1

The music stops right before Mrs. Hudson pushes the door open. Sherlock still has the violin tucked under his chin when she walks into the flat. He is half-turned toward her.

She quickly sees that he is composing, with a pencil tucked behind his ear, almost hidden by the dark curls of his hair. He nods at her, then turns back to the music. It's covered in markings. She can't make out the title, so she walks over to collect a used plate from the table. As she grabs it, she peeks around his shoulder to see the title.

John.

He's composing for John. She knows Sherlock saw her, but he doesn't say anything. She slips out to the kitchen, where she brushes the crumbs from the plate and sets it in the sink.

For a while, she sits in doorway of the kitchen to watch him. The sky darkens behind him, but he keeps playing, occasionally stopping to write on the music. He tries bits of chords, gradually fitting together a main theme. It's warm and gentle, making Mrs. Hudson feel safe and calm. There's another melody woven in that is full of power.

When Sherlock pauses to scribble in another note, Mrs. Hudson asks him, "Where's John?"

"On a date, won't be back until tomorrow morning," he answers, speaking to the window. He doesn't look at her.

She hums thoughtfully, but doesn't speak. Sherlock brings the violin back up to his chin and starts to play again. She watches him compose, thinking about meeting him, years ago. She had never guessed that he would play the violin, but watching him now, it makes sense. His movements are natural, and his fingers move lightly over the strings.

Soon, she can feel herself drifting off, listening to both the low hum of traffic outside and the music, but she doesn't resist the pull of sleep.

Mrs. Hudson startles awake by a touch of her shoulder. Sherlock releases his hold on her and steps back. "You should get some sleep, Mrs. Hudson."

"As should you, young man." He half-smiles, then nods without looking at her. He lends her a hand to help her stand. His hand is smooth, but she can feel the calluses left behind from playing his violin for so many years. The curtains are now drawn, and the only light comes from behind her in the kitchen. It throws light onto Sherlock's dark hair.

She notices that the music has vanished from the stand, but the violin still rests on the table. She glances around for the music, but it isn't anywhere in sight.

She shuffles downstairs and listens to him continue to play. It's not the same song as before, but beautiful nonetheless. As he moves around the flat, the floor creaks above her. Eventually, Sherlock stops playing and the flat goes silent.

She hears John come back early in the morning with his heavy tread on the stairs.

When she comes up to deliver tea to both of them, the violin is nowhere to be seen, surely packed away, wherever Sherlock keeps it.

2

Mrs. Hudson comes up the stairs and sees Sherlock on his phone and John reading. She pauses at the open door as John mutters something to Sherlock. Mrs. Hudson doesn't catch it, but apparently Sherlock does. He starts laughing. John smiles slightly at the sound, but doesn't look up right away. After a moment, he does glance up and seeing Sherlock laugh makes him smile bigger.

Sherlock says something back, which makes John begin to laugh. They both have big smiles on their faces.

There is a moment of silence as they both calm down, drawing slow breaths in. Then, as they glance up together at the other, the laughter suddenly starts again. Sherlock's laugh is deep and rumbles across the room. John's eyes are crinkled up, showing the many laugh lines on his face. His grin is wide as he looks at Sherlock, whose shoulders are shaking with laughter.

They're both full of joy and happiness. It makes Mrs. Hudson happy to see them like this. They don't act like this around anyone else. She has never seen Sherlock, or John for that matter, laugh this hard. Soon, they are both practically crying with laugher, and Mrs. Hudson isn't sure how they can still breathe.

She turns to go back downstairs without them seeing her, leaving them giggling hysterically. She listens to the laughing fit continue for a good quarter hour, shaking her head affectionately as she bakes.

Just when she thinks that they can't possibly be conscious, she hears Sherlock's voice saying, "I haven't ever laughed that long in my entire life."

John replies, "Me either."

Mrs. Hudson can just picture them smiling at each other, still a bit short of breath. She visits them a little later and sees the residue of their laughter by the grins on their faces. Sherlock chuckles once softly, causing John to look at him with a fond gaze.

3

Mrs. Hudson brings a plate of biscuits to Sherlock and John and finds them sitting in their chairs. Sherlock is on John's laptop and John is on his own phone.

John murmurs a quiet good morning to her and Sherlock flicks his eyes up at him.

