oh ana- mother mother

mycroft asks him as they play a game of pool.

"she was too old to remarry, she had no passions or ambitions i was aware of." he says while walking to the other side of the table to take his shot. "she simply had to ensure enola and florence a decent life and to live her remaining years with dignity." he continues as sherlock just misses the hole.

enola and i are currently sneaking to the other side of the door, where neither of our brothers can see us.

"this is my house, not hers, and has been since father died. she asked for 16 years to bring up enola and flora here. i- i- i gave it. and for that, i deserve to be robbed?"

"what in bloody hell is he talking about?" i ask enola quietly, her responding with a simple shrug.

"i am not the villain here." mycroft finishes.

"perhaps she needed the money." sherlock says. "you clearly don't, or has the government cut your salary?" he asks, as mycroft sighs in response.

"it's always the same, isn't it? always the same." he says. "we don't see each other for months, and then you blast in without a care and condemn me with your bon mots." mycroft exclaims.

"simply inquiring." sherlock defends for himself.

"you are judging." mycroft corrects. "you are judging something for which you took no responsibility." he finishes as sherlock hits one of the pool balls.

mrs. lane who has only just recently walked into the room, seeing me and enola eavesdropping, stops what she's doing and looks at mycroft. who's also receiving the same look from sherlock.

"you've never shown an interest in this family." mycroft adds while fumbling with his billiards cue.

"i don't mean to judge." sherlock states as he walks to where mycroft was standing, as he walks to where sherlock was.

mycroft continues to talk once again. "we have two problems, as i see it."

"one, finding a boarding school that is willing to take florence and enola on so they won't be a complete failure in this world."

i look at enola with sadness, and see she has it as well. we both stare in front of us and take a moment to think about what mycroft is saying.

"that i am in the process of solving...

with the help of an old friend."

"and two, finding mother." he adds. "the first is my problem, the second i consider yours." mycroft finishes looking up to sherlock, who has a stern look on his face.

-flash forward?-

"my dear!" mycroft says while walking towards miss harrison.

"oh!" she stares at him in awe.

he chuckles "my dear!" he takes her hand and kissed the top of it. "let me." he says, getting her bag for her.

"motor car. how delightful, miss harrison." he compliments as she looks down to hide her rosey cheeks.

"well, i am an educator, mr. holmes. i like to keep ahead of the times." she says.

enola and florence are currently watching their interaction from a window above, as the two girls huff and walk away.

-end of flash forward-

"enola and flora may prefer to stay here." sherlock says as mrs. lane walks out and looks at us with a speechless look.

"you could acquire a governess." he adds, trying to let us stay home.

"they need a firm hand, sherlock." mycroft defends.

-flash forward-

"where are they?" miss harrison asks mycroft.

"their inside, though i must warn you in advance, they're both unbroken." he responds, as miss harrison chuckles.

"we'll soon see about that." she says as they walk inside.

-end of flash forward-

"we need to break the girls, and build them up." mycroft says as he makes one of the balls into the hole.

-flash forward-

"stand tall, girl." miss harrison says as the door to the room closes.

enola and florence are currently standing in the room with miss harrison and her seamstress in nothing but their undergarments. flora is currently getting her dimensions measured, as enola went first.

miss harrison walks over to her and pushes her chin up "that's better."

-end of flash forward-

"in mother absence, they are my wards, not yours." mycroft says to sherlock.

-flash forward-

"waist, 23 inches." the seamstress says as miss harrison laughs, flora looks at them in confusion,

'am i too big? it's always been something i worry about-'

florence thinks to herself.

"chest, 32 inches." the seamstress says cutting off her thoughts.

"well, that's too small." miss harrison says.

"they are perfectly fine." enola says standing up for flora, she gives her a small smile, in which enola returns.

"hips, 34 inches." the seamstress finishes.

"oh, how disappointing. we will have to use an amplifier." miss harrison says turning to florence.

-end of flash forward-

"a wild and dangerous woman brought up a pair of wild children." mycroft says while moving his score keeper from 2 to 8.

"they seem intelligent." sherlock says.

-flash forward-

"hips are simply a function of legs, aren't they?" florence says to miss harrison. "what need have they of amplification?" she asks.

"aren't you the clever little tongue? i'll enjoy that." miss harrison says while tapping floras shoulder and walking away.

"i won't enjoy being imprisoned in those preposterous clothes." florence says, as enola looks at her in shock.

florence never talked back to an adult.

ever.

"these clothes will not imprison. they will free." miss harrison says with their new dresses in hand. "they will allow you to fit into society, to take part in its numerous pleasures. to catch an eye, to attract." miss harrison finishes, gesturing her hands around.

-end of flash forward-

"with miss harrison's help, we'll make them acceptable for society. father would be turning in his grave." mycroft says.

-flash forward-

"at my finishing school, you will learn how to be a young lady, and you'll make many new friends." miss harrison says with a smile.

"i don't need friends. i have my own company." florence says with a smile turning to look at enola.

-end of flash forward-

"an uneducated, underdressed, poorly mannered wildlings." mycroft continues on.

"and i don't need to go to your ridiculous school." i say in a stern voice, as enola looks at me with wide eyes, not knowing how miss harrison may react.

miss harrison smacks me hard in the cheek as i hold my face in pain, panting.

i look around and run out of the room as miss harrison sighs.

enola follows not too far behind.

"no! please don't do this to me, to us." i emphasize, standing in front of sherlock who's reading a book, and mycroft who's smoking a pipe and reading a book as well.

"let us remain happy. we are happy here." i beg with my hands shaking wildly.

"you are a young woman now, flora." mycroft begins, as enola runs in the room. "as are you enola. you need an education." he finishes.

"test me on anything you think i need to know, in order to be sufficient for this world, enola as well." i shout at mycroft.

"if she taught you so well, you wouldn't be standing in your undergarments in front of me, would you?" he asks.

enola and i both look down at their clothes and realize we are indeed in our undergarments.

"you have no hope of making a husband in your current state." mycroft tells us.

"we don't want a husband!" enola says in disgust as she looks at me who remained quiet.

"well.." i say shrugging my shoulders with a smile.

enola scoffs and turns back to our brothers.

"and that is another thing you need to have educated out of you." mycroft tells her.

enola looks over to sherlock who is looking down at his book trying not to interfere.

"sherlock." enola whispers, kneeling down in front of him as i follow her actions.

"don't let him do this to us." she whispers again, shaking her head.

"you are his wards." he says in a flat tone still looking down at his book.

"make us yours." i chime in with the idea.

"yes! guide us. teach us." enola agrees and adds on.

"for him, we are a nuisance. for you-" i say before sherlock cuts me off.

"flora." he says finally looking at us. "i'm sorry. it's out of my hands."

"just like his cruelty to our mother was out of your hands." i add on before walking out trying my best not to let my emotions take over.