Brother Dearest.

The Holmes brothers never talk about their younger sister Violet after she became estranged at 19, 13 years later she may prove invaluable to them as they try to uncover the true origin of Moriarty's return. However Violet may just be a chess piece in one of the most dangerous games of manipulation Mycroft and Sherlock have ever seen.

disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, or any of the canonical story lines, although I really wish I did own Benedict Cumberbatch ;)

This idea came to me after a conversation I had with my sister, also after doing a little research and finding out about works based upon Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The idea of a sister was originally written by Nancy Springer, and I thought I'd have my own play with that idea! I'm writing this in the POV of Sherlock, Mycroft and my own character Violet. Hope you enjoy!

Warning: major spoilers of season 3 to be included, and some adult themes and language in later chapters.

Introduction

Violet:

Violet Enola Holmes, the youngest of the three siblings was by far the most rebellious, despite Sherlock's misadventures throughout childhood, puberty and well into adulthood. She like her brothers had an innate intelligence far more advanced than any recognised genius. She was also cunning and devious, and more often or not, was able to use her womanly charisma to manipulate everyone around her. Much like both of her brothers she was arrogant and quick witted, although very unlike her brothers had a softer side, often blamed on her being a female by her brothers.
It was no surprise that Violet used her gifts to her advantage and developed herself a glittering career as a procurer of lost things. She was a master of disguise, well traveled and would often go undercover to acquire whatever property, person or documents she was commissioned to retrieve. Of course she used her job for personal gain, often acquiring sensitive documents or priceless valuables and held them to ransom to gain power and knowledge.

After a rather rocky and rebellious youth, Violet became estranged from her family and lived under the alias of Valerie Wilde, when she was not undercover. However, despite being estranged from her family, Violet followed every news story concerning her older brother Sherlock, the world famous and only consulting detective. She ached for a way back into his life as he was the only one who had came close to understanding her, he was the only one out of her entire family who had known the pain of living in Mycroft's shadow, and although it was not common for the Holmes' siblings to show any kind of brotherly or sisterly compassion, Violet was quite fond of Sherlock and she liked to believe the feeling was mutual.

Violet watched the news tirelessly and read the papers religiously, sifting through the everyday droll to find stories of her now famous brother. It had almost become an habitual obsession, a hopeless way of feeling in some way a part of Sherlock's life. She felt the pain of grief when she heard of his bloody demise, after he had thrown himself off of the roof of St. Bartholomew's hospital in London. She used her cunning, skill of disguise and her gift of manipulation to break into Scotland Yard, to acquire the case notes of her brother's death and the inquest which followed. She studied the notes meticulously, scrutinising every detail and desperately clung to the hope that she may find a sign that he could still be alive. She toyed with the possibility of contacting her parents or god forbid Mycroft, so they could come together and mourn the loss as a family unit. She attended his funeral as an onlooker and stood in the sidelines as she studied every face in the crowed, hoping not to be recognised. She found it strange but a relief that her patents no Mycroft were in attendance, only Dr John Watson, Sherlock's flat mate and accomplice in all his cases. Violet came to the conclusion that perhaps Sherlock was estranged too.

Sherlock's return from the dead, came as a shock to her, although she was mostly relieved. She again found herself following her brother's every movement in the media, once again desperate for a way back in, but always terrified of approaching him first. Then one day, as if she herself was being watched, the opportunity arose in the form of Jim Moriarty, or so she thought.

Sherlock:

Throughout childhood, before the star tiling realisation that emotions and sentiment were a disadvantage, and before Sherlock preferred to be referred to by his middle name rather than his given name of "William". His younger days were filled with the usual childish fun that was expected of a young growing boy, although because of his and his siblings' innate superior minds, many of the childhood games often became complex and intricate. The young Sherlock also shared some familiar sentiment towards his younger sister, Violet, although sibling rivalry was ever present throughout their upbringing. Because of the larger age gap between Mycroft the eldest sibling, who was eight years Sherlock's senior, and ten years Violet's senior, this meant naturally Sherlock and Violet were closer and the sibling rivalry stronger between the two younger siblings. Mycroft often excluded himself from the childish play, being well into his teens by the time Sherlock was 8, although hints of sibling rivalry was always present between the two brothers and in some cases between Mycroft and Violet. In Sherlock's eyes he could never really win, he was stuck between the brilliance of his shining example of a brother, and the fact that the only girl was the apple of their parents eyes.
When Sherlock was 9 years old, his beloved canine companion Redbeard was put down, after complications because of a nasty kidney infection. This devastated the young boy, so much so it was the first in a series of events that changed something within him. He distanced himself from his own emotions and therefore his family. Where people thought he was cold, it was just the effects of a heartbroken little boy who wanted to be rid of the pain. Unfortunately this meant distancing himself from Violet, who was grieving the loss of Redbeard herself and going through her own struggles. From that moment on Sherlock preferred to be called Sherlock rather than his given name. It was a decision made to distance himself from his childhood and was made in admiration of his brother Mycroft, who too had an unusual name. His new name Sherlock gave him the push he need to become more practical rather than emotional, much like his brother.

