"Here you go." John said to the man in reception as he handed him the note with his discharge form.

"Oh. I will give you the medicines you need then," the man said and turned around to look for John's medicine.

The persuasion with John had gone very well. John had almost agreed on it as soon as Sherlock had explained his plans for him. He really wanted to go home and had said that he was sure that he was able to handle taking his medicines on his own. When John told Dr. Garrett that he wanted to go home and have home-care, the doctor had argued about it at first but then John informed him that he was a former army doctor, double-check his chart because it's in there and he promised Garrett that he would send in a status report of his well-being every day. Garrett had still hesitated at this suggestion but quickly agreed when Sherlock came in confirming that he would make sure John sent those reports and practically scaring the hell out of the doctor with his eyes.

The man came back and gave John three different types of medicine bottles. He also gave him five medicine bags for his portable IV.

"When those run out, you need to come here to get new ones, okay? Also, you need to have one of them connected to you all times," the man said and attached one of the medication bags onto the portable IV for him.

"Of course," he said softly, wincing a little at the needle sticking into his vein.

"Then you're ready to go. Have a nice day and remember to call Dr. Garrett if something happens," the man said. John nodded as a reply and Sherlock wheeled him outside to catch a cab forthe both of them.


"Welcome home John..." Sherlock whispered into his lover's ear as they entered 221B Baker Street together for the first time in five years. Goosebumps erupted across John's arms when he felt Sherlock's warm breath wafting against his neck. Sherlock noticed John's hair standing on edge and smiled; he loved when John's body reacted to him. Footsteps could be heard in the upper level as Sherlock helped John to carefully climb the stairs, while also carrying John's wheelchair, before helping John back into the wheelchair upon reaching the landing. About 10 seconds after John was resettled two children came running down the stairs.

"Daddies!" The two children screamed joyfully in unison as they hugged their two fathers lovingly. John burst into laughter which made Sherlock laugh as well.

"We are finally united as a family..." John said, his voice thick with joy and emotion as he felt his family's arms around him. His whole family. He still couldn't believe that Sherlock had returned, that he was alive. It was too good to be true.

"Daddy, why are you sitting in a chair on wheels?" Tim asked suddenly while hugging John's legs tightly like a small kitten. Astrid was standing impatiently with her arms stretched to Sherlock; she wanted him to lift her up. Sherlock bowed down and put his arms around her and lifted her up. She put her head to his neck and sighed with satisfaction.

"I sit in this wheelchair so that my heart doesn't get overworked." John replied softly and stroked Tim's black curls. Tim looked at John with big, fascinated eyes before he released John's legs and climbed carefullyup into his lap instead.

"Daddy drive us somewhere!" Tim said to Sherlock. Sherlock chuckled in response and wheeled John and Tim into the living room as he carried Astrid.

Tim carefully got off John's lap and instead settled himself on the sofa when they arrived in the living room. Sherlock put Astrid down on the floor and looked worriedly at John as he was getting out of his wheelchair to sit down on the sofa as well. John managed to sit down on the sofa without any trouble and when he had himself settled, Sherlock sat down next to John and put his arm around him and drew him close. Astrid jumped up on the sofa and together she and Tim sat on either side of their two dads, instinctively careful of John's IV.

John sighed contentedly when he felt his family once again being close to him. This was what he had wished for for five years' time and he finally had it. He wouldn't let whatever sickness he had prevent him from being with his family.

"Any of you hungry?" John asked after they had cuddled for a while.

"No Daddy, we ate at Uncle's!" Astrid said with a grin and looked at Tim with a special gaze. Tim giggled hysterically for a moment. It looked like something had happened at Mycroft's that only they knew.

John looked at Sherlock with a smile and nodded to Astrid's reply.

"Okay then, then I guess Daddy and Papa will cook their own food." John said and was about to raise himself from the sofa but he was stopped by Sherlock applying more pressure on John's shoulders to keep him seated. John looked questioningly at Sherlock.

"Stay seated." Sherlock said softly and kissed his cheek. Astrid giggled at the sight.

"Let's get our children to bed first before we eat anything..." Sherlock whispered quietly in John's ear. John nodded thinking it was a good idea.

"Astrid and Tim, do you want us to go upstairs and read a story for you?" John asked their children and both of them nodded.

"Yes!" Tim said enthusiastically with his eyes glinting.

"Good, but first you've got to brush your teeth. Go on, away with you." John said to their children and Astrid and Tim hurried their way upstairs. They called down when they were finished and Sherlock helped John, practically carrying him against his side but trying not to make it obvious for John's sake, upstairs and into the children's shared bedroom. There, after setting aside the wheelchair that Sherlock had somehow managed to bring up with them, they sunk down on Astrid's bed with John and Sherlock in the middle. Sherlock carefully keeping John's IV line straight so the medicine would flow through properly. It was very tight but still very cosy.

