Author's Note: Hello, hello! Thanks for the lovely reviews last chapter! Also thank you for all the votes on the POV. An average length chapter for you guys tonight. I was extremely worried it would only come out to be about 1000 words so I'm glad I was wrong. I hope it's a good one and you all like 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 Time Hope Laughed at Him

Anthea and Jamie, as well as Hope, had gone to James' office for a long lunch hour. James sat in his office chair, Jamie in his visitor chair with Hope supported in her lap, and Anthea sitting on the edge of the desk. Items had been cleared off the desk and replaced with chips and potato scallops from the nearest fish and chips store. As the adults laughed, ate, and threw food like teenagers little Hope busied herself with a soft toy that rattled every time she shook it.

It was a real great time together. It felt normal. Anthea and James dressed to the nines for work, throwing chips at each other, Jamie rolling her eyes and laughing. There was a baby there in Hope but she didn't change the dynamic between Anthea and her three friends at all. If anything, now she was starting to support her head well and babble she was adding extra entertainment. It gave some hope to what the future may look like – changed but unchanged. Still work lunches that were longer than they were meant to be, still sneaking the fish and chips around the other agents before they could beg for them. Still the same life just with adjustments. Carol was a mum and managed to become the second in command for the agency. It could be done.

Jamie stroked Hope's blondish hair back and sniffed it. She adjusted where Hope was placed in her lap and leaned back. The little baby didn't even notice as she played with her toy. James looked at the girls with a loving and gooey expression. Anthea, though it was cute, rolled her eyes and flicked another chip at him. He ignored her on purpose.

"So James has been complaining." Jamie announced drawing the attention back to her and her little girl. Hope was staring at Anthea and she chewed on her toy. James' lips pouted and he almost scrunched up his entire face.

"No I haven't." He whispered fiercely. Jamie smiled at him like she would smile at Hope – at an adorable child.

"Yeah you have." She nodded. He hazel eyes flickered over to Anthea. "He's been complaining that we all get to hang out but he hasn't seen Frosty out of work in ages." Anthea sniffed a silent laugh as Jamie smiled. If James didn't have a great poker face he'd be turning pink.

"They never saw each other outside of work before Mycroft and I started dating." Anthea stated with humour dancing in her words. Jamie rolled her eyes.

"I know." She snorted. "But he's grown accustom to attention from his boyfriend." James groaned. He leaned forward on his desk to look at Hope in the eyes.

"If they didn't bring you I'd never let these two in here again." He whispered to her. Jamie gave her husband a practically evil smile before getting back to Anthea.

"So yeah, my point is I thought I'd make him happy and invite you and your frozen lover over for dinner sometime this week." Anthea sighed. She looked at her stockings and pulled them up at the knee as she thought.

"Work is really hard for us right now." Anthea hummed. "All his personal issues…" She trailed off and chewed on her lip. "I'm not sure he'd be great company if I forced him to come to dinner right now." As she looked up she could see that Jamie was taking her every word serious. The blonde licked her lips.

"I get that, but that's probably why it's good for him." Jamie said. "Snark with me, ignore James' love, see that babies aren't the worst thing in the world. It'll probably feel kind of normal for him." Anthea's smile came from the heart. She really did love Jamie.

"I'll see what I can do." Anthea shrugged. Jamie politely nodded. She turned back to James and scowled.

"Happy now?" She asked. James shyly nodded.

"Thanks babe." He said. Jamie blew him a kiss. It made Anthea purposely pick up a chip to throw right at Jamie. She made a weird squeal noise and jumped in her own skin causing Hope to giggle at the commotion.

James opened the door with a big goofy grin on his face. Dressed in a t-shirt and slacks he looked like he was torn between dressing casually and dressing nicely. Anthea had gone casual for her best friend's house. Mycroft had… well… dressed the way Mycroft dressed. Even then the genius quirked an eyebrow at the tall blond man's attire.

"Hey Ali, hi sir." It's funny how not even Anthea can completely drop the 'sir' but with James it was always Holmes or sir and never anything else… Unless the situation absolutely called for it.

"Hey cupcake." Anthea replied teasingly and James winked. Mycroft said nothing.

"Come in, we're just hanging out with Hope." The agent stepped out of the way and gestured for his guests to come through the door into the family room. "Thanks for coming, sir." James said as Mycroft walked past him. "I know A and Jay kind of strongarmed you into coming."

"Well," Mycroft hummed, burying the tip of his umbrella into the carpet. "The things one does for love."

