Author's Note: Hello, hello. Thank you for the kind reviews last chapter. People always respond well when Jamie and Mycroft get to interact. It was very sweet for me to see how people like her saying Myc and him saying Jamie. This chapter is short and sweet – just a 2000ish one. I'm very happy with it so I hope you enjoy 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 Baby Blanket

The house was a different place with more people living within. It felt vibrant, alive, and happy. With more footsteps down the hall, more lights on and off, and more activity in the kitchen alone the place was brighter. It was built for a whole family and for servants, it probably felt starved with only two living beings in it. It was not just Jamie and Hope brightening the place up.

After Jamie was invited to spend a few days she and Anthea went to get Thatch. Mycroft pulled a few faces and moaned a little but it was obvious that his favourite part of this whole thing was the dog. He talked about hating pets and not wanting to be responsible but you can see a person who grew up with a dog from a mile away. The dog's little pitter patter as it ran through the halls was brilliant. The sweetest thing was how Thatch did almost hourly shifts between sleeping on Jamie's bed and sleeping on the floor next to Anthea and Mycroft's bed.

Oh and Anthea was always happy to see Hope's beautiful face. She looked so much like both her parents and she had such sunshine about her it wouldn't surprise Anthea if the house was responding to her alone.

It would be over soon but for now it was really nice.

Mycroft and Anthea came home after a few meetings and jobs early one afternoon. When Mycroft pulled open the front door Thatch was there wagging his tail at extreme speeds as he held his ball proudly in his mouth.

"Hello!" Anthea cooed. She knelt down and scratched the small black dog behind his ears, clicking her tongue at his adorableness.

"Yes, that's the ball you brought over. So you've shown us multiple times." Mycroft hummed at the dog. He was doing his usual thing of speaking to Thatch like he understood. Anthea, James, and Jamie always took that to mean that Mycroft didn't mind the happy dog. Anthea too the ball and threw it down the entrance hall. Thatch went after it with all the speed he could muster. Anthea laughed as Mycroft offered her a hand in getting off the floor, which she took gratefully.

As they put their stuff down on the kitchen bench Mycroft absentmindedly opened the fridge. He sighed and closed it.

"Not hungry?" Anthea asked him.

"Not willing to cook." He replied. Anthea smiled knowingly and nodded.

"Luckily we have a very appreciative houseguest who thinks we eat badly and is willing to cook for us." Anthea reminded him playfully.

"Ah." Mycroft nodded. "The only positive of friends and family visiting." Anthea laughed again. She liked this mood and this atmosphere. It was easy to breathe in.

"Hey." Jamie popped her head around a doorway as if talking about her had summoned her from wherever she was in the house. Mycroft raised his eyebrows and did nothing else, Anthea smiled in silent greeting. Jamie walked into the main living space. She didn't have Hope so the poor little thing must have been sleeping. "Many idiots today?" She asked Anthea. Anthea moved her head from side to side, weighing up the day, pouting as she did.

"Some." She settled on.

"They're all idiots…" Mycroft muttered quietly as he looked closely at his fingernails. Anthea pulled a face at Jamie and the blonde laughed quietly.

"Ah, the guard thingy people brought up a package today." Jamie said. With her thumb she pointed to a brown box sitting on the coffee table. Mycroft looked up from his apparent fascination with his hand. He had a curious expression on his face.

"Is it from my parents?" He asked. Jamie scratched at her ear, her head slightly angled, and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so." She said. Mycroft's face changed. A cat like smile fell on his devious face as he looked at Anthea.

"Oh good." He hummed. "Then it won't be for me." He walked over to the coffee table, picked up the box, and placed it in front of Anthea on the kitchen bench. He gestured to it with some extra flourish. Anthea rolled her eyes. Jamie looked confused.

"He said his parents were sending me something but didn't want to put one of my names on the box since they don't know what security levels are in place." Anthea explained in a bored like tone. Anthea turned to Mycroft with an expression to match her tone. "And this one has been excited about it."

"Not excited." Mycroft dismissed his partner.

"Suspiciously amused, then." Anthea said, crinkling her nose at the genius. That smug smile held fast as he let out a single sniff.

"Uh-oh." Jamie sung.

"Exactly." Anthea agreed with her. Mycroft clicked his tongue and waved his hand.

"Nonsense!" He scoffed. "Mrs. Baker, I assure you, you'll love this." That comment only made Anthea and Jamie eye each other more suspiciously.

It was a package from Violet and Siger. How could it possibly be something to be concerned over? Surely Mycroft's reaction was just making Anthea overreact. The thing was though that if it was something normal or nice Mycroft wouldn't even be reacting to it. Even when he gave her things out of care and love he barely reacted. This type of emotional response screamed of ulterior motives.

Anthea mentally prepared herself and opened the box. Inside was something in a black shopping bag and on top was a small folded piece of paper. Okay, so far it was fine. Some type of shopping item from a parental figure. That was a normal thing that happened to people. Anthea took the paper first.

Dearest Anthea,

Siger and I were in Daresbury when we saw this in a little shop. We knew our grandchild, your child, just had to have this.

Send our love to Mycroft and Sherlock.

Love,

Violet Holmes xo.

See? All kindness and well intentions. Mycroft was just being weird. Anthea handed off the paper to Mycroft so he could read the message of love at the bottom. He read it quickly and placed it on the table uninterested.

Anthea took the black shopping bag out of the box. Whatever was in it was soft, which made sense given it was for the baby. Anthea took out the item.

It was a baby blanket.

It was an Alice in Wonderland themed baby blanket.

