AN: Hola
-Chapter Start-
"Talk to John."
"I've tried. He made his position quite clear," Cyril stated in an indignant manner as she peered into the fridge. The bottom shelf held fingers in different brands of baby food. She was trying to see which one best prevented human decay. Aria and Lettie were both asleep in their cribs in the living room.
"What did he say?"
Cyril frowned and closed the fridge. "'Fuck off.'"
"Oh dear!"
-1-1-1-
Molly walked in on Cyril glaring confusedly at Lettie, who was chewing rather intently on her fingers. She stood in the doorway awkwardly, not knowing wether or not to enter.
"Er, you wanted to see me?"
"Ye-why does she keep doing that?"
"I think she's teething, Cyril."
"But Aria isn't doing it!"
"Every baby is different- even twins."
"Oh, how would you know!" Cyril seemed to recollect herself as she stood up, still in her dressing gown I might add, and waltzed over to her friend. "Anyways, would you..."
"Yes?"
"Would you like to..."
"Babysit?"
"Solve crimes with me?"
-1-1-1-
"This one's got us all baffled."
"I don't doubt it," Cyril stated bluntly as Lestrade tore down the yellow tape and she strode through the hole in the wall. Lettie was held gently, yet securely, in her arms and Aria held in the much more clumsy, but still loving, arms of Molly. As she investigated, the annoying voice of John continued to pester her, and it did not help her mood that the case was revealed to be a fluke.
You forgot to turn your collar up
Why were all the men in her life such persistent assholes?
-1-1-1-
Cyril reviewed the security footage again. A man got in the train on stop a and on stop b he was gone.
"So if the driver of the train was in on it then the passenger did get off!"
"There's nowhere he could go- no side tunnels, no maintenance tunnels, no anything on any map!"
Cyril closed her eyes, replaying the video in her mind. She mentally paused on the face and muttered, "I know that face..."
-1-1-1-
Cyril dropped her chips and rushed down the stairs with a yell over her shoulder ordering to watch the twins. They arrived at the church just in time to save John from burning to death. And it all happened so fast; Cyril didn't even stop to wander how Mary recognized a skip code.
-1-1-1-
"Which wasn't the way I'd put it at all. Silly woman. Anyway, it was then I'd first realized it was missing. I said, 'have you checked down the back of the sofa?' He's always loosing things down the back of the sofa. Aren't you, dear?"
"'Fraid so."
Cyril fidgeted anxiously, casting frequent glances to her bedroom door where her children were napping. She kicked a small brightly colored toy under the desk with her heel before her parents noticed, and tried to keep from falling asleep as her mother droned on and on about nothing. She was saved, however, as John strolling on in.
"John!" She exclaimed in equal parts relief and surprise.
"Sorry. You're busy."
"No-no-no, they were just leaving!"
"We were?"
"Yes!"
"No, no, if you've got a case-"
"No, no, not a case. No-no-no," she exclaimed, turning back to her mother, "Go. Bye!"
"Yes, well, we're here 'til Saturday, remember-"
"Yes, great, wonderful, just get out!" Cyril exclaimed, ushering her parents towards the door.
"Well, give us a ring."
"Very nice, yes, good, get out," she commanded, feeling a tad too Mycroft-ish in her opinion. Once thy were successfully herded onto the landing Cyril attempted to slam the door shut, only for her mother to jab her foot in the gap at the last second.
"We can't tell you how glad we are, Cyril. All that time people thinking the worst of you. We're just so glad it's over."
Cyril glanced at John and grimaced, then pulled sharply on the door as if hoping it would magically close through her mother's foot.
"Ring up more often, won't you?"
"Mm-hmm," she replied distractedly.
"She worries," her father piped in.
"Promise?" Her mum insisted. Cyril gave her a defeated look.
"Promise," she whispered reluctantly. Her mother smiled and reached up to stroke her cheek.
"Oh, for god-" she hurriedly slammed the door. She sighed in relief and turn to face John just as one of the twins started crying, which set off the other one as well. She rushed into her room and reappeared just as quick with a child in either arm, though one was muffled by a pacifier. The other had obviously refused. She passed the calmed one off to John, not bothering to ask for permission first.
"Clients?"
"Not clients," Cyril sighed, "Parents." She glared down at the now slightly pacified Lettie in her arms. "If you two ever treat me like that you'll be in whole new worlds of trouble, understand?"
"Parents?"
"They're in town for a few days."
"Your parents?"
"Mycroft promised to take them to a matinee of "Les Mis". Tried to convince me to do it instead."
"Those were your parents?"
"Yes."
"Well..." John laughed slightly, "That is not what I..."
"What?"
"I mean, they're just so..." he glanced up at Cyril who had one of her fine eyebrows lifted in inquiry. "...ordinary."
Cyril scoffed and walked away over to her picture wall, casually marking a large X through one of them. "It is a cross I have to bear."
"Did they know you were alive, too?"
"Mm-hmm," she responded distractedly, and shot him a quick, somewhat apologetic look. "Sorry."
"So that's why they weren't at the funeral."
"Yeah- sorry. If it makes you feel any better, they don't know about the twins, and you do!"
"Oh, loads better," he said sarcastically. He had an expression of the thought and after a moment something seemed to hit him. "Why don't they know?"
"I would never hear the end of it," she said and began to mock her mother's voice, "'Sherlock Nicolette Holmes!' 'You can't do that before your married, Cyril!' 'Why didn't I get a say in naming my grandchildren!' 'Why hasn't this man proposed?' 'Your boyfriend is a serial killer?!'"
John couldn't help but chuckle as his friend had the expression of a small child afraid to tell her mum that she was the one who broke the vase. He made a mental note to help her out with the twins as much as reasonably possible- the world didn't need three Cyrils. He was snapped out of his thoughts by said woman commenting on his mustache, or lack thereof.
"I see you shaved it off, then."
"It wasn't working for me," he said, though he knew the lie was rather obvious.
"Hm, I'm glad."
"What, you didn't like it?"
"No, I prefer my doctors clean shaven," she stated with a small smile. Lettie was now calmly chewing on her fingers, and he could see two teeth starting to grow in.
"That's not something you hear everyday," he expressed, plopping down unceremoniously into his old chair.
"So how are you feeling?" Cyril asked without taking her eyes off her picture wall.
"Not bad. A bit...smoked."
Cyril scoffed at his pun. "Right."
John shifted around awkwardly in his chair and looked at her seriously.
"Last night...who was that? Why did they target me?"
"I don't know," she said with a tired yawn that scrunched up her face and deepened the faint bags under her eyes.
"Is someone trying to get to you through me? Is it something about that terrorist thing you were talking about?"
"I don't know. I can't see the pattern. It's too nebulous." She turned and strode back towards her wall of information. "Why would an agent give his life to tell us something so insignificant? That's what's strange."
"'Give his life?'"
"According to Mycroft. There's an underground terrorist network planning an attack on London." She looked down as if in thought for a moment before her eyes drifted back up the her picture wall, to which she gestured dramatically. "These are my rats, John!"
"Rats?"
"My markers, John! Agents, low-lifes, people who might find find themselves arrested or their diplomatic immunity suddenly suspended. If any of them start behaving suspiciously then we know something's up. Five of them have been acting perfectly normal, but the sixth..." she pointed to the photograph of the man from the disappearing cars.
"I know him, don't I?"
"Lord Moran, peer of the realm, minister for overseas development. Pillar of establishment."
"Yes!"
"He's been working for North Korea since 1996."
"What?"
"He's the big rat. Rat number one. And he's just done something very suspicious indeed."
-Chapter End-
AN: Heey, I updated! :D