IC Inbox (v1.0)

[jumpthegun]

You've reached Dr. John Watson. Please leave a message.

Comments

[howdull]

[He rubs at his head, slotting that piece of information into place to be worked on later. He will bring down Pierce, but he's not overtly dangerous enough to go after Sherlock himself, and so he's no good to help him save John.

All his work with Culverton gone, destroyed. Only a few drugs left to him after using a lot to overdose. He'll have to go after the Joker, it's his only recourse now.]

Sorry.

Solomons, then.

[jumpthegun]

No.

[It's as simple as that.]

He's got a big enough group. He doesn't need two more people.

[howdull]

Who are you with?

[Two more? John already has company?]

[jumpthegun]

[... Well, hell. John glances at Mary. There's only the barest pause before John comes up with an excuse.]

No one. I meant Dug. I promised we'd come get him before we died.

[howdull]

[...wait.

The answer clicks a second too late, and now there's nothing for it. He doesn't believe the lie about Dug, not for a second.]

You mean Mary.

[Still seeing her. He knows, he notices everything about John even when they're not together. He knows what's been going on.]

[jumpthegun]

[John stares at the message for a long few seconds, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.

He does know you.]

He doesn't know anything.

[You can't lie to him. Not about this. Too long on the hesitation. Your therapist was starting to work it out. You think he would've missed it?]

I meant Dug.

[howdull]

Tell her I'm sorry.

[So very sorry. He's never lost anyone close to him before, not anyone that he loved, and it aches inside like a physical wound. More so because it was his fault. It's a ridiculous thing to say, though, because it's not Mary. It's a hallucination of John's grief, nothing more or less.

He sends the message anyway.]

[jumpthegun]

[Tell him it's not his fault. You know it's not, John. This isn't going to do either of you any good.]

It's not real. None of this is real.

[He loves you. You love him. He needs to hear it. You need to tell him or he'll just keep killing himself. She sounds near to tears. And there's something that aches in John's chest. But none of this is real. It won't count in a dream and he has a hard enough time expressing these kinds of things without having to do it twice. It hurts too much already, having seen his messages.]

I'm sorry.

[John.]

I have to call Dug. I'll talk to you later, Sherlock. Keep warm.

[He disconnects.]

[howdull]

[He's slipping, and Sherlock can't do anything about it right now. John cannot be allowed to disconnect, he doesn't even have Molly here to help him through the worst moments, or Rosie to lift him momentarily from his gloom.

It's settled, then, he needs to take action.

To the Joker with him.]