Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks so much for the lovely feedback last chapter. I'm so happy it went down well. As for this one I took a day to myself because I wasn't motivated. I painted a painting and got the creative juices flowing again. This chapter isn't my finest work but it's not horrible either. I hope you all enjoy it and thanks for understanding that I needed some time. 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 She Saw Her Family In London

"That was the most boring lecture I have ever been to." Anthea groaned as she and Mycroft walked out of the theatre where the lecture was held and began walking down the street to find somewhere to have lunch. "And I did some pretty boring classes in uni."

"I told you not to come." Mycroft hummed nonchalantly as he moved the umbrella with his steps, a practiced motion that looked to be nothing more than a part of his walking cycle. He'd wanted to attend some Anthropology lecture today and Anthea had tagged along saying it sounded interesting. It was not interesting in the slightest. Anthea pouted her lips and shrugged lightly. He had indeed told her that she wouldn't enjoy it but they always did things she enjoyed, it wouldn't hurt her to be the bored one for once. There were other reasons too, of course.

"I did." She nodded at him. "I'm trying to make up for the snooping thing by being a good girlfriend." That was one of the other reasons. Mycroft hummed, not completely believing her, as he looked at the sidewalk.

"Or perhaps you were afraid Charlotte would be there." That was a reason, too.

"No." Anthea forced a laugh. She straightened her posture and flicked her head to send her curls out of her face and being her back. "Your little Miss Cunningham has nothing on me, sir."

"Tell me, my dear." Mycroft smiled to himself. "Is that a mantra you repeat to yourself to try and convince yourself that's how you really feel?"

"Like how you say 'caring is not an advantage'?" Dark eyes connected to steel eyes. The steel was cold, the dark was full of humour. Mycroft turned to face forward again.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Of course not, Mycroft." Anthea reached out for his hand. It took two second for his hand to relax in her hold; a new record.

They contently walked down the street together, talking for a while. They could have picked a restaurant blocks ago but this was both of them trying to disguise a walk as something with purpose. That way Mycroft won't feel guilty should he get something he actually likes for lunch. Anthea didn't need to be his girlfriend to know to do this, she knew that this was a good thing to do years ago. She just needed to be the good assistant. They would have continued to do this for at least half an hour longer before they stopped. Life was never so kind. Not to Alice Clarke and Mycroft Holmes at the very least, they didn't understand the concept of an easy life.

"Alice?" A woman standing outside of a shop called out Anthea's real name causing both her and Mycroft to stop automatically. The woman had greying mousy brown hair, lips thinning with age, grey eyes, and the dress sense of a sophisticate from the country rather than the city. Anthea knew who it was immediately and any sign of light and humour dropped from her expression. She didn't know how to feel towards this woman.

"Aunt Rose." Anthea's voice had lost all of its volume. She suddenly felt like the teenager who had been thrusted into the home of two adults with no dreams of children. At least Anthea's Aunt had attempted to make her feel comfortable, the blood relative was the one who made Anthea feel like she wasn't welcomed. Of course, her aunt did a lot wrong, said a lot wrong. Had let Anthea move out from the moment she could and hadn't really bothered to make sure she was okay.

Mycroft had once told Anthea that his mother used to call every day when he first moved out of home. He got so annoyed he stopped answering… and then his dad called to tell him to answer his mother's calls and that it wouldn't kill Mycroft to spend a few minutes on the phone to Sherlock either.

Anthea stopped even getting weekly calls at boarding school. She only heard from her aunt and uncle on the first day of semester in uni. She never heard from them except the occasional text once she moved to London for good.

Why did Mycroft, a man who only wanted to be alone, end up with such a loving family while Anthea had nothing?

Anthea knew the answer. If Mycroft wasn't taught about unconditional love he'd have been Magnussen. If Anthea didn't learn how to have nothing she wouldn't have been given the job and the life she has now.

She was still allowed to feel bitter about it sometimes.

Like what did she do now? Did she hug her aunt? When was the last time she hugged her aunt? When she was seventeen and he aunt had taken her to see her parent's grave. Her uncle, her mother's brother, had refused to come… Violet hugs the boys whenever she saw them. Anthea's mum was a fan of holding hands.

Sometimes Anthea could see it. She could see her mum leaning over the kitchen counter and squeezing Mycroft's hand. Mycroft would have hated it, but he'd put up with it because Anthea put up with bear hugs from Violet.

Mycroft removing his hand from Anthea's broke her from her thoughts. She blinked her eyes and forced a small fake smile onto her painted red lips.

"Hi." She said, unsure as to what to do.

"It is you." Aunt Rose dropped the cigarette to the floor and stamped it out with her heel. She looked just as awkward as Anthea for a second. She raised her hands only to drop them. "You look so much like your mother did at you age." Anthea sniffed. She tried to hide it as a little laugh, tucking a curl behind her ear, a nervous reaction. She didn't know what to say to that. Why on earth did she not know what to say about that?

