Seeing Red: Strangers
Title: Seeing Red: Strangers
Characters: Mycroft/Lestrade
Spoilers: None
Prompt: #25 Strangers
Rating: PG [so far]
Summary: Everything was bloody well under control until the Vampires came
Disclaimer: Get the salt.
Everything was bloody well under control until the Vampires came.
When I mean under control, I mean calm and normal; well as normal as London can get on a rainy Thursday afternoon.
At first I thought it was a joke, we all did. Then they all started coming out of the wood work.
There were riots, mobs, the world went completely insane; all the Vampires did was sit back and laugh.
Soon everything stopped, like someone had pressed freeze frame on the remote. The police had been called in, not our police, not the Human police. We had all but failed at our job and soon people were afraid to leave their houses. The streets were deserted.
There were talks, negotiations, conferences, anything you can think of. The world was at the mercy of the Vampires and we could only watch and wait. Watch and do nothing.
After what seemed like weeks of watching and waiting and hoping, the signaled sounded. Go back to your jobs, go back to your life.
Nothing will be changing; but I knew nothing would ever be the same.
I walked down the streets of London a couple of days after what the papers called The Great Waiting, to see that things were completely
different. People didn’t walk with the same step as they used to, everyone was suspicious of their neighbors, no one could be trusted.
Thirty-five people were killed the first week after the Waiting. All of the victims had a stake through their heart. Only three were actually
Vampires. The morgue was the first time I had knowingly been in the same room as a Vampire.
Campaigns started cropping up, ‘The best kind of Vampire is a dead one’ was the most popular. There were adverts posted up around
the city that advertised Vampire Hunters. On the opposite spectrum, some people were protesting for Vampire’s equal rights. It takes all
kinds in this crazy world doesn’t it?
There were also theories, conspiracies printed in the newspaper like it was the tabloids. Sooner or later something was going to snap.
One group was going to reign supreme over the other, and I had a good guess as too which was the winning side.
April 11, 2009. That was the date when they officially took over The United Kingdom. New rules were instated and new forms of insuring
that the laws were kept were issued. People were afraid for their lives. The campaigns and the Vampire Hunters fell of the face of the
Earth, and the only murders that I was solving now were those of drained bodies.
They told us it was all for the best, that Humans weren’t supposed to be the supreme being, submitting was what happened naturally.
Many agreed. Many disagreed. Nothing managed to change.
After a few years things had settled down, as much as it could settle down anyway. Laws were re-written and submitted, tested, and
approved. The world had moved on, submitted to the Vampires.
Some say it’s amazing, being with a Vampire. They say it’s like finding your soul mate. I don’t believe in true love anymore. I’ve had too
many heartaches to believe in something so pure.
I first met Sherlock Holmes and John Watson a little after the Waiting, they stumbled into the office together calming they solved the
case. The case I had been working on for about two weeks. Sure enough they had. Well Sherlock did, I’m sure John just tagged along.
Five years after that first meeting, the duo was my greatest weapon. I didn’t even care that Sherlock was a Vampire.
Pub tonight? -JW
Yeah, be off work round 7. -GL
John Watson and I had quickly become friends after our first meeting. Come to find out that he was Sherlock’s mate. Not as in friend-
mate, as in mate-mate. It was a bit awkward at first, John didn’t seem the type, but after I saw the two together, I mean really together, I
knew that they were perfect for each other. I envied them.
“Bloody hell man, the traffic was awful.” I walked over to John and sat down at the bar beside him. I ordered a drink and looked up at the
football game on the telly. “How are you and Sherlock doing?” No sign of abuse or trauma, and he looked happy.
“Sherlock is Sherlock, but I love him.” He smiles. “What about you? Anything new?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” I shook my head. Everything had been the same for five years, I’d gotten used to nothing different ever happening. “You-” His
phone started buzz on the bar in front of him. He looked at the screen. “Fuck.” John jumped up and threw some money down on the bar,
“Come on.” I followed him as he ran out.
