Consulting Father. [SLOW UPDATES]

<16>

John's pov.

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Now that Sherlock had dressed we all sat at the couches.
Sherlock sulking and giving Mycroft a death stare. Maria in between us also sulking. Mycroft and Harry sat on the couch opposite us.
Mycroft picks up the tea pot and pours a cup for everyone
"I'll be the Mother," he says
"Well there is our childhood on a nutshell," Sherlock spits out venomously while leaning back and glaring at Mycroft.
"Cut it out you two or I'm telling Nana," Maria snaps picking up her cup and elegantly taking a sip. 
"Thank you for the tea uncle but do get on with it I have far better things to be doing," she says with an air of maturity.
I follow in her lead and also pick up my cup to drink.
"Do you really, Maria,  because as far as I know you were not doing much when my men collected you from that bio-hazardous flat you live in," Mycroft says
"I will have you know, my Dear uncle, that I was about to go and see my 'friend' when your 'men' came to get us," Maria reply's putting emphasis on friend and men which made it sound almost like she was trying to prove something to Mycroft.
"you don't have friends Maria you're a Holmes,"  Mycroft says with no emotion
"ok can we all calm down and just discuss this case now?" I say sensing the tension in the air, I glance across to look at Maria and Sherlock, Maria looks genuinely upset by the comment made by Mycroft and Sherlock looks like he is fighting himself over whether to punch his arrogant brother or ignore it and continue with the case.
"dad has John, why can't I have a friend to?" Maria murmurs sulking and leaning back sinking into the couch much like how Sherlock had been previously.
Mycroft opens his mouth to retort but quickly closes it when I give him a death stare.
"Of course you can have friends Maria, but right now let's just focus of this case yeah?" I say.
Mycroft glares and scoffs.
"My employer has a problem," Harry says to break up any further fuss between the brothers. Mycroft sits straighter and looks to Sherlock
"A matter has come to light of an extremely delicate and potentially criminal nature and in this hour of need, Dear brother, your name has arisen," he says almost smugly
"Why?" Sherlock asks "you have a police force of sorts, even a marginally secret service, why come to me?" he huffs harshly and warily.
Harry looks at him with a raised brow.
"People do come to you for help don't they, Mr Holmes?" He asks
Sherlock rolls his eyes slightly and hums slightly.
"Not to date anyone with a navy," he says.
I roll my eyes at his answer and hear Maria mutter a soft
"Stop showing off,"
"This is a matter of the highest security and therefore of trust," Mycroft says.
I look at him slightly confused
"You dont trust your own secret service?" I asked tilting my head up slightly
Mycroft gives me a look of utter disgust
"Naturally not, they all spy on people for money," he spits with a hint of distaste.

"yet you will trust us, two highly childish and a 'child'," Maria says with an eyebrow quirked

I smirk slightly thinking back on when he offered me money to spy on Sherlock. Thinking of bringing that up I am interrupted by Harry

"I do believe that we have a time table to keep," he states look at Mycroft expectingly. Mycroft replies with a small
"Ah yes, of course,"
Sherlock raises his eyebrows at his brother as he picks up a briefcase from the table between them he pops it open and picks up a photo from inside.
"What do you know about this woman?" He asks handing the photo over to Sherlock. He moves forward and uncrosses his legs grabbing the A4 image and flipping in around to look at. Maria glances over his shoulder raising a single eyebrow yet again before returning her attention to the tea in front of her.
"Nothing whatsoever," Sherlock says
"Then you should be paying more attention," Mycroft says "she has been at the centre of two political scandals in the last year and recently ended the marriage of a prominent novelist, by having an affair with both participants separately," he adds
Sherlock glances up from the image and I take a sip of my tea
"You know I don't concern myself with Trivia," he says with a huff
"Who is she?" He asks
Mycroft takes a breath before answering.
"Irene Adler, professionally known as the Woman," he says
"Professionally?" I ask curiously
"There are many names for what she does, she prefers, dominatrix," Mycroft says. Sherlock looks down at the photo with a slight frown and repeats
"Dominatrix," as though to let it register. Mycroft looking rather amused adds
"Don't be alarmed, it's to do with sex,"
I am slightly confused by the statement as Sherlock's daughter sits in between us but before I can even think about the statement Sherlock snaps back with
"Sex doesn't alarm me," and a rather serious face. Maria snorts and chuckles but stays rather quiet otherwise.
Mycroft still looking smug and amused slightly glances at her
"How would you know," he says quietly.
Sherlock's face falls and he looks rather sad.
Again not giving time for anyone to really register what was said Mycroft moves on.
"She provides, shall we say, recreational scolding for those who enjoy that sort of thing and are prepared to pay for it, these are all from her website," he says taking an envelope from the briefcase and handing it to Sherlock. Sherlock pulls out the contents which happen to be more photos, these of what appears to be the woman's website title and information.
While cycling through them with Maria again looking over his shoulder eyebrow raised Sherlock speaks up.
"And I assume this Adler woman has some compromising photographs?" He asks.
I lower my teacup and quickly glance at the images
"Your very quick, Mr Holmes," Harry says. Sherlock gives him a slight smirk.
"Hardly a difficult deduction, photographs of whom?" Maria asks earning a slight glare from Sherlock who was clearly about to say the same thing. After a few seconds of silence, while he got over the sudden question from Maria, Harry looks to Mycroft, and Mycroft looks from Harry to us.
"A person of... significance to my employer," Harry says slightly secretive.
"We'd prefer not to say any more at this time," he adds. Sherlock glares slightly and I look at him
"You can't tell us anything?" I ask.
Mycroft raises both eyebrows and takes a deep breath.
"I can tell you it's a young person," he says pausing. I take a sip of tea and Maria also lifts her cup to drink. Mycroft nods his head to the side slightly as he continues
"A young female person," he says ending his statement with a slight smile.
I immediately look at him slightly with wide eyes and swallow the tea I had just drunk. Maria, however, chokes on the beverage slightly before setting her cup down and looking up.

