4 months later
The TARDIS materialized in 221b baker, blowing away the dust on the tables. The Doctor stepped out and frowned. The flat was almost exactly as he had left it, but there was definitely something wrong. There was a thick layer of dust on all of Sherlock's things, but none on John laptop, or on the many half empty cups of tea that were scattered around the room.
"John? Sherlock?"
There was a newspaper on the table and the Doctor walked over tentatively, and picked it up, but before he could read it, there was a creak behind him. He spun around. A thin, gaunt, limping figure came down the hall towards him. The figure moved into the light, and the Doctor gasped in horror. It was John. But it wasn't. This John was different from the one they had left behind, hugely so. He still looked like John, but the way he carried himself, he seemed to have turned into an old man overnight. His hair looked course and brittle, and there was a thick layer of stubble on his chin. His eyes had deep purple rings under them and his clothes hung off his thin body. His face was skeleton like, thin and pale. This wasn't John. This was a shadow of John. It wasn't even a shadow of John. It was like someone had come and drained his very life and soul, the very thing that kept him living.
"John?"
"Doctor" his voice was a hoarse croak, like he had been crying. And looking at him, the Doctor didn't need Sherlock to know that he probably had.
"What happened? Where's Sherlock?"
John froze and the Doctor could see the pain on his face etched into every wrinkle. He opened and closed his mouth several times, before finally pointing at the newspaper in the Doctor's hands. He looked down and finally read the headline.
SUICIDE OF FAKE GENIUS
Underneath was a picture of Sherlock
"Oh God" was all the Doctor could manage, as he sat down heavily on the dust covered sofa.
"What…what happened? Why is he a fake? He can't, he just can't"
John looked on the verge of a mental breakdown
"It…it was Moriarty. He managed to make everyone believe that sh-sher… that he had hired an actor to play Moriarty. He phoned me while he was on the r-roof"
John took a deep breath, and tried to compose himself
"He told me to tell everyone he was a f-fake."
John closed his eyes and a single tear trickled down his cheek
"John, I'm sorry I'm so so-"
"Where the BLOODY HELL WERE YOU!?" John shouted, interrupting him. The pain in his voice had now turned into anger.
"John-"
"No! You have a time machine! You could have stopped this!" his voice cracked "you sitting there, the last of your kind, well I am the last of mine, the last consulting detective's because there should be two! There should be me and him!" tears that started as a trickle now turned into a flood!
"All I want" John screamed "IS TO SEE HIS STUPID FACE! My Sherlock! You took HIM! YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED THIS! ALL OF THIS! You could have stopped the nightmares that come .NIGHT! You could have brought Clara back! Save him! That's what you always do!"
"John- I'm sorry, I can't save everyone"
"THEN WHAT IS THE POINT OF YOU!" John screamed, and then stopped, panting, exhausted by his outburst. He seemed to collapse in on himself, though he remained standing, he hunched over like an old man, his hands cradling his face. The Doctor started towards him, tears in his own eyes, when Clara poked her head out of the TARDIS.
"What's all this shouting about? And why isn't Sherlock involved, normally he's first in line for this sort of-"she broke off when she saw John.
Oh God John thought. There she was, with her beautiful smile and loving eyes. Clara's smile had frozen on her face. John slowly raised his tear stained face.
"John!" she gasped and ran straight for him with such force that they both fell to the floor. As they tangled together on the floor, the Doctors mind was reeling. Sherlock couldn't be dead, he just couldn't. He was cleverer than that. Clara and John both came up for air. He had to admire her. She still had no idea why John was like this, yet she had already made it her mission to help him and to comfort him. She helped him onto the sofa, cradling him like a child. The Doctor handed her the newspaper, and as she read it, her eyes filled with tears. The emotions were etched onto her face- fear. Horror. Anger. Pain.
"Molly?" she asked finally. She looked towards the Doctor for answers, but it was John who spoke. "They-they stayed together, you saw them it was a match made in heaven" he took another rattling breath "when he- when he fell, Molly was distraught. She's like a ghost, gave up her job after performing h-his autopsy. She went travelling I think, in Europe. To get away from it all"
The Doctor frowned. "That's not like Molly. She loved her job. She gave up travelling with me so she could finish her degree."
"Loved, Doctor, loved! How could she stay in that place? Those memories…"
"He wouldn't, he just wouldn't" the Doctor muttered. Then suddenly his eyes widened, all the pieces slotting into place
"Oh" he grinned manically
"What's so funny?" asked Clara.
"Oh it's perfect, don't you see? Oh he really is a genius!"
"Doctor-"warned Clara
"Hush. I am about to pin all my hopes on a very stupid and ridiculous idea. I am also about to do something incredibly stupid, that might just work!"
He stepped into the TARDIS and they watched as it materialised.
If someone had been standing outside of St Bart's autopsy room, they would have seen and heard the following things, in this order
The small sobs of Molly Hooper, as she prepared to open up the man she loved.
Then, a golden light seeping from under the door.
The clatter of instruments, as Molly dropped them
The inexplicable whirring sound and a gasp.
A voice rabbling off nonsense about 'time energy' and 'regeneration' and 'absorbed'
3 people laughing, the most noticeable of all was a deep bass
Then the whirring sound again.
Then if someone was to walk in, they wouldn't have found anyone in there at all.
this is the last chapter of the black death! can you guess how Sherlock survived? thank you sooooo much to everyone who has reviewed and followed and favrioted and read. I can't list you all but thank you all sooooooooooo much for all the support you have given me in this fic. you have all given me the confidence to carry on with my writing, so follow me as an author, and i promise you i will be writing lots and lots of one shots, and possibly 2 new series's, called tales of the TARDIS and Molly Hoopers imaginary friend! so search for them and enjoy
once again I love you all so much for being such lovely readers, and for supporting me while writing this!