She goes to a window and peeks out around the curtain. There's a large group of people standing in front of the door. When they begin to notice her, she turns away and drops the curtain back into place. The boys have just solved a big case, saving a young girl in the process. Though the press has followed them on and off, this is the biggest crowd that Mrs. Hudson has seen.

She grabs John's tea and Sherlock holds his cup up for her to take. She doesn't.

"You'll have to go out sometime, boys! Can't hide from the press forever!" She calls from the kitchen. She peeks into the living room to watch them.

Sherlock looks to John, who shrugs as he puts his phone down. "We might as well get it over with," he says.

Sherlock sighs deeply, but gets up when John walks by him. He follows him into the kitchen and Mrs. Hudson moves out of the way so he can put his cup in the sink.

Her hands flutter around Sherlock's hair for a moment. He smiles at her.

She ushers them down the stairs. Sherlock turns and kisses her on the cheek before following John down.

Now, she watches them in the dark. Sherlock says something to John, who leans closer to hear it. John nods at what he says, then reaches out for Sherlock's hand. They stand for a moment before Sherlock squeezes John's hand, then lets it go and moves to open the door.

His hand rests on the handle for a moment as he halfway turns to John, who nods briskly. Mrs. Hudson can see the soldier in him, with his shoulders thrown back and his posture straight.

Sherlock shakes off his hesitation and opens the door. The morning light is bright against their faces. Sherlock blinks once, and walks out. John doesn't hesitate to follow him. He reaches behind him to pull the door closed.

Before it closes, Mrs. Hudson sees John move to stand close to Sherlock.

The light vanishes from the stairway when the door closes.

She goes back up into their flat and looks out the window. The press are surrounding them, shoving both cameras and microphones into their faces and throwing questions at them. They are so loud that Mrs. Hudson can hear them through the window. John is standing just behind Sherlock, brushing against his shoulder.

As the mob shoves closer to them, John steps in front of Sherlock and fends off the crowd. He clears a path through the people to the waiting cab with an outstretched hand. He throws open the door, letting Sherlock step inside first. John hops in, slams the door shut, and the cab takes off, leaving the reporters behind.

As the cab speeds away, Mrs. Hudson sees Sherlock lean towards John, who turns to him with a wide grin.

4

It's the quiet that unsettles Mrs. Hudson. Though it's early morning, she's usually heard something by now. Anything: the telly, Sherlock's violin, or her boys talking softly because they think she's asleep. It's a nice thought, but she rises before they do. And she is sure they're here, she waited up late last night to make sure they made it home after their long case away from Baker Street.

After waiting a bit more, she decides to go up to check on them. She takes the stairs slowly for her hip. The flat is dark and still, with the curtains drawn closed. Sherlock and John's chairs sit empty. She turns, and can't help the small, "Oh!" that escapes. Her boys are sleeping on the couch together.

Sherlock is facing away from Mrs. Hudson, curled into John. John has one arm wound around Sherlock, holding him close. The other hand is carded into Sherlock's curls. Both Sherlock's arms and legs are tightly wrapped around John, with their feet tangled together at the end of the couch. Sherlock has his head bent into John's chest, hiding his face from view. John's lips rest lightly against Sherlock's forehead. They are both breathing deeply, fast asleep. Sherlock is even snoring lightly, though the sound is muffled against John's chest.

They're still wearing their day clothes, so Mrs. Hudson knows that they just collapsed on the couch to sleep the moment they came home. In this moment, they both seem younger to Mrs. Hudson. There are no worry lines on John's face and Sherlock is more relaxed than she's ever seen him.

As she watches, Sherlock shifts, pressing even closer against John. One ankle hooks under John's, while the other leg stretches out between John's legs. John sighs in his sleep, tightening his hold a bit.

She watches for another minute, and then leaves with a little smile.

Much later, she finally hears the boys talking. She can't make out words, but can tell the difference between their voices. Eventually, the floor creaks when they get up and walk around. She hears them moving around their flat. The shower comes on and she finds it curious that it only runs once.

Mrs. Hudson smiles and keeps reads the paper. At ten, she heads up the stairs again, purposely stepping on the noisy stair. The boys pause a moment, and then continue their conversation. When she comes around the corner, both of them look up. They are in the kitchen now, sitting across from each other and eating breakfast. The table between them is surprisingly bare, no microscope or beakers covering it. Sherlock's hair is drying messily and John is wearing what Mrs. Hudson knows to be one of Sherlock's dressing gowns, over a bare chest. His hair is also damp. John smiles at up her. Sherlock's eyes seem brighter than they have in years. They both look utterly content.

