221c - A Sherlock Fanfiction

John

Allison and Sherlock were sitting at the table reserved for the bride and groom, as well as the ushers and the bridesmaids. Neither of them had touched their food, and I knew that it was likely that neither of them would.

People milled around, eating, drinking, and having a good time in general. Well, I wasn't sure if Mycroft was having a good time. He came anyway, however, which had been a shock us.

Rosamund was at home with a sitter, but that didn't stop me from worrying. I hated leaving her for prolonged periods of time.

I pulled out my mobile to text the sitter, when Mary caught my wrist. "Love," she said, firmly. "Put your phone away. Rose is fine, there is no need to worry."

"I know," I said, doing as my wife asked.

Greg was talking to Molly, and from the snippets of the conversation I overheard, they were talking about a murder. I tuned in to what Allison and Sherlock were talking about, and they were conversing the same case, much further along in solving it, however. This made me laugh to myself.

"And now, the best man!"

That was my cue. The room fell silent, and I stood up, clearing my throat as I did. "Let's start with the telegrams, shall we?" I asked, picking up a stack of envelopes. I opened the first envelope. "Sorry we couldn't make it, Allison. Much love from cousin Leo and company." Allison chuckled, and rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you invite us, Sherlock? Rude. Sincerely, most of Scotland Yard." Sherlock let out an audible groan at this one, which elicited a ripple of laughter through the room. This went on for a little while longer, much to the exasperation of the newlyweds.

"I have known Sherlock Holmes for quite some time now." I said, beginning my speech. "And I can personally say that he is the craziest person I have ever met." Allison chuckled when I said this, and elbowed Sherlock in the ribs. "Sherlock is the kind of person who will text you and ask you to pass him a pen or send a text, even if you are halfway across London." Greg snorted at this. "I met Sherlock after being invalided home from Afghanistan. I had nowhere to go, and suffered from horrible PTSD. I needed a place to live. I ran into Mike Stamford one day, and described to him my plight. He took me to Bart's and introduced me to a man named Sherlock Holmes.

"This man seemed to know everything about me, and yet I knew nothing about him. He told me who I was, and why I was there. It freaked me out. So, I moved in with him." There was a collective chuckle throughout the room, and I smiled.

"Within hours of meeting him, and moving in, I was dragged across London on a crazy chase to catch a serial killer. I know what you all are thinking that I was crazy to move in with such a loose cannon," (this earned me a glare from Sherlock) "And I can confirm that this was, indeed, crazy.

"We then proceeded to take down the Chinese Mafia, which almost got me, and Sarah, my girlfriend at the time, killed. I can honestly say that the jade hairpin was not worth my life." Sherlock snorted.

"Then, we came face to face with his greatest adversary, James Moriarty. He strapped bombs to people, and forced Sherlock to solve a case in order to save them, giving him less and less time for each. Then, I was the bomb. I was scared we were both going to die, but thankfully we didn't.

"We had run-ins with a dominatrix, a ghostly hound, and many more, then, one day, my heart broke and I lived alone.

"You see, Sherlock tricked me into believing he had jumped off of the top of Bart's hospital, killing himself. I lived in misery for two years, losing two stone and having to use the damned cane again. That is, until I met Mary. The night I was going to propose, however, my friend returns from the dead. I was pissed off.

"His best man speech crashed my wedding, turning the happiest day of my life into a crime scene." Sherlock made a scoffing noise, and I could almost feel the astronomical eye roll that accompanied it. "He even noticed baby Rosamund before either Mary or I."

"The most amazing part of all of this, and the point that I am trying to make, is, ladies and gentlemen, that although he appears to be an antisocial, cynical, cold, arsehole, Sherlock Holmes is a wonderful man and an incredible friend. The longer I knew him, the more human he became. My sociopath was learning to feel. Greg Lestrade once said to me, 'Sherlock Holmes is a great man, and I think, one day, if we're very very lucky, he might even be a good one.' I feel as if I have the right to say, in lieu of everything that has happened, that Sherlock Holmes can be counted among not only the great men of history, but also the good men. He has proven himself, over and over again, to be capable of love, some of the greatest love I have ever experienced. He would die to protect the people he cares about; in fact, he did that already." There was a collective chuckle that swept about the room, and I saw more than one teary eyed person trying to hide their emotion.

"I do believe that Allison is perfect for Sherlock. I will, however, be a parent on call for their future children, because honestly, the mere thought of either of them as a parent is extremely frightening." People laughed, but Greg and Molly laughed the hardest. Sherlock smirked, and Allison rolled her eyes.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I can't think of a pair better suited for each other- if only because they drive every other human being on the planet absolutely mad. Their friendship and camaraderie that permeates every aspect of their beautiful relationship is an inspiration to everyone around them. To Sherlock and Ally!" I said, raising my wineglass. Everyone joined in, including the bride and groom. We toasted with a loud, "To Sherlock and Ally!"