It's All So Very New To Me, My Dear
Chapter 1
January 2012
Of all the things Sherlock expected when he rescued Irene Adler from her would-be executioners in Karachi, he hadn't expected her actual response—an open handed slap that was really meant to hurt.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, more than a little surprised at her violent reaction. Between the two of them and the AK-47 she'd managed to wrest from a captor, they had made quick work of the cell members he hadn't eviscerated with his scimitar and were now safely en route to Lahore in an old Range Rover he had commandeered. He was relieved that he'd made it on time to rescue her but he was now rethinking the sagacity of his decision, considering that the Woman was decidedly not very happy to see him.
He took his eyes off the dusty road to glare at her for a few seconds. "I travelled more than thirty hours to rescue you. A thank you would have been nice." She was still brandishing several firearms in her lap so he didn't want to antagonize her too much. Irene rolled her eyes. "You do realize that I wouldn't have needed rescuing if you hadn't actually hung me out to dry in London, right?" She was busy scanning the road for any sign that they were being followed, her eyes going to the rearview mirror from time to time. Satisfied that they were safe for the time being, Irene allowed herself to relax slightly and leaned against her seat.
"So why are you even here anyway? Last minute attack of conscience? If I recall correctly, you were perfectly happy to leave me to my fate." She was curious at to why he was even in Pakistan when he'd made it perfectly clear in his brother's study that he wanted nothing to do with her. Of all her marks, Sherlock was the only one who displayed the least susceptibility to her charms so to see him here in Karachi was like a fever dream or a hallucination. Part of her wondered if she was actually dead and this was the afterlife's cruel version of a joke. Taking advantage of his preoccupation with driving, she quickly took a Glock pistol and aimed it straight at his head. "Now Mister Holmes. Answers now. I'm not in the mood to play games anymore."
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "For God's sake woman, if you're going to threaten me at least take the safety off that thing first. And also, you're better off koshing me in the back of the head with that because the ammunition is in the back." He smirked at her and Irene really was tempted to pistol-whip him, gallant rescue or not. Then again, he seemed to know where he was going and she did need a safe way out of Pakistan. Momentarily defeated, she lowered the gun. Quickly, he snatched it away and concealed it in some hidden compartment in his robe.
"Thank you. It occurred to me that even though the British and American Governments don't seem to think you have any value to them as an asset anymore, you could still prove very useful. You mentioned that you had contacted Moriarty and that he told you what to do with all that information you had." Ah, Jim. Of course. It was quite clear that he and Sherlock held some kind of mutual fascination for each other that was going to end in death for either one or both. She hoped it was the latter.
Sighing, Irene tried to respond as honestly as she could. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Mister Holmes. If you think I still have any information on Jim, you're even more delusional than I thought. We haven't been in touch since London and I can't see why we should have any more contact in the future. I'm useless to him now." She had tried to call Jim once after the Bond Air debacle only to find the number disconnected. She hadn't been surprised—all of them were playing a high-stakes game and at this level, they all did what they needed to do to survive. Still, she was fond of Jim even though he was batshit crazy. He didn't lie to himself about what he was and Irene respected that.
"Useless to him, yes. But for my purposes, you'll do just fine." Sherlock gave her a smile that looked positively sinister in the dim light and after studying him, Irene wondered if she was better off getting beheaded after all.