for Sherry

[formoftherapy]

Kite made it to Christmas break alive, which still feels like an accomplishment. (Sunnydale habits are hard to break.)

She's using the time to get through the rest of her grandmother's journals and the bar seemed like as good a reading room as any. Kite has laid claim to one of the couches, legs sprawled across the cushions and a coffee mug on the floor beside her.

Comments

[formoftherapy]

"You--he and Tony were in New York. Obadiah hired vampires to take the two of them out. Tony died; he didn't."

[if_inconvenient]

That part, he wasn't expecting.

His first thought is How?, but his ruthless imagination answers it without a pause. Of course that Obadiah would not have done it on purpose—he is, bless him or damn him as you like, too smart for that. It would have been an accident. One he was given cause to regret, Sherlock expects. God knows you would not need to remove his soul to put him in a vicious mood under such circumstances.

All this flashes through his mind in hardly a breath; disinclined to reveal any of it, he voices only a very subdued, "Oh."

[formoftherapy]

Her mouth twists slightly; the story doesn't get any more palatable with repetition.

"Yeah."

[if_inconvenient]

"I cannot imagine he was very pleasant to talk to," he murmurs.

[formoftherapy]

Kite shrugs.

"He was alright."

Better behaved, maybe, because she had something he wanted, but there are worse reasons to get along with somebody.

[if_inconvenient]

There is a nearly audible click in Sherlock's mind.

Evenly: "And how is he getting on with your Tony?"

[formoftherapy]

Just as even: "Swimmingly."

[if_inconvenient]

He lets out a breath of relief.

"Hasn't turned him, then. Good."

[formoftherapy]

Kite's eyes widen.

"Jesus, no. Has that--does that happen somewhere?"

[if_inconvenient]

"Not to my knowledge, but it might have. He is going to have a powerful urge to hang on to Tony and never let go. I've no doubt that bestowing partial immortality along the way would be a tempting option, under the circumstances."

[formoftherapy]

She scrubs a hand over her face.

"Yeah, of course it would. Shit."

[if_inconvenient]

"If he hasn't," Sherlock adds reassuringly, "he likely won't."

[formoftherapy]

She laughs nervously.

"Good to know."

[if_inconvenient]

"Any reason good enough to put it off for a day is good enough to put it off for a lifetime."

Not particularly because he expects his soulless self to be all that sentimental about the souls of others, but precisely because the bar would be so very high.

[formoftherapy]

"I think he was too glad to see him to want to change anything about him," she murmurs.

[if_inconvenient]

"Or perhaps afraid that the Tony he would get out of the process would not be the Tony he wanted."

[formoftherapy]

There's an idea she's going to try very hard not to have.

"Yeah, that too."

[if_inconvenient]

He shrugs.



Something occurs to him.



"Are you going to tell him you met me?"

[formoftherapy]

"Who, Tony or vampire-you?


Hadn't given it much thought either way, to be honest."

[if_inconvenient]

"Vampire me," his lips quirk, "is fairly likely to find out regardless of your intention."

And it would certainly be one solution to the problem of Obadiah Stane. He is divided on whether or not it would be a good one.

[formoftherapy]

"Point taken."

[if_inconvenient]

"I am not at all sure what he might take it upon himself to do if he became aware of the specifics of my situation."

[formoftherapy]

"I've got a few guesses."

Not that she thinks he would need that particular excuse to take out yet another Obadiah Stane.

She's not sure how to hold him back if he decides he wants to. (Or if she would.)

[if_inconvenient]

Which reminds him: "Has he killed your Obadiah?"

[formoftherapy]

"No."

Although she's worried he will.

(She's worried she won't be there if he does.)