Author's Note: Hello and welcome to a very unique chapter! This is a chapter of scraps, ideas, thoughts, drabbles, questions, answers, and other random things that couldn't fit anywhere else in the story but are still very important.
Hush little Sherlock, don't you cry. Mummy cannot open her eyes. Father's got a lot of work to do. But Mycroft will be there for you. You'll meet a funny man with a bowtie. He'll take you in a box that can fly. Yes, Mycroft's going to come along. He'll keep you safe; he will be strong. Hush little Sherlock, please don't cry. Mycroft will protect you until the end of time.
Fun fact! I wrote that little poem before I even knew the title of this story. I literally could not think of a title. It was killing me. I messaged my friends on Facebook…It was fun. Anyway, I wrote the little poem and got the idea…Until The End of Time.
Question: Are you going to show anything about Sherlock making their mother upset?
Answer: Nope. I know that Mycroft mentions it in the series but I'm choosing to overlook it. I wanted them to have a great relationship with their mother and a…not-so-great relationship with their father. And that's never mentioned in the series. Mr. and Mrs. Holmes are basically my own headcanons.
() () ()
"I'll be right back," the Doctor quietly said, "Don't wander off."
"Right," Mycroft anxiously replied.
The Doctor raced away.
Mycroft and Sherlock glanced at one another. Sherlock started forward but Mycroft sharply shook his head. The two awkwardly waited.
After several minutes, the Doctor ran back and confusedly asked, "You're still here?"
"Of course," Mycroft asked, "You told us to not wander off!"
The Doctor gave a start and slowly said, "Oh…well…you two are the first to do that…"
"Sorry," Mycroft remarked, puzzled.
"No, no," the Doctor assured him, "It's fine. It's just…following the rules! We're going to have to fix that!"
() () ()
"Hey Doctor," Sherlock suddenly spoke up, "What's your real name?"
The Doctor paused and a cloud of darkness crossed his face, "I'm sorry, Sherlock. I can never reveal my name. It's the question that has transcended through time and space. It's the first question. The oldest question in the universe. And silence will fall when the question is asked. I can never answer it. I'm sorry."
Sherlock blinked before saying, "Oh. Okay."
Question: Where did you first get the idea for this story?
Answer: Peter Pan, believe it or not! A few months ago, I was wrestling with a few ideas for a Wholock story. The trouble was that they had all been done before and I didn't want to copy anyone's idea. Eventually, I realized that I wanted to do a story where Sherlock and Mycroft were children and they become the Doctor's companions. I turned on the TV and Peter Pan was on. Most of my inspiration actually did come from that: a boy (or in this case, a 1200 year old Time Lord) who randomly shows up and takes children from a rigid household to a new world of adventure and fun. I'm also majoring in Early Childhood/Special Education so I spent last semester doing an internship with a class. One boy had Asperger's Syndrome. We can sit here for hours and debate the whole Sherlock-Asperger's thing (personally, I believe that he is right beneath the line but not actually on it) but the point is that the little boy actually became my model for young-Sherlock. He was very focused on a few particular subjects, had a hard time fitting in with the rest of the class, didn't understand sarcasm, had a hard time grasping any real human emotion, had once been called a psychopath by a bully, etc. I once had to accompany him to the principal's office after he got into a fight during recess. He glanced around the office before becoming transfixed by this poster on the wall. The poster said BE UNIQUE and it had a bunch of smiling red flowers and one smiling yellow flower. When I asked what he was thinking about, he quietly said, "Flowers don't smile." Indeed, he seemed pretty upset about the fact that an educator's office would have such a ridiculous poster when flowers, logically, do not smile. I want to be clear: I didn't write Sherlock as having Asperger's but I did slip in a few attributes and qualities. And much like Sherlock, this boy was definitely brilliant.
Question: Do you listen to any songs when you're writing this? Are there any songs that you think fit the characters?
Answer: When I was writing the chapter where Mrs. Holmes passes away, I thought that I would torture myself even more by listening to the Epilogue from Les Misérables. It helped set the mood. I listened to Chances by Athlete (not just in the Anne Frank chapter but throughout the entire fanfiction just because that song makes me think of Wholock and it's a good song). I listen to the 'I Am The Doctor' theme whenever something particularly dramatic happens. When I was writing the chapter where Sherlock and Mycroft wanted to figure out just what was so important about them, the song 'Don't You Worry Child' came on and I actually wrote a modified version:
There was a time
I used to look into the Doctor's eyes
The Tardis was my home
Bowties were cool
We yelled, "Geronimo."
Those days are gone
Now I have to take the fall
Still I hear the song
Of the blue box where I belong
Up in the stars inside that blue box
That's where I woke up at 2:00
I still remember how he talked
The Doctor said, "Don't you worry, don't you worry, child.
See time has got a plan for you.
Don't you worry, don't you worry, now."
Etc. etc.
When thinking about Mycroft, I think about the song 'Simple Man' originally by Lynard Skynard though I have the Shinedown cover. I think that it's a very fitting song. I mean, we know that there was a point in Mycroft's life (at least in this fanfiction) where Mrs. Holmes sits him down and he promises that he will take care of Sherlock. And I can honestly see Mrs. Holmes telling Mycroft some of the things in the song. And the Doctor, as well. Maybe he doesn't come right out and say it, but one of the main themes in this story is that the Doctor wants Mycroft and Sherlock to be happy. To know that there are people who care about them. To know that they are brilliant, regardless of what the rest of the world thinks. And the line, "And don't forget that there is someone up above" can be a direct reference to the Doctor looking out for them!
I also found this great song by the Cinematic Orchestra called 'To Build A Home'. The chorus itself reminds me of that 'family-type' aspect that the Doctor, Mycroft, Sherlock, River, and Jack have built. And I'll listen to a few Beatles songs just because.
Question: How many chapters is this story going to have?
