"You may tell them," says Sherlock.

"But would you rather I wasn't specific? They'll listen to me if I just tell them that something worse than the alternative-as-we-knew-it happened. They won't like it but they'll listen to me. Golden won't tell if I ask her not to. They might be able to guess a short list, but not the exact thing."

"A list with what elements, I wonder. No, you may be specific."

"If she'd killed or tortured somebody, that would also be bad. If she'd... actually the mere fact that she had a serious personality change, any serious personality change, might do it. I was hoping I'd turn out like you. With maybe a different wardrobe and having to do more of my ethical process by thinking instead of feeling, nothing big."

"My best hypothesis at this moment," says Sherlock, "is that part of the reason I am such an outlier is because so much of my identity was deliberately constructed. That and luck."

"I deliberately edit myself. I guess that's not the same thing as building myself from scratch."

"Apparently not. For one thing, I don't honestly believe I could do what I did again."

"What did you do, exactly?"

"Studied the books obsessively, learned everything I thought I might need to know, modified my accent and speech patterns, and somewhere along the way began to think of myself as Sherlock Holmes instead of as no one."

"I don't think I could do that. Even if I thought it would be a really good idea to be someone other than Bella. I don't think I could want to. I mean, I could probably learn an accent if I tried, that sort of thing, but it'd wind up being cosmetic on me."

"I wanted to."

"I love you too."

"How'd you pick Sherlock Holmes?"

"Of all available candidates, he seemed the most learnable."

"Really, how's that?"

"The details of his methods are often pure fiction, but the basic principles are sound."

"Is it too late and/or too soon to offer you Arthur Mallory's head on a plate?"

"Both of those things," says Bella.

He laughs. "All right, then."

"Didja get me anything? Is there a box hiding in this house somewhere that you were going to give me except that our evening got derailed?"

"I did, and there is!"

Is "expectant snuggling" a thing? Because she does that.