NOTE: We have yet to learn what Mycroft's full name was in the series, so I have a bit of fun with that in this story. If we ever do discover the whole of his name, I'll correct it at that time.
Rose was sitting on her bed when Maud knocked lightly and opened the door. She looked up in alarm, but seeing as it was only Mummy, she relaxed once more. "Mummy? I'm very, very sorry," she said in a tiny voice. As soon as Maud sat down, Rose crawled into her lap and began listing her crimes. "I shouldn't have played in the bouncy house and I shouldn't have climbed the shelves and made all the toys fall off and I shouldn't have said My kidnapped me. It just sort of came out, that one," Rose admitted, frowning a bit as she thought over the day's events. "He always says I'm not his anyway, but it just sort of came out. I didn't think first, and I didn't know they'd believe it Mummy, honest. I tried to tell the lady at the store that it wasn't true, that I was just being silly, but she didn't believe me and then they took Mycroft away and then I went in a police car too. They just wouldn't listen Mummy!"
Maud could only imagine that the realization that her beloved brother was being arrested because of her, and then kept separated from her was frightening for Rose, especially as no one believed her when she took her statement back. "That's what happens sometimes when we don't think about things baby," Maud said gently. She put the spoon down beside her in order to wrap both arms around Rose. "That's why it's so important that we always tell the truth and behave properly. Otherwise, things happen that we don't mean to or want to."
Rose nodded, snuggling even closer. "Mummy, will Mycroft ever forgive me? It makes my heart hurt to think he might not. I'm not very sure he ever will. What will I do without him?" She looked up at her mother, anxiety written on her face. Rose couldn't imagine what life would be like if her brother hated her forever and ever.
"We always forgive people that we love when they make mistakes, don't we?" Maud asked. When Rose nodded, she continued on. "Then of course he will, because he loves you so much. He loves you and is so proud of you. Just because he was very angry doesn't mean he doesn't love you, or that he would ever hurt you my darling."
"I'll be very, very good so he forgives me. I didn't mean to be very awful and naughty today," Rose replied.
"I know, but you did make some very poor choices, and we must always answer for all our choices, good and bad, don't we?" Again, Rose nodded, and Maud continued. "You're going to have a spanking and then you'll stay in your room for the rest of the day. I'll make sure your snack and supper are sent up for you to eat, but other than using the loo, you're going to stay in here until you wake up in the morning. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Rose answered dutifully. Without even being told, she stood up and pushed her trousers down before bending over Maud's lap.
"Mummy's very proud of you," Maud told her sincerely. She lowered Rose's pants and reached for the spoon, bringing it down with a pop on Rose's left cheek, followed by a matching smack on the right cheek. Then the spoon fell fast and furious all across the little bottom over her knee, lighting a fire in it as the skin quickly turned pink. Maud wasn't spanking too hard, but she knew just how to do it with a little flick of the wrist that really made it sting and always made for a very repentant child when it was done.
"Ow! Owowow! Mummy Ouch!" Rose squealed as the spoon stung her bottom over and over again. She began squirming and kicking within the first dozen swats and was very dismayed when Mummy just kept going! Her bum was hot and stinging and still the spoon fell over and over again.
"You must always tell the truth Rosenwyn, and think before you make choices. That way you'll make the right choices," Maud lectured, emphasizing certain words with sharp swats to Rose's sit spots. She kept a firm grip on Rose, making certain she wouldn't wriggle right off her lap, and ignored her yelps and howls.
"Ow! Mummy! I'm sorry! Sorry! Mummy! Oww!" Rose threw her hands behind her in a futile attempt to protect her cheeks from the spoon, only to have them pinned to the small of her back. "Nooooooo! Mummy! Please! Ow!"
Maud was determined to leave no spot unspanked and often re-spanked areas of Rose's bottom, paying special attention to her sit spots and even the tops of her thighs. She wasn't the least bit surprised when Rose burst into heartfelt tears and kicked her clothing down to her ankles and then right off altogether.
Only when Rose went still over her lap and truly sobbed did Maud draw the spanking to a close. "Are you going to tell the truth from now on? And think about things before you make choices?" she asked, peppering the now bright red cheeks, drawing a renewal of tears from her little one. Only when she saw Rose nod in answer to the questions did the spoon stop smacking. Dropping the spoon onto the floor, Maud's hand replaced it, gently rubbing a bit of the sting away.
