In the morning, in the doctor's office, Mycroft approached the receptionist, 'Hello. I'm Mycroft Holmes. I have an 11 o'clock appointment with Dr. Zelensky,' he informed as he absent-mindedly checked his emails on his phone.

The receptionist slid a clipboard and pen to him, 'Dr. Zelensky will see you in a minute. Can you fill this form while you wait?' she asked politely. As Mycroft sat down to fill the form, he noticed it was already filled. He went back to the receptionist and informed her. 'I'm so sorry. Let me just get you a new one,' the receptionist apologized.

Mycroft glanced at the form once again, the name on it catching his attention. A nurse stepped out of the doctor's office, 'Ms. Rivas, Dr. Zelensky is ready for you,' she said, distracting Mycroft. Mycroft looked up from the form and saw a tall, dark-haired woman walk into the doctor's office. Mycroft couldn't get a good look at her. But, in the split second that he had observed her, he had taken note of her long, sleek hair, her warm honey skin, and her stylish look from what she had chosen to wear to a doctor's office—a fitted red suit with a white lace bra underneath. Mycroft looked back at the form and read the name on it—Katherine Rivas, the name rang a bell.

In the Truth-teller office conference room, where the board was already gathered, Kate entered and sat at the head of the table, 'I'm sorry to keep you waiting. No one told me there was a meeting.'

Nathan, one of the board members wheeled in a dolly stacked with boxes of newspaper, 'It was a bit of an emergency,' he said and sat down at the other end of the conference table.

Kate looked at the dolly suspiciously then at her board, 'Does anyone care to tell me what this is about?' she asked.

An older member stepped forward to inform Kate, 'The executive members are here to discuss the future of The Truth-teller Editor-in-chief...'

Nathan cut him off and pointed to the dolly, 'Or lack thereof. That is every apology and retraction printed under your leadership of this paper. Apologies and retractions, nothing else sticks in this paper. Decreased readership, failure to adapt to the digital age... Shall I go on?' he said smugly.

Kate frowned, 'Not going digital was your call...' she tried to defend herself.

Nathan shook his head, 'Regardless. Your time's up, Kate.'

Kate scoffed, 'This is absurd. I'm the chairman of the board, and you're listening to a man who walked in... what?! three seconds ago... I'm the editor-in-chief of The Truth-teller, you can't replace me. This is my paper, built by me on my reputation,' she said firmly.

Nathan smirked at Kate from across the table, 'This is not your paper,' he said.

A senior board member intervened, 'And the board will decide what's in the best interest of the paper,' he said firmly.

Nathan smiled and stood up, buttoning his suit jacket, 'And, it's in the best interest of the paper to shift attention to a more forward-thinking narrative. I move that effective immediately Katherine Rivas be removed from her duties as Editor-In-Chief of The Truth-teller. Is there a second?' he asked.

A board member sitting at Nathan's right raised his hand, 'I second it.'

Nathan smiled and nodded, 'All those in favour?' he asked.

Kate stood up and slammed her hand on the table with a flabbergasted expression, 'No, wait. This is bullshit. I agree I have made some mistakes as the editor-in-chief, but I have owned up to it. And, as far as decreased readership goes, that is because we haven't adapted to the digital age. I have pushed time and again for us to go digital, instead, we are still stuck in the stone age. And, if I remember, it is because this board supported Mr. Nathan Bailey when he spun some shit about capturing the smell of ink and paper. I have worked in collaboration with this board from the minute I took office as editor-in-chief. And, I will work with this board, only if you give me a chance instead of ambushing me with theatrics in my own office,' she said in frustration.

The senior member nodded, 'Kate is right. We need to at least try and work this out before going ballistic,' he said and the others nodded in agreement. 'All right, then we are in agreement. Unless there is anything else to discuss, we're done here,' he said and everyone filed out of the room.

Nathan smiled and walked up to Kate, who was still standing at the head of the table, 'You got lucky today, but not for long. I will toss you out of here, maybe not today but soon. Just wait,' he said and left the room. The second he walked out, Kate lost her calm composure and collapsed on her chair, burying her head in her hands.

At night, in the parking lot, Kate got into her car and turned it on. She settled into her seat and stepped on the gas when the car simply stopped. She tried a few more times before giving up and deciding to take a cab. As Kate walked down a busy street, she tried to hail a taxi but failed. She turned to see a public phone ringing as she neared it. The ringing stopped as a man went to answer it. Kate thoughtfully looked at the phone as she walked down the dark street, then she came to another phone booth. She looked around for a moment and stared at the telephone as it rang. She opened the door to the booth, stepped inside, and picked up the receiver. 'Hello?'

'There is a security camera on the building to your left. Do you see it?' Mycroft spoke from the surveillance room.

