A/N: I'm so sorry that this took so long! And that it is so short!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Warning: I appologize. This is not the best chapter i have written. Please forgive the poor quality.

I stared at the folder in front of me.

Daring me to open it. To learn it's secrets.

To know what had really happened to my parents.

But…

But I couldn't.

I closed my eyes, memories of my parents from before that day flashing through my mind.

Mother… Father… which such lovely smiles on their faces.

Father bringing me and Harry candy on special days, and reading stories to us every night that he could.

Father and Mother in an embrace, one that they always shared when Father returned home. One full of love…

Memories, such sweet memories.

Would what this folder contain spoil those memories?

I stared at the file for a long while.

Resting my hand on the top part, my left hand, I stared at the manila color.

No.

I would keep the memories just as I had them.

Maybe in the future, someday before I die, I'll read that folder.

But until then, I'll hold tightly to the memories I have.

I returned the folder to Lestrade the next day, a smile on my face.

"Hold on to this for me. I'll read it when I'm ready."

"You can imagine the Christmas Dinners…"

Mycroft told me that several years ago.

Now, I was going to the Holmes' house for that very dinner.

I wasn't sure if I should be scared or excited.

As I pulled on the red dress that had mysteriously showed up in my bedroom the day before, I thought about the folder that Lestrade had given me.

After several hours of recovering from the fact that Sherlock proposed to me—to me, of all people—we discovered a single note on the kitchen table.

A message from Mycroft…inviting both of us (well, ordering in Sherlock's case) to Christmas at Mrs. Holmes' home.

Ok. I'll admit.

I'm bloody terrified.

Because I was going to meet the infamous "Mummy Holmes," but not as Sherlock's friend or colleague like we were for years, and still technically are.

No. I'm meeting her as his fiancé.

Her soon to be daughter-in-law.

What if's buzz around in my brain as I struggle to zip up the last inch of the Christmas dress Molly gave to me. My hand was shaking. Everything about me was screaming nervous and totally losing my cool. I wouldn't need Sherlock to deduce that for me.

And why shouldn't I be nervous?

Suddenly, a warm hand grasped mine, effectively stopping me from struggling.

I froze. Muscles tensing, ready to fight, military training simmering beneath the surface.

The fingers began to stroke my hand. "Calm down, Joan. It's me."

How the devil he got into my locked room, I will never know.

I sighed, the fight fleeing me, leaving me exhausted and scared.

He releases my hand, but just for a moment. Just long enough to zip the rest of the zipper up the last inch. Then seized my hand again.

"Stop worrying." He whispered in my ear. "You look…fantastic."

To say shivers weren't running down my spine would be a lie.

I squeezed his hand, and heard the car horn from Mycroft's "taxi".

It was time to go.

The Holmes' house was not exactly what I had expected.

And I use the term "house" loosely.

It's a bloody mansion.

Needless to say, I felt severely inadequate.

Sherlock led me into the mansion by the arm, at a leisure pace, letting me take in the details of the front of the "home."

"Come now, Sherlock." A voice said from the door. "Don't keep Mummy waiting."

My eyes snapped to the speaker. Mycroft.

Sherlock rolled his eyes and slowed his pace, just to annoy his brother.

I chuckled, leaning towards his ear. "Behave, dear."

Sherlock lifted a brow at me, silently asking me why he should.

"Do you want to keep that head you have salivating in the fridge?"

Sherlock smiled a bit, just a little. "You won't do that."

"Maybe," I lifted an eyebrow. "You never know…I might surprise you. Though it's that or denying you a kiss for a month, so…take your poison."

Sherlock face turned from amusement to thinking to amusement. "Well, that would certainly ruin several more experiments that I have in mind…"

I barely suppressed a giggle.

He led me a bit quicker to the door where Mycroft waited for us with a smirk.

"Good to see you again, Joan. You are looking beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, Mycroft," I replied, greeting him with a handshake which quickly changed into him kissing my knuckles.

