Chapter 9. Interview

Detective Inspector Gregory Lestrade was smiling. The smile was professionally smooth and soothing. It had twenty years experience of interviewing suspects or victims and dealing with superior officers who didn't know their arse from their elbow behind it.
Sergeant Sally Donovan had religiously practiced that smile in the mirror every day until she realised that although it worked for an Alpha like Lestrade, she was a Beta and had to find her own way to deal with suspects. And she had, most Alphas were so shocked by a mouthy Beta she had plenty of time to get the cuffs on, Omegas when she had dealings with them seemed to submit to the authority of her position, it was the bloody Betas which caused her most problems until her hand twitched towards her truncheon and her smile turned nasty as her tongue tore a strip off them.
So she had given up on trying to emulate the DI's smile but she always watched closely when the Guv used it, trying to spot a flaw in the façade in case she had to cover his backside, which truth be told didn't happen often.
It was happening now though because it was his eyes which gave him away, if you were smart enough to realise it. Right now those normally calm brown eyes were filled with predatory anticipation. She thanked the Lord it was an Alpha he was interrogating because Alphas who didn't know each other well, rarely looked each other in the eye unless they wanted it to be taken as a challenge. And although this one was making a fuss, he wasn't stupid enough, angry enough or reckless enough to challenge an Alpha cop in his own territory at New Scotland Yard.

Donovan couldn't help it; she shivered with involuntary fear even though the Inspector's gaze was directed to the man opposite him. She had only seen that expression in Lestrade's eyes a few times before, the last time when his brother-in-law Dr Watson had a bomb strapped to his chest in an abandoned swimming pool by an disgraced ex military colleague, Colonel Sebastian Moran, an insane Alpha who was targeting his old military team because he believed that they had failed their last mission and taken it as a personal betrayal. He would have killed both Dr Watson and his husband Sherlock Holmes if Lestrade hadn't put a bullet through the mad military Alpha's forehead.
Donovan was glad that the firearms were locked away and out of Lestrade's reach as she was damn sure she didn't have the strength to stop her boss from putting a bullet in this particular suspect's head. She wasn't even sure she would try after reading the heavily sanitised reports on that hell hole and the captive children.

The suspect, an arrogant hulk of blonde haired Alpha in a camel coloured blazer, old school tie, and chocolate brown trousers lounging in the chair in the interrogation room only saw the "Smile"; he didn't bother to look closer at the policeman. He was waiting for his lawyer, and made no bones about threatening to sue everyone involved in his arrest.

"Mr Roylott, what on earth made you think you were under arrest, I really can't apologise enough if you got that impression" Lestrade turned to the Sergeant standing next to him and growled, "Leave us Donovan, we will discuss your behaviour later" but with his back turned to Roylott, he winked at Sally, who played the part of fearful subordinate to perfection and left the room to Roylott's satisfied gloating snort.

He turned back to face Roylott, as he offered in a tone both apologetic and outraged

"Of course I will be speaking personally to all the officers involved, you can rest assured that they will be dealt with appropriately. You are a respected member of the Mayor's administration, and we needed to get your valuable input on a certain matter"

Lestrade watched intently as the big Alpha smirked and relaxed back in to the chair, "I knew there must be some mistake Lestrade" he drawled, "When that idiot Sergeant of yours mentioned that an Omega had accused me of something, I couldn't believe it. Who would take the word of an Omega over that of an Alpha? They are only good for one thing and intelligence doesn't come into it" he sneered, then added mockingly "Perhaps you ought to review your staff's gender more carefully, obviously that Sergeant is an Omega masquerading as a Beta or it wouldn't have even occurred her to utter such a thought"

"An excellent idea Mr Roylott" agreed the still smiling Inspector, the slight betraying flare of his nostrils unnoticed by the self centred smug Alpha "Would you like some tea or coffee while you wait for your Solicitor, the very least we can do in the circumstances"

Roylott relaxed even more, tugging at his cuffs and sighed exaggeratedly as if offering a great concession as a personal favour to the policeman.

"Well as you seem to be a decent sort of Alpha, and we are obviously on the same page, why don't we get this over with so that I can get back to the office" He raised a hand and nonchalantly thrust it through his sleek mane of hair.

"Damn Sally I always forget how good Greg is at this" Detective Inspector Ian Dimmock muttered in fascination as he and Sally Donovan watched the interview from the observation room hidden behind the two way mirror.

Sally grinned at him with anticipation, the glee in her voice unfeigned. "That scumbag is not going to know what's hit him; the Guv just needs to get it done before his expensive brief turns up." She had enjoyed handcuffing the burly Alpha and marching him out of his own office with his hands behind his back so that he was watched by the entire staff there at the time after the abuse the cheeky bastard had offered her. The fact that she had marched him past the open mouthed Mayor with a shit eating grin on her face was the icing on the cake as far as she was concerned. She had voted for his opponent anyway. She hated the Mayor's damn bumbling fool routine; he was an Alpha in an omega's clothing that one. At least with the fre… Sherlock, he was consistent, he was always a pain in the arse, brilliant but a pain in the arse and he never pretended to be anything else. Bloody Alphas and their bloody egos!

