I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 137 : Vientiane's baby

Mycroft looked down at the infant in her mouse basket. She was babbling and smiling, little bubbles of saliva gathering at the corner of her lips. The man run his long and gentle finger through the soft short black hair of the little girl. He couldn't repressed the grin that spread over his face. If he ever had any jobs each of them had wanted another child, this simple instant would have been enough to completely turn his mind around.
Gregory, however, still hadn't seen the little girl a bunch of little boys keeping him out of the nursery, begging him to show more tricks with the scratched board the eldest was carrying. Thankfully, a middle-aged man, who seemed to be the caretaker, called them out in their mother tongue and, shouting and giggling, the kids ran to him before disappearing through a door.
The policeman then approached from the basket and bent over it, letting out a little gasp as he glanced his first look at the baby. With her honey- coloured skin and her deep black hair, she was without any doubt, the most gorgeous little girl he ever had seen. He delicately lifted her in the air, one large hand sustaining her back while the other was carefully keeping her head still.
He nestled her against his chest, her head now resting on his left arm, tickling gently her tummy with his available fingers, his eyes glancing a loving look from the girl to his partner and back on the infant again.
They were still admiring the toddler when they heard a discreet cough behind them coming from the director of the orphanage. Mycroft turned on his heels, a smile still securely attached to his face as Greg was putting back the baby in her basket.
"Sorry for interrupting you sirs, but there is a man here who wish to see you." She advised them, stepping aside only to reveal the presence of a rather old man in an army uniform.
"Mr Holmes ? General Kham. May I speak to you privately ?" The man introduced himself.
The auburn exchanged a look with his partner who nodded back to him and, without a word, he advanced toward the military. He wasn't liking the situation in the slightest, but he tried not to show any of his nerves.
The two men made their way to a small room, which, judging by the decoration, probably happened to be the room of some very young girls. The general took a seat on the corner of a bedside table, and with a gesture from the hand, invited the official to do the same, although not very sure of what to expect. Mycroft declined the proposition and simply leaned against the wall, not too far from the door.
"Don't be afraid, Mr Holmes, I do not intend any harm to you." The older man tried to smile.
"With all due respect general, you will understand that, in my position, I never take any ones words for gospel." The elder Holmes retorted, grinning sarcastically.
"Wise attitude. But you really have nothing to worry about with me." Kham replied, still having some kind of struggle to smile, as if it was something he wasn't use to.
"I will judge that for myself, if you care to explain me the reason of your presence down here." Simply answered the auburn, feeling that the situation was getting even odder than it already was.
"Our custom services have advised our national security office that an English gentleman caring a diplomatic passport had entered our territory last night and after a few researches it happened that this gentleman was you. As you can imagine, a little country like ours isn't really used to receive the visit of one of the most powerful man in the world." General started to explain, keeping it very polite.
"I merely occupy a minor position within the British government." The auburn interrupted him, mechanically.
"Don't be too modest Mr. Holmes, according to our informations your name appear on quite a few reports and cases of interest. However, your presence in our country raised some questions on what exactly are your goals." Kham resumed.
"What do you think I could possibly do here? If you are that well-informed about me, you would probably have noticed it I'm not really someone for the legwork." Mycroft retorted, rather harshly.
"We've noticed you've arrived and registered at the custom half a minute before a certain Mr ... Gregory Lestrade." The other man replied, checking the policeman's name in a notebook. " A man that appeared to be on your side just minutes ago and which is believed to be a prominent detective London's Scotland yard, isn't it?"
"Detective Chief Inspector." The official corrected, still waiting for what was still to come.
"So, Mr. Holmes, we have a government official from Great Britain who appears to be one of the very few people who have no real affectation but whose name appears in every sensible cases and a prominent policeman with excellent records in field work, travelling in our country without having advised the authorities, you can and mitts that it's more than a little concerning for us, don't you?"
"Have you properly checked Mr. Lestrade files or have you just googled his name?" Mycroft sharply replied.
"Is there anything you care to mention we would have missed?" Wondered the general, curious but still careful.
"If you had done a proper research you may have noticed that Mr. Lestrade applied a few months ago for an adoption process." the elder Holmes snorted. "Which could probably explain his presence in an orphanage, by the way."
"That still doesn't explain your presence here." Kham remarked, his confidence slightly going down.
"You should probably dire the guy you've mandated to research Mr Lestrade and I. If you had taken a look over last years' news, you would have noticed a couple of headlines claiming that Mr Lestrade and I might be in a relationship, and I have to admit that they were right." The auburn replied, even if rather reluctantly.
"Are you saying that you are, alongside Mr Lestrade, in this orphanage to take a child away and bring him back to the United-Kingdom ?" The general summed up.
"Exactly." The official nodded stiffly.
"Are you planning to move out from Vientiane to the countryside even for a shirt amount of time ?" Kham carried on.
"No." The other man denied.
