Y/N's P.O.V.
"I had, of course, several other backup plans. The trouble is, I couldn't remember what they were." Sherlock frowned slightly.
"And, of course, I hadn't really anticipated that I'd hallucinate meeting his daughter." He took a sip of his tea.
"Still a bit troubled by the daughter. Did seem very real. She gave me information I couldn't have acquired elsewhere."
"But she wasn't ever here?" John asked, glancing at me as I handed him his coffee.
"Interesting, isn't it? I have theorised before that I'd one could attenuate to every available data stream in the world simultaneously, it would be possible to anticipate and deduce almost anything."
"Yes, but Sherlock, you couldn't have attenuated to every data stream in the world, because that's not physically possible." I pointed out and he hummed.
"It is curious." He muttered.
"So... you dreamed up a magic woman who told you things you didn't know?" John asked, glancing behind Sherlock.
"Perhaps the drugs opened certain doors in my mind. I'm intrigued." He took another drink of his tea.
"Oh, we know you are. Which is why we're all taking turns to keep you off the sweeties." John sighed.
"I thought we were just hanging out." Sherlock shrugged and I shook my head.
"Y/N is moving back in here. All her stuff is already upstairs." John sighed, looking at his watch. Sherlock looked at me carefully, before his eyes fell down to his drink.
"I have to go and pick up Rosie from Molly's in 20 minutes."
"Oh, I do think I can last 20 minutes without your supervision. Y/N is here."
"Well, if you're sure." John nodded and I sighed.
"Sorry, it's just- you know, Rosie."
"Yes, of course, Rosie." Sherlock nodded and I glared at John. He needed to stay, he had to stay. He needed to make up with Sherlock.
"We should, uh..." Sherlock hesitated, looking at me.
"Come and see her soon?"
"Yes." John replied, but it sounded forced. John moved towards the door and Sherlock looked like he was going to say something, but I quickly put my cup down, chasing after the doctor.
"Stay." I muttered and he looked at me.
"Please, John. He needs you and you need him."
"Are you okay?" Sherlock asked and John laughed, stepping back into the flat.
"No, I'm not. I'm never gonna be okay." John looked at him.
"We just have to accept that. It is what it is. And what it is, is... shit." There was a pause and John sighed.
"You didn't kill Mary." That statement shocked both of us.
"Mary died saving your life. It was her choice. No one made her do it, no one could ever make her do anything. But the point is, you did not kill her."
"In saving my life she conferred a value on it. It is a currency I do not know how to spend." Sherlock whispered.
"It is what it is." John nodded.
"I'm tomorrow 6 till 10. I'll see you then."
"Looking forward to it." Sherlock raised his cup and I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"John-" I was cut off by a feminine moan and my eyes widened.
"What was that?" John asked, coming back.
"Hmm? What was that?" Sherlock asked and I laughed a little.
"Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you. That noise was... Irene Adler." I looked at Sherlock carefully.
"How did you- You knew her? The Woman?" John didn't even look surprised and I laughed.
"Of course I did. We had dinner... on several occasions." I admitted with a shrug and Sherlock choked on his tea.
"Okay." John nodded, clearly not understanding.
"I'm going to make a deduction."
"Oh, okay. That's good." Sherlock nodded.
"And if my deduction is right, you're going to be honest and tell me, okay?" John moved closer.
"Okay. Though I should mention that it is possible for any given text alert to become randomly attached to-"
"Happy birthday." I smirked as Sherlock's face went blank and he nodded his head.
"Thank you, John. That's very kind of you." Sherlock mumbled.
"Never knew when your birthday was." John muttered.
"Did you?" He asked me and I shook my head, no.
"Well, now you do." Sherlock muttered and the flat fell into an awkward silence.
"She was wrong about me." John sighed suddenly.
"Mary? How so?" Sherlock asked.
"She thought that if you put yourself in harms way, I'd... I'd rescue you, or something." John shook his head. He was feeling guilty about something.
"But I didn't, not until she told me to." He nodded his head towards the table and I looked at the empty space, keeping my eyes there for a moment. I had suspected John was hallucinating Mary from the way he would sometimes stare at nothing, or have conversations with someone that wasn't even there, but I had hoped it wasn't true.
"She taught me to be the man she already thought I was." Sherlock started to say something, but I wasn't really listening.
"I cheated on her... No clever comeback?"
"John..." I looked at my friend, who sighed and turned towards the table.
"I cheated on you, Mary. It was a woman, on the bus, and I had a plastic daisy in my hair, I'd been playing with Rosie." John confronted the hallucination and Sherlock looked at me in disbelief, guilt and hurt on his features.
"And this girl just smiled at me. That's all it was, it was a smile. We texted constantly. You want to 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. That's all it was. Just texting. But I wanted more. And do you know something? I still do. I'm not the man you thought I was. I'm not that guy. I never could be. But that's the point. That's the whole point. Who you thought I was... is the man who I want to be." John sniffled and I looked at Sherlock, nodding towards John. John began to cry and Sherlock got up to hug his friend.
"It's okay." He tried and I frowned.
"It's not okay." John sobbed.
"No, but it is what it is." Sherlock looked at me and I nodded. John calmed down after a short while and I suggested that we go out.
"Out where?" Sherlock pulled a face.
"We're going to get cake." John decided and I nodded, Sherlock sighing dramatically.
"It's your birthday, cake is obligatory."
"Well, I suppose a sugar high is some sort of substitute." Sherlock muttered and I hit his arm.
"Ow, I was joking!"
"You better be." I muttered as he pulled his coat on.
"Molly is gonna meet us with Rosie and she's bringing Redbeard too." John said, looking up from his phone and I smiled a little.
"Right then. I know it's not my place to say, but it was just texting. People text. Even I text, Y/N mostly. 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 laughed a little at that.
"Even you?" He asked.
"No." Sherlock shook his head.
"Even you."
"Cake?" John asked after a moment.
"Cake." Sherlock nodded and we moved to leave, but Sherlock stopped, going back for something.
"What is it?" I asked and John looked at me in confusion. Sherlock turned around suddenly, wearing the deerstalker.
"Really?" I asked, laughing a little.
"Seriously?" John giggled.
"I'm Sherlock Holmes. I wear the damn hat." He smirked, before walking straight down the stairs, snatching my hand as he went.
"Isn't that right, Mary?" John hesitated, before following us downstairs.
