The Twenty-fourth Hour

Mycroft looked smug. This was not a surprise- he seemed to live in a perpetual state of smugness- but given that they'd just bested him, it was just a bit worrisome.

Sherlock had no time for it. "We won, Mycroft, fair and square. The bugs go."

Mycroft nodded. "Of course. Although, I suppose I should be thanking you as well."

John groaned. Of course, it was too good to be true...

Sherlock had an odd look on his face- one part interest and at least three parts homicidal rage.

"What."

John gave up on the tea and made his way over. If Sherlock was going to punch his brother, he might need to smooth out the situation.

Or slug him again, depending on the situation.

Mycroft's smugness, however impossible, increased. "For all your help, of course. I'd been trying to get you to look at that museum break-in for a while; thanks to you solving that murder, we managed to crack a smuggling ring with some ties to the Maltese Ambassador. My men had an excellent training opportunity as well."

Sherlock's eyebrow twitches.

"And getting ahold of both Dinapoli and the and Alrigo saved me a lot of... legwork. You know how much I dislike it."

John if Mrs. Hudson would poison some scones if he asked really nicely.

"And I should express my gratitude for clearing up that mess at the Theatre- I was hoping to attend the production in a few day's time and an unsolved murder might have led to delays."

And with that, Mycroft takes his leave.

Sherlock growls and goes for John's gun. He must have a picture of Mycroft somewhere...

John holds it up, along with a set of darts. "How about we order fifty anchovy pizzas to his office as well?"

...

Mycroft slides into the back of the car and nods to Anthea, who is texting away madly. Or playing Tetris. It's a fifty-fifty chance.

"That Perkins seems like a solid officer; I'm thinking of recruiting him."

She smiles. "Are we giving him an offer he can't refuse?"

He taps on the window and the car starts to move forwards. "I prefer to think of it as offering opportunity for advancement. After today, there are going to be a few positions open. And now, shall we have breakfast?"

She smiles. "The Ritz? We might see that nice Mr. Fell."

And that's all she wrote.

Thank you to everyone who favourited, followed, reviewed, and stuck with me, to everyone who gave me a kick in the butt, and to BlindViolinist, who gave me the energy to finish this piece.

Thank you, and good night.