Author's Note: Hey guys! How are you all? Thanks for the reviews last chapter! I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy it! Also again, thanks for being awesomely patient. All my assignments and stuff are done now but I still have the family stresses. I plan to try and fix the update schedule to closer to normal but more about that in the end note. This chapter is a subject I've wanted to do for a while but it took me a surprising amount of time to finally come up with a sufficient idea. I'm surprised I managed to write past the 2500 word point. I guess that's why I gave myself a week. Anyway… Read, review, and please 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.

The First Anniversary of Her Parent's Death Since They Started Dating

The anniversary of her parent's death snuck up on Anthea this year. Usually she felt it from the month before. Usually it was on the back of her mind the entire time. This year she didn't notice until it was exactly a week before the date, and a sadness deeper than usual washed over her. She felt worse for that, as if she'd betrayed them by not mourning them from the month as per usual. She felt guilty, she guessed. Like it wasn't fair that they were gone and she'd almost forgotten about them. Not that they'd want her to, though her mother might appreciate that she felt guilty. And she'd seen the Holmes parents recently, surely that should have been enough to remind her. That made her feel worse.

This year felt a little different anyway. Anthea felt quite alone in her memorial. Jamie was married now, and Anthea didn't feel right telling her friend to drop everything and keep her company. She'd rather let the newlywed stay blissfully happy and not join Anthea in her moping. She'd always been such a good friend, she deserved a year off. And boyfriends… Most of Anthea's boyfriends had been absolutely wonderful in helping her out, even the idiotic douches. All of them were there with hugs and comfort, probably enjoying Anthea being venerable and a touch more stereotypically feminine for once. Tim, this was one area where Tim excelled. The first year Tim had gone out and bought film adaptions on Wuthering Heights and had snuggled with Anthea on the couch all evening watching them even though he had a big briefing the next day. Anthea will always appreciate him for that.

Mycroft.

Mycroft was a different beast entirely.

Anthea doubted Mycroft even knew the date after all these years. He'd probably come across it on his first background check of her and instantly dismissed it as information he didn't need to know. She never mentioned it at work, and if he could tell by her mood, then as her boss and friend he'd never brought it up once. One year though, the week of, she did get flowers from him, but she couldn't tell if they were for the date or because she'd done something for Lestrade the night before. It didn't matter then, he was her cold and weird boss then.

This year was different, kind of. Though she didn't expect any different. The only hint that Mycroft made that he was even aware of the date came the weekend before. They'd been in his bedroom reading. Without even a glance over in her direction, Mycroft spoke.

"Are you seeing Jamie this week?" He asked, sounding bored and very disinterested. Anthea glanced over to him. He had one leg outstretched and the other bent with the book resting on his thigh. Who knows what the page said, but his eyebrow quirked so very faintly just before he turned the page. It was nice to see him enjoying himself, however discretely. Anthea felt a pang in her chest. He was asking about this week and here she was ogling her boyfriend. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath. She shrugged and quietly turned back to her own book.

"I don't know. Probably not." She felt a quick sideways glance over to her face. She didn't want to make eye contact right now. She kept her eyes firmly on her page but she couldn't make out the words.

"Oh?" He feigned curiosity. It was so fake, so transparent it almost hurt. "I thought it was about due for one of your silly film evenings." Anthea sniffed a laugh but kept her mouth in a firm straight line.

"James just got back from Romania." Anthea sighed. "I don't want to interrupt their reunion period." That was a little bit of a lie. James wouldn't care at all if Anthea borrowed Jamie for the night. In fact, James liked to crash their time together sometimes and Jamie hated that. As a comeback she came along the last time Anthea and James went to a superhero movie together and complained the entire time. James got the point. Solo friend time is solo friend time. Still. They were newlyweds, they didn't need their sulky friend around to ruin it. Let them be happy.

"Hmm." Mycroft didn't believe her. "Very well…"

That was the last of it. There had been no indication since then if that had even been one.

Anthea awoke that morning to three text messages, one welcome, and one she always expected on this day.

The first was from her Aunt. The usual.

Thinking of you today, Alice. We miss your mother every day xx.

