"You do know how rude that was, don't you, Alison?" Mycroft checked with niece when she handed the phone back to him. He slowly placed the small mobile into his pocket as he carefully observed his niece. Alison looked down onto the carpet, her eyes moving from side to side as she continued to think about what had just happened.

"Who were you talking to?" she pushed her uncle, managing to look him in the eye, her chin jutting out in a stubborn manner and her eyes narrowed at him much like her father's did. "Who were you on the phone with and why did they hang up when I spoke?"

"It is none of your concern, Alison," Mycroft warned her and sighed once, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose, working on a story to tell his niece to quench her thirst for knowledge. "But, it was mine and Sherlock's Great Uncle."

Alison remained silent, her eyes going wide at that piece of information. She didn't believe him. He didn't sound like his normal convincing self and he couldn't hold eye contact. But why would he lie?

"My dad never mentioned anything about a Great Uncle," Alison informed Mycroft who snorted once. He walked around the study, picking up a piece of paper which was on his desk and eyeing it with interest.

"Well he wouldn't," Mycroft replied, peering at her over the top of the paper as he sat down in the plush leather seat. "Did he ever mention anyone from our family?"

"He mentioned you," Alison spoke in a whisper. "He never mentioned anyone else."

"So this shouldn't come as a shock to you," Mycroft assured Alison who folded her arms across her waist, feeling slightly stupid but knowing there was something else. "I mentioned him being selfish because he never attended the funeral. I thought it would only be prudent for him to come and see his great nephew's daughter."

"Why did he hang up then?"

"Because you possibly scared him off, Alison," Mycroft told her as if it was obvious and she raised a brow at him, itching the back of her hand before thinking about what to say in response to him. Mycroft remained watching his niece before he took slight pity to her. He stood up, making his way over to his niece and resting his hand onto her arm, cringing slightly as he did so. Human contact. It was something which he did.

"I understand that this has been a trying time for you, Alison," Mycroft drawled. "And I understand that you're on edge. What you went through was certainly horrid but Sherlock...he's gone...Alison...he's gone."

...

Alison had never been one to be nosy. Yes, she enjoyed gossip as much as the next person but she never went out of her way to find out information like her father used to. But she knew there was something which just wasn't right. She knew Mycroft was lying to her. The way he struggled to look at her and the way his neck twitched was a certain giveaway.

Alison pulled her laptop open when she moved up the stairs to her bedroom and she used the search engine to try and find out if Mycroft had been lying.

...

As soon as Mycroft had sent Alison up to her room to finish her homework he set about making his lie true. Yes, he and Sherlock did have a Great Uncle but he was dead. Yet, he knew Alison would be upstairs researching it and he couldn't have her find out the truth and so, with him being the British Government, he changed his dead uncle to make him alive.

...

"You're awfully quiet," John informed Alison when she came around to Baker Street later on in the evening. She was sat on the sofa with her arms folded around her knees as she thought about the events of the last twenty four hours. First, she had accused Mycroft of speaking to her father and then she had seen a man in the street...he looked so much like Sherlock...she couldn't risk not making a scene.

"It's just college," she lied to John with a shrug as the doctor hung his jacket onto the coat rack and moved into the kitchen, hitting the switch on the kettle. "How was your job interview?"

"I'll know by the end of the week," John called back, resting his hands onto the worktop and not holding out much hope for a job. He needed one. He needed something to do with his time but the thought of doing something so normal seemed dull to him now. Christ, Sherlock really had gotten to him.

"I'm sure you did fine," Alison informed him, yawning once and shuffling around the on the cushion underneath her as she rested her head onto her arms, her hands running down her long hair which was due for a cut soon.

"We'll wait and see," John mused, placing some tea into his cup and pouring the steaming water into the cup. "Do you want a drink?"

"I'm okay."

"So, how is college?" John asked and took a seat on the other side of the sofa to her as he blew the mist away from the top of his cup and took a sip on it, his eyes looking up and across to Alison who managed to look back at him.

"Okay," she simply told him, not really wanting to discuss it. "I had a free period today so ended up going to sit by myself in my car because the library was full. I really love life." She added on sarcastically and John remained tight lipped, not knowing what to really say back to her.

"Haven't you made any friends?" John asked her and she shook her head.

"No one really talks to me...you know...the daughter of a fake detective and all that..." Alison mused and chuckled in disbelief once as John reached out, his hand resting onto her kneecap.

"Things will get better, Alison," John promised her. "You'll make friends, don't worry. Besides, you finish college in less than a year."

"Great," Alison drawled, rolling her eyes as she did so, "so I just have under a year of being talked about and ignored. Excellent."

"You've become more sarcastic then he ever used to be," John informed Alison and she smiled once before uncurling her limbs and standing up, holding his hand as she took it from her knee.

"I need to get going." Alison informed John as she remained holding onto his hand whilst she moved around the sofa. "Uncle Mycroft will be annoyed if I skip curfew."

"Look after yourself," John urged her before she bent down to kiss his cheek and he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb as she rested her forehead against his.

"You look after yourself," Alison replied and stood up straight, grabbing onto her leather bomber jacket and shrugging into it before reaching for her car keys.

Alison rushed down the stairs of 221B, looking back at Mrs Hudson's flat which was empty. Once she was on the street she unlocked her car, opening the door and looking onto the seat. But she froze when she saw what was on it. Alison glanced around the street quickly, her eyes moving across the faces, wondering if anyone was watching her before she moved the envelope from her seat and shut the car door, locking it as her breathing became deep.

She picked the envelope up slowly, her hands shaking as she pulled the flap open and peered inside, her eyes widening at what she saw before she dropped it into her lap, her hand moving over her mouth as she saw what it was.

The Pink Phone.

...

A/N: Plot is beginning to pick up now! And so I thank, SanctuaryLover, Thalianaa and reverie-scriptor for reviewing the last chapter! I'm glad you think it was worth carrying on with! Anyone who is reading, please, take two seconds out to tell me what you think and what you want to happen or if you have any ideas! So, please, do review!