Uncle Mycroft
(Part 22 of Little Sherlock)
"William, where are you?" John calls and searches the living room again. "No William, no Mr. Bee. Where could they be?" A small giggle comes from behind the sofa. John gets closer and jumps right into Williams's sight. "Found you." John catches the slippery three years old and tickles him until William isn't able to take a breath peacefully.
"John ... Please Stop. I ... give up." William gets out between laughing.
"Okay. But it's time to get ready, love. Uncle Mycroft is waiting for us. And we don't want to let him wait, right." William is listening while he slowly gets his breath under control.
"Yes John." The little boy runs up to get his coat the second his tiny feet touch the ground.
A car is waiting for them at the door. John opens the door and helps William inside. After he closes the seatbelt, the driver starts the engine and drives them directly into the heart of the British Nation.
John has to take a shift at the clinic and of course Sherlock had chosen this moment to turn into a child. Mrs. Hudson was at her sister, again. Greg was on a case and Molly had to work too. Mycroft had to work for another hour but after this he could watch William and until then Anthea was there.
Anthea was waiting for them at the door, her ever present phone was gone and she was smiling. This was the first time for William to meet her and John hopes that the child likes her. "Good afternoon John. And that must be William right." She kneels down to be at the same size as the three year old version of Sherlock. William holds John´s hand tight but let a small "hello" out.
"Thanks for watching him. It was a bit surprising as I found him the second I wanted to leave." John had let go of Williams hand and kneels down himself to straighten the coat and wild hair. "William, I will be back very soon. Be a good boy for Anthea and have fun with Uncle Mycroft." John kisses William on his forehead.
"Please don't leave me alone. I will miss you." William looks like he would cry in the next moment.
"I'm sorry Love, but I have to leave for a while. They need me at the clinic." John was very close to call them and tell Sarah that he couldn't make it.
"Would you like to see Uncle Mycroft's workplace? It's a very special place and only people with a special paper are allowed to enter." Anthea holds up a visitor pass for William, with picture, name and everything.
William makes huge eyes. "Is John not allowed to come?" Williams's tiny hand holds tight onto John's coat.
"I'm afraid only you and Mr. Bee are allowed for today." She pulls out another visitor pass with the picture of Mr. Bee. "Mr. Bee is working with Uncle Mycroft so he is allowed inside and you as his friend can come too. How about we let John go to work so he will be finished soon and can pick you two up."
"Are you really a friend of John's?" William asks with his huge children eyes that would detect every lie.
"Yes, William and I'm happy to have you two with me for a short time." Anthea stands up and holds out a hand. John gets up as well and William slowly loses the grip onto John's coat.
"See you later William." William turns to John.
"How long is 'later'?" A question only asked by a child can be so innocent and cute.
"Before it is time for bed. Don't worry we have to finish the book with the dinosaur." William nods and takes Anthea´s hand. Mr. Bee is secure in his other.
The car takes John to the clinic so he would be on time. William, Anthea and Mr. Bee were looking at the car until they couldn't see it anymore.
Anthea puts the visitor passes in for both of them and enters the building. No one was stopping her or asking why she has a child with her. She was the assistant of the most powerful man in England. No one questions her doing.
William was walking next to her with open eyes and mouth, amazed watching all the people around them in their suits and costumes. The child starts to feel safe with her. John had told her that there was something inside of William that remembers them. He would trust her without knowing why and he was right.
They step into an elevator and let them be brought upstairs. Mycroft was in a conference and William would stay in his office until then but as always the world has other plans for them.
Anthea´s phone was ringing and her stomach was cramping uncomfortable. Of course there is some emergency crisis when she told everyone NOT to disturb her for an hour, except for real emergency's.
After she had finished the call Anthea looks down at William who was telling Mr. Bee to behave because John told him. "William. Would you like to see how Uncle Mycroft is working? It's like a game where he has to find the best solution for a problem."
William nods. "Yes please. We want to see it."
"Perfect but you two have to be quiet." Another nod. Of course she could have gotten someone else to watch him but she wouldn't do that. John and her boss have trusted her with him and she wouldn't let them down.
William holds Mr. Bee as they enter the huge room. There were many televisions on one wall, many computers stand on tables and a giant screen was at another wall. A few people looked at him but after Anthea introduced him as Mycroft´s nephew they all return to their work.
