Tears of a Broken Heart

Chapter 12

{Avalon's POV}

It was him. The reason I didn't have a mother was him! Why would he do that???

"It was all...my fault, John..." Sherlock put his head back down as Dad just looked at him, in complete shock. I can't say I was much different. I suddenly saw Sherlock as an enemy; the man who killed the mother I never knew. But the hatred faded away to mere sorrow and sadness as Sherlock continued.

"It was late, dark, rainy, windy, I had been out drinking...it was an accident, John, I swear." I had never seen Sherlock weep as hard as he was. His shoulders shook, his head sagged, and he could barely remain upright.

Dad dropped to his knees, mirroring the weak position Sherlock was in, holding himself upright using his hands against the concrete. "Why, Sherlock? Why? Why would you not tell me? Why would you lie to me all these years, keeping it to yourself?"

My heart filled with nothing but compassion as Sherlock answered feebly. "I...I was afraid you would hate me and never speak to me again...I couldn't bear to lose you again..."

"Sherlock, you can't be serious. You're joking. Tell me you're joking. Tell me this is all some stupid hoax." Dad looked up slightly, meeting Sherlock's cloudy eyes.

"John...I'm so...so sorry..."

"Well! This may turn out to be easier than I thought!" Lucius called cockily from the side as Jim and he stood, looking on, watching the family we had fall to pieces.

"Oh, oh, Sherlly, tell him about your habits! This is where it gets great!" Lucius continued.

Sherlock sat silent.

"Oh how nice of you to leave the good part to us." Jim said, seeming almost excited. "You see, John, even right under your nose, while he's managed to kick his smoking, you should see how this man can down a bottle of beer! And the drugs, WHEW!" Jim threw his hands up for emphasis. "He's been lying to you, John. Everything Sherlock has said to you has been a lie."

"No!" I screamed at Jim, completely insulted he would speak of Sherlock like that. I pulled against Lucius' grip, ready to tear the Irish monster standing in front of me to pieces.

"Mr. Holmes...I'm going to kill you." Dad lunged at Sherlock with speed and anger.

I managed to wiggle out of Lucius' hands and threw myself between the two men, throwing my arms around my father who was now weeping uncontrollably, my back to Sherlock. "Dad! It's alright! It will be alright."

I felt Sherlock's hand on my back, just resting there. I reached one arm back, taking hold on his hand, reassuring him it was alright.

"I'm so sorry, Avalon..."

{John's POV}

Emma pulled away from me, clinging suddenly to Sherlock. Why would she do that? He just admitted to murdering her mother. Why would she hug the psychopath responsible for that??

I knelt there, on the concrete roof, mentally cursing Sherlock, who was clinging to my daughter, for murdering my wife. He probably did it just so he could have me to himself. He probably always loved me, but couldn't stand me marrying someone else, so he got rid of her. That's what happened. He killed her out of pure jealousy.

"Emma Claire, step away from him, please." I ordered plainly.

"Why?" Emma asked, tears now filling her eyes.

"Because I'm going to shoot him and I don't want you near him." I was serious. Sherlock and Emma stood up, followed soon by me.

"No." She wrapped her arms around Sherlock tighter. "I won't. You shoot him, I go too."

"Young lady, this man murdered your mother!" I pointed at her face, trying very hard to keep from absolutely losing it.

"Dad, no! He didn't murder her! He may have been the cause of her death, but it was an accident! If he had told you, it would have hurt you twice as much as it hurts now! You would still have been grieving mum, and then had your best friend who you hadn't seen in forever pop up at your doorstep and say he was the cause. Do you have any idea what that would have been like???" Emma nearly screamed at me. She was defending him.

"I don't care!" I raised the gun in my hand again.

"Dad! You put that away right now!" she yelled at me.

"Emma, step back." I could barely see through the tears pouring from my eyes. I had trusted him...

"No, dad," she moved to stand in front of him. "You can't shoot him. You love him. He loves you. There's no escaping what you would feel like afterwards if you went through with this. Just think about what you're intending to do!"

"He's right, Emma. You should step away..." Sherlock put his arm up and moved Emma from in front of him.

"No, Sherlock! He doesn't understand." Emma stood in front of him again, her hands pressed to his chest, looking up his tall figure into his teary eyes. "I may not have had a mother, but I had you. I grew up with you as my second father. I grew up knowing the love you and Dad had for each other. I grew up being told that with a love like that, nothing could tear it apart. I grew up being taught to forgive." Sherlock lowered his gaze from me down to Emma, taking her shoulders as she spoke. "You may have taken something from me, something I will never get the opportunity to have, but I know it was an accident. I don't blame you, and, in fact, I forgive you completely and entirely."

"Thank you, Avalon." Sherlock pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then pushed her out of the way, back into the arms if Lucius. He looked back to my face, his sorry eyes meeting my cold, hate-filled ones.

"Shoot him, John." Jim's voice prompted me. Even though he had killed my wife, Emma was right. I did love him. A lot. And even through all I had been told, something held me back.

Sherlock's anguished voice was the next to reach my ears. "Do it, John. I deserve it. Avalon or I will die. Avalon isn't involved in any of this. I deserve to die."