Well my friends we have finally come to the end of a long road together,

this is the last chapter.

We have laughed, cried, tried to murder the authoress, and generally enjoyed ourselves along this road but here is where it forks, you go to the left there and I go to the right.

I have three weeks left in Spain and as promised this story is finished.

So before you take that lefthand path why don't you stay here a while, and stand on your heads or on one leg or on two if you really must (abominations all of you who stand on two legs… really whats the world coming to…)

first of all before we get to the fic there are a few Shout outs to be made for the very last time so here they are:

Verity: you're not going to like me anymore my dear, not after this chapter!

Tabbie: Here is the last chapter and I will be reviewing yours just as soon as I have a moment

Doctorcoffeegirl: you ain't seen nothing yet my dear! hope you enjoy!

And my darling OG: this really is the last chapter I promise, thank you for making me write this fic and for all the help you have given me over the past months this chapter is for you!

and to al of you who have added this story to favourites or me to your author alert list thank you, so you didn't review, maybe you couldn't think of anything to say and that is fine really the fact that you read it and liked it enough to put it on alerts is as good as a review.

Now on you go, stand on your heads while I get a tissue to wipe my streaming eyes.

*Bows for the last time and leaves the stage*

Chapter fifteen: Home.

John sighed, It was mornings like this he loved, it was a quarter past ten on a thursday morning and he had deemed that neither of them were getting out of bed till mid-day, which seemed to suit Sherlock as he was currently sprawled out under the duvet sleeping like the dead, one arm flung casually over John's hips.

For his part, John was propped up trying to catch up on some reading. Trying being the apt word as he kept getting distracted and running a hand through Sherlock's hair ensuing that he read the same paragraph three times over.

He let out a contented sigh and made himself that bit more comfortable and continued to read.

"You've read that chapter twice now, is it particularly difficult subject matter?" asked a mop of tousled hair.

"Oh shh, I'm enjoying the book" John said with a small affectionate smile.

"Apparently so, is that chapter particularly riveting, if so do tell me when you finish the book and I'll read it myself"

John rolled his eyes "You've only just woken up its not fair that your so judgemental"

Sherlock smirked "of course it's terrible of me, I'm such a monster" and goodness but he knew what he was doing to John Watson with that voice, he was turning our poor army medic to jelly.

John shuddered, and then remembered that he had no clinic to go to and Sherlock had no case, this time it was his turn to wear that smirk.

(((((((((((((((((((((((

People said that John Watson was mad to go back and live with Sherlock Holmes after he had managed to escape with his sanity intact.

Greg Lestrade shook his head when he listened to those people, they were idiots who knew nothing about Sherlock and John. Everyone he overheard assumed that Sherlock was the one who needed John.

It was as much that as it was the reverse.

He had seen John, living in a dank rotting flat with cheap furniture and sporting a limp, and at first wondered how long John could carry on that way.

The John he had seen a few weeks ago was totally different, no limp, eyes sparkling (although that could have been the whiskey chasers that he had insisted the doctor drink to celebrate his return to the mad house) and he had been laughing, it had been an honest to god belly laugh, infectious as hell so that by the time it had vanished both Sherlock and Greg had taken it up unsure of what they were laughing about, they hadn't cared each making something up in their own heads that was making them laugh harder.

At one point Greg near choked on his beer and at another Sherlock slipped bonelessly off his barstool and had to be propped up by John but that was fine because they had just all started laughing again.

To say that when the night was over they were all just the slightest bit sloshed was the biggest understatement of all possible understatements that had ever been made.

Waking up to a text from Mycroft the day after had not made his morning all that great.

your nearest Costa, ten minutes time. MH

Greg had had to read it three times before he could understand what the 6 words said.

He was never drinking with John and Sherlock again.

His first thought as he pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt was 'shit' it escalated to 'I'm a dead man' and then to; 'maybe it would be a good idea to leave a note or something' he realised that his thoughts were getting a little hysterical and tried to calm them somehow. He went to the bathroom and performed his usual routine and realised that his nearest Costa's was a five minute walk away and he had three minutes left.

His inner voice began to panic.

'we are soo dead' was its mantra.

Suddenly the idea of leaving a note was seeming like a good plan

(((((((((((((((((((((((((

Sherlock watched from the sofa as John cooked pancakes and wondered how he had been soo lucky. When he was first introduced to John he could never have imagined that this would be where they ended up.

