Author's Note: Hey guys! I am SOOOO happy last chapter went down as well as it did! So happy! There were so many ways it could go wrong and I could mess it up so I'm really relieved that it was well received. Thank you! And thanks for voting in the poll! I'll get started on that POV in a few days or so. I'm a bit worried that this chapter won't live up to the hype of last chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it, but it might not be what everyone wanted. I'm just following my instincts. I really hope you all like it. 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.

The First Morning After

Anthea awoke with a deep breath and a smile on her face. She'd be lying if she said this wasn't the best she'd felt upon waking up in months. She felt relaxed and she felt blissful. Any morning she woke up next to Mycroft was a nice one. Any morning she woke up with her head on his chest was wonderful. This just felt different.

They say that the release of oxytocin makes a woman trust their partner enough to fall in love with them, and no doubt if Anthea told Mycroft how she felt this morning this would be his answer to it. To Anthea it was different. Anthea had fallen in love with Mycroft Holmes a long time ago. She'd learned to trust him eons before that. Mycroft might also make some sort of comment about being relieved from her pent up frustration. Yeah, that was there. Anthea felt calmer, more relaxed, but this was still different than that. She felt… safe. Safe and happy in a relationship. She'd never been this happy in a relationship. She'd never woken up the next morning after the first time and been this blissful.

Mycroft would tell her it was sentimental nonsense. He'd say she was letting biological and psychological factors get the better of her. Anthea liked to think she was in the first truly adult relationship of her life. She wouldn't think about how Mycroft's attitude towards emotions might get in the way of that in the future. Right now she'd just enjoy being happy, satisfied, and secure.

Anthea rolled off Mycroft chest to lay on her back so she could stretch out. She linked her fingers together and pushed her palms outwards, stretching her arms and arching her back to stretch that out at the same time. When she'd finished Anthea looked to her side to see blue eyes watching her. Mycroft had his phone in his hand and had it open to some webpage, but instead of focusing on that he'd apparently turned to watch her stretch, a somewhat distant intrigue sparkling in those eyes of his. His mouth twitched into the faintest of wry smiles. Anthea smiled warmly. She dragged herself upwards so she was leaning against the headboard.

"Hello." She greeted lazily. It was small and anyone else might have missed it, but Anthea noticed how Mycroft's eyebrow lightly quirked as he seemed entertained by her every movement.

"Good morning." He answered flatly, studying Anthea. Anthea watched him in return. She brought her hand to her face and bit her thumbnail. Mycroft's brow furrowed. "What?" He asked. Anthea freed her thumbnail, bit her lip instead, and shrugged.

"Is that it?" She asked. "'Good morning'?" Mycroft frowned further. He closed his phone and placed it back on his bedside table.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He hummed as he turned back to her. "Were you expecting a performance review this morning?" Anthea barked a laugh as she rubbed her eyes with her hands – an action performed out of surprise and a little bit of embarrassment. "Because if that was the case, my dear, you should have told me so earlier and I would have taken notes." And he complained about her humour on a regular basis.

"Stop it." She crinkled up her nose playfully. "Not feedback, no. Maybe something along the lines of 'leave'. Part of me expected you not to be here this morning." Mycroft scoffed and rolled his eyes. Then he focused on Anthea's face, his expression falling slightly.

"You're actually serious, aren't you?" Anthea pursed her lips.

"Only a little bit." She ran a hand through her messy curls. Mycroft rolled his steel eyes again.

"You were right." He spoke flatly. "You see, all these years of building a strong working relationship, followed by a friendship and then a romantic relationship were all part of my true plan to get in your pants." He sneered. "Yes, even the dreaded NDA, your relationship with the lawyer, and Moriarty were parts in my devious plan." With a sweeping gesture of one hand he indicated to the room. "This isn't even my house. I rent it purely for you to visit. James is an actor I hired to marry your friend lest she learn the truth." Anthea swatted Mycroft's arm with the back of her arm.

"I get it. Stop being so dramatic." She laughed. Mycroft waved her off.

