Author's Note: Hey guys! First of all thanks for the awesome reviews last chapter. It warmed my heart. Secondly, this is a few hours late because I had a life for once and saw my friends tonight. We played board games. We played Trivial Pursuit in pairs and I/we won ;). Anyway here you go. A chapter people having been asking me for on Tumblr for a while now. 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 Charlotte Saw Margot

Anthea and Mycroft met up for lunch once a week. Even though he spent a lot of office hours at home with her and Margot and defeated the purpose of meeting for lunch they still did. It kept Mycroft going with his day at the office and, much like the weekly meet up with Jamie, kept Anthea sane during the remainder of her maternity leave. It was for sanity sake – they both swore upon it.

Today was one of those days. Anthea would pack up Margot and meet Mycroft at the office. From there they'd decide what they wanted to eat and where. Today they were going to an old favourite. That café bistro near the government office that they had spent May cumulative hours at over the years. It was a comfortable habit and kind of made Anthea feel like she was back to work again. Just with Margot in attendance.

"Can you order for me while I go to the bathroom?" Anthea asked Mycroft once they got there. "And look after Margot." She patted on the handle of the pram. Mycroft stared at Anthea with a look of abject horror. As if going to a public restroom was the worst thing in the world. Anthea ignored it and pushed the pram over to him. He placed his long elegant fingers around the handle.

"I don't know what you want." He argued defensively. Anthea rolled her eyes.

"I order like three things here. Any of them will do." She said. Mycroft looked off towards the counter and then down at the crib as if he didn't know how the two were possibly going to work together. He pursed his lips as he looked up again. It was enough to make Anthea pause.

"Will you be okay?" She asked, half mockingly and half serious. Her eyebrows were raised and she had a cheeky smirk on her face. "Want me to take Margot with me?" Mycroft scowled and waved her off.

"I'll survive." He said. "Just go." She might have stayed and teased him more if she hadn't really needed to go to the bathroom.

When Anthea came out of the bathroom she looked around to see where Mycroft was sitting. Instead she spied him standing just off to the side of the counter. She began walking towards him when she noticed that he was talking to someone. He looked rather uncomfortable but that was no surprise. He hated being interrupted by unplanned people and conversations.

Anthea tried to get a look at the person to see who it was. Initially all she could see was silky blonde hair just past the shoulder and a long black coat to die for. It looked impractically expensive – the kind you gasped at but would never buy for yourself regardless of your money situation… unless you were Mycroft and the clothes article in question was a suit… or a coat like now. Walking a bit to the side the person came into view. The elegance of that coat matched the elegant features of the face and Anthea felt sick to her stomach. It was Charlotte. Beautiful, sophisticated, old-worldly Charlotte. It had been so long that Anthea had forgotten what a sight she was. Anthea was charming and beautiful, Lady Smallwood was sophisticated and elegant; Charlotte put them both to shame.

Anyone else, anyone of the thousands of people Anthea and Mycroft knew together or separately, and Anthea would have just walked up. She might not have joined in on the conversation. If it was someone she had to keep a persona up around she might have said hi and then stood there on her phone. An acquaintance and she would have joined in. With Charlotte Anthea didn't even want to approach. It wasn't out of fear or hatred, per se. Anthea hated Charlotte, yes, but she wasn't scared of her and hatred would usually lead Anthea to walk right up there. No. The reason she didn't want to approach was a full mistrust of all things Miss Cunningham. Even Mycroft when it came to her. Not in an infidelity kind of way but with the things he'd told her before. Those things still came up in Anthea's head from time to time. She didn't trust Charlotte and she wanted to hear this conversation without her presence changing Charlotte or Mycroft in anyway.

So Anthea stayed on the other side of the counter. She put her back to them, pretended to be texting on her phone, and did her best to listen. She would have missed the beginning of the conversation but she could fill in the gaps herself. Eventually Mycroft would catch on that time had passed and Anthea had yet to return but enough time that Anthea could hear some of this. She just didn't trust Charlotte. She trusted Moriarty more than she trusted Charlotte. Hell, she trusted Eurus more than she trusted Charlotte.

"- It yours?" Charlotte asked. Anthea could hear the apprehension in her voice.

"Is she mine?" Mycroft corrected. Even though Anthea probably couldn't count on her hands how many times he'd referred to a baby as an 'it' to her. "Yes she is."

