Laying It On The Line
Title: Laying It On The Line
Words: 1000+
Rating: PG
Characters: John, OC (Sofie)
Warnings: none? more knowledge of meerkats than the average human should have?
Summary: John and Sofie have a talk after Sherlock's return from the grave.
A/N: I've been reading the Sofie series by the lovely morganstuart (incidentally, if you haven't read it, you're completely in the wrong place at the moment. I'll wait.) which she just finished brilliantly. I mentioned that there were two side stories from the ending that I'd love to see. She told me I was more than welcome to write them myself.
This is not either of those stories.
However, it is another story inspired by that ending, using her wonderful character Sofie. She (morganstuart, not Sofie) told me I was more than welcome to play in her 'verse, and that's what I've done. I hope I've done her character and her series proud, though I couldn't hope to write Sofie as well as she did.
You can find the ending to the Sofie series here and the master post to the series here. Go read them now.
Huge thanks to morganstuart again for her story, her permission to play in her sandbox and for the correction she gave me.
* * * * * *
The meerkat display was busy, as it usually was. John had come to realise over the years that the sociable creatures were some of the most popular animals at the zoo. He didn’t come as often now that Sofie was getting older, but there was a part of him that hadn’t been too surprised when she called to see if he would go with her. Lestrade had begged off, asking if John would be okay taking her by himself. The doctor suspected that Sofie had requested that he not come.
He watched her as she laid her head against the glass, studying the animals within.
“Are you angry?” The question was quiet.
John’s lips quirked, not quite a full smile, but closer than he’d managed in a while. It was so like her to get right to the point. She would, he thought, be formidable when she reached adulthood.
“Yes. I am.”
The girl - young woman? his mind queried - nodded to herself, as if she had confirmed something she had suspected. “Good. You should be.”
At that, John laughed out loud, something else he hadn’t done in a while. The people around them at the meerkat exhibit glanced at them, a few disapproving looks shot their way. What? John thought? It’s not like it’s a library.
Or a morgue.
John shook his head, the smile and laughter fading, wondering where that thought had come from. Death had been part of his life for a long time. His parents dying when he was just starting med school. Afghanistan and the horrors that brought. And then Sherlock. Or so he thought.
He sat down on a bench near the exhibit, close enough that they could keep an eye on Sofie’s favourite animal. Even as close as she was to adolescence, she retained the love she had had for the little creatures as a young girl. Over the years and their visits to the zoo he had come to see why she liked the animals. They-
“They’re like us, aren’t they?”
His thoughts were derailed by Sofie’s second question. He angled himself on the bench so he could face her. “How so?”
Sofie continued staring at the meerkats. “They form families where the members aren’t all related to each other. They watch out for each other and take care of each other. If there’s danger, they warn each other and they’ll do almost anything to protect the other members of the family.
“It’s like us. Me, Daddy, Gran, Sally, Anthea, Mr. Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson, you.” She reached out and took John’s hand. “And now Sherlock again.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m really angry with him.”
“That’s okay.”
“I know. Daddy said that too,” she sighed, and John almost smiled again, the sound being so adult, “but I missed him so much and now he’s back, and now I don’t know what to do.”
He pulled his hand from Sofie’s and slid closer to her. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and she settled against him. “It’s hard, isn’t it?”
She nodded, and he could feel the slight tremor in her frame. “How are you forgiving him?”
“Slowly.” He smiled again hearing her watery chuckle. “If you couldn’t forgive Sherlock, everyone, including him, would understand.”
“But I want to!”
“Then take it in your own time. He can wait.”
“Why did he do it? I mean, I know why he did it, but I don’t know why he did it.” She shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
But now it was John’s turn to sigh. How to explain to a twelve-year-old girl, no matter how smart, just how evil Moriarty had been? More than anyone else, he could understand how Sherlock had felt the way he did three years ago being the only one of them other than the consulting detective to actually meet Moriarty. Lestrade had seen the effects, but horrifying as they were, they didn’t even begin to hint at the true nature of the man. He really could understand how Sherlock felt faking his death was the only way to protect all the people he had come to care for.
It was the only reason he could forgive Sherlock now.
He took a deep breath, knowing he couldn’t tell her all that, and hoping that what he was about to say would be what she needed to hear. “You know what you just said, about how meerkats take care of each other?”
Sofie nodded.
“You know that one of the meerkats babysits the young while the others are hunting, yeah?”
She was watching him now, clearly wondering where this was going. “Yeah?”
“Well, I read that if danger’s coming, the babysitter gets all the young underground into their den and away from the danger.” He glanced back at the animals. One of them was on its hind legs, eyeing them. “Do you know what the babysitter does if they can’t get to their den?”
Sofie shook her head, staring at him.
“It lays down on top of the them to protect them. It’s willing to give itself up first before anything can get to the young.” He turned away from the meerkat and looked down into Sofie’s tear-stained face. “I think that’s what Sherlock was doing. Laying down first to try and ensure that none of us would be hurt.”
He watched her absorb the idea, and he watched as some of the anger and sadness leached out of her. A few minutes passed and then a brilliant smile spread across her face. “We’re not young though. Well, I am, but the rest of you…”
“Are you saying I’m old?”
Her laugh was a wonderful thing to hear. “I think everyone is young to Sherlock. At least mentally.”
John giggled, the laugh all of his friends loved. “You are a very perceptive young lady.”
She snuggled in closer. “I think I’m ready to see him again.”
“He’ll be very happy.”
“I want to show him my ants.”
“He’ll want to tell you about bees.”
She smiled up at him and John thought that finally, everything might just be okay.