As Sherlock approached his late teens, while Violet was approaching her mid teens, thing became incredibly rocky between the Holmes siblings. Sherlock incredibly bored by his conventional education would often disappear for days on end. Sometimes studying books of a higher educational level than those provided for him, sometimes to find his next recreational fix. It was only when Mycroft dragged Sherlock Holme by the scruff of his neck, that he even bothered returning.

Sherlock would often clash with Violet, calling her stupid frequently, he would talk down to her as if she were a child and made sure every insult was as sharp and hurtful as the last. Violet however, always gave him as good as she got and refused to back down, often calling him a "junkie" or their parents' "greatest disappointment", causing vast amounts of friction between the younger siblings. But as the years went on Violet followed in her brother's footsteps and was often the one likely to disappear for days on end in order to find her own recreational fix. Mycroft once again had the responsibility of dragging his sister back home, just as had done with Sherlock. By now Sherlock was in his very early 20's around the age of 21, in university studying advanced chemistry. While Violet was only 19 and also in university studying forensic science and criminology. Mycroft was 29 and had found himself a job within the MOD, with the promising prospects of career progression. Sherlock saw how proud his parents were of the eldest sibling and could not shake the feeling of bitterness and resentment towards Mycroft, as he himself was constantly reminded of how much of a disappointment he and Violet were, and how his parents so wished they would follow in Dear Mycroft's example. This put enormous amounts of pressure on both the younger siblings, who were both as bad as each other. Violet would often use her innate gifts to shoplift or break into places with moderate security, without stealing anything, just because she was bored. It wasn't long before her inherited addictive personality got the better of her and she was often found in crack dens or in the company of questionable acquaintances as she tried to find her next fix.

The last time Sherlock ever laid eyes upon Violet was a particularly painful memory, stored forever in his mind palace. She was on a come down from a particularly astronomical high, and because for some reason Mycroft was not available, Sherlock was sent to go find her instead. He found her in a particularly dismal crack den, paint stripping from the walls, no electricity, the faint sound of water dripping and the unmistakable stench of urine. She along with several other addicts were all spiralled out across the floor as they were all in various stages of being high. Most unable to talk or even look up from the point in which their eyes were focused on. It was not hard to spot Violet in the crowd, she was by far the best dressed and her masses of dark ringlets covered her face and cushioned her head on the hard floor. Sherlock sympathised with his younger sister, while she begged not be taken home only to be scrutinised mercilessly by their parents. But he had no choice, Sherlock had seen first hand the dangers of these sorts of places and the kind of people associated with them, and he was not going to let his sister rot in this hell hole for a moment longer. On the way home Violet shot endless rumblings of abuse at him, threatening never to forgive him for putting her into the firing line of their parents. Sherlock thought Violet never forgave him, especially after the ferocious arguments that followed between Violet and their parents, the arguments that caused Violet to leave the family home never to return again, or speak a single word to any of the Holmes family.

Sherlock once again devastated by the loss of his sister, decided I defiantly that the only way to protect himself from his own feelings, was his ability to detach himself from any emotion he may bare. He used the excuse that his emotions were holding him back at university and was often told he had an icy heart. He soon distanced himself from his family, only having minimal contact with them. Sherlock Holmes had built a fortress around his heart and his defences were only faltered when Dr John Watson came into his life. Even so Sherlock never forgot the guilt he felt the day his sister walked out, and used it as a reminder of how emotions and sentiment were a disadvantage.

Mycroft:

Mrcroft Holmes was never interested in family sentiment, he never cared for birthdays or christmas, he never sent cards and every card he received, he'd give a quick glance over before throwing it into the fire. Sentiment to him was a weakness, a weakness he could not afford to possess. He was not the type of person to show a great deal of emotion and this was how he liked to present himself. However, Mycroft Holmes really did care about his family, despite never showing it publicly. On several occasions Mycroft went as far as protecting his younger siblings from dangerous situations, although silently and unknown from the sidelines.

When both his younger siblings had gotten themselves into bother, either with the law or mindless drug use, Mycroft used his job and abilities to get them out of trouble. No gratitude was ever shown towards him, neither was it wanted, for if it had been, the Holmes siblings would all have to disregard their mantra and admit to being human, something none of them wanted. When Violet disappeared it broke his heart, and although he never admitted it, he felt he had as much a part to play in her estrangement as everybody else.

So Mycroft put his job and skill set to a rather personal use, for the next 13 years Violet was under the constant watch of Mycroft. He watched her every move, occasionally stepping in silently to help get her out of sticky situations. But he never sought out any real contact with her.

So what did you think? Please review :)

First fic I've written in a while, and first ever sherlock fic! I'm rather excited about this one!

Xx