(28) John's Gift
Ten months later
"Come on Hamish!" Harriet shouted down the hall. "Sherlock will be here any minute for you."
"Yeah yeah," John muttered. "I'm coming." He finally came into the living room pulling on a light cream & deep brown sweater. "You're lucky you're not active. Full moon's a bitch!"
"So am I," Harriet glared. "I don't need any sort of moon phase to prove it."
Clara came up behind him & whispered, "However agree with that...you die. Plain & simple." She giggled as she stepped past John. Harriet snagged her with one arm.
"Why are you both so mean to me?" John grumbled.
"I'm your big sister. It's my job. Deal with it."
"I'm her wife. I support her by default. Deal with it."
"You're human," John grinned a pointy smile.
"Bite me," Clara shrugged. "I dare you. Double dog dare you."
"Where's Sherlock?" John stepped outside, not falling for their trap.
Clara suddenly ran after him. "Oh I just remembered. He'll meet you at the café actually. Apparently he has some business in the area."
"Well that's about a ten minute walk," John jumped at the chance to get away from more teasing. "I'll grab a coffee in the meantime. See you in a few days."
"It's a wonder you just don't live at the castle, like what you did at the old flat," Harriet said. Her flirty undertone wasn't missed.
"You know I'm allergic to bee stings," John groused, ignoring the hidden implications. Mycroft must have gotten to her a long time ago.
"Not fatally," Harriet shrugged. "There's medicine for that anyway."
"Laters," John waved, kicking himself a moment later for sounding like Sherlock. Don't feed the fire! Grr. When he arrived at the café several minutes later, he sat down near the door after ordering coffee with a muffin. His order arrived a few minutes later with the muffin cut in half & set on a plate. He started into one half while reading the paper. John soon reached for the second half only to find an empty plate. He put the paper aside & looked at the plate then glanced up to see who had stolen his snack. His eyes landed on a large round golden gaze. "YOU!" John shot to his feet.
Mary gasped in surprised, turned around & made to run away. The muffin half in her hand dropped to the floor. "Sorry I, I didn't me—"
"Oh no you don't!" John grabbed the back of her coat collar & hauled her into the bench by the table. "Where are they?"
"W-W-Who?"
John's glare blazed gold. "Don't be coy. The pups, Mary. The pups! Sherlock told me all about your type."
"Oh-oh they're with uh with y-your sisters," Mary stammered. "I went there looking for you & they took over the pups while I came here. I just I—well I just wanted to see you first."
"So there's more than one?"
"Two."
"Boys? Girls?"
"One each."
"At least allow me the courtesy to help you name them!"
"I named the girl. You can name the boy."
John actually growled low under breath. Mary shrank back in fright. John sighed. To her, he probably seemed like a large dominant male, a war hero, a doctor & nothing more. Watson actually meant 'powerful warrior, watchman; to rule an army' so it definitely suited Mary's imagination. Probably why she seduced him in the first place. "What's her name?"
"Jessica?"
"Hmm, half decent," John smiled a moment before glaring again. "Unlike her mother."
"They were supposed to be a gift for you," Mary hung her head. "I didn't know you'd hate me so much."
"I don't hate you," John said. "I just don't like to be used. I'm a doctor not a..." He glanced around & lowered his voice. He hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm a doctor not a sperm bank!"
Mary curled up into her black velvet coat & looked away. "But you don't love me."
"You don't love me either!"
"That isn't true!" Mary got to her feet. "I wouldn't have mated with you if I didn't."
"You were in heat!" John shot back. He suddenly glanced around. People were staring. John cleared his throat & whispered. "This is neither the time or the place for this. I'll deal with you after full moon."
"John?"
John & Mary both looked around to see Sherlock. "That's Mary," John pointed.
"Ah yes," Sherlock came to look her over. Mary stepped back two times but John grabbed her elbow & yanked her forward at least three if not more. She ended up nose to nose with Sherlock Holmes. "I've looked at your case & you're right. Your mother was murdered. By your father." Mary gasped, putting both hands over her mouth. "He was human & didn't like the fact he married a monster. He tried to get rid of both of you."
Mary finally managed to step back a little, shaking her head. "No no, that isn't true! Daddy wouldn't have done that! He died first!"
"He's still alive," Sherlock said. "Don't worry I managed to put him behind bars if you ever want to see him."
"What?" Mary looked at the floor, weeping. Sherlock rolled his eyes. Weeping women weren't his thing.
John took pity on her. "Why don't you come to the castle with me for the full moon? The pups won't change right now. My sisters can watch them."
"Oh yes," Sherlock remembered. "You're a father now."
"Twins," John said. "A girl named Jessica. There's also a boy, Derek." He glanced at Mary but she offered no resistance. "Derek's a good name."
