"Oh, John." Marie said in surprise, and John greeted back: "Marie."
"Leaving already?" Marie asked curiously, glancing at Sherlock before refocusing on John as he shrugged.
"Er, yes, yeah." He said, before glancing at Marie and frowning.
There was a small bulge in Marie's jacket pocket, hinting at a box, but it was too small for him to tell what it was. At first, he wondered if Marie was taking pity on Sherlock and sneaking him cigarettes, but dismissed the thought quickly – Marie was strict on differentiating her love from Sherlock's health.
"Isn't it kind of late for Christmas presents?" John asked rather abruptly as he gestured at Marie's pocket.
Marie looked at him in surprise, as did – oddly enough – Sherlock.
"What?" Marie asked, and John repeated: "Well, Christmas and New Years have passed, and I know you two spent both together at the hospital. I heard from Molly that you also brought in the twins, though how you managed to keep them from crying at Sherlock's face-"
"They are clever." Sherlock interrupted. "It was simple to deduce that I was merely injured somehow-"
"They're babies." John retorted, and Sherlock fired back with a small smile: "Almost a year old."
John stared at Sherlock, examining the detective's face as he thought he detected something strange in his tone, before glancing at Marie, who looked just slightly amused and slightly anticipatory. Suddenly, he put two and two together, and he said in a sudden epiphany moment: "I'm going to make a deduction."
"Oh, okay." Sherlock said, frowning. "That's good, I suppose. Though you really don't need to feel as though you need to prove something, Scott and Sheryl have been tested for intelligence well above their-"
"Happy birthday." John interrupted, looking at Sherlock.
Marie coughed, choking on her laughter at Sherlock's stunned face. The detective was staring at John, who just looked back with a small smile on his face, before Sherlock finally nodded.
"Thank you, John. That's ... very kind of you." He mumbled the end, glancing down at his mug in almost embarrassment.
"Never knew when your birthday was." John mused, his tone light, and Sherlock murmured softly as he lifted his mug to his lips: "Well, now you do."
"Should I leave you two alone for a bit? Haven't felt this much like I was third-wheeling for about five years." Marie teased, earning a slight cough from Sherlock as he almost choked on his drink, while John rolled his eyes.
"Oh, har, har, we're all parents now." John pointed out dryly, and Marie smiled at him. He smiled back, though it was slightly strained and his eyes strayed to the door once more.
Marie saw it, and her gaze softened. Moving forward, she kissed John's cheek, silently letting him know he was free to leave if he really chose to, before she walked to where Sherlock was sitting, watching them.
His eyes met John's, and he looked away quickly, turning to face Marie as she settled on the arm of his seat, pulling out the small package and handing it to him. John stood, watching momentarily as Sherlock brightened to find it was a new magnifying set, nestled safely inside a cushioned case, before he leaned up and kissed his wife gently on the cheek, something Marie accept with just the slightest hint of sorrow and dejection still hanging around her.
"John." Mary interjected impatiently. "Ask her. I know you want to – just ask her."
"Marie."
Both Marie and Sherlock looked up in surprise at John's abrupt call, both having expected him to use the moment to escape as he had clearly been itching to do.
As he'd done several times before. And in part, John himself was surprised at himself, but there was no backing out now. And, in truth, he was tired of running.
"Yes?" Marie asked, and John straightened himself, clearing his throat as he asked awkwardly: "Why, well…"
She raised a brow, silently asking him to tell her what was wrong, and John said hesitantly: "I get now why Sherlock did what he did. But, what I don't get is why you helped if you were so clearly against it."
Sherlock grimaced while Marie frowned, and John continued: "I mean, you could have been acting I suppose, but I know you were really angry with Sherlock for doing this to himself. Was it because of the twins?"
"John, you're side-tracking." Mary noted, and he powered on over her: "Was that why you were angry?"
"Yes." Marie confirmed, her green eyes scrutinizing him even as she answered: "I wasn't happy-"
"Putting it mildly." Sherlock muttered, but Marie continued over him: "-that Sherlock had chosen to do drugs. I was furious with him and upset, because honestly, John, I was frightened that-"
She broke off, turning her head away while Sherlock's hand moved to clasp hers, squeezing it reassuringly. John noted, with some relief, that Marie was once again wearing her wedding band on her left ring finger; but it was small comfort at the moment as he watched Marie take a deep breath, feeling guilty.
He hadn't been the direct reason for her heartache – after all, he hadn't asked Sherlock to go almost die – but if he hadn't been so stubborn… and John finally understood why Marie had not tried to stop Sherlock, even when she removed the twins away from Sherlock for their safety.
"Because if it had been you," John murmured and the couple looked at him, "if it had been you, not Mary, you'd have wanted me to do the same for Sherlock. You'd have wanted me to save him from himself – and you would have wanted Mary to let me save him."