Kate looked to her left and spotted the camera, 'Yes...' she said with a smirk.

Mycroft pulled the phone away for a second and looked at it in surprise. Someone who played along. This was going to be fun. Mycroft watched as the camera zoomed in on Kate, 'Watch...' Mycroft said as the CCTV camera turned around. 'There's another camera on the building opposite to you. Do you see it, Ms. Rivas?'

Kate peered out of the box and hummed, 'Mmm-mm' a smile playing on her lips.

'And finally, at the top of the building on your right'

Kate looked at the camera as it whirred and blinked in the street light, as it focused away from her. 'Get into the car, Ms. Rivas. I would make some sort of threat, but I'm sure your situation is quite clear to you,' Mycroft said and disconnected the line, as the black saloon car pulled up outside the booth.

Later, Kate stepped out of the black saloon car into a spacious warehouse, where Mycroft was standing in the dark, leaning on his umbrella, 'I believe introductions are in order. But since you already know who I am, we can start with you,' Kate suggested as she walked to Mycroft.

Mycroft shrugged, 'Well, that depends...'

'On?' Kate asked.

'How you respond to my request?' Mycroft said with a sly smile.

'Well, then let's get on with it then.'

'You don't seem very afraid,' Mycroft remarked.

'As I'm sure you know, I used to be an investigative journalist. I have written about warlords. I have worked in war zones. Frankly, you don't seem that frightening. If you're done with the theatrics I'd like to get to work,' Kate said smugly.

'Work?'

'Isn't that why we are here?' Kate asked in rhetoric.

Mycroft looked at her for a moment, trying to deduce her, 'I'm proposing an arrangement of sorts...' he explained vaguely.

Kate nodded, 'I'm listening.'

'I give you access to information that can only be found in Westminster, and you print it,' Mycroft said casually.

Kate huffed a wry laugh and shook her head, 'In short, you want a mouthpiece,' she said and started walking away.

Mycroft watched her walk away, 'It's a good deal, Ms. Rivas. You should take it. You know you need it.'

Kate stopped in her tracks and walked back to Mycroft, standing face to face, merely inches away from him, 'Get me a sit-down with the Prime Minister and I'll think about it,' she said and walked away.

Mycroft sighed and shook his head, 'Ms. Rivas...' he drawled. What she was asking was too high a price.

Kate turned around, 'Get the interview, and I'll think about it. And, the next time you want to see me, try my phone,' she said and got into the car. 'I am going to send you a bill for the damage you caused to my car,' she said as the car pulled away. Mycroft watched as the car drove out of the warehouse and smiled to himself.

Later, at the penthouse, Kate entered the living room and collapsed next to Richard, who was working on the couch, 'Hey,' she cuddled against him.

Richard put his arms around her and pulled her close, 'Hey. How was your day?' he asked and kissed her.

'Awful. Just awful. The board is going to start censoring my stories from now on. It's Nathan Bailey, he wants to sack me,' Kate sulked.

'Aww... I'm sorry, honey. What are you going to do?' Richard caressed her hair.

'I don't know. I got an offer...' Kate mentioned vaguely.

'Job?'

'No, more like an arrangement. A potential source.'

'Is it ethical?'

'It's flirting with the line.'

'I'm sure you'll make the right choice,' Richard said with a smile and kissed the side of her head as Kate settled into his arms.

'Hey... How are Rebecca and her baby?' Kate asked.

'Rebecca is out of danger, but the baby is not doing so well. Babies born that early hardly ever make it,' Richard said with a sombre expression.

Kate scowled, 'Well, don't say that...'.

Richard smiled at her innocence, 'It's the truth, Kate. That little girl has an uphill battle to fight, and it is a long one. She is going to be in the hospital for months. And, it's exhausting and traumatic not just for the parents but for that poor child. We can only hope she makes it...' he explained.

Kate thought about what he had said and the conversation she had with Rebecca, 'Do you think about it?' she asked suddenly.

'Think about what?'

Kate clarified, 'Us... having kids.' She was terrified of what he would say. They had been married for over a decade, and by that point in her life, she had hoped to have a child.

Richard sighed uncomfortably, 'Kate... We have been over this. With your history, the chances of conceiving naturally or even artificially are very slim. It'll be heartbreaking. And, I never want to put you through that,' he said lovingly.

Kate nodded in understanding, 'Keeping my history aside, there are other ways to have a child. We could adopt or get a surrogate,' she suggested.

Richard looked at her with uncertainty, 'Will you really be able to watch another woman carry your child, and we don't even know if your eggs are viable? We might have to use donor eggs. Will you be able to live that? A child that is half mine and half some stranger's? And, with adoption, it could be years before we get a baby... I'm not trying to dissuade you, I'm just... We have each other. Isn't that enough?' he reasoned.

