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“All done Dr. Watson.” Kellie Parker, the intake nurse at reception waved as she turned out the main lights in the front.
“Thank God!” John groused as he passed her putting on his coat, then realized how brusque he sounded and stepped back, as he rubbed a hand over his apologetic face, “I’m sorry Kellie. It’s been a rough week.”
Don’t take your foul mood with Sherlock out of the staff Watson John berated himself.
His lover had been in grumpy mood the past few days; honestly Sherlock had been more of a brat than usual for over a week once John gave it thought. Each day John came home from surgery this week he seemed to be even more so. John knew Sherlock was exasperated with him for some reason, but he could not put his finger on why and Sherlock was not talking. He just wished the man he loved would tell him what it was that was bothering him so they could work through it and try to fix it. Goodness knows if Sherlock snarked about seeing versus observing one more time John felt he himself was going to go blind with fury. John felt it was a little pot/kettle. Most times it feels like Sherlock sees right through him and sometimes it felt as though Sherlock did not see him at all. How could Sherlock, the most observant man on earth, not see what was in his own face every single day?
Not fair Watson. He doesn’t read people, read emotions like that; you know this. Still, this testiness had gone on long enough.
This was his last surgery shift for the year, John hoped that whatever it was would be worked out or it was going to be one tense Christmas at Baker Street. He did not want to do that to Rosie now that she was just old enough to understand that Christmas was a special time of year.
“It's the holidays, it tries us all at some point, Doc. Are you ever going to open that bloody thing from your secret admirer? Maybe that will make you feel better.” Kelly offered as she put on her own coat.
“What thing?” John looked to her, “What secret admirer?”
“Really?” Kellie looked at him in surprise and pointed to the item at the far side of the intake desk. “How could you miss it?”
“The advent calendar?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes, the advent calendar!” Kellie said exasperated, “that was mean of you to leave that there just torturing us by not opening it so we could see!”
John had come in for shift at the beginning of the month and the staff had decorated the surgery for the holidays. The place was alight with festive cheer. John had seen the wooden advent calendar at the far side of the reception desk. He had noted its existence as he entered that first morning but had not looked at it nor given it thought since.
The surgery had two entrances, one from the street, the other from the parking lot. It was displayed closer to the parking lot side, the opposite from where he usually entered. He had not been curious enough to walk to the other side of reception to take a good look. No one had mentioned it, he had no idea it was for him. It has been there since the beginning of the month.
It was now Christmas Eve.
John blinked and walked over to it, at last.
“For Doctor Watson.” John read the tag attached, nothing else.
At first glance it looked like a standard wooden perpetual advent calendar which is why John had not paid it much attention. As he actually looked at it John realized this was custom made. It was painted to look like a white sideboard home, with brick upper floors. All the windows were painted with green garlands and red bows and the sole the black panelled door had gold painted numbers.
He could all but hear a certain flatmate’s repeated admonishment of seeing versus observing and felt absolutely worthy of the scolding for once as he realized he looked at a stylized 221B Baker Street. All that was missing was Speedy's familiar red awning, another reason it had not captured his attention. There was only one way the calendar could been placed here without the staff noticing, because John knew he was not the one who placed it there.
Sherlock.
Normally the numbered panels would have tiny knobs or pull tabs to open them. This was created so that only an Allen wrench, a very specific Allen wrench, could open it. An Allen wrench that just happened to be in John's possession. Just as the Advent calendar mysteriously appeared in reception, so had the small Allen wrench appeared on his desk one morning and no one knew how it got there. John was observant enough to know the wrench with its convenient ring was not a coincidence and has held on to it wondering what it belonged to.
Now I know.
He pulled out his key chain and grinned as he opened the first panel: a miniature magnifying glass.
He then opened the second one: a caduceus tie pin
“Oh God…” John whispered with reverence as it came to him, he already knew the third would be…
“A tiny gun…? What’s with that?” Kellie now had her coat fully buttoned and had walked over to watch as he opened each door.
In his excitement he had forgotten she was there.
“Let me lock up behind you.” John politely but firmly took her by the arm and walked her to the door.
“Oh, come on! We’ve been dying all month of curiosity here!” Kellie playfully whined as opened the front door for her.
“Not a chance! I’ll not embarrass myself more.” John grinned as he politely but definitively made a sweeping gesture with his hand that all but said Get Out.
“Fine! Happy Christmas, John. See you next year.” She waved as she left.
“Happy Christmas, Kellie.” he rolled his eyes playfully at the old joke as he locked the door behind her.
John could not help but genuinely laugh out loud as he realized this was why the giver of the calendar had been sitting around in an annoyed tizzy for the past couple of weeks each time John came home from surgery and said nothing to him.
Seeing and observing indeed! I guess failed on that one, spectacularly, huh Sherlock?
John looked at the three items again.
Okay, Sherlock uses a magnifying glass in his work. That represents him. And these represent me…
John placed the calendar on his desk and slowly opened panels. Each contained a small item or a miniature of a much larger item.
A pink doll’s suitcase, a Lucky Cat and an inflatable pool with a black heart painted inside were next.
Our first big cases together! Moriarty’s black heart.
