AN: Hello again lovelies. So excited to bring you my new story, I've been working on it for months (its all written so I should be able to keep up my chapter-a-day regime) and it's finally finished. This started out with 3 little ideas that merged into a thing that HAD to be written, so here it is. Giving you two chapters to start, since the Prologue is very... Mycroft, and I'm sure you want to get on to the good stuff.

Warnings and Disclaimer: Rated T for show level strong language, some slightly graphic violence, and mentions of/attempted rape and mentions of rape. Nothing too graphic though. Let me know if you think the rating should be stronger though and I'll change it.

As always, only the storyline is mine, the characters and places belong to the BBC and ACD. No copyright infringement intended.

And on with the show.

Prologue

Some, such as John Watson, might be surprised to learn that the most powerful currency in the United Kingdom is not the Great British Pound, but rather the humble favour. He shouldn't really, as what are pound notes but promissory notes, bearing the heading 'to the bearer of this note I promise the sum of 10 pounds'. But even these promises are meaningless to the rich and powerful of the world, who already have enough money to never have to worry again. And so to these people, an owed favour can have far more value than money. No-one understood this better than Mycroft Holmes.

Mycroft may be the most powerful man in Britain, but there is one power that even the most powerful do not have. The ability to keep their power. Prime Ministers and Presidents alike are prey to elections that could strip them of their positions in but a day. Mycroft Holmes had a council to answer to, who at any time if they felt (by majority vote, of course) he was no longer fit to wield the power he did, could strip him of it, just like that. It was to this end, keeping his power, that Mycroft employed the power of favours.

The thing that Mycroft understood, that made him most powerful in his use of favours, was that owing favours was just as necessary as being owed. Some may be content to owe Mycroft a debt, but others would view it as a threat hanging over their heads, looking for any opportunity to pay it off and then looking to remove Mycroft from his position so there would be no risk of it happening again. It was always clear at first glance to Mycroft who these people were, and therefore he would look for the first opportunity to become in their debt. Being owed a favour from the most powerful man in Britain was a valuable commodity, one they wouldn't want to depreciate the value of by making him step down from his position of power.

And thus with a combination of debts owed and to be collected, Mycroft could ensure he stayed in power.

So long as he could pay the debts when those he owed came calling.

"I have a favour to call in, Mycroft" Oberstein announced, closing the door to Mycroft's Westminster office behind him.

"Very well, Hugo, what do you need?" Mycroft looked up, politician's smile in place, but eyes as calculating and cold as ever.

"Your brother." Hugo dropped a file onto the desk in front of Mycroft. "I understand he's approved for MI6 work. This mission requires his specific skill set, no one else will do."

Mycroft's eyebrows rose only slightly looking at the file. An undercover intelligence suicide mission. Other than his passable acting skills and proficiency with languages, there was nothing on this mission requiring Sherlock's 'specific skill set', in fact there were plenty of low level intelligence operatives who would be equally capable of the task. But he knew full well that wasn't the reason Oberstein was asking for Sherlock. Sherlock had recently been involved in a case which lead to Hugo's daughter being arrested for robbery and manslaughter, quite a scandal for the politician. And so he wanted Sherlock dead, killed in duty, no way for it to be blamed on Oberstein. A glance at the man showed he was in no way nervous at Mycroft discovering his ruse, he must have known that Mycroft would see through it the second he opened the file. He was confident that he would have Mycroft's co-operation anyway; he couldn't afford to be seen not filling his debts, not if he wanted to keep his power.

"If you understand my brother's position with MI6, you understand that he is not under contract nor compulsory service. I cannot order him to take a job, he takes those he chooses, and he rarely chooses to listen to me. I can suggest it to him, try to word it in such a way it catches his interest, but I'm afraid you may have asked me one of the few things that's beyond my power to control." Mycroft carefully explained.

Oberstein gave a casual one shouldered shrug that belied his earlier urgency to have Sherlock on the case. "That's all I ask, if you ask him and he goes, consider your debt filled, if he refuses, your debt will still stand."

"Alright then. I shall mention it to him once he's out of hospital and been pronounced fit for duty." Mycroft agreed.

"Of course. Terrible business, that mysterious shooting. But then I suppose making enemies is to be expected in his line of business."

"Quite."

"I have, by the way, a job offer I should like you to decline."

"I decline your kind offer."

"I shall pass on your regrets."

"What was it?"

Mycroft had just finished his email sending his regrets that Sherlock would not take the job, along with several recommendations of more suitable candidates, when his mother muttered "good gracious!", staggering sideways and grabbing at the table for support. Sherlock's 'friend' Wiggins rushed to support her into a chair just before she passed out completely, glancing up fearfully at Mycroft.

"Must'a had too much to drink... Tha's all." He mumbled.

Mycroft raised a disbelieving eyebrow, shutting his laptop and getting up, despite beginning to feel whatever they were being drugged with pulling at him. Wiggins backed away, fearful of retribution, but Mycroft simply moved round the table to slide his laptop back under the chopping board, before practically falling back to his own seat, a single thought passing through his mind before it went black.

Don't do anything too stupid with it, Brother Mine.

Mycroft strode the halls towards a meeting he dreaded, his face the picture of calm control, his assistant struggling to mask her concern behind him. His eye caught a flicker of movement round the corner before Hugo Oberstein stepped out before him, and sighed internally.

"Ah Mycroft, I was rather hoping to bump into you," he said, as if he hadn't clearly be waiting for Mycroft to pass this way, "I wanted to talk to you about that favour I asked of you..."

"Did you not receive my email? He said 'No' Hugo." Mycroft replied with a touch of impatience "At any rate, I am on my way to a meeting deciding his fate for killing a man; not the best time to discuss his future job prospects."

"Oh but I think it is." Hugo smirked, gesturing for Mycroft to continue walking and falling into step beside him. "You said before that being a free man you could not order him to take the job, but he's not a free man now is he? Those with MI6 status can serve their sentences for any crime they commit with compulsory service, can they not?"

"They can, but any suggestion of such on my part to the council could be viewed as nepotism, trying to ensure a lighter sentence based on familial sentiment."

"If they feared nepotism they would not be inviting you to this hearing at all. They need your input Mycroft, they have no idea what to do with him, do they? Anyone else would already be in prison, but he's not." Hugo pointed out. "Why is that? Because either he'll break out and expose holes in their security, or he'll be killed by those he helped put in there, which with his celebrity status, would not go down well with the commonwealth. They're looking to you to give them another option, and this is it. They get what they need, I get what I need, and you'll be free of your debt and your brother's troublemaking. Everybody wins."

It was exactly what Mycroft knew and feared he would say, because he also knew Hugo was right. Even Sherlock would probably call it a more desirable result. He didn't like it though, even if the small calculating smile he flashed Hugo said differently.

"Keep thinking like that and you'll go far, Hugo."

The man preened at Mycroft's praise, excusing himself poorly disguised delight.

"I want a full, but discreet investigation of Hugo Oberstein. Leave no stone unturned." Mycroft instructed his assistant the moment he was out of earshot. "I want him out of office at the earliest opportunity."

"Yes sir." She agreed, walking away as Mycroft stopped in front of the door, behind which his brother's fate would be decided.

If Oberstein was unhappy when he found out that his mission had been cancelled - that Sherlock had been recalled when England faced threat once again - it was nothing compared to how he felt the next week, when all his dirty little secrets were aired, his position and power was stripped from him. No longer able to take his revenge through his power over Mycroft Holmes, he would have to find another way.

A way to teach them both a lesson.