All the small things

She didn't notice when it happened. It certainly didn't start when Mr Holmes decided to call her Anthea because he didn't like the sound of her first name. It also didn't start when he made clear that he expected her to be available twenty-four hours a day - he began calling her at night to escort him somewhere just to make her sit in the car and wait for him. It couldn't have been when they jetted around the world without ever stopping to marvel at Singapore Castle or Sao Paolo Monument or when Mr Holmes made her read every contract he closed – there were hundreds of them - to find spelling mistakes which weren't there.

She really didn't remember when Mr Holmes became more to her than another eccentric boss. She remembered small things though.

One small incident took place just a month after she started working for Mr Holmes. He asked her to fire a nice girl. Her name was Mandy. "She will have an emotional outburst, probably," he assumed. Mandy did have an outburst, threw a glass of orange juice at her and tried to attack her. "Anthea" didn't even blink. That was the first time Mr Holmes had smiled at her and said "Well done". This praise made her work harder.

There was another detail, a tiny thing actually. She felt ridiculous because she treasured the memory. It happened when they went to Paris for suits. Mr Holmes' had to be measured by the best designer in Europe. It was still her first year as his assistant. Just when they started his phone rang. It was a "let-me-talk-to-Holmes-or-there-will-be-war"-call. Of course it was. But the designer would inform Mr Holmes that he was not allowed to move. So "Anthea" had to find a creative solution. She stood right in front of Mr Holmes and pressed the phone to his check. That was when she noticed that Mr Holmes smelled nice. It was not the undoubtedly expensive perfume that smelled nice, it was him. And when their eyes met, he smiled at the absurdity of this situation. There was a feeling in her stomach, just something small, a spark maybe, but it made her worry.

The cold demeanor could misdirect people but after two years as Mr Holmes assistant "Anthea" was positive that he was not a robot. He had a very individual personality and only two weaknesses: His brother and food.

He would deny it but he cared deeply about his younger brother. And he would rather die than admit that a simply pastry could make his day.

"Anthea" wouldn't tell anyone, but she thought that Mr Holmes was adorable when he ate one of his favorite dishes. But when he was on a diet he was insufferable. Well, he was not all flowers on good days but he wouldn't frown all the time and he definitely fired less people when he wasn't hungry. She never commented on that - she was not stupid. Instead she accurately analyzed which dishes he liked best and elaborated the day times when he would eat them despite dieting. She left them on his desk discretely. He never complained about it which meant that he approved of it.

It took her three years to make a shocking discovery: Mr Holmes had feelings. Because of that he was a more dangerous enemy than someone without feelings would have been. You actually could piss him off. And that was a very bad idea.

One day the Minister of Defense came to his office. "Anthea" didn't know what they were discussing in there but he started shouting. It seemed that Mr Holmes would not help him to fight a problematic contract through. In the end he promised Mr Holmes to get him fired. Mr Holmes didn't seem worried, though. The Prime Minister was a friend of his.

Two days later he in fact got fired. He got the notice, read it with a small frown and left his office without protest. A successor was found within a day. It was a shock to everyone who worked in this department. Mr Holmes' office without Mr Holmes… that didn't seem right. But within a week a scandal involving the Prime Minister ruined his political career. He had to resign. And Mr Holmes was back at work two hours later. The new Prime Minister sent twelve bottles of exquisite wine as a present. And his first decision was to dismiss the Minister of Defense.

That's why "Anthea" thought you really shouldn't piss him off.

Contrary to some opinions Mr Holmes did have a personal live. He was a workaholic, yes. But every year he took his leave on the fifteenth of July and vanished for vacation to mysterious places. So "Anthea" was very sorry to dial the emergency number in her forth year as his assistant. An economical catastrophe had happened and their department had been stormed by representatives who wanted Holmes.

So she had to take a plane to Bilbao and ask him to come back.

She found him in his summer residence beneath an impressive Mercedes Oldtimer. He turned out to be covered in dust. There even was grease on his cheeks. It was probably from his fingers which were black from working.

"It was my father's", he explained. "When did you become an expert in cars, Sir?", she asked. He had never fixed a car before, of that she was sure.

"Uh, four days ago?"

He cleaned his hands, sent the helicopter away, started the engine and drove them to the airport himself. "Anthea" couldn't stop smiling because he definitely was cool.

After five years she knew how to deal with any situation. She was a good assistant. She knew that. She had seen really bad guys firing at Mr Holmes car - unfortunately, because she had been in said car – and served tea at five with steady hands. She could manage anything. What she didn't expect was her fiancé coming to the office to call her a "Holmes maniac" and break off their engagement - in front of Mr Holmes. No need to cry, right? She continued working and ignored the pitying glances of her coworkers. Actually she doubted that she could cry when she tried to.

That was until Mr Holmes took the files out of her hands and put them on his desk. He hugged her shortly, gentlemanly and said "I'm sorry." That was the first time he said that to her. And calmly he added "He is an idiot to let you go."

Suddenly crying was easy. And she never expected that leaning on his shoulder was so comforting.

After that "Anthea" had to face a crucial fact: Every man she dated was smart, had style and wore suits - even her fiancé had been like that - and all of them had a terrible flaw: They weren't Mycroft Holmes. Holmes Maniac, indeed. Somewhere between these very small things feelings got involved. "Anthea" didn't know when exactly but at some point she had fallen in love.

She didn't say anything though. Mr Holmes didn't seem to be interested in trivial things such as love. But he was gentleman enough to care if her feelings got hurt. If he ever found out he would end their collaboration, of that she was sure. That's why she didn't want him to know. She loved her job and wanted to keep it.

Nothing would have changed if some guys didn't take her hostage to get information about a classified project Mr Holmes was working on. They just grabbed her on her way to the office.

She had never been this terrified before, especially when they pointed a gun at her head and asked her questions. She answered them and hoped that Mr Holmes would find her before they could put the information to use. She wondered how important a simple assistant was to him or if she was worth a special MI5 operation. Hours passed by. Her captors got nervous.

It was four-thirty in the morning when they came and rescued her. She was worth twenty of them, actually. That was good to know.

And he had lost his cool somewhere. Everything became a blur of colours, except for him arresting these men himself and shouting at his team. Suddenly she was outside, sitting in an ambulance car, nursed by paramedics. Someone had put a blanket around her shoulders and a steaming cup of tea in her hand.

Mr Holmes was at her side immediately, his steps aggressive, his fists trembling with something that might have been anger.

"Anthea" did not know how to face him. She felt confused, emotional, close to a break-down, even. She tried to smile at him. She got a frown in return.

"I want you to take a week off.", He said.

"Yes, Sir.", she mumbled, trying to avoid his scrutinizing gaze. She never found out what it was about her expression that told him, but suddenly his eyes widened in realization.

Then he took her face between his hands. "Uh, Sir?", she tried to ask but was stopped by his lips brushing hers. Then he kissed her, thoroughly. She could not help but reciprocate. When he released her, they stayed close, closer that they had been in six years.

"Oh", she mumbled. "How did you know?"

"A simple deduction.", he said. "I should have made it sooner." And then he kissed her again.

This took me four weeks.

In case you liked it or if you found spelling or grammar mistakes - please let me know!

Thank you for reading!