Several days had passed since Mycroft's arrival from his free weekend of school. The spring rain was hitting hard in his window and he felt a strange cold breeze while remembering that day.

Sherlock saw his Father shaking hands with Mycroft when they arrived at the living room with John. He observed him quietly, trying to catch any sign of surprise on his brother but far away from that, his elder brother seemed to be delighted with the blonde kid. His mother introduced them, and they shook hands.

"I'm very pleased to meet you John. I'm Mycroft" John raised his head to see the teenager's face and smiled at him sincerely. The dark haired kid never saw any sign of surprise on Mycroft, so he knew it and apparently his parents did talk to him about this new boy before he came back home. And Sherlock knew they didn't talk to him to prevent him from John's presence. They did because he cared about Mycroft's opinion and not his.

"What do you think about Mother's 'new furniture'?"

Mycroft's smile disappeared from his face. He looked upstairs making himself sure his parents weren't there to listen Sherlock's words. His question sounded cold and his words's election were painfull. He couldn't believe what his brother's mind could think about the poor boy.

"Don't talk about him like that, Sherlock. He's our brother"

The kid shook his head. "He's not our brother. Mother choose him because his name is John and he was born the same day that John Holmes, our real brother died. And Father agreed with her just for his stupid campaign and to please her-"

Before Sherlock could continue with his speech, Mycroft grabbed him by his arm with more strenght than necessary and took him out of the house to the garden, not caring the worried look of the maids in their way out. He didn't want to talk to his brother and risk John or his parents to heard them so he guided his brother to the laboratory and closed the door behind him with a slam.

The dark haired boy looked angry, but Mycroft looked hurt. His eyes were sad and he realized it was the first moment he saw his brother like that.

"Sherlock, you don't understand how Mummy and Father suffered since John's death. We all waited for him so badly-"

His little brother far away from keep quiet and listen to him, cut his words.

"So now all of you are replacing him with this John?"

"She lost all her hope to have another child, until she got pregnant again. And it's not my place to tell you this, but if it is necesary to stop you saying those things about John-"

Sherlock was lost in his brother's words. He haven't stop to think just a moment how his parents felt when his brother died, before he could be ever alive in this world. He really loved his parents, and with Mycroft's words he opened his eyes.

"What is it, Mycroft?"

The teenager sighed and swallowed before answer. He knew he was going to touch his little brother with his words and he was confident that he was going to change Sherlock's mind about John. And making him understand that this boy wasn't a new furniture to his parents. John, was the brother he always missed and the son his parent's always loved.

"When Mummy got pregnant with you, there were more risks. You almost died in the deliver Sherlock, but you made it. She fought for you, and you made it"

Sherlock's mind was white. There wasn't any thoughts, or any experiment that could fill his mind. There was just emptyness. A large and limitless emptyness. His eyes met Mycroft's and he couldn't stop his brother's arms around his body. He wasn't crying, but he could feel his story was saved inside him for a long time. And it was the first time Mycroft said a word about it.

The first thing to came to his mind after his brother's hug was his mother. She was always smiling at him, and he understood why she always spoiled him, why she always pushed him into musical education and why she always loved to hear him playing the violin. He survived to a long fight in which she never gave up.

Sherlock understood why his parents liked so much John. Externally, he could be a good move to his father's and his political campaign, but he suffered too and he was very fond of him.

"Please Sherlock, don't tell this to Mummy. And don't talk about John like that. Can you do it? Can you promise me that?"

He promised not to talk like that about John, but he never promised to stop thinking that way.

Mr. and Mrs. Holmes were out of the country for a holiday when his father finished his political campaign, Mycroft was back again to school and it was John and him alone in the house. He never spoke more than a few words with him when it was necessary. Sherlock decided that it wasn't his place to avoid John. It was his house, so he could do whatever he wanted to do without caring about him.

And since it was summer, his mother decided to cancel his classes for a few weeks giving him a rest. Little Sherlock knew his parents were looking for a school for him and John. He didn't need to be stupid to know about that. He wasn't complaining, but the only thing he really wanted from all the matter, was being in a different school from John. He really didn't care going to Harrow, Eton or who knows what school his parents were looking at for them. If he was going to tolerate John at home, he didn't want to be with him at school.

So, his days started as usual waking up in differents hours of the day, having his morning shower and having breakfast alone in the sitting room and later, he used to work in his laboratory to the days on end. There were a few and countable moments when he saw John in the house. It was usually in the morning, when he saw the boy walking through the sitting room to the kitchen to have breakfast with the company of the service personnel, and when they had dinner every night. Clearly the boy was the favourite of the maids and he used to help them all the time, maybe because he was bored or because he never had anyone to do things for him. Sherlock deduced this with only watching him a few moments from his bedroom's window one morning, when the old maids were cleaning the garden and John were helping them. The boy was always smiling, working and using facial muscles Sherlock never worked and used before.

And after nine days of ignoring each other, John made the first move. It was a cloudy morning when Sherlock left his room with his Biology book in his hands when he saw John in the hallway almost reaching the stairs when the boy smiled at him.

