ABRIELLE'S POV

Not long after leaving The Ledbury did I find myself on my way to Mycroft's office, a bottle of his favorite wine placed firmly in my hand. I needed a break. A break from this case, from Sebastian, but most of all from Sherlock. He always acted so immature, it was so IRRITATING. Even if he was one of the handsomest … most intelligent man in the world. No, no, no. He wasn't handsome. Nope. Not one bit. I needed to stop thinking of him in that way. I'm not in love with Sherlock bloody Holmes! Not one bit. Oh, but the way he smiled at me, and his eyes they were just soooo … No. Stop. Get a grip. I can't fall in love, not again. Not after what had happened last time. My heart had broken last time, broken to shatters. I couldn't bare a loss like that. Not again. Sherlock was an annoying man with no feelings, he'd never love me back not ever. Loving him would be like loving a brick wall … it would never happen. I just can't fall in love. Not with anyone, and especially not with Sherlock. He was my coworker and nothing more. And that's the end of it. I walked into Mycroft's office, the smile on his face snapping me right out of my thoughts. Thankfully.

"A 2001 Saint-Émilion, just like you asked for." I told him, placing the bottle on his desk, a smile on my lips as I sat comfortably in the seat across from him.

"You remembered." He exclaimed in faux surprise looking at me with happiness glinting in his eyes.

"Of course I did. It was the first bottle of wine you ordered when I met you for the first time." I explained, crossing my feet over the arms of the chair, watching as he poured wine into two glasses. I remembered our meeting like it was yesterday. I was the frightened, broken young teenager and he was the big bad businessman that had invited me to dinner to discuss business matters. I remember when he had ordered the wine he had said that it was the perfect wine for the perfect girl like myself. It had been the first time in a long time that I had actually smiled. He had made me smile.

"So how is the case going?" I heard him ask, taking me away from my thoughts for the time being.

"You should know, you were after all watching, no doubt." I replied to him, rolling my eyes. He was always watching, especially me. He cared about me … even if he didn't want to admit it. I remember one time when I had been captured by a terrorist group bent on killing me and getting revenge. In fact I remember it like it was yesterday. Or at least I remembered it from what my partner had told me …

"Mr. Holmes I need to talk to you." A young man with dark brown eyes and short cut raven hair exclaimed, running into a wide office, looking everywhere for the older Holmes in a frantic haste. This was a huge emergency that needed to be dealt with immediately! He needed her coworker … he needed Mycroft Holmes!

"Please Mr. Hunter, I'm in a meeting." Mycroft exclaimed in a stern tone turning towards the young agent, that he knew to be Abrielle's partner. What got him in such a fuss? It must be important if he was storming in here during one of the most important meetings of the British Government this year. Couldn't he tell him this important information at a later time, I mean really.

"I'm sorry, but I need to talk to you now!" Agent Hunter yelled in urgency, walking over to the man. He needed help. She was gone, maybe even dead. And no one would care enough to save her but Mycroft. No one. He had to tell Mr. Holmes now, not an hour from now, or a week from now, or a month from now. Now.

"Not at this second, I'm busy. Now please see yourself out Mr. Hunter, I'll talk to you when I'm done. Now I'm sorry gentlemen, continue with what you were saying about …"

"Abrielle's been taken." Agent Hunter blurted out, stopping Mycroft mid sentence. He was conflicted, and Hunter saw that. He wanted her safe, but this meeting was important, Hunter knew that. But She was more important. She was always more important.

"Whom was she taken by? Mycroft asked, trying his best to keep himself calm. Abrielle. His best friend Abrielle was taken by the villains during her mission. Taken by the bad guys, the murderers, and the thieves. She was taken, and this time he wasn't so sure she would survive.

"She was taken by the Ricoletti gang. The one that wants her killed for taking down their leader last time." Hunter explained, giving him a depressed look. She was taken. Abrielle, his amazing companion. His partner, and most of all his friend. She was taken from him taken by an enemy … somebody that wants her dead. And it was all his fault.

