Hermione ducked into a dark alley after saying goodbye to John. It had been quite a long time before she had given any thought to her childhood companions before Hogwarts. She double checked to make sure nobody was looking and quickly disapperated home.

She sighed as she stared at the front door of their seemingly small flat in London. Both of the Snapes loved the city, and Severus couldn't get far enough away from Spinner's End. The flat appeared to be a simple one bedroom, but with the extensive charm work the couple had done on it, it had been expanded to fit a potions lab and a library big enough to fit both of their collections.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione entered her home and took a look around. Severus was neither in the living room or the kitchen, but Hermione didn't really expect him to be. It was obviously the lab or the library.

She found him in the lab huddled over a smoking and bubbling cauldron. He was probably working on the new version of Wolfsbane they were trying to improve. He made no obvious notice of Hermione's entrance, but she was certain he knew she was there. Silence filled the room for a moment and then they both spoke at the same time.

"I'm sorry . . ." they both began.

"You start," Severus said.

"No, please, go ahead," Hermione insisted.

Her husband avoided her gaze for a moment before saying, "I was . . . mistaken, Hermione."

Hermione couldn't help but grin at him not quite admitting he was wrong. He looked like he had more to say, however, so she waited.

Snape shifted from foot to foot, not sure how to continue. "Draco stopped by while you were out and laid it all out for me – how awful it was of me to be upset when you were just trying to do something nice for me. Involved a bit of unnecessary yelling, but my godson is a Malfoy after all. He did manage to get his point across."

Hermione crossed the room and put her hands over his. "Thank you for the apology. I'm also sorry for putting you through all that. I should have known better."

"I know you care, Hermione," Severus continued. "I'll try to be more accommodating in the future." He kissed the hand that was enclosed in his own. With things resolved between them, he went back to the cauldron in front of him and Hermione turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.

"Where did you disappear to, anyway, Hermione? I'm just curious," he added quickly.

"Oh, I went to a Muggle bar for a while. Didn't want to run into anybody, but I ended up seeing an old acquaintance of mine from my pre-Hogwarts girlhood days," she paused with a smirk worthy of her husband, "You should meet him someday. We'll go out for dinner or something."

Severus twitched and had his mouth ready with a sarcastic remark when he saw the playful twinkle in his wife's eyes and realized she had goaded him on purpose. He bit back the comment and merely inquired, "He?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at his implied jealousy. "Yes, a man a few years older than me who used to live on my block." She stopped, but one look at Severus and she knew she ought to continue. "Don't be so green with jealousy," she said smiling, for she always thought this harmless jealousy was rather adorable on him, "he's taken. Very taken." Even if he doesn't realize it yet, she thought to herself.

Satisfied, her husband turned back to his potion. Hermione turned to find a book, but the thought of John's words concerning making up to her came back. With a seductive glare in her eye, she turned back to her unsuspecting husband.

XOX

John leisurely made his way back to Baker Street mulling over his conversation with Hermione. He was glad for the time during the walk back to consider all she had said.

First off, she was right. He shouldn't have forced Sherlock into the dinner just as she shouldn't have done so with her husband. He needed to apologize.

Secondly, and probably the more important point, even though Hermione had implied a sexual attraction at first between himself and Sherlock, John was absolutely positive he did not like blokes. Women were his thing and always would be.

Sexually only perhaps a small voice in the back of his head whispered. John raised his eyebrows as he considered this point. Maybe Hermione's 'hetero life mate' theory had some merit after all. Bromances existed, right? Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock from Star Trek, the hobbits from The Lord of the Rings, and House and Wilson from that fascinating American tv show. Ok, so they were fictional examples, but the premise had a good point. And, if John was truly honest with himself, whenever he thought about his future and growing older, Sherlock was always present in every single scenario that John's imagination could come up with.

John seriously considered this. He didn't want children. He had never thought he'd make a particularly good father, and if he had to choose between running around solving cases and children (there was no possible way the two could co-exist), he would choose Sherlock. Mycroft was right when he said that John missed the war. John needed that thrill in his life, and Sherlock provided that for him.

