Promises Series

Promise of Love - 'Til Kingdom Come

The title of this chapter is "'Til Kingdom Come" by Coldplay.

"Sherlock, I don't think we should do this."

"Then why are you coming with me?" the detective asked, raising an eyebrow.

John sighed, looking at the ceiling. "Because I want to look out for her too, and right now, that means tagging along with you to make sure you don't embarrass her or yourself."

Sherlock grinned. "What could I possibly do that would embarrass her?"

"I don't know, Sherlock. You could sit at the table next to them; you could ask Angelo to spy on them; you could threaten Will."

"Why would I threaten the son of a detective inspector? One who provides me with cases, no less?"

Sherlock grabbed his coat, draped it around his shoulders, and opened the door to their flat.

"Julia!" he called. "What time do you have to be at Angelo's?"

"Twenty minutes."

"It's a ten minute cab ride. Make sure you're ready soon!"

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute!"

Sherlock turned to John, who was frowning at his shoes.

"You're still uncomfortable."

"It's an invasion of privacy, Sherlock. She's supposed to be able to trust us."

"She can trust us. That's why we'll be there if she needs anything."

"She doesn't need our supervision."

"Think of it this way, John: you're not supervising her; you're supervising me!"

"That's almost worse" John mumbled.

"You're overreacting, John. Don't worry so much."

"You're the one who's following her on her first date."

Sherlock's face immediately darkened. He bounded down the stairs, leaving John to wait for their daughter at the top.

Yes, Sherlock was a bit put off that Julia was... dating... now. It made sense, really. He'd only been caring for Julia for around eleven months. Sherlock froze on the curb. Julia hadn't even been living with him for a year, even though it was quite close, and she was already getting ready to leave. Tonight, it was a date; tomorrow, it was university. She'd be gone before Sherlock knew it.

Children grew up, and teenagers left the house; that was the way the world worked, and Sherlock would have to deal with it.

The ride to Angelo's was a short one, as always, but it seemed like an eternity had gone by before they got to the restaurant. Julia had barely said two words, definitely suspicious of both John and Sherlock dropping her off, and John had spent most of the time staring out the window. Sherlock had found it hard not to admire the way the streetlights cast their yellow glow on his partner, illuminating his sandy grey hair, reflecting in his dark blue eyes. Sherlock had only smirked when John caught his gaze in the reflection.

Sherlock and John followed Julia out of the cab, and Sherlock could tell she was starting to piece his plan together.

"You don't have to come in," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I know Angelo. I'll be fine."

"I know you'll be fine," Sherlock replied. "Doesn't stop me from wanting to accompany you inside." He knew John was behind him, and he could imagine what his face looked like. His lips pursed, eyes rolling, arms crossed. It made Sherlock want to smile and kiss that look away. "We have our own plans."