The Wife of Sherlock Holmes
Chapter 22 – Happiness Always
It was a rather cold day in February when Marion looked down at her phone buzzing. She was just finishing a presentation she had been working on for the board of directors at the museum. She lifted the phone. "Hello?"
"Marion. Hi!" Mary's voice said on the other side.
"Oh!" Marion said. "Mary, how are you?"
"Well. I was wondering if you would come and have some lunch and tea with me. I need your thoughts on something."
"My thoughts."
"I always appreciated your advice. Don't stop now."
"All right. Where?"
"The little shop on the corner of Baker Street and Castle?"
"I will be there." Marion said and hung up. She sighed and levered herself up. She was due within six weeks and it was becoming harder and harder for her to move about. She grabbed her coat and quickly texted her husband. Going to lunch with Mary.
A moment later… All right. How are you feeling? SH
Well. Just tired.
Don't overdo it. I will see you for dinner then? Say seven? SH
If my work is done.
Come now. You have worked late every day this week. Lizzy misses you. I miss you. SH
All right. I will see you then, Mr. Holmes.
Good. Love you. SH
Flirt.
Always. SH
ZzZ
Marion sat down at the small café table and looked at Mary. Mary's face was bright. "Thank you for coming." She smiled at her fast friend.
"Anything for you Mary, you know that."
"I already owe you one for…"
Marion pursed her lips as the waiter came to get their order.
"What can I get you to drink?"
"I will have tea please." Marion said.
"I will as well." Mary said.
As the man left Mary learned forward. "Iģne, please."
Marion hissed. "Don't use that name here."
"But it was your name." Mary said.
"Shall I use yours?" Marion asked.
"No, I see your point. We both have moved on. Look at us. Both of us will be married and domestic. Who would have thought that fifteen years ago."
"Indeed." Marion said and sighed. "So much has happened. I am so happy you are well. We must talk sometime about our lives, but…" she looked about. "Not here."
"You have always been a friend." She took Marion's hand. "I need to ask you. Would you be my Matron of Honor?"
Marion gasped. "Really? Me?"
"Of course. I have other friends, naturally, but after what you did in Prague."
"That was nothing and I am glad I was there." Marion said almost dismissively.
"You saved my life. Now I am asking you to again stand by me."
"With pleasure." Marion said smiling. "After all. I can keep disaster from happening again."
"Indeed. Which is why I need you."
"Who is going to be the best man?"
"Who do you think?"
"Has he asked him yet?"
"He is going to today. How do you think Sherlock will take it?"
"He will be surprised I am sure."
"He has mellowed a bit I have heard."
"Fatherhood does that." Marion smiled into her water glass.
"Indeed. As does motherhood. You are not the reckless woman I once knew."
"Neither are you."
"Cheers." Mary said lifting her glass as their tea came.
ZzZ
Greg walked into Molly's lab at Bart's.
"Greg."
"Molly." He greeted.
"I just had a thought." She was holding a large bowl before her.
"Is that a brain?!" Greg asked looking into the bowl.
"What if John asks Sherlock to be his best man?" Molly asked.
"Well, he will, won't he? He's bound to."
"Exactly."
"So?"
"So he'll have to make a speech in front of people."
Greg suddenly seemed to realize what she was saying and looked at her. "Oh dear…"
"There'll be actual people there, actually listening."
"Well, what's the worst that could happen?"
"Helen-Louise probably wondered the same."
"Helen-Louise?" Greg asked.
Molly looked down at the bowl she held and Greg made a face. "Oh!"
ZzZ
Greg looked up as Marion waddled into his office. It was the best way he could describe how she was moving now. The baby had shifted downwards and was making it rather uncomfortable for her. "Dear lord, Marion, when are you due again?"
"Not for a couple more months. I am due the last week of March."
"You look ready to pop now." He said offering her a chair. He smiled at her. "So. I have heard you are the Matron of Honor."
"Yes." She smiled. "Though the baby coming may put a bit of a damper on some of my activities."
"There will be other bridesmaids surely."
"Yes. Janine, Annabelle, and Clara."
"Good." He said.
