Quick F.Y.I, The Wolseley is a real place. If you want to see what it looks like exactly, I suggest Google image or finding their official site. I tried, but it's really a grand place... *sigh*~ ANYWAY! On with the show!


John was giddy when he waltzed into The Wolseley, a famous food stop in London. It was rather posh to be honest, with a drippy chandelier centered in the middle, and a bold Victorian feel to it. You understand, the high priced, small portioned type of food. He asked the lady in the front if there was a table waiting for him. She led him around the building, while it was a regular spot for them, the large counter that circled the room always managed to catch his eye. The entire place was set up strangely, but that only intensified its grand feel.

The boys grinned widely when they saw him, standing to greet John warmly. "Glad you made it!" smiled Mike, patting him on the back.

"You're slow..." Harold teased, pointing over to Luke, who sat opposite, "He was worried you wouldn't show."

The three boys were siblings, Harold and Luke; the two youngest, and Mike; who was about two years older than the lot of them. John and Luke were the same age, so Luke ended up looking to him for support on most things.

Now Luke, he was shy, and a little timid, his hobbies included hiding his nose in the spine of a book or silently staring into space. He was a tall and rather skinny ginger, like Harold and Emily.

John frowned, realizing that she wasn't there, "Is Emily not coming?"

"No way!" Harold grinned, "This is a man's initiation!"

Harold was always like that, very excited about most things, and loved to mock Luke and Emily often, since they were the twins of the family. Poor Emily was just as bad as Luke was, and they often shared time together literally doing nothing but reading. The three got along well though, they were just similar in every way.

Then there was Mike. He was the big brother figure, but somehow different. It felt like at times he was more of a best friend then a brother, if that made any sense. His hair was blonde like John's, but he was tall. He liked excitement even more then Harold did, which often led to the two of them getting into trouble. "Come on then!" Mike smiled, ushering John to a seat, "Let's eat!"

John settled into his seat carefully, hoping no one would notice how hard he tried not to cringe when his bum made contact with the cushion. Mike shoved a menu in front of John, telling him all about the steak he was going to order, like it was a beautiful woman really… "Tender and sweet…" he gushed.

Luke smiled a little when he noticed the sandwiches. He put down his menu gently before grinning over to the others, "So..." Harold started, nudging Luke's arm, "Capo huh?"

Luke puffed his chest out a little, "I- I can do this."

"Of course you can." John smiled, placing a warm hand on his shoulder, "Besides," he added, "with these two goons at your side, I doubt you'll be able to fail even if you wanted to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harold teased.

John stuck his tongue out from across the table, earning a hearty laugh from Mike, "He's not wrong though, Luke. We've got your back."

"Thanks guys." He smiled, "That gives me a lot more confidence."

"So then John." Came a devilish voice from the other side of the table, "How's the engagement?"

"Shut up Harold." John sulked.

Mike supported him, "Harold…"

"What?" he shrugged innocently, "It's a legitimate question." He leaned over the table on his elbows, like a girl getting a juicy new piece of gossip, "Cards on the table."

John glared at the table, "I thought we were here to talk about Luke not my engagement."

"It can be both." Mike answered, "It feels like you're one edge over it. You know were here for you if you need anything John."

John let out a low, unimpressed sort of laugh, "Can you cancel a wedding?"

"But… it was decided by the representatives…" squeaked Luke, regretting having said anything when John turned to look his way, a warning look in his eyes.

"I know."

"Is that why you didn't go home last night?" Mike frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Who told you?"

He rolled his eyes, "Mary of course. She called me late last night wondering if you'd made it home safely. So I called Andrea. She said there hadn't been a sign of you." He uncrossed his arms as the food came to the table, the waitress interrupting them with plates of steaming food, "We went by the house to pick you up this morning, and there was still nothing." He glared, picking up his fork as he stared at the steak with murderous intent.

"So?"

Mike started to fork at his meat, finally bothering to spear a small chunk, "So, do you know how hard it is to tell Mrs. Hudson you're not interested in her cooking?" he grinned.

Luke smiled, a happy mouthful of cucumber and tuna in his mouth. He swallowed before adding, "She was so persistent. We were lucky to get away with just a cup of coffee!"

"Bet you she poisons our next meal." Harold leered, biting down into a piece of lamb.

John raised an eyebrow at the dishes at the table, suddenly realizing he was the only one that had actually ordered breakfast. "What's with the weird entrees?"

Little pieces of lamb spat from Harold's mouth as he spoke, "It's noon!"

Luke giggled a bit, finishing his first sandwich before joking, "You must have woken up late."

Harold shot John sly eyes, "With a woman?"

"Shut up you two." Mike spat, rather weirdly out of the mood. "Wherever he was doesn't concern us. It's not like he'd do something like that anyway. He's engaged to Mary!" he replied, forking a mammoth sized bite into his mouth.

John felt his stomach turn, "Hah… yeah. That's pretty low…"

"Exactly."

They went back to eating, finishing in record time between the awkward silence at the table. Mike insisted he pay, making Luke and John argue otherwise while Harold shoved his hands into his pockets smugly. He was perfectly fine with letting his brother pay.

"Well then," Mike smiled, "Dad's expecting us home for Luke's prepping by now."

"Is Uncle Cory still overlooking that sort of thing?"

"Of course!" Mike beamed proudly, "Just because he's a family made consigliere doesn't mean he intends to retire early! He'll take that position to the grave!"

Luke and Harold nodded in agreement, "He's tough like that." Added Harold.

"You however," Mike began, "Need to get home. Andrea was worried sick."

"Alright…" John sighed. "Don't suppose you lot have any words of wisdom?"

"Luke and I might… as for Harold…"

"Hey!"


John waited until the trio had packed into a car before flipping out his phone. He searched through his contacts for Greg's name, a small smile coming to his lips before he pressed the new message button.

John: Have any free time? I don't want to go home just yet.

He flipped it shut, holding it tight to his chest as he started to walk in the direction of home, buying time. When he felt the buzz he jolted, a bit surprised for such a fast reply.

We're sorry, this number is currently unavailable or is offline.

He frowned. See you again huh? "My busted number disagrees with you." He scoffed. Upset that he'd been duped. "It really was a one night thing huh…" he shrugged, "Figures."

John walked a little further before finally giving in and hailing a cab.


Consigliere- a position of high priority decision making, usually a non-relative position.