For Joan

[theodorelasso]

Continued from here.

(warnings: sexytimes. also, panic attacks, brutal violence, attempted murder, discussion of suicide and actual murder... )

Comments

[theodorelasso]

Ted is good with names. Not just by nature - he intentionally takes care to note and remember people's names as best he can. It goes a long way in connecting with people and making them feel seen. So of course he would remember the names of people Joan specifically name as ones she cares about.

"Who's Alfredo?" he asks curiously.

[formersurgeon]

"A man who was once my sponsor," he says plainly, not shying at all from the implied reference to his addiction. "And has since become a friend. He also taught Watson how to steal a car."

Joan wasn't expecting that, and she rolls her eyes. "He's a reformed car thief who now gets paid to test high end car security systems. And I've never actually stolen a car."

"You could if the need arose," Sherlock points out. "It is a valuable skill."

[theodorelasso]

Ted does raise his eyebrows at Joan when Sherlock shares that little tidbit. He wouldn't think Joan had ever stolen a car, no. Well, not without very good reason, at the very least.

"Wait, so, you were sponsored by a former car thief...?" Ted asks, confused by that part. Clearly he thinks in the term of sports teams having sponsors. For one thing, he thought Sherlock had all the money he needed.

[formersurgeon]

Sherlock frowns in confusion, not understanding where the disconnect is. Joan gets it.

"Not that kind of sponsor," she says. "In 12 step programs a sponsor is basically a mentor. A fellow addict you can turn to when you're struggling."

[theodorelasso]

"Ohhh, right," Ted answers, and suddenly that makes a lot more sense. "That's cool, it's important to have people to turn to. And makes sense you'd end up as friends, I mean, that sort of thing builds bonds." Of course he's thinking of Beard.

Ted isn't bothered by Sherlock being an addict either. Only in the sense that he wants to make sure he doesn't accidentally do anything that makes it harder for him to stay sober.

[formersurgeon]

"Mmm," Sherlock hums with an approving nod toward Watson for the explanation. "Alfredo is...exceptional. He is not as vital to my life as Watson, obviously. But he makes my life just...a little bit better."

[theodorelasso]

Ted smiles warmly. "He sounds like a great guy. I look forward to meeting all these friends of yours one day," he says, speaking about both of them. Though obviously they have a lot of friends in common.

[formersurgeon]

"I look forward to introducing you to them," Joan says. Ted is so unerringly friendly that Joan can't imagine any of their friends not liking him, even if they're taken aback when his midwestern cheerfulness collides with their New York cynicism.

[theodorelasso]

And if they're good people who like Joan, Ted will definitely like them in return.

Ted sends a text to Beard to ask if he wants to come over, which he shortly confirms he will.

"Did they have any specific time they wanted us to come to the morgue?" Ted asks Sherlock. "I'd rather go sooner than later."

[formersurgeon]

"Provided we give them a heads-up, we could go now," Sherlock answers. He can understand Ted's desire to take care of the matter expeditiously. Putting it off would only encourage rumination on the matter, and Ted clearly wants to do right by Mr. Chapman, despite how violently Chapman did wrong by Ted.

"When can Beard come over?" Joan asks.

[theodorelasso]

"They finish practice in half an hour, so that's probably a good time," Ted answers. It's not the actual end of the workday, obviously, but they only have so many hours out on the field each day, and after that it's a bit freer. And Ted slept in for a while.

[formersurgeon]

"We can wait for him to arrive," Sherlock suggests, "before we depart for the morgue."

He knows that Ted is concerned about leaving Watson home alone, and to be entirely honest, he is too. He knows it's not fully rational, that Watson has been doing well and there's no reason to think something terrible will happen if she's left alone. But so many terrible things have happened.

[theodorelasso]

Ted nods in agreement. They've had a streak of very very bad luck lately, and it's only natural they feel a bit overprotective of each other.

"You wanna get comfortable in the living room?" he suggests. The kitchen is fine for eating, but the chairs aren't the most comfortable in the long run. And more importantly, he'd like to cuddle up a little bit before he leaves.

