A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.

CHAPTER FOUR

Mycroft's arrival eased the tension considerable; he had a way of taking over, like some kind of sergeant major or head boy, which Watson thought made sense. Ignoring his job, he was the oldest in the room. After delivering his greetings to the family, passing judgment on Mary's rather spectacular tree and having a short conversation with his father, the eldest Holmes sibling dragging his younger brother off for a walk of the ground leaving John to the mercies of their step mother and Anna, who wanted to know everything about their life together.

"How did you meet?" Anna had asked John before he was even comfortably settled on the couch.

"Huh, Um, - A friend introduced us." John answered with all honesty.

"Really, was it a blind date?" Anna added intrigued.

"What, no."

"Huh. – And how long have you been together." Mary asked with a soft adoring smile. She clearly did care very much for Sherlock, as did Anna.

It was strange John thought that a man who had apparently no social graces and seemed to infuriate people within seconds of meeting them actually had a lot of people who cared a great deal for him. "About six months." John finally answered.

"Six months?" Jacob had repeated with surprise, obviously eavesdropping.

John hadn't acknowledged the man's presents but answered all the same. "Yes."

"And you're already living together?" Jacob inquired, still clearly surprised.

Now John acknowledged him, turning in his seat to fix the man with a hard stare. "Yes."

"That's rather quick isn't it?"

John shrugged. "I guess you could say we hit it off straight away." He turned back to the two women who were now staring at him like he was a hero out of some trashy romance.

John continued to answer their questions as honestly as he could, figuring the best way to avoid putting his foot in it was to stick to the facts, leaving out the small detail, like that he was actually just Sherlock flat-mate and that he was straight, who was dancing around a relationship with a lovely fellow doctor. He'd decided that if he was going to be trapped in this insane farce he was at least going to play the part… if only for Sherlock's sake.

When Sherlock and Mycroft finally returned from the walk they seemed a little more at easy and Sherlock especially seemed to have come to terms with the fact he was trapped there for the duration of the Christmas with his family and his ex.

~ SHERLOCK ~

The evening meal was unbearably awkward. John sat beside Sherlock with Jacob place directly opposite them. The conversation was cheerful and relaxed and John could almost imagine he belonged there, except for the fact he was playing Sherlock boyfriend while sat across from the man's ex, who clearly had designs on rekindling whatever it was they'd shared.

John hadn't failed to notice that Sherlock wasn't eating, which was nothing new to either of them and as usual it was down to John to practically force food into the man. He'd lost count of how many times he'd had to remind Sherlock that he needed food to survive. Sherlock of course always replied with 'eating is boring, it takes up time that can be better spent thinking' which would then lead to an argument which John inevitably won.

"Sherlock…" John murmured, leaning into the man. "…you need to eat something. I let you off dinner last night and breakfast this morning."

Sherlock narrowed his eyes at the plate. "I'm not hungry." He complained.

"Tough shit Sherlock, eat." He whispered forcefully.

Sherlock groaned loudly, rolled his eyes and begrudgingly lifted the fork to his mouth.

A giggle caught the pair's attention from across the table where Anna was watching them with a goofy grin on her face. John wanted to groan now, he could only imagine how this little act of concern had looked, the concerned boyfriend rather than the concerned doctor who'd already had to deal with the result of Sherlock Holmes's refusal to eat and had no real desire to relive that. Sherlock was a bastard when he was sick. People said doctors made the worst patients; well they'd never had to deal with Holmes.

"How are you finding Sherlock's obsession with his work?" Jacob suddenly inquired from across the table, loud enough to draw everyone's attention.

John swallowed his mouthful of food and straightened in his chair. "Pardon?"

"Sherlock's work, we all know it's his obsession. It's what stood between him and any long term relationship in the past."

"Actually, John works with me." Sherlock announced.

"Really?" Jacob frowned, his gaze flickering between the men, as if judging the truth in that statement.

"Yes. – John is rather indispensable." Sherlock smiled at his fake boyfriend with far too much easy for John's liking.

John turned scarlet again. At least Sherlock wasn't moving to hold his hand or something equally embarrassing.

"They are rather good at it." Mycroft put in with what sounded like pride, causing both men to turn with shock. "It seems our dear Sherlock had finally found someone who keeps him on the straight and narrow." Mycroft's gaze remained fixed to his plate.

John and Sherlock both shifted, playing the happy couple to please the family was one thing, faking it to get back at an ex they could handle, but being praised by Mycroft that was most definitely unsettling.

"They solved the case of that serial killer six months ago." Mycroft continued nonchalantly, continuing to eat as he praised the pair.

"I – I'm sure Sherlock would have solve the case without me." John countered with a blush. After all he hadn't really done very much, he was just a replacement for Sherlock's skull.

"Maybe but he'd most certainly be dead."

"Dead?" Mary gasped.

"Mycroft…" his father announced sternly. "…how many times must I say it, no business at the dinner table?"

"I was just informing the party that John saved Sherlock's life."

Silence fell on the table as Mycroft stared at the couple with a scheming grin.