Answer: I have absolutely no idea! This story is actually a lot longer than I had originally intended! (Not that I'm complaining!) It's double the amount of chapters that my stories usually have. The boys were originally supposed to stay with the Doctor for three months. That turned into four and now we're up to five. I'm putting a limit on six months though. We're actually nearing the end of the story. Put it this way: This is the thirtieth chapter and there won't be a fortieth. All stories must end sometime (even if our beloved Time Lord disagrees!)
And the best part is: I did cut out many parts. This was originally supposed to be a chapter after they visited the Roman Colosseum.
"Sherlock Holmes, put your trousers on!"
"No," Sherlock cried, "I like the toga."
"Yes," Mycroft sighed, "That's all well and good but you've been wearing it for two days! You even wore it when we were helping George Washington cross the Delaware. Now put your trousers on!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Sherlock."
"Mycr—"
"Oh, stop it."
"You knew that it was coming."
The Doctor chuckled as the two brothers argued back and forth.
Quite suddenly, Jack appeared in the console room.
"Hey," Sherlock cried, "Not fair! Jack doesn't get to wear trousers."
Jack was down to his briefs.
"Jack's…Jack," Mycroft explained, "Jack Harkness, put your trousers on!"
"What for?" Jack asked with a smirk.
Sherlock chuckled.
"Don't encourage him," Mycroft muttered.
Yet another series reference. That's another reason why I decided to take it out. I don't want to make it seem like every single action/quote that Sherlock and Mycroft say in the series resulted from what they heard/did in the Tardis. Parallels and nods to the series are great. However, even I knew that too many will lead to the famous Monty Python and the Holy Grail quote, "GET ON WITH IT!" Then again, who better to teach Sherlock about the art of not wearing pants than the man who needs a belt and suspenders to hold his own pants up? AKA: Captain Jack Harkness.
Anyway, I did have an actual reason for Jack being down to his briefs. I won't copy and paste the whole conversation but basically the Doctor met Jack for a drink the night before (the Doctor drank milk) and basically acted as Jack's…I don't even know what you would call it…reverse-wingman? To make sure that Jack doesn't flirt with every single person in the bar. So Jack reveals that the Doctor dared him to go with a woman who had twenty-eight cats at home. This actually leads to this little bit:
The Doctor laughed and Jack glowered.
"Well," Sherlock slowly said, "Was she friendly?"
"Oh yeah," Jack laughed, "She was very friendly."
"JACK!" Mycroft and the Doctor both shouted.
"Sorry, sorry," Jack laughed, "Couldn't resist."
"Can you please put on some trousers?" Mycroft asked.
"Sure," Jack chuckled.
The Doctor pulled a spare pair of trousers out of his pocket.
"You keep an extra set of Jack's trousers in your pockets?" Mycroft asked.
"Yeah…" the Doctor slowly admitted, "I have a set, River has a set, and the wardrobe in the spare room is piled high with extras. You never know when he might need them."
"More often than you think," Jack agreed.
It's a shame how many Jack Harkness innuendos I had to cut out in this story. They are always so tempting. Jack says something inappropriate, the Doctor gets embarrassed/flustered, Mycroft is exasperated, Sherlock is confused and tries to understand what Jack was talking about which leads to more embarrassment and frustration. Here's one conversation that I cut out of Chapter 22, before the Doctor picks River up from their date.
"Soooo," Jack teasingly said, "A date night. You and River going to do some dancing?"
He jokingly swung his hips back and forth.
"Blimey," Mycroft muttered, "I did not need to hear that!"
The eldest Holmes brother had been slightly confused before immensely embarrassed when he had first read about 'dancing' in the Doctor's journals.
The Doctor suddenly became preoccupied with a button on the console. Jack smirked at his embarrassment, looking triumphant.
Sherlock looked confused and asked, "What's wrong? The Doctor dances all the time!"
Mycroft groaned and buried his face in his hands. The Doctor, if possible, grew redder and Jack threw his head back, cracking up.
Sherlock frowned and continued, "What? He does! He dances in the console room—"
"Sherlock, stop talking," Mycroft muttered as the Doctor repeatedly banged his head against the console and Jack clutched his side from laughing.
Sherlock was growing frustrated from not understanding. He exasperatedly glanced around and snapped, "He and Jack danced the other day—"
This was too much for Jack, who collapsed onto all fours, howling with laughter.
"Jack wanted to!"
"Sherlock…please…stop…talking!" Mycroft pleaded.
"The YMCA song was on!" Sherlock cried before roaring, "What?"
The Doctor was as red as his bowtie as he replied, "Nothing, Sherlock. Nothing…"
"You still didn't answer my question," Jack gasped from the floor.
"I plead the fifth," the Doctor shortly said, "Mycroft, breathe…"
"Sorry, Doctor," Mycroft muttered.
You know what? The more I think about it, I would love to see Jack and the Doctor go to a nightclub together. With River and the boys. Hey, this is an anything-goes chapter, right?
Mycroft wearily glanced around the nightclub. A few people were at the bar, happily sipping away. A greasy bartender went towards the tap. River smirked and clicked her Sonic, causing the tap to malfunction and spray beer everywhere.
Sherlock and Mycroft cracked up.
"Alright," Mycroft exclaimed, "Is there any particular reason that we had to come to the sleaziest nightclub in London?"
"Because the Doctor and Jack were kicked out of everywhere else," River promptly replied, "Besides, it's karaoke night."
"Where are the Doctor and Jack?" Sherlock suddenly asked, looking around.
"Didn't you hear me, Sherlock?" River said with a wry smile, "It's karaoke night."
A piano began to play as the Doctor and Jack walked onto the stage, wearing disco-like costumes; sequins and all.
"Oh boy," Mycroft said.
The Doctor raised his microphone and began to sing in a high-pitched voice:
At first, I was afraid, I was petrified
Kept thinking, I could never live without you by my side
But then I spent so many nights thinking, how you did me wrong
And I grew strong, and I learned how to get along
Mycroft and Sherlock glanced at each other, thoroughly skeptical but not really surprised.
