(Lines in bold are not mine but taken from 'The Lying Detective' & 'Scandal In Belgravia' episodes.)
(17) Silver Wings
John sat back in his chair at the 221B flat. They had just finished up the case of who Arlin had hired to put him down. It had been another Lycan, who was also the same one who had placed a bomb in Sherrinford's helicopter. The Lycan did not know at the time he had been working for a Watson Were as he had never come in contact directly & had only ever heard the name David. The Undead Law put him away for six months.
Mrs. Hudson brought in a tray of tea & biscuits to leave on the table between them. "How's Shane doing?" She asked while she tidied up a few things.
"He showed up for the end of the last full moon," Sherlock said. "Didn't speak to Irene or me. Just ... watched the wolves."
"The poor dear lost his favourite wolf for the second time in a row," Mrs. Hudson said as she left.
John had some tea & then set his cup onto the saucer plate. "You're spending a lot of time with Irene, again."
"So?"
"So ..." John kept his eyes firmly into the cup, watching the hot brown liquid.
Sherlock steepled his fingers. "She's a vampire, John."
John rolled his eyes. He drank half the tea & set it back on the table. "Seriously, we're not going to talk about this?"
"Talk about what?"
"Why don't you date your own kind?"
"You know why!"
"Yes, I know why," John pointed at himself & then jammed his index finger at Sherlock. "But you don't."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't,"
"Alright, John," Sherlock sipped his tea. "Tell me. Why do I not date vampires?"
John started laughing, nervously under breath. "Why not, you bloody moron?! It's because of Elizabet!"
"Yes, exactly."
"NO!" John rolled his eyes. "God, I could turn you to ash, some days." He fondled the Titanic on his sword for a moment. "You say you only date humans so that you could hold on to the humanity you lost. But that isn't true. You date humans so you can AVOID the real issue."
"The real issue. What is the real issue?"
John looked long & hard at Sherlock. "Elizabet would have turned on you had she known what Mycroft did to you. She would have thrown you out. Kept you away from the children. Any love she had for you would have soured. She would have hated you & maybe even been terrified of you & she certainly would have tried to have you destroyed!"
"John!"
"But she died," John went on. "She died not knowing the monster you became. She died thinking you were still the same man she married. She died loving you & she will never know anything other than the way you used to be. That is why you avoid vampires & Lycans. Anything that people of the age would deem monsters or demons. Anything she would have hated. You date humans so YOU can pretend to be human, still! To be something Elizabet fell in love with. You don't want to be with vampires because you don't want to admit you are now something Elizabet would hate." He paused, seeing a single tear slip down Sherlock's face. Finally. John felt he was breaking through that icy soul Sherlock had. John went on in a softer voice. "Now, I don't like the way Arlin put it, but I agree with him. It's been three thousand years. Elizabet is dead & gone, never knowing what you became & she is never going to come back. You have a woman now, in this day & age, who knows what you are, who became the same way, who accepts you for who & what you are. She's out there, she likes you & do you have the first idea how lucky you are?! Yes, she's a lunatic; she's a criminal; she's insanely dangerous! Trust you to fall for a sociopath. She's ... you know ..."
"What?"
"She's just like you," John said. "Unlike Elizabet who would never accept you the way you are now. Never! Do something while there is still a chance 'cause that chance won't last forever. Trust me, Sherlock, it's gone before you know it. Before you know it!" Sherlock silently watched John, hands steepled under chin. John suddenly looked like he was about to cry. "When y-you came into my room that day," He let the tears fall. "Telling me Mary had been run down by-by a tr ..." He paused, trying to catch his breath. "Now I didn't know her all that long. It was sudden. We just ended up together with two children. Call it a whirlwind romance. I don't know. Stuff like that never happened to me before & just as ... just as suddenly, it was all done! It's all ... all d ..." He stopped & put his face into one hand, crying uncontrollably.
Sherlock set aside his own teacup & stood up. The pale wings came out as he stepped forward & pulled John into an embrace. "Shh. It's ok."
"No, it isn't."
"Perhaps you're right," Sherlock whispered. "John, it's my fault. All my fault. I should have carried her all the way home. I should have listened for the sound of vehicles. I should not have taken my eyes off her & now she is dead because I walked ahead into the storm, thinking she would follow the path of honeycombs ... & she did. She did follow them & she died because of it. Because of me. A vampire's code is to protect the werewolves they have in their care & I failed that code. Miserably failed it. More than once."
"It's not your fault," John sighed, leaning into the leathery membrane cocooned around him. "You didn't kill Mary. It was a horrendous, stupid accident & it's Micah's fault you destroyed my pack so many centuries ago. It is what it is."
They held onto each other for several minutes. Sherlock sheathed his wings. "I have something for you."
John pulled away. "You do?" Sherlock went to the table in the kitchen & picked up a box. He gave it to John who opened it. "Uh, this is your skull."
"Yes," Sherlock nodded. "Randall Watson. The one who was Enola's lover, who Micah used against us."
"The one you cut up with your wings," John said. "Why are you giving me this?"
