Mr. Bee stays at Uncle Mycroft´s
(Part 10 of Little Sherlock)
John and William arrived at Mycroft's place with a cab. William loved to drive through the city in a cab. He said he could watch the city passing by. Mycroft had invited them for tea and cake. John lifted William up so he could reach the doorbell. Or better Mr. Bee could reach it. With his fingers William pushed down the button by using his plush toy's hand. John placed William back on the ground and as soon as Mycroft opened the door William jumped at him and hugged 'his Uncle Mycroft' around the waist. "Hello Uncle Mycroft." William smiled at him as he is lifted up into Mycroft's arms.
"Good afternoon to you too. Little man." Mycroft was still not entirely happy about the title 'Uncle but took as much time as he could afford to spend time with his younger brother. He could understand why his brother wanted to be a child again. Now, surrounded by people who loved him and would do everything for him, he had the chance to a second childhood, even if it would be only for a week. "Hello John." The older man smiled at the doctor and shook his hand. They entered the house and William was allowed to choose the cups for the tea. "William, how about you go to the living room and sit down with John and Mr. Bee? I will bring the tea and the promised cake."
"Cake. Cake. Cake." William jumped up and down. Suddenly Mycroft wasn't too sure about giving more sugar to the child. "Can Mr. Bee have his own piece of cake?" William asked hopefully and showed Mycroft the very hungry looking bee. At least that was what William's eyes were telling him.
"I think you and Mr. Bee should share the first piece of cake. If you two are then able to eat another one, we can talk about it. Now tell John to sit down so we can have our tea." William ran out of the kitchen and left Mycroft with the tray behind in the kitchen. Mycroft smiled as he remembered his brother being like that every time it was only Nanna and him.
"John tea is ready." William came running into the living room. Jumping up and down and happy. It had been his wish to visit Mycroft today and John was glad they could. Since the week with William had started the child had changed continuously. He was more open to other people and liked to have them around him. He loved London and spending time outside. Something the real Sherlock never liked as a child. Mycroft thought that it was the doctor's doing but John wasn't too sure about it.
"Calm down William, I'm sitting already. Come sit next to me." William obeyed without hesitation and jumped next to John, smiling and placing Mr. Bee between them.
"Mycroft has cake and it looks delicious and if Mr. Bee and I can eat more than one piece together we get another one." John had to lift an eyebrow. Mycroft was spoiling his little brother a bit too much.
"That's very nice of Uncle Mycroft." He said the word 'Uncle' a bit louder as Mycroft entered the room, knowing that he wasn't happy about his title. 'Uncle Mycroft' was at least sporting a bit of a guilty look on his face. But both men knew they spoiled the boy too much and they would continue to do so.
While Mycroft and John enjoyed their tea, William ate his cake. The boy's eyes wandered around the room and repeatedly went back to the book shelf. The two men were talking about one of William's habits when William asked. "Uncle Mycroft can I have a look at your books?"
"I don't think you will find anything interesting for you." William's eyes look back sadly. "Of course you can. But first you have to wash your hands. There is chocolate cake all over your hands. We don't want the books to get dirty, right?" Mycroft stood up and held out his hand for William. "I will show you the bathroom." William followed Mycroft into the hall and down to the guest toilet. He didn't take his Uncle's hand so as to not make it dirty.
After washing his hands with a bit of help and a small chair to reach the sink William attacked the book shelf. Mycroft and John finished their tea and joined the child by the shelf. William had found a book about historical buildings and was looking at pictures of old furniture. "Look John they have funny cushions on their sofas and they don't look comfortable." William pointed at a sofa that would have been used to hold a discussion in a small group but not looking as if it was made for sitting together and enjoying any kind of softness.
Mycroft's phone rang while they looked at a tea set that was made out of thin material, thin enough to look through it. "It looks like it would break the second you touch it."
"That's right William. If you use cups like that you have to be very careful with them." John looked up to Mycroft who had a serious look on his face. "No that is the kind of emergency for which I told you it is okay to call me." William was looking at Mycroft now too. "No I will be on my way. Send a second car." Mycroft turned his back to them. "Good. Try to separate them or distract them. I will be there in ten minutes max." Mycroft ended the call and John had picked up William who had started to understand that the visit was over.
"Sorry John, William. We have to end this pleasant get-together. I have an emergency meeting." He had already taken his coat and John took William's and his own. In under a minute they left the house. "I will visit you as soon as possible. The car will bring you two home." He smiled at William. "Sorry but sometimes I have to do things that I don't want to do." William looked sad and waved at Mycroft who was on the phone again and climbing into a waiting car. The next car stopped for them and John lifted William into the back seat.
"I know you are sad William, that you are unhappy that our visit was a bit short but Uncle Mycroft will visit us again." William did not say anything, just kept looking at his hands in his lap. "His job is very important. He keeps this country safe. Do you know what that means?" William shook his head. He liked his Uncle and would have liked to spend much more time with him. "He is working for the government. The government keeps all the people in the country safe and makes laws to protect them but sometimes people from other countries don't agree with things from our country and so, to stop a fight, Uncle Mycroft has to play the peace maker."
