A/N: There is a fantastic Tumblr (mystradeiscanon) that posts Mycroft/Lestrade headcanons. I'm an idiot and decided to write a story based on one.

As with everything else here, I own nothing. I would love to thank the anonymous person who supplied this headcanon for letting my creative side run a bit wild. I'm sorry it is super awful. Please don't hate me.

Headcanon #6: Greg's ex-wife is actually okay with the relationship because it makes her feel less guilty for cheating. She and Lestrade become friends and she is the one who helps him tell the kids he is in love with a man.

Greg was nervous. He shouldn't have been, but he was. It was ridiculous. He chased after dangerous criminals every day. He shouldn't be worrying about what his children thought of him.

His twins, the two oldest, knew that he was bisexual. They had found out when Sarah came out when they were 12. Henry had sat next to her, holding her hand through her nerves, and had breathed a twin sigh of relief with her when their mum hugged Sarah and their dad confessed that he was also attracted to men. He had never hidden it purposely, but he just felt that it wasn't relevant to their lives at the time. The four youngest still had no idea. He and Michelle just made sure that their kids knew that it was okay to be whoever they were, and they would love them no matter what.

Here he stood, though, four years after his daughter had worked up the courage to tell her parents that she was a lesbian, in front of all six of his children, his ex-wife of just over a year sitting in an armchair just behind him, there for support that he couldn't believe he was lucky enough to have form her. Despite this, though, he couldn't find the right words to say.


Two weeks prior to this family meeting, he had called Michelle up and asked her to come into the city sometime so he could discuss something important with her.

"Are you alright?" she asked immediately. "You sound a bit off."

"I'm fine, Michelle."

"Greg. If you've been shot again, I swear-"

"It's nothing like that. It's actually something really great. Just, could you come down to the Yard sometime this week so we could have a chat? Just the two of us?"

Michelle was silent for a few seconds. "You don't want me to bring the kids? I can't take them out of school, but we can all come down for dinner. I know how much you miss them, and I hate that you don't get to see them all the time anymore."

"I would love to see them, but I really need to speak with you, Michelle. Just you. Next time, I will write all of them excuse notes so they can get out of class and we can all get lunch together."

She chuckled into her end of the phone. "Nice try, Gregory Lestrade. How is tomorrow at one?"


Most of the Yarders who worked under Detective Inspector Lestrade knew that Michelle Reynolds, formerly Lestrade, had cheated on their boss. The D.I. was a good man, and they could see the toll that her infidelity had taken on him. Those who knew him especially well knew that it had killed him before the divorce that he didn't get to see his kids as often as he would like, and now that he barely got any time with them, he was doing his best to hide the fact that he was miserable.

That is, until six months after his divorce had become final, and one day their boss came strolling into the office whistling, wearing the same suit as he had been wearing the day before, and with a gigantic purple bruise that was ringed with teeth marks just barely visible on his neck.

Nobody there knew who exactly he was seeing, but they thanked them for improving his mood. Lestrade deserved to be happy, and watching him try to save a crumbling relationship, then dealing with being served with the divorce papers one afternoon during a particularly awful case that had even Sherlock stumped (he and John had found him slumped over his desk, shoulders shaking with silent sobs, tears dripping onto the envelope that held the papers that would most likely tear his family apart. John had decided that the fact that it was 2:30 on a Tuesday didn't matter. Greg was taking a half-day with him, and he proceeded to get him spectacularly pissed before five. He spent the evening and night alternating between crying on John's shoulder and into the toilet in 221B.), and finally as he couldn't see his children as frequently as he wanted (despite the fact that he was free to see them whenever he wanted. Work and distance just got in the way) hurt the Yarders in a different way that it hurt their boss.

So when Michelle walked in, it was really no surprise that the place went fairly silent and heads turned to stare at her as she strode over to their boss' office and rapped on the door.

What surprised most of them, though, was the fact that Lestrade lit up like a Christmas tree and pulled her in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He pulled on his coat and began making his way to the elevator with her, laughing and smiling like they used to before Michelle had stopped being faithful. He stopped at Donovan's desk on their way out and said, "We'll just be popping out for some lunch. Shouldn't be more than an hour or so."

