Just Johnlock- The Big Book of One Shots

My Guardian Angel

It seemed as though time was moving too fast, as the watch was counting down now from four minutes and yet the car was still moving down the highway at eighty miles an hour. Mr. Watson didn't seem to want to stop, nor to slow down, and whatever was waiting at the end of this strange countdown certainly wasn't going to be leaning over the side of the median and waving its goodbye to the moving vehicle. John kept his watch hidden beneath his coat sleeve, already having checked it five times in the past thirty seconds just to make sure there wasn't some error, some mistake. How could the countdown be nearing the end, yet he was still trapped within this car with the rest of his family?
"Dad, you don't think we could pull off at the next rest stop?" John suggested anxiously, figuring he should take matters into his own hands.
"Should be about thirty miles to go, you think you can make it until then?" his father asked, craning his neck to look at his son in the backseat. John nodded his head hesitantly, wondering just what that could mean for his chances. Three minutes to go, and nothing seemed to be getting any closer. There were many rumors surrounding the watches, mostly theorizing that you found your soulmate when the time was up. This always seeded to be a ridiculous theory; in fact it was the very theory that caused divorce rates to be so high these days. John happened to know that his mother's watch was still ticking down, and his parents had been married for about twenty years without so much as a hiccup. Certainly she wouldn't turn her back on her family, even when a little timer instructed her to. It was a silly myth, though it was one that John would be keeping to himself all the same. Perhaps there was a beautiful girl at the rest stop, or perhaps in the van that was driving parallel to the Watson's car on this highway. But what did that say about John's love life, if only that he was one for missing opportunities? Certainly he wouldn't be instructing his father to pull over, all on the behalf of some urban legend.
"Why do you keep checking your watch?" Harry asked in that nasally voice of hers, trying to antagonize her brother from the other side of the backseat. John straightened up against his seat defensively, though he figured it would be no use trying to play it off. Harriet had a sharp eye for uncovering things best left hidden.
"Just checking the time." John snapped back.
"Counting down fast, is it?" Harry wondered.
"Just as slowly as regular time, Harriet." John sighed.
"I've still got seven years on mine." Harry said with a little grumble.
"That's because you're only twelve, and have no business finding a soulmate yet." John insisted. The girl kicked her feet in defense, but there was a wide smile upon her face.
"You really believe that, John? About soulmates?" she chuckled, as if she was making fun of her brother for being so soft.
"No, of course not. It's a great scam, assigned by divorce lawyers." John assured with a shake of his head.
"And the government." Harry added.
"And the government." John agreed.
"And aliens." She whispered.
"Sure, them too." John sighed, looking out the window mournfully to see if he could spot any of the guilty parties on the road next to them. All he could see was an older couple driving a mini cooper rather slowly, and a group of bearded men in a sketchy white van. Certainly none of them had anything to do with his countdown, if he was lucky of course. Perhaps he really was going to be spending the rest of his life with a construction worker? John gave a shiver, but readjusted himself in his seat and decided to remain calm. There were many ways this could go, now with...oh dear. One minute, thirty seconds.
"Dad, I really have to go." John complained again, this time hoping they might pull over on the side of the road and find a nice tent of gypsies along the interstate.
"I think it's fifteen miles! That's just fifteen minutes at this speed, not even." His father protested.
"Isn't there an exit closer?" John suggested.
"No, not any closer than the rest area." Mrs. Watson answered from the front seat, now scanning the GPS on her phone to give a more accurate report. John fell silent again, though with a minute to go he could feel the sweat starting to accumulate on his brow. What was going to happen if he missed his opportunity, if somehow he was able to meet his soulmate from across the median of the highway and never again after that? How embarrassing would that be, to end your life after having missed your best opportunity for love? He had to believe it was a scam, now more than ever.
"How much time do you have left, John?" Harry asked, leaning over across the back seat and trying to get a better look at her brother's watch.
"Don't go snatching, Harriet." John insisted, pulling his arm into his chest so as to prevent his sister from snooping. Of course this was a disadvantage, for now he couldn't determine when the exact time was about to go. Was there an alarm set off when it reached zero, or would John never know when the zero had been struck? He looked around anxiously, hoping to see a road block ahead, perhaps there was a police officer that was relatively young, caught up in a blockade. Less than a minute to go, John knew that this was his last chance.
"Daddy, can we get ice cream at the rest stop?" Harriet asked politely. Their father laughed, shaking his head and glancing at his daughter using the rear view mirror. She gave a cute little wiggle, as if trying to better her case.
"Harriet, I'm pretty sure..." Whatever he was going to say, it was lost in impact. All that the Watsons had the chance to hear was the screeching of tires, for even the driver didn't have a chance to press onto his horn in warning. It might have been a deer jumping into the middle of the road, or a steering wheel that was suddenly malfunctioning, but one way or the other suddenly the Watson's car sprouted an appendix, and without the fusing of metal or the surgical precision necessary, two cars were turned into one.