Thanks to AGirloftheSouth for looking this over. :D

I do not own, nor do I profit from.

A few days earlier

Sherlock had left for Russia the afternoon before. It seemed Mycroft had decided to collect on a favour. John wasn't exactly sure what he had done for his younger brother but Sherlock had left with little complaint. Work had prevented him from going as well, but a promise of three days off upon his lover's return had seemed to pacify the consulting detective. The texts John had received in the last few hours lead the doctor to believe it would probably be four days, at the most, before the case was solved.

The sound of the doorbell drew John out of his thoughts. Knowing Mrs. Hudson had left to do some shopping just after lunch, he went downstairs and opened their front door. DI Lestrade stood just outside and flashed his friend a grin as he followed John up.

"Hello John, how are you doing by yourself? Enjoying the peace for once?" Greg chuckled as the two men sat down on the sofa. "You must feel like you're on holiday"

"Oh, I've managed to keep busy so far. Spent the morning cleaning the place up a bit and I've got a shift at work in less than two hours. Plus, he's texted me at least thirty times since he left so I haven't been able to really miss him yet. Sorry, would you like some tea?" John moved to stand but was stopped by Lestrade's hand on his shoulder.

"No tea, thanks. I just stopped by to drop off some papers for a cold case Sherlock's looking into for me. Turns out they were misfiled so it took a bit longer, wanted to drop them by while I had the chance."

"Right, not a problem, I'll make sure he gets them once he gets back."

John placed the folder on their shared desk and turned back to Lestrade. The humour once filling the DI's face had been replaced with an uneasy expression.

"Actually John, I didn't just come here because of the papers. There's something I need to talk to you about. Well, about you and Sherlock really."

John couldn't help but tense and it was not missed by Greg. Everyone knew John was a private person, especially when it came to his romance with his flatmate.

"I'm not here asking for information, and I definitely don't want to know anything about your sex life." Lestrade rolled his eyes as the left corner of his mouth lifted.

John chuckled then took a deep breath. "Okay, you don't want to ask questions about my relationship with Sherlock but you do want to talk about me and Sherlock."

"It's no secret to anyone who knows the both of you that it's serious. I mean, honestly, the two of you act like you've been married for years and I can't imagine anyone else being able to put up with Sherlock the way you do. Though I'm sure it isn't always easy for him either if we're being honest."

John smirked.

"I know the two of you have been talking about getting married sometime in the future. Making it all legal and everything; can't say it's a surprise to many of us."

John watched as the middle finger on his friend's right hand started tapping against his knee. Playing poker with the inspector had given John the chance to learn there was a reason the man never went undercover. After some study, John knew that a rub against his left eye brow meant he was bluffing. A hand rubbing the back of the neck meant he had nothing and a middle finger tapping a knee meant Greg was nervous. And seeing it right then began to make John nervous.

"Okay, I know you well enough to know when you don't like what you're about to say. So what do you really want to tell me?"

John's expression would have made Sherlock smile if the man had been there to see it. When faced with 'Captain Watson' it was nearly impossible for anyone to deny him. Sherlock himself had tried and failed miserably.

Lestrade took a deep breath. "All right, you know there are times Mycroft gets in touch with me. When it suits him he sends a car around and we meet for tea and discuss Sherlock. Apparently, today Mycroft decided it would be a good idea for the both of us to chat. Before I left, I was given a task he found unpleasant. One he didn't want to do himself. Just my luck."

John quickly ran through any problem areas Mycroft might be worried about. Their home life? Yes, things had been rather quiet lately, but surprisingly, Sherlock had managed to keep busy. With his 'necessary' experiments and the cold cases Lestrade had been giving him 221B had been a relatively safe place. Well, the experiments carried their own level of danger at times, but John and Mrs. Hudson were so used to them they barely noticed anymore.

Their safety? A few of the cases had ended in the chasing down of a suspect or two but nothing dangerous. And while there had been some bumps and bruises along the way it wasn't anything both men weren't accustomed to.

Their relationship? John knew he had Mycroft's blessing. It had been hard won but he had always believed that nothing of great importance came easily. Yes, the brotherly talk had been unpleasant but John understood. He had even thanked John for being brave enough to take on such a challenge as his little brother. John also knew Mummy approved of him and now had her heart set on a summer wedding. So everything should be fine in that area too.

"Look John, the reason Mycroft asked me to come here was to give you a bit of a warning. A heads up I guess you could say."

Confusion filled John's face as he listened.

"It seems Sherlock went to visit his brother yesterday morning and had some wedding bands with him. I guess he was pretty chuffed about what he had chosen and couldn't wait to show someone. Since Mycroft's club was closest he went there."

John failed to see why he would need warning about Sherlock purchasing wedding bands. John had no interest in wandering through a jewellers and his partner was aware of John's likes and dislikes.

Lestrade continued on. "Well, Mycroft was pretty surprised with what he was shown. Seems Sherlock had each of the gold rings engraved on the outside. Said he wanted everyone to see. He had the medical symbol put on for you and a magnifying glass for him set on either side of a rose quartz meant to symbolize your love. I guess Mycroft was a bit thrown and didn't have a chance to really take it all in before Sherlock tore out of the club."

John tried not to laugh but, giving in to the need, he started patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Tell me Greg, exactly how long have you been thinking this little story up? Can you imagine if Sherlock had actually gone through with such a thing? It would really be something to see, bloody terrifying." He glanced over at Lestrade's face.

"John, I promise you this is not a joke. I'm your friend, your mate. I would hope that if I was going to play a prank on you I'd make it a helluva lot better than what I just shared with you. I'm not joking; I just finished having tea with Mycroft no more than an hour ago. Then, I went and got the files for Sherlock and came right here. That is the God's honest truth."

Seeing the earnest expression staring back at him, John felt a moment of self doubt, a fleeting moment, before a smile was firmly back on his face.

"Thanks again for the laugh and I will make sure those papers get to Sherlock when he comes back in a few days."

Lestrade shook his head in defeat as he stood. "I told him you wouldn't believe me. Told him it was better if it came from him. But you know how stubborn the Holmes men are. Look, I'd better be getting back. Lots of paper work to finish before the day is over."

The two men shook hands and Lestrade made his way to the stairs. Just before closing the door he glanced back. "Look, if you do find you need to talk to someone in the near future, give me a call. Okay? We'll go out for a pint if you need to escape."

Before John could answer, the door closed and he heard footsteps descending. Looking at the clock John realised he needed to get ready for work quickly if he didn't want to be late.