Anthea gives them paper and a pen so they can work on the problem too. She stays close but is on the phone all the time. William isn't worried she is going anywhere and he can help find a solution.
On the screen appear new people every second and they talk to the ones in the room. That has to be different programs. The ones he is watching with John never answer when he has a question.
Mr. Bee is watching everyone, if they do their jobs probably. Also William isn't sure how Mr. Bee knows who is doing what job. But his bee is the guardian of Uncle Mycroft's very important secrets. His friend had to know one or two thinks more than him.
William didn't really get the problem because they should just stop fighting and he thinks his solution is rubbish so he doesn't tell it Anthea. She was finally done with talking on the phone and turns to William. He had started to draw on his work papers.
"Uncle Mycroft has finished his work would you like to go to him. You can tell him what you did today at work." William stands up takes the papers in one hand and Mr. Bee in the other and follows Anthea out of the room with the many people.
William came running towards Mycroft as he left his office. First his legs got a huge and after he was able to get the child into his arms a whole hug around his neck. "Hey William, how was working with Anthea?" William buries his head in Mycroft's shoulder. "What happened?" He starts to worry and shares a look with Anthea. She has to go back but doesn't want to leave William like this.
"I don't want to tell my solution for the problem. It's stupid." William was finally saying.
"That's okay you don't have to share it but I'm sure it's not stupid at all." Mycroft gives William another hug and lets him down. The boy pulls out a piece of paper and shows it to them both.
It was a picture of two man shaking hands. They smile and in the background were many more people, they look like they would celebrate. Each side got a flag above the cheering crowds "They just have to stop fighting. They should talk, make out and play together again. They both did something wrong and John says it's not important who started. Both should apologize and be friends again. But ... No one of the people in the room had the same idea. They were just thinking about threats and actions against the others." William let the picture sink.
"You know William, your solution is the best." Anthea says. "May I have your picture and show it to the others so we can work with your idea. I think it's the most brilliant one." William, surprised and happy, gives her his picture and waves her goodbye.
William was happy again and follows Mycroft into the waiting car. It was another one than the one that had picked him and John up. Because this car would bring John after work on the direct way to William.
Mycroft was glad to have William a bit for himself. The cuteness his baby brother was showing was breath taking und tooth rotting sweet.
In the car was William fascinated by almost everything, he asks many questions, like 'why do dogs have to walk on leashes' and 'is it raining everywhere or only this much in London`. Mycroft tries to answer all of them. It remembers him of their childhood.
Mycroft was first worried what to do with the smaller version of his brother. He hadn't done anything with children since his brother demanded to be treated as an adult (Sherlock was nine).
At home Mycroft made them tea; it's a rare occasion to be back early. He has no reason to leave work at a regular time, but not today. Today he will have time to spend with William.
"What would you like to play after our tea William?" William places his tea cup back on the table and shares a look with Mr. Bee.
"Do you have any jigsaw puzzles. The one Mrs. Hudson gave me is for baby's. It has only 100 pieces." A jigsaw puzzles for six year olds is to easy? Thinking about it Mycroft has only one somewhere lying around.
"I do have one but it is very difficult. It has 500 hundred pieces, they are much smaller, do you think we will manage to finish it until John will pick you up?" William jumps up, stops, empties his tea and is ready to run again.
"Ready Uncle Mycroft, we can start. Please, we have to finish it." Smiling Mycroft takes his own cup and leads William into the library where the jigsaw puzzle is waiting for them.
Mycroft and William work the rest of the afternoon, Mr. Bee was helping by pointing out places where the pieces go, he was very good at it. William loved the picture it would become, two beautiful horses and a baby horse.
"A horsy family." Shouts William as he sees it.
John arrived around six o clock right after they had finished the last piece. "Done." Mycroft was happy with the work and William was already calling John to show them what they did.
"Good job William. Did you let Uncle Mycroft help?" William nods. "And was Mr. Bee being helpful as well?"
"Yes, of course, he did the hard part. Finding the right places." William cuddles his friend closer.
"How about we take Uncle Mycroft with us. Mrs. Hudson is back and invited us for dinner." William finds this a great idea. Mycroft was off work for the day so they don't have to worry about it.
"I have the best Uncle in the world." William takes Mycroft's hand and leads them to the car. He couldn't see that his big brother was nearly crying, so happy was he.