A/N: Thanks to Velvet Green for noticing the missing conversation about the wax bust. The oversight has now been adjusted. Thanks for all of your reviews, +alerts, +favorites, it means a lot to know you guys love to read this!

Chapter 2

Sherlock Holmes smiled down at her.

Mrs. Hudson suddenly could not breathe. Her heart seemed to shudder to a halt, only to stutter back to life as he moved a step closer. A stumbled step backward, and she sat down with a thump on the stairs, her legs feeling shaky.

"Wha...how...?" Her voice sounded faint. She swallowed hard and tried again. "Mr...Holmes?" she whispered, afraid that if she spoke too loud, this hallucination would disappear if she spoke louder. His face suddenly wavered, and she blinked, finding tears spilling down her face. When her vision cleared and he was still there, she realized that this was not a dream.

Sherlock nodded, but there was a look of wary concern on his face now. Apparently he realized what he had just done to the older woman.

"Oh, Mr. Holmes!" She cried. "You're alive!" Then she felt a powerful urge to scold him for scaring her. He must have seen this in her face, because he stepped back warily. As she continued to look at him, and saw how exhausted and wan he looked, all of it faded away, leaving wonder and joy again at his return to the land of the living.

Moving forward quickly so that he could not back away, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. He stiffened slightly, unused to this unusual swing of emotion from her, then relaxed and held her in return, uncaring that his coat was rapidly getting damp.

"Welcome home, Mr. Holmes."

"I'm glad to be back", said Mr. Holmes quietly. She pulled back and looked up just in time to see him glance up and behind her, at the stairs that led to his rooms, and knew that he was thinking of the man that had shared that 'home' with him. She let go of him and patted his arm, using her motherly attitude to distract him.

"Oh, Mr. Holmes, you're all skin and bones! Come in, I was just baking!" She quickly wiped her face with a handkerchief as she ushered him into her kitchen. A broad smile lit up her face for the first time in many months as she pushed him in ahead of her. She bustled around the kitchen, cutting up slices of bread, and putting the kettle on to boil as he pulled himself up to the table. Setting the food before him, she poured strong tea for the two of them and sat across from him. The rest of the hour, she spent interrogating Mr. Holmes. He answered her questions as he wolfed down the food. He also informed her of his plan to lure out Colonel Moran, showing her the wax bust concealed in his book bag. Unfortunately, she had to let Mr. Holmes know about Dr. Watson's Mary, and it is then that the cheerful mood died. In a subdued manner, he mentioned that he had heard, and asked to see his rooms.

As he went upstairs to examine his rooms, she followed him up, ostensibly to light the fire. As he picked up his pipe, caressing its familiar handle, she spoke up quietly behind him, asking the question that had been pressing on her mind for the last hour.

"Does Dr. Watson know? About you?"

Mr. Holmes went still. Turning to look at her, his eyes looked haunted and sad.

"No, he does not. Not yet." Placing his pipe down, he leaned against the mantle, staring into the fire for a few minutes. Then he shook his head and squared his shoulders.

As he turned back to her, Mrs. Hudson noted that his eyes twinkled with suppressed merriment, a decision clearly made.

In a cheerful voice, Mr. Holmes added, "But he will soon!" Pushing past her, Mr. Holmes thundered down the stairs, snatching his sack of books and his hat. "Wish me luck!" He adjusted his disguise and made his departure, once more the elderly bookseller.

"Good luck, Mr. Holmes." Mrs. Hudson whispered after him. She only hoped that Mr. Holmes would have the sense not to reveal himself in quite the dramatic way that he did with her. Shaking her head in amusement, she amended that last thought, merely praying that he did not send the good doctor into an early grave himself from the shock.

A turn took her to the stairs, and she ascended to go air out the doctor's room.

A/N: Reviews are always appreciated! I will do my best to get back to you quickly.