Donovan nodded coolly. "Michelle. Did you bring the kids down to see him?"

Michelle ignored Sally's demeanor, much to Lestrade's relief, and chuckled. "Lovely to see you, Sally. No, unfortunately they're all in school right now. Greg and I just needed a bit of a catch up and to discuss a few things."

Donovan's eyes narrowed. "So you aren't here to rip his heart out again-" (Lestrade glared at her and growled, "Donovan" as menacingly as he could manage.) "-because if you do I swear none of us will let you get away with it."

"Sally, if you don't think I feel awful about the choices I've made, you're wrong. Just because you and Anderson haven't been able to remain civil towards each other since he patched things up with his wife doesn't mean that Greg and I haven't been able to remain friends. We should get together sometime soon. If you need someone to talk to, I'm still here to listen, even if I'm not married to your boss anymore. Lovely to see you," Michelle had responded. Then she put her arm around Lestrade's waist in an intimate gesture that was obviously completely platonic and they walked to the elevator, leaving Donovan and all of her coworkers stunned.

(Later, Sally did take Michelle up on her offer, and they resumed their friendship like nothing had happened in the year and a half they hadn't seen each other.)

Lestrade and Michelle chatted about the kids the whole way to the café they both loved, and it wasn't until they had ordered that Michelle sighed and said, "Stop beating around the bush, Greg. You talk to them at least twice a day when you don't see them. You know what's going on there. Why did you ask me here?"

He ducked his head, and sighed. "I wanted to let you know that I started seeing someone and, well, it's going really, really well."

That wasn't the answer that she was expecting. Still, she smiled and grabbed one of his hands across the table. "I'm so happy for you!"

Lestrade raised his eyes slowly. "Really?"

"Of course I am, Greg. What kind of question is that? I feel like such a twat still for everything I did to you, and I doubt that guilt will ever go away. All I really want is for you to be happy. Besides, you know about the guy that I'm seeing and you were just as ecstatic for me as I am right now."

"Ah, yes, you and your bloody psychiatrist," Greg smirked.

"Yes, my bloody psychiatrist, you silly goose. But you know all about that. It's my turn to listen. Give me a name!"

Greg hesitated, then said, "Mycroft."

Michelle let the name roll around in her brain, and then said, "I'm guessing that's a name that belongs to someone who has a cock?"

"Michelle!"

She giggled. "So I'm right?" He nodded. "Is he good to you?"

Her heart stuttered a bit when he got a look in his eyes that said nothing other than utter devotion. "He makes me so happy, Michelle."

She squeezed his hand, and then pulled hers back. "You deserve nothing better than the best, Greg. If he ever does anything to hurt you, I'll kill him."

Greg snorted into his coffee. He didn't doubt it.

"So how long have you been seeing him?"

"Well, it's been about six months-"

"Gregory Lestrade!" she admonished. "You kept this hidden for this long?"

"To be fair, you would have probably told the kids, and I didn't want to spring that on them or him that early on," Greg pointed out.

"Fair play," Michelle admitted. "Does he know that you have kids?"

"Of course."

"Let me revise that question: does he know just how many adolescent Greg Lestrade look-alikes that are running around in the world?"

"Absolutely. But, like I said, the timing hasn't been right yet. He told me last weekend that he would like to meet them if I'm ready to introduce them, which of course, I'm over the moon about. It's just, well…"

Michelle finished his sentence as he trailed off. "You still haven't told Ian, Tristan, Charlotte, or Katie that you bat for the other team as well."

"Exactly. I know that they're fine with Sarah-"

"Who has a new girlfriend, by the way."

"Wait. When did that happen?"

"Oh, she even hasn't told me yet. I'm sure you would be the first parent she would break the news to, though, for obvious reasons. She just spends a lot more time at other people's houses and comes home reeking of some God-awful perfume and looking all mussed up in the evenings."

"Well, I didn't need to know that bit. Anyways, I'm just a bit worried about how people will react."

"Are you more worried about how they'll react, or how the people they know will react when they find out that they might be getting two step-fathers?"

"Hold up, how serious are things with your bloody psychiatrist?"