The infuriated disgust and contempt for the Alpha seated in front of him roiled around in Lestrade's stomach but was not reflected on his handsome face. His smile was steady. He was an old hand at this. He would get what he needed from this waste of DNA and complete disgrace to his Alpha dynamic and then he would be prosecuted with the full force of the law.

He knew he was on shaky evidential ground, he couldn't arrest the Alpha based on the fact that one under age traumatised Omega child had recognised his smell during a nightmare. Especially as he was now the adoptive father of said omega, Too much of a conflict of interest and there was no way he was giving up on this case. He was going to get the evil tosser who had created that hell hole and tortured those kids if it was the last thing he ever did. But right now he'd wouldn't even get as far as court as the Crown Prosecution Service would laugh him out of their offices and tell him to get some real evidence and in the meantime this piece of shit would find a way to escape the justice he so deserved.

So he had arranged for this little confrontation. He had to do something fast before Myc got his vengeful mitts on him. He had seen the look in his mate's eyes last night when they found out what had caused their little girl to bolt in terror, and much as Mycroft enjoyed and reinforced his Iceman persona, he knew damn well how deeply Mycroft felt about his family and now that included Seren. Greg couldn't get the image of Seren resting so peacefully and trustingly on Mycroft's lap as if she knew she belonged there out of his mind, and that included the relaxed gentle look on his Mate's face which hadn't changed when Greg himself couldn't control his instinctive he-man alpha posturing unless it was to show loving amusement for a few seconds.

So Lestrade and his team had planned Donovan's little stunt, "mistakenly" arresting the Alpha so that he was enraged and less likely to watch what he was saying especially to a sympathetic Alpha he already knew from his time at the Mayor's office.
He would just bet that Donovan had enjoyed humiliating the Alpha in front of his colleagues. He wished he had seen it. Perhaps if he asked Myc nicely, he might have access to the cameras in the Mayor's office. Though Myc was not going to be happy when Greg kept hold of the bastard after his twenty four hour deadline. He really couldn't allow Mycroft to act as judge, jury and executioner in this even if he wanted to do so himself. The law was there to be upheld and he believed in that completely.

Mycroft Holmes had better not pull that national security shite on him or he would have his arse, and not in any way that Myc would enjoy.

John Watson opened the front door to the flat at 221B Baker Street. Upstairs Sherlock was still sulking, offended at the call they had received that morning from Lestrade, overturning all his plans for the day and John had actually agreed to it. He had actually agreed to it without telling his Alpha. When Sherlock had complained bitterly to John, he had just snorted in amusement at him which had made Sherlock's lips quirk in a reluctant grin. Damn omega knew just how to get round him or more accurately walk straight over the top of him with his hob nail boots and sexy grin, to get what he wanted.

He heard the footsteps climb the stairs and then one set stopped hesitantly on the landing before they entered the living room. He heard the low rumble of John's voice and then saw his mate solicitously usher in his smaller companion.

He forced himself to remember his mate's boring lecture this morning about proper behaviour and the personal consequences of not behaving properly ("Suck it up Sherlock, you are not a child") which would result in his mate adjourning to an Omega Safe house for the entirety of his next heat and he knew to his cost from previous 'misunderstandings' ("It is not proper behaviour for a bonded Alpha to assist an Alpha Dominatrix at a client session without even telling his bonded mate and I don't care if it is for research and scientific experimentation you great git, she was naked!") that the threat would be carried out with the stubbornness of the immovable object meeting the irresistible force. ("If you blow the kitchen up while I am away, I swear to God Sherlock all my heats will be spent at the Safe .House!")

"Hello Seren" the normally quick and cutting tones of the tall genius Alpha were calm and almost kind as he studied his brother's adopted daughter. She looked nervously up at him and clutched John's hand tighter and although she smiled a little uncertainly, she did actually smile at him. Suddenly it wasn't his mate's threats which were shaping his behaviour. Seren herself was now intriguing him. After all she had been through at the hands of the Alphas running that evil place; she had smiled at him voluntarily. Something softened inside him. Until now she had merely been an idea, a symbol, a fact, she hadn't been real to him, a piece of the case jigsaw he was trying to slot into place. But she was real now. And for a terrified little omega she was as brave in her own way as his ex soldier danger loving opinionated strong willed omega mate.

Sherlock Holmes didn't do stereotypes, his Omega was the most un-omega like omega he had ever met and he loved it that way, because he was not a typical Alpha, and most of his family were not stereotypical of their dynamics, so he rarely reacted the way an Alpha would when it came to the other two genders. It was extraordinary, quite extraordinary but the sight of the omega child holding his Omega mate's hand and smiling shyly up at him forced a surge of the protective and intensely possessive instinct he normally only felt when John was in his heat, but this all pervasive feeling was different.
He didn't want to rut John senseless; he wanted to herd his family to a place of safety in his territory. Fascinating, was he going to barricade the doors and the windows and have them hide under the table in the kitchen, no, no the table was too accessible, it would be better if they were safely in the master bedroom, only one window and one door and Sherlock could get Mycroft to …. What was he thinking and since when had the child become part of his family? He wanted to gather them close and roar out a challenge to any damn interloping Alphas who came anywhere near. How utterly fascinating! Was he as an Alpha getting broody? How utterly appalling! He stared at his mate in shock and awe. But this insane sensation was not going away instead images, distasteful, beguiling, entrancing images flooded his brain, and seeped out from his mind palace without his permission.

