John's POV
I awoke to Harry's singing, a sound I hadn't heard in years. She was loudly singing 'Here Comes the Bride' whilst throwing open the curtains. The dim light of London morning filtered through, despite the fact that dawn had barely broken. It was six in the morning, the wedding to start in only five hours. We'd chosen to have a morning wedding, Sherlock had fussed that it would be easiest to get to our honeymoon.
Five hours, I was getting married to the love of my life in five hours. I chuckled as Clara pranced in, twirling. The two proceeded to dance around the room, singing and laughing. Harry finally pulled me out of bed, still giggling. "Come on, sleepyhead! It's wedding time!"
They left me to shower, still laughing. Every moment felt surreal as I began to get ready. I wasn't to change into the suit until later, so I just put on a normal outfit for now. I found that Clara and Harry had already made breakfast, discussing different sights they were going to go see while they stayed here. The two of them were staying for a few weeks as Sherlock and I were on our honeymoon. I suggested a few of Sherlock and I's favorites, along with our favorite restaurants.
"There's an Italian restaurant, pretty good too, where Sherlock and I go on a lot of date nights. It's run by a man named Angelo, who's a friend of ours. Actually, you'll meet him today at the wedding, but I'm sure he'll give you a discount if you tell him who you are."
"That sounds great, actually. I think we'll have to do that. We're here until December 6th, so that gives us plenty of time to do that." I showed Clara where we kept everything for tea before Harry jumped in.
"The drive to the Victorian church is considerably long, two hours, so we should probably get going." I nodded and grabbed the few items I needed to take with me. Every second was ticking down towards the wedding, closer and closer to the ceremony. I could barely contain my excited anticipation as we made a last sweep of the flat before finally leaving.
I spent the entire cab ride twiddling my thumbs, excited for the next several hours to come. For the lifetime to come. The anticipation was almost too great to bear, but it would be worth it, it would all be worth it. Everything that we'd been through, it would all be worth it. Just to marry him, and spend the rest of our lives together.
The church was already set up when we arrived, ready for the ceremony. I caught sight of Greg talking to the photographer, so I knew Sherlock was already tucked away somewhere in another room. I understood the longstanding tradition of the couple not seeing each other before the wedding, but I still longed to see him. Harry and Clara ushered me past, into my own dressing room.
They both flitted over me, fussing over my hair, and other details after I'd changed into the suit. They finally pinned the yellow flower onto my suit, the last detail in place. It was only when they'd deemed my appearance good that I was allowed to see myself in the mirror. Harry squeezed my shoulder, her gaze meeting mine in the mirror. "You look handsome, John." Her eyes shone with tears, the same way mine had at her wedding. "Thank you," I managed, my voice cracking.
I glanced back at my reflection. The suit was a deep black, with a light gray waistcoat and a blue bow tie. The lady who had sold it had mentioned that the waistcoat brought out my eyes. I didn't know about that, but I did know that I liked it. Clara had already combed and styled my hair into a more elegant style than usual. (Season 4 John hair, the only good to come from that season.)
A knock sounded at the door. "It's time," Greg's voice wafted through and I felt my throat tighten. Not fear, or any sort of upset. Joy. Pure, unyielding joy. I was getting married to the love of my life in just minutes. I nodded once before walking out, Harry and Clara following close behind. The actual ceremony was taking place in the cathedral, and the reception was to take place in the ballroom. I took my place at the front of the room, onto the platform with the priest.
Most everyone was seated, talking excitedly. Everyone except Harry, Clara, Greg, Mycroft, and Mrs. Hudson, the wedding party. But Alice, Olivia, their families, Mike, the few we'd invited from the Yard, Angelo, and my army friends were all seated, beaming.
I glanced around at the beautiful cathedral, taking in the sight. The room was made of a gorgeous red oak, the pews made of the same wood. The colorful stain glass windows shimmered in the light, casting a magnificent glow around the room.
Candles flickered around the room as I took it all in. Fairy lights decorated the aisle, with petals of roses surrounding them. The ceiling arched high and spanned wide, but the room felt infinitely intimate. The entire cathedral was ethereal, surreal, and positively perfect.There was nowhere else that I would've rather gotten married.
