Author's Note: Once again guys, thank you so much for the awesome feedback on the chapter. I am so happy you guys liked it so much. To have a chapter I loved being so well received feels so good. Once again I only finished this last minute. Long story short; I was working hard all week, one of my beloved lovebirds died, I spent all day after work one day trying to find the remaining one a new partner so he wouldn't mourn to death, then my permanent retainer on my bottom teeth broke. Lots and lots of stuff. I'm not over my bird yet but the new one is really cute too – she's completely different to Rosa which makes it easier. Therefore this one is only average sized. I do like it though. 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 Tim Found Out About The Baby

Whenever Robbie came into town Anthea was excited. The two rarely saw each other but their chemistry and companionship never disappeared. It was a type of familial love that Anthea was always happy to feel.

As was becoming one of their customs at this point, they were meeting at Anthea's favourite coffee shop halfway between her old flat and the government office. Robbie was already there when Anthea approached. She was dressed as Alice today, an old jacket of Robbie's serving as a comfortable jacket for her bump. He looked like himself – dressed in dark colours, messy died black hair, and flicking through his phone or music device.

Anthea felt giddy when she saw him, her face breaking out in a grin. His face broke out too as he saw her and took out his headphones. She outstretched her arms as she approached him and he began walking closer to her. They hugged each other hard and Anthea laughed happily. When their hug ended Robbie stepped back. He looked Anthea up and down and blew air through his lips.

"Look at you!" He exclaimed. "You're almost as big as a compact car!" Anthea rolled her eyes. She put one hand on her small but growing bump defensively and the other on her hip.

"Excuse me?" She asked, looking at Robbie's large stomach. He shrugged.

"I'm a truck, I'm not saying I'm not, but you're not supposed to be compared to a vehicle." He said, still smiling like a goof. He took Anthea into another large bear hug spontaneously. "You should have told me before I called you." He let her go.

"Maybe if you visited more!" She crinkled her nose at him.

"You visit me once in a while, God!" He rolled his eyes. Anthea pulled a face at her ex-boyfriend and walked right past him into the café. He followed her, looking proud of himself.

Robbie and Anthea spoke for hours without as much as a single silence. They were having a great time catching up. Anthea found out that Cate had come to London with Robbie this time so they were talking about catching up the three of them – maybe four if Anthea could convince someone to come. It was a wonderful morning turned afternoon.

Until Tim showed up.

The lawyer saw Anthea as soon as he walked into the café. Instead of heading up to the counter to order he went straight for the table where Anthea and Robbie sat with their coffee, tea, and pastries.

"Ali?" He asked when he stood to the side of the pair of old friends. Anthea took her time, preparing herself for what she knew would come next. She kept her eyes on Robbie while she took a few breaths. The old punk was already looking up at Tim, a little annoyed at the interruption but interested. Anthea put on her polite smile and looked up at Tim.

"Hi Tim." She said nicely. Sure enough Tim was staring at her bump. No avoiding this conversation. She stood up and Robbie did so also, following her cues. Once she was standing Tim could take his eyes off her bump, having it confirmed. He held his hands out and cocked his head, asking if he could have a hug. Anthea sighed and nodded. This pair of exes hugged awkwardly and briefly.

"Alice." He breathed, shaking his head as he let her go. As he opened his mouth to talk Anthea gestured to Robbie.

"Tim, this is Robbie." She said. Tim looked over at the larger man. He adjusted his glasses and smiled.

"Of course you are!" He said. "I've seen photos. Sorry, nice to meet you." Tim held his hand out. Robbie's hand collided with Tim's with a loud slapping noise and he shook it hard.

"And you're the lawyer." Robbie laugh. "I've seen photos too." He let go of Tim's hand. "Not from Ali-bear." Robbie nudged Anthea with his arm. "My fiancé has Facebook stalked you." Tim rolled his eyes and smiled, as if it was typical behaviour for people to look people up on Facebook these days. Which to a certain extent it was. "Got to say, you're intimidatingly more handsome in real life." Robbie said with a frown on his face. Tim laugh. He looked to the ground and adjusted his glasses.

"Thanks?" He tilted his head and squinted as he said it. Robbie, still frowning, looked at Anthea.

"Ali keeps trading up." He said. It was Anthea's turn to roll her eyes. "What are you going to do next? A hot genius who is also a rock star? Make me feel really like a failure." Tim's smile disappeared.

"Since when are you self-conscious?" She teased him.

"I'm not." Robbie laugh. "I'm just saying out of the big three it went me, hot nerd, and then super genius. I just fix computers." Anthea pushed him and they both laughed. Tim did not. He looked at Anthea. He looked at her bump again then back to her face.

