Author's Note: Thanks for the lovely reviews, guys. It really means a lot to me. Jamie got a lot of people excited, which is what she's good for. Like I said, back to Sherrinford clean-up for this chapter. Probably more clean up next chapter too, I haven't quite decided which idea to do next. This one was longer than expected so… 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 Her Uncle Reached Out

Anthea wandered out of the ensuite in search of her ringing phone. Naturally she found it where she had left it, on her bedside table, but feeling grogging and having just empty the contents of your stomach into the toilet you never are entirely sure of the world. She looked at the caller and sighed.

It was Tim.

Again.

He'd been trying to reach her for a few days now but she just wasn't in the mood. As it turns out, when you're fighting to prove yours and your boss' competence at work while your personal life is broken in shards like a china doll smashed against the floor the last thing you want to do is answer phone calls from your ex-boyfriend who broke your heart. If she didn't answer it Tim would just keep calling. Anthea cleared her throat and tried to clear her mind. She pressed accept.

"Hey Tim." She greeted with the trademark aloof attitude of the shadowy assistant.

"Ali!" Tim yelled down the phone. "When a lawyer keeps trying to call you, you answer it. I don't care if I'm your ex, and I don't care if Eurus has your life a little weird right now. A phone call from a lawyer is serious and I am your lawyer in this case." Since when did she personally hire him? Her brain was foggy with illness and a need to sleep some more, so maybe Anthea was just forgetting something. Anthea rubbed her tired eyes with the hand not holding her phone.

"Sorry, Tim. Life's been crazy. Unless it's a work number I haven't been answering."

"Well this is just as important as work! Answer me from now on, okay? Because I'm spending billable hours doing this." Anthea's brows furrowed and she frowned at the dressing table in lieu of being able to glare at Tim. A new photo had been added to the collection of photos on the dresser. Now there was one of a little girl sitting on a chubby boy's lap as they played piano together. Anthea thought she had failed to convince Mycroft to put that up when he'd shown it to her in his locked drawer. Oh, but she was talking to Tim.

"Sorry?" She blinked herself back into reality, or as far into reality as she could. "What's as important as work?"

"Your uncle." Tim huffed, causing some static to come through the line. "He contacted me through email. He wants to come to London next week to discuss your house with you." Her house? Her grandmother's house?

"What?" Anthea scoffed, her heart constricting tightly. "Does he want to lecture me before he takes it?" That would be cold and mean. "I really don't need him and his…" Her lip twitched upwards. "Attitude right now. I have no patience for him right now." And she felt sick enough as it was.

"No, that's not it Ali." Tim's tone had lost its edge. He knew Anthea's history with family, he knew how complicated – or non-existent – her relationship with her uncle had become. Maybe it was worth having a lawyer who knew your feelings. "He wants to discuss terms. To me, as the professional here, means he either wants more, or is uncomfortable getting it for nothing and wants to offer more." Anthea laughed despite herself. Now instead of rubbing her eyes she rubbed her head.

"Why would he do that?" Anthea asked.

"Why would the Ice Man have his murderous sister taken care of in his will?"

"My uncle isn't the Ice Man." Anthea snapped, maybe more sensitive to that term than usual for so many reasons. Too many to list.

"Exactly. He's not. And like the Ice Man, your uncle isn't a psychopath. He can feel guilt and empathy." Anthea rolled her eyes.

"Tim, do not give me attitude about the type of man Mycroft is right now. I will literally come to your office and kill you." Her tone was deadpan.

"I didn't… I wasn't making a dig at him." Tim answered.

"It's… It's fine." Anthea rolled her eyes again. "So what do we do?" She asked, nerves tingling.

"We go meet with him. We haggle or negotiate, or even completely reject his terms. Whatever you want." He was so confident. Anthea let out a shaky breath. She wasn't sure she could deal with her uncle right now with everything else. To meet with him to sign away her grandmother's house, it just wasn't fair. It was like Sherrinford's nightmare never ended.

"Can't you just agree to give him what he wants?"

"That's not the Ali I know talking." Tim clicked his tongue.

"No it's an Ali who just wants a rest from some drama for a little bit. My uncle will bring back all my teenaged angst. Every time I see him, Tim, I feel like that girl who lost her parents and not… Anthea."

