I'm not a Goldfish, Mycroft Holmes

My Sweet Girl

Alice groaned, stretching her back, balancing on the precipice of being awake and asleep. When she opened her eyes she stared directly at a candle lit chandelier. Her fingers trailed up the bed, looking for Mycroft, but his side was cold, he's been out of bed for quite a while.
Alice coughed at the dryness of her throat and sat up, preparing to stand when she saw a glass of water on the bedside table and a folded note. She greedily drank the water and unfolded the paper.

Alice,
Darling, I apologize on my abrupt absence, but I have a meeting I cannot ignore. I will be back tonight, I'm having dinner prepared for us. Anthea will be arriving later with some of your clothes and belongings. I thought it best you stay with me while you grieve, it won't do you any good to step foot in that flat until you recover. I also took the liberty of getting you a few weeks off of work.
-Mycroft.

Alice smiled at the note and stood up with a stretch, popping her back. The weight on her heart was like an anchor, trying desperately to pull her into the depths. She wanted nothing more than to crawl under the covers again and forget the world, forget what happened yesterday, forget that her brother, the person she swore to protect was gone and forget that she had a funeral to plan. The sudden realization struck her like a bolt of lightning and she crumpled onto the wood floor with a choked sob.

When Mycroft came home that evening he dismissed his staff. Alice's belongings were still by the stairs, Anthea had been by but she didn't go up. He searched the parlour, he knocked on the bathroom doors, his study, he wasn't sure why he thought she'd be in there, he tried the library, guest bedrooms, the courtyard, his media room. Surely she couldn't have upped and left, surely not. It wasn't until he heard sobbing he knew where she was. Mycroft himself had never experienced heartache of this magnitude, he's never lost someone precious to him, reacting in a manner that would be considered appropriate was hard to come by but he tried his hardest, and that was that. This woman was special to him, Mycroft only cared for few people but there was something about her that made even this man of ice ache at the sound of her pain.
He pushed the oak door open and found her crumpled up in a heap on the floor, blonde hair spilled around her like woven gold.
"Oh Alice," he sighed, expression softening as he dropped down carefully beside her. Instinctively she clawed for him, he took her in his arms and just held her until she calmed down. Judging by the soreness of her throat she's been here for hours, on the floor, straining her vocal cords with each sob that ripped through them without mercy. Her blue irises were piercing against the redness of her scleras.
He shushed her, rocking back and forth in a soothing rhythm, the dinner he had prepared long forgotten.

When she calmed down sufficiently enough he tucked her back in bed and got her a glass of water from the master bedroom, brushing her hair away from her face as she drank it.
"I have some paperwork to fill out but I shall join you shortly, alright?"
She nodded and curled up under the brown duvet.
Mycroft closed the door behind him and ran his hand over his face, walking the short distance to his study. He contemplated putting her clothing and toiletries in a guest bedroom but with the way she was right now, he wanted to keep a close eye on her. So he'd have his maid Jolene move everything tomorrow morning.
Mycroft walked over to his bar cart and picked up a decanter of brandy and a snifter, pouring himself a drink, sitting in one of the chairs by the fireplace. The man knew that he would pay for the funeral without a second thought, this was her little brother after all, she couldn't pay for it all on her own on a teachers salary. Actually truth be told, Mycroft knew on some level that he would do anything for this woman, anything she asked of him, he would do it without a second thought, without a doubt in his mind. He spun the brandy around in the glass, wondering if he was falling in love, a foolish notion, he knows, Mycroft doesn't love, not outwardly anyhow, appearances must be kept, and Alice knew that. She knew he was a busy man and didn't have time to spend every moment of the day with her, she knew that he worked very late into the night sometimes but she was still here, still willing to make things work as wonderfully as they were. On the rare occasion of under the influence of too much brandy, he entertained the idea that she was made for him, that some higher being sculpted her for him, a genius, a compassionate caring woman, an alluring and captivating woman. He compared her to Irene Adler for a moment before coming to the conclusion that she was above Adler, she was a goddess, Aphrodite herself, she was slowly becoming his world.
Forgoing his work he set the glass down and undid his tie.
Inside the room she was still awake, barely, but awake. She pulled her hands our from the covers and outstretched them, beckoning him to bed. He couldn't deny her now, he was too far gone in his feelings for her, his Aphrodite.
He changed quickly and almost crawled to her.
She curled up on his chest, he wrapped his arms around her. His fingers ran up and down the skin of her right bicep, relishing in the soft skin.
He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, stroking her hair, doing his best to provide comfort and it was surely working for soon she was asleep.
"Oh Alice, you have no idea how much you mean to me, do you?" He whispered to her sleeping form, "my sweet girl."

In the morning she found the bed cold again. She had the strength to get up today, maybe she'll explore the house that Mycroft calls home. She looked at the clock on the wall, it was just after 6pm, she wondered how long she's been asleep but realized it didn't matter.
She touched her greasy hair, maybe after a shower at least, she hoped Mycroft wouldn't mind. But when she stepped into the master bathroom she found all her makeup, her soaps and shampoos, all waiting there. She shut the door and stripped out of Mycroft's shirt, it still smelled like him even though its been on her body. She turned the shower on, the water hot enough to steam up the bathroom.
She hung her bra up on the door handle and shimmied out of her lacy panties, leaving them on the floor by the shower carpet.
The water burned when it hit her skin, soothing her aching muscles. She stood there until the water grew warm before grabbing her bottle of strawberry scented shampoo.

Mycroft placed his satchel on the table by the front door, he heard the shower running upstairs and relaxed. She was moving around. He quickly realized that he should probably get her to eat something, she probably hadn't eaten since breakfast two days ago.
The water shut off and he walked upstairs, greeted by the smell of strawberries and peaches.
Opening the door, she was standing there in a little white towel. She really was a work of art, from her curvy hips, narrow waist and soft breasts, accompanied by the soft swell of her belly. He swallowed awkwardly.
"I apologize, I should have knocked."
"Thats okay," she said, "its not anything you haven't seen before." She said, letting her towel fall, covering only her ass, "well almost everything." She was aware of her flirting ways, she was aware it didn't seem appropriate given what was happening but she needed something to distract her from her grief, and seeing Mycroft flustered was doing just the trick. She slipped a nightshirt over her body and dropped the towel, walking into the bathroom with it, placing the fabric in the laundry hamper. "You're home earlier than I thought you'd be." She said, walking over and playing with his tie.
"What's gotten into you?" He asked, hands gripping at the fabric of her shirt, resting just above her ass.
"I need a distraction."
"And you think I am the perfect distraction?"
"Uh-huh, its working so far." She stretched up on her toes and kissed his chin.
"What can I do to help?"
"Make me forget, please." She whispered, dragging him by his tie to bed.
"Alice, darling please. This is highly inappropriate due to the circumstances."
"Mycroft please, just take me."
Mycroft ran his finger other her bottom lip. "I don't want to push you to do anything you're not comfortable with." He said.
"Just a few days ago you were content on taking me on my couch."
"Yes, that was before Sherlock barged in and spoiled the mood and before your brother died, now darling, I will eventually have you my sweet girl, but not tonight, tonight let us eat, you haven't in two days. Its high time we get some food in you." He slid off the bed and led her downstairs.