"So which one of us do you want to read the story for you? Sherlock or me?" John asked their children softly.

"I want Papa to read!" Astrid said. "If that is okay with Tim of course," she added and Tim immediately nodded. Sherlock felt honored that his children wanted him to read for them. It had been John's thing to do for five years after all. It had been John's honor. Not his.

Astrid went away for a moment to look for her favourite book (which Tim loved too) and she came back after just a few seconds. She handed the book to Sherlock. It was 'The Little Mermaid'. Sherlock felt his insides go warm and fuzzy. He thought it was so cute that his children loved 'The Little Mermaid' and he wasn't usually one that thought things were cute.

After Sherlock had read 'The Little Mermaid'by H.C Andersen (the child-friendly version) four times, his children had finally fallen asleep and unfortunately, John had too. Sherlock carefully turned around to lie on his stomach so he could look at his beloved ones better. John was sleeping softly. His face was relaxed and he snored a little. Tim looked exactly like Sherlock when he was his age. His sleeping face was relaxed though he had his Papa's countenance. Astrid looked more like John with her relaxed face and the small smile she had on her lips.

Sherlock sighed deeply with love at the sight of his dearest people sleeping. It felt like his heart had swelled up three times greater than regular size and he loved the happy feeling he had blowing through his system like a fresh summer breeze. Still, he had a small hamster gnawing at the back of his head.

"John is dying, John is dying, John is dying," it whispered over and over again, laughing and teasing him.

Sherlock shook his head to whisk it away and it did when he looked at John again. He was deeply impressed by the hard work John had put into the whole apartment. John had decorated Astrid's old room so it would fit Tim's personality more. He had actually painted a whole forest on the walls with a wolf in the middle of the forest. The wolf looked like an exact copy of Sherlock in his wolf-form with the same face-shape, ears and eyes. It was spot on. It even had big angel wings protruding from its back, probably signifying Sherlock's death. The dedication John had put into decorating their children's room touched Sherlock very deeply. He really needed to thank him when he woke up.

Sherlock looked around the room for a while before he decided it was time for John to wake up; partly because he wanted John awake and partly because John needed to take his medicine. Sherlock had already memorized the schedule for John's medication. Every pill was necessary to hinder the death sentence a little longer, though it didn't actually work but Sherlock could always imagine it did...

"The love of my life, the beat to my heart..." Sherlock whispered softly into John's ear as he slowly kissed both John's cheeks, wanting him to wake up.

John grunted reluctantly; he didn't want to leave dream land yet.

"Please wake up...I know you are visiting me in your dreams but please, visit me in your reality too," Sherlock murmured hopefully and pecked his lover's lips quickly.

John's eyelids started to flutter like a pair of hummingbird wings when he felt Sherlock's lips against his. He opened his eyes and he lit up in a smile so bright it could have outshone the sun.

"Sherlock..." he whispered lovingly and Sherlock nodded.

"Yes, that is me." Sherlock said childishly and kissed John's nose. John chuckled and embraced Sherlock tightly.

"I'm so glad you are here Sherlock. It is a miracle... it is the most wonderful miracle that has ever happened to me..." John murmured, his tears of joy wetting Sherlock's neck.

Sherlock just smiled in response and let John's words seep through him; he absorbed them like a sponge absorbs water and let them fill his soul with happiness.

"John, I would like us to get up from this bed and go up to the roof," Sherlock murmured close to John's ear and nibbled a little at his earlobe.

"Up to the roof? What are we going to do-" John started but Sherlock hushed him.

"Easy my love. You will see..." Sherlock said and helped John get out of the bed carefully so as not wake their children nor disturb John's IV. When John was seated in his wheelchair and ready to go, Sherlock covered their children with their blanket and gave their foreheads a kiss before he and John turned off the lights and left the room.

"Now, you can open your eyes," Sherlock breathed near John's ear and moved his hands away from John's eyes.

John slowly opened his eyes, his heart beating a little faster due to excitement. The first thing he noticed was the different coloured glowing lanterns soaring around a cosy looking corner of the roof. Someone ,Sherlock?, had placed a quilt on the 'ground' of the roof. On top of the quilt was a tray with lots of expensive food. On both sides of the food-filled plate were two wine glasses and two pairs of cutlery. Two pairs of red lit candles stood beside the wine glasses. Around the blanket were tons of pillows in different colours and even more blankets but it did not look sloppy, the whole corner was organized in a very beautiful way. The full moon shone its silvery light down on the roof, making the whole area look like something from a fairy tale.