"You need to do this. We might be able to fix this." Tim answered. "And I'll be there to be tough. You wear that scary neutral face you always wear at work, and I'll do all the fast talking." Anthea smiled. "You can always bring Mycroft. If it helps the case, I'm cool with that." Anthea's smile grew.

"It depends on the time my uncle chooses." She replied.

"So I can organise a time, date, and location now?" Tim asked eagerly.

"Yes, Tim." Anthea nodded. "Just make it closer to my office than to yours."

"We'll see." He answered suspiciously. "I'll email you with the information. Please open the email."

"Goodbye, Tim."

Click.

Anthea didn't immediately go find Mycroft after the phone call. While the two were doing their best and there were certainly times when they could forget everything and just be who they were as a couple – they were still unstoppable at work for example – there were other times when everything got too real for the feeling of awkwardness or sadness to separate them. After Anthea spent the morning throwing up, for example. When she'd run to the toilet and thrown up Anthea had heard Mycroft walk out of the bedroom and close the door behind him. It certainly did nothing to help her confidence in him sticking around. Here she was, trying to get him to call his parents while supporting his choices and he couldn't even sit in the next room while she was sick. It really showed where his head was.

At least that's what she thought. That was until she entered the kitchen and found a now lukewarm cup of tea sitting on the counter. By the smell it was that Raspberry leaf tea Anthea had discovered in the cupboard when she got home from Jamie's. He'd bought it along with ginger, and chamomile teas. I quick search revealed they were teas good for pregnancy and nausea. Just like now, he'd done it in secret and walked away, a sign of his inner conflict with himself and his awkwardness with emotions. It reminded her of how weird he was with gifts, often just leaving them in places for her to find. Well… she would have preferred him to stay in the bedroom but considering he could barely handle his thoughts at all lately, a cooling cup of specifically chosen tea was very welcome.

Anthea stood in the kitchen, holding the cup of tea between both of her hands. She took her time sipping the tea, enjoying the taste of it in her mouth despite the temperature. After she finished she'd go find Mycroft and tell him about the phone call. It was a topic they could talk about without any awkwardness slipping in.

Mycroft was in the dining room. He wasn't doing anything. He had his laptop open in front of him, of course, but he was leaned back in the chair, bored expression on his face, staring at the screen blankly. He was in his head, not on this plain of reality. The life returned behind his eyes as Anthea sauntered into the room. His gaze followed her around the table as she came to sit in the chair diagonally across from him.

Silence.

He looked at her.

She smiled.

The edges of his lips twitched up.

More silence.

Mycroft leaned forward, quietly groaning at the movement, and shut his laptop lid.

"You look like you wish to discuss something." Mycroft hummed, raising his eyebrows at Anthea as he leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together in his lap. Anthea's smile held firm.

"Thinking about work, your sister, your mum, or me?" Anthea asked. Mycroft waved a hand lazily at her, dismissing it, before putting it back on his lap.

"That is not what you came here to discuss. You made the observation after seeking me out." He said. He said. It was true but she didn't like the idea of ignoring how lost in his head Mycroft had been.

"Just answer, Mycroft." Anthea signed. The genius clicked his tongue and looked down at his closed laptop. Thirty seconds later he spoke.

"Lady Smallwood has removed me from the Sherrinford improvement operation for the foreseeable future unless it directly effects my sister's health or well-being." Mycroft sounded distant. "It all affects her. I need to know it all if I am to help her, or at least help Sherlock help her return to a functional state." Anthea opened her mouth but before she could speak Mycroft waved his hand again. "No, I know we could ask James for regular updates but it's not the point, is it?" His point was he was letting people down again. He couldn't help Eurus in all the ways he wanted and by extension couldn't help Sherlock or his parents.

"You're allowed in still, though? Like you still have a pass to go in and see her whenever you want?" Anthea asked. Mycroft sniffed, mouth pulling into a sinister smile.

"They said they wouldn't dare take that away from me. Like an act of sympathy." He scowled.

"They'll come crawling back, sir." Anthea tried to soothe the genius.

"I know." Mycroft whispered back.

They lulled into silence once more.

Mycroft sniffed. He looked back up at Anthea.

