Author's Note: Thank you for the wonderful feedback last chapter guys! I'm very happy that you liked that spur of the moment chapter, it was a fun one and it pleases me greatly to see other people enjoy it. Also thank you for the well wishes, I am feeling a fair amount better now. I forced myself to go socialise and it helped a bit. Anyway this is a short and sweet chapter and I like it very much so I hope you do too. 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 He Fell Asleep
Anthea walked into her boss' office Friday morning to see him still feverishly working away. She stopped at the door frame, leaned against it and crossed her arms as she watched him. The bruises on her face now fading and the wounds finally beginning to heal nicely.
"Oh, sir." She sighed to herself. "Please tell me you went home last night." Mycroft's eyes did not leave his computer and his facial expression didn't change in the slightest when he replied.
"Fine. I went home last night." Anthea clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. He was still in the same suit and the exhaustion was beginning to show around his eyes.
"Sir," She breathed. "We worked all through the night before."
"I know." Came the neutral response. Anthea walked into the office, placing her hands on the guest chair facing him.
"You told me to go home last night because it wasn't important to get this done quickly."
"I know." He echoed once more. Anthea watched him carefully. She watched with faint annoyance and faint concern as those slender hands sped across the keyboard.
"Then why did you stay?" She asked calmly.
"I lied." There was at the very least a slight quirk of the eyebrows – he wasn't working on autopilot just yet. Anthea stepped closer to the desk, he still did not look up from the screen.
"Yes, I got that, sir." She lowered herself into the chair to be on eyelevel with the man. "But why?"
"Because it's not healthy for you to stay up for such a long time, my dear." He sounded exasperated – as if explaining a clearly obvious thing to a child. Funny, they both felt like they were dealing with children here.
"Then why did you do it?" She used his own slowed sarcastic tone back at him.
"Because I have to." Anthea leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs, and watched her boss some more. He was completely focused. It must be extremely important if he was pushing himself – he's not one to do that. There were rings around his eyes and his hands were shaking slightly as they moved from the keyboard to the mouse. His posture was more slouched than usual and Anthea just knew that his lower back would probably be killing him by now. Anthea tucked a lose lock behind her left ear, revealing the still slightly bruised side of her face, as she breathed out a heavy huff, getting out of the chair with dramatic flair. Mycroft still did not look up from his computer but he did acknowledge her dramatics. "And where are you going, Miss James?" He asked.
"I'm going to go get you some breakfast and something to drink other than tea or coffee and then I'm going to sit down and get the rest of this done for you."
The ridiculously complicated and complex issue they had been working on for over 48 hours was complete by 3:30pm with no real breaks – just Anthea running out and insisting on getting food. It was annoying and difficult, and Anthea had never seen Mycroft so exhausted than when he turned off his computer and placed his palms against his eyes, leaning on the desk. Anthea stretched out her back.
"We should call it a day, sir." She all but yawned. Mycroft silently shook his head before looking at Anthea all bleary eyed.
"This set our regular work back," He mumbled. Anthea felt something akin to sympathy. "We should work on getting back on schedule." Anthea tilted her head and frowned.
"Mr. Holmes, we can do that tomorrow." Mycroft ignored his PA as he opened a desk drawer and pulled out a file. He opened it and began thumbing through the pages. "Mr. Holmes-"
"Anthea, could you call Mr. Warwick and tell him we'll see him in an hour-"
"For God's sake Mycroft, stop trying to have control for once and let someone else tell you what's good for you." The file froze in his hands as his blue eyes were locked onto Anthea's, blinking a few times as he took a moment to comprehend the scenario. Anthea held her calm, fighting for some control. Mycroft closed the file, folding his hands together on top of them.
"Miss James, I don't commonly allow people to talk to me like that." He was talking in his condescending tone again, Anthea straightened her posture.
"You don't usually require people to talk to you like that, sir." She nodded. "Right now, however, I think you need an outsider's opinion." He looked her up and down, reading her. She could tell by the slight quirk of one of his eyebrows that he was contemplating what she had said.
"If we leave early today tomorrow will have to be a full day rather than the regular half day." Anthea nodded once.
"I'm well aware of that, sir." A pause.
"And you're willing to sacrifice your entire Saturday?" Mycroft tilted his head as he watched her. Anthea frowned.
"To make sure you don't work yourself to death? Of course." Mycroft leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath.
"Very well," He breathed. "Call Walter."
Somewhere along the line since she'd been home from the incident, as Mycroft called it, Walter had started picking up Anthea – an hour after Mycroft – and dropping off Anthea also. Anthea had a feeling it had been arranged since she confided in Mycroft that she didn't particularly enjoy being home alone at night or going past that alleyway alone. She wondered sometimes now she was preparing to move if it would go back to normal after that, she wouldn't mind either way to be perfectly honest. At this point she might miss saying good morning to Walter and not having to focus on the road but be able to focus on her phone instead.
