Author's Note: Hello, hello! Thank you, first of all for the wonderful birthday wishes! Secondly thanks for all the feedback for the last chapter, I practically live for your reviews. Next chapter will be another show plot one, so when Sherlock escapes hospital. I needed to give a bit of space between the shooting and that for obvious reasons, but this chapter takes place only a few days after last chapter. There's a lot happening in a short amount of time as you'd imagine. I had more fun writing this one than I thought I would. 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 Time She Dealt With Tim and Charlotte In The Same Week

To: Tim Burgess (personal)
From: [name unlisted]
CC: Mycroft Holmes (3)

Hey Tim,

Can you get the updated contract to me right away? Mr. Holmes is getting impatient.

A.

Hey A,

I'm going as fast as I can and he'll get it when he's finished. I don't like to rush these things.

Tim Burgess.

Tim,

Oh yeah, I forgot. You weren't the type to rush anything ;).

That's okay. Quality comes first. We appreciate that here.

A.

A,

I like to take my time. Make sure it's to my client's satisfaction B).

Do you? Or does someone like hassling me?

Tim.

Tim,

Ah… And I suppose your contracts are repetitive and always the same too?

Can't both be true?

A.

A,

Hey, hey, hey! Below the belt there, A darling! Never heard you complain. Then again I didn't know what a good actress you were.

Yeah, I guess. Better to be hassled than be blacklisted.

Tim.

Tim,

I'm a better actress then you'll ever know ;).

But seriously. By the end of the week.

A.

A,

Are you working me right now, Miss James? Is this all to get your contract done?

It's working.

The end of the week, just for you ;).

Tim.

You're just my favourite lawyer ever. Thank you! This will get us both some brownie points.

A.

Mycroft scowled in the car as he read the latest email he was CC'ed in. Anthea having sent it while she was sitting next to him in the car as he stared numbly out the window, hand on his umbrella.

"Miss James," he drawled. "Why on Earth am I attached to this email exchange?" He flashed his phone screen at Anthea. Her eyes flickered up from her own phone and she looked over his phone before shrugging.

"It was about the contract." She answer, pulling on one side of her mouth to give something between a half smile and a pout. "You did ask me to CC you in every email exchanged with Mr. Burgess, sir." Mycroft's fingers closed tightly around his phone as he brought it back to his person.

"Yes." He lowered it quickly to his lap. "But the last thing I wish to read is you and your ex-boyfriend flirting with each other." Anthea sighed inwardly, looking at the headrest in front of her.

"Why?" She asked bluntly and perhaps a little too bitterly. Mycroft shook his head as he seemed to be searching his brain for an appropriate answer to this question.

"It's inappropriate." He reprimanded her. "It's unprofessional."

"I've done it before. A couple of times." Anthea looked out the window. "And you never used to have a problem with it. You encouraged it at times." She heard a sniff of derision from her side. She didn't want to look at his face.

"That was different." Mycroft muttered. Anthea whipped her head around.

"How?" She scoffed. Cold steel eyes locked to her face.

"They weren't exes who cheated on you." He answered in a tone as icy as his eyes. Anthea's eyes narrowed as Mycroft looked down his long nose at her.

"So?" She questioned as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "What does that matter to you, sir? How does it matter to you if I'm interested in flirting with Tim?" She smiled as she looked at the head rest. "At this point you've hurt me far more than he has, and you're supposed to be sworn off emotions. Why would you care about mine?" She turned back to him, a jab coming to mind. "And on the topic of emotions if you're going to show any regard for anyone right now how about your brother in hospital still recovering? Have you seen him in the last week since we first went to emergency?" She cocked her head to the side. "I have. He still doesn't look well and he seems very distracted by something." Mycroft's jaw clenched and he sneered. Quickly his flicked his head around to stare out the window, his fingers digging into the handle of his umbrella.

"I thought I asked you to stay out of my life, Miss James."