Kate teared up at his words and nodded, 'Right,' she said and without a word, Richard pulled her back into his arms. They sat like that for quite a while, until Kate got an email notification on her phone. Kate got out of Richard's arms and sat up to read the email. 'What is it?' Richard asked.

Kate looked at him with a dazed expression, 'It's an email from Number 10.'

In the morning, in the Prime Minister's Office, Kate sat across from the Prime Minister and turned on her recorder, 'Mr. Prime Minister, I so appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to sit down with me today...' she said.

The Prime Minister shook his head and shrugged off the formalities, 'Aah, it's no trouble. I am a fan of your journalistic drive. In fact, I have followed your career closely for years now. And, I must say that Bevins Prize was well-deserved. A country is only as strong as its journalists.'

Kate smiled, 'Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. It's an honour. I didn't think I'd be here, especially because I have been very vocal in my criticism of your administration's work,' she admitted.

'My job is to run this country and keep our citizens safe, and yours is to be critical of me, make me accountable, and give the people the truth. I expect you to keep us honest. While most papers are busy printing scandals, you're fighting the good fight. There are no hard feelings here.'

'I will, Mr. Prime Minister. But, enough about me. This interview is about you and this administration. I'd like to talk about this administration's legislative agenda...'

As the interview progressed, Kate caught Mycroft standing by the door behind several staffers and watching her with a smile. Their eyes met, and they held each other's gaze. Katherine was brought out of her trance by the Prime Minister, 'Ms. Rivas. Ms. Rivas, are you okay?' he asked.

Kate flashed a smile, 'Yes, yes, I'm okay. I'm so sorry, Mr. Prime Minister...' she composed herself and resumed the interview. She glanced at the door briefly to find Mycroft gone.

After the interview, on her way out, Katherine spotted Mycroft talking to Anthea in the hallway, 'Mr. Holmes' she called and caught up to him.

Mycroft looked at her then nodded at Anthea, who swiftly walked away, giving the two some privacy, 'Ms. Rivas, how was the interview?' he asked.

Kate shrugged, 'It was good. But, that's not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to discuss the proposal you made earlier,' she said as they walked down the hallway together.

Mycroft nodded, 'I was under the impression that you weren't interested in my proposal,' he said, playing hardball.

Kate nodded, 'I wasn't at the time, but now I am. If the offer still stands, I'd like to discuss it at length,' she said with a flirtatious smile.

Mycroft smiled back, 'It stands,' he drawled.

'Good, I'll text you the time and place.'

'You don't have my number.'

Kate cocked her head, 'Oh, don't I?' she asked and typed on her phone.

Mycroft's phone chimed with a notification, and he checked his inbox to find a message from Kate. Mycroft looked at her with a surprised smile.

'I have sources too, Mr. Holmes,' Kate said as she walked away.

Later that night, Mycroft rapped gently on the door of an elegant hotel room and entered when he heard Kate's inviting voice. The luxurious suite revealed a sophisticated setting, and there she was, perched on an armchair in the corner, exuding confidence. She wore a stunning fitted black dress, her dark, sleek hair cascading elegantly, tucked behind her ears. As their eyes locked in an unspoken understanding, Kate gestured for him to enter further while he placed his briefcase and umbrella carefully aside.

"Does your husband know you're here?" Mycroft inquired, maintaining a composed demeanor as he gradually approached her.

Kate maintained a playful smile, displaying an air of nonchalance. "No, he's not the intrusive type. Does it bother you... that I have a husband?" she replied, her tone tinged with curiosity, as she gracefully rose from the armchair and moved towards him.

Mycroft responded with a touch of sarcasm, "No, not in the least." He strolled casually towards the king-sized bed, 'So, this is work?' he asked, keeping the banter alive.

Kate followed suit, embracing the playful atmosphere. "I figured we'd start with play for now, work later," she suggested with a teasing smirk, taking off her heels as she continued to close the distance between them.

Mycroft firmly pulled Kate closer and unzipped her dress, letting it gracefully fall to the floor. "No one dictates my actions, be it play or work," he stated, guiding her towards the bed.

Kate, still displaying her confident demeanor, grinned playfully. "You may think that, Mr. Holmes, but tonight, I'm the one calling the shots," she replied, taking charge as she led him to the bed and positioned herself on top. She skillfully removed his belt and leaned in to capture his lips in a passionate kiss.

As their desires momentarily took precedence, they both knew that they couldn't completely forget their professional arrangement. When their lips finally parted, Kate met Mycroft's gaze with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Let's not forget the reason we're here," she whispered seductively, reminding them both of their unconventional partnership.