Jack grinned and sang:
And so you're back from outer space
I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed that stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me
"What is going on?" Mycroft whispered. The Doctor took over the next part:
Go on now, go, walk out the door, just turn around now
'Cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one, who tried to hurt me with goodbye?
Did you think I'd crumble? Did you think I'd lay down and die?
Jack belted out the chorus:
Oh, no, not I, I will survive
"Fitting," Sherlock admitted, slightly impressed. Mycroft nodded, resigned and now accepting that he was watching the Doctor and Jack sing in a bar in London.
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give
And I'll survive, I will survive, hey, hey
"Tell me again how the Doctor is your husband?" Mycroft teasingly asked River.
She threw her head back and laughed before exclaiming, "Honestly, what's the universe coming to when a Time Lord can't sing karaoke with a pansexual immortal man while wearing sequins, without his sexuality being questioned?"
Yeah…well anyway, there are still a few more drabbles left! I wanted a few more Doctor-Mycroft-father-son-type-moments. Here's one that was supposed to be a day or two after Sherlock's birthday. AKA: the shaving lesson.
Sherlock chuckled and flipped out the magnifier. He glanced at random things before suddenly snickering, "Mycroft has a moustache."
"What?" Mycroft skeptically cried.
"Let me see that," River chuckled, glancing through the magnifier, "Yep. You sure do."
"I do not!"
The Doctor grinned and pulled down a mirror. He spread his fingers so that the mirror zoomed in and showed it to Mycroft. Mycroft could just make out the beginnings of stubble.
"Not bad," Jack teased, "Not bad at all."
Mycroft rolled his eyes and said, "It's a bit of stubble. Not to mention the fact that it has to be viewed through 50x magnification."
He glanced back in the mirror and saw that his ears were quite red.
"How do you shave?" Mycroft wondered aloud.
"I don't think that it's shave-able," Jack pointed out with a laugh.
"No," Mycroft agreed, "But there may come a time when this is actually visible to the human eye. What happens then?"
He glanced around and River snorted, "Don't look at me."
"A shaving lesson," the Doctor suddenly exclaimed, looking both touched and delighted at the prospect. He rummaged around in his pockets before pulling out an ordinary razor.
"Right," he boomed, "First…you take one of these."
He then crossed to the door, opened it, and promptly threw the razor outside, "Then you toss it away because those are very dangerous and time-consuming."
He whirled back around and cheerfully cried, "Next, you pull out this!"
He pulled several objects out of his pocket, handing them to Sherlock. He finally pulled out an object that looked somewhat similar to the Sonic Screwdriver.
"What is it?" Mycroft wearily asked.
"Sonic Razor," the Doctor excitedly boomed, "My own invention!"
Mycroft glanced over at Jack who shrugged and said, "It's what I use."
"Right," Mycroft slowly said, "Well, between the choices of one of your inventions or a razor, I think that I would choose the sharp blade."
"Fair enough," the Doctor said with a grin.
And here's one that's set right around the point of the story that we are currently at: around five months into their adventures.
"Mycroft—"
"Don't yell at me!"
"I'm not yelling," the Doctor calmly said, "Not at all. You're the one who's yelling; quite loudly, if I might add. Now…"
"You don't have to say it," Mycroft growled.
The Doctor continued in his soothing tone, "I just want your input. Where do you think that you went wrong?"
"I don't know," Mycroft angrily huffed, "I'm pretty sure that the car isn't supposed to be upside-down!"
"That's a good observation," the Doctor gently agreed, "And you're right. In my experience, cars usually are not supposed to be upside-down."
Mycroft shot him a quick glare and the Doctor gently continued, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine, Doctor!"
"No injuries?"
"I'm fine!" Mycroft snapped before softening and asking, "Are you okay?"
"Well, to be perfectly honest," the Time Lord said, "The blood seems to be rushing to my head. Might we make our way outside?"
Mycroft agreed and the two unbuckled their seatbelts, pushing their way out of the flipped car. Mycroft wasn't quite sure how he had managed to flip the car. One moment, the Doctor was showing him the buttons to the seat warmer. The next, they were swerving and then they were tipping and the Doctor was shouting something about crumpets. Mycroft had been dazed for a moment, but otherwise unhurt.
"All right?" Sherlock anxiously asked, running up the dirt road.
"Fine, fine," the Doctor cheerfully said, "Had a bit of a glitch."
"A bit," Sherlock said, staring at the overturned vehicle.
"Doctor?" Mycroft casually asked.
"Yes, Mycroft?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course!"
"Do you know how to drive?"
"Not at all," the Doctor replied, "I told you to put the key in the key-thingy, to move the stick-thingy to the stick-thingy position, turn the wheely-wheely thingy, honk the horn, and push one of the pedals. The fact that you even stayed in a vehicle with me is both impressive and slightly concerning."
"You're a twelve-hundred year old Time Lord!" Mycroft cried, "I thought that if anyone knew how to operate a simple car."
"At least I've never overturned one," the Doctor replied, "Well, that's not true…there was that one time that Jack and I stole a moon buggy and…well, you don't need to know about that. Anyway, I have the Tardis. I don't need to drive!"
He gestured to the blue police box that was sitting nearby. As if on cue, they heard a phone begin to ring. The Doctor pulled the door open and clicked the Sonic to put it on speakerphone.
"Doctor," Jack cheerfully said, "Hey!"
"Hi, Jack," the Doctor replied, confused, "What's up?"
"You wouldn't happen to know where my car is, would you?"
"Your car…" the Doctor repeated, glancing at the overturned vehicle.
"Yeah, the one that was in my driveway."
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
I was originally going to have a chapter after Mrs. Holmes' death where the Doctor was going to take the boys to a safari, only to find that many of the larger animals are dying. It really hits the brothers: Sherlock because of the way that the Doctor acts and Mycroft because he had to just watch his mother die. I thought that it was a bit too mushy/depressing. One thing led to another and it eventually turned into the chapter before Mrs. Holmes' death where they fight off the poachers. But here was part of the original where Sherlock, Mycroft, the Doctor, and a veterinarian are all crowded around a dying elephant.
