'Have you ever, in your entire life, thought that it might benefit you more if you shut up?'

"If I shut up, none of my cases will be solved."

'Right. Yes, that's…that's actually a valid point. But have you ever considered, that maybe…just maybe, if you shut-up now, this will be less tedious than you claim it to be?'

"How can I possibly shut up. That man is an idiot."

'That idiot is named Sherlock Holmes. That idiot is you in this reality. You are insulting that idiot. Do you want me to continue with my line of logic here? Because we both know that if A is equal toB and B is equal to C then A is equal to C, and since A is equal toidiot, what does that make C?'

"C is actually an A that lives in an alternate universe wherein he is a genius who could easily see that there are scratches in the man's shoes that denotes a careless maid who was cleaning it during the time of death and therefore have an alibi! Unfortunately, C is dragged into idiotic A's world by an equally idiotic D."

'Fuck you.'

"D who has a wonderful way with words."

'Just watch, okay! We are not here for the case. We are here for him and his life that you are missing out!'

Sherlock rolled his eyes at the spectre but he remained silent as they watched the other Sherlock try to solve the murder case. It was a 5 in Sherlock's scale, but the other him was taking longer than necessary because he does not see what Sherlock sees. The other him was not a genius. The other him wears the forensic gear handed by Donovan. The other him checks on Anderson's wife, promises Lestrade to give an update and asks about John's new date as they walk away from the crime scene.

The Sherlock in this world politely greets Mycroft over the phone, asks about Mummy's health and promises to come for dinner next week. He did not notice the change in Mycroft's voice as the older Holmes talked about their mother. He did not realize that Mycroft was already hinting about Mummy's worsening condition.

This Sherlock sits beside John as they take the Tube home. He did not deduce that the man sitting in front of him was cheating on his wife. Or that the woman on the other side was a recovering alcoholic.

He and the spectre observed as the alternate Sherlock walk up the steps to his flat, but not before dropping by Mrs. Hudson's to deliver her box of groceries that was left in the hall. He watched as this Sherlock got enveloped in a warm hug and sent on his merry way with freshly baked Madelines. He looked as the other Sherlock leave without realizing that Mrs. Hudson had just had a guest. Someone whose profile fits that of the owner of Speedy's.

On and on, they would watch as the other him live out his ordinary life. Together with the spectre, he would stand by a corner and look as this Sherlock struggle through living without the aid of a brilliant mind that could easily get him out of his petty problems. He has mediocre skills in playing the violin, he needs to carry around a notepad because he sometimes forgets details about his cases and he constantly consults with various people who are considered experts of their fields.

Days would pass as Sherlock watch the other version of him. He would cringe when the other Sherlock doesn't ask the right questions or fails to make the connections. He would yell and ruffle his hair in frustration over the other's obliviousness. There are times when he feels like grabbing the man's shoulders and shake him until his genius comes out. Sherlock would complain to the spectre about the other's inadequacies. At first he couldn't believe that there would be a him that can't identify the differences between less than five tobacco ashes. There were times when he almost wanted to deny the existence of the other Sherlock.

But still, he continued to watch.

Because even though the other Sherlock needs to ask for help from other people, he gets answers, he gets the help. Even if he forgot details, there was John to happily fill the blanks for him. Even if he skips some notes and does not have proper fingering, this Sherlock have a Molly who sits silently and watches with a smile.

This Sherlock was happy.

On the fifth night since they had began to watch, Sherlock and the spectre found themselves outside a restaurant. The other him and Molly were out on a dinner date.

'Look at how happy they are.'

Molly was laughing at something that the other him had said. Sherlock realized that he rarely heard his Molly laugh like that. The pair have their hands intertwined and occasionally, the other Sherlock would raise her hand and kiss her knuckles. Sherlock briefly wondered if his Molly' had hands that were callused from constantly wielding a scalpel. Surely, this other Sherlock would know.

During the appetizer, there was even more laughter.

'He looks different than you.'

When the main course was served, a few kisses had already been exchanged.

'They are so in-love.'

Before dessert, there was a slight commotion because of a simple diamond band sitting on top of the chocolate gateau. She was crying and he was on his knees. In the end, she nodded and pulled him into an intense kiss.

'You never had that.'

The night ended with Sherlock and the spectre standing outside Molly's apartment. The couple had just gotten out of the cab and although they had spent a few minutes snogging outside, eventually, they made their way into the apartment. Sherlock made a move to follow them, but the spectre immediately pulled him back.

'Sorry old boy, we are not going to play peeping Toms tonight.'

So instead, Sherlock found himself in a dark alleyway, looking at Molly's curtained windows as two shadows melted into one.

'You will never have that.'

"I want to…"

He tried blocking the sun's rays with his hands as its blinding light assaulted his sleepy eyes. Slowly sitting up, Sherlock allowed his eyes to adjust while he squints around to look at his room. With a big yawn, he leaned on his headboard and waited for the fog of sleep to lift from his head.

However, the peace was broken by his door opening slowly to reveal a small body in blue. As Sherlock's mind began to focus, a pleasant voice rang through the air.

"Oh good, Mr Sleepyhead is awake. Come on, breakfast is ready."

Soft hands cupped his face as his mind registered the smiling face of Molly Hooper standing in front of him, wearing only his blue dress shirt.

For a moment, his slate was blank. No thoughts passed across his skull as his brain absorbed the image in front of him.

"Sherlock, come on! I'm hungry."

Her small hands slowly left his face as she began to turn around. As if a spell was broken, he snapped into action and quickly pulled her towards him and his lips crashed against hers in a passionate kiss.

"Woah. Sherlock love, what is up with you?" She said during the small time that she was able to break away from his kiss.

He wasted no reply as he pulled her closer to him in another round of hungry kiss. Eventually though, they both needed air and had to break apart. He rested his forehead against hers as they tried to take in as much air as they can.

"Come on now, what is really happening with you?" She asked as she cleared away a stray curl.

"Nothing, I just had this bad dream where I was a genius detective who solved fantastic crimes." His grip tightened around her hips.

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"I was not happy and I didn't have you."

"...have that too"

A/N I am marking this complete for now but I know this still has something to give. I'm just waiting for my muse to decide, but I'm already quite happy as it is.

Also, I love sassy Sherlock-spectre so I know I'm not going to be able to drop him that easily!

I hope you are too. Let me know :)