John didn't know what to say. He understood that this was entirely Sherlock's doing and no word in the English dictionary could express what he was feeling right now.

"Sherlock...I...There are no words for this," John whispered and just stared at the whole scene before him.

"You don't need words, just share this evening with me," Sherlock whispered and helped John out of his wheelchair. He led John to the corner he had made and they sat down, facing each other. Sherlock noticed that John's eyes were a bit teary.

"When did you ever have time to prepare this?" John asked and looked at Sherlock with admiring eyes.

"I prepared it before I picked you up from the hospital and brought the kids home." Sherlock replied softly and stroked John's cheek with his index finger.

"It is amazing Sherlock...This whole thing...It is so beautiful..." John said. His voice thick with awe.

"I am glad you think so my love." Sherlock said quietly and smiled at him.

"Now, eat," he said.

John started eating and enjoyed every bit of the marvellous food Sherlock had bought for them.

"Now John, I want you to take your medicine," Sherlock requested softly and served him a glass of water together with three pills.

John took the pills and swallowed them.

"It is alcohol free so you don't have to worry about your liver," Sherlock said when he saw John giving the wine a worried look.

"You can drink it without worries," Sherlock added and John smiled brightly at him.

"You really do think of everything," John said softly and Sherlock nodded.

"I do. I don't want you to get hurt," Sherlock replied and ate the last bit of food he had left on his plate. When he was finished he took out a small CD player John hadn't noticed before. He pressed play and a very beautiful tune started playing. The tune contained piano and violins blended together in the most beautiful mix of music John had ever heard.

"I recorded it myself... I recorded it right after I had met you for the first time. It contains my love for you written in music," Sherlock murmured softly.

John stared at the CD player in complete awe. Tears slowly started rolling down his cheeks while the music made its way into his body. It was like he was reborn into a whole new person when the music reached his eardrum and flowed to every part of his body. Every stroke of the piano keys, every glide with the violin bow was the very embodiment of Sherlock's love. John reached out his right hand as if he was trying to touch it, but there was nothing else to touch except Sherlock's hand. Sherlock gripped his hand firmly around John's and gave him a look that said:

Dance with me.

John didn't even need to say yes, his body acted on its own. He raised himself from the quilt and Sherlock quickly helped him to the middle of the roof where the moon shone the brightest. Sherlock put his left hand on John's waist and John giggled a little, probably by the fact that he had the female role, before he curled his hand around Sherlock's right hand. Then John put his hand on Sherlock's shoulder. They slowly started dancing to the rhythm of the music. After a while of just dancing together, Sherlock's hand went from John's waist to his back and he pulled John closer so their chests touched. John rubbed his fingers on Sherlock's fingers with his eyes locked on Sherlock's eyes, not releasing them for one moment.

"I surrender who I have been for who you are... Nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart... You are every line, you are every word... You are everything." Sherlock sung in time to the music while he was touching John's fingers with his own. Sherlock put John's hand against his chest and smiled lovingly at John before he changed the rhythm of the dance to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

They danced for a little while until Sherlock stopped dancing and drew John's face close to his. He leaned in towards John's face and kissed him slowly and tenderly. John answered the kiss and put his arms around Sherlock's neck, drawing his body even closer until their chests bumped into each other. Sherlock put his arms around John's waist and slowly pulled him closer with their lips still locked with each other. They kept kissing until there was no air left in their lungs. Sherlock was the one to break the kiss. When he had inhaled some much-needed air, he looked at John with giant dilated pupils and John looked back with just as big pupils as Sherlock's. Tears glittered in the corners of John's eye. Sherlock kissed them away.

"Sherlock... I don't know how I will ever be able to thank you for this," John murmured, his voice still a bit husky.

"You don't have to thank me John. I just wanted to share this with you. You're the one I want to share my whole life with. I came back from the dead to be with you, there is nothing you need to thank me for. I can never thank you enough for being with me. To see you smiling, to see you laughing, to hear your voice... All of that is a gift for me. Just hearing you breathing is the greatest and most treasured gift I've ever received. I treasure your breathing every day... John, I love you so much, there really are no words to explain how much I love you..." Sherlock whispered while caressing John's cheek. He kissed John's forehead.

"I...Sherlock... I can only say the same to you... You're the best thing that has ever happened to me..." John murmured and put his finger under Sherlock's chin and drew his lips to his and kissed him deeply with every ounce of his love while the Moon shone its silver coloured light over them, making the world around them shine like the brightest star.