Author's Note: So many new followers to this story! Guys, I'm overwhelmed, it's amazing. I'm so glad so many people are into my first go at writing for this fandom! Please, leave more reviews. You have no idea how much your feedback both excites me and humbles me. Thank you so much guys! Really. I hope you like today's chapter, I wrote it after the second chapter but have been saving it for the right spot chronologically. 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 Gift

Mr. Holmes had been in a meeting all morning in his office while Anthea sat at her desk filling in the paperwork for previous missions. Well, when she said she was filing the paperwork, really she was editing out all the details that the officials really didn't need to keep on record. If anyone wanted some of the more gory details it would be up to Mycroft to decide whether they needed to know that or not. When she finished on that she moved onto her emails, filtering through them as she always did, the important ones first, invites to some event that Mr. Holmes would avoid at all costs last. The schedule for today was surprisingly light considering that the rest of the week had been a lot of hands on work and the duo had a lot of office work to catch up on. Most interestingly, the evening was kept free. Anthea wasn't sure why, but really, should she complain that she'd get to go home at seven at night for once. Maybe she could sit down and read something for once. You know, with the news on in the background, just in case something important happened. Jamie had made fun of Anthea when she'd said she had the news on most of her time at home now.

"Why in hell would you have the news channel on all the time?" She had giggled as she spoke on the phone. Some reality show was on the background on her end.

"I need to know if something happens. What if something crucial happens? I'd rather be halfway out the door before my phone starts ringing."

It was 11am when Mr. Holmes and whatever important official – Anthea didn't know what he did, only that she had indeed met him before – exited his office. No one was scowling so Anthea figured it all went well for both parties for once. As the two were sharing pleasantries, the official and Anthea nodded at each other politely. That's generally how Anthea said goodbye to people in this office, a nod, or completely ignored their existence if they tried to mess with the balance of power a little too much.

"Well, I better let you get back to work." The rather large official said in a very jovial tone. Mycroft nodded with a thin fake smile.

"I'm sure we both want to get out of the office on time." The official laughed and Anthea noted the smile wrinkles around his eyes as he did so. The larger man walked towards the door and Mr. Holmes headed back to his private office as the official looked as if he had an epiphany and turned back round.

"Oh, and Mycroft?" Mycroft turned around and tilted his head. "Happy birthday." What? Anthea frowned and Mycroft smiled shyly. He seemed slightly put off by the mention of it. Not that the official would notice this change in emotions – a few months ago Anthea would have been just as oblivious to it. It was the blink that came quickly after the well wishes that had given him away to her. She was slowly picking up on the little things Mr. Holmes did and what it meant. How to look for cracks in the ice, if you will. She had a long way to go to, but it was something.

"Yes, well, thank you Charles. Have a nice evening." And with that he closed the door to his office. That couldn't be correct. Anthea knew Mycroft's planner like the back of her hand, how could something this important be left off? Of course, he would be the type not to note his own birthday and he did have the evening mysteriously free. How could this be? Anthea's eyes flickered up to the figure of the official already slipping through the open door. Anthea stood up.

"Wait, sir?" She called out. He stuck his head back into the office with a smile. "You said it was Mr. Holmes' birthday?" Charles frowned. For a politician this man had a lot more smile related wrinkles than stressed or worried ones. Perhaps he didn't do his job well or perhaps he liked it too much.

"You don't know?" He then let out a chuckle as full of levity as he seemed to be. "Of course you don't. Mycroft would like very much for people to forget he's human, birthdays and all." Charles looked around and then held a finger to his mouth, talking in a whisper. "I'll let you know a secret. I've seen him bleed before." Anthea gasped.

"You mean he's not a cyborg!?" And Charles laughed.

"Have a nice day, Marissa." He smiled broadly.

"You too, sir." She stayed standing, hands folded behind her back, until she heard the soft click of the door closing. She immediately sat down and unlocked her blackberry, opening the digital planner.

Nope, no sign of his birthday today, or any other day. Not even a mention of whatever he had cleared the evening for. He told Anthea to record almost everything in case she needed to reach him. Mr. Holmes was so clever hiding his birthday – hoping she wouldn't notice until at least a whole year had past and she questioned him on it. It wasn't fair considering he knew everything possible about her from shoe size to preferred cereal brands and she wasn't allowed to know his birthday? No, this wasn't on. Opinions on sentiment and emotions be damned. Anthea's life had improved so much since she'd began working here, she found her self-motivated, and challenged, and she was already planning to move into a much nicer flat, surely this meant she had the right to show some appreciation.

