If You Love Me, Get Clean

Chapter Sixteen

Two Years Later
2014

We could meet down the line
After all of the time, and give an actual try
'Cause now I'm half of myself here without you
You're the best in my life and I lost you
And we had no control when it fell through
But I miss you

"Sherlock," she breathes. "Sherlock." Alice throws her arms around his neck, hugging him so tightly she was mildly concerned about choking him.

Sherlock chuckles, lifting her off the ground as he steps over the threshold, kicking the front door shut behind him. "Good to see you, too."

She lets him go when her feet are back on the floor, checking him over, noticing his cut lip. "Saw John then."

"Hmm," he touches his nose, wincing. "Got us kicked out of three restaurants."

"Only three?"

He narrows his eyes on her. She beams. She can't help it. He's stood in the hallway of her flat after two years alive.

"What's with the...?" He brushes a finger over his top lip. John's moustache.

"Oh. No idea," she says. "I originally thought it was for Movember, but it's apparently staying. I told him I hate it, it makes him look really old. He thinks Mary likes it, but she doesn't."

Sherlock hums. "He doesn't think that anymore."

Alice decides to leave that line of questioning alone for now, she heard enough from Mary earlier to gather it didn't go too well. "I'll make tea, you sit down–"

"Alice."

"Yes?"

Sherlock swallows, his brain ticking away behind his eyes. "Um. Hello."

She smiles. "Hi."

"Here," he rummages in his coat pocket before pulling out something small, holding it out to her in his palm. "I believe I promised to bring this back."

Alice stares down at the ring in his hand, slowly moving to pick it up. "I thought you'd probably end up losing it."

"Not a chance," he says. "It was all I had of you."

She blinks a few times to force the tears away. "Oh. Well. Thank you," she smiles shakily as she slips it back on her finger. "C'mon, sit down. Tea."

With the tea made both of them settled on the sofa, and Alice is trying her hardest not to think about what happened the last time they were sitting together on this particular piece of furniture.

"You met Mary then."

He frowns at her over the top of his cup. "How do you know?"

Alice rolls her eyes. "She text me. After you interrupted their engagement. Seriously, Sherlock?"

He rocks his head back and forth, not looking remotely regretful of his actions. "In my defence, I didn't know he was going to propose. Thought it'd be funny. Surprise him. Mycroft vetoed my jump out a cake idea."

Alice laughs, her shoulders shaking with it. She'd missed him more than words could say, and having him in front of her now, drinking tea and smiling at her, she can barely contain her joy. "Probably for the best," she bites into her lip. "You told them I knew you were alive."

Sherlock blinks, his lips making a smacking sound as he sets his cup on the table. "Ah. Yes. John asked who else knew and I... I didn't want to lie to him. Perhaps I should have let you tell him–"