The Government's Baby

Chapter 1- The Beginning

~During A Study in Pink~

“Have a seat, John.”
“You know, I’ve got a phone.”

While this was happening, a black car was parked outside the abandoned warehouse. The phone rung, not once… not twice… but three times before the driver noticed. He put out his cigarette, reached into the car and answered the phone. “Hello,” His gruff voice spoke calmly,
“Is this a Mycroft Holmes?” The woman on the other end of the line asked. Strange, the driver thought, they obviously don’t know of Mycroft- otherwise they would know I’m not him. So why are they calling?
“No, But I’m his driver. I can take a message and Mr Holmes will get back to you” No, he probably wouldn’t- but that is what the driver had been trained to respond with.

“Okay…” The woman trailed off, thinking of what to say “We need him to come down to Scotland Yard. A woman named Rachel Brown died in a car accident today. We ran some DNA tests on the daughter, to see if we could locate any relatives; and it turns out that Mr Mycroft Holmes is the father. We need him to come and collect her. Unless he wants her to go into the system, he will be fostering he until he is approved for adoption.” She was obviously bored stiff, just reciting what she was told to say, but the driver was shocked.
His boss- a father. Oh, this would be fun… very fun indeed. Maybe this was a chance for the man to grow a heart.

“I will tell him that, and we will be there in about an hour, good evening!” The driver concluded, and hung up. He then remembered the shop down the road from where he was parked, so he went to buy a car seat.

“Welcome back.” Mycroft began to walk away, towards a back exit where his car awaited him “Time to choose a side Mr Watson.” He began to spin his umbrella in circles as he walked further and further away from his brother’s new friend

As Mycroft arrived at his car, he couldn’t see his driver so, he called out “Mark, time to go. My business with Dr Watson is over.”
Mark got out of the car “Of course Sir,” he walked round and got in behind the wheel.

Mycroft got into the car, and noticed it immediately “Mark- what is this? I’m not in the mood for jokes!” “Ha! Your never in the mood for jokes, sir.” Mark laughed, but then noticed his boss’ stern look “Umm… you had a call from Scotland Yard. A woman named Rachel Brown died in a car accident earlier” Mycroft’s eyes widened, but Mark continued “And they ran some DNA tests on her kid. And you’re the father. They want you to take her into your care, so-”
“But I have no wish for a daughter.” Mycroft interrupted “You should have told them that!”
“I thought about it, sir” Mark countered, holding back a scowl “But I thought that if you put her into care, it would damage your image- professionally, I mean.”
Mycroft frowned, thinking- maybe about his child, or about his image. “Okay, I will do it. Let’s go.”
Mark drove off, heading towards Scotland Yard.

When they arrived, Mycroft got out of the car- told Mark to wait for him- and stepped inside. He was immediately greeted by the sound of a crying child, probably a 3-year-old girl- from the sound. An employee got him to sign a form, and then took him over to meet his daughter. The moment he saw her, Mycroft secretly texted Mark, saying:

'Come help me with the child; she is being difficult
- MH'

So, Mark went inside, to find his boss sitting on a table- his hand holding up his head, and a wailing little girl in the chair in front of him. Mark picked up the sobbing girl, and began to rock her, silencing her cries. Mycroft sighed in relief, and walked out behind Mark. Once Lily was in the car, she stayed silent- but awake- a nervous look on her face that no-one noticed.
“Drive home, Mark,” he requested- once the engine had started running “I will take Lily to Baker Street tomorrow.” His phone pinged, and he looked at the text “Actually… I need to go somewhere else first.”

“I know exactly who that is…” Sherlock approached his brother, who had just stepped out of a black car, with tinted windows.
“So, another case cracked,” Mycroft began, deciding to introduce Sherlock and Lily another time “How very… public-spirited. Though that’s never your motivation, is it?”
“What are you doing here?” Sherlock countered, his petty dislike of his brother beginning to show
“As ever, I’m concerned about you.” Watson turned his gaze from one Holmes brother to the other, confused as to how they knew each other.
“Yes, I’ve been hearing about your ‘concern’”
“Always so aggressive. Did it ever occur to you that you and I belong on the same side?” Mycroft sighed; this petty feud was beginning to get on his nerves.
“Oddly enough, no!” Sherlock sarcastically remarked, shaking his head
“We have more in common that you’d like to believe,” Mycroft continued “This petty feud between us is simply childish. People will suffer. And you know how it always upset Mummy.”
“I upset her?” Sherlock mocked. “Me?” John was looking even more confused than before- which Mycroft didn’t believe was possible. “It wasn’t me that upset her, Mycroft.”

After more conversation: involving sarcastic remarks; explaining to John that his concern was genuine- and that they were actually brothers, Mycroft got back into the car, to find a sleeping Lily, and a bored Mark.

As they arrived at home, Mycroft picked up the young Holmes, and carried her up to her new room- which he had some agents prepare earlier. Mycroft laid Lily down in the cot, and as he was about to walk away- he heard her ask “Where’s mummy?”
Mycroft frowned, and turned around to find the little girl awake, staring at him- awaiting an answer. “She’s…” Mycroft was unsure of what to say, he- strangely- didn’t want to hurt her feelings “Gone on a trip. And I- your father- am going to take care of you until you are ready to go with her. Now go to sleep!” He rushed out of the room, so didn’t hear Lily whisper “Okay, night daddy.”