"All done, baby, all done," Maud soothed. "You were a very good girl for Mummy. Are you ready for a cuddle?" When she nodded, Maud easily lifted Rose up and cuddled her close, continuing to gently rub Rose's thoroughly paddled little bum as she soothed her baby's tears away.
Later that evening, Mycroft and Maud sat in the sitting room with cups of tea and various reading materials. Rose was fast asleep, Sherlock was in his room though probably not asleep, but he was quiet enough that mother and oldest son were relaxed in their companionable silence. After an hour or so, Maud got up to make fresh tea and brought the pot out with her when it was done.
"Myc, can I ask you something?" Maud questioned, not wanting to interrupt him if he was working.
Mycroft closed the folder in his hands and looked up at her with interest. "What's that, Mother?"
Maud handed him his cup of tea and sat down beside him on the couch. "Why does it bother you so much? When strangers mistake you for Rose's father or ask if she belongs to you."
"Because I'm not," Mycroft replied, his brow unconsciously furrowing as he looked at his mother. "Why do you ask?"
"They're just strangers, Mikey. People who come and go from your life in five minutes time," Maud pointed out in a gentle tone. "It clearly bothers you and I just want to know why."
It was never easy for Mycroft to delve into his feelings, even if it was only his mother asking. He awkwardly cleared his throat and shifted uneasily before responding. "I'm not her father. She had a father, a wonderful father, and the fact that he cannot be here now does not mean that he never existed and I don't want to act as though he didn't. It…"
Sensing his disquiet, Maud reached over and squeezed his hand gently before letting it go.
"It dishonors Father's memory to claim Rose as my own, or let people assume that she is mine. I can't and won't usurp that title from him, even if he isn't here to object to it, or to raise her. That doesn't sit right with me," Mycroft explained, his words tentative as if slowly trying to sort out his feelings word by word.
"My darling boy," Maud murmured. "You're a wonderful son, do you know that? You make me so very proud. But in this, Myc, you're very wrong. You were not the man to help create Rose that is very true. But you, my son, are the only father she'll ever know. Its okay, Myc, to take some credit for that. Your father would be the last person to object to that, I promise you. Should he be watching us from somewhere beyond right now, I'm sure he's comforted by the fact that there's someone here to do for Rose what he cannot do."
Mycroft took a sip of his tea, uncertain how to respond to all this emotional outpouring from his mother. Secretly, however, he was pleased by her words.
"Now, let's not get carried away, of course, and give important people the wrong impression of our family," Maud laughed. "But if someone at the shops happens to say "Oh, your little girl is so cute," it's alright to just say, "Yes, she is," and move on. Rose will never know how much her father really loved her, but she'll always know how much you love and cherish her. You are raising her Mycroft. Father or not, that's precisely what you're doing, and much more of it seems to be on your own lately."
"Mother, your health isn't your fault, I certainly don't blame you for needing time to rest and recoup whenever necessary," Mycroft hurried to assure her. "Please don't feel guilty."
"I promise not to feel guilty, so long as you promise me not to feel guilty for taking credit where credit is due for Rose's upbringing," she countered.
"Alright, I promise," he grumbled. "Though I don't know how well I'm doing at this bringing up business considering today. That child… she could drive a saint to commit suicide, Mother, honestly!"
Maud laughed and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You're doing a wonderful job, Mycroft. There's no one else in the world I would trust her with, even after this afternoon's rather appalling display of anger. You know, I can't help but wonder if, in her own way, Rose was trying to make a point in addition to all the chaos. Subconsciously of course," Maud clarified. "But perhaps it bothers her that you're so reluctant to claim her and always ready to jump on people for their assumptions. Think on that Mycroft, hm? I'm off to bed now. Sleep well."
The following morning Maud summoned the energy to make a lavish breakfast for her family, wishing she could do this more often. "Sherlock, will you go get baby? Tell her its breakfast and she can come down in her pajamas."
She watched as Sherlock took the stairs two at a time and then returned a few moments later without his sister.
"She won't come down. Someone…" Sherlock paused to glare at his older brother. "Scared the daylights out of her yesterday, so she's not coming down until she's certain Mycroft isn't mad at her anymore."