"He's a Watson," Sherlock stated the obvious. "I thought maybe, you'd want to bury him. For sentimental family reason or some such nonsense."
John ended up laughing. "Thanks, Sherlock. I think I will."
"She's not that bad," Sherlock went on, jumping to some other topic, confusing John. "Irene. Once I separated her from James Moriarty, she isn't all that bad, anymore. She doesn't have a mastermind criminal to consult & I think Mycroft's attempt at beheading her might have scared some sense into her as well."
"Uhhh huh," John tried very hard to not roll his eyes.
Sherlock checked his mobile. "Lestrade's calling. We better go." John put the box aside & grabbed his coat.
It was a double murder, a fight over owed money. It was also the first case in a while that didn't have anything to do with vampires & werewolves. Sherlock also went back to taking his own clients again, sometimes with John's help. As usual, Sherlock went through several clients before finding one he liked, much to John's chagrin.
At Irene's request, Kate showed up once to try smoothing things over. She apologized for some things but still maintained that Sherlock had not been treating Irene properly. They parted ways with a hand shake, mostly to make Irene happy.
Things were finally returning to normal, though there were three glaring differences now. The new Watson Weres, including Harriet, were now part of the monthly routine at the old Holmes castle. Lestrade's long facial scar attracted a lot of attention, particularly from women. Then there was the matter of Enola's pregnancy.
It had started off fine & Enola seemed to be quite comfortable with the new changes. But her body had gone through a lot, being dead for three millennia, now suddenly cured & alive again. Then add an unplanned child to that which was to be her first child on top of it all. She was often tired & was dealing with the expected sickness more so than usual. Though she tried to keep it from her brothers, they soon noticed it when they were together at Mycroft's estate.
It was more than time to sort through certain things of Mycroft's affairs, including among other things, whatever extra photos & film of the Titanic they had kept hidden for over a century. Sherrinford already had the old suitcase & the two jewellery boxes ready & waiting in the limo.
Sherrinford, Sherlock, Enola & John were currently going over the large master bedroom. Enola stayed on the bed, letting the three men do the heavy work while she would look through the boxes of files they would hand her. She rubbed her temples.
Sherlock stood holding something out to her. "You are not well."
"No shit, Sherlock," Enola snapped. "I've had a headache for days."
"I'll go find some aspirin," John disappeared into the hall.
"Mum wasn't very good with pregnancy, either," Sherrinford said.
"Yeah, I'm kind of worried about that," said Enola, moving the box aside so she could sit up better. "The sooner this little one is born, the better."
"It's not natural to see you sick all the time, Enola. If you're having a lot of problems," Sherlock hesitated before going on. "Maybe perhaps find out what's going on & then try again later?"
"You mean abort this one & plan for another one?" Enola glared at him. Sherrinford wisely ducked under the desk, pretending to look for something he dropped. "No uterus, no opinion."
"That isn't at all what I said," Sherlock defended. "But that is, of course, another option to think about."
"You're a guy, Sherlock," Enola tersely replied. "You don't count where things like this are concerned."
"I could have told you that," Sherrinford muttered under breath.
"I didn't order her to do anything!" Sherlock pressed his hands to his face. "Women, when they're pregnant!"
"Just change the subject," Enola snarled.
"Fine," Sherlock sighed. "If things get too bad, just say the word. We can turn you."
"But that would kill the baby," Enola said.
Fortunately, John returned by then. He gave her a glass of water & the aspirin bottle. "Any idea if it's a boy or girl, yet?"
"I don't want to know until it's born," said Enola after swallowing two pills. "But I have names picked out for both."
"What about the father?" John went on. "Charles, right?"
"He's letting me do whatever I want," said Enola. "We didn't plan this baby. We were just having a fling, mostly physical. We both see other people. Well, I don't right now since I'm rather preoccupied with this baby. I just forgot I wasn't sterile anymore. I wanted to continue the Holmes line some day. It just happened a bit earlier than I expected."
"Ok," John said. "Just take it easy for a few days."
"I would if I could," Enola said. "Just as soon as my stupid brother gets his nose out of my uterus."
"What?" John raised a brow.
"Sherlock wants to turn me back before something bad happens to me," Enola explained. "But that would kill the baby. I think we should wait & see what happens."
"Sherlock," said John. "surely you think that's reasonable to wait a bit?"
"For now," said Sherlock. "But as a human, she's just going to get older & she could get sick again. She could die."
"I realize this must be very strange for you & Sherrinford & you're probably panicking a little since it's been over a year since Mycroft was destroyed," John began. "Sherlock? You're not losing anyone else any time soon. People catch cold now & then. It's fine. I'm sure Enola will be fine."
That seemed to settle things for the moment. Enola stood up. "While you guys finish here & start the next room, I'm going to go get something to eat."
"There, see?" John said after Enola left. "She is hungry. That's a good thing."
The three of them left the room. Sherlock went after Enola while Anthea gave John & Sherrinford the password to Mycroft's locked private study & left them to it. John was currently half way inside one closet that was lined with shelves full of files. Most were of various things from his work in the Secret Service but some were more personal. Sherrinford was currently reading through things in the drawer of the desk.