But it was still more than just a fulfillment of a need. John (mostly) enjoyed Sherlock's company. He was the first thought of John's in the morning ("Agh! What did he blow up this time?") and the last before John fell asleep ("Please don't set the flat on fire while I'm asleep."). John seriously feared for Sherlock's life at times, and the mere fleeting thought of something serious happening to his flat mate was enough for John's heart to tear in two.

By this point, John was standing at their front door on Baker Street. He let himself in and made his way upstairs to 221B. The door was wide open and he could hear someone flying about the living room muttering to himself. He had just reached the landing when a sudden "AHA!" rang through the otherwise quiet building.

"Sherlock, you'll wake Mrs. Hudson," John reproached as he entered their flat which now had papers and books strewn about the entire living area.

Sherlock seemed not to hear him as his fingers flew over the keys on his phone. He finished sending the text and carelessly tossed the phone onto the couch. "Sorry, John, did you say something?" He went on without waiting on a response, "Solved the case. A rather easy one once I saw the crime scene and double checked a fact here at the flat."

John shook his head affectionately. "Just keep it down Sherlock; you know how Mrs. Hudson dislikes being woken after her evening soother puts her to sleep."

Sherlock checked his watch. "You finished dinner with Lestrade and our esteemed landlady a good hour and a half ago. Where were you?"

"Yes, about that dinner. I thought it over and you were right. You never really wanted the dinner in the first place and I shouldn't have forced you into it. Sorry," John made the apology brief.

"Lovely, John." A quizzical look crossed his face. "Mycroft said I was . . . wrong . . . to walk out on you. I'll try to remember that. Where were you all this time?"

John raised an eyebrow at both Sherlock's attempt at an apology and his persistent inquiry. It wasn't like him to care one way or the other. "Popped down to grab a pint and ran into an old friend. Talked with her awhile."

Was that jealousy that passed by Sherlock's eyes? Annoyance? Or had John made the whole thing up?

"Girlfriend?" Sherlock asked casually.

Still slightly confused, John shook his head. "No. She's married. Just an old acquaintance who lived on my street growing up."

There! John could have sworn he saw the briefest hint of relief cross Sherlock's features. Or was he making it up to convince himself that Sherlock possibly felt the same way about John.

Heading off to the kitchen to make a cuppa, John smirked slightly to himself. He was going to try an experiment of his own for once. "There is something I've been meaning to talk to you about. Now that I've got a steady income at the surgery, I've been thinking about getting a smaller and cheaper flat closer to work. I thought I'd give you a heads up that I was considering it so that you could possibly start looking for a new flat mate."

John had turned around as he said this last bit to observe the reaction to his statement. He wasn't disappointed. Sherlock's eyebrows hit the ceiling and his chin dropped to the floor. For a minute, John had achieved the impossible. Sherlock Holmes was stunned into silence.

"Sherlock?"

Muttering for a minute, the detective struggled to find the right words. "Er, I didn't realize you were not . . . content living with me."

"Oh, it's not that. Money, you know," John shrugged it off.

John could have sworn that was panic in Sherlock's eyes. "John, if it's money, you know I don't mind paying more of the rent. Or for groceries. It doesn't matter."

Could he push Sherlock a little further? "Are you saying you don't want me to leave?"

Sherlock squirmed in his seat a little. "I suppose I never imagined you ever leaving. It seems a foreign concept to my mind and it isn't pleasant to consider."

John smiled. That was probably all he would ever get out of the sometimes infuriating man, but it was enough. "Alright. I suppose I'll stay." The smile on Sherlock's face in response to John was definitely sincere. John went back to making the two cups of tea, one for him, and one that would inevitably end up sitting on the coffee table only half gone and freezing cold.

A/N: I know some may say that Snape was OOC, and perhaps a little. I'd like to think that he got all of his yelling out of the way with Draco around and was calmed down by the time Hermione showed up.

The Sherlock/John interaction was really hard for me to write. I don't know if I've done it justice, but I'm thinking about writing a third epilogue type chapter where Hermione and John meet up again to close things up.