Tara was working alone at the bakery. It wasn't rush hour so she could handle the customers herself. She sipped on her coffee and counted the money in the cash register. When her phone rang, she smiled and answered it, bringing it to her ear.

'Look at the camera and smile' The voice told her.

The camera changes its position from the window to the cash register. 'I'll do you one better, I'll blow you a kiss' she smiled and blew a kiss towards the camera.

'Any other woman would've been terrified by now' Mycroft chuckled.

'I am not any other woman' she pointed '... God, it feels like you just came back' she exhaled.

'I did just come back' Mycroft agreed.

'Will it always be like this?' she asked him. He had just returned from a work trip and he was already on another one.

'No, it's not always like this. It's just that I have been busy with the Korean elections coming up.'

'You're okay, right?' she whispered. She seemed to have this strange feeling, every time he went away.

'I am fine. It's just diplomatic work' He assured her. He knew she was worried about him doing leg work.

'I miss you' she whispered and looked at the camera.

'I miss you as well... What have you been up to this week?' he changed the topic.

'Don't you already know?' she teased him.

'I am trying to make conversation here. Work with me' he told her.

'Alright, Molly threw a dinner party... Oh, and Mrs. Hudson made a very interesting observation, ours is the best relationship in our circle' she explained.

'Considering the fact that by our circle you mean two grown men who run around London solving crimes, a woman who used to run her husband's drug cartel, a divorced inspector who hasn't solved a case by himself in a long time, a specialist morgue registrar who is head over heels for my sociopathic brother, your borderline alcoholic assistant and a child, it isn't much of a compliment.' he pointed out, trashing everybody in the process.

'Grace is not a borderline alcoholic' Tara defended.

'Did you know your favorite employee once dumped a rum on fire on a man because he called her a dumb blond?' Mycroft asked with a smirk.

There was no defending Grace now. 'Huhhhh... Maybe the best-kept relationships in our circle are the ones Sherlock has with heroin and Grace has with Cabernet' she sighed.

'Actually, my brother broke up with heroin and Grace prefers Syrah' he smirked.

'That's what she said' she exclaimed 'never thought I would say that to you' she laughed.

'And I never thought that Mrs. Hudson would talk about my relationship or compliment me, for that matter. I guess we're both surprised' he mused.

'Don't be silly. Mrs. Hudson likes you' she lied in her sweetest voice, shining a toothy grin at the camera.

He smiled at her expression on the monitor. 'I don't think so, dear' he didn't really care.

'Well, she doesn't hate you. She just thinks you're an emotionally stunted, rude, obnoxious robot' she said, averting her gaze.

'There you go' he laughed.

Tara smiled fondly 'It's good to hear you laugh' she whispered.

Mycroft hummed in response 'What else did Mrs. Hudson observe?' he asked

Tara tilted her head, hesitantly 'Umnn... Well, she said you're good for me. She even said I was happier since I started seeing you' Tara smiled.

'I think that goes both ways, dear' a small smile, graced Mycroft's lips as he looked lovingly at the security camera footage.

'Mycroft,... there is something I've been wanting to say but before I do. I just want you to know that you don't have to say it back just because I am saying it. I know you're probably not ready. I am going to say it because you make me feel joy and happiness that I never thought I would have again. I feel like I will explode with all these feelings, it's uncontainable so, thank you for that. And you really don't have to say it back ...' she rambled. 'Well, here goes nothing. Mycroft, I love you.' she breathed.

Before he could say anything, a voice in the background interrupted their conversation. 'Sir, we have a situation. You might want to take a look at this' and with that Mycroft was gone.

Tara sighed and put her phone down. The British government had terrible timing, always ruining her romance. Her phone beeped. It was a message.

The feeling is mutual. -MH

He wasn't exactly saying I love you, but this worked for her. She wasn't expecting him to say it back. She knew he had trouble expressing his feelings sometimes. It was enough for her to know that he felt the same way, she didn't have to hear it.

...

Tara and Grace are in the walking freezer. While Grace was whipping cream, Tara checked the stocks and kept the pies, cheesecakes, and cakes in the walk-in freezer. They share brief glances across the room as they work.