"I will not miss the wedding, however. I doubt this will stay in that late."
He chuckled. "No." He then turned serious as he leaned against his desk. "Do you think John will ask Sherlock?"
"Ask him what?"
"To be his best man."
"If he doesn't I will throttle him."
"But how will Sherlock take it?"
"Who knows?" Marion said leaning forward. "Have you had lunch?"
"No? Are you hungry?"
"I am feeding two." She said.
He smiled and offered her a hand. She levered herself up and smiled as he led her out. "Been a while since I took a lovely woman to lunch."
"Oh come off it. I am the size of a house." She hissed at him.
He laughed.
ZzZ
Mrs. Hudson was seated in her kitchen and answered the phone.
"Oh, hallo, dear."
"I can't find Marion." Molly said on the other end of the line. She sighed holding an electric bone saw, her coat spattered with blood as were her safety goggles.
"I was just thinking. If-if John does ask Sherlock ..."
"What, the speech, dear? No, it'll be fine."
"It-it's not just the speech, though, is it?"
"Have you talked to Marion?"
"No? Should I?"
"I am not sure…"
ZzZ
Shortly afterwards, John let himself in the front door of 221 and walked towards the stairs. High-pitched hysterical noises came through the open door of 221A. As the noises continued, punctuated with an occasional squeal of "Oh, dear!" and "Oh, brilliant!" John went into Mrs. Hudson's flat and looked into the kitchen in concern.
"Mrs. Hudson?"
She waved him off as she sat at the table laughing hysterically. "Oh, hello, darling!"
"You all right?"
She covered her mouth laughing.
"I was…I was coming to see Sherlock, and I thought you were ..."
"Go!" She giggled.
"... possibly dying." He grinned a moment at the scene.
"Oh, sorry!" She got up.
"What's wrong?"
"The-the telegrams!" She giggled more.
"Sorry, what?"
"Oh, sorry, dear!" She walked to him and patted his arm as she let out another shrieking laugh. John looked bemused after her.
ZzZ
John trotted up the stairs to 221B.
"Sherlock?" He called.
"Oh hi, John." Marion said looking up from where she was seated in the common room.
"What was that noise downstairs?" Sherlock asked. He was in the kitchen wearing safety goggles, holding an eyeball at the end of a long pair of tweezers. He held a blowtorch to the optic nerve dangling behind it. He was in a dress shirt, slacks, and his camel colored dressing gown.
"Er, it was Mrs. Hudson laughing." John said.
"Sounded like she was torturing an owl." Sherlock said.
"See told you was nothing to worry about, dear." Marion said looking back at them.
"Yeah. Well, it was laughter."
"Could have been both." Sherlock said.
John walked to Marion's side. "Can you give me a moment with him?"
Marion patted his arm. "Of course. I will be near if you need me." She said softly.
"Why would I need you?"
"Back up?" She smiled as she levered herself up and moved out the door. "I'm going to go check on Lizzy." She said a little louder than was needed, but was clear Sherlock wasn't paying attention. She waddled out to the stairway and sat down on the stairs knowing her daughter would sleep another hour at least.
"Busy?" John asked.
Sherlock sighed deeply. " Just occupying myself. Sometimes, it's sooo hard not smoking."
The eyeball slipped from the tweezers and dropped into a mug on the table.
"Mm-hmm. Mind if I interrupt?"
"Er, be my guest." He said gesturing to a chair near him.
Sherlock flicked off the blowtorch and pushed the safety goggles to his forward as he set the torch down and then offered John the mug as his friend sat down.
"Tea? "
"Er ..." John waved a negative. He sat down. "So. The big question."
"Mm-hm."
John folded his hands on the table. "The best man."
"The best man?"
"What do you think?"
"Billy Kincaid."
"Sorry, what?"
"Billy Kincaid, the Camden Garrotter. Best man I ever knew. Vast contributions to charity, never disclosed." John frowned at him. "Personally managed to save three hospitals from closure and ran the best and safest children's homes in north England." John rubbed a hand over his eyes. Sherlock grimaced a moment. "Sure every now and again there'd be some garrotings, but stacking up the lives saved against the garrotings, on balance I'd say ..."
