The number of possibilities von Tio (A series of get-together-events between Sherlock and John) ================================================================================ Kapitel 1: The pool. -------------------- When he closed his long arm around the warm body next to him the world stood still. One step by another. He could walk down the alley, slowly looking right and left. Taking his moment to look at the matter hidden behind the door, instead of rushing through the facts breathlessly, chasing the solution. Sherlock Holmes enjoyed that a lot. His eyes closed he took a deep breath and kept on walking through his mind palace. A soft smile on his lips he was walking past a few very particular doors. Memories of the resent past. All connected with 221b Baker Street. And of course, with John. Finally he stood in front of this very special one. Another deep breath and he entered one of his favorite memories. "What are you thinking about?", John mumbled with a sleepy voice and buried his nose in Sherlocks dark curly hair. The detective was surprised for a second. Not so much about the request, but about his dear John to be awake. After all he did that quite often. Asking for the thoughts at this very moment. "Same as usual.", he replied keeping his voice low. "Tell me…", the doctor demanded. "I asked him to come to the pool to play the final round in this game. But I was not prepared for what I met." He started as insecure as always. Until he could almost feel Johns smile next to his ear. His voice steadied and Sherlock went on. "I entered the room and yelled my offer into the silence. I wasn't quite sure what I expected, but I knew I had made a mistake, the moment he stepped out of the shadow. He. Dr. John Watson. There were at least a thousand thoughts in my mind at this very point. -He is more genius than me and tricked me.- was quickly replaced by -I put him in the shooting line.- It was a horrible though to me, that my mistakes now endangered his life. The life of my dearest friend. And there was another thought. A very important one. But it was interrupted by his blinking. SOS" The doctor gave a low giggle. "You noticed that?" "Of course I did." "Go on." "As the situation got worse for the first time in my life I was at a point where I did not know what to do. John kept talking and finally Moriarty himself showed up. Usually I just throw myself into danger, not caring about a possible death. But this time was different. I had to protect someone. And not only did I wish to do so. I wanted to live. For him. With him. This thought left me almost breathless. But not as surprised as the ongoing conversation with Jim. 'I burn you. I will burn… the heart… out of you.' 'I have been reliable informed, that I don't have one.', I answered with a dry mouth forcing myself to not look at John again. 'Well we both not thats not quite sure…' He was right. Not just on the biological level. He knew before I did. He got my weak spot right next to me, covered in explosives. Luckily after a couple of words he left. I waited not even a full second before I put the gun down that I had pointed at Moriarty and ripped the explosive jacket off Johns body. My hands were shaking when I grabbed the gun again and I was mumbling some sort of thank you into the room while pacing up and down the way between John and the door. I hardly managed to look at John who's was shaking as well and leaning against the wall. 'I'm glad nobody saw this.', he started to confess his sorrow about people who might talk. And I? I had to fight the thought of actually ripping the rest of his clothes off his body. At this point I tried to convince myself that that was only the excitement of the moment that threw my mind off the path. But I knew better, the instant those red dots appeared onto Johns chest. 'Sorry, I am so changeable.', the high-pitched voice flew through the room before Moriarty reappeared. I looked down at John when Jim had finished talking. I looked into his eyes with one question. -Would you die by my side?- He nodded and the game went on. Sometimes there are coincidences. Moriartys phone ringing at this very moment was one that saved our lives. And when he finally left the room, taking the snipers with him, I sunk onto my knees next to John. I did not dare to look at him. Not anymore. I was staring blank at the door in front of me and losing myself into the silence. Until his voice saved me. 'Did you mean that?' 'Yes.' I could hear him clearing his throat in his typical manner. 'Well people talk already anyway so…' I still refused to look at him. I was sort of trapped in a loop of thoughts that were new to me. They felt strangely comforting yet I was frightened. 'I-I… I can't follow you…' I heard my own voice and how it was almost breaking away. I felt my eyes burning and finally gave in and turned my head. John was smiling. He looked not frightened nor insecure. 