Sherlock Imagines and Preferences

His Vow~Part 2.

Thank you so, so much for 250K reads on this book. That is simply amazing! I love you guys so much and this really does mean the world to me. I hope you all enjoy the second part of this request, I know I loved writing it. Have a wonderful day, everyone ♥

~***~

John held you tightly in his arms as he carried you across the airport. Sherlock walked behind you two, carrying all the bags and equipment John needed to take with him. It was completely quiet amongst the three of you. The large crowds at the airport scared you and the fact that you didn't know what was happening made it even worse. The attitude of your father worried you even more. You were still very young and didn't understand at all what was happening around you, but you could sense the tension he was experiencing and the sadness that was evident in his features. When he and Sherlock woke you up early that morning and started to get you dressed, something that was incredibly rare at 221B, you instantly knew something was off, but you kept quiet about it. Sherlock acknowledged that you were aware that something wasn't right. He watched you with a heavy heart. He knew you didn't understand what was going on, he knew you were terrified of what would happen and he knew that you wouldn't understand why John wouldn't go back home with you and Sherlock later that morning. He and John had a brief but heartfelt conversation about this and they both strongly believed that in case something happened, it was in your best interest to keep the truth from you until you were old enough. It was how they dealt with Mary's death and although hiding the truth from you confused you a lot, they knew that explaining why mummy wasn't coming home would be far more painful and confusing to you. Already since the beginning of you and John moving in with Sherlock had they decided to protect you from the inevitable phenomenon called death. The subject was never brought up in your presence to avoid sudden questions about it from you. If you had no idea of its existence and the events that had happened in your family, you wouldn't be able to ask questions about it either. This was to keep you safe, but it also sufficed as a way of protection for John and Sherlock. It was a sensitive subject for both men and neither of them liked to talk about it. They wanted to avoid this talk for as long as possible, but they both knew it would only be a matter of a few years before you'd be asking questions about it.

As you three neared the gate where John would be boarding the plane, the walking pace slowed down. The knot in John's stomach grew tighter with every step that brought him closer to Afghanistan and further away from you and Sherlock. He tried to slow it down as much as he could, but eventually, he had no other choice but letting you go. You three stood in front of the line of people who were ready to board the plane. Sherlock placed the bags on the floor as John focussed on you. He searched for the right words, for the correct way of starting his sentence. He needed you to understand what was happening without causing you to cry or be confused. He hated seeing you upset, but he knew that was simply inescapable now. ''Sweetheart,'' He started, tears already filling his eyes. You looked at him with your widened eyes and a scared look on your face. It instantly broke his heart to see you like that. He realised this might be the last time in a long while he would be able to see you and hold you. The last thing he wanted to see of you was not sadness and fear on your face, but your adorable smile that could light up his entire world. John took a deep breath and continued, ''Daddy is going away for a while, so you're going to stay alone with Sherlock until I come back, okay?''

''Where you go?'' You squeaked. John smiled softly through his tears. ''It's a holiday of some sort. I'm going to help people and protect them.'' Sherlock noticed the uneasiness in John's voice as he tried to censor what he was really doing and decided to join the conversation to reinforce his words. ''Your daddy is a hero and heroes save people, remember? Daddy was on a hero break, but now he is needed again somewhere else. Do you understand?'' You nodded hesitantly as John smiled gratefully at his friend. ''We go, too.'' You decided, a proud smile on your face. Sherlock smiled sadly, a pained expression on his face. ''Darling, we can't go with him. This is something he needs to do without us. But don't worry, I'm going to stay with you and we'll talk to daddy as often as we can and we'll have a lot of fun together, I promise.'' John nodded in agreement. ''I'll miss you, Sweetie, but right now, this is the way it's going to be.'' He elaborated. He pressed a long and loving kiss on your cheek, cupping your head with one hand and holding you tightly. ''Daddy loves you, (Y/N). Don't you ever forget that,'' He stated. You nodded, ''Love you.'' You returned the kiss on his cheek and hugged him as tightly as you could by wrapping your tiny arms around his neck before John placed you in Sherlock's arms. ''Bye, guys.'' He said, wiping his eyes. The detective and his blogger embraced each other before John grabbed his bags and joined the line of people. After a final wave, he disappeared from view. Sherlock stood there for a while, staring at the spot where his best friend had disappeared. He kept a strong face in front of you, but on the inside, he was worried sick. There was this lingering fear that John wouldn't return and Sherlock was especially scared for you. A young girl who had already lost her mother was now also at risk of losing her father. How Sherlock would ever be able to cope with that, he didn't know. All he knew for sure was that you were his biggest priority and that he would keep you away from harm for as long as he lived.