Anthea sat at her desk frowning to herself and in deep thought for a few good moments before she flicked the button of the telecomm.

"Sir, I'm going to take my lunch break early. I have my blackberry if you need me." She waited for the reply.

"Certainly Anthea, see you soon." She grabbed her purse and rushed from the office - she would go to the nearest shopping street.

What do you get for a boss who had everything that power could afford? She could get a joke present for him the way many offices do but he wouldn't appreciate it unless it was just right but she didn't know he personally enough to get that right. A good gift is either something you want or need, but surely Mr. Holmes could get anything he wanted. She'd need to go the more meaningful route based off something he did or something he said. Anthea sighed, she only had half an hour or so to get this gift.

She returned to the office forty five minutes later pretty pleased with how she went. She'd ended up going to a not so expensive jewellery store and then a newsagency afterward to pick up a gift bag and a card. Anthea placed her handbag down in her chair and knocked on the door next to it on the left. She waited, as usual, for the call to come in and entered with the gift bag behind her back.

Mr. Holmes was sitting at his desk, writing in a manila file when she entered. Anthea stood right in front of the desk and stared down at her boss who didn't even look up.

"How can I help you, Miss James?" He sighed, pen sliding across the page effortlessly. He was correcting documents. A contract she had passed to him earlier this morning.

"You didn't tell me it was your birthday today." She hummed. Anthea watched him carefully for any type of response. She was rewarded with the pen freezing midsentence and the briefest moment of silence.

"No I did not." He placed down the pen, folded his hands together, placing them on the desk and looked up. She pulled the gift from behind the desk and held it in front of her, the gift bag covered in brightly coloured smiley faces being held by a strap balanced on her index finger. Mycroft titled his head and raised an eyebrow at the clearly offensive bag. Anthea sighed and rolled her eyes at him, placing her free hand on her hip.

"It was the only bag they had in the size. Just take the gift." She huffed. He half smiled at her and took the bag carefully as if it pained him to even touch such a garish item. Taking out the card first, he eyed Anthea suspiciously before opening the envelope. The front of the card had a black and white picture of an old fashion woman looking annoyed on the front.

"About being your slave…" Mycroft read the front slowly, his blue eyes once again landing on Anthea, questioning her. "Of all the slave drivers around, you're not too bad. Happy Birthday. From Anthea." He looked up at her with a blank expression, but a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Oh, ha ha." He took the bag that seemed to offend his sense of sight and style, and took out the jewellery store box from inside. His thumb passed over the label of the jewellery store. She wondered what he was deducing from that box because that was obviously what he was doing, he did it with everything and anything without even trying to. He'd know it wasn't expensive but that wasn't the point here.

"I tried not to be a clown," He glanced up at her accusingly. "Besides the card, that is. And I know you're not sentimental. So I tried to get you something you might need. The operative word is tried, sir." Mycroft opened the box to reveal two square cufflinks – silver with a small blue sapphire in one of the corners. He looked it over silently and as he did Anthea felt compelled to explain herself. "The first time I met you, you were wearing one of your grey suits with that blue silk tie. I thought these could tie it together nicely." A pause, followed by a shrug from Anthea s she rubbed her arm. "Sorry if they're not as expensive as you like or if you have some like it already. I haven't noticed any anyway."

"Anthea, they're lovely." He looked up with a warm, genuine smile and Anthea's breath caught in her throat. His eyes did sparkle when his smile reached his eyes. She couldn't help but smile widely back. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir." Her voice was light. She felt at a loss of what to do now. Anthea looked around the small space for a brief moment before awkwardly shifting towards the door – deciding to leave the office. She heard Mycroft sigh behind her.

"I suppose I'll have to get you a birthday present, now." The bored tone back comfortably in its place.

"You bet." She joked, glancing back into the room with an eyebrow raised mischievously. Mycroft sighed.

"How inconvenient."

Author's Note: Well, what do you think? I'd love to hear it :). Also, I found that card online somewhere but I can't remember where. I was googling boss birthday cards, haha.