"We should give her some privacy," the veterinarian softly said, "Just…just in case…"
"In case…?" Sherlock asked.
The Doctor hesitated before brightly saying, "In case…in case she ends up making a full recovery. We don't want to miss that."
"Doctor," Mycroft quietly said.
Sherlock reeled back, looking both shocked and hurt.
"We'll go inside and wait," the Doctor cheerfully said, "Wait for her to get better."
"Doctor, stop it!" Mycroft angrily said.
The Doctor paused, startled by Mycroft's tone. He was even more surprised as Sherlock gave him a piercing look and heatedly asked, "Which one is it, Doctor?"
The Doctor was thrown off by the question and stammered, "Wh…what?"
"Are we supposed to be brilliant?" Sherlock clarified, "Or are we supposed to be naïve?"
"What…?"
"Doctor," Mycroft pressed, "We've been through this before."
When he saw that the Doctor didn't look any less confused, he continued, "This! We've been through this. We know what it's like to watch somebody be sick. We know what could happen. Sherlock was just trying to get somebody to admit it."
The Doctor sighed as he realized his mistake. He hesitated before gently saying "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, boys. And for the record…brilliant. You're supposed to be brilliant; you two are brilliant."
Sherlock and Mycroft grinned at that.
Let's skip forward to another small scene later that night.
Mycroft slipped on a raincoat and walked outside. He slipped over the gate and walked over to Tembo. Sherlock named the elephant. It means elephant in Swahili. Yeah…
"Come on," Mycroft whispered, "Come on! You can do this."
Her breathing was shallow and ragged. She glanced at him with a beady eye. He gently placed a hand on her side.
"Come on!" Mycroft repeated, "Get up! You have to get up."
In a desperate and naïve moment, he leaned against the elephant, as if hoping that he could push the large animal to her feet.
"You're going to be alright, Tembo. You just need to stand up."
She merely blinked at him. Mycroft leaned against her with all of his weight. He didn't care that he was getting soaked.
"Please, Tembo…"
In fact, Mycroft only came away from the elephant when somebody gently but firmly pulled him away. Mycroft blindly turned into the Doctor's coat—because who else could it be?
The Doctor hugged him and gently asked, "Are you okay?"
"Fine," Mycroft muttered, breaking away, "It's a hobby of mine: having one-sided arguments with elephants, in the dead of night, while getting completely soaked by rain."
"Personally," the Doctor lightly admitted, "I would prefer chess. To each their own."
Mycroft didn't laugh. His cheeks flamed with embarrassment as he asked, "Blimey, what's wrong with me?"
"Nothing," the Doctor said, shocked by the thought, "It's perfectly normal to…"
"To think that I can save an elephant?" Mycroft challenged, "To be devastated by the prospect that I can't save it? That's not normal, Doctor. That's borderline-psychotic."
"That depends on what your definition of normal is," the Doctor quietly said, putting both hands on Mycroft's shoulders, "Frankly, the fact that you don't want to watch someone else suffer from an illness and die seems perfectly normal to me."
Mycroft contemplated this, wrenching rain from his shirt before mumbling, "Where did you even come from?"
The Doctor looked confused by the question and slowly said, "Well, I originally came from Gallifrey…"
"No," Mycroft quickly said, "I mean…how do you always know where we are and what we're doing and when we need help? It seems like…no matter where we go or what we do, you're always there. How is it that you are always there when we need you?"
He meant it as a compliment and the Doctor took it as one before joking, "Would you rather that I not be there?"
"No," Mycroft laughed, "It's just…always impressive."
"Parental instinct," the Doctor grinned.
In reality, he had gone to check on the boys when he realized that Mycroft wasn't in his bed. He had raced into the main room, tripped over a table, crashed into a cage of reptiles, tripped over his own feet, and nearly slipped on the rain-soaked porch before finally spotting the eldest Holmes brother. He had then calmly slowed to a walking position and had smoothly gone over, pulling the boy away from the elephant.
Speaking of random/emotional moments that I cut out, I also had two different scenarios where Mycroft ended up bumping into Wilf/Donna. In both scenarios, Sherlock ended up overloading the food-box on the console.
In Donna's scenario, Mycroft and Sherlock are at the store, buying groceries:
Mycroft hastily went around the corner, aiming to get the milk.
In doing so, he accidentally bumped into a woman.
"Oh, sorry," Mycroft quickly said, "I was just…"
The rest of his sentenced faded into a harsh gasp as he stared at the woman.
He immediately recognized her from the Doctor's journals.
No. It couldn't be her. All of the women in London and he had to run into her…
"What are you on about?" Donna Noble snapped, "Hello? Are you alright?"
"I…I…I…" Mycroft stammered.
"Well go on, then," Donna cried, "If you're that anxious to get to the milk!"
"I'm sorry," Mycroft mumbled, "I'm…I'm so sorry."
Donna softened and remarked, "It's alright, really. Go on."
"Mycroft?" Sherlock called, impatiently coming up the aisle, "Come on! We need to get back to the—"
Mycroft leapt forward and clamped his hand over his brother's mouth. Sherlock pulled away, looking both surprised and angry as he cried, "What are you doing?"
"What are you doing?" Donna suspiciously asked, "Who are you?"
"Come on," Mycroft muttered, grabbing Sherlock's hand, "We need to go. Now!"
"What?" Sherlock cried.
"Shut up," Mycroft hissed, "Come on!"
"But we haven't even paid!" Sherlock frantically pointed out.
"Drop it," Mycroft gasped, "Drop everything!"
"What?"
"Drop everything!"
Sherlock obeyed, amazing by his brother's tone. The two burst outside and raced up the alleyway where the Tardis was waiting.
Mycroft flung the door open and they quickly entered.