"Enough of that. How can I help you, my dear?" He tried to smile but it didn't reach his eyes. Anthea appreciated the attempt. Anthea licked her lips and pursed them. A nervous laugh escaped her mouth as Mycroft's fiercely intelligent eyes scrutinised her.

"Tim called, and then emailed me with more details…" Anthea paused, her brow furrowing. Mycroft made a point not to react to Tim's name. "My Uncle wants to meet to discuss my grandmother's house." Mycroft perked up in his seat.

"That sounds promising." He hummed. Anthea cocked her head to the side,

"You think? You don't think he wants to lecture me or just sign the papers in person?" Mycroft chuckled quietly.

"My love, I know the smell of guilt from a mile away, and right now it's all I can smell." For a moment he looked like a predator who had found a juicy prey. She liked it, he looked normal.

"Maybe he doesn't want to take the house?" Anthea asked. Mycroft shook his head.

"The man who sold his sister's house instead of saving it for her daughter?" He laughed a single time. "I don't think he'll be that generous, dear." He held a finger up. "I do, however, suspect some sort of compromise." Anthea believed Mycroft's prediction. He was basing it off facts and figures she couldn't see and he was hardly ever wrong. Or maybe it was just their connection that made her believe him and not Tim. Maybe both.

"Will you come with me? And Tim." She asked, hoping maybe that connection would do what Tim had suggested it might.

"Absolutely." Mycroft answered immediately without so much of a flinch. "When?" She remembered when it used to be like pulling teeth to get him to do anything with her or for her if he didn't want to. Did he want to do this? And why?

"Friday at eleven." The email had said. Any spark that had returned to Mycroft immediately disappeared.

"Unfortunately, my dear, that is when I have a meeting with the rest of PALL to discuss my behaviour." He smiled sarcastically. It seemed the powerhouse group were not at all pleased that Mycroft had gone rouge and snuck himself, Sherlock, and John into Sherrinford without consulting them. Of course the whole entering had to be done in secrecy and telling them would have led to the staff finding out ahead of time. The whole thing would have failed. Still, rules were rules, even for the man who basically ran the British government on his own. He'd broken some and needed to be officially reprimanded.

"Oh no." Anthea's heart felt like it had a hole in it. She couldn't miss that. She had to be there for that. They were a united front. "I'll reschedule, I'm sorry, I forgot." She looked for her phone only to remember it was left in the kitchen. She was about to get up when Mycroft spoke.

"Heavens no, don't do that." Mycroft waved his hand downwards, like telling Anthea to settle back into her seat. "This is far too important for you. It's a mess my sister put you in and it needs to be dealt with immediately. As for my issue, well," That sarcastic not real smile returned. "You weren't involved in the plans to infiltrate Sherrinford, why should you be involved in the reprimanding?" He had his point, as always, but it didn't mean Anthea felt right about it. They were a team, she was the one who always had his back at work. She should be there, if only to sit next to him quietly. This thing with her uncle was important, though… It would be good to get it done with before she began… showing. She was in no rush to inform her uncle or Tim that she was pregnant. That could stay secret for a while longer yet. Anthea nodded.

"Okay." She said. "I see your point, because you're always right." She rolled her eyes teasingly as Mycroft's lips pulled up at the sides again. "But consider me on call and if you need me to come back you up just text." Mycroft chuckled. His eyes were full of tenderness and sadness. She wondered if she looked at him the same way whenever she thought of him leaving.

"Absolutely." He said.

Anthea expected her aunt to walk in with her uncle, it had been years since she'd ever seen him without her forcing him to come up and say hi. She felt all her defences rise up and lock into place as she and Tim stood up in unison to greet her uncle as he approached the table. The aging man came to stand behind the opposite end of the table to Tim and Anthea.

"You must be Marlon Clarke." Tim was using his lawyer voice. So much more authority and purpose to day to day Tim. Anthea's uncle looked from Anthea to Tim. He nodded and held out his hand. Tim took it and shook it.

"And you're, um…"

"Tim Burgess." Tim squeezed his hand. "Your niece is one of my most important clients." He placed his hand on her forearm. Anthea stared at it blankly until he removed it. Anthea's uncle looked back at Anthea. He cleared his throat, sounding like the old smoker he was.

"Keeping well, then?" He asked. Anthea shrugged her right shoulder.