"If you say so," Sherlock shrugged. Pups weren't his thing either. It merely meant more honeycomb to dish out & more work in training the damn things. "We should head out. Are you bringing her or not?"
John put one hand on Mary's arm. "I'm not letting her out of my sight!" He steered her forward towards the car. Once on their way, he said to Mary who had been silent the whole time. "We could go see him after the full moon?"
"I don't want to," Mary sniffled, wiping away some tears. "He can rot in...in, Mr. Holmes. How can that be true?"
"Humans can be stupid," Sherlock answered. He glanced at John. "Mary's mother was bitten by a vampire, Jock Cortés. Hired by a human, Mary's father, to get rid of her. He's now a pile of ash, compliments of Mary's father."
"The world descending into anarchy," John sat back in his seat.
"So we're all just monsters? Is that it?" Mary managed to say.
"Only if you make yourself one."
"He's right," John agreed. "Look at Micah or Dracula, then look at us. It's how you behave that defines you." John's voice was cut short as the car jerked to a halt. He put a hand on the dashboard to steady himself. He glanced around. Sherlock stared straight ahead. "Sherlock, what's wrong?"
"Stay in the car," Sherlock released his seatbelt & got out.
"What?"
"Just stay there," Sherlock repeated. "I'll be right back."
John watched Sherlock run down the street. "I wonder what that's about."
Sherlock kept himself hidden as he followed two people down the street. They both turned down another lane, out of John's sight, with Sherlock silently following close behind. The pair came up to a white Cadillac & were about to get in. Sherlock finally stepped out from the hedge he had been staying near.
"Well Woman, you finally returned to England."
Irene whirled around. "Get in the car, Katie." She stepped forward to block Sherlock's path. "What do you want?"
Sherlock cocked his head, looking curiously at her in his childlike way. He put both hands into his pockets of his long black coat. "You."
"Why?"
"Because you're human."
"You told me once you don't need me for feeding on," Irene said. "So why?"
"I just told you."
Irene sighed, frustrated. She turned to the car. "I'm taking Katie home."
Sherlock put a hand on her shoulder. "She can take herself home. I want you to come with me for a while."
"Are you hiring me?" Irene muttered. "My price has gone up in the past year."
Sherlock whipped her around to face him. "No, Woman. You're free for me. You always have been. But that isn't why I want you."
Irene shook her head. "What do you want?"
"Send the girl home," Sherlock nodded towards Katie sitting in the car. "I have to show you something. Please don't judge me until you know all the facts."
"You're a vampire," Irene said. "A vampire who's a contradiction. You're actually not interested in my neck. What more is there to know?"
Sherlock pulled her close, hand on her wrist as he had done many years before. He whispered, "Why do you think I felt your pulse? Something I don't have. Something that excites me beyond reasoning."
Irene gasped. She felt sharp points pricking her neck in a teasing nip. Sherlock stepped back. Irene grabbed the spot. "What the hell was that?"
"Relax, if I had turned you, you'd really be screaming. It really hurts to turn," Sherlock smiled at her. He knew the game was afoot again!
"Katie, go home."
"Mistress?"
"I'll see you in a day or two," Irene said distractedly, lowering her hand. Quickly glancing at it told her that he had not drawn blood. This time. Sherlock took her hand & led her back to his own car.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" John grumbled, clamouring over the top of the seat to flop headfirst into Mary's lap in the back seat. He righted himself. "Not her!" He whined worse than his two pups left behind could ever do together.
"Nice to see you to Doctor!" Irene shot back, getting into the seat he was just in. "Ooh, you've kept my spot warm. Perhaps you can warm me up later." John didn't bother to hide his fangs as he growled.
"John shut up!" Sherlock began to drive. John snorted & licked his chops. He kept his gold gaze on the woman. "John! I said shut it. NOW!" Sherlock glared in the mirror, his eyes flickering red. John sat back without another word although he did cross his arms.
"Is he ok?" Irene asked.
"Is he ever?" Sherlock pointed out.
They drove in silence for a while before John got up the nerve to speak again. "By the way Sherlock, after all this time, you still never did explain to me how to pull in the fangs like you do?"
"Wolves can't do that."
"What do you mean?"
"Your incisors are much smaller," Sherlock explained. "Vampire fangs are long enough to stick out. Just don't smile to widely. No one will notice."
"Well that's miserably unfair!"
"Life sucks," Sherlock grinned. Irene cast him an unsure look.
John leaned forward to sniff the back of Sherlock's neck. "How many bites does it take to destroy a vampire again?"
"Don't you dare!" Sherlock actually lost control of the car for a moment. He yanked it back in line. "Sit down & stay there until we get to the helicopter." John sat back with a laugh.
