Ten Past the Hour (Mycroft Holmes Fanfiction)

Chapter 5

"Morning, Kate!"

"Morning. You look especially happy today. Heard from Em?"

"No, still nothing." Amy handed over her card.

"So why the big smile?"

Amy shrugged. "It might be a man."

Kate's jaw dropped. "Is it Blue Eyes?" Amy had told her little about the man who had been talking to her lately, other than that he was interesting and had pretty blue eyes. "We need to have a girls night and you're going to tell us everything."

Amy laughed. "I said might! I only had lunch with him yesterday."

Kate grinned. "Girls night. Soon."

"Alright, alright. I'll let you know."

It was a quiet morning in the library, with few files being requested and none coming in. Jeffrey was tracking down a document in Germany. They hadn't heard much from him for a week. Laurel was busy deciphering old Russian code and Lukas was researching something for an operative in MI-6. While Amy had her fair share of work to do - new security protocols to draw up and a bin of Intel that she had to put together into an answer to a problem - she was desperate to organize a few sections of the archives.

Settling in Section 27, she plugged in her headphones and set to work. Lugging bins of correspondence, code, documents, and profiles across aisles was exhausting. She memorized the new locations easily, storing them away with barely a thought. Indexing the changes meticulously, she only hoped Lukas would be able to pick up the changes as quickly as she thought he could.

Her music was muted as her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Miss Bryne." Mycroft's soft voice made her heart do an entirely surprising and interesting flip.

Amy blinked. "Where'd you get my number?"

"I thought we were assuming I know everything?"

She smiled and leaned against a shelf. "Alright, fine. Good morning."

"On time today, I assume."

"I was early, thank you very much."

He chuckled. "I seem to be working at a good pace today. Will you be free for lunch again?"

"Same time?" He hummed in assent. "Perfect. Can I have your driver's number? I'm not telling you where we're going."

He chuckled. "That's too bad then, isn't it?"

"Stinker. I've got a whole other shelf to tackle so I'll see you at one."

She hung up, turning as footsteps sounded on the wood floor behind her. "Lunch date?" Lukas bent to pick up a bin. She nodded. He sighed dramatically. "I'll have to finish this shelf then. I have to do everything myself."

She chuckled. "Oh please. C'mon."

***

"You're still not going to tell me?"

"You'll have to wait and see." Amy smiled and slid into the Jaguar. Leaning forward, she told the driver where to take them. He nodded and put the car in drive.

Mycroft sighed and sat back. "Very well. What should I expect? At least tell me that."

"No. Be patient."

Occupying himself in the meantime, Mycroft took hold of her right hand. "Is this significant?" She had a silver ring on her middle finger. He had yet to see her without it.

"It was my mom's."

He nodded and turned her hand in his, examining it curiously. She had the hands of one who lived a quiet, easy life that was mostly spent around paper. Two paper cuts adorned her hand and smudges of blue ink. He looked up, finding her watching him curiously. He let her hand go but she took his, turning it in hers.