Once Upon Another Time (Third Book In The "Life Is But A Dream" Saga)

The Sign of Three: Part Six

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I sat across the street while Sherlock and John stood at the entrance of the barracks where Bainbridge could have been. It wasn't too long before they came over to me and sat on the same bench. John sat next to me while Sherlock sat in the seat opposite us, a small rail dividing us three.

"Gonna be another hour before Bainbridge is off duty." John told me.

"I guess we'll have to wait." I suggested. "Is that him? The one in front of us?"

"Yep." Sherlock said shortly.

"Well, at least we can keep an eye on him from here. He must be relieved in some way to see you, Sherlock." I told the detective.

A beat passed by where the three of us just observed tourists coming by and taking pictures with the solider. It did seem like an easy job, all you have to do is just stand there, after all.

"Do you think they give them classes?" Sherlock asked after a while.

"Classes?" John repeated.

"On how to resist the temptation to scratch their behinds."

"Ah, it's all about afferent neurons in the peripheral nervous system." John spout out, and I glanced at my uncle for a civilian translation.

"It's- bum itch."

Sherlock and I nodded our heads in understanding before he broke another silence.

"So why don't you see him anymore?" Sherlock asked.

"Who?"

"Your previous commander, Sholto."

"Previous commander?" I scoffed at Sherlock's choice of words.

"As in I currently have a commander?" John asked and I raised my hands to my shoulders.

"I'm gonna command myself to step out of this conversation." I joked, to my uncle's distaste.

Right after I pulled out my phone and remembered I had to tell Daniel and Lucy about how I can't follow through with our plans tonight. Turning on my device, I admired the wallpaper, how it was of the three of us: Me in the middle, Daniel on my left and Lucy on my right. It brought a smile to my face as I opened the messaging application and typed out:

Got caught up with Sherlock and John. Code Hat. Don't think I 'll be able to make it tonight, thanks for understanding.

I turned off my phone and looked at my reflection in the dark screen, and then felt John nudge my shoulder. 

"You too, right?  You know it won't alter anything, right, me and Mary, getting married? We'll still be doing all this." My uncle asked me. I nodded with a smile, and nudged him back.

"See, the thing about Mary – she has completely turned my life around; changed everything. But, for the record, over the last few years there are three people who have done that, Mary, Aspen, you of course ... and the other one is-" John said and then we both looked in Sherlock's direction.