The first floor common room was full by the time they made it there. John led Mrs. Hudson and Sherlock through the room packed full of people, setting his salad down on the food-laden table.
After getting them some wine, he took them around, simply introducing them as Martha and Frank. It was a little funny that Sherlock didn't know Mrs. Hudson's first name, after knowing her so many years. Everyone greeted them warmly and invited them to help themselves to some food.
The tables had been cleared of the normal things, and everyone was casually gathered all over the room. Kids ran around, playing together, between the tables. Some cheerful instrumental music was playing from a nearby stereo.
They picked up empty plates from the stack, and started scooping up small amounts of the various dishes, carrying them back to a table with space for them.
John groaned when he saw Francesca sitting across from them, chatting animatedly with a beautiful woman with long dark hair. He hadn't seen her for ages. Why tonight, of all nights?
Some teens cleared away their dishes when they were done, and a dish of apple crisp was set out, hot from the oven.
A ten-year-old girl settled down on the chair beside Sherlock, digging in happily to her dessert.
He gave her a look of distaste. "I don't know how you can eat that."
She chuckled, licking her spoon clean. "Why not? It's delicious!" She seemed quite proud at using the long word.
John rolled his eyes. "Margo grew up with LOC mix. It's perfectly normal for her."
"And it's so healthy. I'm always telling Sh-Frank that." Martha gave Sherlock a pointed look.
His jaw set in a firm line at being ganged up on. "You two are just as bad as everyone else. Believing all the government propaganda."
"I wasn't here for the worst part of it, but I have plenty of friends in medical fields who gave me first hand accounts. So many kids with swollen bellies, losing their hair. All the classic symptoms of protein deficiency." John shook his head.
Francesca looked over at them with a big smile, catching the last part of what John had said. "Oh, are you talking about eating bugs?" She chuckled. "Remember how grossed out everyone was at first?"
Her dark haired friend laughed along with her. "It was practically like a dare, wasn't it, the first time everyone tried something cooked with bug flour? John almost got sick."
John gave her a frustrated huff. "I've told you a hundred times, I was getting the flu."
"Yeah, yeah..." She grinned widely at him.
Turning towards Sherlock and Martha, he waved towards the women. "Frank, Martha, this is Francesca and an old friend of ours, Janine." The women hadn't been in the room when they had arrived.
"Old friend! Is that what you are calling me these days?" Janine shot back playfully, pretending to be outraged.
John felt a little uncomfortable, seeing how attentively Sherlock's eyes were flicking back and forth between them. He had probably already figured it all out, the berk. "When I came back to England in 2030, Janine was one of my roommates. We were in a relationship for several years, and I can't seem to get away from Dreary Fat Boring Old Git."
"We have too many friends in common for that, Sniveling Little Rat-Faced Watson." Janine shot back, giving just as good as she got, like always.
Martha was chuckling. "Oh, I remember that Monty Python sketch. What were the kids' names again?"
"Dirty Lying Little Two-Faced Git!"
"Ghastly Spotty Horrible Vicious Little Git!"
They both shouted out the answers at the same time, and ended up laughing together.
Sherlock was giving them a strange look.
Francesca reached over, patting his arm. "Don't be alarmed, Frank. They are always like this when they are together. They are more like brother and sister these days."
Janine stuck her tongue out at John. "I was too young and pretty for him to keep me." She looked Sherlock over appraisingly. "Doesn't look like he's learned his lesson yet."
John scoffed at that comment.
"So, what was John like, back then?" Sherlock asked.
Her brown eyes warmed. "He was a little lost, actually. The shoulder injury was still healing, and he wasn't really sure what he could do anymore."
John rolled the shoulder, the motion quite easy. "It wasn't until I had that second surgery that things got better." He turned towards Martha and Sherlock. "I realized then how much orthopedic surgeons could help people, and ended up going back to school to specialize in it. I shared a flat with some other students. Janine was one of them."