She got that every year. Always from her Aunt to, though it was her Uncle that was her mother's brother. She couldn't begrudge this once a year message from her aunt, not really. She sent her a once a year message on her birthday, and Anthea received a birthday card in the mail. At least her Aunt who never wanted kids tried. She has a very vivid memory of her Aunt trying to give her a good sixteenth birthday and not quite knowing what to do. She'd been asking Anthea for months with the girl just shrugging. In the end she took Anthea to a day spa and they had their nails done and a facial. It wasn't Anthea's ideal day, but she knew it was her Aunt's and that meant she tried. Her Uncle, he didn't know how to try.

Thanks. Call sometime. – Ali.

She wouldn't, and neither one of them would care. They would be offended if Anthea didn't offer, and this kept the lines of communication open.

The next was from Jamie. This was oddly early for her.

Ali-bear! Let me know if you need me today. I'll drop everything and come hang out. I have an awesome voucher for pizza! – Jamie xx.

Anthea smirked.

Thanks, Jay. I'm fine. Maybe next weekend? – A.

Sure. Whatever. Remember I offered you pizza. – Jamie x.

The next was from James. It was first a photo – a selfie – of him dressed for work, sitting on the bed with a sleeping Jamie behind him.

She told me to remind her to text you today. I'm going to do it now. – James.

WHOA! That wasn't appreciated! – James.

God knows what he did, but images of Jamie throwing pillows at James' face in retaliation came to mind.

You idiot! – A.

They were made for each other, those two. Complete fools and absolutely the best people she could hope for in life. It meant far more to have them message her than it was to have a random relative text her.

Nothing from Mycroft. Though she didn't expect anything from Mycroft, why would she? She knew who he was and what type of behaviour he was most likely and least likely to engage in. This was emotional and Mycroft Holmes didn't do emotions. Just because she was his girlfriend now, how did that make it any different from when he was her friend? Funny how much her inner thoughts about Mycroft actually sounded out in his voice. In that flat, bored, slightly condescending tone he and his brother used.

That was okay. The little bit of love she received, including ever so slightly the annual text, was enough to get her through the work day. Work was socialising, she'd be fine. It wasn't like when it fell on a weekend and she had to mope alone all day. A few meetings and some paperwork to keep her busy and before she knew it, it would be time to go home! It was home alone in the evening Anthea wasn't looking forward to.

"Good morning, my dear." Mycroft hummed in a pleasant tone as Anthea walked in with the morning cup of tea. A fake smile was plastered on Anthea's lips.

"Good morning, sir." Sher chirped back as she came up to the desk and placed the cup of tea in the usual free spot on the wooden desk.

"And how are you this morning?" The genius asked as he flipped through some files that had made their way into the office sometime between last night and this morning. Anthea fought the urge to sigh.

"I'm good, I guess." She heaved. "It's a nice day so I can't really complain." She laughed it off. Mycroft pursed his lips together and hummed.

"Trust me, my dear, search hard enough and there is always something to complain about." Anthea laughed and gently stroked the genius on the arm before she began to make her way to the door and back to her own desk. Once she reached the doorframe she turned to face the man, and leaned against the frame. Mycroft was turning his cup of tea so the handle faced the right angle.

"We have a meeting downstairs in an hour."

"I know." Steel eyes flickered from the china cup up to Anthea's face – a spark of life in them. "Unless of course that was you finding something to complain about." Anthea sniffed. She crinkled her nose, fake smile still on.

"No. Just a reminded." Mycroft raised his eyebrows and went back to reading the file.

Anthea stood against the door watching him for a moment. Eyes fixated on the page, he calmly read. Without even looking he picked up the tea and took a sip. What was Anthea waiting for? What did she expect to see? Nothing, really. Maybe she was feeling sentimental.

Sentiment. A flaw, according to a couple of great minds Anthea knew.

Finally relenting and allowing herself to sigh, Anthea finally left the doorway. She hard work to do before the meeting.

"Anthea, dear." Anthea lazily looked up from her paperwork to glance over her shoulder just in time to see a rush of fabric waltz past her. Mycroft walked over to the coatrack and picked up his coat. "I have some business to attend to. Will you be fine finishing the day alone?" Alone? With no one to distract her. No one to get cups of tea for whenever she found herself drifting off and feeling sad? She'd rather not, but she could do it.

"Of course, sir." Anthea smiled politely. Mycroft gave an equally polite smile in return as he pulled on his coat. He plucked his umbrella out of the stand.

"You may close up around five tonight." He hummed. Ah, excellent. What a day to be told she could finish on time. More time to sulk at home alone.

