Author's Note: Did you notice that we've past 400 reviews here? Guys that is positively ridiculous. What you guys see in this that you feel it deserves so much attention, I have no idea but I am EXTREMELY grateful. You're all awesome people. Thanks for the lovely feedback on the Moriarty debut (sort of) and the separate Mycroft chapter. I'm so pleased. So after the debacle that was my power going out and making last update half a day late, I'm getting this out on time so we're back to schedule. Please let me know what you think, I almost did this one last time but swapped the order a day or two before. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Clearly I don't own Sherlock. The show is the baby of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, while Sherlock Holmes itself is the creation of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Her First Date

The waiter liked her, she could tell from the moment he set his eyes on them. He was all smiles and sights set only on Anthea. Dealing with business men all the time, it was a nice change to have a roguish waiter be charmed by you, made your day at the very least.

They were in Paris for the week dealing with some diplomatic thing or another. Really, it was the end of the week and Anthea didn't care anymore. This was there second last day in Paris, they'd finished work off by the early afternoon and were stopping at a quiet little café to increase their caffeine intake with the good stuff. That's where the French waiter with his dark eyes and dark hair, with a bit of scruff that made him look like he hadn't shaved today but he'd clearly groomed it. They'd impressed him too, both ordering in French, proving they were smart people and not just some ignorant tourists who expected everyone in the world to speak English.

The young man came over with their coffee's and sat them down on the table with all the swagger and confidence he could muster without looking like a total fool. Of course, Anthea could tell that Mycroft thought he was a fool regardless. Anthea found it amusing.

"Black for you," The boy's deep voice rang in French. "And white for your… husband?" His tone raised at the end. He was playing, curious, seeing where he stood. Asking the dreaded 'are you single' question without actually saying it. Mycroft rose a single eyebrow at the waiter from above his newspaper while Anthea laughed. No, giggled would be the right word. She giggled, and hid her smile behind her hand, flirting girlishly.

"Oh no, not him." She shook her head, brown curls flicking about lightly. "He's just my boss. We're here for work." Casually she pushed hair out of her face with her left hand to show the lack of jewel on her ring finger. Mycroft pretended not to watch her as he kept reading the paper. The waiter raised his eyebrows and pouted his lips. He nodded as he placed his hands in the back pockets of his black work pants.

"No boyfriend back at home?" He shrugged. Anthea bit her thumb nail and lightly shook her head again.

"I'm a free girl." She crinkled her nose as she smiled. The waiter smiled back suavely before being distracted by another table. Flattered by the attention in another country, Anthea smiled to herself as she turned back into the two person table and picked up her coffee. It was warm and sharp, just how she liked it. Mycroft folded his paper, placing it to the side. His mouth was in a straight line as he eyed Anthea carefully before picking up his own coffee. Anthea rolled her eyes and sighed. "What is it, sir?" She asked. He quirked an eyebrow and shrugged.

"It's frankly curious how even you seem to turn into a school girl when you're flirting." He placed his mug back down, watching it carefully as he spoke. His steel eyes contemplating the liquid rather than looking back up at his assistant. Anthea half laughed, her mouth pulling into a small smile.

"It's what he wanted." She looked off towards where she'd last seen the waiter. "That's not how I'd flirt with just anyone." She turned back to Mycroft and raised an eyebrow. "You've seen me pick up free drinks by playing the role of a snobby debutant before." Steel eyes flickered up to chocolate ones. He drunk in her words for a moment.

"Yes well, that was for free drinks, my dear." He hummed. "You we're trying to get something out of that man. This, on the other hand…" Mycroft's index finger began trailing circles around the rim of his mug. Anthea frowned to herself, leaning into the table. She tried not to watch his lean fingers around the mug, she'd get lost watching that for hours if she wasn't careful – it was hypnotising.

"This was what, sir?"

They were cut off from their private conversation, both pulling away from the table and leaning back into their chairs, by a plate of multi-coloured macarons being placed onto their table between them – just to the side. Anthea blinked and looked up, making eye contact with the roguish waiter. Mycroft momentarily looked up with a bored expression before placing his attention back to his coffee.

"Some free food for you and your friend." The waiter grinned with perfect white teeth, causing Anthea to dip her head and hide behind her hair slightly with her own smile. Mycroft rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, but you don't have to." She leant down and picked up her handbag. Getting out her wallet, Anthea began thumbing through her currency. "I wouldn't want to get you into trouble."

"Do not worry about it. It is on me." The deep voice of the waiter answered in English this time. Anthea eyed him, brows furrowing.

"Are you sure?" She asked slowly. The waiter chuckled and patted Anthea on the arm. She could tell that Mycroft was doing his best not to watch.