'Thank you, Sherlock.', he said with a voice so soft I could have never imagined to hear from him. He raised his arms and pulled me into a hug. Again total silence filled the room. But this time it reached my mind as well. The world stood still for the first time in my live." Sherlock stopped almost in mid sentence his voice slowly turning into a moan of pleasure. John had hissed a soft kiss behind the detectives ear. "I still remember the look on you face when I first kissed you. Even though I wish I would have done it right there.", he whispered, without lifting his face out of Sherlocks hair. He knew even without seeing, that his partner was blushing. "Have I told you what was on my mind at this very moment?", John went on. "Not that I remember." The doctor was moving his lips very close to his ear and continued whispering. "I thought about how it might feel to take you right there. We were already sort of lying on the floor, not too much clothes on the body. I could still feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I knew sex would feel like heaven." Sherlock was speechless. Every muscle in his body tensed and with a blank mind he was lying next to John. His mouth felt like the desert. And then, surprising himself, he heard his own voice say "tell me". And he knew exactly that the doctor would not just use words to describe the scene, when he gave a short low laughter. "I was holding this precious man in my arms. His body was still slightly shaking from the excitement of a near-death experience. His head was resting on my shoulder and I could bury my nose in his hair. So much was said between us while this Moriarty was talking. The silence between me and Sherlock had told us both a truth, we refused to see until this very moment. I knew I could not go back to normal. I did not want to go back. I decided to take the risk. I straightened my back and looked directly into those clear blue eyes. Just a brief second. There was no chance for him, to back off, but his look told me, he did not wish to get out of this anyway. I put two fingers under his chin, pulled his face towards mine and finally broke the last wall between us. He tasted so sweet so innocent. And he learned surprisingly fast. After only a few movements our lips had found a rhythm and we were actually kissing. Under normal circumstances it would have ended here. But as there was still the excitement of the situation rushing through my body, I could not stop from undressing Sherlock with fast hands. Jacket, shirt, trousers. I did not care for any buttons or zippers. I just knew I wanted that body. I was already moaning into the kiss with pleasure and was relieved when Sherlock did the same. His hands were shaking but at least he tried to get me out of my clothes as well. Our lips parted for the moment and we used the opportunity to catch each others look. There were no doubts at all and we both got rid of the last piece of clothes. I took a moment. My eyes gliding over this marvelous body, my fingers following. He quickly pulled me into another kiss since he was obviously ashamed of his own moaning. I granted him his wish while I followed my own desires. My fingers had left his upper body behind already. When I pushed him down on the floor my right hand was slipping over his thighs and up again. I did not hesitate to put my fingers around his almost hard cock and I surely enjoyed the arousal in his voice as he moaned my name. His breath was as heavy as mine when my fingers let go to make there way further down. I knew I had to prepare him properly since I really did not wish to injure him. It was an amazing picture how his body moved when my first finger slid into him. I gave him some time to get used to it. Thinking back now, I might have rushed things and could have slow down a bit, but I just wanted him so badly." A heavy moaning interrupted Johns little story. Sherlock was already used to one finger. Actually to more than that. But John took his time to tell this little tale and of course he was playing a little with his friend right now. He just teased him a bit, gently striking his perfect ass. But he could tell that Sherlock had a very good imagination. His body was already showing all signs of arousal. But John enjoyed this sight way to much to stop now. "I waited for him to look at me again and as he did so, I nodded at him. He replied and spread his legs a little more. I could see the blush on his cheeks as well as the lust in his eyes. It was something I did not expect to find in Sherlock Holmes. And to be honest, this put even more excitement into the situation. After all Moriarty could return any minute. He had done it once. Nothing told us he would't do it a second time. Sherlock moving against my hand interrupted my thoughts. I took a deep breath. My own desire consumed almost every bit of reason. No wonder I could hear him give a little scream of pain when my second finger slipped into him. I gave him an apologizing look and bend over to kiss him again. Yet it was very fascinating how quick he got used to the feeling and moved his body against mine in excitement. None of us dared to say a single word. And still this one statement was between us now. -Go on already- I let go of the kiss again. I needed to see his face. I drew back my hand and brought myself in position. It was nice to see that Sherlock knew how to move when he sat down on my lap and within a moment I felt my cock pressing gently against his backdoor. We both took a sharp breath when he finally pressed his body down. My arms lay tight around his back, one