The American Fire that Melted the Ice Man (Mycroft Holmes x OC - BBC Sherlock)

Chapter 5: The Talk

"Well, good to see she's found someone who can appreciate early mornings," a voice called out from behind Mycroft the next morning.

He was fully dressed, though after the previous night's realization, he'd opted to leave off the suit jacket and tie and merely had his dress shirt, slacks, and shoes on. He was currently standing on the deck that Sophia had told him so much about. He was amazed to admit that she once again hadn't exaggerated the incredible view at all. "Good morning Mr. Cartwright. Yes, I do rather enjoy the quiet of the early morning hours, unlike your daughter, from what I've gathered over the course of our relationship this last year."

"She gets it from her mother. She used to not get out of bed till almost 9."

"I made the mistake once of calling Sophia before 8 o'clock. I never made that mistake again."

"Smart man."

Under normal circumstances Mycroft would have something to say about his intelligence. But he held his tongue for the good of the future of his relationship. "The view here is gorgeous."

"It is. So... smart... and an eye for beauty—the latter is obvious since you chose my daughter."

Mycroft swallowed. "She is beautiful, sir. Though I'd say the best of her qualities lies in her inner beauty. She has a very kind soul."

"And stubborn, strong-willed, and 'spirited' as her mother used to say to make it sound nice."

Mycroft chuckled. "Indeed."

"I'd try to blame that on her mother as well, but I'm sure Sophia has told you otherwise. And with all that strong-willed independent spirit—I know you must treat her well, because she's not one to put up with less than the best."

"I do my very best, sir."

"And I hope you understand how important it is to me, that she be treated well?"

"I do, sir."

"I'm assuming since you've made the trip all the way across the ocean, that you have some long-term plans with my daughter?"

Mycroft bowed his head slightly and swallowed. Well, this isn't exactly how and when he'd planned this conversation, but since her father seemed to be in an amiable mood—best to take advantage. "I had intended on speaking to you before we left, sir."

"I'd hoped so. I'm not one to dally about. Now's as good a time as any."

"It is—unless you decide to tell me you wouldn't approve of me asking for your daughter's hand in marriage? That might make the rest of the Christmas holiday a bit uncomfortable."

"Son, if I didn't think you were worth my daughter's time, I would have told her not to bring you home. She's spoken about you plenty over this past year. Told us you have some super-secret job with the British government. Told us how well you treat her. How much she enjoys your... interesting... personality. Of course, she didn't exactly come from boring parents either, I suppose—so she's accustomed to unique personalities," her father said with a smirk. "My daughter is a grown woman, and at her age, I'm sure you could have decided it would be perfectly acceptable to skip having this conversation with me. But you didn't. That's a point in your favor. So, for my part—as long as you promise me you intend to continue to care about her as much as you do now—I'd say I couldn't be happier to welcome you as a part of this family."

A small smile crossed Mycroft's face and he took a deep breath before reaching out to shake the man's hand. "Thank you, sir."

"When you going to make it official?"

"I'd like for her to have the opportunity to meet my parents first. I'd thought about February—Valentine's perhaps."

The older man nodded. "Well, my lips are sealed."

*****

Sophia woke up and stretched out before curling back up into a ball under her sheet and duvet. Despite it having been over a year and a half since she last slept in her room in her parents' house, it still felt warm, cozy, and familiar. The smile already on her face grew wider as she realized that somewhere close by was Mycroft Holmes. She arose from her bed and stretched again before quietly stepping out of her room. She saw that the door to Mycroft's room was left ajar and assumed that probably meant he was already downstairs for the morning. She stepped past the bathroom and peeked around the corner down into the sitting area and saw Mycroft sitting on the deck with her father. She chewed her lip and wondered if she should come to the rescue. But Mycroft had told her repeatedly that he was looking forward to meeting her parents, that he'd be on his best behavior and promised to use his best diplomacy skills to navigate anything he had to with her parents. She went back to her room and sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing her phone off the side table and shooting him a quick text message.

Good morning, love. Going to jump in the shower before coming down. Everything going okay with my dad? -SC

She pulled out clothes for the day from her luggage, taking her phone along with her to the bathroom. As she set her things on the countertop, her phone buzzed.

Good morning, dear. Everything is going wonderfully. See you in a bit. Your mother has made a fresh pot of coffee and even bought a few types of tea for us. If you let me know what you'd like, I'll have it ready for you when you come down. -MH

She smiled, both at the text from Mycroft, but at her mother's thoughtfulness, and that things were going well with her father.

Tea would be lovely. Thank you. -SC

*****

"That was Sophia, she's getting in the shower before coming down. I'm just going to go prepare her a cup of tea. Can I get anything for you, sir?"

"A cup of coffee wouldn't do me wrong. Black."

Mycroft nodded and went inside.

*****

Sophia had rushes through her shower and gotten dressed. She was ready to spend time with her parents, especially with them and Mycroft. As she came downstairs, she heard Mycroft in the kitchen speaking to her mother in very general basic terms about his job. She knew he'd prepared the best generalized description he could and would be using his typical way of making it sound like he did much less than he really did. Sophia knew though, that as Sherlock said, Mycroft practically was the British government.

Since he seemed content speaking to her mother, and she heard the sound of water pouring into a cup, she assumed for her tea, she decided to head onto the deck to spend some time with her father.

"Good morning, Daddy."

"Morning, sweetheart. Sleep well?"

"Like a rock. Traveling all day across time zones is killer. Mycroft says we should recover pretty quickly this time, but that returning home to England will be a bit more difficult. He's done lots of traveling for work, so I take his word for it."

"We've missed you sweetheart. But you seem happy. I'm glad."

"I've missed you too, Daddy. I am happy, though. I love my job."

"And your boyfriend," he said with a smirk.

"Yes, and my boyfriend. What do you think of him, Daddy?"

"I think... he cares very much about you. He seems nice. He's very... British."

She giggled. "Well, yes, Daddy. He is very British. Is that okay?"

"Yes, I suppose it is."