Dancing with the Devil (part one)

Chapter 32: Just The Usual

Astrid swivelled round on her heels and confidently strolled over to the seat that her boss was sat in just moments ago. She lowered herself into the seat and leant back, impolitely lifting up her legs and resting the on the desk in front.

"You seem disturbed." she said with a finger pressed curiously against her lips, she smirked, "I hope our little display of affection wasn't too much for you."

Mycroft rolled his eyes and sat down. He continued to stare Astrid in the eyes, hers looking back at him.

"I'm disappointed in you Mycroft Holmes," she shook her head sarcastically, "you're supposed to be at the heart of the British government. Surely you have the resources to tell that I'm not really a poor little girl seeking refuge with the worlds greatest detective and his trusty companion."

"Miss Holton, we do not waste our facilities on-" he started before Astrid cut him off.

"Well, maybe you should have,"  she said sternly, before tilting her head, "why do you call me Miss Holton?"

"Because it's your name."

"Oh she did well, didn't she?" she said to herself and smirked, "good on ya mum."

Mycroft opened his mouth to reply but was stopped by Astrid flinging her legs off the desk and twisted her chair so that she was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees staring at the monitor to the side of the desk. On it there was a split screen with different angles on a small brown haired lady stood on one side of a glass wall, and on the other side Moriarty stood, towering over the lady he stood in front. Astrid looked at Mycroft and smirked.

"Five minutes unsupervised conversation." she reminded him and before she knew it, she watched as the screen suddenly turned to a grey blur of lines. She spun back round to face Mycroft who looked extremely worried.

"I would have thought that you would be more eager to stay with your 'lover'," he said, sounding quite disgusted, "You do seem extremely close."

"Very much so," she smirked, "so much so, that I don't even have to be in that little meeting to know what is being said."

"Of course." he stated, annoyed that he didn't realise that earlier.

"Anyhoo," Astrid hummed playfully, "that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"And what did you want to talk about?"

"You have access to the deepest parts of data basses, as you keep reminding us, therefore, I would like you to give me all the information you can on a certain person."

"Who?"

"I'm not going to tell you that until you promise me that you'll do it." she said seriously, "I want your word."

"What's in it for me, as they say." Mycroft sighed.

"You'll know that when you see who it is."

"Fine, you have my word." he sighed in defeat, "whatever that's worth."

"Excellent," she sat up straight and smiled, "his name is Lucas Hansel, he also has a wife called Amelie Chaudoir, but I doubt she'll be of much interest"

"And what connection does he have to you?" he asked nosily.

"Now that would be telling." she winked and leat back in her seat. She looked up casually as if she was searching the ceiling for answers, she looked back at Mycroft who had resorted to putting his hands in front of him in a prayer position in deep thought, "you don't look a lot like your brother, ya know."

"Sorry?" he said putting his hands down.

"I said you look nothing like Sherlock." she repeated and tilted her head, "except for that little thinking position. He does it all the time."

"Really?" he asked an Astrid nodded. The iceman frowned and changed the subject, "what's you real name?"

"I was wondering when this was going to come up." she sighed, "my name is Astrid."

"Astrid?"

"Ah, now that's where it gets quite complicated." she grinned, "maybe, if you do as I ask, I'll tell you, just maybe."

She tapped her finger on her nose mockingly. Mycroft rolled his eyes and the blonde giggled and jumped out of her chair. She placed a business card with her phone number on the desk, "text me when you have what I need."

The iceman slowly nodded and looked at the card as Astrid made her own way to the door and opened it to find Seb waiting with the other bodyguard .

"Your job seems extremely boring." she smiled and approached Seb.

"What was all that about?" he asked, referring to her meeting with Mycroft, "it looked very interesting."

"Oh it was."

"Care to elaborate."

"I'd rather not," she said and gazed over Seb's shoulder at the other guard, "we are, after all, in mixed company."

The man spotted her staring at him and his brown twitched a little and Astrid smiled sardonically as the man, professionally, remained motionless. Astrid giggled and looked at Seb.

"Ya know, he's a lot better at the whole straight faced body guarding than you are Seb." She smirked and Seb clicked his tongue.

"Well, would you rather I stood around like a soulless statue instead?"

"Nope."

"Very well then" there was a small pause, "do you know what Jim's doing?"

"He's speaking to a woman named Eurus Holmes. They gave them five minutes, and he has..." She said as she lifted up her left arm to look at an imaginary watch and then looked back at Jim, "two minutes and two seconds left."

"Did you memorise that or was it just a guess?"

"I looked at my watch," she showed him her left arm that was still in the absence of a watch and Seb chuckled, "see."

"Right." He replied, not sure what else to say.

Just under two minutes later Astrid jumped up from where she was perched on the end of a step and began counting down, eagerly.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one and..." almost immediately, the few screens around the corridor zapped back on and the same angles of the prison cell could be seen again, this time with the two people from earlier walking away from each other, Euros walked to the centre of her cell where she kneeled down and Jim to the same door he had entered in. After a few seconds, there was a hissing sound and a door to their left opened and Jim came out smirking cunningly as two of the prisons guards escorted them out.

"Anything interesting, my dear?"

"Absolutely" His Irish accent rang out and he grinned, "what about you, darling?"

"Just the usual, darling." He took her hand and they walked back the way they came followed by, the now very serious looking, Sebastian Moran.