CHAPTER TWO

The train got into the station around seven at night, it was a cold night and we were glad to see a sleigh pull up with the Holmes family crest on it. Mycroft got in first followed by Holmes, and then my-self. The sleigh started as I got in. The road to the Manor was a quite one, there was farmland on either side and my companions had become shut mouthed when I tried talking to them. I knew Holmes was nervous, as I knew he had not been home sense college.

There was about an hour drive to the manor from the train station, but when I saw the house, it was well worth the drive. The manor was made of red brick or that is what it looked like, it was dark by the time we got there. There were beautiful windows on every floor and I gathered there were three floors.

The sleighed pulled up next to a huge front door, the three of us got out, Mycroft turned to the driver how was unpacking our luggage, "Make sure Dr. Watson has the room across from Sherlock." The servant nodded and rushed away. This left us to enter the house. The entrance hall was just as beautiful as the outside other then as we walked in the first thing that we saw was a portrait of a man with dark brown hair and the same grey eyes my companions had. On the stairs, I saw a woman rushing down; as she reached the ground floor, she ran to Mycroft and hugged him, "Oh my sons it is so nice to have you home again." She then turned to Sherlock and embraced him.

My friend smiled, "Mother it is wonderful to see you as well," Holmes then turned to me, "Mother this is my friend Doctor John Watson." She turned towards me.

"It wonderful you could come Dr. Watson, Mycroft said it was likely you would. Please the squire is waiting in the dining room for us." Mrs. Holmes then pushed us towards a lager dining area there I was a man standing next to the fire; this was the man in the portrait of the man in the hall. Now in decent light I could see Mycroft and Sherlock shared their facial feathers with their mother, but they got their height from their father who was now turning towards us.

"Mycroft," he said "I am glad to see you, and I see you brought people with you this year." The squire slowly walked towards us, he offered his hand to Mycroft who took it.

"Father, Sherlock got your letter and came this year, and his is his friend Dr. Watson." Mycroft said looking at Holmes and I, the squire also looked at us.

"Well, well, well Sherlock, it took you long enough to come home. Are we done playing dead now?" his voice had become quit cold when talking to Holmes.

"Yes, father, I am." Holmes voice was not as strong as it normally was, it was more the voice of a adolescent getting a lecture from his father.

The squire smiled "Good, now shall we eat. You must be hungry after traveling all day." He led us to the table and we all sat down. The meal was a simple one, potato soup that was welcoming after all day in a cold train.

"So, Mycroft how is everything is the government doing?" the squire asked looking at his oldest son.

"Busy, but somehow it is order. I am almost afraid of what I will return to." Mycroft laughed.

"How about you Sherlock, how has your work been going?" Mrs. Holmes asked. The squire looked at Holmes and snorted.

Holmes ignored it, "It keeps me busy, mother. Not so much right now as someone made sure I was coming here." Holmes smiled over at Mycroft who gave a soft laugh.

The squire looked at his sons, "What does that mean, Sherlock?"

Holmes looked towards his father, "It seems Scotland Yard knew I would be heading out of town even before I told them. Have any idea how that happened Mycroft?"

Mycroft smiled, "Nope not at all, dear brother not at all." I looked at the brothers and finally got what they were laughing at on the train, Mycroft had keep the inspectors away from Holmes in hope that Holmes would not get a case that would stop him from coming on the trip.

The squire looked from one son to the other, "Will you two ever grow up?" he finally asked. He then turned to me, "So Dr. Watson how did you get started in the medical field?"

I smiled, "Well after training at University of London I became an army doctor, now out of the army I had a small practice in London."

"You were an army doctor, were did you serve?"

"I was with the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers; I spent a short amount of time in India but was then moved to the Second Afghanistan War." I smiled and hope I did not have to give my reason for not still being with the army. Holmes must have sensed that for he started to move the topic away from my military career and on to the farms the squire owned.

After the dinner we were shown to our rooms, as Mycroft asked my room was across the hall from Holmes, for which I was thankful. It was nice to have someone here that I knew, for I felt very much out of my element. As I started to dress for bed there was a knock on the door. I was surprised to see Squire Holmes enter.

"Sorry for bothering you this late, Doctor. But I need to know something." He walked towards the window and turned to face me. "The whole ordeal with the professor, what has it done to my youngest son?"

I started at him, know really knowing how to answer. He must have saw confusion in my eyes and added, "He does not seem the same to me, the joy in his eyes is not there anymore."

I looked down, "Before I answer you, you must know that I promised Holmes I would not talk about his cases, therefore I will give you a short answer. The professor stalked Holmes and I when we went to Switzerland, he had a gun man shoot at us, now I know you are a smart man so how to do think it affected your son?"

"You are a loyal friend for taking him back after what he did to you. Vanishing for three years making everyone think he was dead, hardly the act of a true friend. I also know the death of your wife took place in his absence, a true friend would have been there too comfort you."

"You are wrong, I know for a fact that if he was sure that no one would come after me he would have let me know he was alive and safe. But you are right I am a loyal friend to him, he needs one after all he has been through."

"You are a very verbal person doctor." The squire looked at me through small eyes, I knew I was pushing my luck but I could not watch someone bash Holmes just because they do not understand his methods.

"I believe that comes for living with your son." I said standing as tall as I could.

"Well, good night doctor." With that, the squire walked out.