Author's Note: Hey everyone. Thanks firstly for the nice reviews. I liked hearing about your own stuffed toys :). Thanks for being patient with me this past week. I started feeling better since the beginning of this week. Still a little off but like an easily managed level of off. This chapter is still short obviously but I think its okay. 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 Walter Met Margot

Anthea didn't need to hear the other end of the phone call to know that Mycroft was about to be dragged back into work this morning. His exasperated expression and annoyed voice was also enough without any understanding of English. What was concerning, however, was the use of we in this conversation.

Mycroft was on the phone to Lady Smallwood and while he was giving some level of respect which he deemed necessary he was arguing as much as he could.

"Anthea has a premature newborn, you do understand that, don't you?" He was currently saying for about the third time.

He was pacing around the bedroom still in his pyjamas. Anthea was sitting on the bed with her ankles cross besides her. She was watching him and wondering how long it would take him to burn tracks into the carpet.

"Really? Because expecting her to come into the office at less than a moment's notice does not appear like understanding to me." He stopped and shrugged dramatically like she could see him. "She'll have to bring her in if you insist upon this."

Part of Anthea didn't mind. She would like a little bit of work excitement to start feeling like herself – well, like Anthea – again. Another part of her thought of trying to look after Margot while also looking after the babies in the office. It was enough to make her want to lay down and pull the covers up.

"And it's hardly fair to our colleges to have a baby demanding attention during such a meeting." Mycroft looked at Anthea and rolled his eyes. She crinkled her nose. After a brief interval of actually listening Mycroft spoke up again.

"I don't see why I'm needed, I wasn't present when this began therefore it obviously isn't my problem." He said.

Ah, so it was the leak again. Mycroft had explained to Anthea what was happening. Some very, very important development documents revolving around secret services and products had apparently made their way into the hands of other countries' officials. A nice little subterfuge device that James had been very excited about was suddenly developed by the Americans, for one example. It was actually this that brought it to light. James noticed this and not trusting many people other than Mycroft but not wanting to bother him went to Lady Smallwood as the next best person in P-A-L-L. Mycroft had yet found time between his parents and the baby to talk to James about it but at the same time he didn't view it as his problem right now.

Anthea thought that Mycroft might see this as a little bit of spiteful revenge. They took away some of his responsibility after the Sherrinford fiasco, and they had even brought his retired uncle in to take some of that responsibility. Mycroft wasn't even trying to hide that he was perhaps a little smug that this had happened not only while they had diminished his authority but also while he was away. They were better off with him but now he wasn't always going to be at their beck and call. If Mycroft hadn't had a lot of life changing events happen within the span of about a year and if he wasn't constantly in a state of self-reflection as he is now then Anthea might have saw this as a good thing. He needed to focus on other things for once. With everything that has happened however, Anthea was worried about Mycroft making a decision he would regret later. Well, a decision around work right now. There was that family one looming too.

"We have to go in to the office, I'm afraid." Mycroft said once he'd finally given up on arguing, agreed, and hung up quickly. He dropped his phone onto the bed not far from where Anthea still sat. It was strange to see him so averse to going into work. If he was feeling the way Anthea was it might make some sense but she couldn't be a hundred percent sure so she focused on what she did understand.

"Is it about the leak?" She asked. Mycroft made a noise of confirmation in his throat. He stretched out his back and then sat down on the edge of the bed at an angle where he could still look his partner in her face.

"Lady Smallwood does not suspect us, apparently." He rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"Obviously." Anthea nodded.

"What she wants is our help in discovering the true source." He said. It was Anthea's turn to roll her eyes.

"You mean yours." She said.

"No, ours." Mycroft insisted. His expression was earnest. Anthea quirked an eyebrow. Mycroft sighed. "Despite you being on maternity leave, she believes that you fill in the gaps in my understanding of human behaviour and that with something so crucial my assistant should be present." Mycroft closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She also says that it is vital that we – my colleagues and I - do something about the problem while investigating and notes need to be taken during the meeting. The only assistant she trusts to be in there is you." He looked up. "Your loyalty has been proven and you were chosen in a way that no one else bothers to do. Also an assistant could be involved and she believes that we are not." That should be of some comfort… But…

"But Margot." Anthea said.

"I know." Mycroft sighed. "Believe me I complained and I will continue to do so until the meeting is over." How sweet. Anthea smiled warmly.

"Does she really expect me to be able to get a baby sitter when we have no reliable family here and its short notice?" Anthea asked. "I'm supposed to be home with her for weeks yet."

"I can only suspect she does not expect today to take more than two hours."

"I could ask Jamie."

"They don't want James to know." Mycroft interjected. Anthea scoffed. Mycroft nodded.

"Then what?"

"Bring her." Mycroft said. Anthea stared at him.