"Then do me the same favour, Mr. Holmes." She spoke quietly and slowly, annunciating every single word. Mycroft twisted the umbrella into the floor of the car.

"You're absolutely right. My apologise." He answered in a soft tone. "By all means, throw your life away on Tim Burgess. See what happens." Anthea laughed as she turned back to her phone.

"I'm not interested in Tim." She smiled sarcastically. "Ew. Never again. I'm just flirting to lift my spirits." She saw as Mycroft turned to look at her profile. She continued to text on her phone ignoring how he was taking in her face. "Jamie would kill me and James would kill him. I think we'd rather live, thanks." Mycroft looked down at his umbrella then turned to look out the window again, going silent. Anthea scooted forward in her seat.

"What about you Walter?" She asked. "Seen Sherlock?" Walter, looking at her through the rear-view mirror shook his head.

"No, don't feel comfortable doing so." He answered. "I did see Dr. Watson and his wife on the way to the hospital about a day ago. I picked them both up and gave them a lift." Anthea patted Walter on the shoulder.

"That's nice. John would appreciate the help." She answered honestly. Walter laughed.

"I think he was just glad we weren't kidnapping him and his pregnant wife." Anthea laughed back as she leaned back in her chair going back to her phone. Mycroft ignored them both.

Carol and Anthea went out for cocktails on Friday night. It had been so long. When was the last time either of them went out for drinks? For Carol it was a retirement party for another agent. James got drunk and told everyone that he loved them and announced Carol to be his fourth sister and his favourite. Another agent asked her if she could bench-press him and it turned her very much off the idea of going to those events for the foreseeable future. For Anthea it was the last time Robbie was in town and they met up with all their university friends. Anthea went home wearing Robbie's shirt and his girlfriend's boots and when she got home she spent the rest of the evening imitating Mycroft and laughing at how funny she thought it was. Mycroft for the most part ignored her and got her upstairs safely.

Nevertheless, it had been quite some time for both of them and Carol asked Anthea out to get her out of James' house and out of her funk. They found a nice cocktail bar to have a nice quiet chat at. So nice that Carol even wore a skirt – something that Anthea had only seen a few times in her life. With her hair out she looked far more like her daughter than usual. They got ridiculously flamboyant drinks with pretty colours that did not suit their personalities. They talked about Sherlock, Katie's schooling, Mycroft, James' injuries, Thatch, Sherlock and the Watson, general James and Jamie silliness, work, how much they hated the CIA, Mycroft again, movies, cute celebrities, why cocktails had so much alcohol in them, the shooting, high school stories, and why neither of them had very many friends but James loved them.

"Because he's an idiot who doesn't understand that go away means go away." Carol rolled her fierce eyes, leaning over her fruit tingle. Anthea almost snorted into her martini.

"But it's not just us. It's Myc too!" Anthea grinned, the world was spinning. Just the right amount of spinning, enough that she could be happy. "He collects people who don't make friends and at his wedding her had like a million friends!" She couldn't recall the exact number right now, she just remembered James having a bunch of guests.

"Yeah, because he doesn't know what GO AWAY means." Carol slammed her hand on the bar to enhance her point. Anthea burst into a fit of giggles, leaning back in her stool grinning. It made Carol smile in return. She leaned forward and pushed hair out of Anthea's face gingerly. Anthea almost leaned into the action as if she'd missed any type of physical touch in a long time even though that wasn't true. Jamie and James were huggers. It was quite the change from living with a man with the largest personal space bubble the world had ever seen. As Carol went to turn back to her drink her eyes focused on something behind Anthea. She looked somewhere between kind Carol and stern Carol as she looked at whatever it is.

"Well look who it is." Anthea leaned forward and closed her eyes as soon as she heard that dreadful fake polite voice.

"Shit." She spat.

