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The two doctors arrived at the lighthouse, the paper was nailed to the door of it. It appeared the lighthouse had recently been abandoned, the windows were boarded up and the light at the top no longer worked. The two doctors for some reason, ended up on the shabby roof.
Dr. Watts immediately began to panic, "Crikey Nutcrackers!"
Eva looked over at him, raising an eyebrow, "You aren't Australian."
"Who cares!?" Neil asked, wide eyed and frantic, "We're like 20 billion nanometers off the ground and standing on a damn flag pole!"
His partner rolled her eyes, "Just jump down. It's not like you can get hurt here."
He shook his head, "Are you kidding me, it's a fricken sky-dive! You can't stay on here, you can't get off. God, I hate it when this happens!"
As he rambled he failed to notice Dr. Rosalene walk behind him. He just continued talking, and it was incredibly easy for her to shove him off the roof. He shouted profanity at her when he landed and she laughed, "Wuss."
Both doctors safely on the ground, they were able to see and hear Sherlock and John as they looked at the paper that had been posted. John looked very upset, "Why would they abandon her like this?"
Sherlock didn't seem to care much, he stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and shrugged, "No longer needed by ships I suppose, with GPS and lights and such. Only an idiot like Anderson would crash into a cliff like this anymore."
When John didn't respond Sherlock approached the lighthouse, taking the paper down, "Look John," he said, turning to face his partner. "This place means a lot to me too, and I've been thinking. In our current state, things have been pretty stable. We have a lot of money from our cases, and with Mycroft's recent death I've gotten all of his funds and full access to my own accounts. If we're mindful with our money, in a few years we could afford to build a house on top of here. It's going to be a squeeze but I'm sure-"
John cut him off, smiling brightly, "We'd be able to see her from the window!" he said excitedly. "In the morning, at night, we'd always be nearby! And we could walk here any time! She'll never be alone again Sherlock!" He threw himself into his husband's arm, squeezing him tightly. Sherlock wrapped his arms around John in return. "I'll be able to watch over her every day!" he said.
Sherlock hummed, "Yeah, we will." At this point the doctors decided to move on, walking down towards the road. Dr. Watts was slightly put-off by what he'd seen, and voiced it to Eva, "So John Watson put off treatment for the sake of a lighthouse?"
Eva just sighed, "Hush Neil." They found a paper rabbit sitting near the side of the road by the car, likely placed there by John. It didn't take long for them to use that in order to jump to the next memory.
They arrived in Sherlock and John's flat, Sherlock was upstairs playing the violin. He placed the instrument down on the bed after a moment and turned to leave the room, when he spotted a paper rabbit on the floor, the very paper rabbit that they had used to leap back into the memory with. He approached it, picking it up and examining it, before sighing tossing it onto the bed with his instrument. "John?" he called, heading downstairs.
The doctors ventured downstairs after Sherlock. He seemed more like himself now, with his head full of jet-black curls and his sharp, calculating eyes. Dr. Watts felt himself growing excited, that meant they were close to when the famous duo were solving crimes together!
When they got downstairs to the living area, they spotted a box of papers and the baby grand piano that Sherlock had played when John was dying. They stood and look at it, musing how he managed to get it up the stairs. Dr. Watts decided that it would be easy if they used the TARDIS, however Eva speculated that it would be difficult to get it through the door. They both agreed they wouldn't mind an entire episode of Doctor Who dedicated to getting a piano through the door though.
Moving on, they entered the dining room where John was sitting at the table, covered in dozens of rabbits, the platypus was sitting on a box next to him. He was in the proccess of making one when Sherlock approached him. The consulting detective examined his partner, "You went out for a haircut this early in the morning?" he asked.
When John didn't answer, Sherlock looked around the room, looking uneasy. "What're you making there?" he asked.
"Rabbits," John replied simply, not even bothering to look up. "Did you see the rabbit I left for you?"
Sherlock nodded, "Yeah."
John glanced up at Sherlock, smiling faintly before returning his focus to his work, "Tell me about that rabbit." Sherlock voiced his confusion, not understanding why John wanted him to tell him what he must already know.
"Describe the rabbit," John rephrased.
Sherlock, ever ready to please his husband, immediately began to list things off about the rabbit, "It was yellow," he said.
"What else?" John asked.
"A bit puffy."
"And?"
"There were two creases on the ears, from where you messed up. The paper was recycled, made in the United States. And you cut your finger while you were making it, but didn't bleed much. However you still smudged a bit of blood on one of the edges," Sherlock recited.
John looked up at him expectantly, "What else?" he asked.
At this Sherlock felt as though he'd been slapped in the face. The disappointment on John's face when it was clear he had no more to say about it made him hurt further. What was he missing? "Well... It's just a paper rabbit John! There is nothing else to say about it!"
John didn't say anything to that, just continued working on the oragami rabbit in his hand as though he hadn't even heard Sherlock. Sherlock approached the table, placing his hands on it and leaning over it in an attempt to get John to look up, "You're acting strange, John. Is something wrong?"
"John?" he repeated, when there was once again no answer. John still didn't answer him, and so Sherlock turned, defeated, and left the room. The doctors decided it was time to go back even further, mostly because Dr. Watts was getting weirded out by the rabbits and Dr. Rosalene was beginning to think that John Watson was a looney. The platypus brought them back in time further.