His John would look utterly and appallingly beautiful filled with his child, carrying his child in his arms, feeding his child at his breast. They would have utterly and appallingly perfect children. The words utterly and appallingly seemed to be fused to his brain.

John cleared his throat in confused amusement "Sherlock", he queried, trying not to spook Seren any further.

Sherlock blinked his way back from his thoughts and shot John such a horrified look that John started forward to comfort him, but Sherlock shook his head minutely and focused his gaze back on the confused girl staring up at him

He used his Alpha voice and held one hand out to her. Lestrade had specifically and insistently instructed that there were to be lots of hand holding and gentle touching and God forbid, hugs for the child. When he had tried to fob that distasteful chore on to John, Lestrade had told him in no uncertain terms that it included him as he was family and one of her Alphas too. So he had better stop whinging and do it or he would ban him from any cases for a bloody month.

Sherlock asked Lestrade sarcastically what his brother was going to threaten him with as the rest of his family had tried their hand at it this morning. Lestrade had just chuckled darkly and offered in a syrupy voice "Christmas dinners at Mummy's" before Sherlock had cut him off in a towering snit. Omega safe houses and no cases indeed! He would make sure the blackmailing bastards regretted it. However none of that was in his voice as he offered reassurance.

"Seren, you are safe with John and I, No-one can hurt you here, and you are perfectly and completely safe with us."

Her hand was warm in his and his long fingers instinctively curled around hers, his thumb stroking her skin absentmindedly as he pulled her inexorably towards him and tucked her into his side. John tilted his head and watched his mate's unusual actions in fascination.

Seren had looked from John to Sherlock in confusion but made no demur. The weird Alpha did make her feel safer, and he was Dr John's mate and Papa's brother so she relaxed slightly. She still wasn't exactly sure what was going on. She wasn't sure why she was here. Daddy Greg had told her she was going to spend some time with Dr John and his mate Sherlock, while Papa had to go into work. Papa Mycroft had been working from home since Seren had come to live with them, but he needed to be at work today.
Seren had heard the angry undertone in his voice and she shivered.

Papa Mycroft had left early this morning without sharing breakfast with her or Daddy Greg. He hadn't done that before. Papa was always there for breakfast even if Daddy was working. Daddy had seemed rather cross about it, but had shrugged it away when he had turned to her and frowned slightly. Seren could feel panic hit her at the thought he might be cross with her too. "I'm sorry about last night" she hastily choked out, her eyes wide and anxious. Greg raised his eyebrows in surprise and reminded gently "We spoke about this Sweetpea, it wasn't your fault, I'm not cross with you and neither is Papa. I was just thinking about something else" he paused as he considered her and then seemed to make up his mind. That's when he had told her about visiting Dr John and his mate.

She had paled and flinched then looked at him with entreaty "Can't I just stay here Daddy, with Thomas" she had almost whispered, her big eyes earnestly pleading with him.

The calm expression on his face didn't change, although his conscience gave him a swift kick to the backside. They had agreed that she would stay in the house with one of them at all times until she felt safe enough to be able to go into the wider world, until they felt it was safe enough for her to go into the wider world. There were so many things she and the other little ones had been deprived off after being incarcerated in that damn hell for so long. And now Mycroft the cunning sod was trying to pull a fast one so that Greg would have to stay with her, and not work on the Roylott situation. Well that wasn't going to happen. They had a deal and Myc had better not forget it.
Twenty four hours he had said, and Greg was going to use it to ensure that Roylott was charged and then they had all the time in the world to get more information out of the bastard, but it would be done within the law.

He tugged her hair gently and said "I really need you to do this for me Seren, neither Papa or I can be with you today and you like Dr John don't you?" and he watched as her struggled with her fear in order to meet her instinctive need to help him.
His conscience meted out another swift kick, and he felt almost sick at the thought of what he was asking her to do, but if he had any chance of hanging onto that bastard Roylott, he had to do this. There was no way in hell he was taking her anywhere near Roylott after her terrified reaction to just the faint scent of the man, even if her reaction and words should be used as evidence against him. He didn't care if it made the job harder; his baby girl was not being subjected to that again.

Darling conniving Mycroft sometimes forgot exactly how determined and adaptable and downright sneaky his own mate could be. They were going to have a very interesting frank exchange of views tonight.


AN:

Sorry for the delay but to make up for it Chapter 10 might even be up later today as its nearly finished too.

Disclaimers as per all the other chapters.

Did you know they are already shooting series 3... yay !

Thanks to all you wonderful people who have reviewed, if I haven't responded yet I will do. Just keen to get some new chapters up. Got updates for nearly all my stories to go on in the next few days so haven't been lazy honest.
Enjoy !