TAGS/WARNINGSSherlock Holmes, John Watson, Sandra Watson (OFC), Eric Jefferson (OMC), Jacob Hope (OMC), Family, Pack Dynamics, Pack Domestics, Psionics, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Supernatural Elements, Post-The Reichenbach Fall

This came about because of a conversation I had the other day with one of my lovely readers.

I can be found on tumblr under JaimiStoryTeller

Sandra's POV
John Hamish Watson, Eric Alexandre Jefferson, and Jacob Thomas Hope: you will come to the pack house this instant! She snarls across the pack link, summoning the ones she sees as responsible for the mess she has just finished recording in the history books of their pack. Her tone does not give them the option to refuse, and while technically all three could because they outrank, she fully intended to use her rights as the gamma and pack historian to be obeyed.

As soon as I am done with my shift at the clinic, her nephew answers first.

I shall be there shortly,the cobra answers next, something in his tone bugging her further.

While she waits for the last to reply, she puts her things away, tucking them back into their spots within her desk. She has just finished that when she feels the connection forming.

It has been several minutes since she gave the order before the last replies, Yes ma'am. In the same sort of tone one would use to a commanding officer in the military.

Standing, she strides from the room, calming her scent as she searches for the tenants of her home. Each of them she warns to stay away from the front parlor because she is about to have a possibly loud conversation with a few people. All of them nod in understanding.

Heading downstairs, she heads directly to the kitchen to make herself something hot to drink before heading to the front parlor to wait for the three she had summoned.

Just as she is sitting down, the cobra comes striding in, a frustrated look on his face.

"Hiss all you want, we will be having words just as soon as I am done with my nephew," she tells him when he sends a scowl in her direction. Yes Eric can be terrifying, but she is ignoring that right now because she has a few points to make and he is one of the people she needs to make those points to.

A sardonic smile curves his lips as he half shifts and settles in front of the fireplace.

Nothing else is said between them as they wait for the other two.

John and Jacob walk through the door at nearly the same time, neither is speaking as they come through the door.

She barely lets them get in when she turns on her nephew, "John Hamish Watson! I am downright angry at you right now." She snaps, point one ink stained finger in his direction. "Of all the stupid things you have done in your life, I would say how you handled your mate during the courtship phase has to be one of the most foolish and arrogant things I have ever Seen!"

Her nephew blinks at her, a bit shocked and confused according to his scent and expression.

"What species is your bondmate?" she demands, straightening her spine and getting almost in the younger man's face. Behind her she can feel the cobra tensing but ignores it. He is next on her agenda.

"Human," the younger wolf answers.

"Exactly, he's human. Not telling him about the bondmates is one thing, perfectly understandable, but not asking him if he wants to be alpha-second, not telling him that he will have his own protector, making him feel guilty for not telling you things when there is a whole world of information you never say to him was one of the stupidest things you could have chosen to do." She growls at him, "You could have built his trust a bit more. Yes he trained with Eric, but did you ever invite him to train with the rest of the military pack? Did you ever tell him about some of the stunts that group can pull? Or is the only time he ever saw even a bit of it when you collected the Baskerville pack and dealt with the Devon pack?"

She doesn't actually give him a chance to answer the questions as she fires them off since she knows that he will leave her thinking about them, which is really what she wants. In his handling of his relationship with Sherlock, John had acted a great deal like both her brothers, particularly Eric, the one who had allowed himself to die inside rather than kept on living after the loss of his mate. While she accepts some of the blame for not noticing that sort of behavior during the twice monthly pack meetings, she also blames him and the two that works with John the closest.

"Sit down and stay quiet," she orders before turning to face the cobra.

Eric tilts his head, giving her a serious look that conveys a great deal of emotion and thought without him saying a word aloud or through the link.

