"Boys! Calm down!" Lestrade shouted as they started howling at the door-bell. "It's just the door!"

"Why is it making that sound?" Michael asked peering over the sofa.

"Someone is at the door, that's why." Lestrade said as Molly buzzed them in. Michael and George came running to the lift while Jonah hid behind the sofa.

"Are they always this excited?" Molly laughed.

"They're... sheltered." He said as his sons started wiggling with excitement.

"Those betas must have done a number on them." Molly said looking at them with pity.

The lift's door slid open and out stepped a familiar elderly woman.

"Mrs Hudson!" Lestrade shouted excitedly. He pounced on the poor woman as she stepped inside, trapping her in a bear-hug. George and Michael approached her cautiously, sniffing the air.

"You smell... familiar." George said.

"George, is that you?" She couldn't believe her eyes. She pried herself away from Lestrade to look over the boys. "It can't be! Last time I saw you, you were a wee pup!" She pulled him into a hug. "And Michael!" She dragged him over as well and held her boys close.

Jonah just barely peered over the back of the sofa to get a good view of the intruder.

"And how could I forget Jonah." She cooed. Jonah sat up on to his knees and gave her a sideways look.

"Why do you know our names?"

"Oh, of course you don't remember me... you were so young when you left." She gave Jonah a fond smile. "You are filthy, young man." Jonah stood up on the sofa's cushion and reached out to hug Mrs Hudson.

Mrs Hudson did what Mrs Hudsons do best. She cooed and fawned over the boys, made them dinner, saw to it they scrubbed the layers of dirt off their little faces, and tucked them in for a much needed night's sleep.

"Did Sherlock make it?" She whispered to Lestrade in the kitchen. Molly made coffee and pulled up a chair to sit around the round table.

"I'm not sure." Lestrade said looking into his coffee cup. The kitchen became deafeningly silent. Molly reached out and placed a hand on Lestrade's.

"He's strong. I'm sure he's out there somewhere."

"He's not the one I'm worried about... it's the others he's travelling with. John, Mycroft... Milo." He choked out. "We should have waited... if we would have just stayed put when the snow first started."

"It's not your fault." Mrs Hudson said placing a reassuring hand on Lestrade's back. "I can ask around in the morning, if they're here, someone is bound to have seen them."


"You'll thank me later." Irene said as she tried to force a tablet up John's nose.

"What is that!?" He screamed out as he held her arm with both hands.

"It's a mucoadhesive!" She said struggling to break his grip.

"A what!?"

"Let go!" She growled.

"Sherlock!" John shrieked.

"Just. Let. Me." She grunted.

"Sherlock! Help!" John cried out. Irene forced his arms down and jammed the tablet up his nose forcefully causing John's eyes to water. He struggled to breathe and flailed his arms, batting at Irene.

"See, now was that so hard?"

"What did you do to me?" John asked trying to remove the device from his nose.

"It's for our protection! It's just a simple scent blocker. We can't have a... man... thing, out there trying to breed with every woman he sees."

"I would never!" John shouted indignantly. "God, it burns." He said scratching at his nose.

"Oh, you big puppy, get over it." She led him outside into the blinding sunlight. John shielded his eyes and slowly the city came into view. The first thing he saw was a giant marble fountain in the shape of a Delta outside the building. "Don't let it go to your head. The Delta is the symbol of our people. Not some homage to the great John Watson."

"Where are we going?"

"To reunite you with your pack." She said leading him quickly through the city.

"Do we have to walk so fast?"

"Yes." She said shortly, dragging him along. "Stop." She said placing a hand against his chest. Three women walked by wearing blue robes with matching blue mortar boards. "All right, go, and hurry." She said running with him down the narrow side streets.

"Why are we hiding?" John asked as they stopped for breath.

"The elders don't exactly... know that you're here." She said with a guilty look.

"Am I not supposed to be?"

"Well technically... no."

John's heart dropped. "What are they going to do to me?"

"Imprison you." She said with a grimace.

"What? Why?"

"You're kind of the reason we're at war and if we gave you over then..."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I thought you knew!"

"Obviously not or else I wouldn't have come here!"

"You didn't really have much of a choice, I mean Sherlock-"

"Sherlock, nothing. I came here on my own free will."

"If I had a say in things, I'd let you stay. But, you know how elders are. They don't like their cities being turned into ruins over a silly little Delta."

"You have got to be kidding me." John said with a huff.

"The betas are out looking for you. There's no doubt the betas of Edinburgh are going to punish Glasgow for letting you escape. And the Alphas-"

"Aren't going to find him either." Sherlock said stepping out of the shadows. "I've spoken with the elders. They're looking into your ties with Moriarty as we speak. I suggest you release John to me." Sherlock said holding out his hand for John.

"I wasn't going to hand him over to Jim, if that's what you think."

"No, you were going to auction him off to the highest bidder in return for your city's safety. Making you the town's hero."

"You what?" John asked.

"And thank you for installing a GPS tracking chip in him. It made it so much easier to find you two. Now if you'll kindly hand yourself over to the authorities." Sherlock said with a grin.

"You promised me an army." She said haughtily.

"You promised me an answer."

"Surely you know I'm desperate." She said moving towards him. "I'll do anything to save Cardiff and my people. Even if it means giving away the Delta or the sons of Siger. I'll sleep soundly at night knowing I spared the lives of thousands."

"You'll sleep soundly at night because you'll be the richest woman in the country."

"That too." She said with a smile.

"So if she's been lying to us-"

"The Omicrons and Lambdas aren't real, John, at least not yet. The betas and Alphas are trying to create a speciation event and become reproductively isolated from one another. If things continue, both the Alphas and betas will be led to extinction. Leaving the Omegas exactly where they are now, alone."

"If things continue, Jim will take over, and who knows what he plans for all of us." Irene said excitedly. "Hm... will he eradicate the Alphas like his father wanted? Will he destroy the betas that rejected him? Or will he seek revenge on the Omega that ran away from him? The way I see it, we're at Jim's mercy, so we might as well give him what he wants."

"And pray that he spares you? You... coward." Sherlock sneered. "If it was your son or your lover, would you give them up so easily?"

"Yes." She said definitively. "In fact I have at least ten lovers I would give away right now if he asked for them."

"You repel me." Sherlock scowled at her.

"Jim is coming so you might as well give in or fight, because there is nowhere else to run to." She said with a wicked grin.

"Ireland." John said with a slight cough. Both of their attention snapped to John. "We... could still go to Ireland. Just saying." He shrugged.

"John, Miss Adler is right. We have no choice but to fight."

"Or surrender. Either way I'll be protected." She said cheerfully.

"We need an army."