"Good morning, Sherlock"

"Morning"

They went downstairs together, moving their legs over the stairs when John asked him if they ccould have breakfast together. John's voice sounded determined, but with certain fear hidden perfectly behind his tone. Sherlock knew that his indifference was noticed by the boy. So, when they arrived to the sitting room, Clara was already placing a plate with cookies, biscuits and two cups of tea for them. Apparently John had planned all with her help. How he knew he was going to say yes?.

"OK"

They sat in the sofa, Sherlock near the end of it, trying to keep a measurable distance from John, but he sat just beside him, and they were just a few inches apart. John took his mug and after a few minutes of eating cookies and drinking tea, he glanced at the book placed over the table.

"I have the same book. What are you reading?"

"I've read it all in my Biology lessons. I'm working on some experiments"

John nodded amazed, and hesitated before saying anything else. The dark haired boy knew he was trying to talk, but he was afraid. A slightly pink blush painted on John's face when he turned to him.

"Can I- Can I work with you on them? I- I don't have anything to do, and-"

"I'm going to dissect some frogs. Maybe you can help me, though"

The blonde boy smiled openly, happy of him accepting his help and company. John felt not only happy, he felt inside that maybe it was a perfect opportunity to work his relationship with Sherlock and maybe break that wall the curled boy built between them.

John was decided and determinated to work with Sherlock and do everything in his power to please him. The reason was not only because the days alone were dull and sad in that large house with the company of the maids and some cartoons on telly, he wasn't complaining. He knew there in the orphanage were kids wishing they could have his luck and be adopted and have families. But he knew they were brothers, maybe because they were sharing the same last name but he really wanted to have that relationship with him in the future and not depend anymore of the last name.

They both left the room, walking straight to the laboratory. John went there only once since he was living with the Holmes, but now the place looked totally different from that day. The counter and the table were full of textbooks, petri dishes, a big and complete chemistry kit, and a fishbowl with two frogs.

Sherlock handed him a white coat, wich was lengthy for him, maybe because it was Sherlock's and a pair of white gloves. The taller boy opened the book in a specific page and placed it between John and him. It had a large picture of the frog anatomy with all the body parts described below each part.

"Where did you get them?" Asked John, being curious about where did Sherlock got the frogs. Since he was living there he never heard about frogs in the garden, knowing perfectly how Mrs. Holmes cared about it and her flowers.

"In the garden. Mother keeps thinking her garden stills healthy because of those fluids and medicines she buys, but it's because I hunt them in the night" Answered Sherlock, never looking at him while talking.

He put a silver and big plate in the counter and opened carefully the fishbowl taking one frog with his gloved hands. Strangely, it was calm not moving so much, a thing John noted and frowned while looking at Sherlock.

"I gave it chloroform. So now we can cut it without thinking he could jump from the table"

John nodded looking how Sherlock was cutting the frog's torso, looking at the picture in the book making himself sure he was doing it right. After a few minutes, they had a dissected frog in front of them and all the body parts were perfectly cutted by Sherlock and his bistury. The blond boy looked how he made it and he wanted to do it too, but he didn't tell the other kid. Not even realizing yet that he was able to read people, Sherlock surprised him giving him the other frog.

"Your turn. I can see you already read the chapter of this experiment"

John hesitated for a moment, then he placed himself in front of the counter and took the bistury with his left hand. The frog was already under the power of the chloroform, so he didn't really have to worry about anything. He felt Sherlock's eyes on, following each movement he made. It took him longer than the other boy, but after several minutes, he had a dissected frog by him. Sherlock placed the plate next to his and looked at them carefully, studying every detail. The two looked similar, but he could observe that John's was perfectly cutted, even in the right part when he saw he was left handed. Clearly, and after the comment their shared the first day of his arrival, the boy was destinated to be a doctor.

"If you want to be a doctor, you're doing it well. The cuts are all clean"

John couldn't help but smile and Sherlock saw that. He didn't smile back but he thought that maybe sharing a few of his experiments wasn't going to hurt him.

"Excuse me, Sirs. What would you like for lunch?"

They worked together for hours, not realizing the time even when they started very early in the morning. Sherlock didn't reply, leaving John the food choice.

"Whatever you can do. Thank you"

"No Sir-"

"John, please. Really Clara, whatever you can do it's fine"

The young lady smiled at him and leave the laboratory in silence. Sherlock was looking for more petri dishes in large box when John sat opposite him looking at him, like studying his movements and gestures. He knew that John didn't have any possible deductive skills, the boy couldn't say too much about him. So, instead of let him think wrong, he gave him the opportunity to ask because it was quite clear John had a lot of questions.

"You have questions. First one?"

"Do you- I don't like you, do I?

It was a fair question. A very good question to be asked to Sherlock.

'My parents never asked me or told me about you before you came, and I think you're replacing my dead brother' Crossed his mind, but instead of that, he decided to say what he really felt in that moment.

"I think you really made a great job with the frog, and you were usefull with my experiments. You can be my laboratory partner, if you want"

"Can I?"