"That was quick," the Doctor happily exclaimed before asking, "What's wrong?"
"Mycroft's gone round the bend!" Sherlock wildly cried.
"We need to get out of here!" Mycroft wheezed, "Go! GO!"
"Okay," the Doctor frantically cried, hitting a button, "Mycroft, what's wrong?"
Mycroft's adrenaline crashed and he sank to the floor. The Doctor knelt down and put his hands on the shaking boy's shoulders, repeating, "What's wrong?"
Mycroft didn't answer, not wanting to upset him.
The Doctor turned to Sherlock who shrugged and said, "Don't look at me. I don't know what happened. He was talking to somebody and then he was stammering and then he grabbed my hand and told me to drop everything and now we're here!"
"It's nothing," Mycroft shakily said, "I just…I…"
He broke off.
"Mycroft, you look as though you've seen a ghost," the Doctor pointed out, "Who were you talking to?"
Mycroft looked away.
"Talk to me, Mycroft," the Doctor quietly said, "Who did you see?"
Mycroft sighed and whispered, "Donna."
The Doctor closed his eyes and softly said, "Oh…Mycroft…"
"I'm sorry," Mycroft mumbled, slightly embarrassed, "I just…I didn't know what to do."
"It's okay," the Doctor gently said, "You did the right thing."
"Freaking out was the right thing?" Mycroft miserably asked.
The Doctor understandingly smiled and said, "The first time that I saw her after…you know…I dove out the window and hid in a nearby dumpster. River had to come get me."
Mycroft weakly chuckled and mumbled, "She was…amazing."
"Yes," the Doctor agreed, "She was. She still is. And so are you. And so is Sherlock."
They didn't mention Donna for the rest of the night. Instead, the Doctor used his Sonic to make a humungous bowl of popcorn. The three then snuggled beneath a large blanket, watching an old movie. It was black and white and grainy but they didn't care. At one point, a large monster burst out of the mailbox and Sherlock flinched, leaning against the Doctor. The Doctor gently chuckled until a larger monster appeared. The two leapt back before quickly leaning against Mycroft. The oldest Holmes brother laughed, buckling beneath their weight. The three fell on the ground, laughing still tangled in the blanket. Sherlock elbowed the large bowl, causing it to spill all over them.
And you know, I really wish that I was a good drawer. Is anyone out there an artist or willing to draw? Because there are some parts of this story that I can imagine perfectly: the three huddling beneath the blanket, watching the scary movie…the three sprawled on the floor…in the next chapter, there's going to be a moment when Sherlock, Mycroft, River, Jack, and the Doctor are all sitting in a tree…when the Doctor and the brothers are sitting in the doorway of the Tardis, flying kites…when the Doctor and Mycroft are sitting on top of the Tardis the first time that they met…Mycroft putting his arm around Sherlock's shoulders… the Doctor tightly hugging the brothers…the three of them on various adventures or just doing something as simple as staring at the stars…just the three of them together…Ahhhh! Would anyone be willing to draw any of that or just anything from this story? I would be immensely appreciative of anything that was drawn. Even if it was stick figures.
Okay anyway here's the scenario with Wilf. In this one, Mycroft goes off to get the groceries without any trouble. It's coming back from the store where he runs into someone.
He pelted down the sidewalk. In his haste, he ended up crashing into an older gentleman.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Mycroft cried, glancing over his shoulder. What he saw caused him to stop in his tracks.
"You wouldn't be the first," the old man chuckled before concernedly asking, "Are you alright?"
Mycroft realized that he was staring but he couldn't help himself. He had seen the man before—in the Doctor's journals.
"Are you…are you…?" Mycroft stammered, "A…are you Mr. Motts? Wilfred Motts?"
"Yes," Wilf slowly said, "Have we met?"
Mycroft closed his eyes, realizing his mistake, and slowly said, "No, sir. But…I…"
He opened his eyes and Wilf knew. He was very kind as he said, "You're the Doctor's companion."
"Yes, sir."
"There's no need to call me 'sir'," Wilf laughed.
"Y…yes there is," Mycroft modestly mumbled, "Sir."
"Mycroft," the Doctor called, "Are you coming?"
He came around the corner and froze.
"Hello, Doctor."
"Wilf," the Doctor quietly said.
He took a hesitant step forward before racing over and hugging the old man. Wilf returned the hug with a joyous laugh.
"It's wonderful to see you," the Doctor cried.
"Same to you," Wilf chuckled, "Nice bowtie!"
The Doctor looked genuinely touched, as if he had just received the best compliment in the world. Which, Mycroft and Sherlock realized, he kind of had.
The Doctor then became solemn as he said, "How is…she…?"
"She's wonderful," Wilf gushed with a smile, "Doctor…I'm…I'm a…"
He hesitated before saying, "I'm just so happy to see you! I suppose that you're on an important mission? I don't want to impose…"
"Hang on," Mycroft called, rapidly thinking, "Err…we could actually use your help."
"What do you need?"
"Well," Mycroft slowly said, "My brother accidentally overloaded the food-dispenser on the console of the Tardis. And getting groceries is rather tedious and costly…"
"Do you need money?" Wilf kindly offered.
"No," the Doctor and Mycroft quickly said, the latter continuing, "No, though it's kind for you to offer. We actually need…a…screwdriver. To fix it. Do you have one?"
Wilf looked surprised and remarked, "Well, there's one on my pocket-knife but…"
"Yes," Mycroft quickly said, "That'll work. That's perfect."
"Happy to oblige," Wilf grinned, handing it over.
"Thank you," Mycroft said, "Except…well, we can't just stop by and return it."
"No, you can't," Wilf quietly agreed, "Keep it. My gift to you."
"Oh, I couldn't keep it," Mycroft quickly said, "Listen, I have an idea. Why don't you come with us? To the Tardis, that is."
"Yes," the Doctor agreed, catching on, "That way we can properly hand it back over."
