So he won't break
After a few hours of exploring the city, visiting the Uffizi gallery and the Florence market Irene found herself in a small gelateria in the corner of a street, the restaurant was anything but crowded, the room consisting of only her and a young couple, clearly on their honeymoon.
After ordering a pistachio ice cream she sat herself down on a table just outside of the shop; allowing herself to gaze across the river, just allowing herself a rare moment of reflection.
She respected Sherlock's actions of wanting to target Romano singlehandedly but nevertheless she felt as if she would enjoy some of the action herself and couldn't help to think that he was attempting to avoid putting her in any situations of possible danger. Rather sentimental of him indeed.
He must know that she could protect herself perfectly well, it wasn't as if she hadn't had a slice of action in her time; working alongside the consultant criminal not to mention the dangerous aspects of her 'dominatrix days'.
Perhaps it was just an instinct, he had saved her before; maybe he was just steering clear of that situation again. After all it wasn't the most convenient of things for them to be doing when there were far more pressing matters at hand.
Just as she was about to take another taste of her ice cream; she froze when her phone rung. At first she assumed that it would be Sherlock, either in trouble or hopefully successful in his mission, however she was quite surprised when John's name appeared on the screen, she pressed the answer button.
'Hello Dr. Watson, may I ask why you are calling.' Irene said condescendingly, letting the words slip off her tongue like silk. 'Well, seeing as Sherlock won't answer his phone or his email when he has disappeared off to god knows where in Italy.' His voice escalated as he became more and more irritated, Irene brought her phone slightly further from her ear, wincing at the volume.
'I thought that I might call you instead.' He finished, sounding calmer. 'Well, I'm sorry he hasn't been answering his calls. What would you like to know?' Irene smirked to herself, poor John; he must be worried sick about Sherlock and his goings on. Not to mention the fact that he was travelling with an ex-dominatrix who had previously managed to land them in more trouble than they needed.
'Well...how is he?' John asked. 'So so, I guess he is missing London, but we can't miss the chance to finish Moriarty.' She said in a softer voice, she had noticed that he had been slightly homesick, it didn't show prominently however. She knew that it wasn't just the chance to finish the crime web that was keeping him in Italy, it was her; why else would he plead for her to come with him. Surely he had the power to do this on his own, he was a great man and her company may have helped significantly but it was clearly more than that.
'Listen, Irene I-I know that you and Sherlock have been, well, what I mean is...' Said John, unable to contemplate what he was attempting to say. 'Spit it out John.' She said unpatiently. Irene listened to him take a deep breath before speaking; 'That Sherlock and you have been rather clearly expressing sentiments for each other. I know he would deny it but its rather obvious, Mary agrees.'
'But I thought that you told Mary that me and Sherlock were a couple anyway?' She quickly swerved the conversation to avoid any questions. There was a reasonably long silence before he answered, '...me and Mary have, grown closer, in fact she is staying at Baker Street at the moment. Are you trying to change the topic?'
Irene interrupted half way through his last sentence, 'Oh, someone's lucky, would Sherlock be intruding on his return?', she practically sensed John roll his eyes; 'Actually Mary was evicted from her apartment,so she is staying here until she can find somewhere to move. Speaking of returning, will you be joining Sherlock?'
Irene sighed, looking across the stunning river once again, 'I don't know John. He doesn't want me there.'
'I, don't know what he wants. Just don't hurt him Irene, not again.'
She didn't know what to think, it was true, she had hurt him in the past; when she betrayed him by working with Moriarty. However after that she could never bear repeating those mistakes, she was lucky that she had been forgiven by Sherlock, without his consideration she wouldn't be alive today, despite her assistance to him she still felt that she owed him for his heroic deeds.
It wasn't only in the past, only days ago did he agree to protect her from Moran, not explicitly; and she wasn't completely reliant on him, she wasn't a damsel in distress for god's sake; she was merely back in London for securing her own safety. And maybe for a little fun, Irene wouldn't deny it she had missed Sherlock while she was staying in Sydney in her "new life". She missed his lightning fast deductions, his sharp cheekbones, the way he would lose himself in his "mind palace" allowing her to observe him (She wondered whether he had ever noticed.) and most of all their conversations, there was no one else in the world quite like him. Irreplaceable in every sense of the word.
'Don't worry, I'll take care of him.' she smiled to herself before continuing 'Should I tell him that you called?'
'No; don't bother. Bye Irene.' John said hastily, 'Goodbye .' Irene sighed once again after putting her phone back into her bag.
A couple of minutes later she walked the streets of Firenze, on her way back to Montecatini Terme, she hoped that Sherlock would be there when she returned, of course she had trust in his ability to take down this man; she just couldn't help but worry.
A familiar face caught her eye, walking towards her. It was Romano, but this made no sense, he should have been taken care of by now; jailed perhaps.
But then it hit her, she had seen this man before. At the table of Italians back in the London restaurant laughing among friends; rarely glancing to their table, a passenger seated behind them on the flight to Pisa completely silent and reading the whole journey and the waiter at the ristorante, they were too distracted to notice, too entangled in emotions and insolvent mysteries to notice the blatantly obvious.
She sped up the speed of her walking; turning her face away to avoid being detected, if she hadn't already been noticed. Irene took her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it to text Sherlock.
Just saw Romano, is everything alright? Are you back at the hotel?-IA
Yes, turns out I was wrong he wasn't our man. I'll see you soon.-SH
Okay-IA
She was still confused and weary, so naturally rushed back to the hotel, she wouldn't be satisfied until she was reunited with the detective, she didn't feel as if she could trust a text. It didn't seem like him.
She opened the hotel room's door, practically bursting into the room. Irene looked around, there was no sign of him. Before she allowed herself to panic she walked around the room, every hidden corner, the en suite but he was no where to be seen.
Not knowing what to do next Irene sat on the edge of their bed dropping her head into her hands. Maybe she shouldn't be worrying, maybe he was just running late; she convinced herself. Until she spotted a note on the desk that was.
With hopefulness she picked up the small piece of paper, re-reading it a couple of times, it didn't seem to sink in.
If you want your dear detective back, you'd better come and find him before I change my mind.-SM
