Beside You- A Johnlock Fanfiction (BBC Sherlock) *UNDER HEAVY EDITING*

Epilogue- Onwards

Here's to all the places we've been, and here's to me whispering again and again, "I love you."

- John Green, An Abundance of Katherines

Sherlock

"Is he sleeping?" Mycroft asked quietly.

"Yes. Got the cases?" I replied in a whisper.

Molly answered this. "They're in the boot- you're ready to go."

It was about 1am in the morning now, and John had fallen asleep on my shoulder. Right on cue.

Hang on... Right on time?

"Mycroft, what did you put in my husband's drink?" I asked through gritted teeth. Mycroft just laughed a bit.

"Nothing, nothing, Sherlock, don't you worry."

I raised an eyebrow at him, then smiled. "Right then, I'd better get him to the car."

As I began to lift John up, Mum approached us. "Hello, Sherlock," she said, and Mycroft shushed her. "Wha- ooh," she dropped into an almost silent voice when she saw John was sleeping. "Is it still a surprise?"

"Yep, he has absolutely no idea that and where we are going," I replied, grinning and making sure John was in a comfortable position in my arms. "Right. Come on, then."

We started to walk towards the car- Greg was already waiting in the driver's seat. "Hey, Sherlock," he greeted me in a low voice.

"Good morning, Greg," I returned his greeting as I placed John carefully in the backseat. Before I got in myself, Mycroft shook my hand. "Good luck, brother dear," he hesitated for a few moments, and then added sincerely. "I'll be here if you need me, so... give me a shout if you do."

"Thank you, Mycroft. For everything," I beamed at him. "I'm glad to call you my brother."

"Likewise. Well, you'd best be off then!"

"Aren't you going home yet? It's terribly late!"

"No, we volunteered to clean up," he added, almost regrettable and I chuckled at his reluctance.

My Mother approached me next, droplets in her eyes again, and squeezed me in a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered.

I put my hands on her shoulders and leant to her height. "I'm proud of you too, Mum. Have a safe journey back."

"Have a safe journey there," she ordered me and I nodded, giving them both one last grin and clambering into the car. I secured the seatbelts around John and I, making sure they were comfortable and pulling him in so he'd be leaning against me instead of slipping back into the other seat.

We started to drive, off and out of the field and I took one last look at the ocean, before waving to my Mother and Mycroft until they faded out of sight for the final time. I then swathed John in both arms, feeling his lovely warmth as he shifted slightly in his sleep as we came across a bump in the road, but didn't wake up.

I pulled my phone out of one pocket and Molly passed my headphones back to me, because I knew we had a couple of hours to go before we got there. I plugged them in and started to play through my song collection the playlist I had made recently for John. I made sure it was quiet enough so that you wouldn't even hear it slightly if you weren't tuned in. We were gliding silently along an almost barren motorway, and I pulled the window down a bit so I could see the stars, but put my coat which was lying in the seat beside us over John so he wouldn't get cold, hugging him again.

The stars still pierced the sky with their bewitching light and I began to run through all of my reasons again- it had been a long time since I'd done this, and I remembered how much I enjoyed it- John's light breathing dusted my neck, and I smiled. Everything seemed so beautiful, from the sky to the few cars drifting up and down the road almost gracefully, and him, especially him, because he was the one who made it all this way.

"I love you," I whispered almost inaudibly, not minding if he didn't quite hear it because he was asleep. I just liked to tell him. And I'd tell him again when he woke up.

"Geez... You've changed so much, Sherlock," I heard Molly say quietly, almost amused. I lifted one headphone up, smirking.

"For the better?"

"Definitely for the better."

Because it's true- I have changed, but not in a bad way. During our time of knowing eachother, I couldn't help it. I feel my heart beat not with just its old ordinary thud, but now in ways I could never have imagined it would. When I see things, I still observe them but not with empty, soulless eyes. I can feel again, and I've never felt more alive.

"I think it's great that you're doing this," she continued. "I'd love to wake up to this kind of thing one day."

"Maybe you will," I replied, and I saw the corners of Greg's mouth pull up a few millimeters higher than usual. I smiled as I discovered what he was planning, but of course, I kept quiet.

Suddenly, I felt John start to stir. "Hey, Sherlock, sorry I fell asleep, I just-"

"No, no, no, no, no," I said rapidly in a soft voice, and kissed him on his nose. "You go back to sleep, love," he snuggled into my shoulder again, and it only took him a few seconds to drift off again.

"You two really are perfect for one another," Molly said. "I know I've said it a million times, but it's true."

"You two are rather good, too," they smiled at eachother quickly before fixing their eyes on the road again.

I placed the headphone back over my ear, and heard a familiar song drifting back through the sound system- one of my favourites, because I remembered it from the night I'd returned and we'd first kissed and finally told eachother.

And if your heart wears thin,

I will hold you up,

And I will hide you when it gets too much,

I'll be right beside you,

I'll be right beside you...

"I'm so relieved that you know I will," I mouthed to John, brushing his soft hair with my fingers. "I always will."

So now we're just driving onwards through infinity, back to the bright lights of the city and to the early morning airport, until it's time to wake him up again and see his eyes open. And the best part?

I know he'll smile.