Chapter 16: Irene's Help

Standing there in the crack that opened in the door was a petite woman. She had fiery red hair and her eyes were like those of a cat's watchful and precise. Her blood red fingernails curled around the whitewashed paint of the door, a perfect contrast. She stared at the two of them now as though they did not belong here. Her lips were the same blood red colour as her nails and John caught the glimpse of fangs, the sharp incisors behind the disguise of the pretty lips.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice was soft as satin as it ran by them. She was using a charm on them like the sirens and Sherlock though immune knew that it would have an effect on John so he slipped his arm around John's shoulder, possessively, noting the slight shift in the woman's face.

"I'm looking for Irene," Sherlock said.

"Sherlock Holmes," the woman said, John couldn't help but to lean in towards the voice, feeling Sherlock's tightening grip on his shoulder. Charm. The vampire was charming him, John had to be thankful that Sherlock was here, keeping him in check, "I see you brought a little snack for us?" the redhead said turning to fix her eyes on him and John's mouth went dry. If there was anything more beautiful than vampire men it was definitely vampire women.

"He is not a snack. John Watson is mine," Sherlock snarled, pulling John closer to him. He heard that trilling laughter from somewhere behind the redheaded vampire and he knew that Irene was there watching them, "Irene call off your woman," Sherlock said.

"Kate! Let them in. They won't harm me if they want the information," a woman's voice said and moments later the door was pulled open, the redheaded vampire, Kate watching them warily as she let them pass, closing the door behind them and sliding the locks into place.

Sherlock kept his arm around John's shoulder, steering the hunter into the sitting room where he found a pleasantly naked Irene, basking in her armchair. Coyly she smiled at him, her blood red lips twisting into a friendly grin as she folded her legs gracefully.

"Hello Sherlock," she cooed, batting her eyelashes at him.

John's eyes widened at the sight that was before him. Yet another vampire woman! This one was naked. This one had midnight black hair as dark as Sherlock's neatly coifed on her head, her eyes were piercing blues and John couldn't even begin to describe the sight of her naked body, he was too embarrassed to even let his eyes linger on anything past her neck.

"Irene," Sherlock acknowledged as she smirked again.

"I've missed seeing you Sherlock. Who's your new plaything?" Irene asked nodding her head indicating John, "He is rather susceptible to Kate's charm, isn't he?" Irene asked, calling Kate over to her now as she languidly stretched and changed positions, lying her head in Kate's lap.

"Then tell Kate to take off her charm. John Watson is mine."

Irene's features curled into a knowing smirk as she projected her thoughts to him, 'If I didn't know you better I'd say you're jealous he finds my Kate sexy.'

Sherlock growled at that, noticing how John was still looking at Kate, "Stop looking at her," he whispered to John the hunter's eyes looking to him now as he spoke, "she's charming you."

"I…" John blinked, his mind still a little fuzzy. Sherlock's blue grey eyes staring into his soul once more clearing the charm Kate had put on him. "Sherlock…"

"It's going to be alright just don't look at her," he assured knowing how vulnerable John felt with three vampires in the room. "Will you please get her out?" Sherlock asked Irene who, rolling her eyes commanded that Kate leave them.

"There. Well why have you sought me out?" Irene asked, vacating the armchair, indicating that they should sit as she reclined in the pastel pink settee now, watching them.

"Lestrade told me you have connections to the Father," Sherlock began, letting John sit in the armchair as he stood by, guarding John.

Irene shook her head, "That's not how you ask for information Sherlock. You haven't even told me what happened to you. Why you disappeared and where did you go. I still have no clue. So why don't you begin by telling me that?"

He needed the information quickly because every delay meant that the Father would gather more children and that was only bad news for them. So he complied, explaining how he had been entombed in ice, trapped for centuries before John came along to save him from his eternal confinement. Sherlock explained that he remembered nothing more than the fact that the person who had locked him in had held a cane with a gold eagle. He explained about the dead end he had met with at the Webbed Void and the fact that Mycroft was off the list of potential killers.

"And that's why Lestrade suggested coming to find you."

At that Irene's face fell, "I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you," she said seeing Sherlock's features jump towards battle, "but," she said quickly, "it is true I have connections to him."

"Then tell me already," he growled, not liking her and her waiting games one bit.

"After you left as you know I went over to the Rebels. Well actually you can say I am a neutral party. I have a coven, claiming to be in the Rebels but I don't really need to do much because I don't care for this world or this war as long as Kate is fine I am alright," she paused, turning on her side and propping herself up on one arm to look at the two, a vampire and a hunter. She knew her charms weren't ever going to work on Sherlock, he wasn't interested in her. Irene knew what information she was going to tell Sherlock would endanger his life.

"You're going to take full responsibility then, for whatever actions that happen?"

Sherlock knew this was Irene asking if he would take care of John. How could he not? He'd pulled John into this right from the start, he nodded, "I'll take care of him."

"And you John?" the vampire asked him, John looked to her, well looked past her actually.

"What?" he asked.

"You're prepared to help Sherlock?"

"Yes," John found himself saying, it hadn't even taken him much thought. It was what was right. He had promised Sherlock that he would help and he felt like this was as much as he could do.

"Good, then lets get down to business," she said jumping out of the settee as she called Kate back in once more, leading them from the sitting room and into the study where there were numerous maps and papers that had been written on, indicating the movement of humans and other numerical figures.

AN: Hey guys so here's the next update. Sorry for it being so late because seems to be having a problem? I don't know if you all are experiencing it, but the Login button is missing...took me awhile to work around it but now that i did, here's the update! Do leave me a comment to let me know that you think about this chapter! :)