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The wind was blowing calmly through the bedroom window, it seemed to be a warm sunny day. This confused William, who was supposed to be dead, the fall from the bridge was surely fatal, even if there was water underneath to cushion the fall and Sherlock was holding him in a protective embrace.Sherlock... Where was he? Had he survived the fall? He looked around trying to adjust to the light but noticed how something was blocking the view of his left eye, it was a bandage, he started to remove it carefully but he still couldn't see once it was completely removed. He could blink without any problem, meaning that his eyeball was intact, but he could see absolutely nothing. The skin around his eye felt different, like an extensive scar from under the eye to the eyebrow, considering its texture he deduced that it could have been caused by an object after the fall and from its state it must have happened some months ago. That at least gave him a chronological location, some months had passed since that tragic night.He tried to play down his eye situation for the moment even though it really bothered him, because he first needed to know where he was and what had happened to Sherlock.He began by inspecting the room for answers, it was small but well lit, the bed was simple and there was a faint scent of cleanliness in the air, then he spotted a little bench near him, by the marks on the wooden floor, it had been moved multiple times in his direction, that gave him some relief, it showed that someone had been aware of his condition, someone close.With no more clues he decided to leave the room, considering that he had been in bed for some time, it was normal that his limbs had lost muscle mass and therefore felt weak, so he would have to walk carefully, adding the loss of vision in one of his eyes. He struggled to get to his feet but leaned on the small bench next to the bed to make his way to the door. It led to a corridor with many other doors and to the left a young woman could be seen approaching.“I see you're finally awake," said the smiling young woman, it was obvious from her uniform that she was a nurse. “You shouldn't be walking on your own yet, let me help you.”He was in a hospital, apparently in America by the nurse's accent. The woman helped him walk even though William would have preferred to walk with the help of a cane, as it was similar to the one he used before to disguise his sword, he would make sure to ask for one later.“Take your time, you suffered a severe stroke that left you in a coma for 5 months, plus an eye injury that caused a glaucoma, which is why your left eye has gone blind. You’ll have to get used to walk around with only one eye from now on.” explained the nurse.“I realize that, thank you for your help.”“Mr. Holmes will be happy to see you, he’s been looking after you since day one.”It was a relief to hear that Sherlock was okay, a part of William was even glad to know that it was him who had been checking on his condition but at the same time it made him wonder why. He had been responsible for so many deaths and was the worst demon ever in the eyes of England, he didn't even feel worthy of living, the pain was too much to go on but Sherlock was still there, standing by his side as a friend and waiting for him to wake up.He was so deep in thought that he didn't pay much attention and almost lost balance, causing the nurse to doubt his physical condition.“Would you like me to bring you a chair or a cane so that you can support yourself better? Your body has not fully recovered.”“A cane would be of great help, thank you.”The young woman left him sitting in a chair in what appeared to be the hospital's common room, which was somewhat empty, with only a few people gathered around chatting. A few seconds later she returned with a wooden cane and handed it to him, telling him that if he needed anything else he shouldn’t hesitate to ask.William felt overwhelmed, he had been in a coma for months, lost the sight in one of his eyes and was now on a continent across the sea. It made him wonder how his siblings and friends were doing in England, surely they would have made it through, but the thought raised a new doubt, what would he do now? He never imagined he would keep living after finishing the plan for which he had worked his entire life, he tried to think about it but he couldn't come up with an answer, his head was dizzy with so many questions and he felt lost, he needed some fresh air.It took him a while to reach the roof of the building, he had to climb the stairs after all, but he really needed a place to organize his thoughts. The hospital rooftop was mainly used as a clothesline, and the sight of the sheets dancing in the breeze gave him a feeling of serenity that he was very grateful for. Among the many sheets was a bench overlooking the city, so he took a seat on it.William thought that an existence after the Final Problem would be filled of more suffering than he already felt, but he failed to