"I had to show him how to do everything. Things had changed so much while he was away." Janine added.
"What changed?" Margo piped up, now finished her dessert and just listening to their conversation, probably not understanding half of it.
John grabbed her around the waist, dragging her onto his lap to tickle her, making her squirm and laugh up at him. Eventually, he held her in a light hold. "Well, when I was your age, the world was a lot different."
"People lived in big houses or big flats."
"Many people had cars and drove them everywhere."
"There were stores everywhere full of wonderful things from all over the world."
Francesca, Janine and Martha had added in their comments, and Margo was looking at them all in turn.
"We took it all for granted." John continued. "And then one day, everything got more and more expensive. People couldn't buy as much, couldn't drive around, and had to move into smaller flats."
"Why? What happened?" Margo asked. This was all taught in school, but most kids still enjoyed hearing stories about the past.
John looked towards his friends, searching for an easy way to explain it.
Janine helped him out. "Machines back then mostly ran on petrol. For a long time, it was easy to get it out of the ground, but eventually there wasn't much left."
In the army, John had been shielded from most of the changes. He had been amazed at emails from friends back home, talking about petrol prices tripling, and how fast the prices of imported goods rose afterwards. It became too costly to ship most goods from far away. Stores became emptier and emptier, and the government tried to control the panic by instating the first non-wartime rationing in the country. Basic foods and clothing were price controlled too.
Giving Margo a little squeeze, John tried to be more cheerful. "But it all worked out in the end. People are actually a lot healthier now, walking and cycling to get around."
"Eating fruit and vegetables that they grow in their own gardens." Francesca added.
"Less pollution." Janine said. She tilted her head a little at Sherlock. "So, have you never tried LOC mix?"
John chuckled, looking over at him. Janine wasn't one to back down when she got an idea in her head.
He shook his head, looking down his nose at her slightly. "No. I've always been able to afford decent food."
"It's mostly lentil flour and oatmeal. Only a quarter of it is cricket flour. It tastes like normal oatmeal." Janine argued.
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "Thanks, but I've already eaten."
"But you didn't have any dessert." Margo said, giggling as she scooted off John's lap, and came back with some apple crisp, settling it down in front of Sherlock.
Sherlock gave his now familiar look of disgust, not picking up the fork.
Margo leaned against his side. "C'mon. It's really good for you. Just try one bite." She looked up at him beseechingly.
John tried not to smirk when Sherlock picked up the fork, taking the smallest bite of the dessert possible. He set the fork down, empty, but John could tell he wasn't chewing the food yet, just holding it in his mouth.
He wasn't sure who whistled first, because others joined in pretty fast. Some were better than others, their whistles sounding just like crickets chirping.
Sherlock's face paled, and he jumped up, running out the back door really fast. Everyone was laughing hard, including John.
He got up slowly. "I better go check on him." He grabbed a glass of water as he left.
Sherlock was standing in the back garden, bracing one hand against the wall as he coughed and spat. John passed him the water, and he took a long, grateful sip. Swishing it around his mouth, he spat the water out. He drank the rest.
John guided him over to a bench. It was nice and dark out now, cool but not cold. He rubbed a hand over Sherlock's back. "Doing OK now?"
"Your friends are evil. That girl child especially. Spawn of Satan." Sherlock declared.
John shrugged. "You should take it as a sign they accept you. You have been initiated into our circle."
Sherlock made a sound, halfway between a scoff and a laugh. "How long have you lived here?"
Glancing back towards the open doorway, the glow of lights illuminating the happy crowd inside, John thought back. "Eight years, I guess. I was watching for a place like this, and jumped at the first opening."
"Why?" It was so different than Sherlock's large flat full of old stuff.
John remembered that morning, Sherlock asking him the same question. "My family was middle class. We had the basics, but nothing too fancy. I ended up funding my medical education by promising the army six years of service. Then I was back here, living cheap to afford going back to school. By then, most people were living in smaller flats, not into buying as much stuff. I was never really in the habit of living in fancier places."