When we got to 221B, I saw Sherlock in a sword fight. Hell, I didn’t even know he owned a sword, much less knew how to use it.
“Sherlock this is childish.” The other man in the room said. “Put the sword away before you hurt yourself.”
“Sherlock.” I stepped in front of John, who looked a little more than scared. “What’s going on?” I tried to ask as calmly as I could. “Put
the sword down…”
“Listen to the DI, Sherlock.” The man said, looking like the calmest person in the room. I didn’t have time to think about it, I leapt across
the room and started to wrestle the sword away from Sherlock. Considering I was up against a Vampire I did pretty good. The sword
clattered to the floor, I was breathing hard and Sherlock looked even more pissed than he did before.
That’s when I felt the warm running down my arm. Good thing my sleeves were rolled up, there was a slash across my forearm that
was bleeding profusely. I didn’t even feel it, I must have been in shock. And then I remembered that there was a Vampire in the room.
John was at my side in a second, staunching the bleeding. Sherlock’s eyes were black, as well as the other man’s in the room. Great,
two Vampires and a cut that needed stitches. The other man was now sitting in a chair, his grip deathly tight on his umbrella. Sherlock,
on the other hand, was providing a towel to wrap around my arm; he must have fed recently. I didn’t want to think on that too long.
“It’s gonna need stitches, we’ll need to go to the clinic.” John said and, glancing at the man in the chair, added “Now. ” He hurried me
out the door.
When John was doing up my stitches in the clinic was when the ache really set in. “Bloody hell, why the fuck did you have a sword out,
Sherlock?” I tend to swear a lot when I’m under pressure.
“I was trying to get my brother out of the flat.” Sherlock said, “It was working until you intervened, now he is going to be over more often.”
He was sitting in the chair beside the examination table, looking out the window.
“WITH A SWORD, YOU BLOODY IDIOT?” I said sharply as John snipped thread of the stitch and started cleaning up.
“Why is Mycroft going to be around more?” John asked, patting a warm washcloth over my forearm.
Sherlock got up. “You saw him, John, you can’t tell me you don’t remember our first meeting?” John shutters, “Exactly. I can only
assume that Mycroft will be worse in his attempts.”
“Worse? How could he possibly be worse than what you did?” John asked, rubbing over my stitches the wrong way causing me to jerk
away. He muttered a sorry to me and started to clean up his equipment.
“John, he basically is the British Government, it will be a lot worse than anything I did.” John sighed, nodding his head. Sherlock looked
at me, “There is nothing I can do.”
“What are we talking about, because I was a little preoccupied...” I was just a bit angry, I didn’t know what was going on, but it involved
me in some way and I didn’t like it.
“My brother, Mycroft…well…you’re his mate.” Sherlock said, looking at John and then at me. Obviously I looked a bit confused because
he went on to explain, “Humans don’t know everything about us yet. People say that being with a Vampire is like finding your soul mate,
correct?” I nodded, “Well it’s because you do find your soul mate. It isn’t common that a Human and a Vampire are soul mates but
when it does happen you hear about it more often because the Vampire knows, there isn’t guessing.” He paused, “Of course, now my
brother has to woo you.” He grinned evilly, “It will be quite a show, I assure you.”
When I got back to my flat, the first thing I did was have a drink. That’s when I noticed the flowers on my dining room table. And a note:
Detective Inspector Lestrade,
I hope that you are well. Please forgive me for my brother’s rudeness and irresponsible use of a sword. I hope that you will also forgive
me for my rudeness this evening, I was taken aback by your presence and I assure you that it will not happen again.
In order to atone for these lapse in manners, I will hope that you will join me tomorrow evening for dinner. You do not have to accept this
request, but know that I will send a car to your place of work around seven o’clock.
I hope to see you there.
-MH
I read over the note a couple of times. MH. Mycroft Holmes. Bloody hell, Sherlock was right. His brother broke into my flat to give me
flowers. Who does that?
I glanced at the flowers and got up to get a cup full of water for them.