achieve his goal, and now he was alive without really knowing what to do. That night felt distant, but he still remembered Sherlock’s words, who had been by his side. From his perspective, William was choosing the easy way out to escape from his suffering. Back then, his words left him in a brief dilemma, which he ignored because time was running out and the show must end. But it was different now, he had all the time he could ever need.Then, was that the real reason? No, the reason was supposed to be the demon he had become, the last one left on Earth, and therefore, deserving to die to pay for his sins. But if that was the truth, then had Sherlock been wrong? It's true that, like any person, it was possible for him to make mistakes, but would the most brilliant man he had ever known have strayed so far from the truth? That couldn't be it. William had always held Sherlock in high regard for his abilities, and he knew that, although the man could be somewhat stubborn once he had something in mind, he would never pursue an unsubstantiated idea. No, Sherlock was too smart, and he had met him that night as his friend, someone who knew him well enough to know that he hid all his pain under the facade of his alter ego, even if he had never let anyone know about it. Perhaps he himself didn't want to accept it, and that's why he tried to justify his death as a way to escape not only his inner demons but also the truths he didn't want to admit.And based on that, he came up with more arguments he hadn't thought of, such as that, being so blinded by his own suffering, he hadn't considered that of his brothers and team, who surely also suffered in silence, seeing him take responsibility for everyone, but unable to express what they felt. As well as being stuck in trying to look away from the sins that tormented him, instead of facing them and taking responsibility for his actions so that he could truly atone for them.In the end, the detective was right: if he truly wanted to atone for his sins, the best way to do so was to choose the most difficult path, and in his case, that path was to continue living and refrain from the consequences of doing so, no matter how hard it was. Despite this, William felt fortunate to have a friend like Sherlock by his side, because it was thanks to him that he was able to see the truth he was trying so hard to escape from.He continued to think for a while until the sound of a door opening and footsteps interrupted him. The footsteps grew closer and closer until they reached the bench, and he acknowledged Sherlock's arrival by taking a seat to his right. They spent a few minutes enjoying each other's company without exchanging a word until Sherlock decided to begin.“Thank you, Liam”“No, I am the one who should be thanking you Sherly. You saved my life and made me see the truth behind my actions, I just wanted an easy way out to stop suffering but that was not the right way to atone. It is thanks to your company that I can truly understand it.”A smile crossed Sherlock's face at those words, it was such a relief to know that William had chosen to live at the end of it all, he had a second chance to do so and he would make sure he was there to support him.“The truth is that I didn't expect my story to have a continuation, so all of this feels like having a blank canvas in front of me. I don't know what to do now or how to paint that canvas and to be honest I feel a little lost.” as he spoke, William's gaze seemed to wander among the buildings of the city, they had a particular glow that caught his attention, as if he was looking for something in them. “The only thing I'm sure of right now is that I'm happy to be with you. Since I met you I felt like my world had changed and when you saved me I could see colors all around me, it was like seeing a whole new world that I wanted to enjoy on my own. This world is really beautiful." he said as a tear silently rolled down his cheek.“Liam, even if you thought a tomorrow would never arrive for you, here it is, and it's better that it's blank because then you can paint it any way you want," he said as he turned to look William in the eye. “Some days will bring storms but when the worries abandon you, you’ll find the answer, and I'm sure it will be perfect. I know it may be difficult, but I’ll be there for you through the whole thing.”Sherlock stared at the city for a moment before crouching down in front of William to draw his attention to what he was about to tell him.“The fact that you are trying to take a step forward means that at some point that step will lead you to the answer you’ll use to paint your future. Don’t distrust your own will.”Those words brought a smile to William's face, a smile of fulfilment. He was really fortunate to have a second chance at life and to have Sherlock by his side on the journey to find a new purpose for his life. It was still early days, but he knew he would find inspiration for an answer somewhere in the world he now saw in a completely different light.“I appreciate it, Sherly.”