"Boom!"

Mrs Hudson fell out of bed head first. Not one prone to standing around stupidly as if she were a dog staring at the lanterns of a oncoming carriage she immediately jumped to her feet and grabbed the gun she had hidden in her dresser drawer.

Now Mrs Hudson was a short stout women of... well honestly no one's sure about her age as she keeps that to herself, few dare venture a guess for fear of been wrong and guessing to high. Her notable tenant might know, but again he's not one to risk his life, at least not in such small matters. Suffice it to say she had more than a few grey hairs.

Now despite been a stout free speaking women she was also a true English lady and keeping a gun by one's dresser was not something English women did. Thus once again the reader's attention must be drawn to her unusual tenant.

Sherlock Holmes was undisputedly a strange man, he disliked her sex, though not her, now the reader might think that this is not surprising as Mrs Hudson fed her tenant and cooked him meals. But Holmes didn't much care for food half the time he didn't eat one meal a day much less three.

It was a favourite daydream of Mrs Hudson that she would tie the man to a chair and force feed him. She'd never do such a thing in real life but a women could always dream.

He also used valentine cards he received for chemical experiments as well as his own body, used her wall for target practise, disguised himself as an old lady a young lady and various sorts of men; sometimes for a purpose, sometimes for amusement.

He could sooner hold a red hot coal in his mouth then an insult indeed he wouldn't hesitate to insult the prime minster himself if he thought the man deserved it. As a matter a fact the only person he might hold his tongue for would be her majesty the Queen.

Maybe.

Possibly.

But not bloody likely.

All in all she was rather fond of him, and would hate to see the man come to harm. Which was probably why she was currently running up the stairs for all she was worth, she threw open the door revolver at the ready to see... Sherlock Holmes with a huge grin and ash on his face their was no other person on in the room.

She noticed the blacked walls.

"What is going on?"

"Ah Mrs Hudson so sorry to have woken you I was performing a few experiments on a explosive compound."

"It's four in the morning!"

Holmes glanced at the clock, "4.17" he corrected casually

"My wall!"

"Yes, well it can't be helped I can't very well perform these experiments outside." he gestured to the window, where a veritable snow storm seemed to be raging.

"The University fears I will cause a disruption, so I cannot go there, even if I could I'd rather not leave these rooms if possible. So you see...I...Now Mrs Hudson is it necessary to keep that revolver pointed at me?"

"It would be hard to shoot you otherwise."

"Now now Mrs Hudson, I know I may have overstepped a few boundaries, but you know how fond I am of these dwellings do you honestly think I would risk them? I sincerely doubt I'd ever find a landlady as exemplary as you I would be a fool to risk it. These experiments are very important to my work and must be done. I'll only be at it a few more hours and I will try to create as few explosions as necessary."

At the mention of more explosives the revolver which had slowly been descending to the side of the stalwart women, found itself once more pointed at the detective.

"Mrs Hudson" continued Holmes confidently "Why don't you go back to bed and rest a little cotton in one's ear can deafen most sounds, I will see to it that any damage incurred will be fixed."

"If you are killed—"

"You shall receive a handsome sum I assure you." he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently turned her towards the exit.

"Now I have work to do." with that he gave her the faintest little push and closed the door.

Mrs Hudson stood outside the door. I would have been the easiest thing in the world to have shot him and hidden the body, the blame could have easily been shifted to any number of criminals many people wanted her tenant dead. Vaguely she wondered if he realized how easy it would be.

But his manner had been so reassuring, honestly it made no sense for the man to risk his home. Which she knew to be important to him it had all his case files