Previously on Family
"What happened?"
He had a feeling he knew the answer
"Jeremy's dead."
It just wasn't that answer.
2
The morgue was silent as Sherlock tried to wrap his mind around what Stefan had just told him.
Jeremy was dead.
His nephew was dead.
Immediately, his mind went into overdrive.
Elena had texted weeks ago about something to do with a cure for vampirism. Then he had gotten a text days ago saying she would be off on an island off of Nova Scotia, Canada with Damon, Stefan, Rebekah, Bonnie, Jeremy and Professor Shane (he had taken to calling Shady Pants Shane) in search of Silas and the cure.
Obviously, everything had gone wrong.
Jeremy was the map and it was Bonnie who would be able to do the spell required to awaken Silas.
But the question in his mind was: how it had gone so horribly wrong?
He began mentally making a list of flights and phone calls he was going to have to make.
There was one other person he was going to have to call
"A question before I have to go, who?"
"Katherine."
Hanging up on Stefan, he stormed out of the morgue ignoring the calls of Molly and into the hallway toward the exit. Dialing a familiar number he waited for it to be answered.
He picked up on the second ring
"You never call. It must be important" Mycroft stated as a greeting
"I'm leaving for Mystic Falls tonight. I suggest you do the same"
"Why?"
"Jeremy's dead."
Without giving his brother a chance to get a word in or demand for him to explain what was going on, Sherlock hung up as he stepped outside and hailed a cab, telling the driver to take him back home.
oOo
As his cab pulled up to Baker St, John Watson wasn't sure what to expect.
When he had gotten the text from Mycroft that he and Sherlock were leaving the country, he wasn't sure what was going on but the fact that they were both heading out on the same night indicated that something was very wrong.
After paying the cab driver, he pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door. As he stepped inside, John could hear curses drifting down from upstairs. Mrs. Hudson soon appeared with a worried look on her face
"Oh good your home, John. He's been like that for the last half hour, won't tell me what's wrong and he yells if I ask" she fussed
"Don't worry, Mrs. Hudson. I'll go find out what's wrong."
Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached the door to the flat in no time and stepped inside. Sherlock's bedroom door was open and John could see him inside throwing things around while muttering to himself. Walking over to the door, he peered inside
"Sherlock? Is everything alright?" he cautiously asked
"Lestrade called. He's got a case he needs help on, though it's too bad that I won't be in the country after tonight, neither will Mycroft. What, with Jeremy dead and all. So I cannot work on it and he'll have to get someone else's help" he rambled "I told her to end it, that it would all end in tragedy. First there was Grayson and Miranda, then John and Jenna, then Alaric, Elena died and became a vampire. And now Jeremy's dead. For good this time. Killed by Katherine Bloody Pierce, no less. The damn bitch must have followed them to the island. The magic ring couldn't bring him back, not this time. At least he didn't go insane so much as Ric did and…"
John tuned out of his friend's ramblings.
The one thing going over and over in his mind:
Jeremy Gilbert was dead.
Theirs was a complicated family to say the least and although Sherlock was practically foreign to the idea of emotions and sentimentality, John knew he adored his niece and nephew.
Because they were all so far away from each other, he knew Sherlock liked to Skype with his niece or nephew, talking to them for hours and, surprisingly, giving them advice. Otherwise, it would be text messages, phone calls or emails when they could.
John had met Elena and Jeremy when Sherlock had faked his death a year ago and they had flown over for the funeral.
He remembered when they had found out Sherlock was alive
Flashback – a few months ago
"Are you sure Skyping them is a good idea?" John asked.
It had been two weeks since Sherlock's "return" from the dead and he wanted to let his niece and nephew know he was alive. He had been informed that Elena and Jeremy had been having a difficult time coping especially Elena
"It's customary to call family" Sherlock replied
"Calling them to video chat and let them know you're actually alive and well and not dead, is probably not a good idea" John tried to protest.
It was too late.
Sherlock had gotten John to text Elena to tell her that he was going to Skype them, telling them he had a surprise for her and Jeremy.
John had tried protesting several times to not do this but Sherlock was having none of that.
The connection was being made and it wasn't long until Elena and Jeremy both appeared on screen
"I'm alive" Sherlock greeted them.