It was sitting in the back of a car, leaving the two doctors out in the middle of the woods, They began heading towards the cliff overlooking the lighthouse, knowing the couple would be there. Indeed they were, sitting on a log side by side. Sherlock was just finishing telling John something, and the army doctor was listening attentively.
"Is that why you offered me to share a flat back then?" John asked.
Sherlock nodded, "Yeah," he said, sounding a bit guilty about it.
John looked at him, "What about now?"
"I suppose it's just a part of it," Sherlock replied, meeting his husband's gaze. He took John's hand in his own, "It was a long time ago, John. It's not too relevant now, but Molly thought I shold tell you. I shouldn't have tainted our first meeting like that."
After a moment of silence John jumped off the log, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a bright orange hacky sack. He tossed it at Sherlock, who caught it and turned it over in his hands. "A hacky sack?" Sherlock asked, confused.
"Can you throw that as far as where Anya's at?" John asked.
Sherlock shrugged, "I don't know. You want me to try?"
John nodded, "Would you? I'd try myself but my shoulder aches a bit."
Winding his arm back, Sherlock pitched it in the direction of the lighthouse, John ran over to the cliff to see how far it would go and Sherlock immediately shouted, "John! Are you insane, get away from there!"
When the hacky sack disappeared from view, John backed away from the cliff and sat down on the log once more. It didn't seem like much more would happen, especially considering this memory wasn't too far from the last. The doctors used Sherlock's bag, which was sitting nearby, to go back in time further.
Three people were sitting in the back room of a library. Sherlock sat on one side, and two other men sat on the other. One Dr. Watts immediately recognized as a younger Greg Lestrade, the other he wasn't sure about at all.
"Are you sure about this Sherlock?" the unidentified man asked.
Sherlock nodded, "I'm sure Mycroft, I want to settle down with John. His nightmares are exhausting him, he's starting to feel sore, and it's just not as easy for him to chase criminals around London as it used to be. He is slowing down, I'm sure I will be slowing down too in a matter of time."
"I think you're throwing in the towel too soon Sherlock, you've got a lot of years left in you. I'm concerned you won't have enough stimulating your mind, John hates when you're bored. I believe it is in your best interest if you continue to consult for Scotland Yard, with or without John. You don't need him with you do you? You solved plenty of cases before he came around." Mycroft said.
"I need him with me. However Lestrade, you are always welcome to send cases you are unsure about. I just will not be chasing criminals for you anymore. You will have to do that yourselves."
Lestrade nodded, "I think we'll manage Sherlock, thank you for everything though. You're doing this rather smartly, slipping away quietly while the press is distracted with that scandal with the Prime Minister"
"You're welcome for that opprotunity by the way, little brother," Mycroft added.
Sherlock rolled his eyes, "I'm sure the chance would have arisen with or without your help, brother. Thank you anyway though."
Mycroft stood, picking up his brolly. He was using it as a cane now, in his old age walking was incredibly painful. Sherlock had a feeling his brother had only remained in his government position this long so that he could help him out this final time. Sherlock stood with him, "I should go see what John is looking as, so I'll assist you to the door."
"Goodbye Inspector," the brothers said.
Lestrade waved and bid them goodbye before standing and heading out the door in front of them. Sherlock and Mycroft followed, much more slowly. When they reached the door they looked to make sure no one was looking before embracing each other, "Take care of yourself Sherly,"
"You as well Mycroft," Sherlock replied, uncharacteristically warmly. With that, Mycroft left the library and was helped into his car by his assistant. Sherlock watched him go, then went to find John. He had a book in his hand that his seemed to be very interested in. "Anything new today?" Sherlock asked.
John shook his head, "No," he replied.
Sherlock smiled, "What are you rereading then?" he asked his partner.
John smiled in return and held up the book for Sherlock to see. "'The Emporer's New Clothes', I loved this when I was young."
"Still do," Sherlock said, though he didn't understand why John liked the children's story so much. Sherlock remembered his brother reading the story to him, and he thought the Emporer was an idiot.
"Of course!" John replied, he closed the book, running his hands over the cover and becoming a bit more serious, "Just for different reasons."
Sherlock looked down, "When I was a kid, I loved the Animorphs series," he confessed.
John nodded, "I know. Your Mum gave you a book from it as a wedding present."
"That was an odd wedding present. I guess I was pretty into it when I was a kid, must have been after my pirate phase."
"Why haven't you read them since?" John asked, looking up at Sherlock. Sherlock hummed, and John continued, "I saw them. They're collecting dust on the shelf in the corner downstairs."
Sherlock felt as though he were being attacked slightly, as though not reading the book was some kind of abuse or something. He looked away from John, "Well, I just grew out of them. More important thing to do, cases to solve, criminals to chase, idiots to antagonize. They're children's books John, who has time for that?"
"What's wrong with children's books?" John snapped, his grip on the book tightening slightly, "They're comforting.
Not wanting to get into a fight, since Sherlock knew he wouldn't win anyway, he simply said, "I suppose, John."
"I think I'm going to get this one," John announced after a moment, though he still looked mildly irritated with Sherlock. The doctors used the book to jump back in time, Dr. Watts just wanted to see Sherlock Holmes and John Watson kicking badguy ass!