Dr. John Hamish Watson and Miss Mary Elizabeth Morstan.
Request the pleasure of your company at their marriage
"Hamish. John Hamish Watson. Just if you were looking for baby names."
The memory made her smile but then her mind told her to whom it was directed to, her and Sherlock Holmes.
She stopped herself from dwelling on that name before something happens. She just had a connection with a part of her mind that she had promised not to visit again. She knew that door was still open, taunting her with the dark smell of expensive male cologne. And she would not allow herself to go down that lane lest be swallowed by the monster within.
With that, she snapped back to reality. It was until then before she realized then she might have looked at the invitation a minute too long because Janine was now nowhere to be found.
"Janine?" Irene called.
She heard a shuffle from behind.
"Ah, so you've come back to Earth." Janine joked as she sat down beside her cousin.
Irene handed her the invitation. "Glad to know John Watson has moved on."
Janine glanced at the invitation before looking at Irene. "Client?"
"Dear god, no."
Janine squinted her eyes at Irene. Irene smirked at her. She was well aware that Janine knew of her old profession. They were best friends. Irene's parents were powerful mobsters well-known around the world thus they were rarely home, very rarely. Their parents were rarely home that it doesn't feel like home anymore. It was a mere house for living.
She had two siblings, a psychopathic older brother and an older sister that she had long forgotten. Her brother was always there but every time Irene looks into his cold blue eyes shivers went down her spine. All she saw was cold and cruel brilliance shining in his eyes and she told her younger self he was mad.
Thinking about her sister was not an option. She has no room for sentiment, not anymore, not in this world. Her sister had died, no, committed suicide. Irene never knew the real reason but she's got a feeling it was depression. Her sister was the only person who care about her, who she knew loved her.
Her sister had died way before Irene's uncle and aunt decided to take them under their wing. Unlike theirs, the household was warm and loving. After a long time, Irene felt loved again. She became close to them and started treating them as her family. Her aunt and uncle became her parents while her cousin, Janine became her sister.
She had forgotten of her real family. Her brother suddenly vanished after they supported his studies. Honestly, it didn't bother her much because he wasn't much of a brother anyway. So she stayed with them. She had a family, a mother, a father, and a sister who loved her dearly. Why should she leave?
In the end, she had to. One night her brother came back telling her the news. Their parents had died and they left their will to him stating she and her brother would inherit everything they had owned.
Two things struck her that night. One, their parents were dead. Two, they knew they only had two children left so that means they have been keeping tabs on them. That made her angry and happy at the same time. Happy that they somehow still cared about them and angry because they didn't even visit when her sister died.
Without hesitation, she went with her brother. Together, they ran away without saying a thing to her new family. At such young ages, they outwitted adults and managed to cope with the secretiveness of it all. They did have the blood of two of the most powerful people on the Earth. It was no surprise that they were cunning and capable of such things. Their captors chased them until they gave up because they finally realized they couldn't catch them.
What had happened to them made Irene realized that she was better than she thought. She learned to manipulate people. She learned to read people, look for their pressure points and use them to her advantage. It was through experience that she mastered this skill until she was able to read people like an open book. Time made she and her brother separate ways. Thus Irene Adler was born. She never saw him again and she never saw anyone from her past ever again. Though pieces of information about them that passed by her didn't go unnoticed.
"It's for a... case." Irene grinned.
"A case?" Janine's eyebrow rose. "So now you're a lawyer. Or is it a detective?"
Irene laughed.
"Don't give me that laugh." Janine stood and placed her hands on her hips.
"You know everything's not meant to be spoken." Irene winked.
"Yeah." Janine rolled her eyes. "Anyway, want to grab some lunch? We could go to Speedy's. It's just a few blocks away."
At the mention of the restaurant, Irene perked up with a small smirk. Oh this is going to be interesting.
