Face the Odds

Chapter 1: Return Again

*A/N I do not own Sherlock or its characters. I only own my own OCs. Warning, contains spoilers for the show. Also, please watch the episodes first before reading!

"What you're about to see is classified beyond top secret." Mycroft stated. "Is that quite clear?"

He looked around at the other five occupants in the conference room, focusing on the small figure in the far corner as he ordered: "Don't minute any of this."

Lady Smallwood's old secretary dropped her reading glasses back down, lowering her pen and notebook with her spectacles, as Mycroft addressed the two people across from him, sitting at the conference table: "Once beyond these walls, you must never speak of it."

Lady Smallwood and Sir Edwin, the only two other parliamentary officials attending the meeting, frowned at the stilled images Mycroft was showing them on the screen. It was a montage of security footages, all showing various angles of Sherlock and Magnussen in the latter's final moments, and the tension in the room could be cut with a blunt knife... except around Sherlock.

The detective himself sat in an armchair before the conference table, fiddling on his phone, as Mycroft continued: "A D notice has been slapped on the entire incident. Only those within this room, code names Antarctica, Langdale, Victor, Porlock and Love, will ever know the whole truth."

Marie glanced at Sherlock from her seat beside him, before rolling her eyes while Mycroft continued: "As far as everyone else is concerned, going to the Prime Minister and way beyond, Charles Augustus- Are you tweeting?!"

Mycroft had shifted slightly from where he'd been standing facing the conference table, and finally noticed his brother's actions.

"No." Sherlock said quickly, hiding his phone, and Marie sighed as Mycroft snapped: "Well, that's what it looks like."

"Of course I'm not tweeting. Why would I be tweeting?" Sherlock asked, but his face gave away his guilt as he suppressed a faintly amused expression and Mycroft narrowed his eyes.

"Give me that!" Mycroft snapped, lunging forward to snatch his brother's phone from him, and Sherlock protested: "What? No!"

The pair struggled as Mycroft pulled at Sherlock's phone while the younger man tried to hold on as he hissed: "What are you doing?! Get off!"

"Give it here!" Mycroft snapped, finally managing to wrench the phone away.

Marie lifted her eyes to the ceiling, as though asking for patience, while Sherlock sulked and Mycroft read in disbelief: "'Back on terra firma'."

"Don't read them out." Sherlock sighed, but Mycroft ignored him as he continued: "'Free as a bird'."

"God, you're such a spoilsport." Sherlock muttered.

"Could you two please grow up?" Marie sighed, and Sherlock whined: "He started it!"

"Will you take this matter seriously, Sherlock?" Mycroft snapped.

"I am taking it seriously! What makes you think I'm not taking it seriously?" Sherlock argued, and Mycroft quoted mockingly: '"#OhWhatABeautifulMorning'."

"Look," Sherlock argued, "not so long ago I was on a mission that meant certain death, my death! And now I'm back, with my lovely wife," he winked at Marie who simply raised a brow at him, "in a nice warm office," he looked around the room, "with my big brother and- Are those ginger nuts?"

He suddenly broke off, his face lighting up as he saw the plate of cookies sitting in the middle of the conference table.

"Oh, God..." Mycroft sighed, while Sherlock stood up and strode over, proclaiming: "Love ginger nuts."