"It's nice to finally meet the real person." He said to Robbie without looking at him. Robbie ran a hand through his hair. He had a lighter dyeline right now.

"Yeah, likewise." He answered. He looked at how Tim was staring at Anthea. She pulled a face at Robbie about it. But it seemed that Robbie was going to let Tim have his way. Robbie patted Anthea on the arm. "I better get going, I need to find Cate and meet Rory for dinner." Anthea felt betrayed. "But we have to do that dinner with me and you and Cate. Maybe if you can rope Mycroft into it we can do it at your house so people can stop interrupting us." He smiled his goofy smile. Anthea sniffed.

"Crazy sisters and exes." She muttered, not caring that Tim could hear her. Robbie laughed.

"I'll call tomorrow. We'll work it out." He said. Anthea went in for a final hug. Robbie squeezed her before letting her go. He walked out of the café and through the windows Anthea watched him go, leaving her alone with Tim.

Anthea looked over at Tim. He looked at her bump and then back at her with a sombre smile. Anthea took a deep breath. She cared for Tim but she never wanted to do this conversation. She held a hand out, gesturing for him to take Robbie's seat. They sat down. Anthea leaned back against her chair while Tim leaned forward, hands folded together on the table. The lawyer was searching his brain for something to say. He looked at his hands, one then the other, taking deep breaths.

"You're…" His forest green eyes were wide as they looked into her eyes. "Pregnant."

"Wonderful deduction, Sherlock Holmes." Anthea teased as she tucked a curl behind her ear. She smiled at him coyly. He laughed at himself softly.

"Is it… Mycroft's?" He asked. Anthea rolled her eyes.

"No, Tim. It's not his but I continue to live with him anyway." She said sarcastically with a flat face. Tim didn't react to the sarcasm, he just nodded multiple times. He was forcing himself to come to terms with it.

Silence fell.

Tim raised his glasses and rubbed one of his eyes. Anthea ripped up a sugar packet.

Tim looked up. Anthea looked at him expectantly. He blew out a breath, cracked his neck, and cleared his throat.

"Was it on purpose?" He asked. Finally the prosecution asks a good question. Anthea let out a single breathy laugh as she disposed of the sugar packet on one of the plates on the table.

"No, it wasn't." She said, looking at her cold cup of tea. Her eyes flickered up to Tim. "But I'm still excited for it." He gave her a sympathetic smile and she didn't know whether to love him or hate him for it.

"Mycroft's not happy, is he?" He asked, eyeing her carefully. Anthea pursed her lips and shook her head.

"He's trying his best." She shrugged. "He's not upset anymore. He doesn't know what to feel. He's all over the place and we can't help each other." It was her turn to rub her eyes. "It sucks." She shrugged and smiled it off.

"Ali." Tim sighed. He reached forward and took one of her hands. Anthea tensed but she let him. "You're tough. You'll be fine."

"We're both tough." She added. "But I think we're both the wrong type of tough." She admitted to Tim. "He shuts things out and I focus on one thing. I think you need to be a Jamie sort of tough for this thing. The type who confronts things straight away."

"Where did you develop these theories?" He asked. Anthea rolled her eyes at him exaggeratedly to make sure he saw. "As long as you're tough you'll survive." He said. Anthea didn't know what to say.

"Thanks, Tim." Is what she settled on. He squeezed her hand again.

"And you know I'll always be there for you." Tim said to her. Anthea sniffed and smirked.

"I bet you will be." She teased.

"No, I mean it." He said seriously. "All you have to do is say the word and I'll be right there." He shook his head. "For you and your baby. I'll be right there to help you." He was serious. Anthea took her hand back and put it on her lap.

"Tim, your dentist." She reminded him of his on and off again girlfriend.

"You'll always come first, Alice." He said. Anthea took a deep breath. She placed her hands on her bump and looked up at the roof.

"Tim, I'm having a baby to the only man I've ever loved." She said. "You'll never come first with me. Especially after how you hurt me."

"I know." He leaned back in his chair but he was still looking at her with a deep array of emotions. "But if you're ever alone remember you don't have to be. I'll be there the moment you want me."

"I'll never be alone again." Anthea said, referring to her own child.

"Of course not." Tim appeared to realise Anthea wasn't going to give in. He'd made his point and made her feel uncomfortable in the progress, he could stop now. "And I bet you they're going to be incredible." They were going to be incredible and maybe if the conversation had been different she'd want to talk to him about it all. After that, however, she was not going to talk to him about her special little one. All she wanted to do was go see its father.

"I've got to go, Tim." She said, caressing her bump with her thump. She stood up. "We'll talk later." He stood up too.

