So here it is: the last part of A Study in Love! Kinda bittersweet, but I'm glad I acutally finished! I won't say much here because I have a little note at the end, so I'll just say, enjoy the last chapter! And thank you! :)

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The sun was sitting high in the afternoon sky, casting out rays of sunlight that warmed John's face as he stepped out of the car. He shielded his eyes from the light as he took the time to admire the remarkable architecture before him.

The cottage had cobblestone walls, and brown slate shingles. It was surrounded by a combination of rose, snapdragon, and what John thought to be marigold bushes, and the grass surrounding the cottage was lush and green. What John saw before him looked like it had been copied straight off of the front page of some Cottage Living magazine. And, John couldn't be sure, but he was pretty sure he heard some birds chirping in the distance. Looking around, John felt like he'd walked into some sort of fairytale, or at least a country cottage kingdom of sorts. Perhaps it was because John still couldn't believe he was here with Sherlock, perhaps it was because he was here celebrating their seven month anniversary, or perhaps it was simply because Sherlock's cottage was that beautiful. Whatever the reason, John was in complete awe of where he was at that current time.

After stuffing the car keys into his pocket he walked around to the boot of the car and opened it. As he was reaching inside to grab his luggage he noticed another pair of hands reach in as well. He took a small step to his right until the entire right side of his body was pressed against Sherlock, and he felt him chuckle. He pulled out his suitcases, then stood back and watched Sherlock, who was still bent over retrieving his own luggage, loving that he'd managed to convince Sherlock to wear jeans on this holiday of theirs. Sherlock no doubt could sense John's gaze, and he chose that moment to glance over his shoulder and smirked when he caught John staring. He turned back around and pulled out his two suitcases, then John closed the boot and they made their way up the stone path to the front door. Sherlock set down one of his bags, then reached into John's trouser pocket for the keys. Sherlock gave John a small smile as he held them up, then turned and unlocked the door. He pushed the door open and stepped aside, allowing John to enter first. He walked inside and let his suitcases rest by his feet as he took a look around.

The floors were wooden, which is to be expected in a cottage like this. The walls were cobblestone like the ones outside, though the interior walls were several shades darker than the exterior. A brown leather sectional couch took up the majority of the room, a brown wooden coffee table and fireplace taking up the rest of the space. There was an archway to his right, which seemed to lead to the kitchen. John noticed several bookshelves pushed against that wall, almost as if it had been an afterthought to put them there. John heard the front door close, and soon felt an arm resting on his shoulders.

"So, what do you think?" Sherlock asked.

"This place looks amazing," John said, still glancing around. He allowed Sherlock to lead him from room to room, showing him around the two-story cottage. After the tour John and Sherlock retired to the couch for the evening, with John sitting upright and Sherlock using John's lap as a pillow. An open book lay on Sherlock's chest, though John's mind was otherwise occupied with thoughts of a certain consulting detective who was currently nuzzling his face into Johns' stomach. The fingers on John's right hand were absentmindedly playing with Sherlock's hair, and Sherlock was massaging John's left hand with both of his. The only sound was that of the crackling fire, and the occasional sigh of contentment that came from Sherlock.

Sherlock's phone, which was sitting on the coffee table, lit up with a text, and the vibration startled both John and Sherlock. With a sigh, Sherlock released John's hand and reached over to grab it, frowning as he stared at the screen.

"Who is it?" Sherlock tapped out a response and set the phone back on the coffee table.

"Lucy." John sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You mean you still text her, after all-"

"This is the first time we've communicated in months. She was just wishing us a happy anniversary, and I thanked her." He reached up and placed a hand on John's cheek, then placed a gentle kiss on John's palm. "No need to be jealous." John didn't need to look down at Sherlock to know there was a smirk on his face, but he looked anyway so he could glare in response. Sherlock chuckled, then dropped his hand and closed his eyes. "I still can't believe you thought I had a secret girlfriend. Honestly John-"

"We all make mistakes," John said hurriedly, looking away from Sherlock's face and in the direction of the kitchen. A cup of tea was calling his name, but he wouldn't dare get up yet. He was very comfortable where he was. He felt Sherlock nodding his head in agreement.

"Some bigger than others," Sherlock said quietly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked, staring down at Sherlock, who was smiling up at him.

"Relax John. I was referring to myself."

"What?"

"I made a mistake by going to her for advice."

"Oh. Well, I suppose she did help a bit, by not helping at all." Sherlock smiled again.

"Yeah, who knows how long we would've gone on like that if it hadn't been for your little bout of jealousy-induced rage." John laughed along, though he was still incredibly embarrassed after all this time at his 'outburst'.

"Hey," he said, "Let's not think about that. That was the past. All that matters is right here..." He brought Sherlock's hand up to his lips and kissed it. "Right now." Sherlock propped himself up on the couch, and John leaned down to kiss him once, twice, a third time.

