Sentiment

Chapter 21 | The Heart Wants What It Wants

The woman gazed out at the dark waters below, listening to the sound of the heavy waves crashing against the docks around her. The soothing, yet foreboding, noise helped her to calm down but also barely tempered the wild storm that raged within her heart. Somewhere above her head, the gulls cried and men all around her on the ground shouted back and forth as they worked together.

She let the sound of the waves drown out all other noise and closed her eyes to let the memories of the past few days take her back in time.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"...Why did you do it?"

Irene smiled sadly. "I didn't."

With those simple words, she turned on her heel and, too, exited the cellar as she withdrew her phone from her pocket and dialled a familiar number. She held the phone close to her ear and waited for the person on the other end to reply.

"It's me," she said at last when the person did. "We need to talk."

Irene walked into the cold, grey room on swift feet.

She had left the basement just a short while ago, and the falsified images still haunted her memory vividly. After the events, she had hurried to Baker Street and tried to explain her deductions to the genius, but Sherlock had simply shut the door on her and her explanations. He had with that simple move knocked her world irrevocably off-course.

She had expected Moriarty's next move to include her, but had not expected to be used as both the arrow and the target in his grand finale. It had been the first (and last) time she had misjudged the reaches of the man's cruelty.

The cold, dark shadow she had seen on Sherlock's face as he had watched the video had sent sharp pains through her heart. He had obviously jumped to the conclusion that the video was real and there was little now that would sway his mind.

That was part of the reason she had made that call. She had lost him, in fact she had lost everything because of the whimsical games of a mad man. Now, there was only one way for her to get out of it alive, and she needed the help of one she had rather hoped to avoid. Now that her world was slipping through her fingers, this was nonetheless necessary. Everything was falling apart, and she had to save the one thing she could. Even if it meant taking drastic measures.

As she stepped further into the enclosed space, she saw his figure under the pale lights up ahead. The tall man was clad in a suit as usual and stood with an air of arrogance. There was a knowing smile on his thin lips, as if he was already filled with the breath of victory, even before the fight. Irene was inclined to agree this arrogance was well-placed.

"I must admit, after our last discussion, I thought you'd never call..." Mycroft said as she stopped a few steps before him. "Yet here you are. Begs the question – Why? Why are you here, Ms Adler?"

Irene steeled herself for what she knew would be another uphill battle. "I'm here to help your brother."

The elder Holmes boy shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he glared across the empty space at the woman. "You must be truly desperate, Ms Adler, if you come to me."

"I'm probably dead already," she agreed and met the man's gaze without fear or remorse. If she refused to play the game, perhaps Mycroft would take her seriously.

Something flashed in his pale eyes that told her he understood her silent plea. The smirk was wiped from his face and replaced by a small, unsure frown. "Why come here and risk everything for my brother?"