To be fair even keeping him for this long astounded Sherlock, most flatmates that he had acquired in the past had left after a short tenancy and had not provided a forwarding address.

And then there was John Watson.

John Watson who could have chosen anywhere to reside in London, anywhere at all, and here he was residing in Sherlock's flat, their flat.

"Wonderful" he uttered

"Sorry what, didn't catch that, not a case? not today please…" John said, half tuned from where he was tending the pancakes

"Not at all" Sherlock replied jumping off the sofa and bounding into the kitchen, resting his chin on John's good shoulder.

"Good, because then these pancakes would go to waste and I'd hate for that to happen."

"Oh now don't start getting all domestic on me John" Sherlock said

"Says the man who is spooning me while we are outside of the bedroom."

"I'm not, I just think that you are the perfect hight for me to rest my chin on your shoulder, its an experiment"

"Of course it is whatever was I thinking!" John said resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

Johns heart almost melted when he felt rather than heard Sherlock's chuckle, it vibrated through the shorter man and John just knew that this had always been going to happen, it was just a matter of timing and leverage.

After he had returned from Scotland and gotten involved in a heavy make out session he had insisted they talk.

It hadn't been easy, as John was used to dealing with emotions not talking about them, Sherlock knew what emotions were, oh yes he was not dense in that area but as to the ones that were running around in his head, well they could have been little martians speaking ancient greek for all he knew of them.

So 'the talk' (yes with little air quotation marks and possibly also in bold italics) was a long one, with a bit of shouting, some tears and a few accusations, it lasted well into the early hours of the next morning, by which time all the pair wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep which is precisely what they did, they fell fully clothed into John's bed and slept until late in the afternoon.

((((((((

Sherlock had awoken first, at the unfamiliar sensation of a body wrapping round his, his first reaction was to struggle then he was a little more sensible and turned his head to the side, to see John, in his sleep burrowing his nose into the patch of skin on view thanks to two of the top buttons on his shirt having come undone while they slept.

His thoughts strayed from struggling and running and began to drift, in a pleasant haze that he would normally attribute to drugs, had John given him drugs? but that was a stupid idea and so Sherlock had relaxed into the sensation, just enjoying the warm body pressed up against his side. He once again let his thoughts drift, revelling in the fact that his thoughts weren't shouting at him, rather they were humming in contentment and before long he found his eyelids drooping.

When John awoke his head ached and his eyes felt gummy, and for one awful moment he thought he was still in Scotland, but then he realised that if he was still in scotland he wouldn't be wrapped in the scent that could only be called 'Sherlock.'

He didn't want to look, yes he would admit to being a coward in that moment, but if he was going to wake up from a all to realistic dream to fin himself in that horrible flat in Edinburgh then he would most likely top himself. That or book himself into the nearest loony bin possible.

he had taken a big whiff of that scent and scrunched his eyes closed willing himself back to sleep. Unfortunately his mind decided it was very much wide awake and wanted to analyse the 'Sherlock' scent for all it was worth just in case this was a dream, so that when he finally did get back to Sherlock he knew what the man in question smelt like.

If a mind could do a somersault Johns mind would have been doing so, this 'Sherlock' scent was soo complex, it was like all of John's favourite scents yet at the same time none of them at all, it was strange, because the none at all were scents like chlorine and maybe TCP, burnt earth, and geraniums. and John had never thought he could like those scents but apparently he did. quite a lot his brain informed him.

Sherlock, or rather "dream Sherlock' (yes his brain was working oddly, but to be fair the poor doctor has been living in a nightmare for weeks, he's allowed a moment or two of confusion!) Stirred in his sleep and John took a moment to appreciate the texture of his skin, not marble despite what John had thought when they first met, supple and warm.

He found out his nose was currently residing in a hollow in 'Dream Sherlock's' neck, He'd asked it politely to move itself but the Nose had just refused to budge. he wondered if he could get a nose willing to listen to him down at Barts when he got back to London, after all,how evil could a mans own nose be, conspiring with a figment of said man's imagination just wasn't on!

Sherlock woke a second time to John trying not to squirm, which was really nice of him considering how often Sherlock slept, but really he needn't have bothered, He was back he could do the 'can can' on the bed for all Sherlock cared.