Sherlock came running in, startling both of them. He took no notice at the glares. "Shane. John. Enola's fainted, again." He ran back to his sister without waiting for a reply.
Everything was dropped as everyone ended up in the hospital. Enola was rushed into emergency while Sherrinford, Sherlock & John waited in the lobby. "She's going to be just like our mother, isn't she?" Sherrinford started, looking at Sherlock. "You & I were the worst ones for her."
"Perhaps, but this is the modern age," Sherlock said. "Enola will have a lot more help than Mummy ever dreamed of."
The doctor came out to see them. "She is still out, but doing well on a ventilator."
"How's the baby?" John asked.
"The baby is the least of her problems," the doctor began. "It's doing surprisingly well. It isn't her pregnancy that's the problem. It's her whole immune system."
"That's different," Sherlock placed steepled fingers under chin, thinking. "Perhaps allergies? Our father could not handle dog fur."
"No, this isn't allergies," said the doctor. "As I understand it, you Holmes are about three thousand years old. Now back then, the whole planet was probably a lot cleaner than now. Things are different from when you were all alive the first time around. Vampires are immune to everything, right?"
"Except Lycan venom & Flying Burn," Sherrinford said.
"Ok well, neither of those are an issue here," the doctor said. "When your sister was cured of vampirism, she became alive again. But vampires are dead so she did not adjust through the ages, unlike Lycans who live through change & can adapt. Her three thousand year old body is not used to the pollution of today. Neither is it used to new viruses that may not have existed back then."
"Is there anything you can do about that?" John asked.
"Yes, turn her back," Sherlock answered.
"You do that, you'll kill her child," Sherrinford said.
"Let's not get drastic," the doctor cast a worried glance over the two vampires. "We have put her in a sterile room. Once we figure out what's all attacking her, then we can focus on preventative measures. So far, we've treated her for pneumonia & influenza & a few other respiratory aliments. We need to keep an eye on her."
"Will you be keeping her over night?" Sherrinford asked.
"We're probably going to keep her for several days," the doctor answered. "You all should go home, for now. We'll keep you posted."
The three of them left the hospital & walked aimlessly down the streets. "I'm sorry," John eventually spoke first, breaking the silence. "I didn't think about your age when I cured her. Of course, something like this would happen."
"It isn't your fault, John," Sherrinford said.
"Turning her is seeming more like a possibility," Sherlock said. "It would cure her from everything." Sherrinford & John just stared at him. "I know," Sherlock went on, sitting down on a bench. "The baby. But Enola does want to come back to us, eventually. It's just maybe she won't get to have her dream child. If any logic is used, it's better to save one than to lose both."
Sherrinford & John joined Sherlock on the bench, putting him between them. "Logic is not always the answer. It's a slippery slope, Sherlock," Sherrinford said. "Let's just take one step at a time."
"What if I turn her?" John offered after several minutes of silence went by. "Would that kill the child?"
"No," Sherrinford answered. "But Lycans are alive so the problem would remain the same. Wolf or human, Enola is unsuited for this world as a living being. She needs to either be able to build up her immunity to today's world or die a controlled death. Only a vampire can do that."
The three of them sat together in silence, each with their own thoughts on how to handle Enola's aversion to the living world. The chirp of a siren brought them back to reality as Lestrade's cruiser slowed down & stopped in front of them.
"What are you three doing?" Lestrade asked, leaning over Donovan's lap to look out the window on her side. John explained the situation. "That certainly makes sense," Lestrade said. "I hope they can figure out how to fix her, soon. She's pregnant, right?"
"Yeah, she is," said John.
"When you cured her, what was the first thing Enola did?" Donovan asked.
"Collected some of Mycroft's ashes," Sherlock said. "Then we all went home."
"You told me you guys don't do vaccinations," Donovan went on.
"Why would we?" Sherrinford said. "We're dead. Don't need that."
"You two are," Donovan said. "But Enola isn't. I mean, ultimately, it's her choice. Some people aren't into it. Some are allergic, but if she's that sick, it might be something to think about. Especially since she's pregnant."
"She's got a point," Sherrinford remarked to Sherlock. "I'll let the doctor know." He pulled out his mobile.
"Let us know how she's doing," Lestrade said to John.
"It might be a few days," said John. "They're going to keep her for a while." When Lestrade was gone, John turned to Sherlock. "Wait, you guys don't do shots? But you held me down for my annual ones."
"We're not Lycans," Sherlock said, bursting out laughing along with Sherrinford. "Sucks to be you."
"God, I hate vampires," John grumbled, crossing his arms. It only made the two vampires he was with laugh harder.
Enola ended up having to stay in hospital for several weeks until she was fully stabilized. At first, she remained behind a window, away from visitors. Not even her brothers were allowed in despite them being vampires. But the less the door was opened, the better. When she was finally able to go home, she was ordered bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy. Leaving the pups with Molly, John offered to be Enola's main doctor at home & moved in, apart from one night a month spent at the castle. She was often quite tired now & had to stay away from the public & crowded places like London. She stayed at Mycroft's estate with Sherrinford who had also moved in to take care of the horses. Enola spent most of the time in the bedroom, minimizing contact with everyone.
