Stockholm was lovely, but a bit too built up for Greg's taste. He didn't mind cities, of course, but he preferred to holiday out in nature. But he knew that was a little too much to ask of Mycroft. The five days they'd spent there were filled with luxurious hotel rooms (wherein he and Mycroft could barely contain themselves enough to appreciate the luxuries on offer), exquisite food options (half of which Greg had never heard of, but were alright enough), and the occasional stroll about town.

He enjoyed that Mycroft was relaxed enough to even hold his hand as they walked occasionally. Sweden was wonderfully tolerant of gays, and so they barely even got looks from passers by when they walked hand-in-hand. Greg was glad that this fact made Mycroft willing to be more affectionate in public. Mycroft was even wearing 'holiday' clothing: occasionally jeans, often chinos, with a button down shirt under a selection of cashmere jumpers. And, of course, a large greatcoat. It was mid Autumn, and so while the countryside was exceedingly beautiful, it was also fairly chilly. Greg was glad to have brought his big coat as well. It had also proven to be a perfect hiding spot for his ring case, as Mycroft had eyed all of his luggage the first morning of their stay. Greg was just glad he'd had the sense to slip it into the coat breast pocket 'just in case' the evening they arrived.

They then travelled to the second large city, Gothenburg (or "Göteborg" as Mycroft would say - he was completely fluent in Swedish, so much so that people didn't realise he was a foreigner until Greg had to interrupt in English). It was also nice, but Greg found himself longing to see the countryside. Mycroft listened, and planned a trip up northward.

Greg had offered to drive. He liked being able to go where he pleased, stop when he wanted to without having to rationalise his decision, and enjoy the feeling of being able to drive for an extended period of time without having to constantly stop at lights. It also gave them a chance to be alone together and chat in a way that couldn't be done if they'd had a driver.

They'd driven up to Trollhättan, had lunch, and then Mycroft insisted that they continue northward to stay at Vänersborg. He'd said that it was the base of the largest lake in Sweden, Vänern, and that Greg would love to see a lake look as large as an ocean - complete with beach. It turned out to be not much further along the road, and so they got to watch the sunset at the 'beach'. Mycroft had been right, it was lovely. And huge.

There was a long wooden pier that spanned out into the water, but across most of the sand as well. Mycroft hated sand, and so refused to walk on the beach with Gregory. Greg was just grateful that the pier was there at all so that they could sit together and watch the sun set. They huddled up close together, still in their large thick coats, and breathed in the icy air with a smile. Mycroft wrapped his arm around Gregory's body, and rested his cheek on the detective's silver hair.

"You were right; I did really need some time away." Mycroft spoke quietly.
"I'm glad. Me too."
"And I wanted to thank you for helping me take a step back from Sherlock. It makes a lot of sense now, and he seems to be managing well."
"You've spoken to him?" Greg asked. He was aware Mycroft had been phoning London, or being called by work, but hadn't realised he'd been talking with his brother. That wasn't really the point of getting away, and Sherlock had asked not to be disturbed.
"No, but I haven't had any report by the surveillance team that he's doing anything destructive."

Greg moved to look at him with a frown.
"You're still monitoring him?"
"Yes?"
"Myc, I told you… let him have some trust. It'll do the both of you good."
"I believed I was by electing to spend so much time this far away."
"Yeah, and that's been progress, but not enough. Just… we're still here for another week. Tell your people to just leave him be, and not watch him all the time."
"But I won't know what's happening…"
"Exactly, Myc. You've got to be able to let go as much as he's got to stand on his own."

Mycroft sighed heavily. He knew Gregory was right, and just was looking out for the both of them, but he couldn't shake the anxiety that swelled in his gut at the thought of being out of the loop. He clenched his jaw and just nodded. He'd make the call on the car ride back to the bed and breakfast they were staying at. Greg closed his eyes and pulled Mycroft close to rest against him (of course moving his coat front out of the way first). He gently stroked his partner's arm as the sky went dark. It was romantic, but still not quite what Greg had in mind for the proposal. And so he just enjoyed sharing the warmth of Mycroft's body as the night air began to freeze the environment around them.

They headed back to the B&B not long after, seeing as it was too dark to see anything anyway and it was already starting to frost. Mycroft called his team and told them to leave Sherlock alone until further notice. They then shared a late dinner of fish with dill sauce, and then retired to bed. Their room was warm and cosy… so warm, in fact, that they didn't actually need to be wearing clothes. That suited them perfectly fine. Greg had found that for some reason, Swedes really liked to keep the inside of the houses hot. To him it just was uncomfortable to have such a temperature shift going from outside to inside, but he didn't complain with the night time activities it allowed.