"Are you sure?" Myc asked, one tear finding it's way down his cheek as he pushed it roughly away, trying his best to stop his emotions from flowing. He couldn't care. Not about her. Caring was a disadvantage, it would end up killing her. He had to think rationally, he had to find the answer to questions and find his way back to her. Was she alive? Where was she? How was she taken? These were the questions that needed to be asked. Otherwise Abrielle was as good as dead, if this was the Ricoletti gang, and he was sure it was, they would stop at nothing to make her suffer to the brink of death and then kill her then and there. They were relentless.

" I know it was them, they knocked me out when I saw the black spade on the leader's cheek." Hunter explained, remembering the scuffle Abrielle and the leader had had before she was knocked unconscious. He had tried, really, he had tried to save her, but it was no use, not long after the man had turned towards him had he been knocked unconscious as well, the darkness taking him. She was captured by one of her worst enemies and it was all his fault.

"My lord, it really is them. We need to save her now!" Mycroft screamed, rushing as fast as he could out the door and down the hall, agent Hunter not too far behind him. Abrielle was in danger, serious danger. And if she was going to get out of this alive, they needed to find her, and fast.

I remember Hunter telling me that after he had told him about my kidnapping Mycroft had literally ransacked the world searching for me. He brought in all his best spies trying to find me and then a month later when they had finally found me, my body beaten and bloodied to a pulp, and my leg broken he had ran to me with a tear or two streaming down his face, his crystal blue eyes just screaming that he was concerned for my wellbeing. We never quite talked about it that much, but I knew just from his face that he was very concerned. It was the reason that he always had at least one or two cameras in my house, so he knew I was safe. Like I said, even if he never admitted it, Mycroft cared, and he was always watching to make sure that I was alright.

"Of course I was. You did stupendously while fighting Mr. Wilkes, I must say. Though I wouldn't necessarily encourage that you harm an unarmed citizen again." Mycroft replied, giving me a pointed glare. An unarmed citizen? Really Mycroft? Is that the best you could come up with? All he was doing now was coming up with sucky excuses for not 'supporting' violence.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. You don't support violence and all that shebang, but you do know that isn't going to do anything to stop me, don't you." I told him, throwing him my trademark smirk. A warning, Seriously? He was saying this like he hated any form of violence when I know for a fact that he nearly killed a man because the guy touched me in the wrong way! He was more violent then anyone in the world! Besides that, he was talking to me as though it would stop me in some way, shape or form. Like a warning's going to ever stop me! I'd harm whoever stood in my way, thank you very much. It wasn't like I killed the guy or anything, all I did was beat the crap out of him. Didn't Mycroft know anything about me?

"Of course my dear. You are my … friend. I know not to mess with you. You are a Watson after all, you don't take being told what to do lightly." He explained, giving me a faux smile as he handed me a glass of wine. Of course I didn't take orders from people, I wasn't just a slave. I was a human person with thoughts, and ideas, and plans. I didn't need some idiot pulling my strings, I was unattached and that is exactly how I liked it. I'm nobody's puppet.

"Damn straight." I said raising the glass to my lips and drinking the glass dry in one gulp. Yes, this conversation was getting my mind away from thoughts about a um … certain someone. But it seems even at times like this, especially in the presence of said person's family members, my thoughts tended to turn towards him. I was stressing myself out from trying not to think about him and all it did was make me think about it. Basically all it was was a giant circle of stress, and let me tell you … it was ANNOYING.

"Bad day." Mycroft commented, snapping me out of my thoughts as he looked at my now empty glass in amusement.

"Babysitting your brother is no easy task, Mycroft, especially with the mission on mind." I said, sighing at simply the thought of what I'd have to do. Babysitting Sherlock was enough already. But the mission, the mission he had given me was triple the amount of stress than that. Usually I didn't get this worked up over a mission, in fact usually I would receive it, prepare for it, and complete it within a very short amount of time. It was just a job to me, a job that was very much like a game, and games were not stressful. But this mission … this was different. This time it was personal, and most of all I'd not only be hurting my target but myself as well. Babysitting Sherlock was nothing compared to what I'd have to do for this job. And let me just say, babysitting Sherlock was about as dangerous and annoying as anything.