"Great." Anthea nodded, tucking a curl behind her ear. "I'll see you tomorrow, sir."

As the door closed behind Mycroft, Anthea almost felt like placing her head face down upon her desk. Instead she leaned back in her chair and huffed loudly. Alone again, it seemed. At least she had a lot of work to do. As long as she kept busy it would be fine. That's why she was looking forward to getting to work today after all, the work, not Mycroft.

Anthea stared at her phone as it lay on her desk, screen facing the roof. She considered going back on her promise to herself. She considered calling Jamie.

Or even Mrs. Holmes. That could be nice… or would that be a further betrayal?

Anthea picked up her phone. She opened her contacts but just stared at the open list. She placed her phone to her lips in hesitation and thought.

Mary was an orphan. She might understand this feeling. Maybe a quick chat to her would be nice… But as nice and fun as Mary was, how much could Anthea really trust her?

If she called Carol the agent would insist on Anthea coming over for the night. But she had gotten back recently too, and she had a family.

Anthea opened her text messages.

Hey, give me a bad memory? – A.

Anthea held the phone tight in her hand for five minutes before it vibrated in response.

Do you remember that time we snuck out of your house to go to a concert? Your dad didn't talk to me for the rest of my visit and your mum wouldn't let us do anything fun? You told her you hated her and she told you she didn't care :'D. – Jamie x.

Anthea laughed, grinning at her phone. She remembered that well. Her dad had been convinced that Jamie was a bad influence for a solid few months until he found out it had been Anthea's idea.

Remember when she told your step-dad? – A.

Do I!? I think that was the first time I ever gave him the "you're not my real dad" speech. – Jamie x.

Teenagers suck. – A.

They're the worst :P. – Jamie x.

Mood elevated to the point where she might be able to function like a regular person again, Anthea placed her phone back down on her desk. She'd get herself a cup of tea and get back to work.

Anthea froze, her key halfway into the keyhole of her flat door. She could hear something coming from inside her flat. Had she left something on? Or was there someone in her place? Could it possibly be Jamie or Mycroft? There were plenty of possible safe explanations, but her career and her past experience being kidnapped always put Anthea on edge and allowed all sorts of possibilities to run through her head. A light shake of the head to clear her thoughts, Anthea thrusted the key into the hole and unlocked her door.

As soon as she stepped foot into her flat she was hit with a wonderful aroma. Someone was cooking? For her, presumably. And the noise, she knew what it was now. It was the beautiful sounds of L'Ofreo. She knew this, Mycroft loved this. The only time Anthea and ever caught Mycroft humming it had been a piece from this opera. She had yet to see it but she had a feeling she'd get to one day. At a leisurely pace, Anthea placed her handbag and briefcase on her dining table and wandered into her kitchen.

Sure enough, in her kitchen with a jacket discarded and shirtsleeves rolled up neatly was Mycroft Holmes slicing up some lettuce. Anthea sniffed a noise in shock, gaining his attention. The genius looked over to her and smiled, before glancing at his phone laying on the counter.

"Ten minutes later than anticipated." He clicked his tongue. "You took your time locking up the office." He chided playfully. Anthea was rather focused on something else to play along with that.

"You're cooking?" She asked, laughter in her voice. Mycroft raised his eyebrows and casually glanced around himself, as if surprised himself.

"Herb crusted chicken with salad." He answered with a nod. "And just for you" He pointed at her like an accusation. "There are croutons and bacon in the salad. As well as a dressing that has far more calories than it makes sense for a dressing to have." He pulled a face of disgust as he went back to prepping the salad. Anthea's face pulled into a natural smirk as she felt a warmth rush over her. My, my. Mycroft Holmes breaking his diet just for her? How special must she be? She laughed to herself as she scratched the top of her ear. He was cooking. He only cooked when he had to, but he often seemed to cook for her. It made Anthea feel… well, cared for. Her smile grew.

"You naughty boy." Anthea spoke in a singsong voice as she sauntered further into the kitchen. "You didn't say anything."

"I never say anything on this date." Mycroft responded in his flat tone. "Simply because I don't acknowledge it doesn't mean I'm not aware of your annual sulk, my dear." His top lip pulled up. "How could I not? You work at seventy-five percent capacity, you answer the phones twenty percent less, and I only need to finish a cup of tea before another is brought in." Anthea lowered her head as a wave of laughter hit her. How Holmsian was that? How Mycroft to take something so internal to her and so much about emotion and turn it into facts? How… him. Anthea stepped closer to Mycroft and glanced up to his steely eyes.