"Trying to." She answered, not knowing what else to say to this man. She sounded like Anthea though, so that was okay. Marlon sniffed his nose and nodded.

Tim gestured for them to take a seat. The lawyer then made all the small talk for Anthea. He asked what else Marlon was doing while in London for the weekend. He asked how was the trip, asked how Rose was, and all that nonsense, while Anthea tried her best to listen. There was that thing in her mind that made her want to switch off when she heard her Uncle's voice. Like she was so sick of being nothing to him she made him nothing to her. He kept looking at her, though. Like she was actually visible to him. She hadn't been this visible to him since her mother was alive. Thankfully, Tim kept the small talk relatively quick and soon got to business.

"We offered to gift you the house that Mycroft Holmes required in exchange for lost assets with no strings attached. Why are we here discussing terms?" Tim looked down his glasses at Anthea's uncle. "If you're expecting to get any money out of my client and her partner, you are taking advantage of the kindness of not very kind people, I assure you, and I won't let that happen." Anthea looked at Tim and he smiled almost evilly. She always liked Tim much more when he was working – he became way less boring when he was a shark.

"Nah, mate, that's not it." Marlon said. "I don't want anything else." Tim and Anthea exchanged a look.

"Then why are we here?" The lawyer asked. "These papers could be signed and sent to my office. You didn't have to come here."

"I don't want the whole house." He answered. Tim leaned back in his seat, a suspicious look on his face. Anthea gained the same look but she stayed put. Anthea's uncle turned his chair so it was facing Anthea. "Ali, your aunt Rose and I have been talking." He stopped like he expected Anthea to say something. She just raised an eyebrow silently. He pulled a face and continued. "Well, you were right to take that house and we'd feel bad. Like we'd let down my mum and my sister if we took it." And yet he wasn't turning down the offer completely… "So we were thinking, what if you and I both owned it?" Anthea felt her whole being soften. "We can look after it, keep it up to scratch, and you can use it as like a holiday house." Anthea was suspicious but the teenaged girl in her wanted so badly to take anything she could get from this man. This man who had been a fun uncle until he had to look after her.

"If I agree then you're not allowed to throw away any of Nana's stuff. All the photos stay up and where they are. I don't even want an ornament moved without my approval." She was very careful to keep a neutral tone so the teenager didn't come up. Her uncle snorted a laugh.

"That's Rose's area but sure."

"And the rest of the house gets left to me in your will." Anthea added just as he finished speaking. "I am not buying someone out for my grandmother's house." That request appeared to get to him. His brows inched closer together.

"Of course." He said. Anthea tapped her fingernails on the tabletop. She looked over at Tim. The lawyer nodded his approval. Anthea still took her time to think in silence, clenching and unclenching her jaw.

"Why this, and why now?" Anthea asked. "After all this time." Anthea pursed her lips and so faintly shook her head that it would be easy to miss. "Rose was always trying so I get why she's trying now, but you?" She looked her uncle over carefully. "I don't think you ever really looked at me the same from the moment I came to live with you." Her uncle sat silently for a few long seconds. His breath caught in his throat on his first attempt to talk.

"Have I ever told you how much you look like your mother?" He said gingerly. "She wasn't as smart as you, and that sarcasm is all from your father, but you're almost the splitting image of her." That's all he said. Was that his answer? Was that all there was to it?

"That's not my fault. A teenager can't help that she looks like her mum." Anthea answered.

"I know." Marlon replied. "But Grace always said it was good I didn't want kids since I was bloody selfish." He smirked.

"It doesn't excuse it." Anthea said sharply.

"I know." He said again. "But better late than never to try and fix things, right?" Anthea thought of Sherlock taking his violin into Sherrinford. She thought of his new behaviour towards Mycroft. Even his behaviour towards everyone. That was certainly better late than never. Anthea smiled.

"What do you think, Tim?" Anthea asked? The lawyer straightened his posture.

"I can have the papers drawn up by tomorrow and my secretary can bring them over to Mr. Clarke's hotel room to sign before he leaves London on Sunday." Tim twitched. "After I send them to Miss Clarke and Mr. Holmes to proof read first, of course."

"Mustn't upset Mr. Holmes." Anthea teased him.

"Not if I want my practice to keep growing." Tim replied with fake fear. Anthea laughed breathlessly.