John finally had had enough and interrupted him. "For my wedding! For me. I need a best man."
"Oh, right."
"Maybe not a garrotter."
Sherlock cocked his head. "Gavin?"
"Who?"
"Gavin Lestrade? He's a man, and good at it."
"Greg." Marion said from the stairs as she shifted making it sound like she was walking up the stairs. Both men looked in the direction a moment.
John coughed. "She's right. It's Greg. And he's not my best friend."
"Oh, Mike Stamford, I see. Well, he's nice, um, though I'm not sure how well he'd cope with all ..."
John interrupted again. "No, Mike's great, but he's not my best friend."
They looked at each other a moment. John's phone chimed. He looked down a moment.
Seriously even he can't be that dense. Want me to smack him upside the head for you? M
No. Let me get a word in. And I thought you were seeing to Lizzy.
I am…
Sherlock looked at him thoughtfully trying to think of someone else to suggest.
"Look, Sherlock, this is the biggest and most important day of my life."
Sherlock made a face. "Well ..."
"No, it is! It is, and I want to be up there with the two people that I love and care about most in the world."
"Yes."
John nodded as if the obvious was there, but Sherlock cocked his head at him. "Mary Morstan ..."
"Yes."
John sighed. " ... and ..."
Oh for the love of God… Marion's text made him smirk a little as he looked from his phone to Sherlock who was waiting for more information. John then took a deeper breath.
"... you."
Sherlock looked at him a moment and blinked rapidly.
5 minutes…
Sherlock had frozen solid, staring blankly in John's direction but not actually looking at him. John tapped his foot patiently.
5 more minutes…
Sherlock was still motionless.
"Sherlock."
Sherlock still did not react.
What is he doing?
Staring at me…
5 more minutes…
Sherlock was still fixed in place, staring sightlessly ahead of him. The silence drags on.
"That's getting a bit scary now." John said.
Marion opened the side door to the kitchen and looked at her husband who was staring. Marion shook his head and walked to her husband and lifted her hand and snapped her fingers before his face. Sherlock's brain finally began to reboot and he took a breath. He swallowed and narrowed his eyes slightly as he refocused and looked at his wife a moment before looking to John.
"So, in fact..." He cocked his head blinking and thinking a moment. "You-you mean ..."
"Yes." John said
"I'm your ..."
John nodded. Marion smiled. It was cute to watch Sherlock work through things he really had trouble following…like human nature…names…
"... best ..."
"... man."
"... friend?" Sherlock said almost at the same time. He blinked and looked at his wife and made a face.
"Yeah, 'course you are. 'Course you're my best friend." He smiled.
Sherlock absently picked up the mug from the table and raised it toward his mouth. John watched with interest as he took a long slurping drink and then swallowed
"Well, how was that?"
Sherlock licked his lips and then looked at John.
"Surprisingly okay."
Inside the mug the eyeball floated to the surface.
"So you'll have to make a speech, of course." John said.
Sherlock blinked again and then looked at John speechless.
Marion stepped forward and took the tea mug from him before he dropped it and then held his arm, rubbing it lightly. "It will be okay. I am going to have to do one too." She smiled.
"Mary asked you too?" John asked looking at her.
"Yes."
"Good." John nodded.
Sherlock looked at his wife a moment. "How are you good friends with Mary?"
She chuckled. "Old souls." She shrugged and waddled back to the living room. He looked after her and cocked his head.
ZzZ
Marion smiled as she walked into the dress shop with Sherlock walking behind her and Mary. Sherlock was not really sure why he had been drafted to come along, but he did so at his wife's behest. She tired easily and he knew it.
Marion looked behind her. Sherlock was carrying a file with him. He stood behind the women, looking haughtily around the room. A man stepped forward to greet them. "Hello. I am Doug."
"Mary. I have an appointment." Mary said.
"Oh very good. Can I get you some tea then?"
"That would be lovely." Marion said as Sherlock watched her drop onto a couch.
Sherlock dropped between the women. "The average cost of a dress is twelve hundred pounds Mary." He said looking about. "What exactly is the budget?"
"I would like to spend less than 1000 if I could."
