To: J Watson
From: M Holmes
Sent: 12.22PM
John, I would be obliged if you would encourage my brother to look into the case documented in the packet I had couriered to him earlier today. It is time sensitive and of the utmost importance.
Mycroft Holmes disliked texting considerably. Not only did it require him to fiddle with his phone in a rather undignified way, it also put a great deal of reliance on the person with whom one was communicating, particularly in the regard to the speed to which they would reply and the priority they would apply to the message. Thanksfully, John Watson was usualy fairly prompt in responding. In this instance, however, Mycroft felt that this would be merely the first volley in a long discussion.
True to form, John did not keep him waiting longer than was necessary, and some two or three minutes later Mycroft's phone vibrated against the table next to his elbow and he picked it up.
To: M Holmes
From: J Watson
Sent: 12.24PM
As he has alerady told you, he is busy with another case of equal importance. If you want him tod o something for you I sugest you talk to him yourslef.
Mycroft allowed himself a modest smile at John's typing skills and pressed the button to reply. As he typed, he raised one hand to signal to the footman, in his bland Diogenes livery, that he wanted another pot of coffee. This would likely take a while.
To: J Watson
From: M Holmes
Sent: 12.27PM
I doubt that his estimation of equal importance is accurate. Simply because he does not find my issue interesting does not mean it is not vital. I hope that you will see sense John, and insist that he at least read the file.
This time the reply came back almost immediately, the disappointing response lessened somewhat in its negative impact by the satisfying conclusion that John was keeping his phone to hand in order to uphold his end of the conversation.
To: M Holmes
From: J Watson
Sent: 12.28PM
He has read the file. He said that it wasso easy even i could solve it. I offered to go and he said no, that we have to make you go uot and do something once in a wihle. Besides, its not like ive got nothing to do today myself.
Mycroft frowned. It was true that Sherlock was far easier to deal with now that John was in the picture, but it wouldn't do for John to get an attitude. He sent back;
To: J Watson
From: M Holmes
Sent: 12.31PM
It would be in your best interests to encourage Sherlock to do this small job for me. I beg of you John, do not make me use persuasive methods.
That ought to do the trick.
It took slightly longer for the reply to come this time, John considering the matter carefully, no doubt. Mycroft found time to call his assistant and dictate a short letter over the phone before the text alert buzzed again.
To: M Holmes
From: J Watson
Sent: 12.39PM
Don't try and make me do your dirty work Mycroft, especialy when you could resolve this whole thing yoursefl if you only went tot he you got better things to do then meddle?
Meddle? MEDDLE?! Mycroft was sincerely cross by now. John didn't take him seriously on this matter, and that just wouldn't do. He hadn't been sitting on his discovery all this time not to use it when such an opportunity came along. A little show of force and John would have Sherlock doing as he was asked in no time, and next time it happened there would be no silly fooling around.
The British government didn't pay Mycroft Holmes whatever he damned well told them to to meddle! They paid him whatever he damned well told them to to gather data, collate facts and negotiate.
To: J Watson
From: M Holmes
Sent: 12.42PM
I don't know if you recall John, a certain night eighteen months ago, in the forensics lab at New Scotland Yard. It seems that this particular lab had been used for a tryst by a man and a woman and that certain evidence, not out of place in a forensics department, had been left behind. Of course, such a silly matter wasn't persued, not when it could cause such embarrassment for the police, and they never checked the DNA evidence against their criminal files. Or against military medical files. But the evidence still exists John, and it would undoubtedly be awfully embarrassing for the man involved, would it not?
There. Threat made, and now John knew where he stood. It wasn't really anything that John was likely to be arrested for, and Mycroft wouldn't allow him to go to prison anyway, as Sherlock would surely become wholly unsufferable if that happened. It was enough to cause John considerable humiliation though, as well as emotional upset over the honour of the woman in the matter, and a blow to his already poor (thanks to Sherlock) reputation with most of the police.
But of course, it wouldn't come to that. Mycroft was not a cruel man. It was simply that John had to learn that when Mycroft said something was important, he meant it. And that the downside to having so much rare influence over Sherlock was that he sometimes had to use it to force changes in behaviour for the greater good.
Mycroft's phone finally buzzed again.
To: M Holmes
From: J Watson
Sent: 1.08PM
Playing dirty aer we? Give me twenty minutes.
Mycroft smiled to himself, startling one of the footmen, and asked for a newspaper to be brought. John was on board now, and it would surely be only a matter of time before Sherlock was at the scene of the theft and working hard to get the matter quietly settled. There was time for a little entertainment in the form of the cryptic crossword.
Mycroft was quite absorbed by the time a new text arrived, and he picked up his phone in a leisurely manner, expecting to find they were on their way.
No.
To: M Holmes
From: J Watson
Sent: 1.33PM
Mycroft, check my blog.
What?
Mycroft picked up his laptop and set it on the table at his elbow, opening the browser and going to his bookmarks. He'd been keeping an eye on John's blog, naturally, and found it easily. It had been updated since he'd checked that morning. The newest post was just text; no title, no 'Read more' link at the bottom. After scanning briefly over it, Mycroft started to read and...ah.
'I've got a bit of a confession to make today. That sounds bad, but given that I live with Sherlock, I imagine you can all guess that it isn't that I've been out murdering people or anything.
Last year I was fortunate enough to enjoy the intimate companionship of a certain lady, and stupidly chose a lab at NSY as the location. Obviously, the police didn't like discovering that somebody had been having unapproved fun in their lab, but didn't persue it. But I recently had it brought home to me what a stupid thing this was to have done, and I wanted to get it off my chest.
I'm sorry for any problems it caused, I really am.
And no, certain-people-who-know-who-they-are, I am not going to divulge the name of the lady, who was far more sensible than me and said it was a daft idea from the start. Some of us still try to be gentlemen.'
As Mycroft read, the comments counter below the post ticked up, and he clicked on it to see what the responses were. Lestrade was calling John several unflattering names, but seemed unlikely to pursue the matter any further than that. A couple of John's regular readers were calling him a playboy and similar.
Mycroft's phone buzzed again.
To: M Holmes
From: J Watson
Sent: 1.40PM
Sherlock is in the midddle of something very important at the mmoent, but when he has finished Ill ask him to look at your case. Unless you've sorted it out by yourself by then, that is.
Mycroft slipped the phone back into his briefcase and closed the laptop.
Sat for a while chewing it over.
Then he called for his coat and brolly, and set off for the crime scene.
::
Yay! Mycroft moved his ass!
All the spelling mistakes in John's texts are deliberate. Any other spelling mistakes were all mine.
I knew from the start that I wanted to do a chapter in this from Mycroft's POV, but I couldn't work out a way for John to impress him that would be extreme enough for him to actually show he was impressed. Then I realised that the story didn't have to run that way, and ended up with this, which I'm really quite pleased with. It was hard to write, because I found it tricky to get a handle on Mycroft. I don't think he's actually this much of a horror, but he has his ideas on how things should be and won't tolerate barriers to him getting his way.
This chapter took me a bit longer to get out than usual, as I'm working on something else at the same time. I'll just say for now that there'll be another Sherlock story from me not long after this one wraps up.