ihadabadday | The Black Book - AU - Locked to seaweed

"I know that. But I have an appearance to keep up." John said. He crossed over to Sherlock and wrapped his mate in his arms and wings.

"Hecklers are a common thing. Vampires are easy targets because they're so long lived. Humans next because they're normal. I've gotten as much hell as you have."

Sherlock tried to huff and stay stiff, but being in John's arms made his muscles relax and he eventually, slowly, put his head on John's shoulder.

He had little doubt that John had gotten a lot of heckling and cajoling for being a half demon, but he had only had to deal with it for about 75 years or so, while he has had to deal with it for over 400. But he wasn't about to make this into a pissing match, despite his stroppy mood , so he simply stayed silent.

John just held him close. He wanted to protect Sherlock from the world, from those that would do him harm. And he would. He would protect the vampire.

---

He had been in London three months, mated to Sherlock for two and he knew. He needed to call his mother. Sherlock was out with the ever mysterious Mycroft.

John took his phone out of his pocket and dialed his mother's number.

She was going to be pleased and upset to hear from him. He remembered her as a formidable woman, not taking anything from anyone and teaching him how to take on the world.

From his father, he learned patience and peace. They were yin and yang, but perfect together.

Martha Watson was the human name that she had taken. There were very few people that knew that she was a demon, one of the Old Ones, the oldest of the old demons, the most ancient and venerated. When she went to visit the Demon Plain, she was revered. Here on Earth, she was a kindly older woman who mostly kept to herself.

But she had an important job. She also was part of the group that monitored what the Demons on Earth were up to. If any of them started to cause any trouble, she had her 'goon squad' that she called to straighten them out. Since she was at top, the head of that division, most of her job was bureaucratic, dealing with communication between Earth and the Demon Plain, when it came to doling out punishments, which more than occasionally meant death for repeat offenders.

She was formidable, and she had lost rank and status when she fell in love with, and married a human man. And when they had a half demon son, she was almost exiled, she was persecuted, but she had made friends in high places, and she fought her way back up the ladder. and her son, called John in the human tongue, ended up being a good example for human/Demon relations. He had even joined the human Army.

Martha was proud of her boy, but it had been so long since he had been in touch. She had no idea if he was even still alive.

Being an Old One and having such power meant that she could work in her modest home on the outskirts of London.
She was in her office one day when the phone rang.

"Hello?" She asked, putting on a voice that sounded like an older human woman, a part of her cover.

John froze for a moment when he heard her voice. His father hadn't been the one to discipline him, Mum had. He respected her and even feared her a bit. It was part of everything.

"Hi Mum. It's John."

He sat down on the couch and ran a hand over his face. How would his mother react to hearing he was mated to a vampire? Would she shun him?

He didn't know much about her life before she met Dads.

"John!!" She immediately reverted back to her normal speaking voice, which was a lot deeper and more booming than the old woman voice that she showed the human world.

"It's been a very long time, Japhrimel. " She said, using his true name. "I hope that I find you well. Are you still in the Army? I do hope that you will visit me once you return."

He hadn't even shared his true name with Sherlock yet. He shifted in his seat, feeling very much like he did when he was seven years old and had gotten into a fight in school.

"Mama..." he stammered, "I... I'm in London. But my mate is... He is tentative about meeting you." He blurted out.

Oops.

"Your mate??" She asked, her voice getting higher and louder. It was customary when a demon is mated to get the approval from one of the Council of Elders. And of course, Martha was a member. It was almost totally a ceremonial title, the Council rarely met, only in the most dire of circumstances. There hadn't been a council that dealt with Earth since World War II. The humans couldn't know that Hitler had been a demon in a human disguise. It was was a huge coverup that was executed well. No humans ever found out.. and survived.

"Japhrimel! How could you do this? You became mated without even telling me? And how long have you been back in London? You didn't tell me about that either.. Have you been mated long? Did you find... a human?" There had, so far, never been any one quarter demons born.