'Okay, out with it already.' Grace put down her whisk and asked in exasperation.

'What?!' Tara asked innocently

'You've been smiling like a crazy person all day. I have to hand whip cream AND put up with all your cheeriness. Honestly, I don't get paid enough!' Grace complained.

Tara smiled and strode forward to come face to face with Grace. 'I told him I love him and he said it back. I mean I never thought he'd say it back but he did' she blushed like a fool, the fact that they were in a walking-in freezer wasn't helping.

'You've got to be kidding me. He actually said I love you?' Grace exclaimed in shock, staring at Tara with her mouth open.

'Well, not in those exact words' Tara told her, immediately regretting it.

Grace pursed her lips, giving Tara a stern look. 'What did he say?'

'The feeling is mutual' Tara averted her gaze and muttered.

'Really?! You got me all excited over nothing' Grace whined.

'It's not 'nothing'. Mycroft admitted he reciprocates my feelings. That's a big deal' Tara told her assistant.

'Reciprocates your feelings?! You're spending way too much time with him. Before you know it, you'll turn into Mycroft Holmes... I don't get it. What do you even see him? Yeah, the guy is loaded but still. What do you two even talk about?' Grace asked her.

Tara huffed a laugh

''What?'

'It's just ironic and funny. What I see in him is that,... He sees me' Tara smiles fondly.

'I am a little lost here. What are you talking about? I see you' Grace asked impatiently.

'Not like that...' Tara begins to explain. 'You know what, never mind' she gives. She knew Grace wasn't particularly fond of Mycroft and she would always be critical of her relationship with Mycroft. Honestly, she was starting to wonder what Grace's problem was and why in the first place was she even telling Grace about all this?

...

Tara was having lunch with John, Molly, and Grace. She excused herself to go to the loo. Once she was done, she walked to the sink to wash her hands. She noticed the janitor who was mopping the floor. She struck her as odd, so Tara looked at the woman's reflection in the mirror. She turned her head to the janitor, to get a proper view of the woman.

'Don't turn around' The woman warned Tara.

Tara could recognize that voice even in her sleep. The old familiar voice was oddly comforting. She looked at the woman's reflection and smiled.

'Don't make eye contact. Continue washing your hands' The woman ordered when she noticed Tara had frozen.

Tara looked away 'Right. It's nice to see you after so long. What are you doing here, Chief?' She asked as quietly as possible, not wanting to alert anyone.

'I was in London for some work, I thought I'd stop by and check on you. How long has it been?' She smiled and asked.

Tara's eyes darkened as she thought about it and sighed. 'Three Years, Eight months and Eleven Days' Tara said as she thought about everything that had happened. How it had all went down.

The woman cringed at Tara's precision. It made the reality even more painful. 'Right. Pick up this bag once I leave' she said and place a small paper bag on the counter.

'You're just as dramatic as ever' Tara scoffed.

'Better safe than sorry and stop wasting water. Go dry your hands' The woman ordered.

'Right' Tara muttered and walked to the automatic hand dryer.

'I know this is hard for you. But it's in your best interest to not make contact with anyone from your old life. You're Tara Matthews now and Tara Mathews is a harmless baker. Who lives a simple and normal life, not many people get a chance like this' the woman told her as she continued to mop the floor.

That was it. Tara shook her head and turned around. 'No, you have no idea how hard this is for me. You don't know what it feels like to be a stranger in your own life. So, no, don't come here and give me advice that does no good. And I am doing well, thank you for asking' She snapped. The fury in her eyes was evident. She had expected more from her. More than to come into her life after three years and preach. Not one kind word.

The woman was taken aback by Tara's anger. She finally looked at Tara. 'You're right, I am sorry' she muttered and looked away.

Tara blinked away her anger and breathed 'Why are you here?' Tara asked and stopped making eye contact.

'I just wanted to see you' The older woman whispered, blinking back the tears welling her eyes.

Tara felt bad for what she had done two minutes ago. She was in a situation that was of no ones' fault. Before she could apologize, she is interrupted by Molly.

Molly stuck her head into the washroom 'Tara, are you coming? We're ready to leave' she asked.

'Yes. I'll be right there' Tara told her and Molly went away.