"Thanks." She managed to choke out. She heard a scoff from next to her. She looked up to see Mycroft looking bored and judgemental. "Oh." She peeped. "Myc, this is my Aunt Rose. Aunt, this is Mycroft Holmes," She stroked Mycroft on the arm, finding some steadying ground in that action. "My boyfriend." Her Aunt's grey eyes went up to Mycroft's face.

"Boyfriend?" She asked. "At your grandmother's funeral someone told me he was your boss." Anthea looked down to the ground and laughed.

"He is my boss." She answered, a wry smile on her lips. Her Aunt's eyes looked upon her sternly. They felt more judgemental than anyone else ever was. "We're very good at keeping personal and private lives separate." Her Aunt nodded.

A pause.

Mycroft took a breath.

Oh no.

"If you're Alice's aunt than perhaps you may answer some questions about your husband for me." Anthea closed her eyes as soon as she heard the smug tone of voice and saw Mycroft smile condescendingly. "Did your husband choose to ignore Alice because he begrudged his sister leaving her to you? Or did he care for his sister so much that he couldn't bear to look at someone who resembled her so much?" Aunt Rose took a step back. Anthea stroked Mycroft's arm once more.

"Myc." She whispered.

"No, I'm not being mean, Ali, dear. I simply want to know where all your abandonment issues come from. As you see, had you been welcomed into a loving home they'd be half as bad as they are now." He looked up and down Anthea's aunt. "And it has to be one of those reasons, otherwise your uncle simply chose to ignore the needs of an orphaned relative. That would take a truly cold person, perhaps even icier than I." Anthea's aunt's eyes shifted to look behind the couple. "Oh, apparently he's not a very warm personal at all."

"Mycroft." Anthea hissed. She tapped him on the chest. "I'm sorry." Anthea laughed nervously again. "He thinks everything he has to say is important. You learn to ignore him."

"Well…" Rose's eyes flickered between Anthea and Mycroft twice. "He's only looking out for you."

"That's more than we can say for you and your husband…"

"Mycroft." Anthea hissed again. She ran her hand through her hair in exasperation. "Can you go wait for me at the end of the block?"

Mycroft pursed his lips.

Five seconds of silence.

"Please Mycroft."

Five more seconds of silence.

"Fine." He sniffed. "But you know where to find me." He shifted to look down his nose at Rose in a dramatic fashion. "Unlike other people in your life, my dear, I'm easily contactable." And before Anthea could reprimand him again he whisked away down the block, swinging his umbrella elegantly. Such a drama queen.

"I'm sorry." Anthea muttered, shaking her head as she stared off in the direction Mycroft had been heading. "He…"

"Loves you." Rose finished Anthea's thought. Anthea took in the oddly contented smile her aunt gave her. "We found out at the funeral how… different he is." She was obviously referring to Mycroft demanding Anthea's part of the inheritance. Anthea had never imagined that Mycroft would have been very kind. She could imagine a lot of obscure threats and frightening ice. By saying he was different, Anthea's aunt was putting it gently.

"His mother raised him well." Anthea answered wistfully.

After that neither one of them knew what to say. Rose tried to smile, Anthea raised her eyebrows and took a deep breath. Someone walked between then on the side walk, and someone else pushed past Rose on the way out of the shop front. By the twitch in her aunt's hand Anthea could tell that she wanted another cigarette. Anthea looked down the street. She could make out Mycroft's figure leaning on his umbrella and pretending to be busy.

"Um…" Anthea fidgeted her weight from one foot from the other. Her aunt looked at her with a mixture of awkwardness and expectation. Now Anthea really needed to find something to say. "How is… Uncle Duncan?" Rose's expression changed. She let out a silent breath and nodded her head.

"He's well. He and my brother are at a pub together. I wanted to spend my time in London shopping, not drinking." Anthea laughed breathlessly, crinkling her nose.

"He's so typical." She rolled her eyes playfully. Really though, it drove her a little insane. So, he was visiting his brother-in-law? Was this a catching up with family weekend then? "Listen," Anthea scuffed her heel on the ground. "I work a lot but if you guys wanted to meet up for coffee there's a nice place near Myc's brother's place. Uncle would probably like the food there…" Anthea stopped talking as she watched her aunt's face drop. Slowly her forced smile turned down into a sad, guilty, expression. Anthea's throat began to shut in on itself.

"Oh, Alice…" She winced. "We aren't here for very long." She clutched at the gold necklace around her neck. "We weren't-"

"No, of course you weren't!" Anthea laughed to try and play it off but it only sounded bitter. She turned to face down the street and ran a hand through her curls as she looked down at the pavement. There was a crack right underneath her. "I mean, you didn't even call. I shouldn't make assumptions."

"You weren't-"

"No, I was." Anthea shrugged, her hand lowering to rub at her neck. "In my job I can't jump to conclusion like that. I should know better than to assume…" Assume that her closest living relatives would want to see her… How often did they come to London? How often did they drive or walk passed her?