Sherlock gazed at John, while Marie nodded.
"Yes." She murmured, looking down at her hands and tugging on her right finger – something John noticed she did whenever she was recalling a past mission as an assassin. "I would have wanted that. So how could I not respect Mary's last wishes?"
She sighed, while Mary gazed at the two Holmes's with gratitude and apology.
"Thank you." She murmured, while John nodded slowly at Marie.
"I see." He murmured, before fixing Sherlock with a hard stare. "And you still went through with it, even though you knew you were hurting her?"
"I had to." Sherlock answered firmly, though with another apologetic squeeze of Marie's hand. "For you… and for Mary. And don't worry, I plan to make it up to Marie for the rest of my life, too."
"You'd better." Marie said, and he nodded at her while John exhaled.
"Fine, I see." He muttered, as he lowered his eyes to stare at the ground. "Okay."
"What?" Sherlock asked, frowning as he looked at John.
"Nothing." John muttered, and Marie also frowned while Sherlock noted: "You're guilty. You don't have to be –it was my and Marie's choices to do what we did."
"Yes, I know." John nodded, and Sherlock questioned in confusion: "What's the problem?"
"Nothing." John repeated, and Marie sighed: "John… you're not really convincing, and we're just worried about you."
"No, it's… it's nothing." John emphasized, and Sherlock observed: "You're not guilty of anything, I assure you-"
"You're wrong." John interrupted flatly, something he rarely ever said to Sherlock.
Sherlock frowned, while Marie watched John with a deep frown as the man glanced away before he tilted his head to look just behind Sherlock and Marie as he said quietly: "She was wrong about me."
Both Sherlock and Marie frowned while behind the two, Mary tilted her head questioningly as Sherlock asked in confusion: "Mary? How so?"
John turned, glancing to the fireplace as he sucked in another deep breath, before looking back at Sherlock as he explained flatly: "She thought that if you put yourself in harm's way I'd... I'd rescue you or something. But I didn't – not 'til she told me to."
He looked briefly at Mary, before looking away as he said softly: "And that's how this works. You know that, too, don't you?"
He nodded at Sherlock and Marie, before taking a deep breath and pointing to what Sherlock and Marie thought was an empty space but where John could 'see' Mary as he stated: "She taught me to be the man she already thought I was. Just like you try to be the man Marie needs you to be, and you, you are the husband you vowed to be."
Marie cocked her head at him, noting the pained way he spoke, while Sherlock sighed as he said: "Forgive me, but you are doing yourself a disservice. I'll admit I am not the perfect man Marie should have-"
"I disagree." Marie chimed in absently, and Sherlock went on: "Thank you, but we know it's true - I'm sitting here recovering from 'addiction'. But John."
Sherlock fixed John with a look as he said: ""I have known many people in this world but made few friends, and I can safely say-"
"I cheated on her." John said quietly.
Sherlock stopped, almost freezing in place from shock while Marie blinked and went completely still in utter surprise at John's almost casual but exploding confession. Mary straightened from her place, moving to stand by the desk instead as she stared at John while the two Holmes's remained utterly unable to react let alone speak.
John gestured at Sherlock as he asked almost dryly: "No clever come-back?"
He then turned abruptly to face the ghost of his wife, whom only he could see, as he admitted to her at last: "I cheated on you, Mary."
Both Sherlock and Marie blinked at John's second unexpected action, but they stayed silent, simply watching as John explained in a pained voice: "There was a woman on the bus, and I had a plastic daisy in my hair - I'd been playing with Rosie."
He paused for a moment, lowering his gaze before looking back at Mary seriously as he continued with an effort at remaining neutral: "And this girl just smiled at me. That's all it was; it was a smile."
Marie's eyes flickered between the thin air John was talking to and John himself, while Sherlock fixed his gaze on John as John continued, his voice starting to sound agitated with guilt and self-loathing: "We texted constantly. You wanna know when? Every time you left the room, that's when. When you were feeding our daughter; when you were stopping her from crying – that's when."
John swallowed, his eyes starting to fill with tears, as he said in a low voice: "That's all it was, just texting… But I wanted more."
Both Sherlock and Marie gazed at John, varying levels of pity and solemn understanding in their eyes as John said to a tearful but smiling 'Mary': "And d'you know something? I still do. I'm not the man you thought I was."
He laughed slightly, a hint of bitterness in his voice as he choked: "Even Sherlock bloody Holmes, who everyone declared a sociopath, was better, was faithful when things became strained; stayed true to only one woman, is the perfect husband."
Sherlock lowered his eyes, while John took a deep breath and admitted: "I'm not that guy. I never could be. But that's the point."