"I'm in a good mood." Mycroft admitted casually. He shifted positions on the bed and moved to get out of it. Anthea perked up as she watched him.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'm going to go have a shower." Mycroft answered, perhaps a little defensively. "This isn't how it's going to be now, is it? You're not going be suddenly attached to me are you?" He was joking, of course. But Anthea still resisted the urge to point out that they were practically attached at the hip anyway. They both enjoyed their independence but they worked together all the time and spent the majority of their free time together. She'd known he'd say something like this, didn't she? She scrunched her face up at him as he smiled and stood up.

"Whatever," She scoffed. Mycroft walked towards the ensuite. "Go have your shower."

"I was going to with or without your permission." The door closed behind him. Anthea chuckled quietly to herself. She leaned forward to lay on her chest with her feet resting on the pillows. She rested her head on her hands. She wasn't going to let Mycroft get away with having the last word.

"You know," She called out loudly so he might hear her through the door and what sounded like water from the basin. "I get in now. I totally understand why Miss Cunningham is so obsessed with you." Anthea heard a groan of despair from within the ensuite. She grinned at the door, happy with the response she elicited. "Hey, have you always been a biter?" She called out. "Or has that started since you were taught torture techniques?" The bathroom door pulled open. Mycroft stood there with a toothbrush in hand looking mildly agitated. Behind him Anthea could hear the water still flowing from the basin.

"Really, Alice?" Mycroft sneered. "Want to say that louder? I'm not sure the security all the way at the front gate quite heard you." Anthea dropped her head and stifled a laugh into the duvet. "And get your feet off my pillows." Anthea sat on her knees and smiled innocently.

"I'm sorry, sir." She tried to keep a straight face as steel eyes peered into her skull. "But let's face it, Miss Cunningham or one of your other sexual partners have probably already informed everyone."

"I don't pick partners with influence."

"Except for Charlotte."

"Mmm."

"And me."

"Oh, that's cute. You think you have influence."

"Oh that's cute. You think I don't." Mycroft gave an honest to God soft reflective smile in response. He took a breath and shook his head.

"I really hate that I love you." Anthea felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She'd never get used to that.

"You're wasting water. Go have your shower."

"So demanding…"

Anthea emerged from the ensuite, having had a shower after Mycroft, with her hair wet and natural, and dressed in a comfortable dress. Mycroft was sitting on the edge of the bed, presumably waiting for Anthea. The brunette woman plopped down on the bed next to Mycroft and sighed. He chose to ignore any dramatics or sighs she might have made.

Ignoring the gnawing in her stomach for the meantime, Anthea glanced over to Mycroft's bedside table. His phone wasn't there, but it wasn't in his hand either. That meant it was in his pockets. Hmm.

"Nothing from work that needs attention?" She asked softly and rather flat. Mycroft pursed his lips and shook his head. There was a brief pause before the action and his next words.

"It appears as if we're free for the meantime." Anthea didn't answer other than offer a weak smile. It was nice to see Mycroft not attached to his phone. She'd suggest that they do something interesting today if she wasn't so distracted by the sheer emptiness of her stomach.

"I'm really hungry." Anthea breathed, widening her eyes.

"Oh, that's right…" Anthea drew Mycroft's attention. "We didn't have dinner last night."

"Well, I wanted dinner." Anthea mumbled. Mycroft ignored her comment as if she hadn't even spoken.

"I suppose we could go out for breakfast." He finished his thought. Going out meant breaking the illusion of blissful happiness that had been created here and Anthea wasn't quite ready to return to reality. Not to mention that going out meant choosing a place, getting there, ordering, waiting for the food to be prepared, and then waiting for it to arrive at the table. That would take too long.

"I don't want to go out. Why don't we just cook something?" She asked.

"I have no food." As per usual.

"You'll have something." Anthea waved him off.

"You can try."

Anthea jumped to her feet. She walked down the stairs and to the kitchen, Mycroft a step or two behind her. Mycroft standing next to her, Anthea pulled open the door to the fridge.

Wow.

It really was empty. It looked like a barren, white wasteland. It's only inhabitants were a bottle of milk, some filtered water, butter, and cheese. Even the vegetable crisper only had a couple of carrots in it. Anthea's face contorted. The last time it had been this empty was when they had to be out of the country sporadically over the period of a month so Mycroft just refused to buy food because it would go off. Anthea scratched at her hairline as she thought.