Then there was a noise. A little, happy, curious sounding noise. They all looked in the direction it came from.

Jamie, also dressed in day to day clothes, was on a blanket on the floor playing with Hope. The baby girl had lifted her head and looking in the direction of the talking and the people. Jamie, seeing an opportunity, pointed at Mycroft.

"See that tall man with the long nose next to Auntie Ali?" She said to Hope but loud enough for everyone to here. "It's been a long time so I don't blame you if you don't remember, but that's Uncle Mycroft." Anthea smirked at her best friend's teasing words. Mycroft clicked his tongue and drummed his fingers on the umbrella handle.

"My, motherhood has done nothing to mature you, has it?" He replied. Then that curious noise came out of her mouth again, like an animal uncertain but playful. The baby girl smiled a huge gummy smile at Mycroft. Right at him. Anthea blinked her eyes wide. James was absolutely loving it. Jamie didn't seem surprised. Mycroft looked a little startled.

"Oh." He said.

"She likes you." Anthea cooed.

"No," Mycroft turned to look down at her. "She likes the sound of my voice."

Hope giggled.

"See?"

"Aww, Hope." Jamie clucked as she picked her daughter up and put her on her lap. "Do you think the strange man is funny? Daddy likes him too." Mycroft inhaled.

"It's not me she likes."

She made another noise. Mycroft looked flustered.

"You want to win this?" Anthea crinkled her nose as she spoke. "You're going to have to stop talking." James tried to cover up a laugh by coughing.

"Come on, sir." The tall strong man pointed to the way to the kitchen with one of his thumbs. "I have some scotch somewhere."

Hope was put down to nap while the adults had dinner. It was hardly different to the lunch Jamie, Anthea, and James had had together in his office. The three of them mucking around and laughing with the occasional serious moment. However having Mycroft there making the occasional sarcastic comment or confirming facts and details about things made it just so much better to Anthea. She says this a lot but this is when she felt most like she had a family.

After dinner, and before dessert, they decided to play some card games. Or rather Jamie betted she could win a game of poker against Mycroft because she was a better actor than he was. Despite the fact that the argument began over poker the game they decided to play was Go Fish, the game they'd all played together when James was in the hospital. Anthea realised then that the people around her were all just big children. Some of them were children with a lot of power, but they were children none the less. It was great.

After the first round and barely into the second the baby monitor went off. Jamie took a deep breath and put her cards down face down on the table.

"Nah Jay, I'll get her." James stood up and patted the back off Jamie's chair. Jamie twisted to pat his hand as she smiled lovingly at him.

"Thank you, I love you." She said as she let him go. Anthea and Mycroft both lifted their lip and looked at each other. Of course, having the same reaction made Anthea laugh and Mycroft smirk. Maybe they were just as sickening as James and Jamie but in a different way.

James returned with Hope in his arms and in her arms was a different teddy. Anthea's heart ached as she saw the cute little girl in her dad's big strong arms. She looked way littler in James' arms than she looked in Jamie's. That's what happens when there's about a foot in height different and an incomparable muscle mass.

"The prettiest, strongest little girl in the world wants to play." James said as he sat down in his seat.

"Is that all she wanted?" Jamie asked, touching her daughter's nose lovingly.

"Nah, she needed a change but she also wanted to play." He said. Jamie laughed and Anthea smiled. Mycroft rolled his eyes.

"She'll no doubt do better than you are, James." Mycroft mocked the agent's Go Fish skills.

Hope giggled. She brought her teddy up to her mouth to cover her gummy smile, she looked right at Mycroft with her brown eyes, and she giggled. If James made Anthea's heart ache before than this broke it. Mycroft still looked befuddled by the reaction.

"I can't believe she loves you." Anthea leaned over the table to pat Hopes head, unable to contain her composure under all this cuteness.

"Why does she keep doing that?" Mycroft asked seriously. He looked at James like he was willing the agent to come up with an answer. Hope looked up at her mum and giggled again. Mycroft blinked. "Usually babies ignore my very existence and I return the favour. I haven't had this reaction since Eurus and Sherlock were babies." To Anthea that meant that maybe Mycroft had drifted away from the Ice Man he'd constructed and come closer to his original outlook as a child. Children and animals can see big hearts like that. She'd never say that though. Jamie had a wonderful look on her face as she stared at her daughter.

"I told you," Jamie riposted. "She loves you." She shrugged at the genius at the room. "Ali loves you, James loves you, and I don't mind having you around. It's not that weird." Mycroft frowned at Anthea. Anthea was too busy just loving the situation. It was so sweet that this little kid liked Mycroft so much – even if Mycroft was right and it was just a reaction to the lovely voice.