"Right. I suppose you are aware that some unpatriotic scum are sometime carrying out terrorist attacks even in this city. For that reason, I think it would be safer for you to be escorted by a couple of armed officers." The older man suggested even if his tone was showing clearly that it was less a suggestion that an obligation.
"Escort us or spy on us ?" The elder Holmes snorted. "If you don't mind I think I will take the risk and decline your last offer. If that's all, I better go back to my activities. My respect, general." Mycroft refused before exiting the room, leaving Kham quite astonished on his bedside table.
As he walked back to the nursery he could hear the smooth and deep voice of his partner humming a traditional English lullaby to the little girl he has taken back in his arms.
"What does the guy wanted ?" Greg asked as he noticed his husband coming back.
"Wish is a good and pleasant stay in the country. And his best wishes for the addition to the family." The elder Holmes smiled.
"You are a very funny chap really." The policeman chuckled, shaking his head. "Look at this beauty ..."
"Mrs Lestrade-Holmes sounds nice to me." The auburn nodded, running a soft finger over the infant's cheek.
"Mrs Vinhong asked if we have though about a name for her." The detective informed the other man, still looking at the baby's face.
"What have you answered her ?" The official wondered.
"That I must see that with you.." the policeman replied. "She told me that in the papers here she is referred as Aelane but officially she is just registered as 'unknown girl' so it's up to us."
"I like Aelane ..." Mycroft moaned, looking in the mid distance, thinking. "Leane-Aelane ..."
"That sounds good to me." Greg nodded. "Leane-Aelane Ellen."
"Ellen ?" Wondered the elder Holmes, not looking completely sure about it.
"You don't like it ? I find it cute and classy." The policeman pouted.
"No, no, it's fine, it's just that I didn't knew it was a name you liked or anything. But yes, it's nice." Retorted the auburn with a little smile. "Leane-Aelane Ellen Lestrade-Holmes."
"Leane-Aelane Ellen Holmes-Lestrade, more like it." Chuckled the inspector.
"Hmm ... and what about Leane-Aelane Ellen Elizabeth Lestrade-Holmes ?" The official proposed.
"Elizabeth like your mother ?" Greg frowned, dubious.
"No, don't be silly, Elizabeth like THE Elizabeth." The younger man giggled.
"You nearly have me fooled." The policeman laughed. "Leane-Aelane Ellen Elizabeth Holmes-Lestrade. Are we settled ?"
"I think so, yes." Mycroft smile before pecking the other man's cheek.
"Mrs Vinhong said she would be waiting for us in her office, if only we manage to find out where it is ..." the detective stated, making his way to the nursery door.
It took them half a dozen of minutes to find the said office, having to ask one of the keepers to help them out, having to use Mycroft gift for language to make their way out of this situation.
Two hours later they were out of the orphanage, a stack of signed official paper in their hands and a nearing time the next day to pick up their now-official daughter.
As it was still only mid-afternoon, the two men decided not to go back directly to their hotel but to have a stroll on the Mekong shore boardwalk then to the Chua Bang Long Temple.
The white and yellow, relatively modern, boudhist temple was glowing in the sun. Mycroft, even if he wasn't a believer, found that there was something quite surreal and highly spiritual. Without having planned it, he pushed the door of the monastery and entered the silent patio where a couple of monks were taking care of the trees.
The younger monk noticed the two visitors and addressed them a brilliant smile before directing them to a huge room on the other side of the patio where a few people were absorbed in their prayers.
Mycroft and Greg sat in one of the back corners of the room, just silently observing the feeling of high spirituality and communion that was emerging from the moment, feeling more serene than they had been for a long time, just genuinely happy about the outcome of that trip.
They finally exited the temple as the sun was going down, not fully aware of how long they had stayed in the silent room, but as they walked out of the monastery, they suddenly realized how hungry they were.
The elder Holmes seized his phone and started searching for a restaurant but the policeman took the device away and, laughing at his partner inability to do anything that wasn't planned, pulled him by the hand through the city.
They walk through the Haysok neighbourhood, amazed by the lights, the sounds and the fragrances until they reached the Khua Luang restaurant, near from the Lao National Opera.
They sat down at a little table in the patio, immediate presented with fresh coconut to drink and as the official was looking, quite bewildered at the item, the policeman couldn't help but snap a couple of pictures. He wasn't able to take more than two before The auburn noticed his action and put his hands in front of the camera
"Bugger off." He cried out, half-furious, half-laughing.
"Have you ever seen a coconut ?" Gregory chuckled, mocking.
"Of course I know what a coconut is !" The official protested. "Its just... unexpected ?"
"I don't know what to do with you seriously ..." the inspector sighed, amused. "I hope that your daughter will be less exhausting that you."

Sorry but I had to repost it as it apparently had trouble to be updated to every one. Apologies for it being so late as it was originally intended to be your Christmas present ...