Chapter Four: Polka Dots and Moonbeams (continued)
John sat there inside the strange box contemplating the possibility that his best friend, whom he had believed to be dead for the past three years, was alive. It was impossible. John had though it through a thousand times. For a year, he lay awake at night trying desperately to come up with some way for Sherlock to have lived. There wasn't one. No, there just wasn't. John had seen him fall. He had seen the body, broken on the ground. There was a note. Sherlock was dead. He jumped off the roof of Saint Bartholomew's hospital. John had accepted this. He had moved on. Why was this man trying to take him back to that horrible place? What kind of a sick joke was this? Maybe Sherlock was alive after all… Perhaps he had found a way to survive the fall… No. Nobody could survive that drop. I saw the body. I received Molly's autopsy report. I want to the funeral. Sherlock is dead, thought John.
While John was lost in thought, questioning the death of his friend, The Doctor, Amy, and Rory had some serious questions of their own to discuss. Rory has his arm draped protectively around Amy's shoulders. The Doctor was pacing, running his fingers to his hair. "We can't do this," he said, "We can't put him through this."
"But, Doctor, he's alive! We have to tell him."
"No, Amy. This man has been hurt enough." Their eyes found the poor man slumped over in his chair, he looked utterly broken. This time it was Rory who spoke up.
"Amy's right, we have to tell him. I know what it's like to think you've lost someone. Heck, I know what it's like to think you killed the love of your life," Rory gave Amy a significant glance, "But I also know how it feels to get them back. It's worth it Doctor."
"Yes, Doctor! I've lost Rory too! We know how it feels. Sometimes it's better not to feel it all, but anything is worth going through if it means getting them back again." The Doctor watched Amy as she spoke. Sadness drifted across his face.
"It isn't the same," he stated, "John has had three whole years to come to terms with this. We'd be taking away a huge part of his life."
"Yes! A huge terrible part! Look at him! He wants him back! We have no right to deny him the opportunity to see his best friend alive again!" Amy was yelling now. It was a true measure of how out of it John was that he didn't notice her. Something in The Doctor's face softened.
"I know, Amelia. I know. But, you just have to trust me on this one." Amy's eyes were daggers as she opened her mouth ready to fight The Doctor, but Rory interjected before she had the chance.
"Doctor, I think you're forgetting why we came here. We all saw Sherlock and he's has brilliant as they say, but he won't help us. We need John. If anyone can bring Sherlock out of hiding it's him. We need Sherlock, and Sherlock needs John. We don't have much of a choice," said Rory, always the voice of reason. The Doctor sighed, Rory was right; they had to do this.
"We'll ask him. If he says no, we won't push it. We'll leave, and he can go on with his life without any further disturbance from us," resigned The Doctor. He walked over to where John sat, still in a trance, and put his hand on the poor man's shoulder. "John, are you feeling alright?" John started. He had forgotten that he was not alone.
"Honestly, Doctor, I can't say that I am. You show up at my office all polka dots and moonbeams and expect me to simply run off into your strange 'TARDIS' thing like it's perfectly normal. Then, to top it all off, you tell me that Sherlock isn't dead. What on earth are you playing at? None of this is alright!" burst John, finally collecting his thoughts. Amy and Rory were watching helplessly from the sideline as the Doctor struggled to form his next sentence. The Doctor kneeled down next to John and looked him directly in the eyes, noticing that they were full of tears.
"John, I know that none of this is making sense right now, but I need you to trust me. Please," The Doctor practically whispered when he spoke, "Sherlock is alive. I know this because I saw him with my own two eyes. I would never play a joke like this. I swear, with every fiber of my being, that everything I have told you is the truth." John looked deep into this man's eyes; The Doctor was not lying. He honestly believed that Sherlock was alive. There was no doubt that The Doctor and his companions had seen Sherlock, or someone they wholeheartedly believed to be Sherlock. Suddenly, John felt a little bubble of hope rise in his chest.
"Take me to him," breathed John. The Doctor gave him a sad smile. Amy positively beamed. Rory gave a solemn nod of approval.
"Shall we go then, Doctor?" asked Rory.
"Yes, right! We have work to do!" exclaimed The Doctor, slapping his hands together and hurrying over to the controls in the center of the room. He began pulling down levers and pressing buttons, resulting in the strangest sound John had ever heard. He couldn't possible describe it; it was perfectly unique. There was a short period of silence, then, John heard the noise again. The Doctor stopped, pulling one last lever. He looked at John, "We're here."
A/N I wanted to split this chapter into two parts to keep it from getting to long. I feel that short chapter are best suited for this story. The next chapter (slight spoiler alert) involves the reunion of John and Sherlock. I have most of it written and might even post it tonight. Writing it got me thinking: How do you think Sherlock survived the fall? I have my own theory that I wrote up, but I want to know what you guys think. Please comment and review! And thank you so much for reading this!