...THEN

Great. I have roughly 36 hours to make John love me again or I go back to a reality where he's dead and I'm miserable.

NOW...

I waited for John to get home. I had no idea when that was in this reality but I waited. I had the kettle on the stove. I didn't want to make the tea without knowing when he was going to get home. I didn't want it getting cold. In the meantime I busied myself with mindless domestic work. Something I'm sure would please John.

While waiting I had to refill the kettle with more water three times.

I cleaned up many questionable stains that were results of an experiment. Speaking of which, I cleaned up many of those as well. Then I waited.

I waited and I waited until John finally arrived home. When he did...he was not in the condition I wanted. He was drunk. Not clumsily so, but still drunk. Though I preferred the stench of alcohol on him than that things own personal stench. It was still on him, but not heavily so. Not in a way that says...they were doing...things.

"Are you alright?" I asked as I stepped closer to him.

"S'fine," he slurs and makes it deeper into the flat, stumbling a few times as he did so.

"Do you want some help?" I asked as I was placing one of his arms over my shoulder. He says something I can't understand and I help him to our room anyway.

It was an odd sensation helping him undress. There was an ache in my chest that was painful, but warm. These actions were domestic and something non-feuding couples did(if you ignore where John's been previously). I still had that feeling of him not really being real, but he was. My touches on him lasted longer than they should, but he either didn't comment on it or didn't notice it at all and I'm not sure how to feel about that.

I helped him get under the covers as he falls back onto his pillow. From the exhaustion and alcohol I image sleep be not far away. I decide to stay and watch him until he's completely asleep. I tell myself that once he's deep in his REM cycle I'll go into the living room and come up with a plan.

"You know, don't you?" John whispers.

I snap away from my thoughts and look down at him. It's still somewhat painful. Painful with heartache and relief. I never thought relief would ever be painful, but after thinking the only person I ever loved was dead, to see them alive...the relief is too much and it actually does hurt. It's beyond numbing. It leaves you almost paralyzed and stupid.

"Pardon?" I asked after a too long minute.

John shook his head, "Don't make me repeat myself."

It seemed John was willing any drunkenness away, but some was still there. The only plausible answer that he could be looking for at this moment is me knowing about his affair. Of course I know about it. I wouldn't even need Gabriel to tell me about it. It was so obvious to anyone with half a brain. And now John wanted me to tell him I knew about it? I couldn't. Admitting it to anyone would make me die a bit inside. Saying it to John, saying it aloud, making it real and not just some mindless stupid thought in the back of my mind? I can't.

"Sherlock!" John called me back to reality as he leans up on his elbows.

I look into his eyes with a heated stare. I try to portray all of the emotions into my expression. The love, the guilt, the regret, the sadness.

"Sherlock?" John repeats my name, softer this time. His voice is sweeter than honey.

With my same extreme expression I lean in and rest my forehead against him and close my eyes. I hear him gasp, probably in surprise at me showing any form of vulnerability, and that much.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" I whispered. It's not what I was really asking though. My voice was pleading as I asked instead, "Please don't make me say it."

"We've been so far apart for so long now. Mentally I mean," he whispers back and places a hand on my hip.

"Emotionally," I added as I leaned into his touch.

"I left early and went to a pub by myself instead," John said.

"Hm?" I asked him to continue.

"Couldn't," John said as he let me go and fell back onto his pillow.

I straightened my posture and held his hand. He squeezed back and I fought the urge to smile like an idiot.

"Couldn't?" I pushed my luck and echoed his words. I needed to hear him say it.

"Couldn't think of her. You were on my mind," John whispered and sat up slowly. I hadn't turned on the lights. The only source we had was the light coming in from the doorway which we left open and some moonlight from outside.

I gripped his hand tighter. Without even knowing how or when, his lips were pressed against mine. There was a whoosh of air as John used his strength to flip me onto the bed. He was hovering over me and then leaned down. His lips ghost over mine for a few seconds before we're in a heated make out session.

I could still taste some of the alcohol in his mouth, I've thought about the past few hours, and I thought about John.

His touches were like the sweetest drug, but I wanted more than just his body. I wanted him completely. I wanted his body, his touches, his sweet words, his mind, his spirit. I wanted John.

I move back begrudgingly. He pants and stares at me. "I'm your husband John. Not your consolation prize."

"Sherlock?"

"I won't do this without you being sober and inevitably end up being a regret of yours." though I wanted nothing more than to be thoroughly shagged by him, I had to do this. It'd cause more harm than good if I fell into this easy temptation. One sweet night isn't worth a life without John. If the world would end tomorrow, then that's how I would love to spend it, and it might as well end tomorrow, but there was a chance! A chance of more nights, lots of them! I had to be strong.

I tuck him in and he gives me little to no fuss as exhaustion takes over. I slump onto the couch with a sigh.

"You had him right there and you didn't take him up on it. Exactly how many chances are you going to screw up?" Gabriel asked as he appeared on my chair.

"He's not himself right now," I reply meekly.

"Which would make it easier for you," Gabriel said.

I gave a sigh of annoyance, "If you really are a being of higher power then you'd know the morally correct person John is."

"Uh...he's cheating on you," Gabriel deadpanned.

"Because it was part of your condition!" I defended my John. The only reason he's doing so is because this bastard made it part of the catch. My John is good and noble and even if he's like this now, he's still good. Nothing will change that. And soon enough my John will be just mine once more!

"Not if you don't get him interested in you. I told you. You don't give this reality any substance and all this vanishes. You had your chance just there and you blew it," Gabriel reminded.