"He is quite hellish to hang out with." Mycroft agreed, giving me a small smirk, as though he were joking with me. Seriously? Hellish? That's it, really?

"That's the understatement of the century." I mumbled, rolling my eyes at him. Sherlock was more then just hellish to hang out with, he was an absolute nightmare. He was a helpless baby that couldn't do anything for himself, oh and let's not forget the tantrums. He's always complaining, and if something doesn't go his way he annoys the heck out of me until either John or I give in to his pleas. He's so irritating!

"You know, he is quite like you. It's why I tasked you to be on this mission in the first place." Mycroft spoke up, snapping me out of my anger driven thoughts.

"Yeah I noticed. Double the fun right." I said, looking at him with a sarcastic smile. I noticed. Hell yeah I noticed. We both were aggressive, and annoyed easily, and had a knack for deducing things about people. I noticed that we were the same, painfully so. But he had something that I didn't. He had control. He didn't feel, he didn't let other people sway his emotions. He was distant, and kept his heart and head blocked off. He'd never have his heart broken, yet I still could. I had emotions, and you could clearly see that. I had a heart that was so easy to reach, so easy to take and simply rip to shreds. I was emotional. I was a Watson. And it was something I've always struggled with.

"Just be careful around him Bree, he deals with a lot of dangerous people." Mycroft said, giving me a concerned glance.

"I'll be fine Myc, don't worry." I replied giving him a reassuring smile. I'd be fine, after all I did know self defense. No one could hurt me. I'd be perfectly okay. Sherlock was a danger, that I could admit considering he was always solving murderers and looking for very dangerous people. But so was I. It wasn't like I was any safer myself considering I had so many enemies in so many places. Mycroft shouldn't be worried, not one bit. I can take care of myself.

"I always worry, constantly." He replied, giving me a sad frown, his eyes glazed over with concern as he looked at me. Poor Myc, always worrying, always fretting. He didn't have to worry about me yet he did. He cared … about me. Mycroft Holmes, the iceman, the man said to have no heart or emotions or a soul whatsoever cared about someone. And that someone was worthless, annoying, emotional me.

"Oh, Mycroft. I'll be alright. Trust me." I said, getting up from my seat, and giving him a kiss on the cheek, wrapping my arms around him from behind. He needed to trust me. I was a trained agent with about seven years of field work, I'd be fine. And anyways, it wasn't like I was being thrown into a fire or anything, all I was doing was helping Sherlock with a case. I'd be fine. Mycroft needed to give me some credit, I wasn't just a helpless girl or some damsel in distress or anything like that. I was a hardcore spy, with skills like a ninja … or at least I'd like to think so. He just needed to give me some trust … just a little trust that I could and would make it out of this mission alive.

"I do trust you. Just don't get hurt." Myc replied, looking at me with worry, fearing for my safety.

"I promise. Now I must be leaving, the Black Lotus isn't going to catch itself." I said dropping my hands at my sides and walking towards the door. I wanted Shan … no, more than that, I needed Shan caught. She was a part of some unfinished business that needed to be taken care of, and one thing I hated was unfinished business. It was time to finish this once and for all. It was time to take Shan and her silly little gang down. And me sitting around all day talking to Mycroft, was not doing anything to catch her. I needed to leave now, and I needed to catch me a killer.

"I'll see you later, call me when you have Shan in custody." Mycroft replied, a small laugh leaving his mouth.

"Until then." I replied, walking out of the room with my hands in my pockets, and a smile on my face. I was ready. I was ready to face Sherlock, ready to admit to myself that I actually did love him. Ready to finish this stupid little killing spree of Shan's, but most of all I was ready to deal with all the stress in my life all at once. I was a winner, a fighter, and a conqueror of fears, and I was not ready to let stress consume me. I was going to fight harder, and smile wider. I may not ever tell Sherlock that I loved him, not out loud anyway. And I may never complete the mission, or turn into an emotionless, heartless bastard like Sherlock. But one thing was for definite, I'd find Shan, and when I do I'd give her hell. Because one thing I never did was leave loose strings attached. I'd find her alright and when I did she'd die.