Many Happy Returns to Tesco

by Iwantthatcoat

It's Mrs. Hudson's birthday, and Sherlock *will* bake a cake. After all, it's basically chemistry, right? A gift to a Nonnie who tried and tried to make a cake for her mum's birthday. "One of luminol's chief ingredients is Na2CO3, sodium carbonate, better known as baking powder, close in composition to lye, and particularly good for pretzels, and known as jian..."

4. Tesco

No text from Sherlock bragging about his cake. This was not a good sign.

John was coming up on his last patient of the day, and was considering a quick stop-off to get one. Probably Sherlock was wrapped up in an experiment and hadn't gotten around to it. Another "friendly reminder text" would risk a tremendous strop, and he was pushing it as it was. He'd get a back-up cake. Just in case. Mrs. H had been so good to them, particularly after his latest spat with Harry when she had let him talk out quite a few things, and he couldn't stand the thought of her having nothing from them at all.

After he'd finished up, he stopped by Tesco on the way home. No sooner had he walked in the door then a striking, unmistakable figure in a long black coat at the self-checkout caught his eye... apparently calculating just how rough one could be with a carton of eggs without breaking them. Just eggs. John turned quickly and headed to a second entrance before he could be seen.

Sherlock was clearly furious. And John knew they had eggs at the flat..nearly a full dozen. He'd had one with breakfast this morning. Which meant... he had gone through them all. So he had been baking. Unsuccessfully. Best to get that back-up cake then, since Sherlock's was likely inedible. And keep it out of sight, just in case he does get it right on this last try? He bought one and headed to Criterion for some coffee, and to wait it out a bit.