"You aren't human. You couldn't possibly understand," I grumbled. I knew the irony of accusing him of that.

Gabriel snorted and said, "Bit of an understatement there doncha thing? I still don't see the problem. Johnny Boy was coming on to you!"

"He was drunk," I said.

"He was willing!" Gabriel protested.

"He. Was. Drunk." I announced each word hoping he'd either get it or leave it alone.

"What does it matter!"

"The point of this is to get John to love me again. How will he do that if I be intimate with him when he isn't sober? It's not how John works!" I was so angry with the fact the he didn't seem to understand John, my John, the real John, that I actually yelled.

In a blink of an eye Gabriel is gone and I hear stumbling as John enters the living room, "'Wos wrong?" he asked as he tried to force the tiredness away.

I sigh and mentally curse Gabriel as I stand and face John, "Nothing. Go back to bed John."

"You were yelling." John stated.

"I was. And now I'm quiet," I say.

"You were yelling about me." he continues as he blinks more sleep away.

"And?" I try to get him annoyed or disinterested.

"It sounded like you were...defending me?" he asks a bit confused.

"Go back to sleep John," I tell him.

"No."

"You're still somewhat intoxicated. Go sleep it off," I order him this time, hoping it'll do the trick.

"No thanks. I think I've got most of it out of my system. And with the adrenaline I have from hearing you yell I'm actually wide awake." he says.

"It's late," I say.

"I'll watch some late night crap telly then," he says as he drops on his chair.

"Right...well I'll be in the kitchen. Care for a cuppa?" I asked.

"You're willing to make me a cuppa...willingly?" I asked as bit surprised.

"You said willingly twice. A bit redundant." I try to act as normal as I can.

"You never make tea," John says.

"I feel like a cuppa and there will obviously be enough for you as well. Do you want some or no?" I state expressionlessly.

"Um...sure. I'll have a cuppa," he says a bit awkwardly and I dash into the kitchen.

After I refill the kettle with water and place it on the stove, I slump against the counter and let out an exasperated sigh.

"You have hell of luck. Yet another chance arises," Gabriel says as he appears next to me.

I turn my back to him and search the cabinets for John's Earl Grey. I do my best to ignore him and instead contemplate at the problem at hand. How to make John love me in about 24 hours.

"Well...love is such a strong word," he says teasingly and he's baiting me again.

I look towards the living room and hiss back to him when I hear the telly, "What are you taking about?"

"I never technically said he had to love you right away. Just be interested in you. The boldness back there at the hospital was a good start, it gave you a few more hours. I'd guess until Monday morning. But the laws of second chances knows how fickle love can be so it's not really love that's important at this stage. Merely interest, but you're really dense so I'll tell you that by interest I mean lust," Gabriel said.

"So you mean..." I left it hanging in the air. I tossed another look behind my shoulder to make sure John isn't listening.

"I mean just shag the guy. Or be shagged. That's what you need to give this reality some substance," Gabriel said with a mischievous wink and two thumbs up.

"If what you say is correct I doubt John would want to be intimate with me while sober and I can't be intimate with him while he's intoxicated," I say with conviction.

Gabriel huffed, "You are so normal sometimes. Do you know that? I'd be careful, you're becoming very moral."

I fix a glare at him and he shrugs. He then digs into hi pockets and pulls out a bottle of pills and tosses them to me, "And what, pray tell, are these?"

"Was that a pun? Pretty bad one. No imagination whatsoever," Gabriel replies. When I just give him a pointed look he rolls his eyes and said, "They're experimental aphrodisiac concentrated pills. I got them from a lab near the island of Manhattan."

"You cannot be serious," I deadpanned.

"Look, I'm your guardian angel. It's somewhere in the job description that I have to help you. You say you can't be intimate with Johnny Boy while he's intoxicated but you can't not do anything or else this reality bites the dust. You doubt Johnny Boy will be interested in you if he's not drunk so here's my option. It's the perfect set up. Just drop two in his tea and let him drink it. I'd lose a few layers of clothing while the pills take affect. He's going to get all hot and bothered and look at the beautiful sexy husband he has laying around for those specific needs!"

"I will not drug John!" I hissed at him.

"You've done it before," Gabriel says with a shrug.

"This is different. If he finds out I drugged him..." I didn't even know how to finish that sentence.

"He won't," Gabriel said with what was supposed to be a reassuring voice.

"Am I supposed to trust you? The angel who seems to have more fun tormenting me than actually helping me?" I demanded.

He glared and raised his hands in mock surrender, "Hey, I can't do everything okay? It's not how it works. I can't do too much or you lot get dependent, but I can't just leave you because then you lose faith. It's control and balance. That's how we work."

"You're doing a lousy job!" I hissed at him.

"The pills will only appear to you when you need them. The rest of the time they'll find themselves in my pocket. John will never know. And besides, you want this. You've missed his touches. His voice. His sweet words directed at you," Gabriel pauses, "And don't forget Sherlock, you only get this one chance, and...the clock is ticking."

In another blink Gabriel is gone again. The kettle is whistling. John is waiting. I'm standing alone in the kitchen looking at the pills in my hands and for once let my heart's yearning overpower my mind's warnings.

So so so sorry for the late update!

Last Thursday was the day before my flight back to the US. I had to take care of a bunch of little things. I tried really had to update on Thursday but I got stuck somewhere in the middle of this. Damn writers block!

But here it is! oh and I have two pages of FB to like. One is called Fan Fictions of Lunabell Marauder Knyte. I have a link on my profile. And I have a page for loads of fandoms! It's called SuperWhoLock'd Earthlings

Please like and please review!