"You two used to date, didn't you?" Marlon asked. Anthea laughed more while Tim frowned and cleared his throat.

Tim left soon afterwards, and Anthea had attempted to leave. To her surprise her uncle insisted she stay, extremely awkwardly, but he did ask. For the first fifteen minutes they had absolutely nothing to talk about. They sat in silence as Anthea picked at her nail polish. Then her uncle asked Anthea how her life was and not wanting to talk about baby, or Eurus, or anything, Anthea pulled up photos from Hope's christening. She hoped that her uncle remembered who Jamie was and thankfully he did. At first he had nothing to say but as soon as he eased up and began commenting on the photos, and Anthea laughed, it became a lot easier.

"Bloody hell, look at the arms on him. You wouldn't want to get on his bad side." He'd said about James. Anthea smirked.

"He's actually really gentle." She replied.

"BFG, huh?"

Carol got called a "tough broad", after seeing three or four photos of them Anthea's uncle called out how Sherlock and Mycroft obviously didn't have the ability to smile. John was "shorter than he looks in the papers", and Molly looked "as shy as a mouse".

"You've always had trouble making friends and the like," Anthea's uncle said. He then cleared his throat. "Even before, your dad was worried that you didn't have many friends. So you know, it's real nice to see you've kept that one and made a life for yourself here in the city, Ali." Anthea sniffed a laugh, looking down at her phone screen.

"Sure." She said.

"Nah, really." Anthea looked back up at him. "It's real great that you've found where you belong." Anthea searched her Uncle's face. He was being earnest, definitely, but she didn't know whether to feel touched or insulted by it. Was he pleased for her sake? Or was he pleased in a selfish way? That meant she was no longer a burden to him? Or was it a bit of both. Lucky for Anthea, just as the silence was beginning to reach an uncomfortable length and she would soon have to say something, Mycroft Holmes walked into the restaurant. In his long black coat with the red lining, black gloves on, and umbrella in hand, he came walking up to their table.

"Mycroft!" Anthea called out in relief. She stood up to greet him as he approached. She had intended on hugging him, which she did do, but she didn't plan the kiss on the cheek she gave him at the same time. The genius didn't seem to mind, stroking her arm as he pulled away from the kiss. Maybe he understood that her relief. "How was the meeting? What did they say?" Mycroft pulled a face, scrunching up his nose as he began to carefully remove his gloves.

"It's not important now, dear." He said. "We can discuss it later." Steel eyes landed on her face. Anthea took that to mean it didn't go fantastically well, not like they weren't expecting that. It was just a shame she wasn't there to back him up. "I'm here for you, not for me." He looked around the table, making eye contact briefly with her uncle but acting almost like he wasn't there. "Is the lawyer gone?" Anthea looked to where Tim was sitting, then back to Mycroft and nodded.

"He left a while ago, but my uncle wanted to talk."

"Ah." Mycroft sung, realising now where the awkward atmosphere was coming from. As if it were a cue to do so, Mycroft took Tim's previous seat at the table and folded one leg over the other, crossing his hands on top of his knee. "What were we discussing then, hm?" He cocked his head to the side and finally really acknowledge Anthea's uncle, who was looking a little uncomfortable. Anthea sat back down and scooted her seat a little closer to Mycroft.

"Well, Uncle Marlon was just commenting on how tough James looks." Anthea went to a previous conversation to avoid responding to the last statement. "And I was just about to tell him that time you brought James to his knee by hitting him in the back of the knee and getting a pressure point in his back." Marlon choked on thin air and his eyes bulged.

"You're kidding?" He choked out. Anthea smiled as Mycroft rolled his eyes.

"What Alice fails to tell you is that I had the element of surprise on my side." Mycroft sighed, though you could hear the cockiness coming out in his voice. Anthea crinkled her nose.

"And faster reflexes, and a genius brain." She added.

"Hush, you."

Author's Note: What did you think of it? I hope you enjoyed it. I tried to keep Tim to a minimum to make it more enjoyable for you guys ;). Teasing of course, I'll add Tim whenever it fits. Please do let me know all your thoughts on this chapter. Thanks to our guest reviewers last chapter; Guests, B, Tadaa, and Christie. Thanks to all of you who are reading this – you're all awesome. I'll see you again in five days!