Words: 1000+
Rating: PG
Characters: John, OC (Sofie)
Warnings: none? more knowledge of meerkats than the average human should have?
Summary: John and Sofie have a talk after Sherlock's return from the grave.
A/N: I've been reading the Sofie series by the lovely morganstuart (incidentally, if you haven't read it, you're completely in the wrong place at the moment. I'll wait.) which she just finished brilliantly. I mentioned that there were two side stories from the ending that I'd love to see. She told me I was more than welcome to write them myself.
This is not either of those stories.
However, it is another story inspired by that ending, using her wonderful character Sofie. She (morganstuart, not Sofie) told me I was more than welcome to play in her 'verse, and that's what I've done. I hope I've done her character and her series proud, though I couldn't hope to write Sofie as well as she did.
You can find the ending to the Sofie series here and the master post to the series here. Go read them now.
Huge thanks to morganstuart again for her story, her permission to play in her sandbox and for the correction she gave me.
* * * * * *
The meerkat display was busy, as it usually was. John had come to realise over the years that the sociable creatures were some of the most popular animals at the zoo. He didn’t come as often now that Sofie was getting older, but there was a part of him that hadn’t been too surprised when she called to see if he would go with her. Lestrade had begged off, asking if John would be okay taking her by himself. The doctor suspected that Sofie had requested that he not come.
He watched her as she laid her head against the glass, studying the animals within.
“Are you angry?” The question was quiet.
John’s lips quirked, not quite a full smile, but closer than he’d managed in a while. It was so like her to get right to the point. She would, he thought, be formidable when she reached adulthood.
“Yes. I am.”
The girl - young woman? his mind queried - nodded to herself, as if she had confirmed something she had suspected. “Good. You should be.”
At that, John laughed out loud, something else he hadn’t done in a while. The people around them at the meerkat exhibit glanced at them, a few disapproving looks shot their way. What? John thought? It’s not like it’s a library.
Or a morgue.
John shook his head, the smile and laughter fading, wondering where that thought had come from. Death had been part of his life for a long time. His parents dying when he was just starting med school. Afghanistan and the horrors that brought. And then Sherlock. Or so he thought.
He sat down on a bench near the exhibit, close enough that they could keep an eye on Sofie’s favourite animal. Even as close as she was to adolescence, she retained the love she had had for the little creatures as a young girl. Over the years and their visits to the zoo he had come to see why she liked the animals. They-
“They’re like us, aren’t they?”
His thoughts were derailed by Sofie’s second question. He angled himself on the bench so he could face her. “How so?”
Sofie continued staring at the meerkats. “They form families where the members aren’t all related to each other. They watch out for each other and take care of each other. If there’s danger, they warn each other and they’ll do almost anything to protect the other members of the family.
“It’s like us. Me, Daddy, Gran, Sally, Anthea, Mr. Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson, you.” She reached out and took John’s hand. “And now Sherlock again.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m really angry with him.”
“That’s okay.”
“I know. Daddy said that too,” she sighed, and John almost smiled again, the sound being so adult, “but I missed him so much and now he’s back, and now I don’t know what to do.”
He pulled his hand from Sofie’s and slid closer to her. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and she settled against him. “It’s hard, isn’t it?”
She nodded, and he could feel the slight tremor in her frame. “How are you forgiving him?”
“Slowly.” He smiled again hearing her watery chuckle. “If you couldn’t forgive Sherlock, everyone, including him, would understand.”
“But I want to!”
“Then take it in your own time. He can wait.”
“Why did he do it? I mean, I know why he did it, but I don’t know why he did it.” She shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
But now it was John’s turn to sigh. How to explain to a twelve-year-old girl, no matter how smart, just how evil Moriarty had been? More than anyone else, he could understand how Sherlock had felt the way he did three years ago being the only one of them other than the consulting detective to actually meet Moriarty. Lestrade had seen the effects, but horrifying as they were, they didn’t even begin to hint at the true nature of the man. He really could understand how Sherlock felt faking his death was the only way to protect all the people he had come to care for.
It was the only reason he could forgive Sherlock now.
He took a deep breath, knowing he couldn’t tell her all that, and hoping that what he was about to say would be what she needed to hear. “You know what you just said, about how meerkats take care of each other?”
Sofie nodded.
“You know that one of the meerkats babysits the young while the others are hunting, yeah?”
She was watching him now, clearly wondering where this was going. “Yeah?”
“Well, I read that if danger’s coming, the babysitter gets all the young underground into their den and away from the danger.” He glanced back at the animals. One of them was on its hind legs, eyeing them. “Do you know what the babysitter does if they can’t get to their den?”
Sofie shook her head, staring at him.
“It lays down on top of the them to protect them. It’s willing to give itself up first before anything can get to the young.” He turned away from the meerkat and looked down into Sofie’s tear-stained face. “I think that’s what Sherlock was doing. Laying down first to try and ensure that none of us would be hurt.”
He watched her absorb the idea, and he watched as some of the anger and sadness leached out of her. A few minutes passed and then a brilliant smile spread across her face. “We’re not young though. Well, I am, but the rest of you…”
“Are you saying I’m old?”
Her laugh was a wonderful thing to hear. “I think everyone is young to Sherlock. At least mentally.”
John giggled, the laugh all of his friends loved. “You are a very perceptive young lady.”
She snuggled in closer. “I think I’m ready to see him again.”
“He’ll be very happy.”
“I want to show him my ants.”
“He’ll want to tell you about bees.”
She smiled up at him and John thought that finally, everything might just be okay.