"You are a dark emapth, the pack's nu, and John's sworn protector yet you failed to bring to his attention exactly how much John could risk by not being more open with his mate. You allowed your past to cloud your judgment, and in doing so, helped create a situation where our alpha-second thought turning to the Old Gods was his only choice. I am disappointed in you for that, very, very disappointed." She growls at him just as much as she had her nephew, the anger even firmer about his actions than it had been for John's. "If you do not believe me, speak with your daughter Zara, she could confirm what I am saying with a few drops of blood."

Again she does not wait for an answer and turns her attention to the last one in the room, the packs beta, "And you, I am disappointed in you because you know better. You have seen the harm in your birth pack that can come from lack of communication and one of the alphas making decisions that affect the other without speaking with them to explain choices. As the packs beta, it is your job to be John's second, and if that means correcting him when he is being foolish, then you do so. If you think that it is beyond your ability or you need someone to confirm that you are not misreading a situation, that is what the gamma and nu are for. I realize that there is not a gamma among the military pack, but there is a nu. Not once did you speak to Eric about your concerns. You kept your mouth shut and just played guard."

Stepping back, she glares at all three of them, "This last year, all of the situation with Moriarty, could have been avoided had the three of you used better communication skills."

Focusing purely on her nephew, she continues, "John, you heaped a bunch on your mate without telling him or explaining, and by the time you did explain he had already started forming his own ideas on how things are done. Not all of them right. But you never bothered to check, taking it at face value that he adapted when he went from being mostly on his own to all of us being there."

"Eric," she sighs turning towards the cobra who returns purely to his human form as she does so, standing there with his head held high. "Of everyone in this pack, you are the most aware of what a bad bond can do. As a telepath who never gets out of other people's heads, you would have been the most aware of the fact our alpha-second, Sherlock, did not think of us as part of his support system. It was your duty as a nu to correct that, and you did not. I know how hard overcoming the past can be, but you still have to try."

She waits until the black cobra hood flares out and he inclines his head in understanding before turning her attention to the last one of the three. "Jacob, you were willing to stand up to John or Eric in war zone situations when you thought they were doing something wrong, but not when he was making a mistake with his mate. You need to consider why that is and fix it."

Her eyes sweep over all three of them, "You all need to consider your actions and why you did them. I don't want a repeat of this last year. Next time the Old Gods might not answer."

All three men flinch, visibly cringing as they realize what that means.

I accept your wisdom, Eric broadcasts. Bowing low for the first time she has ever seen. It is the bow of a lower rank to a high rank, male to female.

"I," John starts, pauses to close his eye for a moment, "I need to think about this. Thank you Aunt."

Only the falcon says nothing, he bows, beta to gamma, and leaves without speaking.

Blinking, she switches to her bond sight, just as he leaves and realizes that it glows lightly. He has met his bondmaste at some point, why has he not pursued them?

"You are welcome to stay for dinner," she tells the remaining two as she blinks back to normal vision.

"I think this is a case where I should go do some thinking on my own," John answers, stopping to give her a hug and a brief kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Hugging him back, she merely smiles at him, accepting the kiss on the cheek.

Letting go he nods at her and then to the cobra, before leaving her alone the one disgruntled snake.

You are correct. The black cobra eventually tells her. It is something I should have paid better attention to and I have been attempting to correct with other members but that does not make up for my error. I await judgment. He bows one more time, his hood flaring out flat and the markings those of silver suns rather than the normal moons.

Blinking at him, she is at a loss of words because this is not something she had expected. He is well known for his temper and bucking authority. She is actually surprised over the fact he listen to her and is considering her words.

"I didn't expect you to pay much attention to me," she mutters, giving a small shake of her head, "Let alone come up with a judgment for if you did."

A low chuckle escapes the tall cobra, and he slowly straightens, hood retracting back into his neck, fading back into black scales. I will keep it in my mind then, and if you think of something within the next six months I will accept it then.

She nods slowly, accepting that choice. It is not something she plans to actively do. Still it is a useful thing to know and could possibly be useful.

He is gone before she even had a chance to say anything else, leaving her shaking her head as she smiles. Better go start dinner.

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