"But why this place?" Sherlock waved towards the party.
It was still a bit strange, talking about personal things with him. They had been so open sexually with each other, but really hadn't talked about other things. "My parents died in a car accident when I was twenty. My older sister has always battled addictions, and she's living in Scotland now. We've never been that close. People in this building, they are my family."
He had friends that lived in similar buildings, and had liked it from the start. There was a good mix of people of all ages, and they all got to know each other at these dinners and working on the gardens. That meant more to him than having a large, fancy flat.
Mrs. Hudson was standing at the doorway, looking for them in the dark garden.
"It's getting late. Do you want to walk her to the tube station?" John asked softly. It would give Sherlock some more time to visit with his friend.
Nodding, Sherlock got up and they soon made their goodbyes to the other people at the party.
John got some tea and sat back down at the table. Francesca was across the room, talking with the residential farmer. Janine was still there.
"I like Frank." Janine said simply. She had always been someone who spoke her mind, always very open about things. "And I can tell you really like him too."
Taking another sip of tea, John wondered how to answer. He decided to stick as close to the truth as he could. Janine knew him better than anyone else in the world, probably. "I do. But I'm a little bit scared about it. About 'us'."
Janine rolled her eyes. "You are such a worrier sometimes. Let things happen, don't be afraid of your feelings. He likes you too."
Sighing, John set down his cup. "I like being with him, but I don't think we are similar enough to really work in a long term relationship. He comes from a really posh family, is used to living the old way."
"But look at how he is dressed! And how willing he was to chat and try to fit in with everyone tonight. He's making an effort, trying to please you." Janine argued back, her dark eyes full of caring for John. They truly still loved each other, really wanting the best for each other.
John nodded as he sipped more tea. Sherlock had been wearing clothes John picked out, and acting his boyfriend role, so her arguments didn't carry much weight. Sherlock had been friendly with everyone, at least. The chaos of the big group didn't seem to faze him.
"Only time will tell. It's still so early in the relationship." John finally replied, not wanting to get her hopes up in case things ended when Sherlock moved back home. Not wanting to get his own hopes up, if he was being really honest with himself. Sherlock was turning out to be so much more than attractive and good in bed. He was smart, funny and showed how warm he could be, chatting today with Mrs. Hudson. She seemed almost like a mother figure to him.
Janine gave him a cheeky grin. "Oh, the early stages. The barely-make-it-out-of-bed stages."
Francesca was just sitting down as she said that, and she chuckled. "Are you talking about Frank? Isn't he gorgeous? So tall and those eyes..."
"Lucky John. The only reason I'd kick a bloke like that out of my bed would be to fuck him on the floor." Janine quipped, loving John's look of discomfort.
"I'd like to jump his bones until he rattles." Francesca shot back with a big grin.
"He's the sort I'd fall madly in bed with."
"I'd bang him until he was cross-eyed."
"I'd bang him until I was cross-eyed."
"I'd bang him like a screen door in a hurricane."
"His ass is proof of a loving and all powerful higher power."
"Ladies!" John held up his hands, glaring at his two friends to get them to shut up. "Enough." He was glad that the families with young kids had left the party by now. A few of his neighbors still looked over, chuckling at the women's comments.
His objections fell on deaf ears. He could tell the women were just warming up, and he was likely to be teased without mercy if he stuck around any longer.
"Goodnight, everybody." John got up, and grabbed his empty salad bowl.
"Night John!" He heard Janine call out as he made his escape. "Give Frank a big goodnight kiss for us!"
"Preferably a long, naked kiss..." Francesca added.
John just shook his head and went back to his flat.
...
"John's lovely, Sherlock." Mrs. Hudson said softly as they walked towards the tube station. It was dark out, and there weren't that many people out of the streets. Occasionally, a bike rider would whiz past, their headlight a brief glow of light.