Once again, this left Sherlock & Irene alone at the castle to care for the wolves since Sherrinford was the only one on those nights who would watch over Enola while John was off chasing tail, more precisely, his own tail.
As for chasing tail at all, Jacob had taken an interest in the chocolate brown wolf & eventually, he started noticing her in human form as well, but he would have to wait for some time. Sarah was still missing her late husband but once said that Jacob reminded her of Arlin a bit.
Towards the end of her pregnancy, Enola started acting strange. She had yet to pick anything out for a child & neither had she set up a nursery room. Her two brothers & John offered to get one ready, but she had refused. John had caught Enola with Charles one day, interrupting their conversation. The two of them seemed to have planned something, but neither were telling what it was. Ultimately, John packed a few things his own children had outgrown into two separate boxes, one from Jessica & one from Derek & planned to give Enola whichever once they knew what her child would be. There was nothing else to do but wait & keep an eye on Enola.
The due date was right in the middle of the month between full moons & Irene broke the news to Sherlock that she would most likely not be back for the next one, expecting Sherrinford to take over again. This left Sherlock standing in stunned silence for a while until several whimpering wolves nearly knocked him over with their nudging, smelling the honey treats in his pockets. He dumped the entire amount of honeycombs out in a pile to let them sort it out & went after Irene.
"You don't have to leave," Sherlock began after finding her near the barn with Zadie, the old Grant grandmother, & Kyle. "It used to be four of us."
"You & Shane are just fine with them," Irene said. "You don't need extra help. "
"The wolves like you."
"I like them, too," Irene held some honeycomb out for Kyle.
"So why leave?"
Irene stood up. "Why should I stay?" She turned away & followed four wolves moving into one of the pastures.
Sherlock was at a complete loss how to answer. She required some reason or other to stay. What would it be? "The wolves are used to you," he tried. "We've had a lot of change in just a few months. It would upset them to go through another change."
"It won't affect them that much," Irene petted Harry's head as she streaked past. "I was only here to help with the wolves until Shane could come back. Once Enola is finished her high risk pregnancy, she should be ok so long as she takes extra care of herself. So I highly doubt I'll be here next month. I'm going to go back to Katie."
"Irene—"
"I'm not a ghost, Sherlock," Irene cut him off.
They stared at each other. "Sorry ... " Sherlock muttered under breath.
"You think you ended things with me but it's the other way around," Irene said. "I'm not her. I never will be. I am my own person & expect to be treated as such. That is why I left you!" She started down a path after Vivianna.
"Before you know it!" John's voice screamed in his head. Sherlock realized suddenly, Irene was walking out of his life this very moment. He had no idea how to stop her, what to do with her if he did. They had been together a lot, dealing with the wolves by themselves for the past several months. He wished John was human right now to tell him what the next step was, but a golden wolf ran past & tripped over a bush to land on his little black nose at his sister's front paws. All he did was yip in surprise & perhaps a bit of pain. By the time John transitioned back, it might be too late. Sherlock pushed the gold wolf aside & hurried after her. "Irene," Sherlock grabbed her by the arm to turn her back to face him. "stay." He looked at her, hoping she would change her mind. "I ask you to stay." He moved closer to her, almost close enough to kiss. "I've become quite accustomed to your presence here on these nights. You would be missed if you left."
"By you?" Irene raised a brow as John stood up on his hind legs to paw at her side, hoping for honeycombs.
"Yes & the wolves, too," Sherlock pulled John off her & tossed him aside. John came right back to beg Irene. They were both begging her, in different ways.
Irene turned her attention to John for a moment to give him a chunk of honeycomb. He took it & went to lie down somewhere to eat it. "Sherlock, I—" A loud fight interrupted them. Harry had pounced on her brother, stolen his piece & run off, a rather angry John in hot pursuit, snarling under breath as he ran. "She better eat it quick. That was my last piece."
"I don't have any more, either," Sherlock admitted. "We have another hour to go."
"In that case," Irene started. "I suggest we hide." She pointed at a group of wolves coming towards them.
As Sherlock looked in that direction, Irene took off. He ran after her. They ended up hiding on the Leda, parked in the boathouse. Werewolves of both packs were soon running along the beach or playing in the waves while their guardians watched through the open end, standing on the stern's deck. The wolves suddenly stopped playing & all glanced up at the sky. Instinctively, they knew their time was almost up for another month. They turned away & hurried off in different directions.
Sherlock & Irene got off the boat & returned to the castle. Irene expected to wait in the main parlour until sunrise but Sherlock led her right through it & up the stairs into his bedroom. He got down on the floor beside the bed & reached under to pull something out. It was a glass box about five feet long & a few inches wide. Inside it was some sort of purple material object. He placed it on the bed.
"What is that?"
"A dyed rabbit skin," Sherlock answered. "Elizabet & Enola were both very skilled at making anything out of fluffy little animals & Mum would cook the meat."
