Title: The Diplomats' Party
Fandom: Sherlock(BBC)/Spooks (MI5)
Rating: PG
Length: 522
Summary: Anthea proves once again she is a force to be reckoned with.
My thanks to scfrankles for the beta once again.

Jo Portman looked at the ring on her finger and admired the way the diamond sparkled.  She could be the fiancée of any of the suited young men who had clustered together in the centre of the room; up and coming diplomats, with their wives and partners seated round low tables at the edge of the room.  Fortunately it was unlikely anyone would ask her directly who she was with, since she was currently on her own.

A smartly dressed woman adorned with a row of pearls slid into the seat next to her.  “You do know it’s not done to take such obvious pleasure in a ring.”

“Oh.” Jo self-consciously used her other hand to cover the ring.  “I’m a bit new to this role.”

Anthea gave a low chuckle.  “The newly engaged woman?”

“The member of the elite,” Jo replied.  “I’m normally the waitress at these sorts of functions.”

“Look upon it as a temporary promotion.  Have you noticed anything yet?”

“No.  There seems to be some underlying tension, but nothing specific.”

“That could be for any number of reasons, most of which don’t concern us.  Or at least, not at the moment.  Let’s circulate a bit.”

Jo and Anthea drifted through the room in what, to an outsider, would have appeared a haphazard pattern.  In fact, as Jo soon appreciated, their route meant they passed practically all the diplomats.

Suddenly Jo touched Anthea’s arm.  “There’s a waitress by the door.  I’m sure she had a tray of glasses thirty seconds ago, now she’s not holding anything.”

Anthea took a quick look round the room.  “And the person she served last is no longer here.  She’s leaving; we need to follow her.”

As they left the room they saw the waitress walking quickly down the corridor.  Anthea started to follow her.  Jo paused to take off her shoes, whilst admiring the way Anthea managed to run even when wearing high heels.  They followed the waitress into the Ladies to find she had disappeared into one of the cubicles.  Anthea kicked at the door and the lock gave way instantly.  She turned and grinned at Jo.

“Reinforced heels and toes,” she said.  “We should get you some.”

As they burst through the cubicle door they saw the waitress remove a gun from her dress pocket.  Jo leapt at the waitress and grabbed her arm.  As Jo turned towards Anthea she was surprised to see her removing her pearl necklace.  Anthea deliberately placed it round the waitress’ neck and pulled it tight.  The waitress struggled briefly and then her body went limp.

Jo looked impressed, and watched as Anthea refastened the necklace around her own neck.  “It’s not just my shoes that are reinforced,” she said.

Jo looked down at her hand.  “Damn, I’ve dropped my ring,” she said.

“Was it valuable?” Anthea asked.

“No, it was paste, an imitation, just as my ‘engagement’ was.  And I suspect its loss is a sign that I shall be returning to more mundane roles in future.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Anthea replied.  “I shall certainly request that we work together again.”