Greg Lestrade sat with his head on his desk, groaning. It was too hot to be working this late. Sherlock Holmes may have solved the case for him, but oh the paperwork! Just the paperwork was making him stay to seven o'clock, and he had been there since seven that morning. Outside had been a beautiful summer day, about as beautiful as summer can get in London, and Sally Donovan made sure to bring him a coffee from the shop down the street, but he was stuck inside-
A knock sounded smartly on his door, and in walked Mycroft Holmes. Greg quickly lifted his head and made to stand
"Good evening, detective inspector," Mycroft said smoothly, motioning for him to remain seated.
"Good evening, Mr Holmes," Greg responded with a smile. "How can I help you?"
"I've come to offer a sort of stress relief, if you'll accept."
In the some odd years Greg had known the elder Holmes, not once had he ever came out and said exactly what he meant, and he groaned internally. But this stress relief, maybe Mycroft knew some good bars in the area that he hadn't yet tried?
"Alright, continue," he said, fighting to not yawn. It never bode well to yawn in front of such an important part of the British government.
"It has come to my attention that you and Sherlock have solved numerous cases, in addition to your regular caseload, and as a thank you, I personally would like to extend an invitation to you, to the United States for a fortnight."
Greg must have given the Holmes a very quizzical look, because Mycroft allowed himself a chuckle.
"I have had someone book the flights for you, as well as arranged a car to transport you wherever in the States you wish, and made it known to your superiors that you will be unable to work unless it is by internet."
"Wait a moment, Mr Holmes," Greg said, hoping he didn't seem too forward, "I don't really get a choice on this holiday do I?"
"If you choose to accept, I will pay full expenses." Was it just his imagination, or did Mycroft wink at him?
"Why are you offering this?"
"Just a favor, can I not offer my thanks to the man who has kept my brother safe for all these years?" Mycroft smiled at him, and Greg could tell the smile was indeed genuine.
The gray haired man nodded in acceptance.
"When do I leave?" he asked softly.
"As soon as you are packed, call me and I will send a car." A small paper card was passed to Greg, and he smiled for the first time in hours.
"Thank you Mr Holmes, I really appreciate it," he said.
"Please, detective inspector, call me Mycroft. It's the least I can do, I am indebt to you."
Greg nodded, then added, "Greg, to my friends." He offered up another smile to Mycroft, who allowed one corner of his mouth to raise just slightly. The slightly younger man then bid farewell and turned to exit the room.
As he left, Greg couldn't help but watch in a little envy at the sleek suit he was wearing. In any case, there was going to be no more working tonight, so Greg began to pack up his belongings. This holiday to the States would be good for him, he was telling himself. He hadn't had a holiday in months, and certainly not a proper one since the divorce. And a holiday to the States; he couldn't remember if he'd even been across the Atlantic since university.
His flat was still a mess, but for the first time in a long time he was happy with it the way it was. He packed quickly, throwing half a dozen shirts, two pairs of pants and two pairs of shorts into a suitcase, along with socks and boxers. Once he was all set, he dragged his suitcase to the door and phoned Mycroft.
"Hi, it's Greg... Yeah I'm ready to go, thanks. Hey, is anyone coming with me?"
Upon hearing that this would be a solo trip, Greg, half joking, asked, "Why don't you come with me? Show me around?"
He almost dropped the phone when he heard Mycroft say yes to his question.
"Awesome, looking forward to seeing you."
Smacking his forehead, Greg hung up. How was he going to hide the fact that he'd had a crush on Mycroft for the past few years, if they were taking a holiday together? He was so stupid, obviously this would be a working holiday for the government worker. And besides, he didn't even know where they were going. There would probably be lots of space between them.
A sleek black car pulled up to Greg's flat thirty minutes later. A beautiful young woman stepped out from the passenger seat to help him with his suitcase, which went into the trunk, before he got into the back seat and found Mycroft sitting next to him.
"Good evening once again, Gregory."
Greg smiled in response, not trusting his voice wouldn't crack in close proximity to the elder Holmes. The car went smoothly to the airport, and soon they were in Mycroft's private jet heading to the United States.