Thank you for all the lovely feedback!
Regarding Nimfka's question, about whether I would write some chapters about Irene and Sherlock when they are older soon, ….umm, not really. :) Sorry. The story has three major parts, and this is still the first one. The second one will be when they are a little bit older, and the third part will focus on "A Scandal in Belgravia". I know it seems like very slow progress, and that most people will probably want to read about their meeting in the episode we all know and love, but that will take a while. I've added more dialogue to this chapter though, so hopefully that should make it a little more bearable.
Oooh, and did I mention that love is in the air? :DDD
Enjoy! x
.
.
.
Sherlock and Irene's friendship continued to thrive over the following months. After another few failed attempts, Sherlock finally managed to figure out something correctly.
"You love animals" he observed after their lesson and Irene turned around and then flashed a bright smile.
"Correct," she said, and Sherlock didn't even try to hide his smug expression. "How did you know?"
"You were very active in the lesson today." He noted. "Clearly, you've informed yourself about the topic of animal rights as well as animals over all. The topic of animal rights was discussed only briefly in our textbook and what you said today wasn't something you practiced, you were well versed in it, so it's obviously something that's very important to you. Conclusion - you love animals. You haven't got a pet yet, so I assume your parents don't want one.
Irene nodded, her eyes wide. She had seen Sherlock perform deductions before, but this was his first proper one concerning her. Also, whenever he told her any of his conclusions, about anybody, he never spoke them as fast as he had now. Irene supposed it was to impress her.
"I'm very impressed" she told him when she saw his still smug, yet also expectant expression. He nodded in satisfaction.
.
.
.
Irene enjoyed Sherlock's friendship, having no friend like him. She had grown to like Jessie, with her bubbly and sincere character, and even Cecily was still her friend, even though she was a bit slow on the uptake by most things. But Sherlock was completely different compared to them, he challenged her, he made her think, and with him she could truly be herself. In her clique there was always a certain pressure to act as the others wanted you to act, but with Sherlock, Irene was rid of all that.
However, she wasn't entirely sure just what she meant to him. From what she had seen over the years, Sherlock simply did not have friends, and she knew that the relationship he shared with her was the first proper sort of warm friend - and companionship he had had in his life. She also knew he valued her, because it was rare for him to let people in, but what if she was interpreting too much into their relationship? The smiles he gave her occasionally were encouragement enough, because Sherlock barely ever smiled, but other than that she wasn't really sure what level they were on.
She would have loved to have him as a best friend, and as a steady part of her clique, but of course he refused when she tried to introduce him to her friends.
"If they're anything like Alice, Irene, then I have no wish to know any of them." He had told her. Irene had protested, saying that some were lovely and even clever (he had rolled his eyes at that bit), but to no avail.
She sighed. She really wanted to bring him out of his shell a little bit. Sherlock was nice to her, and as soon as everybody realised what a lovely person he really could be, he would be able to have lots of friends.
Deciding to not give up just because he had refused to meet her friends, she also tried to invite him out with them. After school, when she, Jessie, Cecily, Alice and James had made plans to go to bowling she had spied Sherlock in the main hall and waved and called to him. Sherlock had raised his eyebrows at the small group and Irene jogged over to him.
"We're going to a bowling arena" she called out to him. "Do you want to come?"
Sherlock had determinedly shaken his head and Irene sighed, and walked back to her group of friends. "Never mind then" she muttered more to herself, but James heard her.
"He's a bit strange" he commented lightly, trying to ease Irene's mood, but instead receiving a glare in return.
"He's my friend!" she said strongly, and James sighed but nodded.
"I apologise." he told her, sounding sincere, and Irene smiled at him, accepting his apology.
Alice of course, could not keep her mouth shut. "No, James is right. Sherlock's always been strange, since primary school." She huffed slightly and stuck her nose in the air. "I never liked him." she commented somewhat dramatically. "I don't see why you make the effort, Irene."
Irene frowned at her. "He's nice," she immediately defended him. "Once you get to know him. He's helped me a lot in biology."
"If he was really your friend, he'd come along with us so he could be with you. And to make you happy." Alice said, and Irene's frown grew. She opened her mouth to disagree with Alice but James shook his head and put a hand on each girl's shoulder.
"I'm sure he's a nice person if Irene says so," he told them. "Let's not get into a fight over this, shall we?"
Irene smiled at him gratefully and he grinned at her with a look that made her a little weak in the knees.
.
.
.
After that episode, Irene didn't bother to invite Sherlock along for some time. She didn't resent him for it, because she realised grudgingly that she couldn't completely change him, but she knew he wouldn't agree anyway, and she didn't such a little thing to come between them.
.
.
.
Both she and Sherlock finished their first year of secondary school with good report cards. Irene had As in almost every subject except for mathematics, but she had an excellent grade in English and biology. The latter she mostly owed to Sherlock, who had explained anything she didn't understand to her and even talked about things he had already learnt by reading ahead and experimenting by himself. Both she and Sherlock used this knowledge in the lessons and they were seen as very advanced students.