Maud sighed heavily and gave her eldest a look. "You didn't make amends with Rose yesterday? I thought I asked you to do that Mycroft. Please go do so."
"And say what, Mother?" Mycroft asked, sounding rather irritated.
"Tell baby you forgive her so she'll come to the table and eat. You frightened her yesterday with all the bellowing and you shook her, Mycroft. Say you're sorry and that she's forgiven and then it'll be all better and I will be a very happy mother."
Mycroft's jaw tightened. "I get arrested because of her and now I have to tell her that I'm sorry she was upset that I shouted at her? I don't think so. If she's so concerned about being forgiven, she's a big girl; she can come and ask me herself."
"Well I do think so and you'll do it because your mother is telling you to," Maud scolded her eldest son. "Honestly Mycroft, I'm not asking for anything outrageous here. She was afraid of you, and she deserves an apology for being shaken like that. Go, now."
"Mother, let's not be overdramatic," Mycroft responded, helping himself to some tea.
"Mycroft Edwin Darcy Holmes!" Maud shouted. "You will do as you're asked because I told you to and because I still have my spanking spoon and will not feel shy about putting it to good use! Now please, go be the 30 year old you are and tell the 8 year old not to be frightened of you anymore!"
Sherlock's jaw dropped as Maud threatened to spank Mycroft. "This is the happiest day of my life," he murmured.
"That was low Mother. Very low," Mycroft ground out.
"Wait, wait, Darcy? Darcy?" Sherlock repeated. "Seriously, that's part of his name?"
Maud rolled her eyes. "Your father wanted to name him Leopold. Or Winston Churchill. In the end we decided we liked Mycroft best. But yes, Mycroft Edwin Darcy Holmes is his proper name."
"I wish you had named him Winston, then we could call him Winnie!" Sherlock smirked delightedly at his brother, whose face was rapidly reddening. "Where did the Darcy come from?"
"Never you mind Sherlock," Maud commented. "Mycroft, I don't see you moving yet." She stared her son down, hoping Mycroft wouldn't call her bluff. He was thirty after all, but she was counting on the way he typically avoided arguing with her to get him to obey without her having to carry out the threat.
"For the record, I don't believe for a second you'd do it," Mycroft grumbled as he got up from the table. If it was anyone but his mother there'd be no way in hell someone got away with talking to him like that.
"Whatever makes you happy dear, as long as you do as you're told and bring baby to the table," Maud responded, sounding very pleased with herself.
Mycroft headed upstairs, still believing his mother was exaggerating. He'd been very angry and had shouted at Rose, which she very much deserved, but surely she wasn't actually frightened of him. After all the times she'd been in trouble, shouted at, and spanked, one would think Rose would be used to it by now. Knocking lightly on her door, he called out, "Rose, it's Mycroft. May I come in?"
"No!" was the immediate response. "I'm already very sorry, I promise!"
Rolling his eyes Mycroft opened the door anyway.
As soon as she saw him, Rose went pale and threw the bed covers up over her head. "I said sorry, I said sorry and Mummy spanked me already! Please, My, I'm really sorry! I don't want another spanking, please! I'll be good!"
Before Mycroft could even get a word in edgewise, he could hear her start to cry under the blankets. He froze in place, halfway between the door and her bed, listening in horror to his sister's fervent apologies, followed by tears. Good god, Mother had not been exaggerating at all.
Mycroft thought back on yesterday and recalled in detail the events at Scotland Yard, his heart dropping as he did so. He'd done more than just shout at her. He'd towered over her, ignored her frantic tears and shook her. My god, how could he have done this? How could he have frightened her so? He'd never lost his temper with her that way before.
Closing the distance between himself and the bed, Mycroft knelt down beside it and began rubbing the lump under the blankets, which was presumably Rose's back. "Oh Rose," he murmured. "Poppet, I'm so sorry. Please don't cry and there's no need to apologize any further. Come out from under there, please? So we can talk? It's not much fun talking to a blanket; it makes me feel rather silly." He kept his tone soft and gentle and continued to rub her back, hoping to her coax her to at least take her head out of the blankets.