After several minutes, we found ourselves in a large, what appeared to be a greeting hall.

A woman sat by the large stain glass window on the opposite side of the hall. She stood as we walked in. Another woman appeared from the shadows, Anthea.

And I recognized the other woman.

She smiled at me, sure she looked younger than when I had seen her last, and still graceful.

It was the woman gardener from the cemetery.

"Joan Watson," She said in greeting, walking quickly for her age towards the three of us as we

Sherlock gave his mother a strange look but introduced her none the less. "Joan, this is my mother, Audrey Holmes."

I reached out to give the woman a hand shake and was pulled into an embrace.

"I'm so glad to properly meet the woman who swept my son off his feet." Mrs. Holmes whispered into my ear.

Soon we were seated at the Christmas table.

And I finally understood what Mycroft had meant.

Sherlock reverted to the mentality of a two year old.

It was quite amusing.

Particularly when landed a large spoonful of Christmas pudding on Mycroft's suit.

The older man glared. He had put up with a lot during dinner, regardless of my attempts to rein Sherlock in.

But the pudding appeared to be the last straw.

Slowly, very slowly, Mycroft reached for something on his plate. From my angle, I couldn't see exactly what it was.

Sherlock barely had time to duck before a piece of cake went soaring over his head…striking Anthea as she was heading back to her seat.

And that's how we got into a massive Christmas food fight.

"GET HIM!"

When there was no more food to throw and all of us were laughing from behind our chairs, covered in food, Mrs. Holmes called out. "Alright, children. Off to the showers with you. Individually. I will have no indecency in my home."

Mycroft and Sherlock chuckled, while Athena and I grinned. "Yes, Mother."

Before leaving the room, I checked my left ring finger and breathed a sigh of relief when the silver band around it shown back at me.

No one had yet to comment on it.

But I was pretty sure all the Holmes' knew it.

It was Mrs. Holmes that pulled me aside first.

"Joan," She beckoned as I stepped out of the room I had been given to change in, a smile on her face. "We're waiting in the fire lounge. Care to walk with me?"

Smiling I walked over to her. "Of course, Mrs. Holmes."

"Audrey, please." The woman said, linking her arm through mine, brushing the smooth fabric of the new dress (made of silver, shimmery, but very soft fabric, went to my knees and covered my shoulder). "Or Mummy if you wish, seeing as you will be family soon."

I chuckled. "Knew that we wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long."

Audrey chuckled with me. "My son isn't always subtle. He did tell me much about you over the years."

I left my expression causal. Of course Audrey would know that her son was safe and sound.

"Say hello to mummy…" That's what Mycroft had said.

Of course.

So this had been his "base."

And for some reason, I wasn't surprised.

"He had such wonderful things to say about you."

Though I was curious, I did not trust my voice to speak, the fact that Sherlock had done that to me still raw.

"I remember asking him why he left you alone after that day at his grave." She said as our walk slowed. "He hated leaving you behind. He begged Mycroft every day to tell him how you were." We stopped walking and I was just staring at her now. "Oh and the things Mycroft would say. I knew they were true. Mycroft doesn't lie when Sherlock was that desperate. Most days, we had to put Sherlock under house arrest to prevent him from going out and revealing that he was alive too soon. He knew he had to stop Moriarty…but it tore him apart every day that he was away from you. Many times I had to force him to bed, like he was 5 years old again."

She reached up and stroked my cheek, a soft caress, one very similar to the ones my mother would give me before going to sleep. "And now he is with you again, and he looks so much…livelier. Never have I seen him so happy. And you did that to him, Joan. And I thank you."

Hearing such kind words from my fiancé's mother sent tingles down my spine and made my eyes sting.

I make him…happy.

"I shall be honored to have you as my daughter-in-law."

Tears fell like rain.

I was going to have a mother again.

A/N: And the Next Chapter is the Final Chapter!

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Next Chapter: Wedding bells