The priest smiled at me, which I returned. In fact, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I was getting married in just minutes, the excitement rising to staggering levels. It wasn't long until the music finally began. I straightened, my hands clasped in front of me. Mycroft and Harry strode in arm in arm, walking elegantly down the aisle. The maid of honor and the best man. They parted in front of me as Greg and Clara followed. The final pairing finally stepped in, knocking the very breath out of me.
Mrs. Hudson was beaming proudly as she and Sherlock began the walk towards me. I couldn't take my eyes off of him, he was simply gorgeous. His own suit was a crisp white, his vest black, fitting him perfectly. His curls were styled immaculately, the one curl falling gracefully onto his forehead. A flower, matching to mine, was pinned against his suit.
There was no one in the entire world who could possibly have looked so gorgeous. No one but him. I felt my lips part in awe as I met his gaze. His turquoise eyes sparkled back at me, showing the same leaping joy I felt. His perfectly shaped lips curved upwards as he helped Mrs. Hudson take a seat at the front.
I held out my hand to him, which he took as he stepped up onto the platform with the priest and I. I squeezed both of his hands, grinning widely. The priest began reciting the ceremony, each of us replying when needed before he reached the vows. "Now, both of the grooms have prepared their own wedding vows." He motioned for me to start at my leisure. I cleared my throat before beginning the speech I'd prepared.
"Sherlock, when I met you, we were both broken men. I was a broken soldier recovering from a bullet wound. You were a man desperate for love and understanding, feeling little of either. The second day that I knew you, I was prepared to die for you, to kill for you if need be." I turned my head out a little, glancing at Greg. "Yes that was me, but you probably had already guessed." The crowd laughed, Greg, shaking his head though still laughing. It died down quickly to let me continue.
"You were already so willing to die, but you didn't. And ever since that moment, I began falling for you. I began seeing you for who you really are, not just the facade everyone else saw, the one you put up for the world. The high-functioning sociopath with no emotion. A robot. That is not at all the man I know and love, and I began to see that then. I've always known that you were much more complex than that, but no one else around us seemed to realize it.
The night you were shot changed my life in a multitude of ways. What I learned, " I faltered, tears rising to my eyes as they began to fall from his. "When I learned about everything," my voice was breathy and low.
"I wanted to protect you because I was already so in love with you. I wanted to protect you from all the hurt and pain you'd suffered throughout your life. You have reminded me that there is life after the war, and there is love. So understand me when I say that I will lay down my life for you. I will go to the ends of this world and the next to be with you. I will always love you, and that is a promise." I reached up, wiping away a few tears from his cheeks.
He smiled at me, a smile filled with love. I didn't need to look out at the wedding guests to know they were crying. I could hear their weeping already.
"John. Where do I even begin? You saved my life, in so many ways, and so many times. I was so afraid to love you, to let you into my heart. But then, that night, you saw something I'd never wanted you to see, and you forced your way in. And despite what I told the world of who I was, you saw right through it. You, you loved me, just as I was. You saw me for who I was, who I still am, and you didn't care about my many, many flaws.
You loved me regardless of who I was, of everything. You accepted me, you held me, you helped me. And when I tried again," his voice shook so heavily that he had to pause for a moment to take a breath. "When I tried again, you saved me. You saved me physically, emotionally and mentally. Again and again, you saved me.
You, in the past year, have taught me how to love again. I know you would die for me, but after everything that's happened this past year, I can't say the same. But what I can say is that I will live for you. Even if everything else in my life goes wrong, I will still have you, and I will live for that future. I promise to live for that future with you. Life with you is much more interesting than death, but I wouldn't have known if you hadn't forced me to live it. So, I promise you that I will live."
We were both crying, our hands locked in between us. The priest began to speak after a moment of silence, "John Hamish Watson, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" I smiled, no ounce of doubt in my heart.
"I do."
Sherlock slipped the ring onto my finger. "Sherlock Holmes, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do."
I slipped the matching gold band onto his finger, beaming proudly at him. "I now pronounce you two husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom."
I smiled, taking Sherlock's face into my hands. I pressed my lips against his as the guests cheered. I could feel his smile through the kiss, making me laugh. I broke away, grinning wildly, finding him doing the same. He linked our arms back together as we made our way back down the aisle. The guests stood, beaming and crying all at the same time
We were no longer Dr. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes, famous detectives. We were no longer the duo the world expected us to be. We were more than that. We were a unit, two puzzle pieces made perfect for one another. We were John and Sherlock Watson-Holmes, and nothing in this world could stop that.