He nodded making notes as the tea came. Marion sipped.
"What exactly is the style you want?" Doug asked.
"I like a little old fashioned. Nothing really fancy. Lace with a nice line…"
Sherlock looked about. "May I look about?"
"Certainly." Doug said.
Sherlock stood, buttoned his suit jacket and began to walk about looking. Marion followed him. "You know he is enjoying this. He never got to do this with our wedding."
"You got married in the Eye. I think he made due pretty well."
Marion smiled into her tea. "Indeed, but I think he likes the challenge. Let him do as much as he can. Keeps his mind active."
Mary nodded sipping her tea as Doug returned. He had a dress and Mary went to try it on.
Sherlock returned with two and looked at his wife as she sat there. "What are you thinking?" He asked looking at her face. She was daydreaming it seemed.
"How pretty she will look?"
"Are you in pain?" He asked watching her grimace as she shifted. He pushed a pillow behind her and his nimble hands danced on her back.
"No." She smiled. "Oh." She smiled as Mary came out wearing the dress.
"This is a base line." Doug said as he helped Mary up before the mirrors.
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "No. That isn't flattering in the slightest."
Mary looked at him as he stepped forward. "Seriously?"
"Far too frilly for the likes of you Mary." Sherlock said looking at her, his green/blue eyes bright. He lifted one he had picked. "Try this one. I have another as well, but I have a feeling about this one."
Mary disappeared again as Sherlock found a long lace veil.
"You are utterly enjoying this."
"What?" He asked looking back at his wife as he held it up on his head testing the length of it and the width.
"You never got to do this for our wedding. Admit it, you are having fun."
He smiled a little. "Our wedding fit us, my dear. Do you regret not doing all this?"
"Not in the slightest, but watching you doing this for John and Mary makes me smile." She beamed at him.
"Oh? Stop it, it is a little unnerving."
"Oh, I love you."
He grunted and came and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "I love you too." He murmured.
He looked up as he saw Mary returning. The dress was cream with lace and fit her and her personality well. Lace and pearls. It was close to her body and had a long train. Beautiful, a little older fashioned for a woman who was not in her twenties. Sherlock smiled as she looked at herself.
"Sherlock…how did you know...?" She asked looking at him in the mirror.
"I have an eye for detail. Now…" He walked over and put the veil on and spread it out.
Doug nodded. "I might be out of a job soon." He smiled. "That is amazing."
Marion smiled and had her hands together smiling. Mary turned to look at her. "I am starting to see why you married him…"
"Adorable isn't he."
"Yes…" Mary said looking affectionately at Sherlock.
"We need to find you soft shoes to last the day and…" Sherlock started to pace. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue…"
"Sherlock, darling." Marion lifted herself up out of her seat. "You are going to wear a hole in the floor."
"This is it." Mary said looking at Doug.
"So all together that would be…"
"752 quid with fifty for alterations." Sherlock said looking at her. "Leaves you well under budget and with some wiggle room."
"Sold." Mary smiled as she came to Marion and hugged her. Tears in her eyes. She then hugged Sherlock who was looking at her startled.
Doug stood bemused as he looked at the three. The easiest sale he had ever done thanks to Sherlock Holmes of all people.
"All right ladies. We must go to the floral shops next." Sherlock said when Mary returned and had paid. She had an appointment for her first alteration in two weeks. Sherlock held the door open for them as they walked out into the sunlight.
He walked behind them as they chattered to each other and pulled his coat around him as he smiled. Well one thing down. He made notes in his folder as the pair looked for a taxi. Mary called one and they all got in. Sherlock sat with his wife beside him and Mary across from them as he wrote in his own short hand as Mary gave directions.
She leaned forward. "Thank you Sherlock."
"Hummm?"
"Thank you. For all you are doing."
"It is fine. This is all rather interesting."
"He means he is having fun. He just won't admit it." Marion said.
He made a face at her and then looked down at his smart phone putting dates into it and tuning out the women as they began to talk.
ZzZ
Marion and John looked at each other as the baker put cake before them. Sherlock stood nearby watching as the two of them ate the small slices. Marion was exhausted from picking flowers and a venue to book for Mary. She took her matron of honor duties very seriously.
