A/N: Here's a brand new story! Let me know what you think =]

"Another biscuit, brother?" Sherlock said with a smirk, leaning forward and lifting a plate of biscuits towards his brother.

Mycroft's eyes were practically glued to the plate of biscuits. "No, thank you. I must be off, Sherlock. I just wanted to visit while I was passing." he replied, getting to his feet and leaving 221B with his umbrella in hand.

As soon as he reached the safety of the cold leather interior of his car, Mycroft looked down at his hands and frowned when he found his right hand to have a slight tremor. He swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the cravings rushing through his body.

After what felt like forever, Mycroft almost bolted from the car when it arrived outside of his home. Taking a few breaths to steady himself, Mycroft left the car with his usual grace before he went into the privacy of his home. Taking care to hang his umbrella on its hook and to slip his polished shoes off carefully, he made his way to the living room. He kneeled on the floor beside the coffee table and pulled a small bag of white powder and his credit card from his jacket pocket. With practiced ease, he pushed the powder into neat lines before he leaned down and inhaled. He closed his eyes and relaxed as the drugs hit his bloodstream, giving him the hit he needed to make his mind fly. While his brother took cocaine to switch off, Mycroft took cocaine to reach his full potential.

With thoughts firing away in his mind, Mycroft got to his feet and slowly made his way to his office. He sat down and began working, solving problems much faster after the hit. He worked late into the night, falling asleep at his desk as the high wore off.

"Sir? Sir?" Anthea called, gently waking Mycroft with a slight tap on his shoulder. She knew not to get too close, but he was late for work.

"Anthea?" Mycroft groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"You overslept, Mr Holmes. It's 9am and you were due in the office at 8am." Anthea explained, moving a few steps back, "I came to check that you were alright."

"I'm quite alright, Anthea. I'll go and get changed and I'll be with you shortly." Mycroft replied, getting to his feet and going upstairs to freshen up.

Anthea left the office and locked the door before she went into the living room to wait for her boss. She was shocked to find Mycroft's credit card surrounded by white powder on the glass coffee table. Having previously worked on assignments to stop drug cartels, she knew what cocaine looked like.

"Come along-" Mycroft started, appearing in the doorway. He realized his mistake immediately. He moved forward and quickly tidied the coffee table, pocketing his credit card and sweeping the cocaine under a magazine. Without another word to Anthea, he collected his umbrella from its hook and went out to the waiting car.

Anthea watched him before she followed, not daring to state any kind of criticism. She sat beside him in the car and busied herself with her phone, trying to ignore the tension in the air between them.

"Anything that you think you might have seen, you are not to speak about. I am not an addict and it is not a risk to my work." Mycroft said sharply.

"I understand, Sir." Anthea replied with a nod.

As he no longer had to hide his secret from Anthea, Mycroft's drug use increased. He kept a small stash in the office, specifically to help with working late and had various stashes hidden around his home. The standard of Mycroft's work increased as the cocaine made his brain fly so Anthea dutifully turned a blind eye to her boss' lifestyle.

"You have a little...powder..." Anthea said softly, reaching out and carefully wiping some stray powder from Mycroft's face, "That's better." she added.

"What would I do without you, my dear?" Mycroft said with a warm smile before he went off to his meeting.

Anthea sighed and sat down on the edge of his desk while he was gone. She could see the affect that the cocaine was having on him. His moods were much more severe, his cravings intense, his decisions risky and his skin was incredibly pale. He was her boss and she cared for him. She didn't want to break his trust, but she also didn't want to sit back and watch him spiral into cocaine addiction.

She scribbled a note and left it on his desk, 'Gone for lunch. A x', before she collected her things and left the office. She was careful to avoid any CCTV cameras on her way to 221B Baker Street. She pushed the door open and went up the stairs to the living room. Sherlock was hunched over his microscope at the kitchen table whilst John read the paper in his armchair.

"Sorry to interrupt." Anthea said.

"Those heels aren't very subtle for a quiet entrance." Sherlock said, not looking up, "What does Mycroft want now?"

"Mycroft didn't send me. I hoped that I could discuss a confidential matter with you." Anthea replied.

"Come and sit down." John said, offering Anthea a seat, "Come on, Sherlock." he added.

Sherlock sighed and moved from his experiment to his arm chair, sitting and examining Anthea.

"It's Mycroft. He's taken up cocaine." Anthea declared, not seeing any reason to hide the issue. Both Sherlock and John laughed.

"Mycroft? Cocaine?" John laughed.

"I appreciate that it is unlike him, but this habit had been going on for sometime. It's only recently that it has started to get out of control." Anthea explained, "He's beginning to look unwell and I fear that if I stand back then it will affect his work."

"Wow. Mycroft's an addict." John said with a slight whistle, "I didn't see that one coming."

"You only discovered this recently but his usage has already increased significantly. He doesn't inject it as that would be too common, so he inhales it as that requires no paraphernalia."

Anthea nodded, "He uses his credit card." she said, "I'm unsure what to do. He's my boss, so I don't feel right trying to stop him taking the drugs, but he's already changing. He's not thinking things through, he takes risks and puts our agents in danger."

"I'll sort him out. He dragged me through until I was clean, so I'll do the same with him." Sherlock replied, a determined expression on his face.