Situations like this, where she and Mycroft left the office at the same time, he still insisted on walking her to the front of the building which she secretly greatly appreciated. Anthea knew for a fact that he'd stop this part of the new routine as soon as she was moved into her new apartment, she could tell by the quiet sighs he gave when he had to get out of the car.
Anthea took a careful look up and down at her boss, currently leaning heavily on his umbrella, as she unlocked the front door to the building. She pouted, looking from Mycroft and into the building, contemplating.
"You look like you're about to collapse, sir." She said. Mycroft rolled his eyes, dismissing her. "Come up for a cup of tea, it'll help wake you up a bit." Mycroft looked as if he wanted to protest but the exhausting got the better of him. He rolled his eyes again and shook his head.
"Yes, alright Miss James." He said. Pleased with her win over the very tired and therefor more pliable Mr. Holmes, Anthea smiled to herself and gestured for him to enter first.
They entered her flat – now covered in boxes – and Anthea dumped her handbag and briefcase at the front door. She gestured to her old couch lazily.
"Have a seat, sir." She practically sung as she waltzed into the kitchen. She watched as Mycroft's mouth pulled into an expression of mild distaste and he tried to politely wave her off.
"No, I'm fine thank you, Miss James." Anthea rolled her eyes as she re-opened a box to get out another mug, having only left one out for herself.
"Sir, it's not going to bite. It may be old but it's cleaner than Sherlock's." Mycroft raised his eyebrows, pursing his lip0s, and shrugged. Leaning his umbrella against the arm of the couch he sat down. The kettle began to boil.
"How long have you had this… thing, my dear" He called out over the whistling of the kettle. Anthea smiled to herself as she poured the hot water onto the teabags.
"Since I was seventeen." She said. Leaving the teas black and adding a sugar to Mr. Holmes', she brought them over. Anthea handed him his carefully and then sat at the other end of the couch. "I wanted a couch in my room, I thought it would be cool. My uncle who I was living with at the time told me if I wanted one I had to buy it." She stroked the arm of the chair absentmindedly with sentiment she knew Mycroft despised. "I got it used out of the paper for like two hundred pounds." Mycroft sneered and shifted in his seat, Anthea rolled her chocolate eyes once more. "It was at a nice house and I've looked after it since then. No germs, sir." He hummed in response and took a well-timed sip of his tea.
"Please tell me it is not making it to your new flat." Anthea chuckled lightly.
"I haven't decided." She hummed. Mycroft clicked his tongue, Anthea shaking her head in response. "Don't worry, sir, it won't be in any living space. I might just put it in my room. The place is big enough." Mycroft stifled a yawn and tried to hide it with the back of his hand, Anthea smiled to herself seeing her boss so human.
"Sentiment. I don't understand it." He sighed. And it doesn't understand you either, sir. Anthea thought to herself, smiling behind her mug. With her coaster currently packed away, Mycroft placed his mug on the newspaper Anthea had on her coffee table, leaned back and, resting his elbow on the arm of the sofa, rested his head against his hand.
"You don't have anything remotely sentimental in your house, sir?" Anthea asked as she watched him.
"Mmm, no." He tried not to yawn again. "I have family heirlooms and items that belonged to my parents but other than that, no."
"What about that blanket that smells like your mum's house?" She smiled into her mug. "That's not from your childhood? No memories attached to that?" No response as his face remained neutral and bored. "Sir?"
"I could easily throw that out." He mumbled and Anthea tried not to laugh at her small victory. She stood up, taking Mycroft's empty mug, and walked back to the kitchen area.
"I think you need one more before you hit the road. I'll see if I have any biscuits or anything in the pantry, too." She mused out loud.
When Anthea re-entered the kitchen she almost dropped the mugs in her hand out of shock. Right there, on her old couch, Mycroft Holmes had fallen asleep with his head in his hand. The shock slowly turned into what could be described as adoration as Anthea's open mouth slowly turned into a toothy grin. He looked so much softer when his fierce eyes weren't ticking away right in front of her face and when his face was relaxed rather than holding that neutral mask of derision. It was a sight to see, without a doubt.
"Sir?" She asked, quietly. Her smile grew wider. "Sir?" She asked again. Laughing very quietly, Anthea made her way over to the coffee table and set the two mugs down. Well if Mycroft had taken it upon himself to fall asleep, Anthea was going to go wash her face, have a shower, and put something more comfortable on. Maybe by then he'd have woken up and maybe even silently left her flat.