Michelle shook her head. "Serious enough. That isn't the point right now." She pursed her lips, and Greg knew better than to interrupt her when she wore that particular expression. "People will talk, Greg. There is nothing we can do to stop that. Your children will love you, no matter who you end up with. They're already so proud of you, that if anyone made some snide remark about you taking it up the bum, we would probably be receiving a call from the school about them breaking that kid's nose. They're your children, Greg. They don't take abuse lying down. They will be fine."

"I'm also worried about what people will say about you," he admitted. "I'm worried that people will think that I left you for another man. I think that would hurt you more than the actual reason that we split up."

Michelle shook her head fondly. "God, you're an idiot. First, everyone who is important knows that I was a cheating bitch. It doesn't matter that you were the one who asked for the divorce, I killed the marriage. Everyone knows it was my fault, and frankly, I don't care that they do, because it's the truth. If people start to talk and say something about how you left me for a man, I won't give a shit. In fact, I'll be sure to set the record straight- oh shut up you immature bastard-" Greg snorted at her choice of words, because really, there was nothing 'straight' about this situation. "-because I don't want people thinking any less of you. Besides, you don't have to worry about it hurting my chances of finding someone. It isn't like Dave will be worried that since you're with a man, people will automatically assume that I'm his beard. So stop worrying."

Greg looked incredibly relieved after her speech. "That's what I hoped you would say. Would- would mind being there when I tell them? For moral support? I'm not going to do introductions then, but I would feel better if we could do this as a family."

"Oh, Greg, if you didn't think I wasn't going to be there to see the expression on your face when they're excited for you and to say 'I told you so,' you aren't quite as smart as you used to be."

"Oi!" he exclaimed. Still, he was happy that she was so supportive of his new relationship. Michelle had always been accommodating of his sexual preferences, whether it was him raking his eyes over the body of some man they saw in a shop, or the few times they had decided to have a threesome and he had taken her while their new partner had taken him from behind. She was fine with it because she knew that he would never take it any farther than that and cheat on her. The guilt constantly coiled in her stomach twisted involuntarily at that thought.

"So, when am I going to get to meet this 'Mycroft'?" she finally asked.

"Well, here's the thing," Greg shifted awkwardly in his seat. "His schedule is nuts, and there's only so much free time he gets, so he's on the other side of the café in case you were okay with the idea."

Michelle stared at him for a moment, then threw her head back and laughed. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go get your boyfriend, Greggie!"

Greg rolled his eyes, then stood up. "You be nice. He's shy. I don't need you scaring him off before I even get a chance to introduce him to the kids."

Michelle put on her best angelic face, but he knew better. He glared at her until she waved him off, saying, "I'll be on my best behavior."

"Michelle. We were together for 22 years. I know what your 'best behavior' is, and I'm frightened." Greg then turned and walked across the café to converse with a newspaper that completely obscured the body of the reader. She watched Greg converse with the mysterious man behind the paper, then smiled as the man folded his paper neatly and Greg leaned down and placed a quick, familiar kiss on the corner of his mouth. The guilt coiled in her stomach loosened a bit when she saw that.

Greg had done well, she decided, as he made his way back to their table with the man. He was tall, exquisitely dressed, and wasn't too bad on the eyes. Despite Greg saying that he was shy, the man seemed to radiate confidence.

"Michelle, this is Mycroft Holmes. Mycroft, this is my ex-wife, Michelle," Greg smiled.

Michelle stood a bit. "It's wonderful to meet you, Mycroft!"

Mycroft delicately took her hand and shook it. "The pleasure is mine."

"I hope you know that I'm vetting you right now. You have to get through this lunch before you can meet the kids," Michelle winked.

Greg groaned, and Mycroft smiled good-naturedly, "I hope I live up to your impeccable standards."

They all sat down (Michelle took note of Greg pulling out Mycroft's chair for him, bless him), and over the course of the next hour and a half, the sadness (not the guilt. Never the guilt.) that Michelle had carried for so long about her ex-husband's loneliness after their divorce dissipated. Greg was smitten with his new partner, and Mycroft was clearly head over heels in love with him.

After their meals had been cleared away and they were all finishing their last cups of coffee, Greg had to take a call about a case. He very hesitantly left Michelle alone with Mycroft while he went outside.