hand buried in his hair. I hold him like that for a couple of minutes feeling his muscles twitching around me. This very mome-…" John was interrupted by Sherlock. By his lips to be precisely. He moved his head around and just pulled the doctor into a very passionate kiss. John could not help it but grin a little bit. "Take me now!", Sherlock hissed voiceless onto Johns lips. And who was the doctor to not give in to Sherlock Holmes? Kapitel 2: The Taxi ------------------- The Taxi Possibility It has been a rough day for both of them. An apparently interesting case ended up in chasing a simple thief trough the whole city. John was the first to let himself fall onto the small sofa. Taking a deep breath he looked up to Sherlock who was waging the pros and cons of chair and sofa. "Next time you want me to do some exercise lets just go to the gym, okay?", John said with a pinch of reproach in his voice. Sherlock, puzzled by those words, needed a second to understand and both men let out a short laughter. The tall man finally threw himself onto the sofa as well. He put his head down on Johns lap and let his feed hang over the other edge of the small piece of furniture. John took a moment more to take his breath since he could still feel the exhaustion from running through the city. "You know, this reminds me of us, after we solved our first case." "The study in Pink?" "Should have named it something with 'Taxi' but…" "But what?", Sherlock asked looking at his partner wis his clear blue eyes. "Memories." "Tell me…" John smiled in silence for a second. "I'm not sure where to start." "At the beginning?" "Our first cab ride?" "Yeah, when you wanted to kiss me for being so brilliant about your past and your sister. But you got a grip on yourself just in time." "You knew?" "Sort of." John was obviously surprised by this confession of his friend. "You never said a word…" "Well it was just a stupid guess… and I tried to say something at Angelo's. But you seemed embarrassed." "So that was an actual date." "Well." John was shaking his head laughing, while his fingers played gently with Sherlocks hair. "The moment his netbook connected to the phone again I knew." John finally started sharing the memory. "I knew Sherlock Holmes was in danger. All of a sudden my mind worked really fast. The phone had been here. Now it is gone again. With Sherlock. My mind even came to the conclusion that the murder could only be a cabbie." "Oh, you really figured that out?", Sherlock mocked his dear friend. "Yes, I did, and now shut up." "Yes, captain!", he answered grinning. "So…", John cleared his throat again not noticing that Sherlock sensed revenge for what happened last time when they shared memories. "I grabbed the netbook as well as my jacket that still carried the gun and rushed out of 221b Backer Street to catch a taxi myself. I was trying to call Lestrade and tell him while I guided the driver. I had trouble to focus since this strange feeling came up again. I could get rid of it earlier. Yesterday to be precise. When we drove to that crime scene and I had trouble to force back the urge of kissing that man right there. There was no urge to kiss him, when I followed the track shown on the screen but the fear to loose something very precious. I haven't had this feeling for a long time and somehow I started to enjoy it. Seconds seemed like minutes and minutes like hours but eventually we arrived at the deserted school. I jumped out of the car and into the building that was closer to the parking taxi. I did not know that I had entered the wrong house but in the end it did not matter. My steps flew as I hastened through the empty floors. When I finally saw them I had to find myself in the wrong part of the school. I did not hesitate a second. I pulled my gun, opened the window and took an aim at the old man. There was one thought in my head and one thought only. I did not let this psychopath take this treasure away from me. My hand did not shake a bit when I pulled the trigger. I did not watch the man fall. I got out of sight and cleared the area. Then I hid myself until the police finally arrived. Even though everything within me screamed to go and secure what was mine. What I wanted to be mine. When my eyes finally spotted him I had trouble not to smile like a senile idiot. This was a crime scene after all. I enjoyed watching him talk to Lestrade, fighting agains my impatience. My heart made a little leap when he looked at me and finally rose out of his sitting position to approach me. "Oh, what, now? I'm in shock! Look, I've got a blanket.", I heard him say and leave the puzzled DI behind. I gave a short laughter but straightened myself before Sherlock reached me. We left the crime scene slowly while talking things over. Of course he knew that I was the one who saved him. But somehow it made things easier between us. Almost giggling we left the place, using the shock to apologize for our inappropriate behavior. Since he was by my side again I should have been calm and relaxed but for some reason I was nervous. And the fact that his archenemy is no other then his brother, who is pretty cute himself, did not change a thi-… ouch.. stop that, Sherlock!" John was laughing a bit. Every now and then he