Anthea was wrong, and she had to admit that her heart swelled when she left her bedroom to find Mycroft still on her couch. In fact he had moved in his sleep so he was now lying completely on the couch. Anthea tilted her head and took in the sight, just smiling to herself. Mycroft Holmes in his complete suit, had been so exhausted he had fallen into a deep sleep in her apartment. It was so... adorable that for a brief moment Anthea considered calling either Jamie or Mrs. Holmes to gush about it. Instead she decided to keep this little memory to herself – the way Mycroft and Sherlock stored memories away to keep forever in their mind palaces. Quietly Anthea walked over to the couch to remove Mycroft's shoes for him and place them next to his umbrella. She was so terrified of waking him but apparently she had nothing to be worried about, the man didn't even stir. She went back into her room to dig through one of the boxes. She found her spare duvet at the bottom of a still opened box. As she placed the blanket on him she silently revelled in the fact that the tables had been turned. She turned on the lamp and switched off the main light so as the afternoon light faded only the glow of the lamp would remain.
The issue remained now, however, that her flat was very small and half her belongings were packed away. What would she do now? Unlike Mr. Holmes, Anthea had a decent night's sleep in the last forty eight hours and wasn't completely exhausted. In the end she turned on the TV, the volume so quiet it was almost muted, sat in one of her mismatching armchairs, and spent her afternoon watching Friday afternoon trash TV programming with the soft noise of her boss' breathing next to her.
It had long since turned dark and Anthea was now sitting on the floor, leaning against the armchair, as she watched TV. She had briefly read under the light of the lamp but found the room still too dark. The programming had now turned into mostly old black and white movies or bad horror movies so she was amusing herself. However, it was during one of these horror movies that Anthea found herself jumping forward. During a suspenseful moment, Mycroft woke with a bit of a startle. He took a sharp intake of breath as he leaned forward and looked around his surroundings, blinking. Eventually his gaze fell onto Anthea who was staring back, eyes wide due to her fright. He looked at the blanket on top of him, noticed the shoes on the ground, looked at the horror movie on the TV, and then began to rub his eyes.
"What time is it?" He mumbled.
"About ten thirty." Anthea tried her best not to smile as surely it would either be deemed inappropriate or embarrass her boss to know end. The man in question took a deep breath.
"I'm terribly sorry, my dear." Mycroft said. A small hint of the smile that threatened to encapsulate her face escaped as Anthea turned back the television.
"It's not a big deal, sir." She said.
"It's very unprofessional of me." Anthea shook her head as she continued to watch the horror movie.
"Sir, you haven't slept in days. I've seen you concussed and talking gibberish in the car. You've seen me fall face first down the stairs." That was rewarded with a light chuckle. "Not to mention I've fallen asleep accidentally at your house before."
"Yes," He hummed. "But Anthea, you had a legitimate excuse." She turned to look into those tired steel blue eyes.
"What, and you don't?" She got no verbal answer as he merely observed her. She took that as another victory. A moment of silence except the fake scream from the film past before Mycroft flicked the blanket off and placed his feet on the floor.
"I should go." His melodic voice sighed. Anthea turned back to the TV with a frown.
"Why?" She laughed. "We're working from your house tomorrow, we can go there straight from here." A pause. "Just stay on the couch, I'll go to bed after the movie."
Silence.
"If I wake up with a sore back I am burning this couch myself." Anthea broke out into a laugh at this comment, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging her legs. Mycroft passed her the duvet, which she took with a polite smile and covered herself with. Mycroft lay back down on the couch facing the television. "What, pray tell, are you watching?" He asked.
"Scream." Anthea hummed. Mycroft scoffed.
"You can't be serious." He said. Anthea smiled to herself and nodded.
"It was either this or Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." She heard a hum from behind her.
"I think I would have much preferred that."
"Sure." Anthea nodded. She picked up the remote and flicked over the channel.
"That was not meant to force you to stop watching your film, my dear." There was something close to an apologetic tone in his voice – or Anthea could be hearing things. She shook her head.
"I could have gone either way, sir. I'd love to watch a comedy film with you." Her smile grew. "It seems like such a strange thing to do." Anthea could practically hear the eye roll to go with that tongue click she heard from behind her.
To be fair there were many things about today that were turning out to be absurd.
Author's Note: Well, what do you think? There's so much here that can be talked about, it's a short chapter but there's a fair amount going on. I really can't wait to hear your opinions on it. Thanks per usual to our lovely guests: Corrine, Bunnyrabbit100, Guest, marie, Wheezzy8, Wink, toolazytologin, JohnsStethoscope, ValkyrieDefender, and ovejalucifer. Every single one of my reviewers are absolutely amazing.
Anthea's blog… if any of you follow it would be aware that one of my friends posed as Jamie the other night and we answered questions as Jamie and Anthea while out with friends. It was a fun night. Someone was being Mycroft, it was super fun. If you haven't looked at it yet go have a look at our antics.