The Unexpected Ring/The Unexpected Request
Title: The Unexpected Ring
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Characters: J. Watson, M. Morstan
Table: Five
Prompt: #10 Engage
Word Count: 255 words
Rating: G
Summary: "He's not the marrying type, Mary."
Author's Notes: Warnings, alternative universe (unexpected), female!Watson, married!Holmes. 1 of 2 in this arc.
"What's wrong, John?" Mary asked her morose flatmate.
"I don't think Sherlock is ever going to ask me to marry him," Watson replied.
"But you two get along so wonderfully," Mary observed.
"He's not the marrying type, Mary."
"What do you mean?"
"He doesn't like 'flagrant' displays of emotions like marriage."
"Well, then, what does he think of the idea of you marrying another man? You did ask him about it like I suggested?"
Watson sighed.
"Yes, I asked him about that."
"And?"
"He said that no other man would be willing to marry the flatmate of a prostitute, lady doctor or not."
"No other man? He really said that?"
"He did."
"Maybe he is the marrying type, John."
Watson shook her head.
"No, he just wasn't including himself in that statement," she explained.
"You asked him about that?"
"Yeah, Mary, I did."
"Do you think he would marry you if he could do it without the so-called flagrant displays of emotion?" Mary asked, her mind buzzing with possibilities.
This wasn't the first time she'd meddled in a relationship, least of all this particular relationship.
Watson thought for a moment before replying.
"I think so, but I'm not entirely certain of it," she finally declared. "Besides, the wedding itself would have to have such displays, there's no way around that."
Watson was right, Mary knew, but she was sure that Sherlock Holmes would willingly suffer through a wedding ceremony to marry the lady doctor.
It simply was a matter of who would ask whom.
Title: The Unexpected Request
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Characters: S. Holmes, J. Watson, M. Morstan, G. Lestrade
Table: Five
Prompt: #18 Answer
Word Count: 562 words
Rating: G
Summary: "What about that time he got thrown into a crate of rotting fish guts?"
Author's Notes: Warnings, alternative universe (unexpected), female!Watson, married!Holmes. 2 of 2 in this story arc.
The following morning, Mary took Watson out shopping for a ring, while Lestrade kept Holmes distracted and out of the way with a simple little case of suicide made to look like murder disguised as a suicide (it had been all too easy for Lestrade to convince a couple of his fellow inspectors to help him with the dirty work of creating evidence of a crime that didn't really happen).
Mary insisted on paying for the ring, which she did as soon as she had overruled Watson's objections.
"Consider it an early bridal gift," the prostitute declared.
That evening, Watson nervously waited in her sitting room for Holmes to arrive to take her out to dinner.
"Don't be so nervous, John, everything will be fine," Mary chided.
"But he's late, Mary," Watson observed. "He's never been late before."
"What about that time he got thrown into a crate of rotting fish guts?" Mary asked.
"He sent me a wire before he idiotically confronted those counterfeiters on his own to warn me that he might be running late and to not worry about him."
"Really? Why then were you so concerned when he was late?"
"Because I'd contacted Inspector Gregson and he told me what Holmes' current case was."
There was a loud rapping on the door. Watson answered it, since it was probably for her.
A bedraggled Inspector Lestrade stood on her stoop. Beside him stood Sherlock Holmes, spotlessly dressed his best.
"Come on in, Inspector Lestrade, Holmes," she said, standing aside to allow them passage.
As Holmes stepped over the threshold, he handed Watson a bouquet of flowers.
"Holmes, you remembered!" Watson exclaimed after she'd realized that the bouquet consisted solely of her favorite bloom, forget-me-nots.
"Of course I remembered, Watson," Holmes replied, quite pleased by Watson's reaction. By this point, they were in the sitting room.
Mary and Lestrade shared a knowing look.
Lestrade cleared his throat.
"My apologies, Doctor Watson, I am wholly to blame for making you miss your reservations at Simpson's this evening," he said.
"That's alright, Inspector," Watson replied, "as we are eating in tonight. A client of Miss Morstan's has offered to cook a magnificent feast for us this evening. You're welcome to join us, if you'd like, Inspector."
"Your offer is too good to refuse, Doctor," Lestrade replied.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, they regrouped back in the sitting room for coffee.
"Inspector, isn't there something you want to ask one of our lovely hostesses?" Holmes suddenly inquired during a lull in the conversation.
Lestrade blushed.
"I don't know how you figured that out, Mister Holmes, but you are right," he admitted.
"It's quite obvious," Holmes remarked.
"I don't see how, unless someone at the Yard told you."
"Let me enlighten you then," Holmes declared. "You've been patting your right coat pocket all day today, where I've noticed the presence of a lump suggestive of a small box, such as the ones used by jewelers to package engagement rings."
I've been doing that too, Watson realized. Does he know that I'm about to ask him to marry me?
As Watson realized this, Lestrade pulled a small box out of his right coat pocket.
Lestrade got up from his seat and knelt on one knee before Mary.
"Miss Mary Morstan, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked.
Mary beamed at Lestrade as she gave her answer.
"Oh, Giles, yes!" she exclaimed, tears in her eyes.
Watson was hard pressed to stifle her snickers at Holmes' unhappy expression at the former prostitute's bliss.
Taking pity on the detective, Watson removed a small box from her own pocket.
"Holmes, may I ask you something?" Watson asked, hiding the box in her lap under her hands.
"Sure," Holmes replied.
"Holmes, would you marry me?"
The detective's silence caused the lady doctor's heart to break, for Watson began to worry that she had been mistaken in Holmes' feelings towards her.