He opened his eyes and noticed that John was not where he had been when He (Sherlock that is) fell asleep.

"John? Are you awake?"

John mumbled something and slowly opened his eyes, turning to look at his bedfellow.

Sherlock thought that his heart had imploded in that second that John's gaze fell on him.

"Not dreaming" John mumbled halfway between sleep and awake.

"No" Sherlock replied softly and kissed him soundly, until both of them inwardly cursed their need to breathe.

"Oh" was the first thing John seemed capable of saying. then he looked puzzled.

"What? What is it?" Sherlock asked worried.

"We talked right before we…" he gestured between the two of them.

Sherlock laughed, really laughed and nodded.

"Oh well thats alright then" John replied with a grin, before deciding that Sherlock's laugh was a tonic to him and setting about taking it away the most effective way possible, with lips and tongue.

After all it seemed the best thing to do and Sherlock offered no objections.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

Greg arrived at the Costa's with thirty seconds to spare, it didn't surprise him to see Mycroft sitting patiently at one of the fake wooden tables sipping from a polystyrene cup, Mycroft looked odd sipping out something that was not fine china. Greg wanted to rectify that.

"Ahh good, I wondered if you would even come here"

"I figured a public place, makes it more difficult for you to off me"

"You thought about leaving a note, to inform epode who you were with and where you had gone."

"How did you…" Greg asked.

"You're an officer of the law Gregory, you're not that stupid"

"Really?"

"Contrary to public belief I am happy for my brother, what would you like to drink?"

Greg wondered if this was all a dream. Mycroft asking him things that would surely be common knowledge had something to do with his waking life.

"Tea, coffee?" Mycroft sounded hesitant, it was for this reason Greg said

"Coffee please" and sat in the seat opposite Mycroft. He half expected Mycroft to click his fingers and have an aide at his side but he didn't, instead queuing along with the rest of the people who wanted their caffeine fix.

Greg was wondering now if this was a dream if it was then he couldn't take his eyes away from the anomaly that was Mycroft Holmes.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

Sherlock was currently sprawled on the sofa, feet on a one John Watson's lap, stealing bits of pancake from his lovers plate (lets face it we've all done it) and hoping John wouldn't notice.

John had in-fact noticed but decided not to say anything about it, Sherlock was far too skinny, skinnier than when John had left.

He had been stupid leaving like that, stupid for listening to Sherlock and believing the lies he had spouted in the hospital.

"John your being too loud" Sherlock said before trying to sneak another bit of pancake.

"I am not"

"Yes you are" Sherlock replied popping the stolen piece of pancake in his mouth under the pretence of stifling a yawn.

"I haven't said a thing" John said indignantly

"You're thinking"

"Yes us lesser humans tend to do that from time to time, do try not to be upset over it."

"Well don't think about whatever it is, it doesn't look good"

"That's why I'm thinking about it" John replied smiling

"But if its not good then why would you want to think about it?"

"Because it could help in the future"

Sherlock looked confused before he said

"You were thinking about what I said at the hospital weren't you?"

John nodded

"I didn't mean it, I really didn't I just, I wanted to keep you safe John, I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you"

John smiled and lent over to brush the lightest of kisses to the worry-lines on Sherlock's forehead.

"I understand, I do but you can't make that decision for me Sherlock, its my life as well and if you can control that about me then who know's what else you'll control."

Sherlock wasn't sure what he could say to that so he kept quiet and stole another piece of John's pancake, the man wasn't eating it and he was always soo regimental about eating times and the suchlike.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine" John replied patting Sherlock's shins

"If you're not then we could…"

"It's, its going to take time, you're married to your work and i've never really been the type to take anyone away from their one true love or any nonsense like that this is all so different, good different but different."

"Whoever told you that work was my one true love was sadly misinformed John" Sherlock replied. "And anyway no-one said I couldn't divorce… If you're amiable"

Damn the man, John thought as his plate was taken away from him and a lanky detective began to explore once again the skin of John's throat.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((

Greg had relaxed a fair bit whilst he had been sitting here sipping coffee with Mycroft Holmes.

"Once again Gregory I would like to thank you, you seem to know what is best for my brother while I seem to know what I think is best for him" He offered a small grimace.

"Its not difficult, and please dear god don't tell me you asked me here to talk about your feelings toward your brother."

"Well what would you rather we talk about?"