"lucky her," she says with a small smile which I assume was to hide her slight embarrassment as her face turns a slight shade pinker Sherlock smirks and they all look at us her slightly more. Mycroft sighs and Sherlock turns to him

"How many photographs?" He asks.
"A considerable number, apparently," Mycroft replies
"Do miss Adler and this young female person appear in these photographs together?" Sherlock asks. By now Maria was giving him a slight death stare
"Yes, they do," Mycroft replies in a bored tone.
"And I assume in a number of compromising scenarios?" Sherlock asks. Maria slightly kicking him.
"An imaginative range, we are assured," Mycroft snaps seemingly growing board of Sherlock questions. Sherlock smirks.
"John, you might want to put that cup back in your saucer now," Maria says. I glance over at her and Sherlock who both Stare at Mycroft and place the cup down with a slight face of shock.
"Can you help us, Mr Holmes?" Harry asks.
"How?" Sherlock replies.
"Will you take the case?" Harry asks. Sherlock stares at him with slightly narrowed eyes
"What case? Pay her now, and in full," Sherlock says moving to stand up
"As Mrs Adler remarks in her masthead, know when you are beaten," Maria says also moving to stand.
"She doesn't want anything," Mycroft says leading to Sherlock pausing with his hand on his jacket and Maria standing in between us staring at him.
"She got in touch, she informed us that the photographs existed, she indicated that she had no intention to use them to extort either money or favour," Mycroft says.
"Oh, a power play," Sherlock says with a ghost of a smile "a power play with the most powerful family in Britain, now that is a dominatrix. Ooh, this is getting rather fun, isn't it?" Sherlock says
"Sherlock..." I say as a warning,
"Hmm, where is she?" He asks
"Uh, in London currently, she's staying..." Mycroft replies cut off by Sherlock who is now walking to the door. Maria following behind. I move to stand as does Mycroft.
"Text me the details I'll be in touch by the end of the day," Sherlock says
"Do you really think you will have news by then?" Harry asks
Maria smirks as Sherlock turns around slightly.
"No he thinks he'll have the photographs," she says. Harry glances at her then immediately turns to Sherlock.
"One can only hope you're as good as you seem to think," he says. Sherlock smiles slightly as his eyes glance over Harry.
"I'll need some equipment, of course," he says
"Anything you require I'll have sent over..." Harry starts to say only to be interrupted by Sherlock.
"Can I have a box of matches?" He asks.
"I'm sorry?" Harry replies confused
"OR your cigarette lighter, either will do," Sherlock asks
Harry shakes his head.
"I don't smoke," he states
"No, I know you don't, but your employer does," Sherlock says with a sly smirk.
I furrow my eyebrows and look at him.
"We have kept a lot of people successfully in the dark about this little fact, Mr Holmes," Harry says warily moves closer.
"I'm not the Commonwealth," Sherlock scoffs taking the lighter and walking away.
"And that's about as modest as he gets, a pleasure to meet you," I say moving to follow him and Maria as they stroll out of the room
"Laters!" Maria calls out we round the corner.