John the Hedgehog

John opened the door to 221B. Mrs. Hudson appeared at the door to her flat. She was drying her hands on her dish towel.

"Oh. Hello, John."

"Hello, Mrs. Hudson."

"Coming to see Sherlock?"

"Yes."

"Good. You two finally made up then."

"Yes. We did."

"Oh, good. I'm glad," she said with a smile.

They both stood there for a moment. Once it began to get awkward, John gave her a small wave and popped upstairs to see Sherlock. He stopped just outside the door and heard Sherlock cooing at someone. John opened the door and began to take a step into the room. Sherlock yelled at him, stretched out his hands toward John and launched out of his armchair.

"John! Don't put your foot down!"

Watson looked down to find some furry little critter under his foot. He set his foot down away from the tiny creature and picked it up. It was a hedgehog. He looked at the cute little thing and then looked at Sherlock.

"New client," he asked slightly amused.

"No. New pet."

"Pet? Since when do you keep a pet, Sherlock?"

"Since about an hour ago. Now give me back John."

"Give me back John? Don't you mean give him back, John?"

"No. I mean give John back to me, John."

With an quaint smile on his face Watson said, "You have a pet hedgehog and you named him John?"

"Yes. I named it John. John Watson."

"Sherlock, are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"It's just... you with a pet that you named after me. Do you really think I'm your pet? Or that I look like a hedgehog for that matter?"

"Well, you are not my pet but you do kind of look like a hedgehog," he said with a snort.

Mrs. Hudson walked into the room with a tea tray. "Well, I think Sherlock is right. You do look a bit like a hedgehog, John. They are cute little creatures."

She patted John the Hedgehog and smiled at Watson, leaving the room. Sherlock smiled at her and closed the door as she went back downstairs. He turned around and gingerly took J.W.H. from John. he went and sat back down in his armchair putting the hedgehog in his lap. J.W.H. curled up into a small ball of spikey fur. Sherlock lightly petted it as Watson looked on, confused. Sherlock looked up at John.

"What?"

John shook his head and said, "I just realized that no matter how long I know you, I'll never understand you."

"You weren't meant to understand me John. But you know me better than most."

"Exactly. Which is why I can't figure out why you have a bloody hedgehog," he said with a laugh. Sherlock laughed too.

"You really need to give him a different name."

"Why? It's certainly better than talking to your 'John Replacement' balloon."

"You hardly ever noticed it was there," John exclaimed rather exasperated.

"Well, at least J.W.H. can actually listen to me."

"J.W.H.?"

"So I know who's who when you are both in the room."

John sat down in his easy chair across from sherlock. He laughed again and Sherlock's face broke into its quirky grin as he put J.W.H. back in it's hedgehog house.