WARNING! Major spoiler for the new movie! SH2! If you have not seen it yet then for goodness sake read no further! :)

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The Final Wish

In a moment of weakness he wished for it. To see his friend once more.

Watson represented all that was good in the world and all that was at stake. The vile threats, which had passed the lips of this, the most evil of men, were certainly not empty ones.

Irene had taught him that.

From the start, the stakes in the game had been far too high. Sherlock Holmes was no longer willing to play.

It must end. It must end now.

The verbal sparing had certainly been a source of interest, but in truth it was a mere distraction from the task at hand. A conclusion he now realised was inevitable. His injury had left him drained. He was exhausted. Physically he could no longer match his opponent.

He did however have one last card to play.

When the moment came, a brief lapse in concentration on the part of his overly confident adversary, he seized his chance. In a swift and controlled movement, he pulled the Professor towards him. He planted his feet firmly, twisting sharply and deliberately towards the thundering waters.

As they toppled backwards he took pleasure in the look of surprise upon the face of his foe. He had caught him, the biggest and most dangerous of all fish. He was now within his net. The world would most certainly be a brighter one without the shadows he had cast. He was happy to pay the price.

With satisfaction Holmes tightened his vice like grip. The momentum pulled them towards the abyss, and despite a final futile struggle their progress could not be stopped. Not now. Not even if he wanted it to.

Holmes could not help but smile to himself. It was over. Sweet relief coursed through him as he embraced the inevitable. For the first time in months he relaxed his mind and with it ceased all conscious thought.

It was then that he made the wish, and to his surprise the wish was granted.

The door burst open and Watson tentatively stepped forward. Watson. His Watson.

One second. Just one second. It was all he was granted and all that he required. It was time enough to read the emotions that swept across his friends face. Surprise. Horror. Despair. Disbelief. Each one in sequence. The dear man truly was an open book.

Relief became tinged with regret. Watson did not deserve to witness this.

I am sorry old friend. I am truly sorry.

Selfishly he soaked in that precious moment. That one second. The feeling it blessed him with swelled inside his chest. Then he closed his eyes. The world turned upside down, and they were falling.

A roar of anger and terror bellowed from the lungs of his adversary, as fearsome and mighty as the rumbling waters below.

He paid it no heed. He kept his eyes closed, protecting the vision of his friend, who had stood tall and strong. The image had seared upon his retina, and because of it, he was not afraid.

As they hurtled towards foaming waters and jagged black rocks, he released his companions flailing form into the billowing clouds of white spray. It was done. It was over.

Calmly he reached into his breast pocket and laced his fingers around the small metal device he had acquired from Mycroft. Curling himself inwards, he took a deep breath. And then, offering himself to the gods of fate, he tried his luck one last time.

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Thanks for the reviews guys, Chapter 2 now up :)