Fic: Partings
Jun. 2nd, 2007 12:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
daylynTitle: Partings
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
daylyn
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Pairing: SH/JW
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, although actually in the public domain. No profit is intended.
Summary: The day of Watson’s wedding leads to revelations and separations.
Author’s Note: Written for the Holmesslash Yahoo Group Friday Fives: SCAN challenge – Five reasons Watson stayed away from Baker St. at the beginning of A Scandal in Bohemia. I don’t know if this ficlet contains five reasons, but it certainly contains angst.
Partings
My footsteps were leaden as I walked down the street. Baker Street. Of all the streets in London, my feet had reluctantly taken me here. And they stopped, almost as if by their own accord, in front of my former home at 221B.
I hadn’t been here since that dreadful… I mean wonderful… day of my marriage, the last time I had set eyes on my former friend and companion, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. On that fateful day, I entered our sitting room, dressed in my finest clothes and anticipating my happy event. I thought that nothing could put a damper on my fine mood. I was wrong.
I walked into the room to find Holmes still in his nightclothes and dressing gown, with his hair unkempt, standing by the mantel. The dreaded morocco case lay open beside him and the hypodermic syringe had obviously been used. He was playing the violin.
I stood in shock and, I must admit, hurt as I took in the sight before me. “Holmes!” I cried in dismay. “We’re supposed to be at my wedding in an hour! You’re to be my best man!”
He stopped playing and looked at me with distant, lifeless eyes. “I will not be attending your farce of a wedding,” he said in the most broken voice I have ever heard in my life. He then turned his attention back to his violin, sounding a mournful, melancholy air.
I was flabbergasted. “Holmes,” I said sternly. “Stop this at once. And get dressed. I don’t know what you mean by ‘farce’, since I am quite ecstatic about my nuptials. We don’t have time for this foolishness.”
He put his violin down and lifted his head. His eyes were watering. “You don’t love her, Watson,” he said.
“Don’t be absurd,” I said in shock.
“You barely know her, Watson.” He walked toward me purposefully.
I stepped back. “I know that I love her,” I said, my voice shaking.
“But you don’t, Watson.” He came closer. I continued to back away. Finally I bumped into the door behind me. He stopped in front of me, mere inches separating us.
“I absolutely love my wife-to-be,” I insisted. “Stop this insanity.”
He reached out his hand and gently stroked my face with one long, thin finger. I began to tremble.
“I don’t know what I’ve done,” he said, continuing to stroke my cheek, “to force you away from me. But she’s not the one you want.” His face moved closer to mine. I could feel his breath ghosting across my lips.
“This is the cocaine talking,” I said, my voice unsteady.
“You know what’s between us, Watson. You feel it too.”
“No,” I whispered, and then his lips were on mine and he was kissing me and, God help me, I was kissing him back.
“No,” I cried and pushed him away. He stumbled back a step.
“You know it’s true,” he said.
I couldn’t deny it. “I’m getting married,” I said instead.
“Don’t do it, Watson,” he said. “You’ll regret it, almost immediately.”
“I have to do what’s right, Holmes. For both of us.” I began to turn, placing my hand upon the doorknob.
He reached out and gently stopped me, turning my face back toward his. One tear was coursing down his cheek. “If you leave,” he said, “everything we have is over.”
I nodded in understanding. I turned, opened the door, and walked down the stairs and out into the street. I did not look back.
And now I stood on that same street, months later, looking up into my former lodgings with deep regret. Holmes had been right, as usual. Although I cared for my bride, I could admit, if only in the deep recesses of my heart, that it was not her I loved. But Holmes, oh dear God, Holmes. I missed him terribly. It was as if a piece of me had been torn out that day, consumed by a dark emptiness.
I couldn’t stop myself, even if I had wanted to. I knocked on the door.
I was let in and led up the stairs. The sitting room door was open. Holmes and I looked at each other across the room. His manner was not effusive. It seldom was; but he was glad, I think, to see me1. He waved me into an armchair – my old armchair – and threw me his case of cigars. He then stood by the fire, observing me.
I could scarcely breathe. I waited for him to say something, hoping against hope for a chance to return to him, to his life, to his heart.
His lips flicked upward, in the briefest of smiles. “Wedlock suits you1,” he finally remarked.
I wanted to break down and cry.
1 Text quoted directly from SCAN.
Author:
daylynFandom: Sherlock Holmes
Pairing: SH/JW
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine, although actually in the public domain. No profit is intended.
Summary: The day of Watson’s wedding leads to revelations and separations.
Author’s Note: Written for the Holmesslash Yahoo Group Friday Fives: SCAN challenge – Five reasons Watson stayed away from Baker St. at the beginning of A Scandal in Bohemia. I don’t know if this ficlet contains five reasons, but it certainly contains angst.
Partings
My footsteps were leaden as I walked down the street. Baker Street. Of all the streets in London, my feet had reluctantly taken me here. And they stopped, almost as if by their own accord, in front of my former home at 221B.
I hadn’t been here since that dreadful… I mean wonderful… day of my marriage, the last time I had set eyes on my former friend and companion, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. On that fateful day, I entered our sitting room, dressed in my finest clothes and anticipating my happy event. I thought that nothing could put a damper on my fine mood. I was wrong.
I walked into the room to find Holmes still in his nightclothes and dressing gown, with his hair unkempt, standing by the mantel. The dreaded morocco case lay open beside him and the hypodermic syringe had obviously been used. He was playing the violin.