When it became clear that Rose was not going to come out from under the blankets, Mycroft let out a sigh and stood up to kick off his shoes. Carefully he lifted Rose and scooted her further over on the bed and then stretched out on it himself and rested his back on the headboard, before pulling the lump back into his arms for a cuddle. "There's no need to cry Rose. You're not in any further trouble and I'm not angry with you anymore," Mycroft promised. "We'll have a good long cuddle until you feel like moving the blankets away from your face so we can talk properly. Just don't tell Sherlock," he added. Knowing he'd made such a monumental mistake with Rose made his heart squeeze with anguish. She depended on him, she needed him, and he'd let her down.
Mycroft's efforts at cuddling the lump in the blanket were finally rewarded when Rose pushed the bed clothes away from her face and rolled onto her side to look up at Mycroft. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't wanna have a spanking with a belt and I don't-"
Mycroft gently placed a finger over her lips, silencing her anxious whispers. "I'm the one that's sorry Rose. I should never have said those things, or frightened you so. I lost my temper," he admitted. "It's okay to be angry about something but I chose to express that anger in an unacceptable manner and scared you in the process, which was truly never my intention. I promise never, ever to lose my temper like that again and you're more than forgiven for the mess yesterday. Spankings always wipe the slate clean, don't they?"
He smiled when she nodded. "You had your spanking from Mummy and there's no reason to ever think about this again. You're not in any further trouble, I promise, and I'm not going to shout at you about it anymore. I'm so sorry Poppet, from the bottom of my heart, for scaring you so much. Do you think you can ever forgive me?"
Rose looked thoughtful for a moment, as if assessing the truthfulness of his words before finally nodding. "Yes, I forgive you My. I love you and I don't ever want you to go away, to jail or anywhere else. I'm sorry I was very, very bad." She pressed her face against his chest, hiding it away in shame.
The fact that she was apologizing again, and still felt as if she were more in the wrong than he was, made Mycroft feel even worse. "You weren't very, very bad. I don't know exactly what you were doing, but I don't think you ever really intended for me to be arrested. Did you?"
"No, and they wouldn't believe me when I said that it wasn't true and you were my My," Rose admitted.
"What made you do it in the first place?" He watched curiously as the little girl's face went bright red.
"Well, I was sitting among all those toys and you had that look on your face and I thought for sure you were going to… to…" Rose huffed, feeling embarrassed. "I thought you were going to take me to the bathroom and spank me again and I didn't want that, so I was trying to delay it. That just happened to be the first thing that came into my head to say."
"I had no idea that particular spanking had so much of an impact on you," Mycroft murmured. It had been a good two years or even closer to three, since he'd hauled her into a public restroom at a restaurant and given her a sound spanking. "I'll have to remember that."
"My!" Rose whined, poking him gently in the stomach with her finger. She giggled when he poked her nose in response.
"I trust that you're not going to say such things again?" Mycroft asked, turning serious once more.
"No, I promise," Rose assured him. "I'm sorry I made you so angry."
"Oh, no, my anger is my fault and mine alone," Mycroft countered, holding her a little tighter. "That was very unacceptable and I promise it will never happen again. I absolutely hate the thought of you being frightened of me, poppet."
"Does it make your heart hurt?" she asked curiously.
"Yes it does. I'm so sorry," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "I would never, ever hurt you poppet. You mean far too much to me to do that."
The two snuggled together for a few moments in silence before Rose spoke up again. "My? Why don't you like people to think I'm yours? Aren't I yours, sorta? Is it because I'm very naughty so much?"
Damn, how he hated it when Mother was right! Despite his displeasure at Maud's theory being correct, Mycroft chuckled at Rose's final question. "You're not naughty all the time Rose, even if it does feel that way sometimes. You're a very good girl, with a good heart; you just have a bad habit of making poor choices. But that has nothing to do with other people thinking you're my child. It's simply that you aren't mine, Rose," he told her gently.
Rose looked completely crestfallen before resting her head against his chest once more, beginning to worry a button on his shirt. She was silent, her shoulders hunched in an almost defeated manner.
Oh god, he'd messed up again, Mycroft thought to himself. She was the very picture of dejection, cuddled up against him, trying to hide her sad little face, playing with his button. Honestly, the button thing was one of the most adorable things Rose did. And then…
Damn.
Tears.
To Rose's credit it was just a few tears that slid down her cheeks and fell onto his shirt. How the hell was he going to fix this? Why did sentiment have to be so bloody complicated? Because you care so much, his conscience prodded him. Caring was such a pain in the arse! He'd have to just muddle his way through this and hope he did it right!