And then he answered Watson's question, and everything changed.
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Characters: J. Watson, M. Morstan
Table: Five
Prompt: #10 Engage
Word Count: 255 words
Rating: G
Summary: "He's not the marrying type, Mary."
Author's Notes: Warnings, alternative universe (unexpected), female!Watson, married!Holmes. 1 of 2 in this arc.
"What's wrong, John?" Mary asked her morose flatmate.
"I don't think Sherlock is ever going to ask me to marry him," Watson replied.
"But you two get along so wonderfully," Mary observed.
"He's not the marrying type, Mary."
"What do you mean?"
"He doesn't like 'flagrant' displays of emotions like marriage."
"Well, then, what does he think of the idea of you marrying another man? You did ask him about it like I suggested?"
Watson sighed.
"Yes, I asked him about that."
"And?"
"He said that no other man would be willing to marry the flatmate of a prostitute, lady doctor or not."
"No other man? He really said that?"
"He did."
"Maybe he is the marrying type, John."
Watson shook her head.
"No, he just wasn't including himself in that statement," she explained.
"You asked him about that?"
"Yeah, Mary, I did."
"Do you think he would marry you if he could do it without the so-called flagrant displays of emotion?" Mary asked, her mind buzzing with possibilities.
This wasn't the first time she'd meddled in a relationship, least of all this particular relationship.
Watson thought for a moment before replying.
"I think so, but I'm not entirely certain of it," she finally declared. "Besides, the wedding itself would have to have such displays, there's no way around that."
Watson was right, Mary knew, but she was sure that Sherlock Holmes would willingly suffer through a wedding ceremony to marry the lady doctor.
It simply was a matter of who would ask whom.
Title: The Unexpected Request
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Characters: S. Holmes, J. Watson, M. Morstan, G. Lestrade
Table: Five
Prompt: #18 Answer
Word Count: 562 words
Rating: G
Summary: "What about that time he got thrown into a crate of rotting fish guts?"
Author's Notes: Warnings, alternative universe (unexpected), female!Watson, married!Holmes. 2 of 2 in this story arc.
The following morning, Mary took Watson out shopping for a ring, while Lestrade kept Holmes distracted and out of the way with a simple little case of suicide made to look like murder disguised as a suicide (it had been all too easy for Lestrade to convince a couple of his fellow inspectors to help him with the dirty work of creating evidence of a crime that didn't really happen).
Mary insisted on paying for the ring, which she did as soon as she had overruled Watson's objections.
"Consider it an early bridal gift," the prostitute declared.
That evening, Watson nervously waited in her sitting room for Holmes to arrive to take her out to dinner.
"Don't be so nervous, John, everything will be fine," Mary chided.
"But he's late, Mary," Watson observed. "He's never been late before."
"What about that time he got thrown into a crate of rotting fish guts?" Mary asked.
"He sent me a wire before he idiotically confronted those counterfeiters on his own to warn me that he might be running late and to not worry about him."
"Really? Why then were you so concerned when he was late?"
"Because I'd contacted Inspector Gregson and he told me what Holmes' current case was."
There was a loud rapping on the door. Watson answered it, since it was probably for her.
A bedraggled Inspector Lestrade stood on her stoop. Beside him stood Sherlock Holmes, spotlessly dressed his best.
"Come on in, Inspector Lestrade, Holmes," she said, standing aside to allow them passage.
As Holmes stepped over the threshold, he handed Watson a bouquet of flowers.
"Holmes, you remembered!" Watson exclaimed after she'd realized that the bouquet consisted solely of her favorite bloom, forget-me-nots.
"Of course I remembered, Watson," Holmes replied, quite pleased by Watson's reaction. By this point, they were in the sitting room.
Mary and Lestrade shared a knowing look.
Lestrade cleared his throat.
"My apologies, Doctor Watson, I am wholly to blame for making you miss your reservations at Simpson's this evening," he said.
"That's alright, Inspector," Watson replied, "as we are eating in tonight. A client of Miss Morstan's has offered to cook a magnificent feast for us this evening. You're welcome to join us, if you'd like, Inspector."
"Your offer is too good to refuse, Doctor," Lestrade replied.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, they regrouped back in the sitting room for coffee.
"Inspector, isn't there something you want to ask one of our lovely hostesses?" Holmes suddenly inquired during a lull in the conversation.
Lestrade blushed.
"I don't know how you figured that out, Mister Holmes, but you are right," he admitted.
"It's quite obvious," Holmes remarked.
"I don't see how, unless someone at the Yard told you."
"Let me enlighten you then," Holmes declared. "You've been patting your right coat pocket all day today, where I've noticed the presence of a lump suggestive of a small box, such as the ones used by jewelers to package engagement rings."
I've been doing that too, Watson realized. Does he know that I'm about to ask him to marry me?
As Watson realized this, Lestrade pulled a small box out of his right coat pocket.
Lestrade got up from his seat and knelt on one knee before Mary.
"Miss Mary Morstan, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked.
Mary beamed at Lestrade as she gave her answer.
"Oh, Giles, yes!" she exclaimed, tears in her eyes.
Watson was hard pressed to stifle her snickers at Holmes' unhappy expression at the former prostitute's bliss.
Taking pity on the detective, Watson removed a small box from her own pocket.
"Holmes, may I ask you something?" Watson asked, hiding the box in her lap under her hands.
"Sure," Holmes replied.
"Holmes, would you marry me?"
The detective's silence caused the lady doctor's heart to break, for Watson began to worry that she had been mistaken in Holmes' feelings towards her.
And then he answered Watson's question, and everything changed.