The Final Goodbye

Chapter 8

I open the door to revile that Molly and Greg were at the door. They were smiling and holding gifts, the gifts were wrapped in green and red wrapping paper with white bows with snowflakes embroidered in them. I let them in and soon followed Anderson. There was a small stubble that was growing on his face, dressed in an ugly jumper and black pants.

"Excuse me Anderson, I didn't invite you." I say stopping him from coming in. "Besides why would I invite you when you blamed Sherlock for everything. You caused him to kill himself for Moriarty. You can go to hell." I say pushing him out of the door frame, he stumbled a little bit with shock in his face before I close the door in his face. I didn't feel sorry for him or Inspector Donovan, I don't care if it's Christmas either.

I walked back in the room and Molly, Greg and Mrs. Hudson were all talking around the fire place. I greet all I them with a smile and a handing out some cookies. Just some simple ones, chocolate chips.

"So how has everyone been? If you want you can set the presents by the tree and we can open them up after diner." I say gesturing to the Christmas tree that was decorated in tinsel and little ornaments that Sherlock picked out, because the ones that I picked were apparently wrong and tacky. Sure I could have picked new ones this year but it didn't seem right.

"Well this is a nice little get-together. It's so lovely to see you again Molly. You too Greg." Mrs. Hudson smiles.

"Yes it's odd though," Greg starts and we all look at him, " not having Christmas music being played on the violin." This causes all of us to get quiet, basically have a moment of silence for Sherlock. I could tell that every one was still hurt from, well from the fall. "This shouldn't stop us from having fun though." Greg finally speaks breaking the scilence, a broken smile crosses my face and looks at Greg.

"Yes," My voice quivers, "I would like to make a toast." Everyone looks to me in shock. "This toast is to a person we all know, a wise, brave, smart man. To Sherlock!" I say raising my class of eggnog.

"To Sherlock!" They all reply with a raise of their glass.

We all filled our plates with Ham, stuffing, and other goods and sat down at the table. Everyone was surprised that Sherlock's chemestry set, for his experiments, were off the table. They could all comfortably sit down and eat at the table.

I chuckle to myself remembering all the moments I had with Sherlock in here. "Remember last year when I got him to put the antlers on?"

They all laugh and nod. "I remember when he got into one of his experiment kicks, poor dear, He almost singed off his eyebrows. The experiment had to do with explosives and fire and, it made a little burst. He screamed, then he laughed." Mrs. Hudson spoke softly with a smile and a chuckle.

"I remember, it was before you and him met." Molly gestured to me. "He would sit and watch glee with me. He always loved dancing."

"Wait, he used to live with you?" Greg asked.

"Well yes, He was homeless when I first met him. I took him in about six months before John and him met." Molly's voice was wobbly, she started to look away.

I had no idea that Sherlock was homeless, he never told me that. That's why he had underground conections. They all lived together, they helped one another out. This is why he still wants to help them, because they know how they struggle, how they go day to day with little to no money. Is this also how he got introduced to hard drugs, just so he could feel something when he felt nothing? This greatly concerned me, debating wether or not I should ask Molly if she knew about the drugs. I best keep quiet.

"Is that how he got into drugs? When he was homeless." Greg asked eventually almost done with our meal. Thank you Greg, it was picking at me to know.

"Actually I don't know. We rarely ever spoke when I could tell he was still on hard drugs. I think it was about the third month when we actually started to talk and watch glee, that's also when he started to come to work with me. That's where he met you Greg, how he could ever-so quickly deduce you." She lends him a tender smile and continues. "At I think that moment you hired him."

Greg let's out a chuckle. "Well I eventually started to go to him when he solved that case. That very same day actually." Molly then shook her head in agreement.

"What was the case about deary?" Miss. Hudson spoke ever so gently as she stood up and scraped her plate.

"The case of the vanishing skeletons. There were graves, the culprit Edward Todd, would dig the graves up and take certain bones from the bodies. Sick bastard, he slept on the bones I tell you what. He hid the evidence so well, almost perfect, from us anyways. None of the people at the station knew where to start looking. There was no shovel, no tools, just half empty caskets.

Then one day this young bloke come in and was asking for a job. Had no experience or been to a police academy, so we couldn't hire him. Sherlock proved to be what he said he was, still they wouldn't hire him. He did his normal pout and went off.

A few days later we still had no idea where to look. Then we all got a mysterious text message at the same time, it was the address of where to look. We all wondered who could have sent this message and how they got our number."

"Wait you didn't hire him, even though he could deduce so much about you?" I asked quite loudly.

"We thought it was kind of freakish. Anyways I had a feeling it was him. we finally got to go hard on the case, sure we kept getting stuck but he knew what it was. That young man was smart, very smart. To end my story; when we all were celebrating the victory I went out to the ally to smoke. That's when he came in the turned up army trench coat and said, 'You need me, don't lie, use me and pay me under the table.'

Ever since then I have used his knowledge to the advantage." Greg smiles and looks for comments.

That's amazing how he got them. How he became somebody out of the lowest of the low. Turns out the people who have no hope succeed more. "So it turns out that Sherlock was made to be that, a great detective." I speak as I move from the kitchen to the sitting room. "Shall we open gifts?" They all nod.

We pass everyone's gifts to the right people. Molly opened my gift then Mrs. Hudson, a small apron, Greg's was an expensive looking knecklace. "I love them all."

Next was Greg's: Opening Mrs. Hudson's first, a new set of cufflinks, plated with gold and silver. Next was mine, he was thrilled about it. Last was Molly's, she dot him a very nice silk tie. "Where did you get this?" He asked.

"This store online, it seemed you needed a new one." Molly replies.

Mrs. Hudson opened her presents. A curling iron from Molly, so she could look beautiful for her dates. My gift was said to be the best. Greg was a twelve set of different holiday teas.

I did mine last, I was frightened and thrilled at the same time. Greg's was the one on top, a small package of silver reindeer and gold background, when I opened it I was a little fumbled, a jumper with a reindeer getting chased by a t-rex. Molly's was really sweet and cute, a bottle of cologne that smelled of pine and oak. Mrs. Hudson got me a new alarm clock, I needed a new one, my last one broke. "Thank you everyone."

"We're not done, we have one more for you." Greg smiled with cheer in his gruff voice. Molly turns and hands me a rectangle box. Red and green stripped wrapping paper covered by a golden bow on top. I open the package slowly and gently, having a million thoughts race through my mind.

When I open the box I about started to cry. It was a photo of me and Sherlock leaving our first crime scene together. The way in Sherlock was looking at me in this photo is how anyone wants to be looked at. The look that gives you love and hope, brings you down to Earth, making anyone smile. I looked back at him the same way, if only I knew a year later of what was going to take place. This photo was perfect, it captured everything that me and Sherlock were, team, partners, super heroes, crime fighters, but most importantly friends.

I started to look silly with no words coming out and tears running down my face. "Thank you, I don't know how much I have to say thank you. I love you guys." I open my arms and pulled them in for a group hug. This was officially starting to look better.