***

John had been gone for approximately five months now. The first few weeks had been especially hard on you. You missed your father beyond beliefs and Sherlock had a hard time adjusting to being the only one to take care of you. You often started crying in the middle of the night and spent most nights next to Sherlock in his bed. It was the only way of getting you to calm down and at least get a few hours of sleep. It was incredibly hard the first few weeks, but luckily things were starting to become a little easier for both you and Sherlock. The weekly phone calls you had with your dad also made his absence a little easier to deal with. The calls were the highlight of your week and today was no exception to that rule. 

You sat on Sherlock's lap, bouncing up and down as you waited for the ringing of the phone. The detective was just as excited as you but took a more calm and collected approach to it. However, he did enjoy watching your excitement and a smile was evident on his face the entire time. ''Daddy calling yet?'' You asked for the thousandth time that afternoon. ''He's probably busy saving people right now, Darling. Maybe he'll call later,'' He offered. You pouted but didn't start whining and silently agreed to Sherlock's statement. ''Let's get some lunch in you to kill the time. How about that?'' You squealed in excitement and allowed him to pick you up and take you to the kitchen for your favourite meal, jam on toast.

It was later that night when the phone finally rang. You and Sherlock were both half-asleep on the couch while watching a Disney film but immediately became alert at the sound of an incoming phone call. Sherlock rushed to answer it as you excitedly waited on the couch. He held the phone to your ear and accepted the call, so you could speak to John first. ''Daddy!'' You squealed, a happy smile on your face. ''Hello, little girl. May I speak to an adult, please?'' A frown appeared on your face at hearing the unfamiliar voice. Sherlock looked at you, a concerned look on his face. ''Not daddy,'' You whispered, shaking your head. The detective raised the phone to his own ear and listened intently. ''This is Sherlock Holmes,'' He told the stranger. You watched as Sherlock's face went from confusion to sudden realisation and then to crushing grief. You didn't understand what his expression meant and opted for patiently waiting for Sherlock to explain. ''I-I understand. Thank you for calling. Goodbye.'' Sherlock hung up and instantly sank to the floor, his face buried in his hands as heart-wrenching sobs escaped his trembling lips. His tears triggered yours and you started crying, as well. 

At hearing you, Sherlock hurriedly got up and embraced you tightly, stroking your hair and rocking you in order to calm you down. ''It's okay, it's okay, Sweetheart. Sssh, stop crying, it's okay. I didn't mean to scare you, shh,'' He cooed, still bouncing you.

In a matter of a few seconds, Sherlock's entire life had fallen apart. His best and only friend had been shot on the battlefield and despite the desperate attempts of his colleagues, he did not make it. Everything Sherlock had been afraid of had happened and the worst part of it all, you couldn't know yet. He was forced to make up a story to make sure you wouldn't suspect a thing. He had to keep you in the dark about the whole situation until you reached the age him and John had agreed on after you two first moved in with him. The pain in Sherlock's heart was unbearable but he knew that he couldn't give up and stop fighting. He was the only one you had left. He was the only one who was there to take care of you and he couldn't find it in himself to let John and Mary down. Sherlock loved you as much as a father would love his child and he was determined to make your life as happy and normal as he possibly could. He was going to be there for you no matter what. 

He had the privilege to watch you grow up and become a beautiful and strong woman one day. You were the miracle in his life, the person who kept him going and he would never, ever give up on you. Not a single force in existence could keep him from loving and being there for you. Years ago, he had vowed to be there for John and his newly acquired family. He had failed twice already, but there was no way in Hell that he would let that happen again. You meant too much to him to ever be put in danger.

Many people saw you as the helpless child who had lost her parents, but that was far from the truth. You were the most protected little girl in the world and although you had lost your mum and dad, you hadn't lost who had become the most important person in your life, your second daddy, Sherlock Holmes.