"Yours, and…?" Charlotte was fishing and probably hoping for a name other than Anthea's. Too curious for her own good – like the famous Alice – Anthea tilted her body so she could just see Mycroft and Charlotte out of the side of her vision. She sore Mycroft click his tongue and look away in annoyance.

"Come now, Charlotte." He said.

"Your assistant?" She barked.

"What do you think?" He replied just as shortly. Charlotte let out a long drawn out sigh. She rubbed the corners of her eyes with the middle finger and thumb of one hand.

"Oh Mycroft," The beautiful woman lamented as she lowered her hand like it was a heavy dead weight. "She trapped you, didn't she? I can't stand women who do that." Mycroft straightened – gaining an inch of height as he did so. He looked absolutely slighted.

"Excuse me?" It was a posh person's polite way of telling someone to get lost. Charlotte folded her arms across her chest.

"I know you didn't want to have a baby." She said.

"And neither did Anthea." Mycroft hummed. Charlotte snorted and somehow even that sounded classy.

"Sure." She murmured. Anthea almost missed it. Mycroft's demeanour grew cold.

"Are you questioning my ability to understand people's motives and actions, Miss Cunningham?" He sounded like a snake. It sent a shiver down Anthea's spine but it was an oh so wonderful shiver.

"No." She said, obviously getting the same type of shiver Anthea got.

"Then don't question my understanding of Anthea." He said. "And quite frankly don't speak negatively of my daughter's mother in front of her." His hand tightened on the handle of the pram. "Her name is Margot, by the way." And Anthea had never felt prouder of Mycroft. Never. Not once. Charlotte quietened.

"Pretty name." She mumbled, defeated.

"I know." Mycroft answered quickly and flatly.

A beat.

Charlotte stepped into Mycroft's personal space.

"I'm sorry, Mycroft." She said. "I just hate seeing you forced into a life you never wanted." She said. Anthea began tapping her foot as she glared at the space in front of her to stop from glaring straight at Charlotte. "You're so much better than this." And in that moment Anthea finally understood why Mycroft had so much disdain for Tim. Except maybe the whole cheating thing. He hated Tim for that, too. Mycroft looked down and chuckled.

"If you were half as intelligent as I thought you were, Miss Cunningham, you would know that what we want for ourselves is not necessarily what is best for us." Mycroft explained in his holier-than-thou attitude. "If my brother got the life he wanted as opposed to what he deserved than he'd be dead in a gutter somewhere instead of being mildly successful surrounded by people who care about his wellbeing." He broke into that scary fake smile of his. "I know what I prefer for him."

Okay, that was enough. Before Charlotte could say or do anything that ruined this positive buzz Anthea had from all Mycroft's responses she had to go over an interrupt it. In fact she had to before Mycroft said anything else that made her want to jump his bones hear and now. His love for his family never ceased to amaze her. Then there was the Ice Man who just said some wonderfully dangerous things…

Putting her own confident shadowy persona into place, Anthea strode confidently up to the two university classmates. One look from Mycroft and he knew exactly what Anthea was doing. Anthea wrapped her arm around the small of Mycroft's back and rested the side of her head against his chest.

"Hi cutie," She chirped happily. "Sorry I took so long."

"Convenient." He murmured.

"Oh!" Anthea pretended to only just notice Charlotte, and by doing so ignored Mycroft's remark. "Hi, Charlotte. It's been a while." Charlotte smirked and a single laugh escaped her mouth. Just as she went to say something Anthea interrupted. She looked up to Mycroft. "Our little girl wasn't too fussy with her Mummy not around, was she?" Mycroft eyed Anthea wearily.

"No. She wasn't." He said slowly. Anthea rested her head against his chest again.

"She's such a good girl." She said.

"Indeed…." He purred – still suspicious of Anthea's behaviour and what she could do next given her and Charlotte's track record.

"We should probably sit down before the food comes." Anthea said, ignoring Charlotte still. Mycroft's eyes narrowed.

"That is an excellent idea." He said. Anthea beamed at him.

"You and Margot go ahead, I'm going to ask for some more napkins." She said. Mycroft hesitated. He could see through Anthea's words and knew that she really meant to talk to Charlotte. He looked Anthea up and down and then silently questioned her. Anthea's face turned serious and she nodded to him. Silently she promised not to cause too much trouble. So the genius relented. He took the pram and went to find a seat by a window.

"Look at you." Charlotte spoke with a toxic amount of disdain. Anthea turned back to face Charlotte with a coy innocence. "I've seen wild animals act less territorial than you just did." Anthea laughed.