"Ohh kay," Irene said slowly, wondering exactly why he was showing her this.
"Elizabet made this scarf for me," Sherlock went on. "When my brothers & I were going out on another vampire hunt. It was in winter. She gave this to me when we were leaving & that was the last time she saw me alive."
"That explains why you still wear purple scarfs, today," said Irene.
"Synthetic ones now, but yes," Sherlock said. He sat on the edge of the bed beside the box. "When she saw me again a few days later, I was a vampire, but never told her." He put a hand on the box, looking in at the rabbit skin. "She would have turned on me, had she known. In those days, vampires & werewolves were considered monsters or demons. No right to live. All must be destroyed. We had very misinformed views of what it actually meant to be either & killed anything we didn't understand. Or rather, refused to understand. We learned the hard way what vampirism really is." He looked up at her, trying to get her to understand. When John said stuff like this, it was easy. But for Sherlock, it was much harder to put into words.
The morning sun landed on Irene. She glanced at the window. "They must be finished shifting back. We should go help them to bed." She hurried into the hall. Sherlock sighed heavily. If only there had been a few more moments before sunup. Now, he had waited too long & she was gone. Again.
It took over an hour to find everyone & get them to bed for the day. At long last, Sherlock & Irene sat on the built in bench of the covered balcony along the left side of the castle. It was close to the hives & a low buzzing could be heard while Sherlock poured out two glasses of blood before giving one to Irene. He set the half-empty bottle back on the table.
"Do you think Enola might want more children or become a vampire again after this?" Irene asked.
"I don't think it's a question of want," Sherlock replied. "Considering how sick she gets during pregnancy, she might not be able to have any more."
"There's always surrogacy," Irene pointed out after having some of her drink.
"Perhaps," Sherlock finished his glass & refilled both.
They finished their second rounds in silence. Irene put her empty glass on the table & stood up. "I should get going," she stepped out from under the roof. "Kate & I want pictures of that baby."
"We'll send them," Sherlock said. He watched Irene open her wings & shift them. "Wait." He got up to join her out in the grass.
Irene's wings dropped a little. "Sherlock. I'm not waiting for you."
"I've ... upset you," Sherlock said. She looked at him, unimpressed. "Sorry. Sorry again! You & John!"
"What does John have to do with anything?"
"You're both impossible to apologize to," Sherlock complained. "Make me beg all the time."
"Good."
"Woman!" Sherlock sighed, putting his face in his hands. "You're not like the others."
"The others?"
"Throughout the ages, there were others," Sherlock tried again. "But you're not like them. You're more like ... her."
Irene gaped at him. Did he just compare her to Elizabet? "What do you mean?"
"Elizabet wouldn't wait for me, either," Sherlock said. "She almost went with someone else before I ended up with her. She did what she wanted & didn't waste time fretting over any single man. Mycroft is the one who set us up on a blind date in a meadow between two streams."
"Sounds like you had a really good life."
"Yes, before he screwed us all over," Sherlock said. "No thanks to him, I'm no longer the man Elizabet knew. In her eyes, I'm not human & haven't been human for a very long time." He looked past her towards a forested hill. "Now, I'm the epitome of everything she hated."
"That's why you don't want your own kind or Lycans," Irene suddenly clued in. "You're avoiding yourself. She would hate you the way you are now & you don't want to accept that."
"I've accepted it," Sherlock said. "I've just never admitted it to anyone. Until now."
Irene moved closer to him. "I'm not exactly like her, you know."
"Of course there are some differences," Sherlock said. "You don't look anything like her."
"I also don't care that you're a vampire," Irene said. "Once I got over the initial shock of it. I don't care that John is a Lycan. It doesn't matter to me. I don't hate you, Sherlock. You drive me up the wall & some times I want to throw you out the door."
"You did throw me out the door. Literally."
"Literally? When did I ever do that?"
"When I came back to you after being pulled up from the Titanic," Sherlock said. "When you both had calmed down, I had asked to rearrange our sessions to cert—"
"Certain times of the month!" Irene remembered with a short glare.
"Yes & you threw me out into the street for that," Sherlock complained. Irene burst out laughing while Sherlock scowled more & more like a depressed otter.
"Well, I don't cycle anymore," Irene said after she had stopped laughing. "Things changed when you bit me."
"I know that," Sherlock muttered irritably, earning more laughter. When she shut up, Sherlock added, "There has been a lot of change, recently. Mycroft is gone. The Undead Law is public. My sister is cured & pregnant. We're about to be four Holmes, again. We found more Watson Weres." He paused & took her wrist as if feeling for her pulse. He leaned forward & whispered in her ear, "It would not make sense for me to stay the same."
Irene gasped softly. Sherlock took advantage of that & suddenly, he was kissing her again. It took a moment for Irene to catch up. She had often hoped he would come back to her but never dared think he would. Her wings curled forward to wrap around him, as if worried he might back out. She put her hands on his hips, pulling him closer. She felt some resistance on her wings.