"I asked Duncan if he wanted to make time for it." Rose almost took a step forward but thought better of it. Anthea shook her head, forcing that playful smile back onto her face.

"No. I understand. Don't worry."

…

…

…

"If we have time maybe we can stop by your flat on our last night?"

"I-"… I don't live there anymore. That's what Anthea almost said. She stopped herself and remembered her training, remembered to hear lies as plain as day. They wouldn't go to her flat. Instead Anthea nodded. "Sure. If you have time." Aunt Rose was placating Anthea. She was playing the peace maker. Anthea was placating her attempts to do so in return. Anthea wasn't a teenager anymore. She didn't need false promises and fake smiles. She had James' larger than life smiles, and Jamie's loyalty. She had the Holmes family in her corner.

And yet…

It never quite stopped hurting.

Why was Mycroft always right?

"You can call some time, you know?" Her aunt offered. Anthea sniffed.

"So can you."

Silence.

Cold harsh silence.

Silence colder that the wind.

Anthea shook her head.

"Mycroft and I are very busy people. I better be going. Enjoy your holiday." Rose frowned and nodded. She nodded ten times before she spoke.

"It was nice to see you again."

Sure.

"Yeah, you too."

Anthea walked up to Mycroft and stood next to him silently. She cleared her thoughts, blinked her eyes, and took some calming breaths. Mycroft watched her, steel eyes taking in every twitch and every movement. His mouth was in a firm line. Anthea scratched at the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Hey Mycroft, I'm not hungry. Can we go home?" She asked in a flat tone. Mycroft quirked an eyebrow.

"Over her?" He gestured with a flick of his head in the direction Anthea had come from.

"No, not her." Anthea spat, taking out her anger. "Over him. He's my mum's brother but she's the one who says I can call her." Mycroft didn't answer. He seemed to take in Anthea's words and look off into the distance deep in thought. "It's not fair."

"Life rarely is, unfortunately." He took a step closer to her. It was his way of comforting her, Anthea knew that. Him standing close by to her so that they could feel the heat radiating off each other but not quite touching, that was a hug.

"Can we go home?"

"Of course."

"You didn't tell her you moved?" Mycroft asked in bed that night as they read. Anthea quirked an eyebrow at her book.

"You were listening?"

"No." Mycroft turned his page. "A member of my staff gave me a transcript of the conversation." Anthea almost laughed. Almost. She appreciated the concern.

"There was no point. She was lying."

"Even so…"

Anthea closed her book and leaned back into the pillows. She stared up to the roof.

"My uncle is the real problem, you know?" She was speaking to Mycroft but not really. She was mostly talking to the roof, or to herself, she wasn't sure. Mycroft pretended to keep reading. "My Aunt… She had no idea what to do with a teenager. None. She did try though. She was great at helping me pick a dress for my school graduation. My uncle… After my mum died it's like he didn't want to know me even if I was in his custody." When five seconds passed and he knew for sure that Anthea wasn't going to say more Mycroft spoke softly and gently.

"Then why don't you ever speak to her?"

"Because they make me feel awkward. She feels awkward because of him, and I feel awkward because of him. You don't feel unwelcomed but you don't feel wanted."

Mycroft closed his book and looked over to her.

"Mummy adores you." He stated as a fact. "She talks to you to my uncle as if you were her daughter. The last letter I got from my uncle mentioned you by name and I've never told him about you." Anthea laughed silently.

"What's you point, Mycroft?" She hummed.

"You've always been very good at finding your own family, my dear. You don't need to rely on blood."

There was no point challenging him for the sake of arguing. He was always right.

Hi Alice,

Your email address is very different. Most people use their name for their emails, don't they?

I know we couldn't catch up during our visit to London, but maybe we could try to start talking? I heard your friend from school got married, and I hear you're very respected at work. Want to tell me anything about it?

Love Rose.

How did you get this email address?

- A.

Hello,

Your boyfriend gave it to me. He got my email and told me that you might want to talk a little bit.

Love Rose.

Aunt Rose,

Oh, I should have known. He likes to stick his nose into other people's business.

You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I'm great, really.

- A.

Alice,

No, I want to. There's no harm in talking a little.

Love Rose.

Aunt Rose,

Okay.

Well Jamie married my best friend from work, James. He's in public safety. Yeah, I get a lot of say in my field. My opinion is regarded to be an extension of Mycroft's and he's very well respected for a government worker.

How are you?

- A.

Alice,

I'm always lovely. Since retiring I do a lot of travelling with friends and leave your uncle at home to look after the cats.

I'm really happy we're talking.

Love Rose.

Me too. Even if Mycroft's double standards caused it.

- A.

Author's Note: So? What do you think? Do let me know because I adore your feedback. That's to Camilla (ovejalucifer) for helping me find a way to develop the chapter. Thanks to our guest reviewers; Guesswho, Christie, Guest, B, Stunner, Tadaa, and Wheezzy8! I love all my reviewers so much! See you in five days, guys.