John pushes a plate of toast toward her. She thanks him and sits down to eat.

The boys chat about the case, filling her in on what happened. After Mrs. Hudson finishes the toast, Sherlock stands to make tea. While he's waiting for the water to boil, he leans against the counter across from John. He listens to him tell the story, mouth curling into a little smile at certain things he says.

Once the tea kettle whistles, Sherlock crosses the kitchen to retrieve three mugs, then pours the tea. John watches him absentmindedly, continuing to talk with Mrs. Hudson.

John pauses his story when Sherlock turns, holding out two mugs for them. Mrs. Hudson takes one gratefully, wrapping her hands around the warm mug and sipping it right away. John smiles fondly at Sherlock, who smiles back, handing the other mug to John. Mrs. Hudson doesn't miss the way their fingers brush together on the mug.

Sherlock grabs his cup and sits back down, listening as Mrs. Hudson shares what they missed. While she talks, she watches them watch each other. She has never seen Sherlock look this comfortable around anyone else before. They seem to naturally fit together, knowing when the other is going to speak and even what they're going to say.

John takes Mrs. Hudson's empty cup and his own to the sink. John then leans over Sherlock to retrieve his tea, his chest brushing against Sherlock's shoulder. Sherlock leans briefly into the touch, and hums softly as John turns away to place his cup in the sink. He comes around the table to sit back down.

The curtains are still drawn closed, so Mrs. Hudson stands and walks over to open them. As the light enters the room, Sherlock grumbles good-naturedly, shutting his eyes against it.

Mrs. Hudson turns back toward them. She can now see that their feet are touching under the table. John's toes are even stroking Sherlock's ankle as he looks at him. She hides her smile from Sherlock's gaze.

They plan to stay in for the day, tired both from travel and being away from home. Mrs. Hudson excuses herself, saying she's been meaning to stop by Mrs. Turner's and run a few errands. The boys say their goodbyes to her as she walks out, and remain sitting at the table together.

5

It's just after noon when a client brings a new case to Baker Street. Mrs. Hudson shows the young man up the stairs.

He must pass the test because Sherlock leaves the flat quickly, confident that John is close behind him. John throws a smile over his shoulder at Mrs. Hudson as he grabs his coat and runs after Sherlock. She gives a small wave. She thinks back to when she first met him. A broken man with a cane. Hopefully, that cane is sitting in some corner of the flat, collecting dust.

Once the cab drives away, the flat becomes quiet. It almost seems to be paused without the boys there. Sherlock's experiments are still sitting on the kitchen table and John's laptop is open next to his chair.

Mrs. Hudson sits in the kitchen for a while before getting up to tidy the flat. It'll be a nice surprise for John when he gets back.

She moves all of the half empty cups of tea to the sink and checks the fridge. There is a surprising lack of body parts, but also a lack of milk. She makes a mental note to pick some up the next time she is able. She throws out several cartons of bad takeout.

She moves to the living room, where she shuts John's laptop and dusts the mantle, carefully picking up the skull to do so. She begins to move books back to the shelves. When she picks up the book that was in Sherlock's chair, a slip of paper falls out to the floor. As she leans down to pick it up, she is surprised to see John's name. She quickly reads the note.

John, I'm at the morgue with Molly, no need to worry.
Going to the pub with Greg. Don't wait up.
Who?
Don't be a git.
You love me anyway.
You sure?
Yes.

Mrs. Hudson smiles and reads it again. She can hear their voices in the writing, especially Sherlock's teasing and John's warmth.

She tucks the note back into the book, making sure not to wrinkle it. She places it back in Sherlock's chair, the way she found it. She notices the title of the book and chuckles to herself. A Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping . It had been one of John's Christmas gifts to Sherlock last year. Mrs. Hudson will put up with many things, but she refuses to allow bees in the flat.

She starts to straighten the papers on the desk and coffee table, not expecting to find another note. John starts this one.

Sherlock, stop using my laptop! You have your own.
It's not my fault your password is so obvious.
It's your name!
Obviously.
I will change it.
And I will just guess it again.
Just stop using my laptop!
You can use my mine.
I want to use my own!
What difference does it make?
Why do I even put up with you?
Because you love me.

Mrs. Hudson chuckles at their bickering. Once she finishes reading the note, she puts it back among the shuffle of papers.