He sniffed, fighting back his tears as he bit his lip to keep it from trembling as he whispered brokenly: "That's the whole point."
John's voice cracked as Mary smiled at him, just staring at him with tears in her own eyes, and John said hoarsely but honestly: "Who you thought I was... is the man who I want to be."
The two Holmes's watched silently as John continued to fight tears, and Mary smiled gently at John.
"Well, then..." She murmured with a small laugh. "John Watson..."
John continued to stare at her as she gave him a fond smile, and urged lightly: "Get the hell on with it."
She nodded at him, smiling through her own tearful gaze, before she disappeared from before his sight forever. John lowered his head into his hand as he started to cry, and Sherlock and Marie exchanged quick looks before she moved as Sherlock stood carefully.
Moving slowly, Sherlock walked up to John as the blond man sobbed into his hand, tears streaming down his face and falling to the floor as he at last let loose all the tears that had refused to fall since Mary's death.
"It's okay." Sherlock murmured as he carefully drew John into a hug, embracing his friend and offering the comfort only he could give at the moment.
"It's not okay." John sobbed as he cried with his head bent and resting against Sherlock's shoulder, and Sherlock had to admit: "No."
He lowered his own head as he held John close while the man wept, and he murmured softly: "But it is what it is."
He glanced at Marie over John's shoulder, and she nodded at him to show she agreed he'd done and said the best thing he could. John continued to cry, letting the tears soothe his wounded heart and spirit while his two best friends stayed with him, guarding him and protecting him until he learnt to move on from the pain of the past towards a better tomorrow.
An hour or so later
"So, Molly's going to meet us at this 'cake place'." Sherlock said, his voice twisting and his face scrunching at the last two words.
"Well, it's your birthday. Cake is obligatory." John replied pointedly, as Marie added: "Greg's going to be there, too. He sounded absolutely delighted."
"Probably because he's also finally figured out when Sherlock's birthday is." John mused while they all shrugged on their jackets. "I can't believe even he, a detective from Scotland Yard, didn't know."
"Well, he is an idiot." Sherlock muttered.
"Behave." Marie scolded lightly, and John added: "If you do, you can have cake."
"Oh, well. I suppose a sugar high's some sort of substitute." Sherlock muttered, and John pointed at him as he said warningly: "Sherlock."
Marie chuckled, while Sherlock grinned, and he muttered: "Right then."
John nodded as Sherlock tucked up his coat collar, and the shorter man was just about to walk out when Sherlock said hesitantly: "You know..."
John paused, turning back to Sherlock questioningly, and Sherlock said seriously: "It's not my place to say but... it was just texting."
He looked at John meaningfully, while Sherlock continued: "People text. That's all."
John looked away, while Marie took Sherlock's hand, silently urging him, and Sherlock finished with a deep breath: "It's not a pleasant thought, John, but I have this terrible feeling, from time to time, that we might all just be… human."
John raised a brow as he looked back up, asking: "Even you?"
"No." Sherlock corrected, making John blink in confusion. "Even you."
Sherlock looked at John meaningfully, while John paused and stared back at him for a moment. His eyes flickered down to Marie and then back up to Sherlock as he weighed what Sherlock had just said, while Marie looked at Sherlock proudly. He fidgeted a little under her gaze, but held John's firmly, making her smile even wider.
Marie's eyes flickered to the corner of the room, as John finally said awkwardly: "Cake?"
"Cake." Sherlock nodded, before pausing and saying: "Oh, um..."
Marie's grin widened as Sherlock walked across the room, going to the cabinet right beside the dining table he mostly used as a desk and digging around in the top drawer.
"What?" John asked in surprise, looking between Sherlock and a highly amused Marie. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong..." Marie chuckled, while Sherlock straightened up and turned as he placed his deerstalker on his head.
John burst out laughing, joining in Marie's amusement, while he asked: "Seriously?"
"I'm Sherlock Holmes." Sherlock replied. "I wear the damn hat."
He kicked the drawer closed behind him as he walked out of the flat, taking Marie's hand and placing it on his arm as he walked out the door while calling over his shoulder: "Isn't that right, Mary?"
John paused, startled, while Marie laughed: "Looks like you win, Mary!"
The couple disappeared down the stairs as John turned to stare back into the flat, blinking, before he shook his head. With a small smile, he turned and followed his friends out the door, leaving the empty flat behind.
*A/N If anyone was curious why there's been a random update, I realized I missed a few chapters when updating! I'm surprised it didn't confuse you, but there were gaps in the writing because of it! So, I've corrected my huge error, and uploaded the missing chapters: for those interested, it is the new chapter 17 and chapter 20; and it should make things in the plot clearer. I'm so sorry again!
