SHERLOCK POV

Of course John would want to keep away from him. Sherlock isn't people material and now he is broken. He is a bad influence. It's probably better this way. Sherlock can concentrate on his work and John can…recover and be a good father.

Weeks go by and Sherlock realizes that taking John off his mind might be harder than he expected. He thought that putting himself back to work would do the trick, but neither work nor drugs could fully take him away from the dark feelings lurking inside him. He thinks back to the days when John lived at Baker Street and what he did. He went on a lot of dates. Maybe he can try that.

It doesn't take long before he finds a woman willing to go on a date with him. It's a very boring date but he suffers through hoping that it gets better. He never goes on a date with her again. His next, as Mycroft puts it 'conquest', is a policeman. Greg isn't particularly happy about Sherlock dating someone from his team and eventually neither is Sherlock. The man is equally as boring as the previous woman. And so the cycle continues. He goes on dates with boring people, sometimes they stay the night, sometimes they don't, but nothing lasts. His mind is still filled with John.

JOHN POV

Rosie is growing so quickly. Well, it's only been a few weeks since her birth but she is growing. Mrs. Hudson helps him out sometimes on the condition that she doesn't talk about Sherlock. She manages, barely, to keep her word. She can be sly by speaking in hypotheticals and not using names. Molly and Greg also help out where they can. He is consumed by Rosie and by work until one day when he is walking past one of the pubs he used to frequent back in his days at Baker Street. What he sees makes him stop completely.

There, by a bar stool stands Sherlock with one of his fancy, tight suits. He's talking to a beautiful woman. She smiles. Sherlock smiles. And his smile seems genuine. John knows he should probably just keep walking but then Sherlock's hand gently caresses the woman's lower back. John's stomach and chest tighten, and he forces himself to keep walking. He looks back to his time with Sherlock and he doesn't remember Sherlock dating. Maybe he had and John didn't notice. But John was sure he would antagonize every human being he came into contact with. Sherlock is dating. No, this is good. This means that John doesn't have to feel guilty for leaving Sherlock alone in the flat with his toys. This means Sherlock will find someone whom he cares about. This means he will avoid drugs. This means…this means Sherlock can replace John. This is good. This is a good thing. But no matter how many times John says that to himself he can't believe it and his chest tightens even more.

John keeps throwing himself into his work and into being a father but somehow Sherlock seems to be everywhere. But there's always someone at his side, be it a beautiful woman or a handsome man, there's always someone there. Sherlock is flirting and appears to be happy. John knows he should be happy about this but he can't quite bring himself to be.

John didn't think he'd ever be making a trip back to Baker Street but Mycroft isn't one to be ignored. According to Mycroft, Sherlock is grieving. John tried to explain to him that Sherlock was finally becoming human by having a relationship but Mycroft would have none of it. So there he is, yet again, standing in front of those cursed doors with the 221B barely holding on. He isn't quite sure what Mycroft expects of him.

John doesn't bother knocking and slowly enters but perhaps he should have reconsidered. There in front of him stands a Sherlock with only his undergarments on and a coffee in hand, as well as a man and woman equally undressed. John turns around facing the entryway.

"John?" Sherlock asks. John nods unsure if he can speak. He can't quite get the nearly-nude image of Sherlock out of his head.

Clearing his throat, John begins. "It appears you are fine so I will be on my way."

"Hold on. Why did you come?" Sherlock asks.

"I am having a hard time talking to a naked man." John says.

"Why?" Sherlock replies and John can practically feel the frown. At John's lack of a response Sherlock covers himself up, barely, with his bathrobe.

John turns to look at his friend. Despite the bathrobe, a lot of skin is showing and with this new image in John's head he can't quite look at Sherlock normally. Desperate to hide his blushing face he starts pacing.

"Your brother sent me here to check up on you. Why can't he get his goons to do his work?" John mutters angrily. He knows he's overreacting but he needs to vent out his frustration on someone, even if he isn't frustrated by Mycroft. He ignores the what is actually making him frustrated. He always has.

"Probably because I wouldn't let just any goon in." Sherlock replies. John looks pointedly at the man and woman there. Sherlock looks at them.

"Oh please, they are most definitely not Mycroft's. Besides, I think Mycroft just enjoys manipulating people, so he sent you." Sherlock says with a smile and drops casually onto the couch.

"A trait that runs in the family apparently." John mutters and immediately regrets it when he sees Sherlock's face.

"Well I guess I should go then. You're obviously fine." John says and hurries out of there.

He hails a cab and doesn't look back. He'd rather be in the middle of a fist fight with some bad guys than in this situation. Whatever this situation is. And that's really the problem. He has no idea what this situation is! He is mad at Sherlock because of the fact that he is using drugs, yes, but it's more than that. Seeing him there with those two strangers, it didn't sit well with John. He knows it's selfish but he had always thought he was the only one who could get through to Sherlock, except maybe that wretched Irene Adler. He shudders at the memory of Sherlock being entranced by her…charm.