He and Mycroft had gotten into a nice rhythm of sexual activity before their holiday, and so the extra time had just served to make things either longer, kinkier, or sometimes both. Greg was pleased to find that Mycroft actually was a fairly sexual person, and so would initiate things between them almost half of the time. Greg liked to play dominant often, but he didn't like to be the only one to initiate things. He needed to feel like Mycroft was having fun as well, and not just 'going along with it' for Greg's sake. They switched roles, as well, which Greg loved. It made every encounter different and exciting, never knowing just where things were headed.

As Greg softly drifted off to sleep in the cosy embrace of Mycroft spooning against him, he just thought how lucky he was to have this man in his life. He never wanted to let him go. Sure, things got tough, but as long as they both were willing to work and change for the better of the relationship and themselves, it was going to be ok. And Mycroft had certainly proven he was willing to do that. He just hoped that Mycroft thought the same, that Greg was willing to put effort into change that needed to happen, and to be utterly devoted to him. He just hoped that Myc saw the changes to himself as a positive in his life, and not a mere concession to keep Greg happy and around.

He still had a week to find out. They were going to stay up north in a cabin, possibly seeing some snow, for the rest of the trip. Given how wonderful their time had been thus far, Greg was actually dreading having to leave. But since it had gone so well, he'd probably be able to convince Mycroft to take more time off in future to spend relaxing just the two of them. It was already doing them both a world of good. Greg drifted off into a deep, comfortable slumber - something he never seemed to manage while on the job back in London.

"Gregory, wake up."
Greg stirred from his deep sleep at the sound of Mycroft's voice. He managed to pull his eyelids up enough to register that it was still dark.
"Wha? What'ime isit?" Greg managed to mumble.
"Time to get up." Mycroft responded, getting out of bed and beginning to dress himself.
"But…it's'not even ligh' ou'." Greg slurred, struggling to stay awake.

He felt himself nodding off again, and then was jolted awake but Mycroft shaking his shoulder.
"Come on, Gregory, get up. You're used to being woken at all hours, I don't understand why this is difficult for you."
"Guess I just got used to snoozing with you lately." Greg responded, feeling himself wake up a bit more. Still, the fact that he knew nothing was wrong made him drift back into a doze. He pulled the covers back up closely and snuggled into them.

"Gregory! Seriously, if you don't get up and dressed, we'll miss it." Mycroft tutted, and walked out of the room.

Miss it? That sounds like there's some event going to happen.

Greg found he was much more alert once realising that time was of the essence. He got up and blearily started dressing himself. Mycroft walked back in with a small paper bag, assumedly with breakfast in it, and smiled at him once he saw that he was in fact getting dressed.
"Hey so are we like, coming back here after whatever this thing is, or do I need to pack my suitcase?"
"Oh, I think we can come back before continuing our journey north to Karlstad. Just bring yourself, and your coat… it'll be cold." Mycroft said, wearing his greatcoat.

Greg just nodded at him and slipped his coat on once he'd finished tying his shoes. Mycroft hurried him into the car, electing to drive this time. Greg was very appreciative of that. It was starting to get light out, so sunrise couldn't be far off. He asked where they were going, but Mycroft had just said 'you'll see'.

But from what Greg could see, they were approaching a mountain. The sky got darker again as they reached the outskirts of the national forest. It probably would be lovely in the day, with all of the trees still clinging to their vibrantly coloured leaves. But in the dim light, all Greg could make out was the white layer of frost and ice. Mycroft drove into the forest and up the mountainside. It then became clear that there were, in fact, two mountains. They were called 'Halle' and Hunne', according to Mycroft. The sign for the entrance to the forest had read 'Halle och Hunneberg', so Greg guessed that 'berg' must mean mountain.

Greg had originally thought that Mycroft was taking him to the top of the mountain to watch the sun rise. But then Mycroft had turned, and instead was driving down along into the valley between the two mountains. He pulled up at a small car park, and ushered Greg out of the car. He noticed that Mycroft looked excited, and so decided that whatever was here must be important.

Mycroft took Greg's gloved hand in his own as they walked along the old stone path. There was a lovely stone bridge that they crossed, over a small creek that ran in a deep crevice of rock. The ground was icy, and the forest still, and so they could hear the loud crunching of their footsteps as they walked. Greg noticed that beyond the trees, there was a lake. It wasn't huge, just normal sized. He could easily see the line of trees lining the bank on the other side. It seemed to be a long and skinny lake, since it stretched out a fair ways into the distance to his right.

The path opened out onto a wooden deck, leading to a small platform on the water's edge. Mycroft lead Gregory out to stand against the wooden fencing around the edge of the platform. He breathed in deeply and sighed, his breath freezing in the air. Greg looked at Mycroft's face, and was struck by how peaceful it looked. He wasn't sure why this place was important to Mycroft, but he could appreciate how relaxed it seemed to make his partner feel. It was peaceful, Greg could admit. The sky was a bright pink-orange, but everything around them remained in darkness because of the mountain's shadow.

