A/N: This story is probably shit, but it's fun to write. Read and Review!
Chapter 2.
As night drew closer, exhaustion began to plague John's body, his eyes falling closed as he stared out past the ship. His feet felt molded to the wooden floor of the ship from standing at the helm for hours. His bones ached and his skin was chilled from the night's cold winds.
"Let me take over, Captain." Lestrade walked up from the lower deck. John was silently thankful for Lestrade's wanting to help, seeing as he was falling asleep at the helm. Lestrade took the wheel as John moved away to stretch his legs, leaning against the back of the ship behind the helm. Lestrade was quiet. The sky was bright with the light of the stars and full moon and John looked over the constellations, repeating their names as his father had silently in his head. He let his head lean back and listened to the lull of the ocean's waves, his eyes closed.
"Lestrade?" He left his eyes closed, enjoying the break from steering. The sea's waves created peaceful noise to fill the silence.
"Yes, Captain?"
"You don't think my, you know.."
"Mermaid fascination?" Lestrade completed, no cruel or judgemental tones in his voice. John smiled. Lestrade was one he could always count on as a confidential friend.
"Erm, yes. You don't think I'm-"
"Crazy?" Lestrade finished again, voice softened. He looked back and John's expression seemed to plead for answers, wanting to know Lestrade's thoughts almost desperately. A breeze rustled his clothes, chilling down to his bones even more and Lestrade let out a sigh. "Sir, I always... wondered." He admitted. "Going around to all those people, even taking me with you sometimes... And I should point out that merfolk is a very strange... fascination." Obsession, he yearned to say.
"Yes, I know." John let tones of disappointment, rejection even, into his words. He could care less if he was crazy. He wanted to.. He wanted to prove something. To have great adventures like his father claimed to have. He wanted to do something. Discover something. He wanted adventure. Like the heroes in old fables he knew by heart. He didn't want to be Captain John Watson. He wanted to be Captain John Watson: The Man Who Discovered the Merfolk. Or discovered anything else exciting and noteworthy. He wanted to become the hero kids would be told about.
Minutes of silence passed and the two men listened to the creaks and groans of wood under them. Lestrade broke the silence.
"But don't think for one minute I wouldn't go to the very tip of the earth and back to help you find a mermaid, Captain." John could here the sincerity in his voice. There was so much he could say, so much he needed to thank Lestrade for. For letting him stop at the docks and listen to information. To cover for him when his body was overcome by exhaustion. For being a friend to John when every other person failed to do so. But Lestrade started speaking before John could answer. "Head off to bed, I saw the exhaustion in your eyes."
Thankful again for Lestrade's kindness, John headed down towards the cabins. The noise of rats rustling around the floors and the haunting sound of the sea winds faded away as John fell fast asleep, Lestrade's words still playing over and over in his head. A ragged sigh emitted from his mouth. Maybe he was crazy.
"CAPTAIN!"
John shot up instantly, hand grabbing the pistol he kept tucked under his pillow at all times in reaction. His heart raced in his chest as he heard a crack of thunder come from overhead. There was a storm. A bad one, from the way the floor rocked beneath him.
"CAPTAIN!" The stressful call came again and his door slammed open to reveal Mike Stamford, a crew member. John dropped his gun in surprise. "There's been a storm, sir. We didn't mean to wake you, we could handle it on our own, but," he paused to breathe.
"What is it?" John demanded, louder than expected.
"It's Lestrade, sir." John's heart came to a halt. "He fell over when a large wave hit the ship just minuted ago; we can't find him, sir."
John had't stayed to hear the end. He raced out of the cabins and into the open, a large gust from the storm instantly blew him off his feet. He got his footing again faster and ran towards 3 sailors standing at the helm, looking overboard. Crew member were running over the ship frantically, tying down barrels and climbing up masts while the passengers ran for cover, a few brave ones staying behind to help the crew.
"Is he not going to be rescued?" He yelled angrily at them. They stood silent, obvious signs of worry were plastered on their faces. A bolt of lighting lit up the near black atmosphere and the rains drowned out all sounds. A sinking feeling came over John. Lestrade was out there. He was in those waves. Without time to think he leaped overboard.
"Captain!" one of the sailors called after him, a crowd of passengers and sailors alike gathered where he had jumped. "Captain!"
The bitter waters hit John hard, as if he had been thrown against a block of ice. His body was paralyzed by the mere temperature of the sea, his eyes blinded by the inky waters. Currents from the storm knocked him around, his head hitting against the back of the ship even. The salt stung his eyes as he searched for Lestrade's form in the deep depths. The silence of being underwater left him feeling vulnerable, making John feel as if he could be attacked at any moment and would not be able to here a creature approaching. His foot kicked against something unmoving. He reached his hand down to feel around. John was losing air by the second and he knew if he wasn't out of the icy waters soon he was done for. He let his hands grasp around the wrists of whom he had just kicked, and he used his weakening energy to lift his weight as well as the body's weight up and into the air again.
He was met by pounding rain and bolts of lightning, and he heard sputters and gasps for air from next to him. Relief washed over him as he saw Lestrade, alive, swimming next to him. John's vision was blurry and his eyes were closing again, but he mustered up the strength to push Lestrade over to the rope the crew had sent down.
"Captain! Lestrade!" he could make out calls. looking up to see Lestrade slowly making his way up the rope. Lestrade looked down, face clammy and hair slicked to his head. The world was blurry around him and his senses were fogged.
"Captain!" he yelled weakly, holding out his hand to John. "John!"
John had a fleeting amount of energy, yet he found enough in him to grasp on to the corse rope and yank his body up. You'll be to the ship in seconds, Lestrade is safe, the crew is safe, John constantly repeated in his head. I'm almost safe.
His body was just out of the water when two, icy cold hands reached up from under him, grasping firmly onto his ankles. Shock took over John's body and he fell silent. The hands tugged him back into the water and he lost his grip on the rope. Screams of people above to sea fell silent upon his ears and he was pulled farther and farther away into the ocean. He was losing air and his body was shaking in a mix of pure exhaustion and from the bone-chilling cold. The world grew silent and black around him.
A/N: Me again! AH! What shall happen next? Will this be the end of Captain John Watson? Will Lestrade recover? Who in the hell yanked John under? I can assure you it's not who you think it is... (Backs away and laughs evilly)