'I should go now' the woman muttered after Molly was out and rushed to the door.

Tara looked at the door in disappointment. She didn't know if she would ever get a chance to apologize to the woman. She sighed blinky away her emotions and picked up the bag on the counter. She peeked inside to find a pair of anklets. She blinked away the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks and stuffed the bag into her handbag. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She roughly brushed her hair and rubbed her hands over her face. She wore a smile on her face and walked out of the washroom. It was time to be Tara Matthews again. A harmless baker.

...

Mycroft entered Tara's apartment, hoping to surprise her, and found Tara dancing in the living room, he figured it was some kind of Indian classical dance. He watched her as she moved gracefully along with the music. She hummed the melody and lip-synched the song as she danced. He noticed the intricate symbols and positions her fingers took, the way her wrist moved, her footwork, her hips, her whole body moved with such grace and harmony, it was impossible for him to take his eyes off her. The beats her anklet made as she moved were in perfect sync with the music. The way her dress billowed around her as she spun around the room. The smile plastered on her face throughout the dance, never leaving even for a second. It was beautiful. Watching her dance was a peaceful and serene experience for Mycroft, he felt his stress go away. Mycroft stood and watched her for a while. Tara was too engrossed in her dancing and the music to even notice him. When finally, the music stopped she looked up and saw him watching her.

'Hey!... What are you doing here?' she said shyly as she sat down and removed her anklet.

'I thought I'd come back early and surprise you' he went and sat beside her 'I didn't know you could dance. What dance was that?'

'Kathak. My mother taught it to me as a child' she was still panting, as she carefully placed the anklets in a stone jewel box.

'It was beautiful. You were beautiful' he said caressing her cheeks and brushed her hair out of her face, wiping the beads of sweat on her forehead.

'Thanks. You should compliment my mother. That smile you keep saying is beautiful, it's because when I was dancing, she would stop me and reprimand me for not smiling. You see facial expressions are very important in Indian classical dancing. It didn't just help me in dancing' Mycroft knew what she was referring to, she was the master of lying. She knew the art of trickery, hiding behind a face, better than anyone. She was very careful. To him, she was nothing more or less than what she chose to reveal to him.

Mycroft knew that fact very well. It was the same for Tara. To her, Mycroft was nothing more or less than what he chose to reveal to her. What he was to the rest of the world was not what he was to her.

Tara sighed as she remembered those instances of her childhood. She heard her mother's voice in her head, playing along with the music. ' 'Don't slouch, slouching is for losers', 'Always wear a smile on your face, and never let anyone see what's behind that smile' she said. Even if she was a tyrant, I loved dancing with my mother. Growing up I didn't get to see my parents a lot, sometimes they were gone for weeks. Cooking with my dad, dancing with my mom, are some of my best childhood memories.' she smiled fondly, as the memories came back rushing to her.

'You were missing her' It was more of a statement than a question.

'Yes. I was.' She admitted sadly and laid her head on his shoulder. It was hard not to after everything that had happened.

He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer, and kissed the crown of her head.

'Tara, is everything alright?' he asked and looked down at her face.

'Yes. Why?' she pulled away to face him.

'You just seem very stressed and distracted lately' he told her.

Tara sighed and looked away. He was right, there was a lot on her mind. 'Remember I told you about the man who came to my bakery three weeks ago?' she began to tell him.

'Yes.' he nodded.

'The other day I felt like, I saw him again.' Tara confessed. That wasn't the only reason she was upset but, she wouldn't tell him the other reason she was upset. She couldn't possibly tell him what had happened earlier that week. She knew he didn't expect her to tell him everything so, she chose to share only what she was comfortable with sharing.

'He probably just swung by the bakery again.' Mycroft reasoned.

'I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right' she told him. She looked up at him and shook her head 'You know what? I am probably just being paranoid. I'll go get dressed and we can go to dinner at Allesandro's...' she said and rushed to her bedroom without giving Mycroft a chance to speak.

Mycroft didn't think much of it. He knew Tara was a worrier. Just for her sake and his own satisfaction, he would look into the matter and make sure everything was alright. He didn't have to push her, if it was something serious, she would tell him herself.

...