Chapter 12
Disclaimer: I don't own Sherlock or anything.
The room was silent for a few minutes.
"That was... horrendous. How many more tasks do you have to complete?" Harry asked.
"Don't know." John said absent-mindedly. Sherlock and John both had similar expressions: confusion, sadness, relief and fear.
"Oh goodness, I'm so sorry!" Mrs Hudson suddenly blurted out.
Sherlock and John snapped out of their daze and turned to her "What for?" John asked.
"I just remember when you came to look at the flat I may have suggested that you two were... involved." Mrs Hudson said.
"Everyone thought you were together!" Donavon said.
"What?" John and Sherlock said at the same time, looking at everyone in the room. The only people who weren't blushing were the other four Holmes'.
"But, why?" John asked.
"Isn't it obvious John?" Sherlock asked now his brain was moving a bit faster.
"No, Sherlock, no it isn't." John said.
"Well most of the people in here knew me before they knew you and I didn't have any friends, I didn't have anyone I was remotely close to. So I presume to them seeing me being friendly and tolerant of a person led them all to the easiest conclusion- that we were in love." Sherlock explained.
"Oh... but we never hinted at it or showed any displays of affection." John reasoned.
"We are both very private people, John. They wouldn't have expected us to." Sherlock explained.
"But you do have a very platonic relationship." Mycroft said.
Sherlock and John just pouted.
"Well, does anybody want any tea?" Mrs Hudson asked.
Everyong called out how they drank their tea and Mrs Hudson went to the kitchen with Molly to prepare the tea.
Everyone jumped into conversations. Sherlock and John turned to each other.
"Erm... thank you for saving my life." John said.
"You don't need to thank me." Sherlock insisted.
"Sherlock, can I talk to you in private?" John asked.
Sherlock nodded and the two strolled out and into Sherlock's bedroom as it was the closest.
"What's wrong, John?" Sherlock asked.
"I just wanted to say... you're my best friend." John said.
Sherlock stood there.
"I know you don't let people close, I can see that when we are around other people. And as you know I'm not the most trusting people in the world. I know we've been friends for a while; I just wanted to tell you that you're my best friend... and now I guess my brother. And I am really grateful for everything that you have done for me. I was so alone... and I owe you so much." John said and his voice cracked and he looked away.
Sherlock gave John a small smile "You are my best friend too, John. Well, one of my only friends. I do have friends... I mean I do get along with Lestrade and Mrs Hudson okay. But I really do care for you. And you don't owe me anything, John. You've already repaid me. You were one of the first people who showed that they liked me. And you wanted to be with me. You made me feel... loved, I suppose. Sorry, I'm not good on emotions." Sherlock said awkwardly.
"I don't think you give yourself enough credit, Sherlock. I don't think you are a complete sociopath." John said with a chuckle. Sherlock smiled.
"Maybe not." Sherlock agreed.
"So you admit it do you?" John said.
"What?" Sherlock asked.
"You were wrong and I was right." John said with a proud smile.
Sherlock huffed "Well I'm not completely wrong. I was a sociopath!" Sherlock protested.
John chuckled and said "C'mon, let's go and have some tea." John said and the twins made their way back to the living room where everyone was drinking their tea and two mugs lay on the table, which John and Sherlock took and drank with a sigh.
"I love tea." John said as they both sank into one armchair.
"Did you two have a nice chat?" Harry asked sweetly.
"Did you two have a nice chat?" John mocked in an annoying voice.
"Stop it, you two don't start. It is not the time for your silly quarrels!" Rose said.
"She started it!" John shouted.
"No I didn't! I asked a question!" Harry said.
"It's the way you asked!" John shouted.
"You two better stop this or I will send you, John, to your room and you, Harriet, to Sherlock's room." Rose said threateningly.
"You can't do that! We're adults!" John protested.
"I can and I will. Now apologise." Rose said.
The brother and sister crossed their arms and faced pointedly away from each other.
"Goodness me, it's like Christmas dinner with Mycroft and Sherlock." Hamish chuckled.
"Harriet and John, this is verging on ridiculous. Can you two not get along for more than an hour?" Rose asked.
"It isn't my fault. Harry's never liked me." John grumbled.
"That isn't true!" Harry protested.
"Yes it is. You blamed me for everything! Told mum every little bad thing I did and even things I didn't do!" John said.
"That's only because you got all the attention!" Harry shouted.
"What on Earth are you talking about?" John asked.
Harry looked down and then took a deep breath "When you and Sherlock were separated... well, you saw, you didn't take it very well. You wouldn't eat, sleep, barely drank. You refused to even be left for 1 minute in a room on your own! You took over all of mum's time! I obviously understood for a while. And I felt really sorry for you, John, I did. I hated seeing you in so much pain; you were so fragile for weeks. Anything would send you into hours of crying. So for a while I was fine, I helped. But for over a year you didn't much change. And it wasn't fair. Mum tried, she really did. But I needed to have some quality time with the only parent I had left and you wouldn't let us. I was jealous, so I started hoping that if she saw you for your faults... then she'd spend less time with you." Harry finished.
Silence ran through the room.
Mycroft broke it "Sherlock was much the same. But after a few months he let dad out of his sight, as long as I was with him. So it wasn't so bad. And Sherlock was a very independent child in the end." Mycroft explained.
"Yes, Mycroft. I wanted to be independent, but you wouldn't let me do anything. Will you ever just trust me to look after myself?" Sherlock asked.
"No, I don't think I can, given your record." Mycroft said.
"Hey, I'm clean! I have been for years!" Sherlock said.
"STOP THIS! I have had enough. We're a family. We've just been brought back together. Let the past go and start a new chapter in your lives. I'm sorry for what has happened, but we can't change it. And I am very thankful to you two, Mycroft and Harry, for being so reliable and understanding when our lives were getting tough. But it is over now. You are all brothers and sister, a family, start acting like one." Hamish said.
The Holmes children fell silent.
"Sorry, Harry." John mumbled. Harry sighed but smiled in acceptance.
John took another gulp of his tea and sighed.
"Any closer to working out what is going on, Sherlock?" John asked.
Sherlock shook his head "Not enough information." He said.
John nodded in understanding.
"Tea time is over! Are we all sitting comfortably? Good, good! Here we go!" Moriarty said and the screen flicked back on.
Author's note: Hiya! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! Thanks!