I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 130 : Talking

"Have you seen Grace today ?" the detective asked his partner,  already sat in the bed while the auburn was just exiting the bathroom,  his clothes carefully folded on his upper arm.
"How do you know ?" wondered the elder Holmes, genuinely surprised.
"Vomit  stains on your shirt and suit's jacket. I highly doubt you've let any  grown up puck on you, am I right ?" Gregory smirked, lazily following  his husband's path with his eyes.
"We can't hide anything from you, Detective Chief Inspector ..." Mycroft purred, claiming his space in the bed.
"I  also can deduce that you've liked the presence of this little thing  more than you would care to admit ..." retorted the policeman before  kissing the other man lightly on the forehead.
"She is not a thing, she is a marvellous little girl !" the official protested, looking rather offended.
"You've got a soft spot on her." chuckled the yarder, wrapping an arm around his lover's neck.
"Who wouldn't ? She is absolutely exquisite and very clever." the auburn confirmed with a little nod.
"If I didn't knew  you better I would say you are craving for someone to take care of, not  to mention a baby." replied the detective, a small smile crossing his  face.
"We've already discussed that Gregory." the elder Holmes remarked, a little reproof in his voice.
"Discussed what ?" the inspector retorted on the same tone.
"Don't  be silly. We've already come to the conclusion we jut can't have  another child in this house." the official explained even if something  in his body language was clearly showing that he would prefer the  opposite to be true.
"What if it was possible ? Okay, we are older  than we've ever been and all that but look, with my new position I have  more or less regular working hours and with your new arrangement with  Anthea and Victor you are able not to work on most weekends and  evenings." Greg proclaimed.
"We already have Alden to take care of."  Mycroft replied, even if he was already showing clear signs that he was  to be turned around by his partners arguments.
He had to admit deep  inside him that he would have been absolutely delighted to have another  child to protect and love and since the first time they had discussed it  weeks ago, he had kept thinking about it, weighting the pros and the  cons, not really finding many things going against it, apart from the  fact that they were both getting older and older. Even tho, the auburn  had tried his best to convince himself it was a bad idea and that  Gregory would never accept it but as the conversation was unfolding, he  had to admit that his confidence in the story he had told himself was  crumbling rather quickly.
"Look, I would be fine, if not even really  pleased with the fact of adding another young member to the family but  if you really don't want to, it's alright. Just tell me, that's all I  ask." the detective stated, looking at his husband right in the eyes.
"I can't say I'm against." the official admitted reluctantly.
"But  you can't say you are for it because that goes against the savvy of  your brain ?" the policeman continued. "What about you tell him to go  fuck himself and just listen to your heart for once ?"
"Alright." the  other man nodded. "But if we are to have another child I want to be  sure we would both be happy with the situation and both be able to  manage time for him or her without it being to Alden's expense. Does  that seem fair to you ?"
"Alright." Greg agreed. "And I can assure you in the instant I will be able to manage some time."
"How  that ?" questioned the auburn, a soft smile plastered on his face as he  was definitely more than happy about what was happening than even his  brain would tolerate.
"I'm entitled a part-time secretary with my new  position, I just have to fill the paperwork to claim one." the  policeman explained. "And I can ask for some leave every now and then  for children care."
"A secretary ? Oh, you are really becoming  someone within Scotland Yard !" the elder Holmes chuckled before placing  a kiss on the other man's lips. "I suppose I could probably try to be  at home a little more, even if it is to be in my study. At least I'll be  somewhere near. Would that be alright ?" he then asked shyly.
"I'm  sure it will be perfect. You always find a way to sort things out."  Gregory confirmed before dragging his lover in a tight embrace. "You are  the most perfect father and husband I could have asked for."
"Flatterer." Mycroft snorted, nestling his head in the small of his partner's neck.
"Nope.  You really are an amazing person and the fact you won't acknowledge it  just add to your charm." denied the DCI, tightening his already tight  embrace.
"How do you think Alden and the kids will take the news of  another member joining the family ?" the official wondered, his voice  muffled from his position against the other man's skin.