"Why do you have no food?" She asked. Mycroft clicked his tongue.

"Food shopping is such a trying task."

"Send someone, or order it online."

"I still have to put it all away." Anthea didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Mycroft was indescribable. He was capable of so much, but every day jobs bored him and exhausted him. Anthea lowered her hand to rub at her neck subconsciously as she thought. She leaned in and checked the egg carton. Two eggs. Not much, but it was something.

"Eggs and toast?" She asked.

"I have no bread." Mycroft answered. Anthea snapped her head around to stare at him incredulously.

"You always have bread."

"Clearly that's not true, my dear." Mycroft hummed. "If it were true I'd have bread right now." Anthea's face fell flat. She should have expected that one.

"Fine. You almost always have bread." She tried again. Mycroft nodded.

"And I finished the loaf yesterday morning." Anthea sighed and turned back to the fridge. She glanced around at the empty box, becoming increasingly more aware of how desperately hungry she was. What could they make?

"Fine." She shrugged. "Eggs… milk… Maybe we can make pancakes."

"We certainly could," Mycroft nodded. "If I had flour." Anthea shut her eyes.

"What happened to your flour?" She asked.

"Sherlock." Her eyes opened again and she frowned.

"What?" She spat. Mycroft sighed and shook his head, dismissing Anthea.

"Please don't ask. I regret doing so." She really desperately wanted to ask but a little voice in the back of her head told her some things were better off unknown. It was most likely some weird experiment anyway, and judging by Mycroft's response the experiment was probably conducted in this house without the owner's permission.

Anthea took one last long look in the fridge. She placed the eggs back in there with a dramatically loud huff, and shut the door. She was absolutely certain that Mycroft and Sherlock were overgrown children and no one could convince her otherwise. It didn't matter how mature he was or how responsible he was, Mycroft was as much a child as Sherlock. Or rather Mycroft is what happens when you leave a teenager in a house alone. They'll probably manage to keep themselves alive without adult supervision, they'll just do so poorly. Sherlock was the child that couldn't even be left alone.

"That's it." Anthea turned back to Mycroft. "You're going to take me out and buy me the best breakfast I've ever had," Her tone was so authoritive, she felt like she was talking to one of the lower agents. Barking an order at a misbehaving staff member. "And then we're going to go to my place." Mycroft looked perturbed and a little sickened. Whether this was directed at being ordered or the idea of going to hers, Anthea wasn't sure. It was probably the orders. Anthea might have been offended if it were anyone else.

"Why?" He asked flatly.

"Because I have food in my flat, but I'm not waiting to get there to eat." She folded her arms across her chest. "And I got us opera tickets."

"For free." Mycroft scoffed. "And then you distracted me from actually viewing the opera." Anthea shrugged. Anthea pursed her lips to keep from smiling.

"Not my problem." She shrugged playfully. "It's that or we go food shopping." Mycroft clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Fine." He sighed. "Although I would argue that it's your fault we didn't eat last night and therefore you should really be treating me to breakfast." Mycroft spoke as he walked passed her and out of the kitchen.

They didn't end up getting the best possible breakfast. They didn't even end up getting one of Anthea's top ten breakfasts. They went to a place halfway between Mycroft's house and Anthea's flat. Mycroft's toast was cold, and Anthea's eggs weren't seasoned enough. It was the weekend so the place was crowded and the service was slow. All flaws aside, Anthea had a wonderful breakfast. They joked about the food, they deduced people, and they enjoyed each other's company.

Maybe this blissful happiness thing wasn't an illusion after all.

Maybe.

Author's Note:A little short. Blame that in writing all but a couple of hundred words in one day thanks to exams. I liked it. I REALLY hope you guys liked it. Particularly after last chapter. Let me know please! Thanks to our lovely guest reviewers; . Guests x4, chulija, enola, Maia Wheezzy8, Chocolate Cake, Tadaa, GoldfishRpeople2 (who reviewed as they read the whole thing), and my dear ovejalucifer. Thanks to all my lovely readers for being awesome! See you with an update on Thursday night my time!