Clique of 221B

Chapter 13: Drawing up an Interrogation

You and Mycroft have finished most your work now. However you're both sat in his office still. I think we're waiting for Sherlock to send some sort of message about how it's going with Mary. John and Sherlock have gone to Morocco to find Mary, Sherlock put a tracker in her memory stick. Mycroft stands up again and starts to walk around the room.
"Mycroft calm down, that's the fifth time you've got up." You tell him.
"Fifth? I'm surprised you're counting." You walk over to a cabinet and pour two glasses of brandy. You turn and hand him a glass which he takes. Now you've got no work and no Sherlock you have nothing to do. I need to get a hobby of some sort.
"What time is it?" You ask. He looks down at his pocket watch before answering,
"Quarter past eleven." You sigh and rub your eyes before taking a sip. You sit down in Mycroft's seat. He frowns at you but doesn't tell you to move. You spin in the chair before shuffling forwards and sorting through his piles of paper. You pick up a pile of notebooks and leaf through them. First one, Sherlock things. Predictable. Second one, schedule. Boring. Third one, ooohhh. Interesting. I didn't know Mycroft had a talent for drawing! You look up at him and it seems he's going through the notebooks in your bag. Then you notice which one he's studying. Your drawing notebook. You bring your attention back to the book in your hands and turn through the pages. Drawings of goldfish and umbrellas and dainty tea cups. Very Mycroft.
"I didn't know you drew." Mycroft says, breaking the silence. You smile,
"I could say the same to you." He slots my books back into my bag, all except my drawings book. You sort his books into a pile. We swap seats and he picks a pencil up,
"May I?" He asks, gesturing at a blank page in your book. You nod,
"Go ahead. May I?" You ask mirroring his previous actions. He smiles,
"Go ahead." That's how you stay in perfect silence, drawing away in each other's books for who knows how long.

"The English woman. That's all he heard. Naturally he assumed it was Mary." You hear Sherlock say over the phone.
"Couldn't this wait until you're back?" Mycroft asks him. He sounds annoyed but he's glad Sherlock called finally.
"No, it's not over. Ajay said that they'd been betrayed. The hostage takers knew AGRA were coming. There was only a voice on the phone, remember, and a code word."
"Ammo, yes, you said."
"How's your Latin, brother dear?" Mycroft frowns at this,
"My Latin?" Probably expert level.
"Amo, amas, amat."
"I love, you love, he loves. What...?" Told you. He seems to get something I don't.
"Not 'ammo' as in 'ammunition' but 'amo,' meaning..." Love. Love? Oh. Love. Mycroft straightens,
"You'd better be right, Sherlock." Yeah he'd better otherwise we'll look pretty stupid. Mycroft hangs up and sits down again.
"Do you understand what's going on?"
"Code name Love?" He nods. You sigh and stand up,
"Well then I'll go sort it out then." He frowns,
"Why you?"
"She already hates me. We might as well add another reason to the list." He smiles slightly,
"Go on then. Try not to enjoy it too much."
"I'll give it my best shot." You call back as you walk out into the corridor. "Promise."

Lady Smallwood is walking along a corridor with Vivian following her. They reach a glass door which has a security panel on a stand. Lady Smallwood holds her security pass against it. It beeps and shows a red message reading ACCESS DENIED. I know how that feels. She scans the pass again but it shows her the same message. Sighing she tries again with the same result. Behind her you and a uniformed security guard approach.
"Bloody thing." You hear her sigh. Oh, today is not going to get any better for you. She turns and looks at you. She looks at the security guard as he stands between her and the closed door. She then turns to you, "What's going on?"
"I'm terribly sorry, Lady Smallwood." You start. I'm really not. "But, your security protocols have been temporarily rescinded."
"What?!" She exclaims. The security guard takes her arm and starts to walk her back along the corridor. Vivian follows her and you lead the way. As you walk her to where Mycroft is waiting she says to you, "You're enjoying this Miss [Y/L/N]."
"I don't know what you're talking about Lady Smallwood." You reply with a smirk. You open the door and let her in. She sits at the small table facing Mycroft who's seated on the other side. A mirror is behind her, reflecting all of you. You stand at the side of the door, closer to Mycroft. His hands are clasped in front of him on the table and he is rapidly tapping his finger against the other hand.
"This is absolutely ridiculous and you know it. How many more times?"
"Six years ago you held the brief for foreign operations, code name "Love.""
"And you're basing all this on a code name? On a whispered voice on the telephone? Come on, Mycroft."
"You were the conduit for AGRA. Every assignment, every detail, they got from you."
"It was my job." Mycroft unfolds his hands and sits back.
"Then there was the Tbilisi incident. AGRA went in."
"Yes."
"And they were betrayed."
"Not by me." She insists. Mycroft just looks at her. She sighs,
"Mycroft, we've known each other a long time. I promise you, I haven't the foggiest idea what all this is about. You wound up AGRA and all the other freelancers." Did she just give me a look? I happened to be a very good freelancer I'll have you know. "I haven't done any of the things you're accusing me of. Not one." She pauses, "Not. One." Mycroft looks down at the table for a moment, then turns his head to look to his left. On the other side of the one-way mirror Sherlock will be watching. Mycroft lowers his gaze and sits forward again, adjusting his jacket. As much as I hate her and would love to bring her down for something, it's not this. She's not lying. Well this is awkward.