AUTHOR'S NOTE – Why Mycroft?

This story was inspired by the wonderful portrayal of Mycroft by Mark Gatiss in the BBC production of Sherlock.

Everyone notices the relationship of John and Sherlock. It is a major point in the show, but the more that I watched, the more I became enamored with Mycroft and John's relationship. They start out as adversaries and pass quickly through several stages, some on screen and some off until we see them having intimate coffee conversations together. This from a man who Conan Doyle describes as so fixed in his habits that he rarely goes anywhere other than work, home, and the Diogenes club.

And although Mycroft can be rude to Mrs Hudson, and he is downright withering to Sherlock, he is always pleasant to John and never has a bad word to say to him. Dr. John Watson is a man who understands concepts such as sacrifice and 'national importance'. A man whose sarcastic wit is similar to Mycroft's own, though less bitter.

What does Mycroft think of John? Mycroft named his club after Diogenes the cynic who walked through the city streets with a lamp in the daytime saying that he was searching for an honest man. In John, he has found that man. Can he help but be impressed? He must feel wonder, fascination, attraction, things that can be inferred by his amused smiles at John in The Great Game, or his waiting around to have coffee with John at the end of Scandal in Belgravia. We can see it in how he leans against his desk, and how he stares at John over hands clasped in supplication.

In most people's mind, the tragic rooftop scene between Sherlock and John overshadows the much quieter parting of Mycroft and John in the Diogenes club. A meeting that John initiated simply to confirm his fears that it was Mycroft who betrayed his brother. And for the first time, we see real remorse in Mycroft as he stutters and begs forgiveness from John.

It seems to me that Mycroft is not more normal than Sherlock, he is just better at pretending to be normal. And having met him, we can ask "How many friends do you suppose he has?" Of course he has acquaintances, but who would drop by his house to cheer him up when he is down, or ask him to go out drinking? How many close friends can you have when your motto is "Caring is not an advantage"?

I wanted to explore the effect that a warm, pleasant personality like John's would have on the ice man. For someone who has seen so little genuine affection, John's mildest attentions must burn in his heart like fire.

I want to thank all of my readers, especially you who have commented on my work. If you read the work when I first posted it, please read it again, because I have extensively revised it since then.

I'd like to thank my excellent beta xxignoredxx who helped me rewrite the choppy, disorganized opening that I started with. Thanks for everything, and for putting up with my annoying bossiness. It really helped to have another set of eyes. And while I'm at it, I should thank FlyingPigMonkey for recommending her.

I'd also like to thank Moony3403 for translating this story into Russian, and I want to apologize for totally rewriting some of the chapters that you had already translated. SORRY!

Anyway, I'm really enjoying the welcoming community here at Fan Fiction and I hope to be able to post for years to come.

CHEERS!

Aless Nox