The surprising person to take the work seriously was Sherlock. He had dove into the middle of the planning as though he were a wedding planner. He took careful notes and had provided ideas for dress colors and which dress would be flattering, or at least more flattering.
Since nothing would be all that flattering on Marion, they had picked Janine, the second bridesmaid, and friend of Mary's to be the model for the dresses. Once that was selected, then the color. It was a tie between lilac, sage minty green, or copper. Mary's colors were pale blue, white, silver, and lilac and so the dresses would be lilac as per Sherlock's suggestion. Marion would wear a slightly lighter shade than the others. With her due date only two weeks before the wedding, she was to have her dress altered the week before.
The dresses were strapless and showed off the ample bosom of the ladies and hung down. It was as flattering as bridesmaids' dresses got. Sherlock and John liked them and Mary had yielded to Sherlock after he found her perfect dress. He was constantly making notes, drawing pictures, and keeping his rather massive file on the details. He really was planning the hell of this wedding and no one was about to stop him since he was both doing a good job and seemed to be enjoying the distraction since he wasn't doing any cases while this was happening.
Janine was going to do the Hen party since Marion would not be available. However, Marion was actively planning the Bridal Shower at a local spa retreat. The girls would need it and Sherlock had made suggestions as to packages which Mary and Marion took. They needed a day.
Sherlock spent his days shepherding the girls as John had called them, Mary and Marion around to different places or being with John and Mary as they went out as well. Today, he was with John and Mary as they were sampling cake.
Sherlock watched his wife as she tried the various types and looked at her husband. "Why can't they just have something simple and good like cheesecake?"
"I don't like cheesecake." John said behind her as they looked at the samples.
Marion sighed and tasted the cakes before her. Sherlock was watching her. He knew her pallet would be different due to her pregnancy, but it would be more heightened than John's. She really liked the whipped buttercream frosting with the marble cake. Sherlock and John tried it and agreed it was the best of the lot. Mary would be with Marion in a day to decide on what the cake would look like, but she had an appointment she could not miss this day.
The small group bid farewell to the baker and Marion took a breath, a hand going to her belly as she stood a moment, eyes closed, face turned to the sun. Sherlock came to her and gently splayed his large hand on her lower back as the other went to her shoulder. "My love?" He asked.
"Nothing." She said opening her eyes. "Just small pains."
His hand dropped to her belly as he rubbed her lower back softly. "You should rest when we get home."
"Too much to do…"
"Then at least lay on the couch. For me, Habibi." He said softly.
She nodded as John got a taxi. "Yes, Sevgilim." She said.
He blinked and then followed her as she got into the taxi as John held the door for the pair of them. Marion's eyes closed again as she leaned against the window. Sherlock looked at her a moment and then shook his head a little as John climbed in.
"Baker Street please." Sherlock said not looking up at the driver.
"Sir."
Sherlock became busy with his file as he looked down at it as they drove back toward Baker Street. Mary had supplied him with the master list of those to be invited and he would be working on that as soon as they got home. They were already receiving RSVPs and Sherlock needed to work out seating, transportation, and other details.
Once there, Sherlock had Marion go to the couch and set about making her tea. On the wall above her was the start of his massive plans as to the wedding details. She looked at them and smiled a little. Her husband never did anything half assed and this would not be one of them.
ZzZ
Sherlock had taken it upon himself to vet the Ushers and Wedding Party members who he felt needed to have a little extra incentive. Marion was sleeping in the bedroom with the door closed. He had made sure there was some music playing so she would not hear them as he sat down across the table from a young man, perhaps Sherlock's own age looking around the room as he sat there. Lizzy was also down for a nap, but he expected she would be up before her mother. Marion was exhausted and he was going to let her rest as much as possible and yet still get his duties, as he saw them, done.
Sherlock held a pen as he looked at the small file before him. "David Williams of 72 Carry Street."
"Yes." David said looking at Sherlock as he looked at his notes. Sherlock said nothing for a few moments and David sighed. "So, what exactly are my duties as an usher?" He picked up the Sudokube from the desk and idly played with it.