Michelle sipped her coffee and remarked, "He's an excellent man."

"Indeed," Mycroft had nodded.

"Look," Michelle sighed, almost as if she was in pain. Mycroft cocked an eyebrow at her, his cup frozen halfway between its saucer and his lips. "I don't have much of a leg to stand on. I broke his heart and I hate myself for doing that. I will never forgive myself for what I did to him." Mycroft put his cup down and folded his hands on the table, bracing himself for whatever was about to come. "Greg's the father of my children, and I will always love him, no matter who I'm with. He's extremely special, and I know you see that because you're obviously mad for him."

"I couldn't ask for a better man," Mycroft stated honestly.

"I know. Believe me, I know. I can see that you love him and that makes me happier than anything right now, truly. But if you ever do anything to hurt him, I will hurt you, Mycroft Holmes. I don't care what your official job title is, and I don't believe this cock and bull 'minor position in the British government' story you gave me. If he so much as looks sad, I will make your life so miserable that you'll wish you were dead. Understand?"

Mycroft froze for several seconds and Michelle wondered if she had crossed a line until Mycroft said, "Michelle, I have no intention of ever hurting Gregory. He came into my life at a time where I wasn't sure I was ever going to find anyone. For the longest time, I believed I still was going to end up alone because I would have never dreamed of breaking up your marriage."

"I think that automatically makes you a better person than I am."

"Not necessarily." Mycroft looked down, took a deep breath, and then met Michelle's eyes again with a look that shattered her. "Could I trust you not to repeat what I am about to tell you to a single soul. Not even Gregory?"

She nodded.

Mycroft opened and closed his mouth several times. "You must forgive me. I am rather inept at expressing the way I feel about others at times. It is something that Gregory has been helping me with." He took another few seconds to compose himself, and Michelle began to understand why Greg said he was shy. "I love him more than I thought I was capable of loving anyone. I want to spend the rest of my life with him if he's amenable to spending the rest of his with someone like me. Not yet, of course, but someday I would like to tell him that. He makes me so happy, and I am determined to spend the rest of my life trying to make him as happy as he makes me by just being himself. I'm not perfect, and I will admit that I have let my job get in the way of every other relationship I've had, but I am trying as hard as I possibly can to not let that happen with him. I would be completely lost without him and would sooner die rather than hurt him."

Michelle was speechless for a minute. Then she placed a hand over Mycroft's, which were still tightly clasped on the table, and said, "Mycroft, how would you feel about meeting our children?"

"I would be honored."

They were still sitting there, grinning at each other, when Greg came back in. "What did I miss?" he asked, puzzled.

"Absolutely nothing, Greggie," Michelle teased, patting Mycroft's hands before pulling hers back.

Greg looked back and forth between the two of them, but neither would give anything away.

"Well, I guess we had better set up a time for you to break the news to the kids," Michelle smiled. "Mycroft, would you like to meet them on the same day, or would you rather give them a few days to settle into the idea?"

"I'm sure it would be best if we gave them some time to get used to the idea," Mycroft admitted.

"Then it's settled. The kids are going to visit Greg's parents in Bordeaux next weekend, so why don't you tell them the week after that? I'll make sure they're all home and that Sarah hasn't made plans to spend all day with the mystery girlfriend. Shall we say Saturday at three at the house?"

Greg nodded.

"Wonderful! I hate to do this, but I really have to go. Charlotte is having a friend over whose mother doesn't like the idea of her walking two streets over without parent supervision," Michelle said, rolling her eyes.

Greg chuckled as he stood to kiss her on her cheek. "Overbearing bint. I'll walk you out."

"Of course. Lovely to meet you, Mycroft. I hope I'll be seeing much more of you in the future."

"Likewise."

Greg and Michelle made their way out of the café. "You have to let me give you some money for this. You aren't obligated to pay for me anymore, Greg."

"Don't even think about it," he smiled, holding the door open for her. "What did you two talk about while I was out here?"

"Nothing of importance. We were talking about your abilities in the bedroom."

"If Mycroft was a different man, I might actually believe that lie. Really, Michelle, what was it?"

"I promised him I wouldn't tell you, and I think it would be better if I don't."