Half-demons were very rare, and they were usually sterile when it came to creating children. That was not so much the case when it came to bearing children though. When a Demon bred with a half Demon, the resulting child, though it would still technically be three fourths of a true Demon, the genes of the full Demon were so much stronger, the child was almost always perfectly identical to a full Demon and granted full Demon status. If they were not, well, they didn't live very long. It was cruel, but that was Demon life.

"Three months Mum. I was invalid home from Afghanistan. A spelled arrow to the shoulder. I got a job with the Yard, curse breaker. On one of my first assignments I met him..."

John knew his mother could find him if she really tried. Fuck.

"His name is Sherlock Holmes, his sire is one of the First Blood. A vampire ancient enough to go toe to toe with you Mum." He had heard stories growing up of the Old Ones. They were not to be messed with.

What would Sherlock's sire say when he found out his son was mated to a half-demon...

There was a small gasp on the other side of the phone. A spelled arrow? That was disturbing indeed. Those were supposed to be illegal. Most likely it wasn't another Demon who shot it, but there was a chance. If it had been, she had not heard about it. She made a mental note to herself to dig a bit deeper on that. Of course she was glad that he was alright, but she was still upset that it had taken three months for him to get in touch.

But those thoughts were halted as soon as John spoke again.

"Sherlock Holmes?" She knew that name. In the Underworld, he had made a name for himself as a Demon Hunter, the ones who had gone rogue and were no longer following the rules. But she also knew him for the name that he had made for himself on Earth. He was famous with both humans and creatures.

And his sire, the mysterious First Blood, the Old One known only as M, he was a mystery of mysteries. No one actually saw him or dealt with him directly, only his underlings. No one even knew what he looked like. There were rumors that he posed as a human in a position in the British Government, but the man known as Mycroft Holmes on Earth of course would never admit if it was true.

And her son had mated with the progeny of M? If true, that would indeed change her standings quite a bit. Demons and Vampires didn't really get along well, but they were the greatest of all the Underworld creatures, the ones all the others looked to for leadership and balance. And so they ruled- mostly- side by side, forming loose alliances and councils.

And she could be the one to bring the two groups together... permanently.

"I must meet him." She said, in a tone that brooked no argument.

John had not been expecting that. He blinked.

"Of course Mum. He's out meeting with Mycroft. I'll bundle him off when he gets home. Are you in the same place?"

He had written his mother over the ten years that he had been in the army and medical school. But they had hardly seen one another in that time.

Martha paled when she heard that. "He's... speaking with Mycroft?" They had the same surname, and around Earth, they introduced themselves as brothers, but Martha was almost totally convinced that Mycroft was M, the First Blood, and Sherlock's sire.

If she could get in good with Sherlock, and perhaps have a meeting with the mighty M, she could really solidify her place near the top of the Demons.

She could be right under The One Over All.

"Yy-yes. I am in the same place." She quickly composed herself. She had to be at her total best when Sherlock came over. She needed to make sure everything was clean and ship shape and she had very little time. As an Old One, she was afforded a rather nice house right outside London, in a rather ritzy neighborhood, while most Demons had tiny flats in town- many where John had used to live.

"I'll call you when we're on our way. I don't know what sort of mood Sherlock will be in when he gets home." John said, "So we might not come over tonight. But perhaps in a day or so."

John didn't want his mate setting his mother off and vice versa. It was a volatile experiment.

He leaned back against the couch. "Mum, I have missed you, greatly."

Martha let out a soft sigh. If she had an extra day or two to prepare, that would set her less back on her heels, but she was anxious to meet this man. And she still couldn't believe that her little Japhrimel had actually mated with Sherlock Holmes, progeny of one of the most powerful of the First Bloods.

"I've missed you too, Japhrimel." She said, with full sincerity. No matter what he might have done or who he was mated with, he was her son, her only child with the human that she had loved and lost and grieved. "I do hope to see you very soon."