[formersurgeon]

Joan gets it. In other situations she might chafe against that protectiveness, stubbornly independent and intent on avoiding being vulnerable. But with everything that has happened, and with these two men, she feels so loved and cared for, and she loves them both in return.

"That sounds great," she says with a smile. It will definitely be more comfortable, and she'll take all the cuddling she can get before they go.

[theodorelasso]

It probably helps that in letting Ted 'protect' her, she's protecting and reassuring him in return. It's for his own sake as well that he wants to be with her, and make sure she's alright.

"Alright then," he says, getting to his feet. "Well, after all that french toast, want to get the chair?" he asks. It's not that far to walk, but he knows she errs on the side of the ambitious, so he wants to balance it out a little and make sure she doesn't overextend herself.

[formersurgeon]

They both have so much healing to do. Caring for and allowing themselves to be cared for by each other are two sides of the same coin, both profound expressions of love.

Joan is going to keep pushing herself right now, though. "It's not far." She smiles. "And now I have more energy because of all that french toast."

Sherlock rises as well to help Watson, although he hangs back a little to see how Ted responds.

[theodorelasso]

Ted has no intention of stopping her if that is what she wants to do, as long as she considers it when he recommends caution. She knows her limits better than he does, and trying to stop her from challenging herself isn't going to help. Sometimes all you can do is try to be there when someone falls. Literally in this case. Though hopefully it won't come to that.

[formersurgeon]

Sherlock appreciates how much Ted respects Watson, letting her make her own choices even if he might not particularly agree with them. Sherlock has run afoul with Joan's fierce independence in the past, and has learned, becoming better with Watson and even a better person in general. But Ted is already such a good person. Admirable, really.

He offers his hands to Watson, and she takes them and stands. It takes a moment for her to steady herself, but after she's sure on her feet the walk to the living room is pretty uneventful. She sits on the couch with a sigh and leans back into the cushions, enjoying the comfort.

[theodorelasso]

Ted follows along after, and smiles softly when she makes it to the couch just fine. It's so good to see, and it does make him less worried about leaving her without them. And of course there's few people he trusts more than Beard to be reliable.

He sets down his crutches and sits down next to her, leaning back as well. He misses his team, but he'll also miss these lazy comfortable mornings together.

[formersurgeon]

She's going to miss this, too. Plenty of people would get sick of their partner if cooped up together for as long as they have been, but not Joan. She still enjoys this closeness, and will miss it when they move on to a more "normal" schedule.

She leans against him, putting her head on his shoulder, and takes his hand, threading their fingers together.

[theodorelasso]

He's sure eventually they would get on each other's nerves a little bit - or at least they would have to start adapting to avoid getting on each other's nerves. That's only natural. But right now, it's a safe haven from everything else going on.

He leans his head against hers as well, sitting there and quietly enjoying the closeness. And wondering about what will meet him at the morgue. He doesn't even know specifically how Turner died. He's not sure he wants to know, nor does he want to see him. He doesn't exactly enjoy being around dead bodies.

After a while he lifts his head again. "Oh, did you want to shower before Beard gets here, or leave it for later?" he asks, remembering she'd requested that.

[formersurgeon]

Sherlock is a little concerned about how Ted will react to the experience at the morgue. The man is soft-hearted and not hardened like him and Joan are. He's resolved to protecting him as much as he can.

"I forgot about that," Joan says, lifting her head as well. "I think having a shower now would be good. Better to receive visitors when I'm not so grimy."

[theodorelasso]

Ted may be soft-hearted, but at least he's still fairly resilient. Things might hurt, but that doesn't mean they'll break him.

"You're not grimy," Ted answers with amusement. "But sure, let's go. Chair this time?"

[formersurgeon]

"Okay," she concedes with a sigh and a smile. "I'll take the chair this time."

Not that she needs it. She'll just do it to make him happy. That's her story and she's sticking to it.

[theodorelasso]

He can live with that just fine. He's sure she'd get there well enough, but what's the point of exhausting herself at the start of the day?

"Sherlock?" he requests, to get him to fetch the chair. This time when Ted gets to his feet, he's the one offering Joan his hands to help her into the chair.