Sherlock put his hands into his pockets, glancing sideways at her. "You liked him, then?" Mrs. Hudson had rarely met the people he got involved with in the past.
She nodded. "And you like him too. I can tell."
Sherlock sighed, tilting his head up to see the waxing moon high above. "Yes, but how much is real? This strange situation might just be making things seem like more than they really are."
"He's a kind, smart man. And from the noises you two were making in your flat all those times, I can tell you get along well." She grinned a bit mischievously.
Rolling his eyes, Sherlock didn't dignify that with a response. The less he thought about what she could overhear from his flat, the better.
Besides being sexually compatible, it had been surprising how easy it was to be around John. Eating together, sleeping together, travelling all over London, investigating his case. John had proved to be excellent to bounce theories off of, helping Sherlock work through it all. Coming up with great ideas. Handling Mrs. Baresi perfectly, getting her talking so openly. Going along with Sherlock's various roles, whatever they needed to get the information.
"You are thinking about the case, aren't you."? Mrs. Hudson commented, her hand giving his arm a comforting squeeze. "Seeing the police at your flat scared me, Sherlock. This could really get bad."
"I know." Sherlock said, stopping at the station entrance, and turning to face her. Mrs. Hudson had been a true constant in his life since he moved back to London. "I'm doing my best to get to the truth."
They had made good progress, and tomorrow John was going to review his old files on Paolo. See what else he could find out. Sherlock was going to try seeing the other teammates they hadn't seen today. And then talking to Felicity and Oscar at the art show.
What else had Paolo been doing in his last month or two? Who had attacked John? Was he involved in the case somehow? They had shown his picture to his teammates, but none so far recognized him.
Mrs. Hudson gathered him into a tight hug. "Keep me updated, Sherlock. I'm worried about you. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Mostly you are just worried about having to clear out the flat, aren't you?" Sherlock tried to joke, but his delivery fell a bit flat.
She loosened her hold on him, tipping her head up to give him a small smile. "There's all the stuff, all the science equipment. I guess I'd just pack it in boxes and take it to a school." She played along, but then her eyes became serious. "You have to beat this, Sherlock. I know you bend the rules sometimes, but there is no way you are a murderer. I can't bear hearing people spreading such lies about you."
"People are starting to talk about me that way? Already?" Sherlock lowered his brow, looking at her with concern. The ball of anxiety in his stomach tightened.
She let him go, nodding sadly. "I overheard a couple neighbours at the market, and some people in passing on the street near the flat. It's been in the news a fair bit, and they aren't right out accusing you. Just saying you are a 'person of interest'."
"It might be safer if you went to stay with your sister for a week or two. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Going on tiptoe, she kissed his cheek. "Be careful, Sherlock."
He nodded as he watched her go. It would be the last time he would chance seeing her until this was all resolved. Or he was in jail. He couldn't put her at risk being around him.
As he slowly walked back to the flat, he became more concerned, thinking about the case. What if they talked to everyone, followed every lead, and came up with nothing substantial? Nothing that cleared him?
Would he have to run? Get Mycroft to pull some strings, pull some favours to get him out of the country? He was always asking if Sherlock wanted to try spy work, suggesting his intelligence and scientific knowledge would be useful. Infiltrating and stealing other countries' ideas.
It was a possible out, if he needed it. If things got desperate enough. Better than jail, but just barely. He had a life here he wasn't going to give up that easily. His flat, his work, his clients. He loved it all.
And now there was John too...
The thought of John back in his flat made Sherlock walk faster. Suddenly just wanting, needing, to be with him. Holding him tight. The mindless escape of sex. The comfort of hearing his breathing slow as he fell asleep. The warmth of his body cuddled against his own, sharing the covers.
...
-Disclaimer: I hope this doesn't come off as too preachy! Just so you know, I eat meat and drive a car. I recycle, but I'm usually too cheap to buy the organic veggies at the supermarket. I also live in an area where the oil industry is a big part of our economy.