"I'm going to have to kiss you for that." She whispered playfully. Mycroft clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes.

"If you must." He sighed. Anthea placed her hand on Mycroft's neck as he, despite his complaining, turned to face her. She leaned up and softly kissed him. As she moved to remove her hand from his neck, he took her hand in his own and quickly placed a chaste kiss on her hand. Anthea felt her face heat up. She bit her lip and took a deep breath.

"I'm going to go have a shower and put on some comfortable clothing." Anthea announced as she twirled on the spot and headed out of the kitchen.

"If it's anything with holes in it, or has a hood I refuse to eat dinner with you." Mycroft called out after her.

She didn't believe him, but she'd relent.

The pair had a lovely dinner at Anthea's dining table with the beautiful music playing softly in the background. Their usual chatter and teasing helped drown away any sadness that Anthea might have had. Until Mycroft proposed a toast, holding up his glass of red wine.

"To the events of the past." He announced. Anthea cocked her head to the side as she listened. What an odd choice… though this was Mycroft. "For they help shape us into who we are and lead us onto the path we are on."

Ah, of course. As sad as she was, so much of who she was is shaped on the fact that her parents died. No doubt one of the reasons she looked so appealing to Mycroft as an assistant was because she had no family to speak of. No one to get into trouble. And if Mycroft never hired her, they wouldn't be here right now.

Anthea held her own glass up. Their glasses made a light chink as they tapped together.

After dinner Anthea and Mycroft went to read in bed. Each of them on their side of Anthea's bed, duvet covering their legs, books in hand. Quiet and content. Well, almost. To Anthea, today the gap between their bodies in the bed seemed larger than any canyon. Every few minutes she found herself glancing down at it. She knew she was needy today, and she knew it was out of character and stupid. She also knew who she was dealing with. Mycroft.

Yet she also knew how many times the socially awkward genius had surprised her.

Anthea watched Mycroft, not evening trying to hide it.

"What?" He asked flatly, not taking his eyes off the book. Anthea tried to think of the best way to put this… There seemed no way to say it without ensuring a yes, so she might as well just go for it.

"I'm cold." She announced.

Silence.

Mycroft clicked his tongue.

"And?"

"You know it's quite common for couples to cuddle while they read."

Another silence. Mycroft lowered his book as he glared at Anthea's wardrobe doors.

"Do I have to?" He sighed. Anthea fought the urge to giggle as she crinkled up her nose.

"Well you don't have to." Anthea admitted with a shrug. "But you've gotten a good score tonight. I'd hate to see that A plus become an A minus because you wouldn't cuddle."

Mycroft scratched at his eyebrow.

"Can't you wait until I'm half asleep and far less concerned about my actions?" Anthea let a single laugh escape her lips.

"If you're fine with a solid A, yeah."

Mycroft exhaled his breath sharply.

"Fine." He spat as he scooted closer towards the centre of the bed. He outstretched the arm closest to her as an opening. "Here." Anthea beamed at Mycroft as she happily moved into his personal space. She rested her head against his shoulder as she adjusted into reading position. The absolutely intoxicating warmth of his body engulfed her in no time and she felt positively content. Lying with Mycroft, reading. This was something she could get used to.

"You know, my love." Anthea's heart skipped a beat. There it was again. My love. Why did that come up again? Why did it cause her heart to flutter and her stomach to fill with butterflies? "Sometimes I really hate you."

A beat.

Anthea's system began working correctly. She giggled as she brought the book to rest against her head. How… Mycroft. How perfect.

"The feelings mutual, cutie." Anthea hummed, lightly patting Mycroft on his knee.

Author's Note: So? What did we think? Did you like it? I had a good time writing it, which felt really nice given everything I've been dealing with. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought of it. Any of it and all of it. Thanks to our lovely guest reviewers; Tadaa, Guests, Carlene, ovejalucifer (finally!), and Louise Pond. Thanks to all the awesome reviewers! I love you all.

Regarding Next Chapter: So! Things are… the same, really, but all of my uni stress is now gone until exam time! That's something to be happy for :P. So I want to fix the schedule a little. The next chapter will go up in 6 days. So this went up Thursday night for me, the next will be Wednesday night. The following chapter I'll probably cut it back to five and leave it at every five days for a little while. That sound cool?