Sherlock frowned disapprovingly, then put down his pen and folds his hands. "Let's talk about Mary, first."
"Sorry, what?"
"Oh, I think you know what. You went out with her for two years."
"A-ages ago. We're j... we're just good friends now."
"Is that a fact?" He looked down at his notes in front of him. "Whenever she tweets, you respond within five minutes regardless of time or current location, suggesting you have her on text alert. In all your Facebook photographs of the happy couple, Mary takes centre frame whereas John is always partly or entirely excluded."
David laughed a little uncomfortably. "You can't assume from that I've still got some kind of interest in Mary."
"You volunteered to be a shoulder to cry on no less than three separate occasions. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Sherlock asked watching him.
David opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
Sherlock nodded and looked down to make a note in his file. "I think from now on we'll downgrade you to 'casual acquaintance'. No more than three planned social encounters a year, and always in John's presence." He put the pen down and folded his hands looking at David intently. "I have your contact details. I will be monitoring."
David looked at him a little wide eyed. "They're right about you. You're a bloody psychopath."
"High-functioning sociopath ... with your number." Sherlock corrected. He grinned manically, showing a lot of teeth, then dropped the smile and steepled his hands in front of his chin. David looked down, then let out a nervous breath and got up and walked away. He left the flat shaken as Sherlock picked up the Sudokube and put it back into its proper position on the table.
A soft sound was heard and Sherlock turned seeing Lizzy coming into the room. Rumpled from sleep, the little dark haired bombshell, his little duck, looked up at him rubbing sleep from her eyes. He smiled affectionately and got out of his chair and walked to her.
"Hello, little duck. Want to help daddy?"
"Yes." She smiled.
"I have an usher coming in. I want your thoughts." He said nodding to her. The second usher, Tory, came into the room looking about. Sherlock kissed his daughter's cheek. "Okay, mein Schatz. Ich muss allein sein. Geh spielen. Wir werden mehr in einem Moment chatten." He said.
She got down to play quietly. "Klar, Daddy." She said.
Zzz
Two days later, Marion and Mary were out looking at flowers and DJs when Sherlock had Lizzy and Archie before him. He sat in his chair while the pair sat in John's chair. Archie's mother had an errand to run and so Sherlock had volunteered to watch him while she left. Startled she agreed when she say his own daughter who was only a couple years younger than Archie.
"Basically it's a cute smile to the bride's side, cute smile to the groom's side and then the rings." Sherlock said looking at Archie.
"No." Archie said.
"And you have to wear the outfit."
"No."
"You really do have to wear the outfit."
"What for?"
"Grown-ups like that sort of thing." Sherlock said shrugging.
"Why?"
Sherlock paused and then shrugged again. "... I don't know. I'll ask one."
Lizzy giggled. "Daddy you are a grown up."
"I am not. That is slander young lady." He said and she giggled. "And you have to dress in that cute dress and throw flowers."
"But they are pretty. Why daddy?"
"They like it." He said smiling a little.
Archie then looked thoughtful. "You're a detective."
"Yep." Sherlock said popping the 'p' loudly.
"Have you solved any murders?"
"Sure. Loads."
"Can I see?"
Sherlock hesitated a moment and then shrugged. "Yeah, all right."
All three got up and went to Sherlock's laptop. He called up a webpage and pressed keys to show the scenes he had on file. Lizzy leaned in. "What happened to his face?"
"Gas leak." Sherlock said.
"Ouch."
Archie looked at another. "What's all the stuff in his eye?"
Sherlock smiled. "Maggots."
"Cool!"
Sherlock looked at him a moment and then nodded. "Mm!" He looked at Lizzy who was smiling. "What are you about little miss."
"Daddy helps people." She smiled at him.
"Yes I do." He then leaned close. "But we can't tell people about these. This is our secret." He said hearing the door downstairs open.
Archie grinned. "Scout's honor, Mr. Holmes."
Sherlock smiled and looked up as his mother came into the room. "He was a good boy, Mrs. Taylor."
"Good. Thank you." She smiled and Archie walked to her. Sherlock waved goodbye to him and sighed.