And Elena promptly fainted.
Sherlock turned to John, amused
"I didn't know vampires could faint."
John shook his head as Jeremy tried to revive Elena.
After she came to, John left them alone so Sherlock could have some alone time with his niece and nephew to explain exactly what had happened and why he had faked his own death.
Elena had been far from amused and downright pissed off that he would do that to them, fake his own death like that and leave to them to be miserable, thinking he was dead.
John had been in the kitchen at the time, trying not to eavesdrop but he could understand where Sherlock was coming from in trying to protect those he cared about and also where Elena was coming from.
Sherlock was never one to beg, not in his entire life or as long as John had known him, however the doctor was witness to something he'd never thought he would see in his lifetime.
Sherlock Holmes, begging his niece for forgiveness.
Jeremy had already forgiven him, knowing where his uncle had come from but Elena was more stubborn making Sherlock work for her forgiveness.
Deep down though, John had a feeling Elena had forgiven him the moment she laid eyes on her living uncle.
End Flashback
Both kids were orphans, no parents left and no guardians to look after them seeing as they were all dead as well.
And now Jeremy was gone.
Though he knew Elena was adopted and that the kids were biologically cousins, John knew they had grown up their whole lives as siblings and were always there for each other no matter what. Through thick and thin, highs and lows.
And every death.
The only family Elena had left now was Sherlock, Mycroft and Mr. and Mrs. Holmes.
Though, it didn't help that they were all here in the UK while Elena was left back in Mystic Falls, Virginia by herself without any family there for her with that psychotic hybrid Original Klaus Mikaelson.
Oh yeah, John knew all about that.
He also knew all about Katherine Pierce or Katerina Petrova, as her real name was. The first Petrova doppelganger who cared for no one but herself, and had been on the run from Klaus for over five hundred years. She manipulated everyone including Stefan and Damon Salvatore and lied her entire life.
Of course, the sneaky bitch had somehow followed them to the island but what she wanted the cure for, John had no idea.
But he wouldn't mind getting his hands on it, shoving it down her throat turning her human and then killing her.
Well, it was either her or Klaus.
John then realized something else. If Sherlock had been here packing then he hadn't called Molly, even though John knew his friend had been with her, probably when he got the call. Quietly leaving the room, the doctor pulled out his phone and dialed the familiar number as he entered the kitchen
"John, what's going on? I've been trying to get a hold of Sherlock for the past half hour but he isn't answering. He left in a hurry and I knew something was wrong" Molly's fretting was his greeting
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but… something is wrong"
"What?"
"Jeremy's dead."
Hearing her gasp and choke back on tears, John closed his eyes as he felt his own tears
"H-how?"
"When they went looking for the cure on that island, obviously something went tragically wrong and now Jeremy's paid the price for it."
John felt his own tears welling in his eyes as Molly sobbed down the line. She had known the Gilbert children longer than John had, having met them a few times and talking with them over phone calls and text messages. So John knew this would be a sad time for their pathologist as well
"Is Sherlock going to Mystic Falls?" she asked through her sniffles
"Yeah. He and Mycroft fly out tonight" he replied.
After talking for a bit longer, John hung up but was soon receiving an incoming call from the elder Holmes brother
"Yeah?"
"Sherlock isn't answering his phone"
"He's busy packing"
"Tell him to meet me at the airfield at 8:00pm. We'll take the private jet"
"Okay."
They hung up and John headed back to the doorway of his friend's room as he zipped up his suitcase and grabbed his bag
"Mycroft called. He told me to tell you to meet him at the airfield at 8:00pm and that you'll be taking the private jet."
Giving a stiff nod, Sherlock left his room with his things as John followed him only for his phone to start ringing. Sherlock ignored it as he set his things down by the door so John walked over and reached into his friend's pocket and pulled the phone out, checking caller id
"Ah Sherlock, you might want to answer this call."
Glancing at his friend, he snatched his phone back and checked the caller id for himself:
UNKNOWN
Huffing, the detective answered it
"Hello?"
"Hello Genius-Lock."
Sherlock growled loudly as John stared at him in surprise
"Katherine."
TBC