Wilf looked suspicious for a moment before ultimately agreeing. He followed the two around the corner where he was once again reunited with the beautiful police box.
"Hello, you," Wilf gently said.
Sherlock opened the door, peering out.
"Oh, there's another one!" Wilf laughed.
"Where are my manners?" the Doctor cried, "Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, this is Wilfred Motts."
"I know," Mycroft said, beaming.
The four entered the Tardis, closing the door behind them. Wilf appreciatively glanced around before handed his pocket-knife to Mycroft. The eldest Holmes brother stalled before awkwardly handing it to the Doctor. The Doctor hesitated before banging it against the console, much like a hammer.
"Ah, there," he cried, "It looks fixed."
"Are you sure?" Mycroft coaxingly asked, "Might we press a few buttons?"
"Absolutely," the Doctor agreed, "Let's just press this one…and pull this lever…"
The Tardis trembled and hummed.
"Doctor?"
"Yes, Wilf?"
"Are you kidnapping me?"
"A little bit, yeah," the Doctor laughed.
He threw the doors open and continued, "Just thought that you'd want a quick view."
"Brilliant," Wilf whispered as they stared out at the universe.
The four stood in the doorway for some time, gazing at the stars.
Finally, Wilf whispered, "Doctor, I'm…I'm a great-grandfather."
The Doctor turned, absorbing this news, before suddenly letting out a cry of delight and hugging the old man.
"Congratulations!" Mycroft cried.
Sherlock also grinned, though he looked slightly confused by the news.
"Would you like to see him?" Wilf continued, "Donna should be getting her hair done so you'll have just enough time to…"
The Doctor was already hitting the button.
The Tardis landed in a nursery. Sylvia Noble was downstairs, preparing tea.
Wilf put a finger to his lips and whispered, "I'll leave you alone for a minute."
He quickly and quietly slipped out into the hallway.
Sherlock, Mycroft, and the Doctor could hear the faint sounds of a conversation:
"Dad, what was that noise?"
"Nothing, nothing."
The Doctor swallowed, crossing over to the small cot. The infant stared up at him with an intense curiosity. The Doctor gently picked him up, cradling him.
"Hello," the Doctor whispered, "I'm the Doctor."
Mycroft and Sherlock huddled in the doorway of the Tardis, smiling as they realized that the Time Lord was becoming quite sentimental.
"I'm the Space Man," the Doctor whispered, "Don't forget me…"
He kissed the top of the infant's head before placing him back in the cot. He then silently nodded and the three went back into the Tardis, gently closing the door.
"Don't forget me," the Doctor softly repeated, "Please don't forget me…"
"Doctor," Sherlock bracingly said, "Who could forget you?"
Mycroft's hands flew to his mouth and the Doctor closed his eyes.
"Doctor…" Mycroft whispered, bringing his hands down, "I'm sorry…"
"What?" Sherlock asked, looking alarmed, "Did I say something…?"
"It's okay," the Doctor gently said, reopening his eyes and pulling the brothers into a tight hug, "It's okay…"
Well that actually turned out to be pretty depressing, didn't it? Speaking of another emotional scene, I recently learned about new evidence on Vincent van Gogh's death (yes, I know that it's only a myth but this is a story about two boys who travel with an alien in a blue box so sssshhhh) and seeing as how Vincent and the Doctor is my favorite episode, I decided to write this moment.
"Mycroft," Sherlock whispered, "I can't sleep."
"Neither can I," Mycroft sighed, "Come on. Let's see what the Doctor's doing."
The two crept down the corridor, towards the console room. Upon approaching the room, however, they heard the sounds of somebody crying and River whispering, "It's okay, Sweetie."
Sherlock and Mycroft exchanged confused glances and hurried into the room. Sure enough, the Doctor was bent over the console, wiping tears from his eyes. River was standing next to him, comforting him. The site was enough to cause the brothers to stop. In the five months that they had traveled with the Doctor, they had never actually seen him cry.
"Doctor!" Sherlock cried out.
The Doctor jerked up and quickly stammered, "S…Sherlock. Mycroft…what's wrong?"
"I could ask the same of you," Mycroft pointed out, shocked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," the Doctor admitted, giving them a watery smile, "Why do you ask?"
"Well…" Sherlock slowly said, "There's the whole matter of you…crying."
"Tears of joy," the Doctor quickly assured him and the brothers realized that his smile was genuine.
"Over what?" Mycroft asked.
The Doctor was too emotional to explain so River took over, "I was just as the Musée d'Orsay and I saw something…some news about Vincent."
"What news?" Mycroft asked, amazed. He, of course, had read all about the Doctor and Amy's adventure with Vincent van Gogh. It was one of his favorite journals.
"He was killed," River said with a smile.
"That's…what?" Sherlock asked, scratching his head.
Mycroft was also confused.
"He was killed," River continued, "A couple of school boys were in a field and one of their guns went off, shooting him."
"Well, that's cheery," Sherlock muttered and Mycroft pointedly nudged him.
"Vincent didn't want them to get into trouble so he never told anyone," River continued with a smile, "He was killed."
"I…I don't understand…" Mycroft sadly admitted.
"A fixed point in time," the Doctor softly said, "Remember, Mycroft? I can't change the fact that a person dies but I can change how they die."
Mycroft's eyes widened as it sunk in, "He was killed. He…he didn't…? So you and Amy actually did change something in his life!? And time just rewrote itself…DOCTOR!'
The Doctor laughed as Mycroft excitedly raced forward, hugging the Time Lord.
"That's amazing!" Mycroft cried, pulling back, "That's…brilliant!"
"Oh, and I brought you this," River declared, "A new painting that was discovered in September, 2013. Look…"
In the left corner of the beautiful field was the blue police box.
"That's amazing," Sherlock whispered.
The Doctor proudly hung it up on top of the console, right next to the drawing that Sherlock had made for him several months ago. Sherlock grinned; he had almost forgotten that it was there.