Greg stopped. "Should I be worried?"

"Not at all."

"You know I hate it when you tease me." They arrived at her car, which was parked in a prime spot on the street, and they hugged. "It was lovely to see you, Michelle. Give them all big hugs and kisses from me, will you? Tell them I'll call tonight sometime after 8, okay?"

"Of course." He started to pull away, but she pulled him back in and whispered in his ear, "Greg, he's a keeper. Don't ever let him go." Then she placed a quick kiss on his cheek before clumsily climbing into the driver's side, trying to hide the fact that she was so happy for him that she was crying.


Two weeks later, Greg had gone over his old house and all of his kids were piled on the couch in the sitting room, watching him. He knew that it would be fine, but for some reason, he couldn't find the right words to tell his kids that he was madly in love with a man.

"You aren't sick, are you Daddy?" Charlotte asked nervously.

"No, of course not, baby. I'm just as healthy as I've ever been."

"Well what's wrong?" Ian pressed.

"Nothing. Nothing, actually everything is fantastic. I just can't seem to find the right words, even though I had a whole speech rehearsed." Greg twisted his hands together and turned around to look at Michelle. "Could you help me out here?"

"This is your news to share, Greg. It will be fine," she smiled, trying to sound as comforting as possible.

"But-"

"Kids, will you always love your Daddy? No matter what?"

Six voices agreed that yes, they would always love him.

"Good. See Greg, there's nothing to worry about. Go on."

"Right." Greg scratched the back of his neck and scrunched up his face. "Well, I started dating someone a few months ago. Someone who I really like. They want to meet you all because you're the most important people in the world to me, and I want to introduce you to them. Is that okay?"

"Dad, we're fine with Mum being with Dave. What makes you think we would be upset just because you've got a girlfriend?" Tristan asked.

"Well that's the thing-"

"What's her name?" Katie asked.

"His name is Mycroft."

All of them stared at the father for a few seconds before Katie said, "So you're gay."

"No."

"But you just said-"

"I know what I just said. I'm not gay. I'm bisexual." Katie and Charlotte looked confused at the terminology, so he said, "I like both men and women."

"Oh. When did you decide this?" Charlotte asked.

"I've always been this way, love. Even before I met your mum, I dated both men and women. I wasn't particularly looking for someone of a specific gender to date, but it just so happened that the person I fell in love with happened to be a man." He swept his eyes from one side of the couch to another, looking for some sort of positive reaction from them.

Ian finally spoke up. "Does he love you?"

"Yes, and I love him very much."

"So why were you so nervous about telling us?"

"I guess I was just worried about how my dating a man would impact all of you. Kids can be mean about stuff like this, as you all know-" he smiled at Sarah, who grinned back at him "-and I didn't want anyone to make fun of you just because of who I fell in love with."

"Daddy, please," Charlotte smirked. "If Henry got suspended for breaking someone's arm for bullying Sarah, what makes you think all of us wouldn't do the same thing because some ignorant kid made fun of our Daddy?"

"You mean you'll handle it with your words like a civilized person, right Charlotte?" Michelle piped up.

"Yes, Mummy, that's exactly what I meant," Charlotte replied in a voice that was too innocent to convince any of them that she wouldn't break someone's nose if they ever said anything about him.

"Can I get a hug now?" Greg asked his kids. Instantly six adolescents leapt off the couch and clung onto him, reminding him just how loved he was.

"When do we get to meet him?" Sarah asked.

"As soon as I get to meet this new girlfriend that you've been hiding from all of us." Greg smirked as Sarah stiffened and mumbled something into his rib cage about it being too early and how she hated him and Mum and not knowing how they'd figured it out because she'd hidden it so well it out. "If all of you want to, you can stay over at my flat in town next weekend and we can invite him over. Does that sound good, Mum?"

Michelle nodded. "I think that's a perfect plan."

A/N: Like I said, I'm sorry it's awful. I just sort of threw it together and decided to humiliate myself by putting it online. Any constructive criticism is appreciated (as well as praise, but let's not kid ourselves here), but please be gentle because I'm still new at this and putting myself out there like this is still scary, even if it's online and you can't see my face.

Up next: Mycroft meets the kids.