Even Sherlock's report card was better than usual. He had excellent marks in all sciences as well as maths, but thanks to Irene, also a good grade in English, a subject that had never interested him. Although his English was good, the subject generally bored him to no end, but Irene had talked him through it. While she didn't make it any more exciting, he was determined to try. A (very) small part of him wanted to make her proud, while the other (much bigger part – namely his ego) wanted to simply prove that he could get a good grade.
The second year was uneventful. Irene maintained her popularity, although her relationship with Alice suffered. Irene wasn't very sorry; she had never really liked her. She knew that Alice (no matter what she said) was jealous that Irene and Sherlock had managed to become friends. Irene thought it was a little ridiculous for Alice to still bear a grudge. Whatever had happened between her and Sherlock, it had been in first grade for goodness sake, which seemed ages ago now, anyway.
While she grew a lot more distanced to Alice, Irene grew closer to James and Jessie. She was sweet and occasionally a little naïve, but she truly liked Irene because of who she was, not just for her popularity. She was sincere and honest, and she was like the sister Irene had never had.
James (though slightly arrogant at times) was nice to Irene, and his behaviour and affection for Irene seemed genuine. He was nice to talk to and he could relate well to her lifestyle. Both of his parents were lawyers, and he saw little of them too. Irene sympathised with him, and they made each other less lonely.
There was more to her feelings for James though. His stare, his smile, his lovely chocolate coloured eyes…Irene had to admit she found him cute. Whenever he looked at her in that special way he seemed to save only for her it made her weak in the knees and caused butterflies to erupt in her stomach. She was a little surprised when she experienced these feeling – however large her friend group was, she still preferred to work alone on most occasions, but not where James was concerned.
Once he had been over at her house, looking through her photos and teasing her while she had attempted to concentrate on her homework.
"You looked really cute as a little kid," he had said, while Irene blushed slightly.
"You mean when I was all done up by my nannies?" she asked laughingly, though a tiny note of bitterness laced her voice. She was still angry at her parents for being such a small part of her childhood.
"True." James admitted with a smile. "I think you look prettier when you wear your hair the way you do now."
Even though the way he had said it held no shy or overly romantic tone, Irene's heart still lurched. No one had ever told her that she looked pretty.
"Thanks" she said almost shyly, a bigger blush adorning her cheeks. James grinned triumphantly as he pulled out another one of her in frilly swimmers, squinting at the camera.
"But this one beats everything else" he laughed, and Irene gasped when she saw the embarrassing photo.
"Give that back!" she cried, but James held it up when she tried to grab it.
"I think this one is too special to destroy, Irene."
Irene groaned and jumped up to reach it, which resulted in her falling on James and both of them tumbling to the ground, with him on top of her.
She gulped then, realising just what position they were in. For a second she felt as if he was looking deep into her eyes and she suddenly wondered whether he would kiss her. She wasn't sure whether to look away, but James quickly recovered.
"Are you alright?" he asked, helping her up, and Irene nodded.
He grinned again then, and Irene relaxed, the tension suddenly gone.
.
.
.
Sherlock noticed that Irene seemed slightly more distracted and prone to day dreaming in her lessons, and, although he was disappointed, having hoped that he would be able to completely relate her, he didn't care that much. Unlike Irene, he was perfectly happy to work alone.
But he knew that something in their relationship had definitely changed when he had been telling her his latest deduction, and she hadn't paid any attention.
"So you see, it can't have been the year 9 boys who vandalised the boy's bathroom yesterday, because I know that one of them has just had his house repainted and has some sort of allergic reaction to the chemical substances in the paint, so he couldn't have had any part in it. And even if he had, his clique would have stolen the cans of paint from his house, especially since they used a paintbrush instead of spray cans. I already know who it was, because of the paint smudge on her shoe today. Shall I tell you?"
He looked at Irene eagerly, waiting for her to excitedly tell him that he shouldn't keep her in suspense, but no such answer came. Instead of even facing him, she was doodling something in her biology book, which was angled in a way that he wouldn't see the exact contents.
He frowned in annoyance. He didn't mind Irene daydreaming occasionally, but this was an important deduction. A small part of him felt rather hurt that she hadn't listened to him – she was the only one who ever admired his deductions, everyone else thought they were stupid and made up.
"Irene?" he prompted, a small tone of anger seeping into his voice.
"Hmm?" she asked, almost dreamily, still not looking at him.
Sherlock shook his head and moved his chair further away from hers, annoyed. If she didn't want to talk to him and was too busy with thinking of mundane, ordinary things (and he suspected he knew exactly what, or rather who she was thinking about), then fine, she could do as she pleased. He could concentrate on his biology.
"James is nice, isn't he?" she said suddenly, a small smile on her face, confirming his suspicions. Sherlock simply arched one eyebrow sardonically and rolled his eyes. He hadn't intended to be mean, just sarcastic, but when Irene didn't even notice that he found himself wishing that he had incited her anger, just so he could have some sort of reaction from her.
Later, when Irene was explaining something on the board to the whole class he stole a peek at her notebook, where she had been writing something in earlier. He sighed as he read what was in the margins. The whole space was filled with James's name and love hearts, as well as a combination of it with Irene's. He closed the book and pushed it away from himself determinedly, sighing to himself.
.
.
.
Aww, Irene and James. He's quite the charmer, isn't he?
Hope you liked it. I would love to know what you thought!
Laura xx
