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

His Last Vow: Part Eleven

I sat on my bed in 221B, holding a pillow to my chest. It was a week since Magnussen had died, and I hadn't seen Sherlock since. I sniffed, feeling complete and utter heartbreak at the thought of the detective. Heartbreak and the most hatred I had ever felt. It too came with an overwhelming emptiness from the pit of my stomach.

"Aspen?" I heard John call. "We have to go."

Since Sherlock's arrest, John and Mary have stayed at the flat with me, 'for my own safety' as Wes told them. I argued with my uncle for days, about how I never wanted to see Sherlock again, how I wish he were dead, and how much he had hurt me. Not just by robbing me of finding out who I am, but by letting me care for him more than I had anyone. To my uncle's shock, I told him about how Sherlock kissed me at his wedding, along with my growing attraction to the detective.

"Aspen." I heard a new voice call, and looked over at the couple to see Wes behind them. I hadn't seen him since we were both drugged by his father, though his tolerance prevented im from feeling anything, much less how much affected me. "You don't have to say anything, just come."

I said nothing, for I had my own mixed feelings towards Wes, and how he manipulated me into meeting Magnussen, an interaction that had me on the brink of death once again. I turned around on the bed to face the window and shut my eyes to keep from crying any more. The sound of footsteps followed by someone sitting on the bed was heard, and I felt someone rub my back.

"Aspen, please. For him." Wes begged, and I opened my eyes to release a plethora of tears. I inhaled deeply before glancing up at Wes, who was wearing a button up shirt, and had dyed his hair back to brown. I looked to his shirt pocket, where he had two plane tickets sticking out slightly. "I'll explain later."

"You found him." I said softly.

He shut his eyes with remorse before nodding. "Come say goodbye to Sherlock before we go."

I sat up and hugged my friend, feeling hope, but also reluctance to see Sherlock. At least it would be the very last time seeing him.

John and Mary left shortly before us, due to myself taking too long in the loo. Wes waited outside the door, explaining his plan.

"Accessing my father's paper records is already hard enough, but keeping them from the government was easy. Your father lives up in Dublin." He said.

"Dublin?" I asked, buttoning my white shirt.

"Yeah, shouldn't take too long, I have a friend of my father's who is meeting us there and she's going to take us to him." Wes added. I looked at myself in the mirror, examining how I hadn't eaten much since Magnussen's death. When I heard Dublin, I thought of the possibilities, and chuckled at the idea of it being him. I laughed, because he was dead. I pushed the thought out of my head when I opened the door to my friend leaning against the wall.

We both smiled, despite our last weeks' being hell.

"Lets get this over with." I wished, and led Wes down to the door to the outside. A cab was waiting for us, with one of Mycroft's friends holding the door open. We looked at each other before proceeding inside.

Wes explained on the way that Sherlock was flying out of the country, he didn't know where, but John had told him that his work will have him dead within a few months.

"Dead?" I asked, my hand resting my cheek against the window. "He can't be serious."

"Just what John told me." Wes said.

I took a deep breath as we rounded into an airport. We drove around most of it to a remote runway, where a plane, four figures, and a car waited for us. As soon as I saw Sherlock, my heart sank and all of that sadness came rushing back. I sighed heavily and felt dizzy.