"That's insane." She said. She immediately began packing Margot's bag. Mycroft sent Walter a message that they needed to be retrieved from the house.

Walter was waiting outside the car. He never waited out the car unless it was a long wait, which this was not. Walter's arrival to the house and Mycroft's departure from the front door had been worked down to a fine science before Anthea ever arrived on the scene.

The way he looked up, old eyes sparling with anticipation, when the front door was pulled open it was obvious what he wanted. The excitement was for Margot. He was eager to see the baby that had kind of been in the back of his car for months. If anyone knew Margot throughout the pregnancy as well as Mycroft and Anthea then it was Walter. No wonder he was excited.

Anthea swelled with pride. Her daughter was anticipated and she would more than live up to the hype for precious Walter who never judged Mycroft and always welcomed Anthea. Anthea wheeled up the pram with the pride of the mother of a pharaoh. Mycroft was somewhere behind her.

Walter peered into the crib. His face didn't soften – he was a hardened veteran in many ways who didn't necessarily show things like excitement and awe. His eyes, however, widened. Without permission he leaned forward. His thick fingers touched Margot's chest.

"Hello Miss," He cooed in a strange sweet voice that Anthea did not think Walter was capable of. Mycroft's footfalls were heard and came to a stop one step across and behind from Anthea.

Walter looked up. He smiled at Mycroft proudly. Mycroft shifted besides Anthea. He was never good with people projecting feelings onto him.

"Can I hold her?" Walter asked Anthea. Anthea sniffed a laugh and nodded vigorously. If she trusted anyone to hold this baby it was Walter with his strong and careful arms.

Walter groaned as he picked Margot up carefully out of the pram and held her close to his broad chest. He took to her so easily. All parents who picked up Margot, no matter how long ago, appeared to do it better than Anthea and Mycroft combined.

"She's a pretty young lady up close." He said, sounding proud.

"She is." Anthea boasted, standing further upright unconsciously. Mycroft said nothing, though for a brief second it looked like he was going to speak up.

"I can't believe she's yours." He said, looking at Margot's little face.

"I know." Anthea hummed. She nodded again.

"You were a girl when I met you." He said. Anthea laughed. She wasn't a girl but it had been a long time and she had no intentions of settling down in such a way as this. "And now you have your own little girl." He said.

"I know." Anthea grinned.

"Those eyes…" Walter said, referring to Margot's dark blue eyes that so far still matched her father's eyes.

"I know." Anthea breathed. Mycroft shuffled and muttered beside her.

"Well done kids." Walter said. Mycroft looked to the tip of his umbrella and examined it carefully.

"Thank you." Anthea said.

Walter stood fussing over Margot for about ten minutes. Anthea watched proudly while Mycroft let it happen. Once the verbal praise had stopped the genius was no longer uncomfortable, only quiet.

It was cute. Anthea had never seen Walter around a baby before. It's not like he was doing anything special with her but seeing a face out of their usual environment could be very weird. It was like seeing your hairdresser working in a laboratory somewhere, or what it must be like for some of James' agents to see him throw food and mucking around. Not yet a grandparent, it seemed like this was close to that for Walter, or at least like a niece, Anthea supposed. He really was stricken with the kid's kid.

Mycroft cleared his throat. He was looking at his pocket watch but nothing but patience was coming off of him.

"I don't mean to interrupt," He said. "However, the sooner we arrive at this ridiculous meeting the sooner we can leave and the sooner Margot doesn't have to be there."

Walter offered his pardons. Mycroft refused to accept them, there was nothing to apologise for – they shouldn't have to go in the first place so the stalling didn't matter. Margot was passed to Anthea. Walter dismantled the pram and put it in the boot of the car. He then showed Anthea where in the car he installed a car seat.

A sleek black baby's car seat that did not look out of place in the town car sat in the middle seat. Of course it somehow managed to fit the aesthetic. It was apparently easily removable for when picking up guests without Margot present. Antea was impressed. When had this happened? And whose idea was it really? Had Mycroft given Walter orders? Had Walter done it on his own? Had Mycroft picked it out or did Walter? She would probably never know because they weren't that kind of people.

Now that Margot had gotten to meet Walter it was time for to go to her first meeting. Hopefully this would not shape her character in any way.

Author's Note: So? Was it okay? I know people like a bit of Walter and the promise of some work might be nice too. Not a lot for our dear Anthea, but enough so she knows what's going on and it can be added into the plot with the finer details known. Thanks to last chapter's guest reviewers; Guests x2, Guest217, Observant Potato, Molly Holmes, and B. Thanks to all my reviews, you mean so much to me. I suspect next chapter will take 6 days as I'm trying to clear the rest of my head and allow time to get a head start on some huge assignments. See you then!