The Woman

"Here she comes!"

The call made Irene look up from where she was leaning back against the wall of the butcher's shop and watch as everyone slowed down to see who was coming. Women subtly looked away, but men took off their hats to put them to their chests, their eyes glued onto the tall, curvy and quite frankly, cold woman that strode past them. With her chin jutted high, her chest tall and proud, she walked with a fluid grace that seemed on the surface to defy all sense of gravity and rational thought. Irene couldn't help but watch her, completely transfixed. In all of her 18 years, she had never seen someone like this woman. She was like a living ice sculpture, chiseled to absolute perfection by a master artist. Cold, yet…there was an air of arrogance that seemed to radiate from her very pores, giving her life despite the stone stiff face that she carried.

"Who is that?" She roughly poked at a portly man's flabby arm, drawing his attention.

"That's her."

Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"The Woman," he clarified, quickly nodding politely as The Woman's eyes suddenly pierced them with an intense gaze that took Irene's very breath away. This woman, The Woman…she didn't just carry power; she was power, the living definition of raw strength and authority. Whatever did she do to give her such an influence over her world, as though she could magically hypnotize everyone with just her mere presence?

Her gaze moved just as quickly as it landed and before Irene could think about it, she was gone around the corner and the world started to move again. Quickly pushing herself off the wall, she trotted around the corner to watch The Woman continue to walk, provoking the same reaction from a group of men that she passed. It was almost as though that was their way of acknowledging her position, their silence more of a reverence than blind adoration. With a look around, Irene continued to follow her, ducking out of sight every now and then when The Woman would stop to look over her shoulder, most likely unsure of if someone was there or not.

After a few minutes of slyly following her, Irene was quite impressed to see that The Woman lived in a very grand house, likened to a miniature mansion with a tall iron gate in the front. With the soft slam of the front door to her house, the world went back to the way it was: quiet. Simple. Almost pathetically boring. With a pang of disappointment, Irene slowly turned to walk away, the ember of curiosity about the mysterious Woman slowly lighting up into a small flame with each step that she took away from the house...

After a few days, more out of boredom than anything else, Irene went back to the butcher shop, casually taking her usual spot to people watch. Though there was plenty of entertainment among the common folk around her, there was a part of her that hoped to see The Woman coming through the street again. And sure enough, when the same call rang out in the air toward the evening time, everyone stopped and watched The Woman stroll through, the click of her heels piercing the air with each sharp step. Though her appearance was shorter and not as grandly received by Irene as the first time, she nevertheless got up from her spot to follow her back to the house yet again, this time being brave enough to walk up to the gate after the door shut.

What are you doing here?

What was she doing there, standing in front of that gate in the dead of winter when there were better things to do? She touched the gate handle, trying to will herself to open it and walk up to the front door...but as much as she tried, she couldn't make her arm move.

"Stupid," she muttered to herself as she walked away from the house, her steps deliberately slower as the flame grew higher...

The door knocker looked different up close. Intricately designed and crafted. Whoever made it deserved to have some kind of thanks extended to them for such wonderful craftsmanship.

You're an idiot.

Maybe she was, but at least she was a braver idiot than the day before. After The Woman went into her house, Irene actually went through the gate and up to the door, her heart slamming painfully against her ribcage with each second that she stood on the step. Brave, yet stupid. There wasn't any reason for her to be there, but she didn't want to leave, not when she was so close. Whenever was she going to gather the courage again?

But fear won out and she scuttled away from the house before her mind could argue...

Today was the day. She was going to speak to The Woman.

At least, that's what Irene's mind said that she was going to do. Getting her body to cooperate, however, was going to be more of a challenge, but she was up to the fight. She took her usual spot in front of the butcher shop and did her usual people watching, waiting patiently for The Woman to make her appearance. But hours passed, and when the butcher shop's sign switched to closed and the streets emptied of people, her heart sank. She never came. Why didn't she come? She had waited just to see her. With a huff, Irene got up and walked down the street and around the corner, strolling with blinding confidence toward her house.

Thankfully, the gate wasn't locked when she went up and she pushed her way through, ignored the flip flop of her stomach as she tentatively knocked on the door.