had to tease Sherlock a bit with his brother. And he took the light beating in the stomach and the angry look with honor. "Don' speak of my brother like that." "Jealous?" "Pah…" The doctor was laughing even more and finishing his story with just a few more sentences. "Even when we were sitting in a car on our way back into the city I did not calm down. I was to excited. Excited about the fact that I had found myself something… someone to fight for again." There was a moment of silence. "That's it?" Sherlock looked up in a bit of disappointment. The response was just a short nod. "It's almost ordinary and boring… I thought you and I had the same thought at this moment." "Really? Well, we were on our way to dinner, remember?" "Yes, I asked you, even though I was not hungry." "Why did you ask then?" "Same reason as always." The doctor smiled gently. The detective surely had a strange way to say -I like you- "Then what was on your mind, that night in the taxi." It was Sherlock now who gave an almost mysterious laughter. "You really wish to know?" "Yes, of course." "Let me show you… imagine this sofa is the seat." Before John realized what Sherlock was up to, the other man sat right next to him leaning towards the imaginary window. "A grin was on both of your faces as the car took off into the city. We were full of excitement and still I felt rather light. I clearly enjoyed the company of this man and I had already decided that I would not let him go again. I looked at his cheeks that were blushing with excitement when he looked at me. He might not be brave enough to say it out loud, but he could clearly not hide the signs. I decided to go for it right now. I am not a man for waiting anyway, the shot he took to save me said more than enough. My arm slid over the backrest until I could place my hand on his left shoulder. His eyes widened when he realized that I was approaching him. But there was no way back. Our lips met with a bit to much force and I backed off an inch again. That was more difficult than I expected. Lucky me he helped me out and placed his lips softly onto mine. Again my body was hit with full adrenalin. This was quite something for me. A new adventure unlike everything I have ever done before. Even though our lips were dry I felt heat rushing trough my body. Intuitively my tongue slipped over my lips. Until that point I did not know that this was a common way to go further. No wonder I was surprised when Johns tongue met mine and finally forced me to slightly open my mouth. I then slowly closed my eyes and started to focus on every movement, every taste. It was John now who was bending over me more and more. With the kiss becoming more passionate I felt my own desire growing in my groin. When he pressed his thigh between my legs I gave a moan of pleasure into the kiss that surprised myself again. I did not expect myself to be able to feel that way and I did not know how to handle this situation. I had to admit my action was poorly reasoned. But John helped me out again. His hand was oping my trousers with just one movement and disappeared immediately into my shorts. He covered another of my moans with his lips while he slowly closed his fingers around my erection. I lost myself in this situation and let him have control over me. Even when he put one finger on my lips to tell me to be quiet. I suppressed a shout of surprise when his head disappeared from my sight. I had to bit my own hand because of his next action. His wet lips were closing around my cock now without hesitating. I did not dare to touch him. I couldn't if I wanted to. I lost every control over my body when I felt his tongue mov-" "Stop!", Johns said his voice breaking away. Sherlock grinned widely. The cheeks of his partner were as red as his own. Blushing with arousal as they sat already there embracing each other tightly. "But-" John left him no choice to object. He pulled the detective in a kiss full of desire losing no time at all. "Only a blow job?", he then asked whispering. "Well, there is not really more time on a cab ride, is there?" John raised one eyebrow. "We have plenty of time now.", his lips said voiceless before they were placed just underneath Sherlocks ear. No further conversation went on since the two man were already all over themselves, just giving in to the pleasure. Kapitel 3: Th possible Thread - The Woman ----------------------------------------- A possible threat - The Woman It has been a very long day for Dr. John Watson. The early spring sun had fooled a lot of people out of their warm clothes and now they had to handle a rather big wave of people catching the flu. It was just natural that he went straight into the bathroom to take a shower after he entered the flat. He was way to exhausted to think that maybe Sherlock would be offended by him not saying hello or even hurt because he did not receive his usual kiss. A sigh escaped his lips, when the water finally turned hot and the sound together with the falling drops muffled the low speak of the door that was just opened. John had closed his eyes and was enjoying how muscle by muscle relaxed under the warm stream. The shadow beside the shower curtain left unnoticed. It was when a splash of cold air hit his back, when