Sherlock had opened his own & was now rubbing them against hers. He leaned into her as they held each other. He had missed her. It was strange feeling her wings holding on to him for he had never allowed another vampire this close to him before. "Now, will you stay?" He asked softly after several minutes of just pressing together. Irene looked into his eyes. A sudden creak of wooden floor boards made them leap apart.
John was just coming around the corner. He saw the pair standing there, wings out & looking rather flustered. He groaned. "Alright, what happened to my face last night?"
Sherlock started laughing as Irene told him about the bush & his sister biting his snout to steal honey. John went to sit down, rubbing his sore nose. Irene twitched her wings, ready to take off. Sherlock took her hand. "Perhaps come to the flat some time?"
"Maybe," Irene said before leaving at last.
Sherlock went to sit by John who was looking at him with a silly grin. "Did I walk in on something?"
"Not yet," Sherlock glared at him.
More wolves woke up as the day wore on. Sherlock soon took John back to Mycroft's estate & the first thing John did was to check on Enola. Sherrinford met Sherlock by the fence while John helped Enola & made sure she was taking any medicine that had been prescribed to her. "Looks like it's happening, again," Sherrinford spoke in Ingvaeonic. "A Watson falling for our sister."
"Seems like it," Sherlock replied in the same old English. "But it will be many years before either will realize or admit that."
"Well, they have all the time in the world," Sherrinford said.
"I'm going back to the flat," Sherlock said. "Let me know when she goes into labour."
The next two weeks would get on everyone's nerves. Two days past her due date made everyone do nothing but eye their mobiles. Even Lestrade would jump whenever someone would call him & ask first about the baby before even finding out who was on the other end. Enola could give birth at any time & all were worried she would have more problems.
Irene showed up to the flat on the third overdue day to find Sherlock & Mrs. Hudson both sitting by the table, cold tea left untouched between them. "Still nothing?" Irene asked.
"It should be soon," said Mrs. Hudson. "Although, one of my sons was two weeks late." She got up & put the tray onto the kitchen counter. "I need to go out to get some more sugar. I won't be long."
Irene sat down in the chair once Mrs. Hudson left. "I hope it isn't two weeks late."
"Our mother had difficult births, particularly Shane & I," Sherlock said. "But I don't recall anything about her being late."
"It's different for everyone," Irene shrugged.
Sherlock stood up & walked past her, letting his hand trail over her shoulder as he went. He put the cups away. "I hope this modern age will make things easier for Enola." He came back to sit in front of her.
"Right now, there is nothing we can do but wait."
Sherlock groaned, putting his head back to look at the ceiling. "Waiting is exhausting & boring. I need something to take my mind off it. Lestrade hasn't called me for a case in ages!" (Hours, that translated as hours.)
Irene watched him before asking, "You require a distraction?"
"Yes," Sherlock answered. "Anything. Anything at all."
Irene flicked up her brow for a moment. "Have you ever had any vampires?" Sherlock sat straight to look at her. "And when I say had, I'm being indelicate."
Sherlock smiled quickly at her. "I knew very well what you meant the first time we had this conversation," he began. "But the Undead Law was in hiding at the time & I had to play my part of a young, dumb twenty-something human."
"I was young & dumb as well," Irene said. "I had no clue I had walked into the lair of a vampire."
Sherlock stood up & went to her chair. "Now, here you are again." He grabbed both her hands & pulled her up towards him. "In my 'lair'."
Irene moved in as if to kiss him. "If Mrs. Hudson hadn't have shown up when she did, what would have happened then?"
"We would have skipped dinner."
"Show me," Irene demanded. "What would have happened if we skipped dinner?" Sherlock's answer was a prolonged kiss as he walked backwards, pulling her along into the bedroom.
Lestrade glared at the company phone ringing on his desk. It was probably yet another case to work & nothing about Enola. "Yup?" He answered.
"WE'RE AT THE HOSPITAL!"
Lestrade blinked. He shot to his feet. "About time! John, how is she?"
John held the mobile over & Lestrade heard a lot of screaming. "We can't contact Sherlock! Of all times for him to disappear."
"Never you mind! I'll get him. You guys stay with Enola." Lestrade ran for the cruiser.
Flipping on the sirens, he sped to 221B & screeched the brakes as he spun into a park. That alone should have gotten Sherlock's attention but when the Detective didn't appear, Lestrade jumped out & ran upstairs. The door was unlocked so he went right in. Looking around, the flat appeared empty but he saw Sherlock's coat lying over the top of a chair along with a dark red coat that seemed to be a woman's.
"Sherlock?" Lestrade glanced around as he began moving through the flat. He came to the closed door of Sherlock's bedroom. After a short hesitation, he opened it & poked his head in. "Sher—" Lestrade grunted as something whacked his nose. He rubbed it & tried to look around but all he saw was dark purple. Pushing it aside, he found more membrane, a mix of purple & ice. His brain finally caught up to his eyes & he suddenly realized he had just walked in on a pair of mating vampires. "OH!" Lestrade yelped, stumbling back out the door. He locked eyes with Sherlock who had popped his head up to glare at him. "Sorry!" Lestrade stuffed bits of purple wing back inside, closed the door & pressed his forehead against it. "Oy! This is SO NOT my division!"