What reason do you have to be so upset? You don't know her; she's a complete stranger. As the bitter cold air gnawed at her cheeks, Irene fidgeted and fought within herself. Stay, go, stay, go. What should she do? Her conscience was right, she had probably been busy all day, what business did she have to bother her? But despite the logic her blazing curiosity wouldn't leave her; she just HAD to know who this Woman was once and for all.

Before her thoughts could go any farther, the door opened and The Woman stood before her wearing a pale blue robe, a look of curiosity on her face as she stared at the thin, pale teenager standing on her doorstep. She was just as beautiful up close than from a distance. It was almost painful to look at those deep green eyes, the delicate nose and the curves of her jaw and cheekbones against a burning halo of dark red hair.

Nervously, Irene chewed her bottom lip.

"Umm…hi," she murmured, suddenly feeling like her tongue weighed a ton. The Woman leaned against the door frame and studied her closely, her eyes sweeping her up and down casually. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. I just…I wanted to know who you were…" The Woman's lip twitched into a very slight smile at her shaky intake of breath. Irene kicked herself internally for being so stupid to bother her and her own foolish bravery and moved to walk away, determined to give herself a good mental bash when she got far enough away.

But The Woman's voice stopped her.

"Would you like to come inside?" Her request was innocent, but her smoldering gaze made Irene's hair stand on end. Slowly, she turned back around, her mouth suddenly feeling stuffy and dry. She couldn't even nod, she was so frightened at the surge of conflicting emotions that coursed through her at lightning speed. But as she and The Woman stared at each other, she realized that no matter how scared she was, she couldn't just walk away. Not now, not when she was this taken in, as Odysseus and his men were with the sirens' call.

Without much thought for who was watching, she walked past The Woman and into the house, almost jumping with nerves when the door shut, the world suddenly becoming extremely quiet. "I saw you in town." The Woman didn't say anything as Irene talked, her voice trembling and cracking with each word. "You made all the men stop…I've never seen someone do that before-" She stiffened as the Woman started slowly circling her, like a lioness that had cornered her prey. Her body seemed hypersensitive to every strong, calculated step that she took. Trailing off, Irene waited with baited breath to see what she would say.

"You know, I like girls like you…" The Woman's voice was soft and gentle, like she was talking to small child. Irene was surprised that her bones didn't shatter from the force of her trembling, her jaw grinding painfully as she fought to keep a neutral face. "So innocent…" The steps behind her stopped and she felt her hair move from her neck and over her shoulder so The Woman's fingers could trail down her spine lightly. "There's no need to be afraid of yourself…what you're feeling right now…" Her heavy whisper made the room suddenly compress.

"I'm not afraid," Irene whispered as she swallowed, hoping that the shaking in her voice wasn't horribly obvious.

"And you shouldn't be. You know, as a woman, you hold a lot of power," The Woman continued as she started to walk again. "You have no idea how much potential is in you, how much control you really have." Power? Control? No. She was just plain, ordinary Irene Adler, who was going to start university in the fall with a hope to make something of herself. She could barely hold a man's attention, much less control one with skill and ease like The Woman did. She opened her mouth to tell her so, but stopped as those beautifully full lips curled into a seductively innocent smile.

"How about I show you what I mean?"

The question made Irene light-headed, torn with a desire to bolt from the house, but also to give in to what she was offering.

"What would you do?"

"Oh, just a...demonstration." A shrug. "Nothing fancy. After all, you're young and I don't want to...scare you off."

"I'm not easily frightened."

The Woman chuckled softly. "Then come and follow me." Irene found it hard to breathe, her mouth practically watering as the The Woman turned around to walk down the hall, giving her one last glance over her shoulder before disappearing into the bedroom. Like a lamb being led to the slaughter, her feet carried her mindlessly to the bedroom where she received her first lesson in what it was like to be in control…

Thankfully, when Irene got back home, her mother and father were asleep, and she went straight to her bedroom and crawled into bed to hug her knees tightly. Her body hummed with a pleasant ache as what happened with The Woman replayed in her mind like a reel of a movie spinning out of control. How could something so painful and humiliating be so pleasurable and sensual at the same time? How could she feel so stripped, mistreated and abused, yet feel completely and absolutely satisfied at being so? It was an amazingly liberating experience, despite being at the complete mercy of another person's hands.