"What would I rather we.." Greg let out a strangled groan "The football, the rugby, anything, I have to deal with your brother at work, you ask me to keep an eye on him I do that. And more than ninety percent of the time we spend in each others company we talk about your brother, just once I would like to talk about something else."

"I see"

Greg shook his head

"The truth is I don't really know what would be acceptable to talk about when when know so little about each other." Mycroft said, sipping his tea

"Well say we were friends of friends who met in a coffee shop like this…"

Mycroft shook his head.

"Alright then we're old school friends…" he pretended to ignore the snort of laughter that came from the other side of the table. "… Meeting up to chat about our lives since school"

Mycroft sighed. "Alright then." he said "How are you I haven't seen you for an absolute age."

Greg recognised sarcasm when it was presented to him and so replied with "Great thanks I've just come from your brother's flat, I tried to say hello but, what can I say they were at it like bunnies there so I came here to meet with you"

He revelled in the shocked look on Mycroft's face, before he regained his composure and the moment was lost.

Mycroft plastered a grin to his face and said in a cheery voice "Yes he's in a relationship with a Doctor Watson, now Gregory, how are you getting on, still enjoying single life?"

Greg sent him an evil glare before saying I'll tell you if I am or not if you tell me if you are"

Mycroft spluttered into his cup and Greg chalked it up as a point for him.

"Infantile" Mycroft replied

Greg smirked and sipped his coffee.

"Were they really?" Mycroft asked

"Don't be bloody stupid how do I know what they're up to"

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

John had decided that they needed some shopping so after their brunch, that took a lot longer than expected and left Sherlock wearing a smirk to rival the Cheshire cat, John had said 'Shopping' to which Sherlock had just grunted and waved a hand.

"You're coming too" John replied

Sherlock shook his head "Its boring."

"I don't care you need to get out of here and have some fresh air"

"Pointless…"

"As your doctor I insist…."

Sherlock grinned "Are you going to make it up to me when we return home?"

"Possibly" John replied, he had never seen Sherlock get his coat so fast.

They left Baker street laughing, talking about some boring police show that John hated and Sherlock loved because it was so predictable.

They rounded a corner and saw a group of children playing in a small ally, one of the boys ran up to the two of them and waved before saying

"Doctor Foster went to Gloucester in a shower of rain, he stepped in a puddle, right up to his middle, and never was seen again." the boy grinned at Sherlock and ran back to play with his friends.

Sherlock's blood ran cold. this wasn't happening, this was just a coincidence It had to be. John was in front of him now walking towards the Tesco Metro with a determined stride, oblivious to Sherlock's panic.

Sherlock began to lengthen his strides to catch up with John, when he saw three red laser sights on John's back.

((((((((((((((((((((((((

Greg was just about to leave, having thanked Mycroft for the coffee's (he'd had two and a flapjack) and was putting on his jacket when Mycroft grabbed his wrist. He was holding his mobile and had gone white.

"What is it?" Greg asked. He sat Mycroft down and prised his fingers away from the mobile, reading the text at the same time.

It was from Sherlock it held three words

JOHN. PLEASE HELP

Greg felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. He rushed to the thankfully empty counter and ordered a take away tea, heaping it with sugar when it arrived, he bundled mycroft into his jacket, shoved the tea into his hands and went outside to flag down a taxi.

Trying to get Mycroft into the taxi was easier said than done, but he managed it in the end, Mycroft was sipping from his cup on autopilot.

"St Bartholomew's please" Greg asked the cabbie

"I did this"

"No. God no, this wasn't you, this was Moriarty, it has to have been"

"I should have… I shouldn't have… I should have left well enough alone Greg"

"He's not dead, don't talk like that, we're going to get to the hospital and find that they've discharged him already and Sherlock will be laughing his head off"

))))))))))))))))))

Sherlock paced the floor outside A&E they had taken John to Surgery about a half an hour back, and there was no sign of Mycroft.

His brother had warned him, and he had not listened. He strode out of the hospital, vision turning red there was only one thing he needed to do now, find Moriarty and destroy him.

A/N: so there we have it, i could wax poetical in this chapter I really could, but this is the end, well this is where we will leave them for now, the story will continue, and this will be resolved but not in this story!

Once again a million thank you's to all of you who have reviewed and have read this.

stay tuned for the sequel

*Bows and leaves the stage*