"Sherlock agreed," Bree told Charlotte. "So we need to pick a time period so that I can let John know and send off the paperwork."

Charlotte was quiet for a moment. She was actually a little surprised that Sherlock had agreed.

"In a month," she said finally. "It will take me that long to prepare myself."

"Alright." Bree jotted that down on the paperwork as well before sending the information off to John. At least they had some time.

John filed the information away immediately. He just hoped Sherlock wouldn't spend the month working himself into a frenzy over the courtship.

Sherlock didn't work himself into a frenzy.

But he did find out what Charlotte's favorite type of tea was, and left a tin of high-quality loose leaf on the apartment doorstep. And then he left some fresh baked goods the next morning. Every morning, there was a new present on the doorstep. Bree found it adorable.

At first, the gifts annoyed Charlotte. Of course Sherlock would try to get in good with a potential breeding partner. But as the gifts grew more thoughtful and personal, she softened towards him and began to look forward to each new gift.

In the week leading up to the first scheduled breeding session, however, she turned moody again.

"I know you're not looking forward to this," Bree said, looking at Charlotte, who was playing with some jewels in front of the fire. "But it could be so much worse. At least Sherlock is being nice."

"I know," Charlotte said quietly. She did appreciate Sherlock's gifts, but it still didn't quite help how she felt about the situation.

"You haven't really talked about this at all," Bree said slowly. "Do you want to try? See if that helps? I know that you're unhappy, but there isn't much I can do."

"There is little any of us can do," Charlotte replied. "I am being forced to take a mating partner, just as I will be forced to give up my clutch as soon as the shells are hard enough to be moved. What good is it to talk about it?"

"Might help you vent," Bree said with a shrug. "Won't make things better, but it might make you feel better, temporarily."

"I thought you would rather not have the flat on fire," Charlotte pointed out moodily, playing with a few gems. They were new; she'd found them tucked inside the latest gift from Sherlock. After another moment or two, though, she sighed. "They'll take the whole clutch. It won't matter how many there are. They won't let me keep any. The eggs will be left just long enough to handle without breaking, and then they'll be taken and I'll be sent away again."

"Would you like to keep one of them? I mean seriously, not just your instincts, but you. Would you like to keep one?" Bree was watching her intently, because she had an idea, but she'd have to handle things very carefully.

The question startled Charlotte almost completely out of her mood, and she had to stop and really think about it.

"I don't know," she said at last. She had never thought of that as an option, before. "This flat is not suitable for nesting an egg, regardless."

"No, but the country is," Bree said. "It would be a lot of work, but it could be done, if that's what you really wanted."

Charlotte was quiet for a moment.

"If the clutch is small, they'll never allow it," she pointed out softly. It was common knowledge that first-time mothers tended towards small clutches, and she would likely be no different.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm certified six ways from Sunday, I can come up with enough reasons for you to keep one egg that they would agree or risk losing you as a breeder altogether. It has happened before, mothers becoming so depressed that they just stop, and they can't afford that, especially not right now." Because now that she was thinking about it, Bree was figuring out any and all arguments she could use.

Charlotte lapsed into momentary silence again, thinking about that.

"I might like to keep one," she ventured cautiously, looking at Bree hopefully.

"There's usually a runt in every litter, they don't usually make it when they're raised by humans," Bree said, both to herself and to Charlotte. "We'd have the highest chance of being able to keep that one."

"I can create a suitable nest in my cave," Charlotte said. "Certainly large enough for a single egg."

"I'll see what I can do," Bree promised, already pulling out her phone to make a few phone calls and drafting a letter in between. She had a lot of work to do, but she didn't mind. It made her feel less useless and horrible.

Charlotte settled down again, her mood a bit improved now. The thought of possibly being able to keep one of the eggs made her hopeful. Now all she had to do was produce a large enough clutch that she was allowed to keep one.

It took Bree up until the last minute to get everything she needed, but she did it. Grinning and sleep-deprived, she held up the official written letter from the Dragon Management Agency saying that Charlotte could keep the smallest of her eggs.

"Did it."

"Really?" Charlotte asked hopefully. "I'm allowed to keep one?"

"Yes," Bree said, pretty much falling into a chair. "You get to keep one. The littlest one, but still one."