"For a pretty face like you. Absolutely." Anthea gave her best smile and closed her wallet. The waiter stroked her arm before walking away to deal with more customers. Anthea turned to Mycroft with a quirked eyebrow and a sly smile.

"This time it was about free food, sir." Mycroft clicked his tongue as he reopened his Parisian newspaper.

"If that were your goal, Miss James, these beverages wouldn't have cost me a single euro." Anthea let out a breathy laugh, slightly off put by Mycroft's attitude.

"Who says I have a goal, here?"

"That's precisely my point."

"We've finished work, I'm just having some innocent fun."

"By all means."

"Who is there to stop me now we're off the clock?"

"I don't believe I protested."

A pause as Mycroft eyed the paper deeply and Anthea chewed on her bottom lip staring at nothing in particular.

Two usually synergetic duo sat in silence for the next ten minutes. Both parties hardly touched their coffees as they busied themselves with other activities. Eventually, feeling bad that they weren't being eaten, Anthea picked up one of the pink macarons. Mycroft watched her take it off the plate and said nothing. Usually he'd love to try Parisian sweets. Oh well, his problem. Let him sit there all broody and Holmsian, intense eyes contemplating something she probably couldn't even begin to understand. Her eyes lowered and she watched his finger still trailing the cup in an almost hypnotic state.

The rub on her arm almost cause Anthea to jump out of her skin and a few years ago she probably would have. Instead she fought the urge to attack back as her eyes quickly sought out the source. Her smile soften and she grinned at the cute waiter who most definitely wasn't her normal type – whatever that was. He was bending over slightly to be at eye level with the personal assistant, standing just to her left.

"So I was wondering when you are leaving Paris?" He asked her quietly as to not draw attention from her boss. Whether he showed it, or whether Anthea cared, the waiter would have gained Mr. Holmes' attention regardless – the man was way too observant. Anthea's smile faltered.

"I'm leaving tomorrow." She admitted, leaving off the time in case this was some kind of ruse. The problem with this job is you never knew when someone was playing you or someone nearby would be interested in playing with you so you had to leave off details. The waiter's smile faltered for a split second in reaction before it returned just as naughty and intriguing as before.

"You have tonight, no?" Anthea's eyes flickered over to Mycroft, waiting for any type of reaction from the man across the table. Mycroft flicked over the page of the newspaper and kept reading. Anthea turned back to the waiter, twirling a curl in her hand.

"Yeah, I'm done with work. I've still got tonight." The waiter leaned in closer to Anthea's ear and when he next spoke she could feel his hot breath on her neck.

"How would you like to be shown Paris by a true Parisian?" Anthea turned to look at the waiter in his eyes as dark as her own, a subtle and playful smile on her lips as their noses almost touched. She let out a breath. There was a small sound of a certain man clearing his throat from across the table.

"Give me your phone." The waiter stood up and took a step back out of Anthea's personal space. He pulled his phone out of his apron and handed it to the brunette. Anthea quickly navigated to the notes section of his smartphone. She added very specific details, leaving out others. She held the phone out for the waiter to take.

"That's my hotel, meet me in the lobby." As the dark haired waiter took the phone back his thumb over lapped with Anthea's.

"Shall I pick you up at eight?" Anthea crinkled her nose with her smile.

"Sounds perfect." The waiter nodded and smiled back before heading off. Anthea chuckled and picked up another macaron. This time it was green. Mycroft looked up from the paper and watched his assistant for a moment. He closed the paper and took a breath.

"Really, my dear? After what you've seen and been through you decide to pick up a random date in an unknown city?" Anthea pouted and shrugged.

"It's probably safer to do so here, sir, than in London where I've got people who know what I look like." Mycroft clicked his tongue and shook his head once. He seemed to pause as he contemplated which one of many sentences he could choose to speak next and play out their possible outcomes in his head.

"It's very unlike you, my dear, to pick up" The sarcasm dripped from his tongue as he raised his eyebrows. "On a whim." It was Anthea's turn to look down, picking at the crumbs on the cream tablecloth.

"Haven't you ever heard of a pallet cleanser sir?" Sir smirked to herself. Mycroft scoffed as he looked across to the bustling street.

"Such an absurd concept." A pause. "I mean, really."

It was five minutes to eight. Anthea was completely ready for her pallet cleansing date with the devilish local and she was reasonably excited to see an unknown person as another unknown person knowing the chances of them ever seeing each other again even by passing was close to nil. It was exciting and made her feel the most frivolous she had in years. She was just sticking in the nicer pair of earrings she'd bought before heading down to wait for the Frenchman in the lobby when there was a knock at her hotel room door. Her brows furrowed in the mirror as she still took her time to put the earrings in. That was odd. She knew she definitely didn't tell her date what room or floor she was on for a fact, she had done so on purpose. Sure he could have asked at the front desk but she doubted it. That left four possibilities. Hotel staff, couriers, kidnappers, or Mr. Holmes. Taking her chances, Anthea walked over and opened the door.