"It's nice to see you too, Anthea." Charlotte sung sarcastically. "Or Amy, or August, or whatever your name is." Anthea swung her stool around so the back was against the bar and she could see Charlotte while still being able to turn and see Carol. Charlotte. Stupid, stupid Charlotte. She always looked so pretty. All her social power taken away from her and the woman still looked like an angel walking on Earth. Her platinum blonde hair pulled back in a pony, an elegant off white dress hanging off her model-like body. She made Anthea want to throw up. It wasn't the alcohol, it was definitely Charlotte the skink.

"Sorry Charlotte," Anthea tried to smile sarcastically but she might have accidentally sneered more than smiled. "I must have missed the temperature drop that happens when you walk into a room." She sniffed a single laugh at her own joke. Carol looked at Anthea like she was an adorable idiot. A stern, unmoving look on her face Charlotte casually looked around.

"Where's Mycroft?" Charlotte asked. Anthea came closer to throwing up but swallowed it.

"Are we attached at the hip?" Anthea tilted her head to the side, pouting. "I didn't know that. I always thought he could go to places and I could go to other places."

"I thought you were in love." Charlotte sneered.

"What would you know about Mycroft in love?" Anthea matched her facial expression. Carol sniffed, leaning forward in her stool.

"Excuse me," She sounded far more sober than Anthea did. She had drunk the same amount but she was a big woman. She was as tall as Mycroft and as strong as James, she could probably hold her alcohol better than Anthea. "I've worked with or around Holmes for most of our adult lives." She looked down at Anthea. "Why have I never heard of a Charlotte?" Anthea snorted in response as she grinned up at Carol. She gestured to Charlotte with a sloppy hand.

"This is his first experiment into the world of heterosexual sex."

"Oh." Carol nodded, immediately dismissing Charlotte. "Not important. That's why I don't know." The look of cold anger on Charlotte's face made Anthea almost laugh again.

"And who are you then?" She set her claws into Carol. "His drag queen friend?" Carol immediately sat up in her stool. Anthea jumped out of hers like a call to action, staring down Charlotte.

"Watch who you're talking to, Runway Barbie." Carol warned.

"You want to talk to a Federal Agent like that again, Miss Cunningham?" Anthea raised her eyebrows. Charlotte looked Anthea up and down. Still every way her opposite with her dark colouring and her curves.

"Look at you." She chuckled in that way all snobby people did. That low fake chuckle that came from the back of the throat. "Raring up for a fight. Do you think you could ever fit into a sophisticated group of people?" As she finished Anthea's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I'd really watch yourself, Charlotte." She almost whispered. "I'm not some glorified secretary like you think I am. I've seen things, I've done things you couldn't imagine. I've talked to the real powerful people around the world. They've flirted with me, they've threatened me, they wished me a happy birthday, and they've tried to kill me. You think those people you've been exiled from hold any power because they go to parties? Want to see what knowing really powerful people has taught me?" Charlotte laughed an actual laugh this time. It was the realest thing to ever come out of that woman.

"You sit at a desk all day being a pretty face. I actually work. You are a disgrace to women. You got a high paying job and slept with your boss." Anthea took a step forward. Carol stood up. Look at her. How could such a woman be so beautiful? She must have a portrait somewhere that is rotting to reflect her insides.

"No wonder Mycroft chose you for his first," Anthea spat. "You're a cold heartless bitch. A succubus I wouldn't even wish onto my worst enemy. Someone needs to drive a stake into your heart."

She missed it entirely. She heard the loud clap like noise and her vision blacked out. When her eyes refocused they were facing another direction, and her cheek was hot and stinging. Anthea touched her cheekbone and brought her hand back down to find a little bit of blood. She played with the blood between her thumb and index finger. Carol was saying something but Anthea couldn't hear it. Charlotte had just backhanded Anthea in the face, her large ring cutting Anthea's face. Slowly, as she wiped the blood off onto her thigh, Anthea's face cracked into a twisted smile. By hitting her first, Charlotte had just given Anthea permission to do something she'd wanted to do in years. Anthea slapped Charlotte sharply across the face with full force. While the blonde woman's mouth was gaping and she was standing there in shock Anthea took hold of her ponytail. She pulled it back and then pushed Charlotte forward onto the bar. As she did so she used her free hand to take one of Charlotte's hands and hold it against her back rendering her unable to fight back unless she'd had martial arts training. Anthea leaned in close to Charlotte's ear.