Of course, she saw him. When they were heading towards the café, Irene caught a glimpse of the detective walking around with his violin perched on his shoulder. He swayed, his eyes closed, his face calm and relaxed, his pale lips pursed as if he was humming, as if he was feeling the music. It wasn't long before he moved away from the window but a second was all she needed. Irene smiled before they crossed the street to get to the restaurant.
Her eyes lingered on the door of the flat beside it with the numbers 221B. She had an impulse to walk to it and knock. She wanted to see his face, to hear what he would say but she couldn't do that and she wouldn't. After having a hearty meal, they had coffee before they left the shop. Sadly, she didn't get the chance to see him once more but that was alright.
Janine had work the following day. Irene got bored by one in the afternoon. She got up and borrowed some of Janine's clothes since she only had the cocktail dress she wore when they had crossed paths. She decided to shop for a few clothes that would suit her. She immediately wore a shirt and trousers she had just purchased. She saw a coat that awfully reminded her of him albeit it was a different color. She bought it anyway.
It was close to dusk when she found herself on a familiar street. She smiled inwardly.
Baker Street.
She walked on the pavement opposite his flat. She walked slowly, strolling down the street with her arms full of shopping bags. When she got close enough, she looked at the window of his flat. The curtains were drawn but she could see his silhouette hunched over his laptop. A smile forced its way to her face again. She continued to walk.
Many people visited Sherlock Holmes after a few days. Different kinds of people all walking by to see the consulting detective but they were all the same. Sometimes they found him standing by the window. Sometimes he was walking around the flat probably thinking. Sometimes he was playing his violin. Once in a while they get the pleasure of seeing Dr. John Watson and his wife. D.I. Lestrade also comes around now and then.
They all observe him but he never observes them thoroughly. They came in different clothes and disguises but only one face remained underneath with a smile on her sinful lips and a light flush on her high cheek bones.
"Oh my god!"
"Well?"
Janine spun away from the mirror and looked at her cousin. "It's..."
Irene waited.
"Beautiful! I love it!" Janine hugged Irene who patted the younger woman's back. "Thank you, Irene!"
Irene chuckled. "You know, it's going to be ruined if you're going to hug me that tight. I won't do it for a second time." she warned.
Janine pulled away immediately. "Okay, okay, I just love it so much!"
She took a look at the mirror again. Irene gripped her arms and looks over Janine's shoulder to look at the mirror. "Go, dear, or else you're gong to be late."
"Oh right!" Janine grabbed her purse and walked towards the door. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? I can tell Mary if you want to come."
"Don't bother about me. I'm fine. Go now." Irene reassured her. "By the way, don't be too hard on him."
Janine gave her a puzzled look. "Who?"
"The best man."
Janine smiled. "Thank you, Irene! Bye!"
Irene watched as Janine walked out of the flat. When she closed the door, she immediately went to take a shower because she was also attending a wedding.
She made sure she arrived late, really late. The church doors were already closed when she arrived. Unfortunately, a grand entrance wasn't on the list or else she would ensure it would be really grand. She considered walking to one of the windows to take a look inside but she dismissed it. It was too risky. She would have to wait for the reception instead.
It wasn't long before the couple walked out of the church but the first thing she noticed was the stiff man, standing proud and tall beside the happy couple. She chuckled. He looked so tensed and disturbed. She shook her head. It must be hard for him since John was already occupied with something else. She watched from behind the tree as pictures were taken, flowers petals were scattered all over. Greetings of congratulations were said.
They all had smiles on their faces except for the tall detective. Then her lovely cousins started. She watched as her cousin worked her way into Sherlock Holmes's sociopath armor while he looked baffled and alarmed. That's my girl.
The reception was starting. The guests were starting to be welcomed by the newlyweds. She saw a man who was waiting in the line. She watched as his eyes passed the detective and the man's whole demeanor changed. The signs all point to one answer and she knew the detective had seen it too. Ah, an 'old friend' of the bride then. Poor man, it must have hurt a lot.
