Only Yours

18

TWOYEARSLATER

Sherlock's P.O.V

'Sherlock!' ah. John's home.

He hangs up his coat and comes and stands next to me. I am lying on the sofa with William next to me. Both of us have our eyes closed. I am not sure how long we have been here, but I would guess at least an hour.

'Where's Jonty?' I open my eyes and look around the living room. Nothing. 'Jonathan!'

A sandy head pops up from behind the boys' bedroom door. 'Yes, Daddy?' I ignore him, turning to John. 'There he is.' John sighs and shakes William, who opens his eyes and sighs. 'I was in my mind mansion, Papa!'

His mind mansion. How adorable.

'Will, don't talk to me like that. Now go and get dressed. Tell Jonty to do the same.' William raises an eyebrow and John sighs. 'Please.'

Excellent. Using John's obsession with manners against him.

I watch as William weaves his way through the junk littering the hall ways and runs into their bedroom. 'He's an excellent child. As is Jonathan.'

John answers by grabbing the back of my head and pulling. Not softly either. 'Ow! What was that for?'

'Sherlock, what day is it today?' stupid question. How am I meant to know? 'Um...the twentieth?'

John rolls his eyes. 'Sherlock, it's the fifth. Of September.'

After about thirty seconds, he realises this means nothing to me. 'The boys are going to Greenwood's today. The school? You know, the induction day?'

'So?' John's eyebrows come together and I wonder what was wrong with what I just said.

'Sherlock, you have to take them.'

I'm on my feet in a second. 'Why?'

'I'm working. You're not. You have to go.'

Since Jonty came to the family, almost two years ago exactly, I have spent all my time with them. Of course, I still work (as the only Consulting Detective in the world I am in high demand) but otherwise I don't socialise. At all. And the thought of going to a school after I vowed never to step inside the doors again fills me with as much dread as the thought of talking to a flock of needy school mothers.

'John...I hate schools.'

'I know, but I can't help it. And this is a primary school.'

'Primary school was almost as bad as Secondary school. And at least at Secondary school I had the drugs to blur all the memories.' William laughs from his bedroom.

'Sherlock! Don't talk about drugs in front of the boys!'

'Why?'

'We don't want to worry the boys! They might be scared! And come on, school isn't that bad.'

But for me it was. If I had my way, I would home school William and Jonathan, but John says that I would be too harsh on Jonathan and that if William didn't go to school he would end up as unsociable as me. When I tried to convince John to allow me to teach William instead of letting him go to school, John disagreed immediately.

I just can't stand the thought of him going through what I went through.

John's still standing next to me, with a strange look on his face.

'What are you doing, John?' I ask, curious. He pouts at me and turns away. 'Puppy dog eyes. Please, Sherlock. Just for a day.' As the boys walk in, he sidles up to me and places his mouth right next to my ear. 'If you go, I'll make it up to you tonight.' He bites my earlobe, conveying the message clearly and stands back watching me.