I'm not a Goldfish, Mycroft Holmes

"Boys? Anything You Wish to Tell Me?"

So, I had a sleepless night last night (the second night in a row lol...or is it the third? Forth? I've lost count) and I decided to take a trip to the library in all my sleep deprived glory, it turns out they were having a sort of book sale. So of course me being me and rather a bibliophile of sorts, I hopped all on that. Of course I picked up a Young Adult novel, a few Horror stories, a book that might help me understand how romance and marriage works, and finally my two favourite finds. A 1972 copy of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (do I already have it? Yes, but not this one though) and a 1959 illustrated copy of The Odyssey by Homer, like, yes. Absolutely, yes. If you haven't read The Iliad or The Odyssey I highly recommend, they are so good. But anyway. If you haven't guessed the marriage book is quite relevant to the upcoming chapters that I will eventually write and publish...but anyway...yeah, its been a good day, even if my body is begging me to sleep...🙃🙂 (how am I even still alive? Idk. Also I've had the song Hellfire from The Hunchback of Notre Dame stuck in my head for the past 24 hours, help me.) Anyway sorry if the chapter is subpar and its actually quite short, mostly because I can barely make my fingers move right now, this is more of a transitional chapter more than anything. I got things brewing. Ehehehehe

As time went by she began to heal, after a few weeks she could walk on her own without much trouble, well with the help of a few prescription bottles she could. Mycroft had left for work long before she woke up that morning but left a note telling her that Sherlock will be by to check on her. Alice rolled her eyes, she didn't need a babysitter, especially if said babysitter is Sherlock.
However with the freedom to move about as she pleased, she walked around the house twice before eventually deciding she was actually hungry and made herself a late breakfast.

Sherlock had strolled by like Mycroft had said, and he brought John along with him. Alice offered them tea and they sat in the dining room.
"So, I see you're moving around," John said trying to make conversation.
"Yes, I am."
"How's the leg?"
Alice looked down at her healing wound, exposed from her shorts, running a hand over the bright pink flesh. "Its fine, the pain is mostly Nociceptive but its nothing a little painkiller can't solve." She smiled at the men, wrapping her fingers around the cup of tea.
"So, how are things? Any new cases I should know about?"
John shrugged and shook his head, "no, I'm not sure, Sherlock?"
He looked at John, he hadn't been paying attention. "Hm?"
"Any uh, any cases that we should tell Alice about?"
The man's eyes widened with sudden realization, "oh yeah, sorry no. Have you got any biscuits?" He asked, trying to leave the sudden topic of discussion, even though Mycroft told them to have something prepared when she asked.
"Sherlock," John said sternly.
Alice looked between the men, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "Boys?" She asked, "anything you wish to tell me?"
"No."
"No, not at all, things have just been slow." John gave her a big smile.
"Huh, okay." Alice leaned back in her chair, not quite believing them. "It has nothing to so with Mycroft leaving in a hurry this morning, would it?"
Sherlock furrowed his eyebrows and frowned a little, "but you're usually still asleep when he goes to work, and he leaves a note."
"Yes I know, but his handwriting was rushed, that's not like him at all. It was kind of nervous sounding."

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She eventually got them to leave. In their absence she got a bit peckish, but instead of calling someone to help her she went in alone, completely forgoing her pain killers.
Alice had a halfway done chicken soup when her leg started to ache, she shook it off and continued with what she was doing, limping around the kitchen.

Mycroft came home earlier than he expected, he was greeted by the scent of chicken soup, not something he'd object too. Hanging up his coat and setting his things down in their correct places he called out, "Alice?"
"Kitchen!"
When he walked into the kitchen he noticed immediately that she wasn't placing any weight on her leg. A look of strain crossed her features.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine, fine," she insisted almost too quickly, "I'm perfectly fine." Alice set down the wooden spoon and went to greet him properly when her leg buckled under her weight and she let out a groan, sharp stabbing pain shot through her leg.
Mycroft caught her before she knelt on the ground.
She clung to him as he helped her walk into his study. He sat her down in a chair. He left and came back with little white tablets and a glass of water, she took the painkillers and set the glass down.
"When was the last time you took it?" He asked.
"This morning possibly," she answered, "I got caught up in Game of Thrones."
"Alice..."
"I know, but I forgot, I'm sorry."
Mycroft knelt down in front of her.
"Darling, I know you're anxious to go back to how things were, but it takes time." He said, grabbing her hand. "And so help me if you don't let yourself heal properly I will send you back to the hospital until you do."
The left corner of Alice's mouth twitched up into a smile and she squeezed the man's fingers. "I love you," she said sweetly. In response Mycroft brought her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on it. "I know." Letting go of her hand he stood up straight. He took the small trip to his bar cart and poured himself a drink.
"Mycroft?"
"Yes, my dove."
Alice took a breath, "this morning, when I got you're note...it sounded off."
He turned to face her. "Off?"
"Yes, off. Like you were rushing, nervous." She said, tilting her head to the side, "you aren't hiding anything from me, are you?"
He flashed her a false smile, "of course not, I simply arranged a trip for us in the upcoming weeks."
"A trip?" She asked, eyebrows raised, "what kind of trip?"
"How would you like to go back to Paris?"
He watched her face go through several emotions before she smiled widely and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Paris? Oh, of course! That would be wonderful! I..." she cut herself off, "wait, this isn't some work endeavour where you'll be away from me, is it?"
Mycroft set the glass down and moved to kneel in front of her again, "no, its not. I promise, it's just us for two weeks."
In her excitement, she lurched forward and pressed a kiss to his lips.
Mycroft didn't pull away when she did, admittedly he missed their proper kisses and even more than that, the intimate moments that they share. They haven't had enough of them. Mycroft stood up straight and led her into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and gently crawled over her, pressing a small kiss to her jaw.
"Be gentle," Alice whispered, not objecting to the sudden boldness, she missed it too.
"Of course," Mycroft said, pulling her shirt over her head.