"Sure. I think better when I talk out loud, and my parents don't want to get me a skull"

"A skull?"

"I've been asking one for three years now."

After washing their hands, Sherlock was ready to sit in the dinner room but John insisted in having their lunch in the kitchen, since the dinner table was too large for them, and to save the maids the cleaning job. He just nodded in disagreement. The kitchen table was smaller, and the air was warmer. John sat beside Clara and Sherlock in front of them. Since the chef was ill or something like that, Sherlock couldn't remember, Clara was in charge of the meals. She prepared for them tuna with a fresh salad and orange juice, a perfect meal for the heat day.

"It's delicious Clara. Thanks"

She smiled at him, and then to Sherlock. He didn't say anything, but he had to admit that he liked her. She was always caring for him, making tea just like he liked and keeping in secret his night escapades in the garden from his parents. The young maid was very fond of him, not caring too much about his manners.

They ate and talked about the experiments that they conclude and some of the future ones when Sherlock realized for the first time that he was enjoying John's company. He was clever, and patient. He wasn't that boy he used to think before. The blonde boy felt he was destroying that wall that used to be between them and every brick of that wall was easily falling with every minute they shared together.

An old maid appeared in the kitchen, surprised to see Sherlock sitting with John and the other maids and sharing lunch, when she told the kids the news. Apparently, their parents announced they were arriving late in the afternoon giving instructions to Clara, who was in charge of the children to get them ready for their arrival.

"Do you think we can show them our frogs?"

Sherlock rolled his eyes at the comment. He knew his mother will just faint if she just take a quick glance to their work. But beside that, he could see John's eyes shinning with joy. The few days he shared with his mother before she and his Father left for their holidays, they had been close. His mother really wanted the boy to feel like he was in his home, and that they really loved him.

"Why don't you go and fix the red roses in the garden before Mrs. Holmes arrives? She'll love it"

John looked at Sherlock, waiting for an answer. He looked excited to do something with him. The dark haired boy knew that the wall wich was built between them had lost a few bricks. And behind those new empty spaces, John was peeping himself. So, he nodded and after lunch and with the help of the young maid who suggested the idea, they fixed the roses of the garden, cutting the old and deflowered ones and their spines. They shared the scissors, and carefully using gloves for their task, their ended near the time of their parents arrival, with a lovely and neat bouquet of roses to give Elizabeth.

They placed the roses, in a white old french vase in the tiny table of the living room ready for her arrival. Both kids were really tired, and when they looked at each other, John exploded in a laugh. After hours in the laboratory experimenting and in the garden fixing Mrs. Holmes's flowers they were all covered in mud and their clothes had stains from different compounds from the experimenting.

Close enough to the time of the arrival, they had a shower and they changed their clothes before went downstairs again to drink some tea and wait for them.

Sherlock remembered the things Mycroft said several days ago. And when he glanced at John, who was watching telly and eating cookies beside him, he knew that the words he used to use to catalogue him were now only ghost words. Those words didn't have any meaning now, John wasn't a new piece of furniture, he wasn't just a gift from his Father to please her. John-

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his mother's footsteps in the room. She threw her expensive and posh purse on the floor and hugged them together.

"I've missed so much my sons"

She buried her face between them, and anyone now could only see two faces coming from her shoulders. Behind her was Mr. Holmes, smiling at the scene in front of him.

"How are you, Sherlock? Did you miss me?"

The taller boy nodded and kissed her cheek. "I certainly missed you, Mother" Mrs. Holmes smiled at him and then she turned around to greet John.

"I hope you and Sherlock became very good friends"

John nodded and kissed her just like Sherlock did before. She sat between them while Richard sat beside John. The children could see how the maids carried their luggage and a few shop bags upstairs. But Mr. Holmes had two bags in his hands with big and red bows. He handled one to Sherlock and the other to the other kid. Elizabeth moved to have seat with her husband and to let the children open their presents together.

The first one was Sherlock, who found a black box inside the bag. It was a slim and lightweight magnifier that can be easily open and closed with a slowly snap. He smiled at himself proud of his mother. Obviously it was a present coming from her, and she knew perfectly what he was needing it. Now he wasn't going to carry that old and heavy one from his laboratory. He thanked her politely and glanced at John who was looking at it very excited.

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

Sherlock nodded and gestured him to open his present. The bag had two items inside. One was a rectangular box with something slightly heavy in it and the other object was a package of the size of a book. The first thing he opened was the box, wich contained a coffee mug with the insignia of the Royal Army Medical Corps. He seemed to like it, since it had the medical insignia grabbed on it.

"It's from the Royal Army Medical Corps. We wanted to buy you one, since all we had a special coffe mug for ourselves, and I know you want to be a doctor in the future. Do you like it?"

He nodded smiling at them. "It's lovely. Thank you"

Then, he opened the other present. He opened it carefully, trying not to break the paper and smiled openly and happily when he saw what it was. It was a Biology book, the same edition Sherlock had, the latest one.

"Now we can work together, John"