling to possibly dangerous territory.

"John, is there something that you have neglected to say during your ramblings?" Sherlock said with a teasing smirk.

"Ah, well it seems I have grown hungry during the time that we have talked and I have rambled." John had not been completely oblivious to the growing hunger in his stomach he just decided not to take to much notice of something less interesting than the man in front of him.

"Well like I said, cooking is also a skill that is passed on to every Holmes child. Mrs. Hudson servers magnificent food, but I do prefer to make my own meals more often than not. If you'd like I can cook a meal or we can go find some place to eat, dinner is fast approaching and I have no other plans for the night." There seemed to be something else Sherlock was saying with his offer, but John ether didn't understand what was being said, or didn't want to understand.

"Another homemade meal sounds lovely, as long as it is still of no inconvenience."

"No, inconvenience at all. I will make an appetizer and then start on the entrare in order for you no to get too hungry." John blushed a bit getting a bit embarrassed at how much his stomach continued to growl in such persistence.

"Sherlock are you alright in there? I am not one to usually question the cook, but I smell something burning and there seems to be a lot of smoke." 221 B had it's kitchen in more of a closed off fashion. There was a door between it and the living room where Sherlock and John had eaten. John had found the library and amused himself by reading the medical books that resided on it's shelf when he smelled the burning food. As he headed back towards the kitchen he noticed the smoke. The closer he got the harder it was to breath and he was beginning to start coughing.

"Sherlock please will you answer me?" John whent to open the door when he had to pull back his hand mere centimeters before he grabbed the doorknob, he could feel the heat emanating from it. This confirmed that there was something wrong. He might have been a Doctor before, but he knew how to handle a situation with a kitchen fire, his mother died in one when he was five and he made sure that he knew how to apply his medical training to this situation.

He alerted of what was going on and she phoned the firefighters and John went back up the stairs. When John got back up the stairs outside of the kitchen door and once again tried calling out Sherlock's name with the same result as before. John began kicking down the door one foot planted the other hitting right next to the door handle. After three well placed kicks, the door flew open and John spun behind the wall as to not get as much of the heat directly to his face. John entered the room to find Sherlock lying in a heap on the floor. John could not identify in that moment what started the fire, his first priority being to get Sherlock out and to a safe place. John lifted Sherlock with his good arm and then got him on his back wrapping Sherlock's arms around his neck.

John made his way down the stairs much faster than he thought he would, but was glad that he did, because when he reached the bottom of the stairs outside there was an explosion that caused all of the windows to burst outwards their shards of glass showering the sidewalk and pavement with it's deadly rain.

The firemen arrived shortly after putting out the fire. John never got a chance to try and save Sherlock himself because the ambulance arrived and swept Sherlock and John away. When they got to the Hospital they directed John to the waiting room whilst they continued working on Sherlock.

It was two hours later, and Greg being phoned to watch over that, John was aloud to go back and see Sherlock. On the way over to Sherlock's room, the doctor told him that if not for him, Sherlock's heart would have stopped. As it was, it was still a close call and Sherlock only had minor burns on his hands and was resting, but John had been approved by one of the other family members as someone who was allowed to visit him.

When John entered the room it was to find another man and a woman already sitting by his bedside.

"John Watson, how lovely to finally meet you, though I did hope it would be under better circumstances." The woman said, rising from her position on the foot of the bed.

"Yes, sorry who are you?" John was glad to see Sherlock breathing in a regular pace and his monitors behaving appropriately, but was not comfortable being around these people he didn't know, but clearly knew Sherlock. He felt he was intruding on something.

"I'm Sherlock's sister Victoria, that," pointing to the man sitting in the chair next to Sherlock's head near the IV, "Is Sherlock's brother Mycroft. Mummy and father would be here but they are still out of country. I thought you would like to see Sherlock today instead of tomorrow like they had predicted he would wake up. I already have it arranged for you to stay here with him so you do not get anncy and you will be informed if anything happens if for any reason you are not here."

"Thank you, but I don't understand why you would automatically assume to do such things. I'm just...I'm just his client." John didn't know why he was having so much trouble with this situation, or why saying he was just a client caused him to stutter.

"Just his client. I wasn't aware that my brother went on dates with his clients let alone cook dinner for them. No, Doctor Watson, you are more than just a client. How you and he with to define it is up to you, but let me warn you know if you break his heart, there isn't a place you can hide that I won't find you and break yours." With that Victoria left the room, chin up and with a purpose.

"I do apologize for my sister's antics, she takes her position as temporary head of house very seriously. It works well in her main line of work, but when it comes to family matters she can be a bit...stifling." Mycroft had a small smirk playing on his lips while talking about his sister. There was only one chair which Mycroft occupied, so when he gestured to sit down John could only take the place Sherlock's sister formerly sat. "My sister also has a taste for the dramatics, which doesn't help matters. You will find Sherlock has a taste for it as well, but in a different form.

I don't think I am supposed to tell you this, but I feel you need to know in order to keep a better eye on my brother. Victoria works for the British Government. Very high up in the British Government. She is currently working on a case that has to do with a very dangerous man who is targeting her specifically. The only way to get to my sister is through family, thus this maniac is targeting us. The reason our parents are out of country is to keep them safe. Sherlock and I would be out of country as well if not for certain reasons keeping us here." Mycroft gave John a pointed look. "I do not wish to deter you from my brother, but I believe you need to know what you are getting yourself into. It is likely you will be targeted as well now that it is known you and he care for each other." John was about to contradict when a hand gesture stopped him. "Do not bother trying to say otherwise, you seem to care for him and I know he cares for you. You risked your life going back up there to get him out of that fire. If the fire started the way my sister believes it was started, you are now on the list of pressure points. You will be protected even if you decide to stop seeing my brother, but I advise against it. Now I must leave you. You need time to process what I have just said and I have an engagement that was postponed until further notice. I shall see you tomorrow Doctor Watson." With that he left. John was not able to correct him that he was no longer a Doctor. John slumped down in the chair Mycroft formerly occupied. He had just been given a large amount of information and went through a big ordeal. All thoughts of eating had fled and all his body was willing to do was sleep.