Sure enough there he was. Mycroft Holmes was standing in the hallway adjacent from their two rooms, holding his laptop in one arm and typing on it using his free hand. His hair was pushed back and multiple pieces of his suit had been discarded. Mycroft had rolled his shirtsleeves up past his elbows and Anthea could see the tension in his forearm from holding the laptop. The sneaky little devil. If she didn't know better, or if this were any other man in the world, Anthea would be certain that this was some kind of game to distract her from her date.

"Hello, sir." Anthea greeted, leaning against the door, keeping her eyesight at eye level. Blue eyes left the computer screen and landed on Anthea's face. The usual moment of silence past as Mycroft took in Anthea's appearance, itemising and categorising everything the way he always did even without meaning to do so. She smirked at the thought.

"Don't mean to disturb you so close to your evening, my dear." He hummed, eyes flicking back to the screen. He made no move to enter the room and she made no move to encourage him to do so. "I merely am in need of your notes from yesterday's activities." Anthea nodded curtly and walked back into her room to pick up her blackberry.

"I have a copy of them on here, sir." She answered and began typing away. "I'll send them through now." Mycroft closed his laptop and nodded.

"Excellent, thank you." Anthea pressed send on her email. She looked up from above the screen of her blackberry and watched Mycroft in the doorway. She pursed her lips and cleared her throat.

"Anything else, sir?" She spoke after a fleeting moment of hesitation. Mycroft smiled sardonically and lightly shook his head.

"That's the last pressing matter of the trip." Slowly Anthea lowered her blackberry and placed it in her small strappy handbag.

"Good." She hummed.

A pause.

"Well, I better go…" Anthea spoke slowly. Mycroft nodded.

"Yes, well, have fun." He gave her that stupidly charming sarcastic smile. She half frowned as she tried to smile back.

"Thanks… sir."

"You got back to the hotel late last night." Anthea looked up from her book to see Mycroft sorting through a file. She knew from the colour coding that it was from the Diogenes Dungeon – nothing to do with this past week then. They were currently sitting on the private plane waiting for it to taxi. Chocolate eyes fell back onto the pages of her well-worn book. She hummed and nodded her head slightly.

"Yeah, I saw that your light was still on under the door, sir." Was her indirect reply, playing his game and not looking directly at Mycroft. He shuffled a few pages of the file behind the rest. "You wouldn't have been waiting up, would you?" Mycroft half sniffed in derision and half scoffed.

"Please, Miss James." Steel eyes still reading the file. "Some of us have better things to do." Anthea tried to keep the smirk off her face and turned it into a dismissing pout instead.

"Good. I'd hate to think I kept you up."

They lulled back into silence. Anthea flicked over a page and hummed. Mycroft swapped files and took a deep breath.

"Why would it matter if I returned late anyway, sir? Business was concluded and I was on my own time." She flicked over the page once more and shifted her position in her seat.

"You're absolutely right, Miss James. It doesn't matter what you chose to do with your free time. Your safety however is imperative to my own work." Anthea sniffed.

"I made it back in one piece." She sighed.

"Indeed."

A page turned. A folder shuffled.

"We saw a local film." Anthea mused out loud. "I think you would have liked it." She still did not look over to the man who she knew still would not be looking at her.

"Oh, I highly doubt that."

"No, I'm serious." Chocolate eyes flickered over to Mycroft's face. Steel eyes rose to meet them. "The plot was subtle. You would have liked it." Mycroft pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, looking back down to the file.

"If you think so send me the name. I'll look into it next time I find myself completely bored with absolutely nothing to do." His tone was slightly less sharp, slightly less 'Mr. Holmes' like. Anthea nodded and returned to her book.

The silence fell once more for a good fifteen minutes. At the very least the tension in the plane had dissipated somewhat, leaving the inhabitants slightly more comfortable. It was about the ten minute point of the silence, however, that Anthea noticed she'd been tapping her leg absentmindedly. She halted it immediately.

"You know, I never did try one of those macarons yesterday." Mycroft pondered into his file. Anthea crinkled her nose and lightly shook her head.

"They weren't that good." She let the disappointment flow through her tone. "They looked much better than they actually were." Mycroft hummed.

"Yes, I thought so."

Author's Note: Well what did you think? Not a long chapter but considering I'm still ill I'm actually very pleased with the length. I can't wait to hear your opinions on what happened here. Guest reviewer thanking time! Thanks to Wheezzy8, Corrine and Wink! The rest of you were members this time and therefore I thanked you personally. I love you all and your continued support. 400 reviews guys. What!?