"They will be  delighted as they'e always been when a child joined the family, don't  you worry about it." Greg reassured his lover. "And Alden will most  probably be over the moon to finally be the big brother to someone."
"You  can't guess how much I hope you are right darling." the elder Holmes  concluded before closing his eyes and nestling himself comfortably  against his husband's body.

Greg had woken up with a stupid disco  tune in head and despite the fact it was already four in the afternoon  he still had it running on repeat in his mind, driving him crazy and  diverting him from his work. Thankfully enough, today's case weren't  that important or complicated and he was rather sure that he would be  able to leave early to pick up Alden from school even if he had taken a  two-hours long lunch break, worthily spent going out to the nearby  Indian restaurant with Sally and Molly.
He was very proud of what the  former had achieved as a detective inspector since he had left her the  position. She had worked hard to keep the solved-case rates at pretty  much the same excellent level than before, despite Sherlock being more  than reluctant to work with her, the young man only giving up on his  stubborn attitude when Greg or Mycroft threaten him with taking his cold  cases or deadly experiments away from him. On her side, Donovan had  made great efforts to be at least cordial with the sleuth and the DCI  knew how difficult it must have been for the young woman, giving the  fact she never had fully trusted him.
The policeman yawned and rubbed  a hand in his hair before finally closing the red file displayed on the  desk in front of him and shutting down his computer. His watch read  4:13 PM and it makes him happy to know that for once he would nearly be  on time at his son's school. He raised up and grabbed his belonging  before putting on his coat and exiting his office, carefully pulling  down the blinds and closing the door in order to hide the mess that the  room was in.
As always his car was parked in the second basement,  even tho with his new position came a parking spot closer to the  elevator, not really that the detective really mind but he still  appreciated the gesture. He unlocked the grey BMW's door and take his  position behind the wheel before switching on the radio on the news,  whiling to stay informed about the world, even tho it had been a long  time he had loose faith in it.
As he was waiting at a red-light he  felt his phone buzzing in his back but as he was to take the call the  light switched to green and he had to move. He finally pulled to the  side of the road when he received the fourth call in less than a minute  and a half, understanding that it might be more important than just  someone looking for him to sign a report or a payed-leave form.
"DCI Lestrade." he took the call on the last ring.
"Greg, it's Sally, we really need you here." his interlocutor introduced herself.
"What's  going on ? Because I'm not in the building anymore and I was quite  hoping to be able to pick Alden up from school." replied the man, more  than annoyed by this setback.
"Hillary Johnson have just been found  dead on the embankment in Battersea Park." his adjunct informed him as  the sound she and the rest of her team was making at the same moment  clearly indicated that they were preparing for a heavy intervention.
"Hillary  who ?" the inspector wondered, still parked on the side of the road,  despite the insult and rude gesture the other drivers were making him as  they tried to pass by him.
"Hillary Johnson, one of the most prominent lib-dem's MP." Donovan informed him before running down the stairs to her own car.
"A MP have been murdered ?" Gregory retorted, gob smacked.  It had been years since that had arrived, and even so, it wasn't  without warning or highly sensible politic reason but from what he knew,  and the simple fact he had no idea whatsoever who that lady was, was  quite an effective proof that she hadn't taken any sensible position in  the last weeks or month.
"We don't know yet if it is a murder, a  suicide or an accident but we need to sort that out quickly if we don't  want gossips to be taken as truth before we even have the opportunity to examine the body." the young woman denied.
"Alright,  I'll be on scene in ten minutes. Is there anyone there already ?" the  detective accepted, turning his blue lights and siren on and pulling  back in the traffic, not caring about the protest of the driver behind him that nearly had his car scratched.
"Only  a couple of local constable. I've requested that they start putting up a  large perimeter around the body and prevent anyone from approaching or taking picture but I'm not entirely  sure they will be able to do so if they don't receive any backups."  Donovan replied, exiting the basement were her car was parked and  joining the traffic lights and sirens parting the traffic in front of  her.
"All right, I'll keep you inform of what is going on if I arrive  on location before you. See you later." the policeman concluded before  hanging the call and throwing his phone away on the passenger seat  carelessly, concentrating on taking the turn without decreasing his  speed.