Before Irene had left her house, she asked The Woman if there was a name for what she did and she had called herself a dominatrix. Even though she had no clue what that meant, Irene couldn't help but want to know more about it. Could she really be as powerful, as in control of a person as The Woman was of her? Was there truth in her words; could a woman really hold that much of a weapon of warfare within her?

As she laid there in the dark, her ribs aching with every breathe that she took, the idea of going off to university seemed so utterly useless in the face of this new experience. She didn't even really have an idea of what she wanted to do with her life, but here came The Woman who had opened her eyes to the possibility of learning about herself. She could learn how to embrace and handle her true power and become the next great dominatrix...she could do what The Woman did...maybe even do it better.

Whatever it took, whatever she had to do, Irene wanted only one thing: to become the woman that she was meant to be...to become The Woman.

Of course, Irene's parents didn't receive the news about her decision to forgo university well, but that was to be expected. After all, she was the only child and her parents had extremely high, almost unrealistic expectations of her. After the intense argument, she stormed out of the house and down the street, not really sure of where she going, but not entirely surprised to find herself back on the step of The Woman's house. She knocked on the door, and after a few minutes, The Woman answered, shaking her head when she saw who was there.

"Already back for more," she said simply with a tut. "You've certainly-"

"Can you teach me to do what you do?" A lengthy, uncomfortable pause passed.

"I may do a lot of things, but I don't teach." The door started to shut, but Irene reached out and stopped it.

"Give me a chance, I won't disappoint you."

"Look," The Woman finally said as she crossed her arms. "You're young and you need to get out there and explore your options."

"How can I explore my options when I don't even know what they are?" Irene pushed the door open and The Woman backed up to let her in the house. "I may be young, but I know what I want and this is what I want...please." Where this boldness, this determination came from to pursue this whole affair, Irene didn't know, but in those moments, as The Woman contemplated her words, she was thankful for that stupid hardheadedness. She was almost sure that she was about to be ordered away, but The Woman sighed and looked toward the hallway.

"I suppose I can spare a bedroom for you..." Irene felt her heart leap. "I hope you realize the extent of what you're doing." An eager nod met those cold words, and with a sigh of resignation, The Woman showed her to a spare bedroom and Irene sat back on the bed when she was left to herself, unsure of what was to come, but so sure about what she wanted to be.

It would take years of practice, trial and error, but under The Woman's direction, Irene slowly found her confidence, growing bolder and bolder and more skilled with each client that she was allowed to handle on her own. At some point, she became even more influential than her predecessor, and The Woman demanded that she take her leave and find her own place to be in the world.

"You've learned what you need to know; it's time you leave the nest." She felt betrayed at the cold tone of dismissal. "I'm doing this for your own good, you know. You'll never really step into your role as a dominatrix until you've acted on your own."

"But what about you?"

The Woman looked thoughtful at the question. "My time is almost done, it's time for a new generation to take my place. You've really grown up, Irene." Irene's heart lurched; that had been the first time in almost 8 years that The Woman had used her name, spoken with a tenderness that made her smile. "You were like a blank canvas when you came to me, and you've really made a name for yourself." The Woman's lips lightly brushed against her cheek. "Now, I don't want to see you here when I wake up tomorrow…" There was no mistaking the command of her tone, and with a nod, Irene went into her bedroom and shut the door, sliding down to the floor.

This was it. She was about to go and make a name for herself. A part of her knew that she could do it, there was no questioning that. But it was still a frightening concept to leave behind the one person that had gotten her life started for real and had awoken her true potential...

She could only hope to make her proud.

The Woman.

She smiled as Sherlock took his leave from her side after rescuing her from her beheading. It was just a murmur, barely heard over the gunshots and shouts of the chaos around them, but she heard it all the same. She had earned his respect, his admiration, just like The Woman before her did with the men...no, the world, around her. With one last look over her shoulder to his back as he maneuvered his way out of their hiding place, she went her own way, unable to stop smiling even in the midst of the war around them.

She had done it. She wasn't just Irene Adler anymore...she was The Woman.