"So Uncle Mycroft stops people from fighting and if he stops doing that and only plays with me they would continue and then something bad would happen, right?" John nodded and William started to look out of the window. They had almost reached Baker Street when William's shout pulled John out of his thoughts.
"Mr. Bee." John looked at William and saw the tears coming. "John we need to go back. Mr. Bee is still at Uncle Mycroft's. Hurry. He is alone. We need to go back." William pulled at John's shirt to make him listen but John knew the problem was not going to be solved by going back. They needed to get into their house.
"I will call Mycroft." He didn't tell the driver to turn and Mycroft's phone was turned off, so was Anthea's. He couldn't reach anyone in the office that could tell him anything useful so he left a message everywhere for Mycroft to call back telling him about the stuffed animal they had left in his house. William meanwhile had started to cry and was pleading for John to go back and get Mr. Bee but John wouldn't be able to break into a house without the adult Sherlock. Sighing and defeated knowing what kind of evening would follow he turned to William, who was still asking him to go back.
"I'm sorry William we can't go back today. We need to wait for Uncle Mycroft to finish his meeting."
"No no no no. NOOOO. We need to get him now. He will be lonely and scared and he will think I left him, please John. He needs me."
"We have to wait for Uncle My…"
"NO we need to get him back now." The car stopped in front of 221B and John thanked the driver over William's crying. As the child did nothing to leave the car he picked him up and carried him inside. Small hands were pulling at John's coat and little fists punched him against the chest. It didn't hurt and wasn't meant to hurt. It was just the result of a huge amount of frustration and fear coming out of the little human being. Mrs. Hudson looked out of her door while John climbed up the stairs holding the screaming William.
"Sorry Mrs. Hudson." John tried to calm down the little child in his arms but nothing he did was helping.
"Oh dear. What happened? Is he hurt?" She looked worried.
"No, we forgot Mr. Bee at Mycroft's, who is now in a meeting and we can't reach him." Completely understanding the situation she nodded and entered her flat again. John was sure a cake, cookies or something else would appear in their flat very soon.
In the flat John placed William on the sofa, took off his coat and shoes. "We will get him first thing in the morning. I promise. Maybe Uncle Mycroft's meeting is over early and he can bring it tonight." Still crying, William wasn't happy about either option. He jumped up and ran to the door. Too small to reach the door knob, he hit the door with his hands. "Open up John, we need to go to Mr. Bee now."
John pulled William away from the door and the child continued to try to reach it desperately. "John please." But all the fighting had no use. John's attempts at distracting him were ignored, Mrs. Hudson's homemade cake wasn't even looked at and no coloring, watching movies, treats or playing games, got William away from the door and his crying for Mr. Bee.
In the end William fell asleep in John's arms tired out and still crying in his sleep. John didn't move away from the sofa, too afraid to wake William up again. A soft vibration of his phone next to him pulled John out of the first waves of sleep.
"Yes?" John whispered and on the other end was a short pause.
"I received your message. I'm sorry that my hurried leaving caused you to have a nightmare of an evening. I will come over in the morning with his bee, a cover story and breakfast." Mycroft really sounded sorry, probably had experienced similar nights before.
"That sounds great. Hopefully Sherlock will sleep until then." They said their good byes and John fell asleep, knowing that his shoulder will hurt in the morning after having slept in the chair.
Mycroft could hear his brother's crying from the street. He had always had a very loud voice. The door was opened by Mrs. Hudson who was more than relieved to see him and the bee in his hand. "Thank god you are here. He started crying the second he woke up and that was an hour ago." Mycroft nodded and walked up the stairs to enter John's flat.
"Good morning William. Look who is back after his very important mission." The crying stopped for a second. William turned to the door, saw Mr. Bee in Mycroft's hand and ran to it, crying again.
"I'm sorry Mr. Bee. I didn't want you to be left alone. I'm sorry. I will never leave you again." The toy was crushed in his arms and Mycroft waited until William had calmed down a bit.
"William, Mr. Bee was on a special mission, didn't he tell you that?" William looked up to him and back to his friend. Shaking his head and wiping his tears away. "He had to protect my home so no one could come and steal my secrets. That was very important and Mr. Bee did a really good job. All the secrets are still in the house." He smiled a bit at William who was holding his bee tight.
"Mr. Bee is too small to do things like that alone. He has to stay with me so I can protect him." William turned a bit to the side so as to protect his bee from Mycroft.
"I'm sorry William. I thought Mr. Bee could do that for a night, he was really very helpful." It looked like William was thinking about Mycroft's words.
"It was not okay without asking me but it is always a good thing to help other people. But the next time we have a sleepover at your house. Mr. Bee can't be alone again; John and I will stay too. We will protect your secrets together." Finally William let himself be pulled into a hug from Mycroft who carried him to the kitchen table where John had prepared the breakfast. John cleaned William's nose and gave him a kiss on the head. Mr. Bee stayed on William's lap the whole time and William was smiling again.