"This place is called Hallsjön… the lake, that is. Tell me, what do you see?" Mycroft enquired, holding Gregory close.
"It's a long lake. There are mountains on either side. It's surrounded by trees. Everything looks frozen and white." Greg listed off as he let his eyes glance about.

"Yes. It, much like most of the lakes in Sweden, freezes during the winter. Everything around us freezes in the winter. As the cold months approach, the land begins to freeze and the edges of the lake turn to ice overnight, since this particular lake is reasonably shallow. But it is the fact that it is between two mountains that makes it special to me. It is stuck between two large obstacles, having to remain frozen and icy in their shadow for far longer than most of its counterparts."

Greg hummed, understanding the connection Mycroft was making to himself. Mycroft kissed him on the cheek softly before continuing.

"I wanted to show you something special. I want you to see what you mean to me and what you've done for me. I, like this lake and the surrounds, have been frozen for so long. I've been the ice man too long. But then you came along, Gregory. I've said to you before that you were the brightness of my day, the light of my life, and I want you to see that.

"In the night here… it's quiet, barren… lifeless. Just ice. The sun rises, and it remains in the shadows, icy. But then, in these few weeks between Autumn and Winter, something wonderful happens."

Greg looked up at Mycroft's face, and saw him staring off into the sky. It wasn't often Mycroft talked like this. It was… life affirming. The man breathed deeply.

"Almost time, dear Gregory. Before you I thought I could just stay frozen, but I was wrong. And I don't want to be anymore at all. You've changed me permanently, for the better. Gregory, my miracle… you are the sun that brings warmth to my life, and this is the transformation that your light has brought." Mycroft stated, smiling down at Greg, and then moved to look up at the mountain.

Greg's eyes followed and he saw the light of the sun burst out from behind the mountain. The light struck him by surprise, and he had to squint. Its rays were already warm, having risen so high in the sky. He looked out to the lake, and saw the golden rays spread out against the ground and start trailing up to the water. Within minutes of being illuminated, the frost melted on the ground. The icy edge of the lake disappeared. The trees beside them shone brightly in their autumn glory, all trace of the frozen morning disappeared into sparkling dew drops. Birds began to sing, flying out of their homes in the trees to greet the day.

In such short moments, the place had been turned from a silent and barren frozen land into a bright, vibrant, and lively forest. Greg couldn't help but beam at the message Mycroft had given him. It was truly beautiful. The lake glistened, the trees sparkled, and Mycroft held him close. Just perfect.

Mycroft looked down at Gregory, his chest expanding seeing the wonder on his love's face. The golden light of the sun illuminated him appropriately.

"You are my sunshine." Mycroft uttered softly.

Greg turned to face him, the sunlight making the orange in his hair flare out spectacularly. For what might have been the first time, Greg looked upon the face of a man truly happy and without stress. It made him look younger and more alive than he'd noticed before. Greg reached up and gently ran his fingers across his soft cheek. It was just all perfect, and Greg wanted to say something in response… but knew that there was nothing he could say that would come close to the meaningful and heartfelt things Mycroft had said to him.

And then he remembered he was wearing his coat.

It's time.

Greg smiled broadly at Mycroft.
"You are amazing. I never thought I'd be happy like you make me. Your words, especially those last four, touched me deeply. This… all of this… is perfect. There's only four words I can say back to you that could even compare." Greg said, staring into Mycroft's glittering blue eyes.

Greg then simultaneously reached into his coat breast pocket and slid down onto one knee. He looked up at Mycroft, and opened up the ring case, presenting the golden band to him.

"Mycroft Holmes, will you marry me?"

Time stood still for Mycroft. His eyes went wide and his heart leapt as Gregory had begun to kneel, and he froze all together when he saw the ring. It was happening… it was finally happening. Adrenaline surged through his body and he broke out in gooseflesh.

"Yes," Mycroft exclaimed, "Gregory Lestrade, of course I will marry you."

Greg beamed hearing the response, and slid the golden band onto Mycroft's finger. He stood and grabbed him by the face and kissed him passionately. Mycroft leaned into Gregory's touch, giving all of himself to the man's ministrations. He gripped his partner tightly, still in shock at how unbelievably wonderful everything felt. Greg held him firmly in response, overwhelmed with glee and the resounding reassurance that put his soul at peace: he wasn't going to be alone anymore.

The light of the sun shone upon them both, but that wasn't why Mycroft was feeling so warm. He was truly loved by this extraordinary man, his faults and all. The ice man had melted completely. All that time he thought he'd be alone forever… when really he was just waiting. Waiting for Gregory.

I decided to paint this scene with my dragon characters of Myc and Greg (just remove the spaces, it won't show actual links): bryntwedge . tumblr ( . com ) / image/166597012193

There's some other little comics involving them both on the tumblr as well if you feel like having a look.

The next instalment will be posted soon! Part IV will have a mix of difficulties from the past and nice fluff.