I love tulips.
Characters: Mycroft/Lestrade
Spoilers: None
Prompt: #25 Strangers
Rating: PG [so far]
Summary: Everything was bloody well under control until the Vampires came
Disclaimer: Get the salt.
Everything was bloody well under control until the Vampires came.
When I mean under control, I mean calm and normal; well as normal as London can get on a rainy Thursday afternoon.
At first I thought it was a joke, we all did. Then they all started coming out of the wood work.
There were riots, mobs, the world went completely insane; all the Vampires did was sit back and laugh.
Soon everything stopped, like someone had pressed freeze frame on the remote. The police had been called in, not our police, not the Human police. We had all but failed at our job and soon people were afraid to leave their houses. The streets were deserted.
There were talks, negotiations, conferences, anything you can think of. The world was at the mercy of the Vampires and we could only watch and wait. Watch and do nothing.
After what seemed like weeks of watching and waiting and hoping, the signaled sounded. Go back to your jobs, go back to your life.
Nothing will be changing; but I knew nothing would ever be the same.
I walked down the streets of London a couple of days after what the papers called The Great Waiting, to see that things were completely
different. People didn’t walk with the same step as they used to, everyone was suspicious of their neighbors, no one could be trusted.
Thirty-five people were killed the first week after the Waiting. All of the victims had a stake through their heart. Only three were actually
Vampires. The morgue was the first time I had knowingly been in the same room as a Vampire.
Campaigns started cropping up, ‘The best kind of Vampire is a dead one’ was the most popular. There were adverts posted up around
the city that advertised Vampire Hunters. On the opposite spectrum, some people were protesting for Vampire’s equal rights. It takes all
kinds in this crazy world doesn’t it?
There were also theories, conspiracies printed in the newspaper like it was the tabloids. Sooner or later something was going to snap.
One group was going to reign supreme over the other, and I had a good guess as too which was the winning side.
April 11, 2009. That was the date when they officially took over The United Kingdom. New rules were instated and new forms of insuring
that the laws were kept were issued. People were afraid for their lives. The campaigns and the Vampire Hunters fell of the face of the
Earth, and the only murders that I was solving now were those of drained bodies.
They told us it was all for the best, that Humans weren’t supposed to be the supreme being, submitting was what happened naturally.
Many agreed. Many disagreed. Nothing managed to change.
After a few years things had settled down, as much as it could settle down anyway. Laws were re-written and submitted, tested, and
approved. The world had moved on, submitted to the Vampires.
Some say it’s amazing, being with a Vampire. They say it’s like finding your soul mate. I don’t believe in true love anymore. I’ve had too
many heartaches to believe in something so pure.
I first met Sherlock Holmes and John Watson a little after the Waiting, they stumbled into the office together calming they solved the
case. The case I had been working on for about two weeks. Sure enough they had. Well Sherlock did, I’m sure John just tagged along.
Five years after that first meeting, the duo was my greatest weapon. I didn’t even care that Sherlock was a Vampire.
Pub tonight? -JW
Yeah, be off work round 7. -GL
John Watson and I had quickly become friends after our first meeting. Come to find out that he was Sherlock’s mate. Not as in friend-
mate, as in mate-mate. It was a bit awkward at first, John didn’t seem the type, but after I saw the two together, I mean really together, I
knew that they were perfect for each other. I envied them.
“Bloody hell man, the traffic was awful.” I walked over to John and sat down at the bar beside him. I ordered a drink and looked up at the
football game on the telly. “How are you and Sherlock doing?” No sign of abuse or trauma, and he looked happy.
“Sherlock is Sherlock, but I love him.” He smiles. “What about you? Anything new?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” I shook my head. Everything had been the same for five years, I’d gotten used to nothing different ever happening. “You-” His
phone started buzz on the bar in front of him. He looked at the screen. “Fuck.” John jumped up and threw some money down on the bar,
“Come on.” I followed him as he ran out.