"Greg?" Irene's voice called him. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, um, yeah, I ..."
"I'm rather busy, Detective Inspector!" Sherlock snarled. "What do you want?"
"Enola's in the hospital."
"Oh, NOW she chooses to go into labour," Sherlock groused.
Lestrade went back into the living room. He heard thudding, hissing, giggling, another thud & finally, Sherlock & Irene emerged, both wrapped in bed sheets. It dawned on Lestrade that he was going to have to bring both idiots to the hospital in bloody bed sheets. Literally, bloody. Oh, this really wasn't his division! He threw them into the back seat, put the siren back on & floored it. Halfway there, Sherlock & Irene started laughing uncontrollably & nothing would subdue them. The pair stumbled into the hospital lobby, tripping over the edges of the sheets.
John saw them all come in. "There you—what is—never mind. Don't want to know!" He reached for Irene & Lestrade grabbed Sherlock to haul them back to their feet & place them in chairs.
Sherrinford & Mrs. Hudson acted like they didn't notice them. Molly was with Charles & both focused firmly on Derek & Jessica. (No one could go in with Enola since she needed more doctors due to her problems.) Anderson & Donovan came in a moment later. Finally, someone managed to get some pale blue scrubs for Sherlock & Irene to wear while waiting.
Two hours later, Lestrade & Sherrinford went across the lobby to get some coffee. Sherrinford watched Sherlock over the rim of the foam cup. He glanced at the two rolled up bloodstained bed sheets on the chair next to Irene. He looked at Lestrade. "Do you mind explaining that to me?"
"Oh, I walked in on them," Lestrade held up a hand.
"You ... walked in ... on them," Sherrinford repeated very slowly. "Like, together?"
"Yes."
"Physically together? In a bed?"
"Yes & it's an image I'd rather forget if you don't mind!" Lestrade finally snapped.
"Sherlock doesn't do vampires," Sherrinford said.
"Well, he was doing her," Lestrade flushed so much, his scar turned a dark red. "Quite well, it seems. Why do you say he doesn't do vampires?"
"It's because of Elizabet," Sherrinford explained.
"You're telling me," Lestrade gasped in surprise. "he never went with vampires or Lycans for three thousand years, all because of Elizabet?"
"It was his way of being loyal to her, I think," Sherrinford said. "She died human so he held on to that piece of humanity. That's why I'm trying to wrap my head around what I'm seeing over there."
"It's because you're wrong," John said. He had been on the other side of the table. "Elizabet would have hated him," he went on.
When John was finished, Sherrinford refilled his cup. "That makes sense." He sipped a bit of the new coffee. "Irene is a lot like her, you know. Both like to cause a lot of trouble & get even. Elizabet once lined my bed with pine needles over a disagreement we had & pinned it on Sherlock. Back then, our beds were made of the hides of animals we hunted. I spent two days shaking all that out & I still don't think I got everything. Three months later, she admitted it was her & not Sherlock who did that & then just laughed at the whole thing."
"Pine needles!" Lestrade laughed.
"Don't get on the bad side of Sherlock's women," John said before finishing his own cup.
"No, absolutely not," Sherrinford agreed.
The three of them returned to their seats just as the doctor came in. "We're going to do a C-section," the doctor began. "The baby should be fine but Enola is not doing well. We're doing everything we can but the prognosis isn't good for her."
"How long does that take?" Lestrade asked.
"About fifteen minutes to prep her, five to get the baby out & another twenty or so to stitch it up," the doctor said.
"So in about twenty minutes, we'll know if it's a boy or a girl," Charles said.
"That's right," the doctor smiled. "We're hoping it will help Enola as well, but that remains to be seen."
Sherlock stood up. "If you find that you can not save her, let us know. So long as there is some brainwave activity, I can save her."
The doctor looked him over, noting the red gleam in the eyes. "I will let you know."
As the doctor left, Sherlock turned to face the group. He looked long & hard at Sherrinford. "We are not letting her die completely. She wouldn't want that. You know it." Sherrinford nodded in agreement.
Sherlock watched the clock. Twenty-eight minutes past. A nurse came into the lobby. "We got him out."
"A boy?" Several exclaimed.
"Yes, he's just fine," the nurse said. "But Enola is hemorrhaging. We're doing everything we can."
"It won't be enough," Sherlock pushed past her. "Shane, it's time." He ran down the hall, opening his wings as he went. He burst into the emergency room.
"Detective Holmes!" Several doctors turned around. "You can't ..." Their voices died in their throats as they saw the wings & fangs.
"Take the child & get out," Sherlock ordered, shoving in towards his sister. "I can fix her in no time." He looked over the mess. Her human blood was screaming at him. He had to focus. He was here to save her, not drink her. He looked at the group of doctors. "Out!" He ordered again, pointing at the door.
They scurried around his wings, one carrying the child. Sherlock went to the bed & put a hand on her hair. "Sherlock?" Enola looked up at him.