"Not just that," Sherlock mumbled against his lips. John would've asked what Sherlock had meant by that, but at the moment all he could think about was how soft his hair was, and how amazing Sherlock's lips felt pressed against his own.

Slowly, Sherlock pulled away and sat up. John whined in protest, causing Sherlock to laugh as he stood.

"I'll be right back."

"Alright. You want some tea?" John asked, standing up as well.

"I'd love some, thank you."

John went into the kitchen and started on the preparations for the tea while Sherlock disappeared to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what. After several minutes had passed and Sherlock still hadn't reappeared, John considered going to look for him, but ultimately decided against it. He instead focused all of his attention on making the tea perfect.

"Only the best for my Sherlock," he said to himself, smiling.

"I'm flattered," said a deep voice in John's ear. A pair of long arms captured John in a tight embrace, and he felt Sherlock place a kiss on his shoulder. John chuckled, and struggled to turn around so he and Sherlock were face-to-face. He placed his hands on Sherlock's shoulders, and he felt Sherlock's hands on his waist, pulling him impossibly close.

"Sherlock," John said, in between kisses, "the tea."

"Who cares about the bloody tea," Sherlock growled before leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses along John's jaw line and neck.

"I do," John said, pushing Sherlock away. "There will be plenty of time for that later." He started to turn away from Sherlock, but the detective trapped him between his own body and the kitchen counter, an almost predatory look in his eyes.

"There's time for it now." Sherlock captured John's mouth in a passionate kiss, and this time when John pushed him away, it was not a rejection.

"Alright," he said, "Get your arse in that bed now."

"Wait," Sherlock said, holding up his hands. "There's something I want to do first."

"What?" Sherlock began to talk as he reached into the back pocket of his jeans.

"You see John, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."

"Big shocker there."

"Just let me finish." John pretended to 'zip his lips' and smiled up at Sherlock, who rolled his eyes but smiled back. "As I was saying, I was doing a lot of thinking about...us. And, though in most cases with relationships it takes quite a lot of time to get to know someone properly and decide if it's worth it to continue pursuing a life with that person. Only, in our case I believe the seven months to be sufficient, seeing as how we began our relationship after already being good friends and flat mates." Sherlock hesitated to continue, and though John had no idea where he was going with this he nodded his head. He reached down to take the hand Sherlock wasn't holding behind his back and offered an encouraging smile. Sherlock brought John's hand up to eye level and began examining it as he spoke.

"Just a few minutes ago you said that all that matters is the here and now, but I must say I disagree."

"Oh?"

"Yes. The future is equally as important as the present, if not more so." John watched silently as Sherlock licked his lips and took in a deep breath. "I've been thinking a lot about the future, and I've found that I cannot possibly imagine any version of mine without you in it. John, you have shown me what it is like to love someone and shown me what it feels like to truly be loved in return. I could go on forever about how until I met you there were so many things I thought I'd never do, never say, never feel or experience, and I can assure you that this was at the top of the list."

John felt a blush creeping into his cheeks, and a tightening in his chest as Sherlock held up a small black box. Sherlock met his curious and excited gaze with a small smile. He singlehandedly opened the box, revealing a single, silver band inside.

"John Hamish Watson, would you do me the honour of marrying me?" John's eyes grew wide and his right hand flew up to cover his mouth. He looked up at Sherlock and nodded his head.

"Yes," he breathed, removing his hand to smile at Sherlock. "God, yes."

Instantly a brilliant smile appeared on Sherlock's face and he threw his arms around John. John hugged him back equally as enthusiastically, then allowed Sherlock to slide the ring onto his finger. Never before had something felt so incredibly right than having that silver band on his left ring finger, and Sherlock's lips pressed against his own. Sherlock reached into his back pocket again and pulled out a ring identical to the one John was currently wearing. With shaking hands John managed to place the ring on Sherlock's finger, and their lips reunited in a tender kiss.

As John went to turn off the kettle and Sherlock went to the bedroom, John once again found himself in a state of disbelief. After all these years of feeling alone and unimportant, John seemed to have finally found his place in the world, and that place was right beside Sherlock Holmes, the world's only consulting detective, and now his fiancé. Sure, there had been some bumps along the road, and sure their relationship wasn't perfect, but when he went into the bedroom and saw Sherlock waiting for him on the bed, smiling at him as twisted his engagement ring around his finger, he decided he wouldn't have it any other way.

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Thanks guys for reading! Stay tuned for the Sherlock POV one-shots I'll be putting up...someday. Might have to take a break from writing for a while until I school becomes more manageable, but I am not an a writing hiatus. Never that. Thanks to everyone who's read, voted, and/or commented! You guys made me want to keep writing, and I never would've finished this if it weren't for you guys encouraging me. So thank you! Until next time!