-Protein Deficiency: When people get enough calories, but not enough protein in their diet, it's a nutritional disorder called 'kwashiorkor'. It results in an extremely emaciated appearance in all body parts except the ankles, feet and belly, which swell with fluid (edema). Symptoms include change in skin and hair color and texture, fatigue, diarrhea, loss of muscle mass, failure to grow or gain weight, damaged immune system, flaky rash, and irritability. If left untreated, it can lead to coma, shock and death. Today, it is most common where there is a lack of food, like sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Central America. Famines are usually from natural disasters (droughts and floods) or political unrest. Toddlers are at particular risk for developing it when they are weaned off of protein-rich breast milk to the low protein diet of poorer areas. In this version of the future, it was being seen in poor and middle class families who couldn't afford meat anymore and hadn't adapted to including enough non-meat protein in their diet. They got enough calories from fruit, veggies, carbs and fat to feel full, but started showing symptoms of the disorder in a few months.
-Eating Bugs: When you google 'Foods of the Future' almost every article mentions eating bugs as a source of protein. Currently, 2 billion people in 80% of the world's nations eat insects daily. It is estimated that the population will be 9 billion by 2050, and it will be hard to keep up with protein/food needs with current dietary practices.
Insects are a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals. They have the same or greater amount of iron than beef. They are more environmentally sustainable; emitting much less greenhouse gases, require little water and less feed/pound than any other animal protein.
-LOC mix: I totally made this up. Assuming the UK government responded to protein deficiency in a lot of the population, they got the universities to develop an inexpensive, shelf-stable, easy-to-prepare alternative protein source. LOC stands for Lentil, Oatmeal and Cricket. Cricket and lentil flours make up half of the mixture, and you can actually buy these now. 1 cup of the mix provides 350 calories, 29 g protein, 40 g carbs, 8 g fat and 8 g fiber, with good levels of iron. 3 servings a day would provide ½ the calories, and almost all the protein and fiber an adult needs (assuming 2000 cal/day). It can be eaten as a hot cereal, baked into cookies and granola bars, and added to other foods since it doesn't have much flavor on it's own.
-Dreary Fat Boring Old Git, Sniveling Little Rat-Faced Watson: A skit from the sketch comedy TV Show 'Monty Pythons' Flying Circus' (1969-1974), featuring Michael Palin, Terry Jones and John Cleese (looking fetching in a floral dress and big red wig).
-Army Doctor: The British Army currently awards up to 30 medical cadetships every year. Generally, the last three years of their medical education tuition is covered along with £15 000 or more a year, in return for six years service after the doctor has completed their first foundation year.
-Orthopaedic Surgeons: "In order to become an orthopaedic surgeon, you must first complete a medical school program. You will then complete a 4 to 5 year residency in orthopaedic surgery. If you choose to practice a subspecialty, you also need to complete a 1 to 2 year fellowship."
-Peak Oil: In this version of the future, oil prices go up a lot around 2025. At first, everyone thinks it a short term blip, like we had when the price of a barrel of crude oil almost tripled to $147 USD in July 2008. But it lasts, and pretty soon it's too expensive to drive much. People take transit or other ways to get to work. Goods that are shipped from far away increase in price to cover higher transport costs. Pretty soon, people stop buying the more expensive goods, and stores stop stocking them. It becomes cheaper to buy locally produced goods as much as possible. Imports tend to be small, light things that can be sold for high prices, like spices, tea and electronics. This AU assumes that alternative energy sources are being used, but haven't been able to make up for the loss of cheap oil.
-Rationing, Price controls: In WWII, Germany kept most imported goods from reaching Britain, trying to starve them out. The Ministry of Food gave out rationing books to ensure everyone got a fair share of goods that were limited, and prevented panic buying. Recycling was encouraged, and making do and mending clothing. People sewed and knitted, and gardened more.
-Fewer Cars: Currently, over 50% of people living in inner areas of London don't own a car. They rely on transit and walking in the city.