"You aren't mine, biologically speaking," Mycroft began, speaking a bit hesitantly. "But that doesn't have to matter very much, does it?" He began carding his fingers through her curls, wild and sticking up in various places the way they did every morning. "In fact, it doesn't have to matter at all."
Rose shifted a bit so she could look up at him again, her face brimming with hope. "It doesn't?"
Mycroft scooped Rose up, moving her from cuddling against his side to snuggle right in his lap. "It doesn't," he assured her, kissing her forehead. "Because you're mine in all the ways that matter, aren't you?"
"I am?" Rose asked, tugging her blanket up around them.
"You are. I take care of you when you're sick; I tuck you in at night-"
"Not all nights," Rose interrupted. "Mummy does sometimes and Sherlock does too."
"Not all nights," Mycroft agreed. "I talk with your teachers and check your homework when Sherlock doesn't beat me to it, I spank you when you misbehave," he added, giving her bum a firm pat.
"And you taught me how to read and write and ride a bike too," Rose offered after giving him a look for the pat. "Can't forget those things, they're important too."
"Yes they are. But what it really comes down to, when you think about it, is that I'm the one raising you, doing all these things with you and if that doesn't make you, in effect, my child, then I haven't the faintest idea what would," Mycroft admitted. "It meets all the parameters of the typical parent-child relationship, minus the biological aspect of it, so there you are. We meet the parameters, you and I."
Rose smiled in contentment and gave a little sigh. "That's lovely," she decided. Her smile grew even wider when he kissed the top of her head.
"Most important of all… I love you very much," Mycroft said softly. "And I'm very… well…" He cleared his throat in an attempt to clear the lump in his throat; more sentiment. "I'm proud to be the one raising you, Rose Holmes." He realized as he said the words that they were in fact very true, every single one of them.
Rose's stomach chose that exact moment to growl loudly, causing both siblings to laugh. "Should we go down to breakfast now?" Mycroft asked. "Mother is probably wondering where we are." He was surprised to see Rose shake her head no. "No? Why not?"
"My bum hurts," she whispered, her face growing red.
"Ah," he murmured. "Stay here, I'll be right back." Mycroft set her gently on the bed and briefly exited the room. A moment later he returned with some aloe vera. "This will help a bit, if you'd like me to put some on."
The little girl stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide. "But… but… you never do that!"
"I never do this when I spank you, but I'm not the one that spanked you this time, was I?" Mycroft asked, taking a seat on the bed. "Come on, before I change my mind. Over my knee."
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Rose did as she was told for once. Mycroft pushed her nightgown up and out of the way before pulling down her pants and gently applying the aloe vera. "Feel a bit better?" he asked when he finished.
"Everything feels better," Rose murmured. "My bum and my heart!" She rewarded him with a hug before the two siblings headed downstairs to finally eat their breakfast.
Two Weeks Later
Mycroft and Rose were waiting in line with their groceries as Tesco. When their turn finally came, she helped Mycroft put the groceries on the counter. As soon as the last grocery was on the counter, Rose reached for her favorite chocolate bar and held it up for Mycroft to see. "May I have one? Please?"
She'd been very well behaved, Mycroft reflected, and he didn't see the harm in giving her a small reward. "Yes, you may," he agreed, taking the candy and putting it on the counter.
"Thank you!" Rose exclaimed before bouncing down to begin bagging their items.
The cashier, a friendly middle-aged woman, watched Rose bounce off and smiled. "Goodness, your daughter is so polite! You never hear children with such manners anymore," she commented.
Mycroft returned the woman's smile. "Thank you," he said sincerely, a note of pride in his voice. "She's a good girl." For all the mischief and chaos she caused, that child of his was, in fact, a very good girl at heart.
NOTE: To the reviewer who asked if the little boy at Barnes and Noble was found, he was! He'd gotten lost in the crowd and was very quickly located by B&N's staff. To ALL my reviewers and readers, thank you so much for taking the time to read my stories and especially for leaving your wonderful feedback! I appreciate it very much and am glad that so many people enjoy my stories! Next up: Despite Mycroft's assertions that Sherlock and Rose are very much alike, Rose does something that makes him realize how very much like him she really is.