"I love this kid." James laughed breathlessly.

"Me too." Anthea beamed back. Mycroft sighed heavily.

"Can we get back to the game, please?" He asked. Hope made a noise again. Jamie and Anthea cooed and awed in response. It was like a chain reaction. Mycroft rolled his eyes. He stood up, leaned over to James and held his hand out. "How's this?" He asked. Similar to the first time he ever met Hope, Hope reached out and took hold of Mycroft's long fingers. He shook her hand. "This is a deal to let me finish the game, okay?" He said. Hope smiled at him. "Good, because I'm trying to make a point to your mother." He shook her hand again and the returned to his seat.

It absolutely had to be the hormones fault that Anthea found this as amazingly adorable as she did. Look at him talking to Hope like she could understand him, just like how he talked to Thatch the little dog sitting at Anthea's feet. Sherlock did the same thing with Rosie and animals. She wondered if Eurus would do it too. It would be a great shame for Anthea's child to miss out on this Mycroft should he not want to be a part of it. The child would still have Uncle Sherlock but… Mycroft would be wonderful if he just let himself or if he could see it. Imagine Mycroft talking to their child like it understood. That would be quite a sight.

"Do you want to hold her for a bit?" Jamie asked. Mycroft chuckled as he straightened his jacket. He pulled on his cufflinks then picked up his cards.

"No." He said into his cards. "No. Please. I do that then James will be asking for physical attention." He played off his uncomfortableness as a joke, quirking his eyebrow at James. The room laughed.

"If we're following the standard rules, Hope won't even get hugs until she's five years old." Anthea was only half joking.

"And then that will only be on Christmas or birthdays." James retorted. Anthea crinkled her nose playfully.

"Oh come now." Mycroft clicked his tongue. "Christmas is too vague. I hug her I'll have to hug Rosie and that'll ruin everybody's Christmas." He crossed one leg over the other. "No, only birthdays." He looked at Anthea. "And only if I'm not working." Anthea lightly hit him on the arm.

"Cool." Jamie said. "Hope is set to get like… what? Two hugs before her eighteenth birthday."

"That's more than I've ever gotten." James squeezed his daughter lovingly as he spoke. She reacted happily at the hug.

"Not me." Anthea boasted coyly. "I'm a necessity to sleep."

"Even I've forced one or two out of him." Jamie added.

"You guys suck." James whined to the girls. They laughed. Mycroft looked tired, but one can never trust his outward appearance.

They drove home from Jamie's house in one of Mycroft's rarely used cars. The reasons were that the cars needed to be driven occasionally to keep the batteries alive and something about not wanting the embarrassment of Walter knowing that Mycroft went to Jamie's for dinner. The car ride, like most of the car rides, was silent except the hum of the engine. Normally it was companionable silence but Anthea was busy thinking anyway. She couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful Hope was this evening. Anthea lulled her head to the side so she could watch the side of Mycroft's face as he drove. Careful and concentrating. It was a face she was very familiar with. He'd even been serious while talking to a baby.

"How does it feel?" Anthea asked, still looking at her genius. Mycroft hummed to ask her to continue. "Being Hope's second favourite person, after me." Mycroft's lip pulled into an uncertain and repelled expression. One most commonly seen while visiting Baker Street.

"Sherlock used to do that." He answered, eyes firmly on the road. "When I came home from school his eyes used to follow me around the room. I told Mummy he was straight out of a horror film. I thought I'd wake up with him staring at me. Fortunately Sherlock never did that. Eurus, however, did." Mycroft gave a wistful expression and shrugged one of his shoulders. Anthea wasn't quite sure whether to be sad for Mycroft or laugh. She widened her eyes and blinked a few times, a confused smile on her lips.

"Well, I think you got yourself a new fan." Anthea mewed warmly. Mycroft pursed his lips and his expression fell back into that look of concentration.

"She'll grow out of it eventually." He dismissed the conversation. Would she though? Somehow Anthea doubted it.

Author's Note: So was it alright? Let me know all your thoughts! Thanks to our guests; Tadaa, B, Madalina, Christie, and Isidora. Thank you so much to all of you. I plan to see you all again in five days but one last week of really long hours at work mean it MIGHT be six. Check in five, though, if you're not subscribed. Thanks!

Next Myc POV: About half the votes were for the Ultrasound. Looks like that's what I'll start working on early next week. It'll probably take a week to work on. I'll let you know when it's done.