"I will see you soon Mama." He promised before hanging up. Well.

John leaned back and closed his eyes. Thinking. He didn't realize that he was like that until Sherlock came home.

Sherlock made himself known, stomping up the stairs and almost slamming the door closed. He threw off his hood and tossed his jacket and scarf onto the floor by the coat rack, went back to his room, and shut that door loudly as well.

That pulled John out of everything. He got up and went to the bedroom. He opened the door and stepped into the bedroom. He stood there, watching Sherlock. "Bad meeting?" He asked. He then walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of their bed.

Sherlock was still dressed, minus his coat and Belstaff. He even, had his shoes still on. He was on top of the covers, his back to the door (and John), curled up into a little ball. He wasn't doing anything, other than breathing. His eyes were closed, but he was awake, he tensed a bit when he heard John come into the room.

Even if he had wanted to talk, he couldn't tell John what he had talked about. So instead, he just stayed quiet.

He moved onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Sherlock. He nuzzled his neck, taking a deep breath.

"Mum wants to meet you." He said softly. The blonde kissed the column of skin.

A little sigh, a small release of breath came from Sherlock. His muscles relaxed, infinitesimally when John held him tight and kissed him. John could always make him feel better. He couldn't discuss what specifically was said, but he needed to talk to John about it, most likely before they say his mother.

But not tonight. He couldn't talk about it right now.

"Oh." He said, softly. Now that he knew who John's mother was- Mycroft had found out that he had mated with John and who his Dam was, their conversation had gotten..... heated. Mycroft did not approve of the mating, and he warned Sherlock that Malthyne- or Martha Watson to the humans, will use Sherlock to get to him.

The meeting had not ended well.

"I think Mum wants to use you to get to your sire. I don't want to be caught in the middle of them..." John sighed, "But it may do good for an alliance between the Demons and Vampires."

He closed his eyes and nuzzled Sherlock's neck. He loved this vampire so and he wanted him to know.

"I love you. I promised you two months ago. You and I against the world."

"Yes. Yes she does." He didn't want to be cruel to John, he loved the man. But he had to be honest with John. They had talked about being honest not long after they became mates.

"I do not care about either of their political aspirations or games of intrigue and sabotage. I don't care about an alliance between Demons and Vampires. The alliance wouldn't last anyways." He almost spat out the words. "I will not be a pawn in their games. I would be happy if I never had to see either of them ever again." He had never met John's mother yet, and he knew that there was no way that he could avoid Mycroft for any length of time, so it was a pipe dream, but it had been nice to at least say.

Sherlock curled back up on himself, He just wanted the whole fucking world to go away.

Well, except for John.

Never John.

"Should we run away?" He asked seriously.

But... His mother would hunt them down. And no doubt Sherlock's sire would as well.

"I don't regret it. I don't regret mating either you at all."

John kissed his neck as he shifted from his human form to his true form.

"Sherlock shook his head. "M's network is vast, much more vast than mine. There is no where that we could hide that he couldn't find me. And when he did, he would most likely kill you, and maybe me as well." He sighed, his shoulders sagged. They were trapped in London now.

He finally opened his eyes, turning his head and shoulders enough to look over his shoulder at John. "I don't regret one single moment of the time that we have been together." He said, and it was totally true. He wouldn't give up John for an Old One, or a First Blood, or anyone else.

"Mmmm." Sherlock leaned his head back and exposing his neck, and making a soft sound when John showed his true form. He relaxed in those strong arms, wrapped in the leathery wings.

John kept his wings tight around Sherlock. He just wanted to hold the man close. Remain in this flat forever.

"Will you feed from me? Please?" He asked.

He wanted to be... Loved. He wanted to know it, hear it. He ran a hand through those mussed curls. He pressed his face into Sherlock's neck, trying to stave off tears.

He wanted to keep them safe. And right now, safe was bending to the will of those who made them.

The Black Book - AU - Locked to seaweed_writes

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