Chapter 11

After the previous day's events, there was a change in Erika. It was clear she was still in a deep state of mourning but she was trying to appear normal. When John awoke that morning, he came downstairs to find her cleaning the kitchen. He stood stunned for a moment before Erika noticed him.

"Good morning, Dr Watson."

"Morning," he answered tentatively. "Umm…what are you doing?"

"My share," she said with a smile. She turned away from him and directed her attention to the stove. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Uh…sure." And with that said, she placed a plate of eggs on the table in front of him along with a cup of tea. He thanked her and started to eat. She sat down across from him and he noticed she had nothing in front of her.

"Aren't you eating?" She smiled.

"I will, just after you've finished. Old habit."

"What do you mean?"

"My family were a little…eccentric. When I was a kid my Dad would always eat first, then my Mum, then me; a sort of pecking order. I guess it stuck."

"Hmm." This was the only reacting John could think of so he continued to eat and she merely sat there, watching him silently. Then a thought crossed his mind and he stopped, looking up at Erika.

"Look," he started, and she gave him her attention. "About when I last saw you. I'm sorry. I should have listened to you and I definitely shouldn't have-"

"It's okay," she said, cutting him off. She reached across the table and laid her hand on his. "I would have been angry too."

"I know, but that's no excuse for…what I did."

She smiled at him softly. "It's okay. It's not your fault. You just found out I used to work for the man who kill your friend. You had more restraint than I would have done."

He let a smile cross his lips before another thought occurred to him. "Does Sherlock…?"

"Yes," she said, looking away. "He knows. He found out fifteen minutes after you did."

"Oh," John said, his mind going blank. Erika let out a laugh at seeing his expression.

"Don't worry, John. He would have found out eventually, I'm just glad it was from me. And if anyone should be apologising, it should be me."

"What for?"

"For lying to you for so long! I told him every day to go and see you. To tell you he was alive but he wouldn't do it. He was so scared you'd get hurt."

She looked down at the table before raising her eyes back at the army doctor. "How about we both forgive and forget?"

"Agreed," she answered. They both laughed at the absurdity of the agreement and it was like this that Sherlock found the pair when he woke up. He looked between them and raised an eyebrow. They looked at him and laughed again. Erika stood and cleared away John's empty plates. Sherlock took her space in her absence. She then placed Sherlock's breakfast in front of him and another cup of tea before John. Sherlock looked up at her quizzically.

"You took care of me for a long time Sherlock, and now I'm paying back my debt. Also," she said, leaning in dangerously close to him. "If you don't eat it, I'll force it down your throat."

Sherlock looked up at her with an unimpressed look. She raised an eyebrow, challenging him. After glaring at each other for a while, Sherlock took a bite. She smiled and walked back into the kitchen, washing up the dishes. John looked at Sherlock, amazed to see the power that Erika clearly held over him. Sherlock glared at him, indicating that he should drop the thought and he smirked widely.

After Sherlock finished, Erika took his plate and made herself some toast. She brought it, along with a mug off coffee, to the table but discovered that both seats were occupied. Without batting an eyelash, she placed her food on the table in front of Sherlock and sat on his lap. John choked on a sip of his tea and the couple looked at him, amused.

"Problem?" Sherlock said casually. John coughed before answering.

"No. No problem." Erika giggled a little and took a bite of her toast, focusing herself on her breakfast. Sherlock continued to watch John, amused by his reactions to the situation. Stunned, John just sipped his tea and watched the couple.

When Erika finished her breakfast, she made to get up but found two arms wrapped around her waist, stopping her. She let out a gasp of protest before trying to get up again. John watched the pair struggle, amused.

"Don't get up, you're warm."

"I need to clean up, Sherlock."

"In a minute." And with this he buried his face in her neck, on the side without bite marks. She smiled and leant back into him. Sherlock simply nuzzled into her, his nose rubbing against the skin there, and she let out a short sigh. They both seemed a little lost in the moment until John cleared his throat loudly. Erika looked at him and Sherlock lazily looked up, smirking at his friend. "Yes?"

"I'd say get a room but that would be useless."

"Indeed it would," Sherlock said, smirking widely. "However, you've had your girlfriends around often enough and I don't complain."

"All you do complain."

"Well not much," he said and Erika smirked. "The point is why aren't I entitled to the same thing?"

"You are," John answered simply. "But I don't make out in front of you and I'd appreciate it if you didn't either."

"We weren't making out," Erika piped up. "We were only hugging. This would be making out."

And without warning she kissed Sherlock deeply. He froze for a second before reciprocating. They kissed for a minute before pulling apart. They both looked at John who appeared to be in a sort of state of shock. They laughed.

"What's the matter John? Cat got your tongue?" John made to form an insult but it stopped in his throat. He was amazed to see his friend, who by his own mind was a sociopath, be so openly intimate with someone else. To say he was astonished would be understating it.

Erika raised an eyebrow before standing up, Sherlock releasing her, and taking her dishes to the sink. As she washed them up, John and Sherlock looked at each other across the table. John finally managed to express some emotion but unfortunately it was that of a schoolboy. He smirked at Sherlock wickedly. Sherlock reacted by rolling his eyes and returning his attention to the newspaper in front of him.

When Erika was done, she moved back so she was standing beside John. "I apologise for that, I just couldn't resist."

Then she leant down and kissed him on the cheek, and hugged him. He knew this was for the conversation they'd had previously as well so he hugged her back. When they pulled apart, Erika looked at Sherlock and laughed. His face was slightly glaring.

"Jealous?"

"Hardly," he said, turning away. She pouted.

"Come on now. Don't be like that. We're friends."

"I'm not jealous." The second those words were out of his mouth she pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. He tried to deepen it and she pulled away, laughing.

"Liar."