The Doctor wiped his eyes and River whispered, "Mum would be proud, Sweetie."
She leaned forward and gently kissed him. The Doctor beamed with pride and brought the three of them in for a group hug.
Cause it's all about your cries and kisses. Those first steps that I can't calculate. I need some more of you to take me over. I know I because I can't calculate how to start again…
Okay this chapter is getting really long and emotional. But before I cut it short, I got a very special request by CaptainXena-Mation: I was wondering if you could make someone (Sherlock or Mycroft) fall out of the TARDIS while it's hovering above the earth, and then the have to somehow catch them before they fall to their doom!
Well two scenarios came to mind. The second one emerged from when I was messaging you, wondering about that pesky gravity/oxygen. You suggested that they be close enough to the planet where they didn't need it. I thought about it for a while and came up with this. Hope you like it!
Scenario One
"Are you ready?"
"No," Sherlock and Mycroft nervously replied.
"Hey," the Doctor laughed, "You two wanted to take a spacewalk!"
"Don't worry," Jack's voice buzzed in their ear, "I'm monitoring everything down here."
"How much equipment does Torchwood have?" Mycroft chuckled.
"We all have Psychic Credit Cards," Jack explained.
"And nobody cares that you're using that equipment to help us take a spacewalk?"
"Well, I never said that this was legal," Jack laughed, "So if anyone asks…I don't know you and you don't know me!"
"Why would somebody ask us that?" Sherlock asked.
"Ahh, Sherlock," Jack chuckled, "Someday you'll understand sarcasm."
The two brothers inched to the edge of the doorway. They had stood there dozens of times before but this caused their stomachs to flip. They were standing above the earth. It was surreal. Mycroft swallowed and glanced at Sherlock. Despite the astronaut helmet (the Doctor wanted to ensure that they would still have oxygen) Mycroft could see that his brother was extremely pale. The Doctor bracingly put his arms around them and cried, "Geronimo!"
The three stepped forward, into the vacuum of space. The brothers began to rapidly breathe before realizing that they were going to be alright. They each had a rope attached to them, which tensed before they got too far. Sherlock was the first one to let out a nervous bubble of laughter. The Doctor beamed and Mycroft finally grinned. They floated around in the stars and though they were only several yards away from the blue box, it was still surreal.
"Jack, we're flying!" Sherlock excitedly cried.
Down in Cardiff, Jack laughed at their enthusiasm. He was in a large control room, monitoring them with a camera that the Doctor had installed on the outside of the Tardis. He was also tracking several satellites to make sure that nothing would come in their path.
"Doctor, watch this!" Sherlock squealed, doing a somersault.
The Doctor smiled before exclaiming, "Careful, Sherlock! The rope can only take so much tension!"
"Yeah, yeah," Sherlock dismissed the warning and did another flip.
"Easy, Sherlock," Mycroft cried, "Listen to the Doctor!"
Down below, Jack frowned and said, "Easy, Sherlock."
"This is brilliant!" Sherlock squealed, "I can do anything!"
He did several more rambunctious moves.
"Sherlock," the Doctor warned.
"It's amazing!" Sherlock carelessly continued, "I'm invincible!"
He recklessly lurched and something suddenly snapped. Mycroft screamed as his brother's rope broke. For a split second, Sherlock merely floated in place. His eyes were wide with wonder and fear as he tried to understand what was going on.
"Mycroft?" Sherlock whispered before suddenly being pulled back. It was as if an invisible hand was dragging him towards the earth.
"SHERLOCK!"
Mycroft frantically fought against his restraints. The Doctor grabbed him around the waist, dragging him back towards the Tardis. Mycroft let out a raspy gasp as he watched the silhouette of his brother zoom towards the earth. His scream was lost on his lips.
"Do something," he gasped, "Doctor, do something!"
Sherlock was rapidly losing consciousness as he tumbled around and around, crashing through blankets of clouds. It was as if he was skydiving from the world's highest plane. Only he didn't have anything to break his fall. He couldn't hear or see anything. He wasn't sure where he was. What was up and what was down?
And suddenly Jack was somehow falling above him. He had used his vortex manipulator to lock onto Sherlock's coordinates. Jack managed to grab him in midair and shout, "Hang on!"
He pulled a string and a parachute billowed out. Sherlock had enough sense to tightly cling onto his neck. He was only half-conscious but he wasn't about to let go.
"It's okay," Jack was saying, "It's okay, Sherlock."
Sherlock forced himself to open his eyes. What he saw caused his jaw to crash to the bottom of his astronaut helmet. They were so high up. A beautiful forest was spread out below but the trees were merely green dots. It was breathtaking.
And suddenly the Tardis was there. It was angled so that Jack and Sherlock were able to fall right through the doorway and into the swimming pool. They both resurfaced, pale and gasping for breath. Sherlock was still tightly clinging onto Jack's neck. He let go just long enough to wrap them around the Doctor's neck as Jack gently handed him over. Mycroft leaned against the wall, paralyzed with fear.
Sherlock trembled in the Doctor's arms, leaning against his chest. The Doctor pulled his helmet off and quickly checked to make sure that he was physically alright. He was; just incredibly shaken. Sherlock realized that the Doctor was just as pale as he was.
"I'm sorry," Sherlock croaked, "I'm so sorry, Doctor. I'm sorry."
He repeated the two words several times but the Doctor didn't hear any of it. The Time Lord let out a huge sigh of relief as he realized that everything was alright.
"You idiot," Mycroft finally wheezed, "W…wh…what were you thinking?"
"Come here," the Doctor gently said. He used one arm to still hold up Sherlock but extended the other, inviting Mycroft to come over. The Doctor tightly hugged the Holmes brothers, until they stopped shaking, until they realized that everything was going to be alright.
The Doctor then turned and helped a grinning Jack from the pool. The three couldn't find the words to thank him but he understood. He ruffled Sherlock's curls and the youngest Holmes brother apologized again.