The next few scenes shocked her. Her eyes widened when a boy suddenly came to him and hugged his torso. She squinted her eyes just to check if it was really what she was seeing. Sherlock Holmes and a child, now that's something new. Clearly, the boy likes him very much. The look on his face looks absolutely ridiculous. She laughed. She would say it was adorable though she wouldn't. She wondered what he did to the child.
A few minutes and she saw the detective on the phone. Judging from the change of expressions on his face, she knew it was Mycroft. It was a pity the older Holmes wasn't around. It wold have been fun to see The Iceman mingle with people.
While they were having their meal, Irene moved to a much closer location as in beside the door opposite the Presidential Table. She could hear the clatter of utensils against the plate, the voices of people conversing. She was close enough for the main event of the day. The best man's speech. She didn't have to see him when his speech started with his silky baritone voice. All she had to do was close her eyes and she could see him standing there, reciting the lines of his speech perfectly because she had seen him practice.
"The Bloody Guardsman..." he said.
She couldn't help but smile. She saw them, sitting on a park bench stiffly. John would occasionally look at Sherlock but he would not move a muscle until he saw something. He, stealing a guard's bearskin and putting it on, was truly a sight to see. She then walked away when he had entered the Buckingham Palace under the bearskin. Ah, the Buckingham Palace. She remembered the day they had met.
She listened as he continued to speak of their adventures and how great the man named John Watson was until something happened. He stopped talking. She knew he would stop once in a while to take a breath or continue with his speech but this was different. A shatter of glass followed. That was when she confirmed something was amidst. She fought the urge to peek. Luckily, she stopped herself before something happened. It was awful, not being able to do anything. She wanted to see him because she knew something was wrong but she couldn't. All she could do was wait and listen to what was going to happen and that was what she did with a lot of effort.
Night came slowly. This time she moved to another location. Her previous place was blocked by speakers that were just set up for the night. Since it was nighttime, it was easier to hide. She could move around the event place. She was walking around, watching people inside as the speakers boomed.
Then it all stopped. She couldn't see much from where she stopped so she walked further until a familiar sound washed over her. She bit her lip. She knew who it was. She knew what it was. She had watch him play that song on his violin countless times. She was on the other side of the street but she could hear it although it was faint. Anyone on the street would have heard it but people didn't listen. They only hear but not listen. That's why only she heard it. She shivers went down her spine. Her mind flashed back to images of him playing his violin with his eyes closed, with deep concentration in his eyes as he wrote the song.
It was when the song ended before she could move her body. She saw him immediately. It wasn't hard to miss the man. He stood out from the rest because he was different. He was talking to the couple. Lip reading is a natural thing to her. She managed to picked up words in their conversation. Her hand flew to her mouth. Pregnant, then so they're now a family. Congratulations to the Watson family. That would also mean 'Uncle Sherlock'. Did Sherlock know what this would mean? She hoped he did.
He left them, hugging each other. She didn't need to look at other people, looking at him was enough. The smile on his face faded when Mary and John continued to dance as he slipped his armor back on. He looked around as if he was searching for someone and he was. A big smile broke on his face when his eyes laid on Janine. She followed his eyes and saw her cousin dancing, unfortunately, with someone else. She held her breath. His face fell and she almost saw a the pain of loneliness and sadness but he quickly hid it.
He turned around and walked towards the stage. What is he going to do? She followed him from the outside watching his every move, his face, his expression. Slowly he reached for the music sheet he left on the stand and slipped it inside an envelope. She bit her lip. His face told her he was fine but his body said otherwise. She quickly hid at the corner of the building, angling herself so that she could still see the entrance. She saw him, his pale face as passive as ever, his eyebrows furrowed. He flipped his bloody coat on and walked into the night. She knew what he felt, how he felt. She had an urge to step out and hold is wide hands in hers, to tell him everything was okay. She held back and forced herself to stop. All she did was watch him disappear around the corner alone.
I know this took a really long time. I'm really sorry. It's just that I couldn't find the right words to fill this chapter up so I had to wait a long time before I got the inspiration to write this down. Hope you liked it though. :)
Comment and reviews are appreciated. Criticisms are welcomed
