Mycroft could see Sherlocks leg twitching - his first sign of "anxiety". His five year old face stared intensely at the clock as the seconds ticked. Sherlock turned to state: "fifty two seconds. He's still not here".

Fifty two f-ing seconds was to long for Mother to sit waiting and, apparently too long for Sherlock to wait either. Sherlocks leg started bouncing and his index finger on his right hand tapped. "Why is he late?" Mycroft shut his eyes and tried to work out what to do.

"Do you want to play a game?"

"Probably not. Seventy six seconds."

"Look at the secretaries shoes - what do you see?"

For the first time in eighty seconds, Sherlock looked away from the ticking clock. "They're shiny" Sherlocks leg was still twitching but the tapping finger had gone.

"And at the bottom?"

"Muddy"

"And that means?"

Suddenly the leg stopped twitching and Sherlocks face lit up as he faced his brother "It raised yesterday."

"Rained Sherlock. So yesterday she..."

"Went for a walk?"

"How long did it rain for?"

Sherlock didn't even need to think "Twelve forteen to twelve twenty one. For seven minutes. We're in a drought - caused by-"

"No Sherlock that's irrelevant. Could she have got that mud from seven minutes of rain - don't forget she works in London?"

Sherlock shook his head. "If she didn't get muddy here she got muddy somewhere else"

"but - her shoes are smart shoes - why would she wear them to somewhere she knew was muddy?"

"She had to run somewhere after work" Sherlocks face was animated - despite the prescription pills they gave him last week.

Suddenly a tired voice echoed from behind them "One hundred and thirty seconds late. I thought I'd say it before you did"

Sherlock looked at the clock then grinned at Myrcroft "I didn't notice"

Dr Brint walked around to face the pair. "I presume you're ready?"

Sherlock looked at the doctor knowing that for once he was in power: "red eyes - you're tired. You have a wedding ring - did he always have that Myrcroft? Your shirt is ironed but you are wearing shoes one size too small - you slept in - and-"

"He's always had a wedding ring"

"And... I didn't notice?" I

Mycroft stood next to his brother "You dismissed it"

Disappointment flashed across Sherlocks face then his eyes lit up "and and you have sugar on your shirt, you had something sweet for breakfast-"

The doctor grabbed his chance "come into my office, sit down quietly and I'll tell you what I had for breakfast". He turned to Mycroft "your Mother"

"is waiting in the car for me"

"and her opinion on the effect of the new tablets"

"is in this letter" the doctor pocketed the paper covered in swirling handwriting.

"Sherlock seems different"

"He's interested in something other than himself. It won't last long. My Mother wants to know how the analysis is going on - a family friend thinks aspergers"

"I think there's more too it than that"

"I know."

"When will-"

"we hoped to pick him up at the end if your session - at eleven. But, because of your lateness we'll wait five minutes"

"My lateness was unavoidable"

"Your lateness is inexcusable. You picked a donut from crispy creme on the way to work - and you drive to work. You know he gets nervous - and it's not the first time you've let it happen."

The doctors eyes drifted to the cut on Mycrofts forehead, it was almost healed "I'm sorry". Mycroft nodded at his apology, and turned to exit - then thought better of it and faced the doctor again "She won't leave you. Your wife - she's being secretive because she is-"

"Having an affair"

"Just...wait two weeks and then ask yourself why she was being secretive"

Even twenty years later the Doctor wondered how the thirteen year old boy knew about his surprise birthday party before he did.