"Still think I'm an overpaid secretary?" Anthea hissed in her ear. "Think all I do is dry cleaning and favours now?" Perfectly satisfied with that little interaction, Anthea immediately let go of Charlotte. She turned around to see two security guards approaching. Carol had whipped out one of her identifications and was holding it up.

"It's okay, we're leaving anyway." She spoke to the two men with authority. The three women were walked out, none of them having to deal with being touched or dragged out, and found themselves out on the street. Charlotte said nothing as she walked off with her nose in the air. As soon as she turned a corner Anthea looked up at the night sky and laughed.

"I wish you worked for us directly." Carol smiled. "The sweet looking girls like you always get the best shots in."

"I've wanted to that for so long!" Anthea breathed out, practically bouncing. She placed her hand on her chest and noticed something was missing. Her face dropped. She felt around her beck frantically. "My necklace!" Her voice dropped with her stomach. No, no, no.

NO.

She couldn't lose that.

Not now.

No no. She needed it.

It was keeping her together.

Anthea haphazardly pushed past Carol and began making her way up the two steps to the bar. One of the security guards, a portly dark skinned bald man, placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her away from the door. With a seriously sober look on his face he shook his head.

"What do you think you're doing?" He sounded like a teacher warning a student. "You can't go back in there." Anthea began panicking as she searched his umber eyes.

"No, no!" Her voice was breathy. "I'm not going back in, I just want to find my necklace." The man's mouth pouted like he didn't believe her. Anthea's hand clung to her neck. "You don't understand. It's a very important gift from my boyfriend." Her eyes were watering and she was blinking the water back. "His brother is in the hospital and were not in a good place and that's the only thing that I have right now that reminds me of how good we can be." The pout disappeared as the man glanced over at the door. Anthea clasped her hands together in a prayer position. "Please. It's the only important piece of jewellery I have ever owned!" The man grunted.

"What does it look like?" Anthea's stomach had returned.

"It's a sapphire stone on a simple chain. I think it fell off at the bar." Without saying anything the guard whispered to the other guard and then walked inside.

As she waited Anthea for him to return Carol turned up at Anthea's side.

She needed that necklace back. She couldn't lose that. She loved it so much and it represented even more. It was respect, and trust, and friendship, and love. It was every step of the bond between Anthea and Mycroft. If it was gone she'd feel like they were doomed.

The guard returned with the necklace in his hand, sapphire droplet and everything. Anthea could almost hug. She ran up to him and held her hands out for him to gently put it in her hands.

"Thank you so much!" She held it to her heart. "Thank you! And I'm sorry for earlier."

"Just stay out of trouble."

Anthea stayed the night on Carol's couch. She had a half day at work the next day and she hadn't intended to stay. So she wore her same jacket and skirt since nothing Carol owned fitted her, and she borrowed one of Katie's blouses to wear under it. Katie was already a beautiful young woman and going to be stunningly tall like her mother so the shirt was a little ill-fitting. It was nothing that tucking it in wouldn't fix. She thanked Carol, dropped Katie off at a friend's, though she was running a little late, and went to work.

As soon as she got to work she made the cup of tea and headed straight to Mycroft's office. She was rushing a little and barely cared what the tea tasted like or what she looked like, a stark contradiction to a few days ago. She barely waited a second after knocking on the door to enter, knowing Mycroft would just be on the computer working himself to the bone as was his habit the last week and a bit.

