"Bloody hell Sher, what did you do to us all?"
xxxx
"I think," starts Mrs. Hudson at his elbow suddenly, "the more concise question, John, would be, how did he cope all alone?" running her fingers just under the edge of the cloth to stroke Sherlock's fringe Mrs. Hudson seems, a moment, older than her years.

An effect that is gone when she smiles up at John. "Let's leave that for now! I think you should know your sister has been needling me about who is with child for months now. Keen to know who's receptive, or actually bearing a child."A bit caught out by the topic change John takes a slow breath before responding.

"Well you did say she seems worried about our lineage being carried forward. Is it not just that?"

Mrs. Hudson shakes her head no. "Come talk to Sally, she's been interviewing everyone."

Archly, "What about Greg?"

A smirk dances across his landlady's face. "Well he seems busy trying to get Sarah to notice him, but they're all clustered over there so you never know."

With a wandering thought, again, at the cleverness of his landlady, John follows her over to the group of NSY people. Fraiser turns and gestures to him as they approach. "John, I was about to come find you."

With a quick glance at the others John returns his gaze to Dimmock. "Really? Why?"

"We were just rehashing what we know, and it occurred to me that Mrs. Turner has been seen in the palace an awful lot more than has been normal over the past years. My sources say she hasn't stayed this much since you had that terrible fever as a baby and wasn't expected to live."

"Well that seems supportive of her, surely?"

John looks around at the faces looking back at him, Molly looks horribly conflicted. "What's up Mol?"

Her hands fiddling with the bead bells attached to her dancing sash Molly's eyes dart back and forth, person to person. "Nothing, well not much... It's just..." she breaks off, her face turning red.

John reaches out and wraps and arm around Molly's waist, "Out with it Mols, it can't be that bad."

With a deep breath she looks John square in the eye and speaks firmly. "John, you know that alchemist in the bazaar that you've almost run off twice for selling potentially harmful things?"

"Uhm, yes Molly, what about her?" He squeezes her waist a bit more.

"Her new favourite customer is your sister."