"That was good." She nodded. "I like that. It's something Mycroft would say." Charlotte did not look pleased by this unexpected response. She didn't look as pretty when her face was twisted with bitterness or jealousy… or both. She looked harsh and cold. She still looked sophisticated. She could probably be doing a clown routine and still be graceful. "I'll leave you alone in a second." Anthea said. "I just want to tell you something first."

"Then please hurry it up." Charlotte smiled like a snake. Anthea was used to snakes. Anthea dropped her jovialness.

"You need to know that I never tried to trap Mycroft." Anthea glared at the woman as she spoke. "From the moment I found out I was pregnant I told Mycroft he could go. I gave him all the chances in the world to leave; even after Margot was born." Anthea gestured to the open space like it represented all the opportunities Mycroft had to go. "Yeah, he didn't want a child but he didn't want to leave me." She drew out the last one syllable word as she leaned forward. "And after he saw Mycroft he loved her so much he couldn't go." Charlotte opened her mouth but Anthea cut her off. "And just to prove a point; I was going to give her my surname. He gave her his instead." Charlotte took a step back. She was visibly reeling.

"Fine." She spat. "You win whatever game you think we were playing." The older woman tried to belittle Anthea. It didn't work. "You must be pretty dissatisfied with your life to fight this hard to protect your claim over some man." Anthea scoffed at the irony of it. Anthea cocked her head to the side and crinkled her nose.

"You're right, Charlotte. My life sucks." Anthea replied sarcastically. "My work is so much less fulfilling than yours, and your family is better than mine, and you have more friends than I do." Although on that last one she probably did have more friends, just of less quality. "You are so much better than me." She said with a deadpan expression. "Do you feel better now?" Charlotte looked appalled. She looked like a ruffled peacock.

"You're lucky I don't slap you for that." She said. Anthea sniffed a silent laugh.

"Excuse me." Anthea said. "My daughter and her father are waiting for me."

Anthea left Charlotte before the older woman could say another word. Anthea wanted the last word so desperately and she wanted those to be her last words. So she strode away with a smile on her face. For once leaving a situation with Charlotte Anthea felt vindicated and pleased with herself. It was… novel.

Anthea found Mycroft and Margot. She checked in on Margot to make sure she was happy and comfortable before taking her seat across from Mycroft. Mycroft was watching Anthea with his critical dissecting eye. Anthea crinkled her nose.

"What?" She said. Mycroft tapped his fingers on the table. His eyebrows danced up and down as in time with his fingers hitting the table.

"I'm surprised by your tact." He hummed. "And concerned that it means you're not done." Anthea hid her smile behind the back of her hand as she enjoyed the rush of amusement and pride.

"Don't worry." She said. She dropped her hand down and reached out across the table with her hand. "I'm done." Mycroft put his hand on top of hers. "You were spying on me." She teased. Mycroft sniffed.

"Given your history with Charlotte, can you really blame me?" He teased back.

"No." Anthea said. She tilted her head to the side and just looked Mycroft over fondly. She loved him so much and she still found it strange. To love people as much as she loved Mycroft and Margot seemed impossible. And to have him have her back like that meant he loved her too, and it was so appealing. "And what you said to her," Anthea leaned forward and squeezed Mycroft's hand. "Was so hot. If you were anyone else I would have kissed you all over already." Mycroft scoffed. He interlaced the fingers of their hands.

"Now who was spying, hmm?" He purred.

"Given my history with Charlotte, can you really blame me?" Anthea used Mycroft's words right back at him. A fond expression playing on his face and his lips, Mycroft was looking down at their intertwined hands.

"No." He replied. His thumb stroked her thumb. They sat there for a minute with no words spoken. Just Mycroft stroking Anthea's thumb and Anthea watching him fondly. Then as the moment passed and the rush of Charlotte faded Anthea remembered why they were there.

"What did you order me?" Anthea asked.

"Caesar Salad." Mycroft replied in his velvet voice. Anthea inhaled sharply. That sounded amazing right now. She knew he could get it right.

"I love you so much." She said. Mycroft did his best not to smile.

Author's Note: I didn't use the word 'meet/met' in this chapter title because… well… Compare it to those chapters where I do. Bit different. I really hope you like it since enough of you have been asking for it. Thanks to last chapter's guest reviewers; Guest, B, and Observant Potato. Thanks to all my reviewers and readers. Next chapter might be late because exams start next week and I really should study for them… So I'll just say see you in five to seven days!