The blanket was pink and blue and set up like a patchwork quilt. Each square depicted a different silhouetted scene. There was Alice chasing the white rabbit, The March Hare and The Mad Hatter having tea, the Cheshire cat grinning as deceptively as a Holmes, a caterpillar, and a rose, just to name a few.

Jamie gasped, her hands covering her mouth, and then tried to stifle the laughter that began falling from her mouth. Mycroft's eyes sparkled mischievously as his smirk grew.

The blanket was beautiful. It was darling and it was so sweet. Any other book or theme and Anthea would have loved it, cherished it even. She would have hugged it and gone on about how lovely Violet and Siger were.

In this case…

Well, she now knew why Mycroft was looking so pleased with himself. His parents had called him, told him what they found, and asked to send it. He had been all too pleased for it to come. That snake, using his parents like that.

Jamie continued to snicker.

Anthea took a breath. She folded the blanket gently and placed it back in the box calmly.

"Well this is only coming out of the cupboard when your parents visit." Anthea said. Jamie let her laughter really come out now. Mycroft even looked at the blonde proudly. He then turned to Anthea and clicked his tongue.

"Really now?" He pretended to chide her. "After all that wonderful thought and effort they put into this." Anthea stared at him.

"He's got a point." Jamie giggled. She was still trying to cover her mouth to hide her smile. "It's really beautiful."

"That's why it's going into the cupboard instead of the rubbish." Anthea answered them both. Jamie ran her hand through her hair, giving up hiding her grin. Mycroft cocked his head to the side and hummed.

"I don't think so." He said. Lightning fast, the genius snatched up the blanket out of the box. He began walking towards the stairs. "I believe this deserves a place of honour on the crib at all times." Jamie practically squealed with laughter. Anthea's heart skipped a beat. She chased after Mycroft.

"It doesn't match the theme." She argued. She almost grabbed the blanket but Mycroft held it over his head as he reached the stairs. Jamie was following behind them.

"Kids like bright colours, Ali. Nothing's going to stay cream and brown forever." The blonde joined Mycroft's side as she trailed the stairs a few steps behind Anthea.

"Precisely." The genius hummed.

"You're just being mean to me." Anthea pulled on Mycroft's jacket. It did nothing to slow him down.

"No. I think I'm honouring the child's mother. A piece of you always on their bed." That stupid superior tone. He and Jamie were loving this.

"Myc!" Anthea whined. "This is too far for a trick."

"It's not a trick." He turned around to face her, walking the distance down the hall backwards. "I genuinely want this blanket used." Anthea's lips snarled at him.

"To taunt me?" She asked bitterly.

"No." Mycroft couldn't help but smirk. "Because it is lovely, my parents bought it out of affection, it's a reminder of you, and to taunt you."

"See!" Jamie called out. "All the best intentions anyone could have!" Mycroft nodded in agreement. Anthea reached for the blanket again and Mycroft hid it behind his back as they reached the door to the nursery.

"I want this blanket on that child's crib." Mycroft said, looking Anthea deep in her eyes. "More than anything I have wanted out of this entire situation, I want this in there." He tapped on the door behind him. "If I were being malicious I'd understand." He said. "But 80% of the people who have teased you for your name have done so out of a fondness for you. It is a tradition that must be upheld." Anthea chewed on her cheek as she thought it over. Mycroft watched her carefully and Jamie behind them said nothing.

Mycroft had sounded awfully sincere for someone who was only moments ago all teasing and pompous. No doubt a big part of his motivation was the sheer amusement for himself but was there a part of the eldest Holmes sibling that actually liked this blanket? Did he want it because of all those reasons he listed before? It didn't seem his style, at least the him he presented to other people. Then again, Anthea knew him far better than that. She knew behind the walls of ice hid a pretty big heart and a sensitive one at that. It was so hard at times like this, when both the Ice Man and the real Mycroft were both invested in something. Did you turn down the Ice Man or did you give into Mycroft showing some semblance of human behaviour?

Anthea rolled her eyes and shook her head, sending chocolate curls fluttering. Decision made, Anthea pointed her index finger at the offending item behind Mycroft's back.

"If there is a moment when you decide to leave then that stupid blanket goes with you." She warned him. Mycroft looked from Anthea to Jamie, smiled, and then looked back at Anthea.

"You have my word." He replied smugly. The genius went into the nursery to place to baby blanket on the new crib. Jamie giggled while Anthea stood there with her arms folded across her chest. When he was done Mycroft shut the door and walked past Anthea with an air of arrogance as he went back towards the stairs. Anthea and Jamie watched him go.

"I hate him." Anthea mumbled staring in the place she last saw him.

"No you don't." Jamie beamed. "You love that dork." Anthea turned her upper body to face Jamie, looking the blonde up and down.

"Don't be so confident." She said. "I hate you too." Jamie giggled and rested her head on her best friend's shoulder.

"That's how you know this is for real." The blonde sung like a bird. Anthea only sighed.

The people Anthea chose to surround herself with were the worst. Poor Margot or Will were to be subjected to these people – hopefully, anyway – from birth and past the foreseeable future. Maybe they were a little lucky.

Author's Note: I hope you liked it! It was a nice fun one to write while I was working on those last assignments. Just three exams left now. Thanks to our guest reviewers; Guest and Grayson. Thanks to all you wonderful people who review. Please let me know what you thought because it makes me so happy to read. Also if you haven't checked it out, I added a second chapter to a high school AU I did ages ago called "A Social Experiment". It's also quite light reading. I shall see you back here in five days!