Can't Stay Away (BBC Sherlock) -2-

45. "I'm Your Protector."

I knew this was going to be hard for all of us except for Bayley. He hadn't come to know Sherlock like Mary, my dad, and I did. The only encounters Bay had had with him were months ago, and they hadn't been the nicest.

We took two cars, one for Dad and Mary, another for me and Bay. We were silent, still holding hands. I fidgeted, feeling the dreadful moment nearing. If I'm going to be bad, I can't imagine how Dad will be. He's got to say goodbye to his best friend all over again.

Once the sight of a huge jet was upon us, the moment felt heavy. I felt crushed by it, and I hadn't even gotten to the worst part yet. Our car pulled in behind the car in front of us. We all seemed to get out in unison.

Bay remained attached at the hip with me as I saw Sherlock with his brother and a security guard. I rolled my eyes. What was going to happen in the middle of nowhere?

Mary was the first to reach Sherlock, with the rest of us behind her.

"You will look after him for me, won't you?" Sherlock asked her.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll keep him in trouble." There was a cute moment between them as they kissed each other's cheeks and hugged.

"That's my girl."

Mary soon walked back over to Dad to take his hand. My eyes fell to the ground, wanting to remain there. I picked them back up to see Sherlock turn to Mycroft.

"Since this is likely to be the last conversation I'll have with John Watson, would you mind if we took a moment?"

"Let's give them some privacy," Mary told us, ushering us to join Mycroft and the guard at one of the wings of the plane.

While Dad and Sherlock talked for the final time, my mind wandered. I wasn't about to prepare a speech in my head for Sherlock, as I knew I would forget it by the time I got the chance to say goodbye. I owed that man so much, so much that I should owe him my life for all he'd done for my family.

I eavesdropped on part of the conversation; it was hard to resist.

"The game is over," Dad realized.

"The game is never over, John, but there may be some new players now," Sherlock told him firmly. "It's okay. The East Wind takes us all in the end."

"What's that?"

"It's a story my brother told me when we were kids. The East Wind—this terrifying force that lays waste to all in its path. It seeks out the unworthy and plucks them from the Earth. That was generally me."

"Nice."

"He was a rubbish big brother."

He still is, I'm sure, I commented mentally.

Dad cleared his throat. "So what about you, then? Where are you actually going now?"

"Oh, some undercover work in Eastern Europe." If I didn't know any better, I'd say Sherlock sounded bored by his punishment.

"For how long?"

"Six months, my brother estimates. He's never wrong."

Six months. I swallowed, wondering just how much trouble he could get himself into there. I freaked myself out by also thinking that Sherlock could possibly not come back to London should his undercover work prove to be fatal. Sherlock has faked his death and has cheated death, he won't go down easy.