When we got to 221B, I saw Sherlock in a sword fight. Hell, I didn’t even know he owned a sword, much less knew how to use it.
“Sherlock this is childish.” The other man in the room said. “Put the sword away before you hurt yourself.”
“Sherlock.” I stepped in front of John, who looked a little more than scared. “What’s going on?” I tried to ask as calmly as I could. “Put
the sword down…”
“Listen to the DI, Sherlock.” The man said, looking like the calmest person in the room. I didn’t have time to think about it, I leapt across
the room and started to wrestle the sword away from Sherlock. Considering I was up against a Vampire I did pretty good. The sword
clattered to the floor, I was breathing hard and Sherlock looked even more pissed than he did before.
That’s when I felt the warm running down my arm. Good thing my sleeves were rolled up, there was a slash across my forearm that
was bleeding profusely. I didn’t even feel it, I must have been in shock. And then I remembered that there was a Vampire in the room.
John was at my side in a second, staunching the bleeding. Sherlock’s eyes were black, as well as the other man’s in the room. Great,
two Vampires and a cut that needed stitches. The other man was now sitting in a chair, his grip deathly tight on his umbrella. Sherlock,
on the other hand, was providing a towel to wrap around my arm; he must have fed recently. I didn’t want to think on that too long.
“It’s gonna need stitches, we’ll need to go to the clinic.” John said and, glancing at the man in the chair, added “Now. ” He hurried me
out the door.
When John was doing up my stitches in the clinic was when the ache really set in. “Bloody hell, why the fuck did you have a sword out,
Sherlock?” I tend to swear a lot when I’m under pressure.
“I was trying to get my brother out of the flat.” Sherlock said, “It was working until you intervened, now he is going to be over more often.”
He was sitting in the chair beside the examination table, looking out the window.
“WITH A SWORD, YOU BLOODY IDIOT?” I said sharply as John snipped thread of the stitch and started cleaning up.
“Why is Mycroft going to be around more?” John asked, patting a warm washcloth over my forearm.
Sherlock got up. “You saw him, John, you can’t tell me you don’t remember our first meeting?” John shutters, “Exactly. I can only
assume that Mycroft will be worse in his attempts.”
“Worse? How could he possibly be worse than what you did?” John asked, rubbing over my stitches the wrong way causing me to jerk
away. He muttered a sorry to me and started to clean up his equipment.
“John, he basically is the British Government, it will be a lot worse than anything I did.” John sighed, nodding his head. Sherlock looked
at me, “There is nothing I can do.”
“What are we talking about, because I was a little preoccupied...” I was just a bit angry, I didn’t know what was going on, but it involved
me in some way and I didn’t like it.
“My brother, Mycroft…well…you’re his mate.” Sherlock said, looking at John and then at me. Obviously I looked a bit confused because
he went on to explain, “Humans don’t know everything about us yet. People say that being with a Vampire is like finding your soul mate,
correct?” I nodded, “Well it’s because you do find your soul mate. It isn’t common that a Human and a Vampire are soul mates but
when it does happen you hear about it more often because the Vampire knows, there isn’t guessing.” He paused, “Of course, now my
brother has to woo you.” He grinned evilly, “It will be quite a show, I assure you.”
When I got back to my flat, the first thing I did was have a drink. That’s when I noticed the flowers on my dining room table. And a note:
Detective Inspector Lestrade,
I hope that you are well. Please forgive me for my brother’s rudeness and irresponsible use of a sword. I hope that you will also forgive
me for my rudeness this evening, I was taken aback by your presence and I assure you that it will not happen again.
In order to atone for these lapse in manners, I will hope that you will join me tomorrow evening for dinner. You do not have to accept this
request, but know that I will send a car to your place of work around seven o’clock.
I hope to see you there.
-MH
I read over the note a couple of times. MH. Mycroft Holmes. Bloody hell, Sherlock was right. His brother broke into my flat to give me
flowers. Who does that?
I glanced at the flowers and got up to get a cup full of water for them.
I love tulips.