Then a doll’s head with blonde hair and spots all over her face, a tiny comic book, a tiny ash tray with a white heart painted inside.
An ash tray? Buckingham Palace!
John grimaced at the ash tray. He did not like to think about how much Sherlock’s seeming interest in Irene Adler had rankled him. However, his own jealousy – he could admit that to himself now – was what made him realize he was falling in love with his flatmate, even though he was far from admitting such to himself at that point.
He opened more panels with tokens representing specific cases they worked on together and important markers in their lives. John could not help the trembling of his fingers as he opened a panel that read Sorry instead of a number. He knew it would represent the Fall.
The black heart split in half represents Moriarty’s death on the roof; the shattered white for the death of my own heart that day.
It was an important marker, Sherlock would not skip it, and John understood that as he held the black and white pieces in his hand. It was several years in the past now and all was eventually forgiven, but Sherlock was acknowledging that even now, a part of John will always remember that hurt.
He frowned as he took out the two pieces of a broken black heart. A number five was painted on one half, number eighteen on the other.
But why the broken black heart? May 18th was the day I married Mary, whose heart would be…
In a flash of understanding John realized that the black hearts did not represent Moriarty.
They represent Sherlock!
JIM: I’ll burn the heart out of you.
SHERLOCK: I have been reliably informed that I don’t have one.
JIM: But we both know that’s not quite true.
John remembered how for a moment Jim had looked down as if towards him, but not quite.
John nearly dropped the pieces as the revelation pierced his soul and he quickly placed them back into the calendar.
The whole black heart at the pool is Sherlock. When he knew he loved me.
The whole white heart is when he knew I loved him, but I didn’t know it yet.
John understood then that broken black and shattered white hearts after the Fall represented both of their hearts.
Halved black heart for him because he knew he had to leave me, and full shattered heart for me because.... We both were broken that day.
Oh God! His face that evening! His heart broke the day of my wedding with the deduction of the pregnancy. He knew that I might have left Mary on my own someday were it just the two of us, but I would not likely have left the mother of my child and where would that have left him.
And so it went as he opened more panels, able to predict a couple of cases and Rosie's birth.
Though he smiled, it was with a trembling hand John opened panel 24: two red hearts with a smaller red heart between them.
Loving hearts united as one color for he and Rosie and I, for the day when he and I finally said those three words to each other and I moved back to Baker Street almost two years ago.
Each panel was not just about their cases, but the steps it took to get where they were now. John looked at panel number 25, he had an idea what was in it, but decided not to open it until he got home.
John had tears in his eyes as he replaced every thing back in the calendar and closed it before he carefully put the whole calendar in his messenger bag. The former army captain did a final sweep around the offices before he locked up the surgery for the night. Normally he would have taken the Tube home, but he decided to spring for a taxi instead.
“Let me guess: last shift of the year, you decided to celebrate and took a taxi home.” Sherlock looked from his microscope and looked him over, a note of frustration in the usually smooth voice. “I’ve already picked up Rosie from school, she’s taking a nap. Nothing new under the sun.”
“Evening to you too.” John huffed as hung up his coat, next to Sherlock’s and Rosie’s.
John was not mad at Sherlock’s tone. If he had not opened the advent calendar before now, Sherlock would not have expected him to open it at all. John knew Sherlock looked him over and not seeing him carrying anything was frustrated as he thought his carefully orchestrated gift did not work. Odds were Sherlock now thought he would have to sneak out at some point tonight, break into the surgery, and bring the calendar to Baker Street to show the doctor what he missed.
John silently walked over to the sofa and sat down. He reached in his bag and pulled out the advent calendar from work. He placed it beside the advent calendar they had bought for Rosie that sat on the coffee table. He smiled as he heard Sherlock’s intake of breath at the reveal.
The curly haired detective slowly stood and walked into the living room his face a study of curiosity as John admitted to the close call with his calendar.
“I know you already looked at all twenty-five gifts for Rosie. There was no way you could not resist doing so. Your rampant curiosity was satisfied at the cute, kiddie trinkets you found as deduced, proving yourself right. I very carefully examined at how you closed it, so I could get it just right. You would not have reason to look in it again; after all you already knew what was in it. I was counting on that.” John faced both calendars forward and patted the space next to him on the sofa for Sherlock to sit. He smiled as he kissed Sherlock’s pout at being so easily handled.
“Very good, John. You’re correct, I didn’t notice because I didn’t look again.” Sherlock sat where indicated in front of the work advent calendar as his eyes roamed it carefully. “You did not open the last one…”
“No, but I’ll open Panel 25 of this one if you open Panel 25 of that one…” John grinned as he held up the special Allen wrench on his key chain. “I suspect they contain something similar trinkets.”
Sherlock’s eyes widened as he took the wrench and quickly nodded.
Sherlock and John grinned as they opened their respective panels and revealed the engagement rings.
Sherlock held up his ring in right hand to give as he held out his left hand to receive, “I guess we have the same question: will you marry me?”
John matched Sherlock in hand position as they exchanged rings and added another important date to their personal calendars, “I guess we have the same answer: Happy Christmas and God, yes!”