"Nah, don't worry about it," Jack easily said, "That was fun! I should try that again but without the parachute. You excluded, of course."
"I'm never doing anything like that again," Sherlock assured him, anxiously burying his face in the Doctor's neck, "I hate falling."
Mycroft shakily laughed and said, "Well, it's a good thing that the Doctor, River, and Jack are always there to catch you when you fall."
Jack and the Doctor exchanged a dark look at that but didn't say anything.
"I'm so sorry, Doctor," Sherlock repeated, causing the Doctor to snap out of his thoughts.
"Hey, hey," the Doctor gently said, "I forgive you, Sherlock. You learned your lesson."
Sherlock smiled at that and repeated the Doctor's words from several months ago:
"It's an interesting life lesson."
You asked for a drabble where one of the Holmes brothers falls! You must have known that I would sneak a Reichenbach reference in there! And here's Scenario Two, before I knew how gravity and oxygen were going to be a factor. In this one, Sherlock just tumbles into a vacuum of space. And again, Jack saves him. He is immortal, after all. Again, this is a completely different scenario. Imagine that the four are in the console room staring at the stars or flying kites or something along those lines.
A meteor suddenly hit the side of the Tardis. The Doctor, Mycroft, and Jack were thrown backwards but Sherlock ended up toppling over the edge of the doorway.
"SHERLOCK! SHERLOCK!"
"MYCROFT!"
Sherlock was clinging onto the top of the doorway. His body shot out to the stars, as gravity ceased to press down onto it. His eyes were wide and the color had drained from his face.
The three leapt to their feet. Mycroft raced forward and grabbed his brother's hand.
Unfortunately, it slipped away.
"Mycroft?" Sherlock whispered, seconds before he went tumbling towards the stars.
"NO!"
The Doctor's scream outweighed Mycroft's as the Time Lord raced forward. Jack wrenched the cupboard door open, grabbing something and throwing it onto his back. He then raced forward, pushed past Mycroft and the Doctor, and promptly dove out of the Tardis.
"Jack!"
"JACK! SHERLOCK!"
Mycroft screamed until nothing came out. The Doctor grabbed him and held him close, both to comfort him and keep another Holmes brother from falling out.
Meanwhile, Jack was doing a weird swimming movement to try and fight the lack of gravity and get to Sherlock.
The poor boy was ashen. His eyes were closed and he looked like a puppet caught in a draft. Jack realized that it was the early signs of hypoxia. They must have already escaped the oxygen bubble. Jack wasn't affected as much; another side-effect of being immortal. When he went without oxygen for a great period of time, such as the time that he accidentally overshot the Tardis, he would eventually pass out. But he had time. He had time to save Sherlock.
Jack finally reached the youngest Holmes brother. Sherlock was now completely limp and for a moment, Jack was afraid that he was gone. He frantically performed CPR, still tumbling around in the vacuum of space. He then grabbed the item from his back; an oxygen tank that was attached to a mask. He gently placed it over Sherlock's nose and mouth and turned the oxygen on. After several tense minutes, Sherlock's eyes fluttered open.
"Sherlock," Jack gasped, briefly marveling the fact that he could actually talk in a vacuum of space, "It's okay. Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine."
On the contrary, Sherlock didn't look that alarmed. His eyes widened, not with fear but with wonder as he looked around. They were, after all, floating amongst the stars. Jack allowed ten seconds for him to look around but not a second more. Jack was starting to get dizzy and he wasn't about to vomit in a vacuum of space. Besides, the oxygen tank was just a band-aid solution. He tightly held onto Sherlock and moved back towards the Tardis.
The Doctor and Mycroft both reached out and pulled them inside. Jack immediately collapsed onto all fours. Sherlock would have collapsed as well. He was saved as the Doctor and his brother were tightly hugging him. He trembled as the aftershock and adrenaline hit him.
The Doctor immediately began fussing.
"Sherlock? Are you okay? Can you breathe?"
"I'm fine," Sherlock croaked, still trembling.
The Doctor took out his Sonic, scanning various parts of his body.
"There's no…damage, is there?" Mycroft weakly asked.
The Doctor shook his head, still tightly hugging Sherlock, and murmured, "He was only without oxygen for a few seconds. Twenty at the most."
He rested his chin on the crown of Sherlock's head, looking extremely pale at the thought of what could have happened. Once he and Mycroft realized that Sherlock was shaken, but fine, they spun around to thank Jack. Unfortunately, Jack was still on all fours. He looked extremely nauseous, though he was trying to hide it.
"Jack?"
The Doctor knelt down next to him and worriedly asked, "All right?"
"Fine," Jack wheezed, "Just…you know…"
The Doctor solemnly nodded before anxiously asking, "No damage, though?"
"Nah," Jack assured him, waving his hand, "It takes more than a few minutes without oxygen to cause any harm. Might be a few lost brain cells though…"
"What brain cells?" the Doctor weakly chuckled.
He pulled Jack to his feet and into a tight hug. The immortal man was touched and returned it, laughing out of habit.
"Thank you, Jack," the Doctor softly said.
"Doctor," Jack beamed, "You never have to thank me."
Okay well we have officially reached twenty pages and most of my chapters linger around seven or eight pages. So I am officially ending the drabble chapter. Thanks to everyone who submitted requests…cricket noises…okay thank you Captain Xena-Mation for the great request. I hope that you liked it. Actually, the next chapter is going to be a request. It's a request from my eleven-year old brother who has been my beta/supporter through this entire story. The two of us were talking and I told him how River, Jack, and the Doctor managed to pull the boys from school and he asked for a chapter where River and the Doctor accompany Sherlock and Mycroft to a Parent's Day festival, seeing as how Sherlock never got to go. The whole point is that he wanted River, the Doctor, Sherlock, and Mycroft to face off against Anderson and his family. And though I really didn't want to make Anderson a character as much as I wanted him to have just a few lines, I'm not going to deny my brother's request. So, yes…Parent's Day…