"Okay." He said. "Just remember my offer."

"I won't forget." She muttered as she turned around. Anthea couldn't get out of that coffee shop quicker. All she wanted to do was find Mycroft, wrap her arms around him, and never let him go. He might be scared and confused but he loved her and she loved him. They had something Tim could never understand.

Anthea found Mycroft sitting in the lounge room with a Spanish book in his lap. She sat down right by his side, leant her head on his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around him. The genius dropped his book on his lap as he grew ridged for a fleeting second. Anthea didn't care if she had made him lose his spot in his book, she just wanted him.

"Hello?" He spoke his greeting as more of a slow and careful question. He was no longer that stiff board of a man as he had already adjusted to Anthea's touch.

"Hi." She sighed. She put her nose against his shoulder and breathed him in. He smelt wonderful. He smelt like the office, the Diogenes Club, and home all rolled into one.

"I would never expect a lunch date between you and your university boyfriend to not go well." If Anthea could see Mycroft's face she bet his eyes would be moving as he did calculations in his brain to work out how it could have possibly gone wrong.

"It was great." Anthea mumbled. "Until Tim turned up."

A beat.

"Ah…" Mycroft exhaled. His shoulders didn't even tense at the mention of the lawyer, that was impressive.

"Mmhhmm." Anthea hummed.

"Care to tell me how he insulted you?" Her genius asked. Anthea hummed again, this time a universal 'no' tune.

"He was nice." She said. It was technically true. She doubted Mycroft believed her as he pursed his lips. She pulled herself tighter against the man. "He just made me realise today how much I love you."

"Well…" Mycroft purred, tilting his head to the side. "I suppose that is never a negative realisation." Anthea laughed. She pulled herself up and kissed him on the cheek. He almost pulled away but stopped himself. His hand found its way onto her knee. Was it an apology for almost pulling away or was he extending the intimacy.

"I want you to know I really do appreciate how much you're trying." She said. He looked at his hand on her knee. "It might drive me crazy but I can see you trying and I don't want you to think I don't know that." He squeezed her knee.

"That is never a negative realisation for me either." He muttered quietly. So quiet Anthea almost missed it.

"I'm really sorry about what I said, I-"

"I know." Mycroft cut Anthea off before she could apologise once more for saying he didn't care if the baby lived or died. "And I know where it came from. I do see your frustration at not knowing how the future will play out and I am doing my best to find an answer." He said. Anthea loved the sound of his voice, it was so smooth. "It's one of those impossible conundrums. I can't stay but I can't leave. Every time I convince myself that it would be best for everyone if I let you go and support you from a distance something happens and that pull…" He trailed off. Anthea watched as his thumb caressed her knee. She wasn't going to interrupt. "It's hard to resist." He admitted.

"I can't resist." Anthea sighed. "I never expected to want a child as much as I want this one." She closed her eyes.

"I could say the same." Mycroft scoffed. Anthea laughed silently. Because he'd always expected to not want children at all and even slightly feeling a pull towards one was a surprise to him. "I wonder if it's genetic, psychological, or something else. Regardless, Sherlock predicted that it would make it difficult for me to continue my life the way I had planned to."

The way he had planned to…

Alone at the Diogenes club forever. Leaving behind no loved ones besides his brother. Wasn't that supposed to have been thrown out the window the moment Anthea became his official girlfriend.

"I don't want to talk about it right now." Anthea shook her head. She wanted to get rid of these icky feelings, not add to them. "I just wanted to be near you."

"Oh." Mycroft spoke in an almost melodic way. "Well." He removed his hand from Anthea's knee and picked up his book. "As long as you don't make me drop my book again you may lay on my shoulder for as long as you wish."

"I might not move for the rest of the day." Anthea said before inhaling that wonderful scent once more. Mycroft chuckled.

"That's fine." He hummed.

It was illogical to think they would stay that way for the rest of the day. After all, Mycroft would finish his book and Anthea would need to move for one reason or another that was probably related to being pregnant. Still, it was nice to know he was receptive to the idea.

Author's Note: It wasn't until I finished that I realised we basically went down a trip through Anthea's important romantic history. What did you think? It was a chapter that had to be done and since I already had it planned in my head for a while it was easy to write with everything else that happened. I hope it was decent. Thanks to our guest reviewers; Sophie, Hazel, Guests x3, and MinaCarlyle. Thanks to all my reviewers. You guys are just awesome.

Five days from now I have an assignment due, then six days I'm having my birthday dinner with my friends so it'll be a week before next update. Please understand. Life and stuff. So you'll be getting an update the day before my birthday. That's not bad, is it? It makes it okay, right? See you in a week!