Now, where to begin? [Holmesbury]

Chapter 20

Tewkesbury pov:

"Zzzz."
"Zzzz."
"Zzzz."

What time is it even? Can Sherlock just shut up now? Ugh. I was still lying awake, but I have no idea how long... It seemed like hours. I closed my eyes for the umpteenth time and tried to sleep. I have never been so uncomfortable in my life. I really do long for my warm bed right now, and without a snoring man near me. There was one advantage though;

"Ughhff..."

If you speak of the devil...

"Ow, you're still awake too?"

"Yes what do you expect? With him over there..." She pointed her finger in the direction of her brother and looked up at me.

"You have a point there." I chuckled in response.

my smile slowly faded away and I looked deep into her eyes. The moonlight reflected in them and came straight into my eyes. I saw something else, it was fear this time. I knew she probably wouldn't want to admit it, but I know something is wrong. It's not very strange in itself, she has been through some traumatic things in the last week. She deserves better. What has this innocent girl, Enola Holmes, ever done wrong?

"Enola..." I said more like a sigh.

And then the edge was reached. In one swift movement, she encircled me with her cold arms and laid her head against my chest, then she burst into tears again. This is no longer healthy. Enola was not healthy, what is she even doing here?! After a near-death experience, she should be in a hospital bed. I covered her head with my two hands and pressed her firmly against me.

"It is okay. Everything will be fine."

I heard her sobbing loudly and she was clearly having trouble keeping her breathing somewhat regular. She just started freaking out and I could feel her whole body shaking.

"Enola, now you are going to listen to me very carefully. He is dead. The man next to you in the carriage, well, ...he's still in the carriage. And he will be in there forever."

"Is...Thomas" She swallows the lump in her throat. "Dead?"

Thomas? Who is he?
"Wait, Enola, do you know this man?!"

"I- I um..."

"W-w-who is he, then?
I mean was."

"Ehm, no I've actually never seen him before." Enola just managed to get out of her mouth in a forced tone.

I couldn't see Enola's face, is that why she thinks I don't know anything? That doesn't work for me. I knew her too well for that.

"Enola. You don't need to keep things from me, you know that." I was really touched, you could hear it in my voice.

This pose was becoming a little uncomfortable so I put my back against the tree trunk we were lying next to earlier. Enola flipped over with my help and put her head on my lap. Very close. She looked into my eyes for a second and then focused them on the starry sky. I wanted to give her support, so I took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"Thomas." She started to tell. "He is an old friend of mine. My best friend, to be honest. We would do everything together, every day. And at some point things started to get weird between us, even though I didn't realise it at the time. He had a 'surprise' for me. He declared his love but the feelings were not mutual, so I rejected him. He got furious and ran away, I never saw him again. And now... after 4 long years... he was standing in front of me again."

"Wow well um... That's intense." I scratched my neck because for a moment I didn't know how to react. "I do want you to know one thing, and never forget it in your life. I will never leave you, no matter what happens, I will stay with you. I will hang on to that promise forever."

I brushed through her wavy hair with my fingers. I let go of her hand and fumbled in the grass for a pretty purple flower that I couldn't actually see because it was dark. I just assumed it looked like that. I tucked a strand behind her ear and slid the flower between her hairs, just above her ear.

"I know that." Enola chuckled softly and you could hear the phlegm in her throat rising. She pulled up the snot in her nose. "I think I love you."

I bent down, closer to Enola. "I know I love you." I whispered against her lips. I gave her a short kiss, which was certainly full of meaning and passion. My hand was now on her forehead and the other somewhere between her shoulder and neck.

I felt something touch my hand and saw Enola pulling my finger. "Come back." She complained with a begging face.

"I'm here, aren't I? What do you mean? You with your detective ass shouldn't talk to me in such a complicated way. I'm not Einstein, my IQ is just a bit lower than that."

"Do I always have to do everything myself now?" Mumbled Enola unintelligibly, probably to herself.

"Wha-"

I could'nt finish my sentence because she pulled me back to her lips, by my hair. I groaned from the sudden pain I felt on my head, and opened my mouth a little because of it. I was completely overwhelmed by this unexpected action of Enola. She really is very unpredictable, but we knew that already. 

I broke the kiss and Enola looked at me with irritation in a very cute way. 

"Sorry, but this really does hurt my back and neck, I'm almost folded in half!" Enola was still lying with her head on my lap, but quickly got off and pulled me to the ground with her.

She lay down on top of my arm and cupped my cheeks with her hands. She looked into my eyes for a moment, lowered her eyes to my lips, stayed there for a moment. Then, with a growing smile, she came at me again like a hungry monster. This is a new side of her that I had not really discovered before. I like it.

My hands slid around her small waist and my fingertips accidentally touched a piece of skin that was exposed to the cold air; her shirt had probably come up a bit because she had been moving.

I felt her tremble for a second, but then she focused fully on me again and left kisses all over my face, making sure not to miss a spot.

I slipped my hands further under her shirt and touched every inch of her soft, smooth skin. It caused her breath to stop for a moment and then she had to gasp for air, which she didn't really get because I had already connected my lips to hers again.

After about another minute, I heard a noise coming from a little further away. I didn't let my attention linger there for too long and returned to Enola.

"Huhm" I heard again and when I looked, Sherlock was lying there on his elbows, still half asleep.

He cleared his throat, "Please do that at another time. And make sure Enola sleeps soon, because she needs the rest the most. Luckily we had some food and drink with us to regain strength, and Enola's. Get off him and sleep." Sherlock ordered her.

My grip on her waist weakened and she rolled off me, Just now she somehow ended up on top of me a minute ago. She just cuddled my arm and laid her head on my chest. It makes me feel so special to know that Enola considered me a safe place, that she can fall asleep at ease as long as I'm with her.

Sherlock sighed and lay down again, with his head facing the other direction.

I played with Enola's hair and gently ran my fingertips along her arm. She breathed in and out quietly and had her eyes closed, her lashes were spread on her cheeks, which were still a little wet from her tears, and they glistened in the bright light of the moon.

"Have I ever told you that you are beautiful?" 

"Now you have..." She whispered quietly, smiling.

I kept staring at her face, trying to notice some details I hadn't seen before, which was difficult. No more than five minutes later, Enola had fallen asleep peacefully. Only now did I feel allowed to close my eyes as well. I wanted to watch over her until she was asleep so she wouldn't panic again. I laid my head down in the grass and sighed, before wandering off and, not much later, like everyone else, sleeping peacefully and having some kind of adventure in my dreams. Can you please not tell anyone that I sometimes dream about Enola riding a green unicorn?

Finally something fluffy hehe -- This really took far too long to write.