"The baby is out," Sherlock said. "He's fine. You have a boy." She nodded slightly as her eyes fluttered shut.
"I've got you," Sherlock said as he leaned over her. His fangs sunk into her neck. She arched her back at the burning bite. Like a panther, he pulled her upwards into the high shelf, his great wings were like a hurricane as he pulled her under him, sucking in her blood. He only tasted it for a moment, Enola was weak enough & near death already. In another second, he let his own venom flow into her veins.
Down the hall, they could hear him moving around in the emergency room, dragging his sister by the neck, his fangs sunk in deep. Icy wings fluttered in the square windows as he turned. The doors slightly opened & shut with the force.
"He's killing her, isn't he?" The head doctor asked.
"Yes," Sherrinford replied. "She's been through it, before." He put a hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Leave them. There is nothing you can do. He is her only hope now. Where's that baby?"
Everyone was crowded by the window at the maternity ward, looking down on a brand new Holmes after three thousand years. They kept pushing each other sideways, each getting a turn to stand in front of him & make silly faces that people who were supposed to be adults would do around babies. Sherlock joined them a few minutes later. He left Enola's body in the emergency room where she would be safe until her re-transition was complete.
He took a turn in front of the window & sort of half-smiled down at the child. "Don't get attached," he said.
"Why not?" Mrs. Hudson laughed. "Don't you think he's cute as a button?"
"Buttons aren't cute," Sherlock said. "They're buttons. He's just cute."
"So you DO think he's cute?" Donovan reiterated.
"Cute," Sherlock repeated, looking down at the boy. "Perhaps but it doesn't matter. It's pretty obvious what Enola is planning & you know it, don't you, Charles?"
"She has her reasons," Charles said.
"What possible reason could she have to do that?" Sherlock asked. "I have yet to figure that out."
"Do what?" Lestrade asked.
"I'm not keeping him."
Everyone turned around to see Enola just coming up to them. She was wearing a hospital gown but still had blood at the place Sherlock had bitten her that she had yet to clean off.
"What?" Sherrinford stared at her.
"There is a couple downstairs ready to take him when we have said our goodbyes," Enola said. "George & Lacey Goldsmith."
"Why? NO!" Sherrinford glared at her. "He's a Holmes! He belongs with us!"
"What child has ever survived this family?" Enola glared right back. "Sherlock had three. The plague took them all & their mother. Mycroft adopted two & the Titanic dragged them both down to the bottom of the Atlantic with her. I want him gone. I want him safe. It's only for eighteen years. The couple can't have children of their own & they've agreed to my terms. He'll be brought back when he's grown up. We will have him back, Shane. We just won't get to watch him grow up but hopefully, we will see him grown up. When he comes back to us, he will be granted the right to choose to stay human or become a vampire or Lycan. They will tell him everything." She turned to the doctor. "I'd like to see Adrian, please."
"Adrian," several repeated the name. Mycroft's first name. It made the fact that Adrian was leaving so much harder to deal with.
"Adrian Siger Scott Holmes," Enola said as she took her son. "They're keeping the name. I've given them seven million pounds to take care of him." She went to a bed covered with a paper sheet & sat on it. Her silver wings came out & wrapped around herself as she held him.
"You got the same colour back," Sherrinford petted one.
"Yes, everything is the same," said Enola. She stroked Adrian's head as the baby fussed. A few tears fell on his blanket. "This is really hard for me to let him go," Enola sniffled. "But in so doing, I hope we can all see him again. Better to lose him temporarily instead of forever."
Little Adrian was passed around several times. He was even put in the stroller with Derek & Jessica for a minute. They both cautiously sniffed at him. After nearly an hour, Enola took Adrian back & started down the hall. It was a long, sad procession fit enough for a funeral that followed her. Enola gave up her one & only child into the other woman's arms.
"We'll record everything," George said. "We'll send you all the updates."
"Don't take him on any Atlantic cruise ships," Anderson warned.
"Funny you say that," said Enola with a wry smile. "I picked them for a certain reason so that Adrian will feel at home when he comes back to us."
"I'm a descendant of Frank John William Goldsmith," George said. "He was nine years old on board the Titanic & one from the third class passengers to survive."
There was a long moment of silence at that revelation. Lestrade looked at Enola. "You're slapping destiny hard in the face with this, aren't you?"
"You're bloody right, I am," Enola managed to laugh & cry at the same time. "They can tell him all about it & we're original passengers of the Titanic, so he'll know that too, when he comes back. It will be some common ground when we meet him, again."
Sherrinford & Sherlock each put a hand on the baby. "See you in eighteen years," Sherlock said.
"Until then, Adriános," Sherrinford added. He looked up at the couple. "Our original language is Greek. That's how you say the name in Greek."
"We'll make sure he learns it in school," said Lacey.
As the couple walked away, taking Adrian with him, Enola fell into Sherrinford's arms & burst into tears. In a few moments, Adrian was gone out of their lives, leaving everyone standing around in shocked silence.
It would be a long wait before seeing him again.
(AN: Ok, I'm not the biggest fan of kids. Childfree here, but writing this made me cry a bit.)