he opened his eyes again. But it was to late by this time. To long strong arms were already wrapping themselves around his tired body. And soft lips were pressed against his neck. For a second he tensed and was ready to defend but the movement behind him was more than just familiar. The doctor closed his eyes again and leaned a little back. A smile slowly forming on his lips. "You mad at me?", the low deep voice asked against the skin of Johns neck. He shivered under the vibration of his friends voice. "Why should I?" "You did not say hi… didn't even notice I was standing in the door waiting." "I am sorry my love. The work…" It was until now that John realized how much he had been back into his old habits after the last couple of working days. Most of all, it hit his mind what date it was today. "You forgot…me… over your work… should I be jealous?" Indeed Sherlock Holmes was hurt. The men without sentiments, without a heart, according to his own words, was truly hurt by the behavior of his boyfriend. Yet it did not came to his mind first, that John was simply to busy. After all they went through he was implying that the fault was his. Consequences of his behavior all along. But this time he was wrong. John felt another kiss on his neck and gave a low moan of relieve. "Please don't be angry… I'll make up for it.", he whispered while Sherlocks hands were slowly stroking his upper body. "But I decide how." "Of course." "Tell me a story." John chuckled a bit, leaning even more against his friend who stood behind him. "Why all the sentiment all of a sudden?", John asked slightly curious. "Maybe I tell you later. Now start." "Give me a second…" Sherlocks hands were still wandering over shoulders and breast and made it hard for John to concentrate on any thought. Jealous. There it was. A grin appeared on Johns lips. "I am waiting.", Sherlock said letting his hands rest on Johns belly. The sound of the water filled the room for a moment before John cleared his throat. "It was quite a nice start into our knew adventure. A brief meeting at the palace and I even had the pleasure to hit him. In the face. I have to admit it was a little hard at first to overcome the doubt. But after that my first flew quite easily into his face. And god, it was a relief. I could have gone on a little longer but in the end I was glad he finished it, because I might have dragged him into the next bedroom. I had not told him, but since the last meeting with Moriarty I was more than just sure about my feelings for Sherlock. But all that, it seemed, did not matter at all. As I entered the living room where he was already chatting with Irene Adler I almost dropped the bowl. She was naked. A hundred thoughts hit me at the same time. All in all I was unbelievable jealous. He was in that room with a naked woman. Alone. Calm as he could be and yet he seemed more confused than any time before. Fortunately some action quickly distracted my mind and eventually we got out of that house alive. Even though Sherlock was heavily sedated. I still managed to get him back to Baker Street and into his bed. I have to admit I was a little happy I could pull the blanket over his slim body and press a soft kiss onto his forehead without him biting me with teeth or a sarcastic comment. But this piece of peace did not last very long. Not for me. She might have disappeared but the constant messages he received from her made me angry. I caught myself a couple of times cursing this woman as for the wicked game she was playing with him. She even managed to ruin christmas. I was yet with a woman myself since I could not stand being alone while his heart had chosen someone else." A chuckling Sherlock interrupted the story and John received another kiss on his neck. One that was a little longer and he even thought he felt the slight touch of his tongue. He shivered a bit smiling and just enjoying until Sherlock insisted on him to go on a little further. John took another breath. He could feel the whole body of Sherlock pressing against his back now and there was a lot of arousal dwelling within him. He did not know how long he would be able to resist his own lust at all. But on the other hand he knew how much Sherlock loved to listen to his stories since it somehow closed the doors of the busy part of his mind palace and gave him a chance to rest. "I dumped her the very night. I knew Sherlock would need me now. The Woman dead. I was a little happy, I have to admit. But just until I saw his eyes. I could not help him. I was of no need for him in this matter. And that hurt. I buried myself in work and distraction for a couple of days. I could not bear to see him suffer. She came back eventually and things improved. For him. Not so much for me for I was suffering without anyone knowing. But it was good to see him back to normal in the end. And I knew I would overcome my own grief." The room was filled again only by the sound of the shower. A couple of minutes passed and both men stood still. "I don't like your ending.", Sherlock said sounding a bit insulted. "But it is what actually happened." "Let me tell you, how it was supposed to end." "If you insist." "I do." Sherlocks hands slid a little down and were now resting on Johns