I stood in shock and, I must admit, hurt as I took in the sight before me. “Holmes!” I cried in dismay. “We’re supposed to be at my wedding in an hour! You’re to be my best man!”
He stopped playing and looked at me with distant, lifeless eyes. “I will not be attending your farce of a wedding,” he said in the most broken voice I have ever heard in my life. He then turned his attention back to his violin, sounding a mournful, melancholy air.
I was flabbergasted. “Holmes,” I said sternly. “Stop this at once. And get dressed. I don’t know what you mean by ‘farce’, since I am quite ecstatic about my nuptials. We don’t have time for this foolishness.”
He put his violin down and lifted his head. His eyes were watering. “You don’t love her, Watson,” he said.
“Don’t be absurd,” I said in shock.
“You barely know her, Watson.” He walked toward me purposefully.
I stepped back. “I know that I love her,” I said, my voice shaking.
“But you don’t, Watson.” He came closer. I continued to back away. Finally I bumped into the door behind me. He stopped in front of me, mere inches separating us.
“I absolutely love my wife-to-be,” I insisted. “Stop this insanity.”
He reached out his hand and gently stroked my face with one long, thin finger. I began to tremble.
“I don’t know what I’ve done,” he said, continuing to stroke my cheek, “to force you away from me. But she’s not the one you want.” His face moved closer to mine. I could feel his breath ghosting across my lips.
“This is the cocaine talking,” I said, my voice unsteady.
“You know what’s between us, Watson. You feel it too.”
“No,” I whispered, and then his lips were on mine and he was kissing me and, God help me, I was kissing him back.
“No,” I cried and pushed him away. He stumbled back a step.
“You know it’s true,” he said.
I couldn’t deny it. “I’m getting married,” I said instead.
“Don’t do it, Watson,” he said. “You’ll regret it, almost immediately.”
“I have to do what’s right, Holmes. For both of us.” I began to turn, placing my hand upon the doorknob.
He reached out and gently stopped me, turning my face back toward his. One tear was coursing down his cheek. “If you leave,” he said, “everything we have is over.”
I nodded in understanding. I turned, opened the door, and walked down the stairs and out into the street. I did not look back.
And now I stood on that same street, months later, looking up into my former lodgings with deep regret. Holmes had been right, as usual. Although I cared for my bride, I could admit, if only in the deep recesses of my heart, that it was not her I loved. But Holmes, oh dear God, Holmes. I missed him terribly. It was as if a piece of me had been torn out that day, consumed by a dark emptiness.
I couldn’t stop myself, even if I had wanted to. I knocked on the door.
I was let in and led up the stairs. The sitting room door was open. Holmes and I looked at each other across the room. His manner was not effusive. It seldom was; but he was glad, I think, to see me1. He waved me into an armchair – my old armchair – and threw me his case of cigars. He then stood by the fire, observing me.
I could scarcely breathe. I waited for him to say something, hoping against hope for a chance to return to him, to his life, to his heart.
His lips flicked upward, in the briefest of smiles. “Wedlock suits you1,” he finally remarked.
I wanted to break down and cry.
1 Text quoted directly from SCAN.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 08:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 08:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 02:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 04:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 02:47 pm (UTC)Since when can you do footnotes on LJ?
no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 04:17 pm (UTC)I can see your point about cutting the last line., though I have to think about that. I may do it. But I have to think about it.
And the footnotes are done through html. I used < sup > for superscript and < small > for small text (obviously without the spaces). I actually got up at 2am to add the footnotes (Damn you academic writing for forcing me to cite everything. I couldn't sleep unless I did so. Yes, I know that's sad).
no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 07:39 pm (UTC)touche, Holmes, touche....pity it was with those circumstances...
wonderful story. And it does make sense...but wait, didn't he go the the wedding? He didn't sound happy though, but he did go. It was in a radio play I heard, and they go on honeymoon to the Rikenback falls, and Holmes follows pretending to be some French fan of his works, just to prove that he knew where they were going, since Watson refused to tell both him and his wife.
Wow, ramble...but, yeah, Loved the story.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 08:00 pm (UTC)but wait, didn't he go the the wedding? He didn't sound happy though, but he did go. It was in a radio play I heard, and they go on honeymoon to the Rikenback falls
Er... that may be in a radio play, but that actually is not in any of the ACD stories. Watson's wedding is never described, so we really don't know if Holmes attended. In SCAN (A Scandal in Bohemia) it seems implied that Holmes and Watson hadn't seen much of each other (if they had seen each other at all) since Watson's wedding. Furthermore, Watson states that Holmes, "loathed every form of society with his whole Bohemian soul," which I decided to interpret as one of the reasons that Holmes skipped Watson's wedding.
As for Reichenbach Falls, it's never mentioned as a destination for Watson's honeymoon in any of the stories (although I must admit that I find Holmes the honeymoon stalker amusing). Reichenbach's importance in canon is as the place where Holmes is believed to have fallen to his death with Professor Moriarty. Hmmm... but if the radio play you heard suggested that Holmes and Watson were there together on a honeymoon, who am I to argue?
Thanks for reading!
no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 09:55 pm (UTC)xXx
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 12:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-02 10:39 pm (UTC)Great story :)
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 12:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 04:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 01:52 pm (UTC)I love it :_(
no subject
Date: 2007-06-05 05:31 am (UTC)