She carefully puts Sherlock's violin back into its case and places some sheet music on the empty stand. She and John both love the piece - Pachelbel's Canon in D Major.

She opens the curtains, letting in some bright afternoon light. Once she finishes cleaning up the flat, Mrs. Hudson heads down the stairs. She doesn't know when the boys will be back, but makes a plate of biscuits anyway.

+1

Mrs. Hudson can't keep the smile off her face. She is at Sherlock and John's wedding, and can't be happier. She is sitting with Mycroft, Molly, Greg, and Harry Watson, who she met that morning. They are listening to the vows, and Mrs. Hudson is tearing up.

Later, at the reception, Greg lends her his handkerchief as she listens to the speeches. Sherlock stands after the last speech, and says, "There's one more thing." John looks surprised; he doesn't know what Sherlock is doing. Stepping to the side of the room, Sherlock retrieves his violin, where it was hidden behind flowers.

Mrs. Hudson realizes what he's going to play as soon as she hears the first note. It's John's song, the one she saw Sherlock composing. The sweet and hopeful melody washes over the room, and Mrs. Hudson isn't the only crying: John also has tears on his face as he watches his husband with a soft smile. There is a moment of quiet after the final note fades. Then the guests erupt into applause for Sherlock. He gives a small bow, but quickly returns to John's side. Now the lights dim, and the music comes on, giving a cue for people to take the dance floor.

Sherlock and John remain sitting for moment, speaking softly to each other. Mrs. Hudson sees John lean forward and pull Sherlock into a kiss, before they break apart, smiling. She stands as the rest of the table moves onto the dance floor or to the drinks. Sherlock and John rise and walk to Mrs. Hudson, who is standing and watching the party. She smiles when she sees their hands together, their rings glinting in the low light.

"Congrats, boys!" is all she says before pulling them in for a hug. She feels John's laugh more than hears it as they wrap their arms around her. She steps back and pats Sherlock's cheek; he smiles at her. She then clasps John's hands, and he surprises her by drawing her in for another hug.

He whispers to her, "Thank you for letting me stay in your flat. We'll only need one bedroom now." He pulls away with a cheeky chin.

She almost starts crying again, but manages to say "Go dance with your husband." She pushes John toward Sherlock.

If John notices the sudden change in her voice, he doesn't say anything, just looks at Sherlock and says "Shall we, love?"

Sherlock smiles, and as if on cue, a slower song starts to play. He pulls John close as they dance, and Mrs. Hudson can just imagine them practicing in 221B. They move slowly in circles, only looking at each other.

Once the song ends, Mrs. Hudson drags Greg into the crowd on the dance floor. Soon after, she finds Molly, who laughs and agrees to dance with her too.

As time passes, she keeps an eye on Sherlock and John. Though they have separated, they always seem to know where the other is. As John looks up from conversation with Mike Stamford, Sherlock finds his gaze from across the room. They smile and gradually drift toward each other. Sherlock is pulled aside by his mother and John is now alone, looking a bit lost. Mrs. Hudson marches forward to him and asks him to dance. He smiles and tells her, "Of course."

They dance, but are interrupted when Sherlock comes back to them and says, "Are you trying to steal my husband, Mrs. Hudson?"

She giggles, and says, "I just wanted one dance! No stealing intended." John and Sherlock laugh, and Sherlock asks to dance with her.

After they dance for several songs, Sherlock tells her, "I should get back to him, we've only had one dance." She agrees, and Sherlock kisses her cheek before walking to John, who's speaking with Greg. Mrs. Hudson watches Sherlock slide an arm around his waist. John turns, surprised but happy, and Sherlock pulls him out to the dance floor.

She watches them fondly, thinking back on their journey from flatmates to husbands.

Mrs. Hudson walks into 221B, carrying a single picture. John is sitting in his chair, with his hand in Sherlock's hair, who is sitting on the floor in front of him. She tells them that she has something for both of them. They stand and come over to her as she lays the picture on the table. She watches their reactions.

John gasps softly, and Sherlock smiles in gratitude, looking up at her, after studying the picture.

The photo captures the three of them at the wedding, caught in a hug. They all look incredibly happy and content.

John says, "Oh, Mrs. Hudson. It's beautiful."

Sherlock nods in agreement, and adds, "Thank you so much."

The picture ends up proudly framed in 221B above the couch next to the smiley face, where everybody can see it.

FIN