hipbones. What caused the doctor to gave a short -ohgod- and lean his head back until it rested on the detectives shoulder. "Finally the distraction was over. I saved the woman from being decapitated a couple of weeks ago and knew she was now even safe before my brothers eyes." "What?" John wanted to turn around in surprise but Sherlocks grip on his hip was strong and so he resigned and kept on listening. "Of course I had recognized the pain in Johns eyes every time I talked about her or received a text. All of a sudden he had a subject on which he was not only looking but he was actually observing. He even took count on her messages and I felt very flattered by his attention. But I could not calm him down nor could I take care of him until I settled the case about the woman. It would not have been fair to him not to dedicate my whole mind to him. I took the phone and stored it away, listening carefully to the noise of Johns steps. He was gone a couple of minutes before I decided to follow him and settle the matter right now. Halfway down the stairs I figured I had no idea of what to say. My mind refused to work fast on this particular matter and so it happened that I was still standing on the stairs when John came back. 'Are you alright Sherlock' 'Uhm… yeah I… what about you?' He raised a brow and looked at me closely and I was sure he could read me as good as I usually read people. Since I was still stuck in this dark part of my mind palace that was labeled 'John', he started to climb the stairs slowly approaching me. He nodded and looked aside. 'Just… umm… you know worried about you.' 'I can tell.' My answer hit him with surprise so did my action as I stepped down two steps to stand directly in front of him. 'Look Sherlock, I know you don't need someone to baby you and-' 'Shut up John!', I said with a wide grin. He looked at me as confused as he could be while I all of a sudden knew exactly what to do. I put both hands on his shoulder and waited until he had finished to look right and left in confusion and back into my eyes. I pulled him up one more step. Without my hands holding him, he would have fallen down now, but I did not plan on letting go of him. 'What are you..', he started voiceless and tried to clear his throat again. 'Apologize for the past few month.', I whispered bringing my head on one high with his. Our lips were not touching yet, but I could feel a very strange sensation running down my inner body while the blood seemed to store itself up in my cheeks. 'Apo-… you…' He did not know what to say and still was afraid of what lay before him talking from the expression on his face. His eyes were telling a different story. They were almost challenging me. So I put one hand in his neck." Sherlock let one hand slip further down with this words. "I looked deep into his eyes." John moaned as the second hand slipped down as well. "And I placed my lips softly onto his." The long fingers were now closing gently around Johns shaft. "He responded immediately and the kiss soon became very passionate." Sherlocks voice was only a whisper into Johns ear now as he started to stroke the man in front of him gently. He listened carefully to Johns moaning stopping only to add a couple of sentences. "As his tongue met mine…" One more stroke. "… I felt something rushing through my body that came close to lightning. His hands were taking over…" Another firm stroke and John holding his breath. "… pushing me back upstairs. The flash that lighted up the dark section in my mind palace was almost blinding me, as I closed my eyes and gave in…" A small motion of Johns hips. "… Gave in to him. To his lead, his game about trust and sentiments that are in some ways more adventurous than crimes." This confession was to much for the doctor to bear. The strokes had stopped but the long slim fingers were still closed around his now rock-hard cock. He pulled up his arm, turned a bit and finally forced Sherlock into a kiss full of lust. There was no more room for the detective as John pushed him against the wall, pressing his whole body against his friend. Only a short grin told the doctor that that was exactly how Sherlock wanted him to make up for him paying more attention to his work than to Sherlock Holmes. And by god, there was nothing else John wanted to do right now, but put his hands on Sherlocks buttocks and force him to what ever came to his mind, that they could do in the shower. Kapitel 4: The Baskerville Possibility -------------------------------------- The Baskerville Possibility It was springtime and that always means: it's time to clean the flat. Sherlock was complaining. He did not see why it was necessary to go through all their stuff and sort things into 'keep', 'store' and 'garbage'. It took John a couple of hours to explain and when he finally compared it with Sherlocks mind palace, he could move his partner to participate in cleaning. They had done half of the sitting room, when John found a sketch. Smiling at it he sat down in his chair, eyes and mind far away for a moment. Minutes passed before he realized, that Sherlock was heavily complaining about him sitting down. "Relax, love.", he said and put the sketch into the box labeled 'store'. "What is that? Why are you smiling like that?" "Just a memory." Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "There is no such thing as JUST a memory.", he said placing himself onto Johns lap. The doctor gave a short groan since he could feel every bone of Sherlock on his thighs. But the smile did not vanish. "You know I can be a lot heavier if you don't tell me.", the detective said, sounding almost like a sulky child. "Really…?" John gave a sigh and looked at his friend rather annoyed than embarrassed. He slowly put his arms around the tall man and looked into his sky clear eyes. "Please?", he said not sure about how to punctuate the word. But his look was quite clear to the doctor who was not able to resist. He placed a short kiss on the soft lips before him. "Fine, you won… again.", he mumbled and looked into a very pleased face. He rolled his eyes, while his hand fished for the sketch again. Sherlock was a little puzzled by the look of it. "A wolf?" "Nope. A hound." "Ohhh…. Baskerville!" "Yes, Baskerville." "That was what you remembered?" "Yes." "Anything I should know?", the detective asked in a low voice. He had found a very comfortable position now, where he was rolled up like a cat in Johns arms, his head resting on the doctors shoulder. "Well… I am not quite sure." "No way out now, tell me!", Sherlock insisted. "It's more a confession then… I guess." "Even more interesting." John took a deep breath. For a second he thought about asking Sherlock to go first. It was his turn to share a memory after all. But maybe this one was special. "Promise you won't be mad." "Why should I?" "Just do so." "Ok, I promise." One hand slid into the dark curls while the other rested warm on Sherlocks back just inches over his bun. Another deep breath. The smell of his friend was calming and a smile came back to Johns lips. "I did not see a hound or a dog back in the laboratories. I did not hear the heavy breathing of a monster. I heard and saw something else." "What?" The smile got a bit wider. "Baskerville was not a mystery to me. I had been in the army, I knew their ways. Shortly after we gathered the first pieces of data, I was sure we had to handle a hallucinogen." "No way!", Sherlock almost shouted and rose a little out of his position. "I told you, it's more a confession. I can stop now if you get angry… or…" "No… no… I promised. Go on.", Sherlock said, a little confused and leaned against his dear friend again. "I even realized that Sherlock figured out it has to be the sugar. I nevertheless drank the coffee. A rather stupid thing to do, but I already knew at this point. I knew my feelings and there was no way I could fight them. So I volunteered as a lab rat." John made a short break. But the breathing of his friend was calm again. He was listening, eyes half open and giving in to the guidance through old memories by John. "Yet, when the fog hit me and the substance started to take effect, I did not see a big gigantic hound. Nor did I hear it. There was only Sherlock and his heavy breathing. Sherlock crawling through the lab, badly injured and breathing his last breath before death. And I? I was unable to help him. I was so scared of the pure sight of his wounded body, that I had to hide. I never felt so much relieve as in this particular moment. The moment he drew the curtain back and looked at me with curios eyes. All alive and vital. I almost cried and it took my quite some strength to not throw myself into his arms. Instead I yelled at him and told him, what he wanted to hear. I almost broke my own heart with that. While I lived through my own fear I was very close to tell him. Just kneel before him and tell him how I feel. Just say: I love you." A low sob interrupted the doctor and he looked at Sherlock in surprise. Tears in his eyes the tall man pressed his face against Johns shoulder trying to get a hold on himself again. A gentle smile appeared on Johns lips and his fingers stroke the back of Sherlocks head with slow movements. "Go on please…", Sherlock whispered voiceless, not lifting his face a bit. "The ne-" "No stop!" John was a little puzzled when Sherlock interrupted him again all of a sudden. The detective slowly lifted his head and looked directly into Johns eyes. A shiver went down his spine, but he did return the look. Minutes passed, but John knew exactly what was about to happen and he knew every second, minute or even hour was worth it. He would wait a day for that exact situation. "I love you, too.", Sherlock finally said in a low voice but without breaking the look. Tears appeared in Johns eyes immediately and he pressed a kiss onto Sherlocks lips. It was only the third time that he had said this, replied those three words. And it meant a lot to John. Usually their story telling went on, until both men were aroused by a new version of events. But this time was different. Since this was real. This very bit of memory was real and still new to Sherlock. It was a very special moment for John, who wanted to confess this a long time ago, but never got down to it. Their lips parted again and Sherlock leaned his forehead against Johns, his eyes still closed. "Thank you, John.", he whispered in a warm voice. "Thank you for everything." Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)