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It was nearing five at night, and Adeline had just arrived at the Royal Academy. Adeline spotted the two brothers in front of her as she walked through the centre of the area.
"Adeline." Sherlock greeted the woman with a kiss on her cheek, once she was close enough.
"Sherlock." She replied back with a smile.
"Mycroft." Adeline nodded towards him.
"I do believe congratulations are in order, my dear." Mycroft said.
"Thank you Mycroft, has Sherlock asked you?" Adeline asked.
"He has, and I accepted." Despite the friction between the two Sherlock had asked Mycroft to be his best man. Sherlock and Mycroft were there for each over the past decade, and Sherlock couldn't imagine anyone else standing by him.
"I'm glad... Now onto more important things, why are we here?" Adeline questioned.
"We're here because Sherlock left a coded message for Enola pretending to be Mother, to try and lure her here." Mycroft remarked. Adeline narrowed her eyes at Sherlock.
"She's much too smart to fool for that, and she doesn't want to be found, so she won't." Adeline told Sherlock.
"Anything?" Adeline asked the pair.
"Nothing at all." Mycroft replied.
"She beat you once before, little brother, and now she may have done so again." Mycroft said, this time speaking to Sherlock.
"Oh, I do believe she thought it me, but I also believe that she'd be to intrigued not too be here all the same." Sherlock said, referring to Adeline's earlier remark, and Mycroft's comment.
"Unfortunately you were wrong." Mycroft said with a smug smile, Adeline had half the mind to give him a wack. Sherlock was entitled to have hope at seeing his sister again.
"it's possible." Sherlock said, giving in to Mycroft's thoughts.
"Nevertheless, if we do find her again, I'd like her to be Adeline and I's ward. We'll take care of her." Sherlock told Mycroft.
"Well... On your head be it." Mycroft said with a sigh.
"I wash my hands with her."
"We'll be delighted to take her in." Adeline said with a pointed look towards Mycroft, even though she knew very well Enola wouldn't be staying with them.
"All the better." Sherlock replied to Mycroft.
"You are a strange fish, little brother." Mycroft said.
"And you're a cantankerous one, older brother." Sherlock was quick to reply, Adeline smiled at their quips at each other.
"I assume you're being so delightful because of the vote?" Adeline asked Mycroft sarcastically.
"Passed by one. That reemerging little toadstool, the Marquess of Tewkesbury, and his vote proved to be decisive." Mycroft said with annoyance.
"Now as much as I enjoy standing outside the Royal Academy-" Sherlock interrupted Mycroft.
"He's an interesting character, you know?"
Mycroft made a noise of enquiry.
"And I suspect he is rather keen on young Enola." Sherlock said.
"Then he should marry her. Maybe it'll tame them both." Mycroft said, walking off. Adeline rolled her eyes at the man.
"Drink at the club to commiserate me?" Mycroft asked the pair.
"Yes I'll buy you a drink, Mycroft." Sherlock said with a smile. Adeline shook her head, and grabbed Sherlock's arm.
The two were walking with Mycroft heading off in front of them, when Sherlock slowed down.
"Sherlock?" Adeline questioned.
Sherlock ignored her question and walked over to the statue, where he picked something up. Adeline walked over to get her own look.
Dash.
She placed her hand on Sherlock's arm and smiled at him.
"She loves you, but she wants to be on her own." Adeline said to Sherlock, placing a kiss on his cheek.
Sherlock looked around trying to spot Enola. Adeline sighed, she knew Sherlock wanted Enola to be safe at home with him, but that wasn't the way the world was working.
"Come on you two!" Mycroft called out to the pair.
Sherlock placed Dash back down onto the statue before linking his arm with Adeline's once more and walking in the direction of Mycroft.
The two walked underneath one of the arches and followed after Mycroft.
"What on earth were you doing?" Mycroft asked, stopping for the pair just before the gate.
"Mycroft you act like we're in a hurry to commiserate you." Adeline called out to him mockingly with a laugh.
"Thought I saw something." Sherlock said giving the real reason, as they reached Mycroft.
The group of three then walked off, heading towards the club to have a drink, to commiserate Mycroft.
But, if only someone had looked back, they would've seen young Enola smiling at them. Although that smiling soon turned to a frown, wishing she could've been as close with the trio as they were with each other.