"Good morning, sir." Anthea smiled at the man watching the screen. "I'm sorry I'm late." She placed the cup of tea down in the usual spot, even making sure the handle was facing him the way he always adjusted it.

"That's quite alright Miss James. As long as it isn't a habit." He pulled his gaze away from the computer and looked up at her with that practice stony expression of boredom. Half a second and the expression was gone. His brows knitted together and his mouth drew down. "What on Earth did you do last night?" There was actual expression to his voice again. Concern? Maybe? Mocking? Not quite… Maybe somewhere in between. Anthea had almost forgotten that he cheek had gotten cut last night, even after seeing the faint bruise forming close to the cut this morning. Anthea smirked to herself and touched it.

"Oh, that." She shrugged one shoulder. "Carol and I went out last night." Mycroft's hands were frozen over the keyboard as his eyes surveyed her face. For a moment he seemed to be having an internal argument with himself as she could see his brain ticking away behind those cold eyes. Having resolved this internal struggle Mycroft got out of his seat and walked around the desk stopping right in front of Anthea. She could smell his cologne and it made her feel sick. He rose his hands, paused, closed them into fists, reopened them, exhaled, and then place his hands on either side of Anthea's jaw, warm fingers reaching her earlobes. His hands were still warm while he was so cold. It didn't make any sense. Steel eyes examined the mark on Anthea's face carefully. He gently moved her face to the side and angled his own view to get a better look in the light.

"The markings suggest an open hand." He sounded like Sherlock on a case. Had he seen Sherlock yet? Probably not. "The cut suggests cut by jewellery, a ring, and the bruising leads me to conclude that it was a woman's ring." Anthea clenched her jaw to stop from smiling at the thought of what happened. No doubt Mycroft could see right through her.

"Yeah," She hummed in amusement. "Charlotte came up to as last night." Mycroft dropped his hands from Anthea's face and she felt cold again. Something flashed in his eyes.

"Anthea." He sounded disappointed maybe. At least it was another actual emotion and it was good to hear.

"Hey, she approached us," Anthea held up a hand. "And she hit me first." First. Mycroft did not seem even remotely surprised by that little piece of information. He clenched his jaw.

"I assume she stood no chance." It was flat and emotionless but it was the equivalence of 'did she hurt you?' Anthea scrunched up her nose playfully.

"No, not at all. It was over in two seconds when I pinned her down. I got my nice clean win against her finally." There was a twitch and Mycroft's face actually pulled into a tiny smile as he sniffed a single almost laugh noise. Anthea felt her heart grow three sizes. It wasn't much but it was a sign of life. But as soon as it came it was gone, and he looked frustrated as he ran a hand through his thinning hair.

"Miss James, if this had anything to do with-"

"No." Anthea cut him off, her own face falling sober. "No. This wasn't at all about you. This was about her and me, and how long I've wanted to do that to her." She looked down at her feet and then back up at the icy gaze. "That Tim thing, that was about you. The Charlotte thing, that was about how she made me feel." Mycroft pursed his lips. His raised his eyebrows and gave a single nod before turning around to return to his chair.

"Tim and Charlotte in the same week. My, my." He exhaled as his sat down. "And you got hurt, too. This is exactly why emotions are nothing but trouble." There it was, that comment that deflated her instantly. Instead of getting upset or even rolling her eyes, Anthea kept it together. She bit her bottom lip and shrugged.

"But getting hurt was totally worth that memory." She smiled and turned on her heels to return to work.

Author's Note: So? What did you think? It felt like very appropriate timing to me, and I hope you're not all mad at me for bringing those two in during a time like this :P. Thanks to our guest reviewers: Sophie, Guests x2, Barbie Girl, CoffeeRanger, chulija, DD Eva's dreaming, Christie, LittleSchoolgirl, M, and Hazel. Thanks to all my reviewers! I love you all and I look forward to hearing what you thought of this chapter. See you all in five days!