Hello! I have been unable to update because I have been on vacation. The good thing: I had a nice time. The bad thing: I couldn't update anything! Here I am with chapter 5!

Just a reader: I just finished reading Justice Hall. It was really really really good! I had a good time reading it. I just can't imagine Ali and Mahmound as Alistair and William Maurice. I'll never get used to it. I underline all of my favourite parts, and my book has at least some kind of scribble on every page!!!

Potterprincess: Thanks, once again. Man, I wish everyone were just a supportive as you! What would I do without you? Probably stop writing. Thanks a bunch!!!

________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except the children and Alexia Houston. Everyone else is owned by Conan Doyle or Laurie R. King. (God bless Laurie R. King!)

________________________________________________________________________

Holmes dashed off the boat. He was glad that Sherringford was taking tomorrow's ferry. Now, he could get to Russell.

He took the quickest way to get to their cottage. Soon, he was at the front door. He burst in, scaring Mrs. Hudson out of her wits.

"Mr. Holmes! You're here!" was all she could shout out to him before he had closed the door to Russell's room behind him. He rushed to her side, aghast at what he saw. He knelt there, too stunned to speak. She was laying there, unconscious, and he had no idea what happened. He wasn't there for her. Nope; he had to get all sentimental and make an intricate vacation plan. He should have been with Russell. (A/N: That was from Holmes' point of view, just to tell you's all.)

He couldn't speak. He laid his hand on her bandaged one, not knowing what else to do. He could feel a very large lump in his throat that he tried to repress. He couldn't repress it. He let the silent tears fall. He could hold them back. He pounded the bed with his other fist in frustration: He could do nothing. He could not change anything. He was, for once, helpless beyond anything else he had gone through.

"Brother?" murmured Mycroft from the doorframe. Holmes couldn't answer; his mouth would not function for him, nor his tongue. After a few moments, Holmes regained his composure and responded to Mycroft.

"I will be fine, Mycroft. Just, I need to be with her alone."

"Of course," said Mycroft. "Of course." He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him and telling everyone not to go in there for at least half an hour.

Holmes got off the floor and began pacing the length of the room. He could not figure out what had happened. Holmes snapped back to reality when he heard a low moan from the bed. "Russell?" he murmured. He was immediately back by her side.

Her eyes slowly opened, and recognition flooded her face. "Holmes..."

"Hey Russ," said Holmes. He brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. "What happened?"

"Alexia...fight..."

"Alexia?" Holmes began to piece it together. "You had a fight with Alexia?"

"Mmhmm..."

"What about, Russ?"

"Her dad...other car...(groan)...in, in the accident..." Holmes let the information sink in. Alexia? Using Watson just to get to Russell? And fighting Russell to the death just because of an accident? Was this really that important to Alexia? What had Alexia lost in that other car, anyway?

He was, once again, snapped back into reality when Russell said, "Holmes?"

"Yes, Russell?" He took her hand in his again.

"...Dad...died...orphan..."

Ahh, that makes more sense, thought Holmes to himself. Revenge, in a way. Reminds me of... he shuddered slightly in spite of himself.* How could this happen? I should have been there for her. I should have stayed with her! He soon stopped when Russell lightly pressed his hand.

"Holmes...don't..." She already knew what he was thinking.

"All right, Russell, I won't," he lied, trying to comfort her.

"Thank...you...is...Alexia...alive?" she asked weakly.

"I haven't checked yet, Russ. You get some sleep and I'll go and make sure."

"All right...Holmes..." She drifted off into sleep, her breaths shallow, but still, she was breathing.

He stood up, staring at Russell, his eyesight starting to blur. No, Holmes, not now. It's time to grip reality and steady yourself. Russell doesn't need a crying husband. Anyway, I need to talk to Alexia. He brushed back the sweat-drenched tendrils of hair from Russell's face. She had really struggled to talk to him. Just that one conversation took so much energy out of her.

He walked out of the room, but, from the door frame, he looked back at the prone figure one last time. Anger coursed through his body as he thought of the woman in the next room. She reminded him so much of another time...

"Miss Donleavy."

"What, Mr. Holmes, no bon mots? 'I perceive you have been in Afghanistan,' or New York? Well, not every utterance a gem, perhaps...

"Sit down, Miss Russell, Mr. Holmes, while I have this gun pointed at Miss Russell, would you be so good as to switch on the electrical lights?"

"This document is your suicide not, Sherlock. Rather lengthy, but that cannot be helped."

A suicide letter. Saying that I had not done anything to deserve what I have worked for, and that I murdered Professor Moriarty in cold blood because he took away my love. The document ended saying a profound apology to the public that I have wronged so many especially Professor Moriarty, the father of Miss Patricia Donleavy...*

He was snapped back into reality when he almost knocked into a nurse. "Oh, sorry," he said as he quickly dashed down the steps. "Mycroft!"

"Yes?"

"I know what happened. First thing we have to do is get Alexia as far away as possible and... DAVID, STOP EAVESDROPPING!!!"

"Eves what?" asked David.

"Stop listening to our conversation."

"But, Daddy..." David then realized it was actually Daddy. "DADDY!!!!" He ran up the stairs to his daddy and squeezed his leg so hard he thought it'd come off.

"David, Daddy's a bit busy at the moment. Why don't you...umm...play follow-the-leader with Mrs. Hudson, hmm?"

"Okay, Daddy!" He ran from the room.

"You were saying, brother?"

"Yes, we've got to get Alexia as far away as possible. There's not any time for explanations right now..."

"All right, brother. Mrs. Hudson!" Mrs. Hudson came clambering up the stairs in the wake of three little children. (Violet was somewhere else...)

"Mrs. Hudson, we need to move Alexia from this house immediately."

"Who?"

"The girl with the black hair."

"Why?"

"There's no time for explanations," cut in Holmes. Soon, three children were upon him.

"DADDY!!!"

"Wait..." He counted the children. "Where's Violet?...Oh no!" Holmes knew exactly where Violet was.

**********

"Mommy!" There was no response. "MOMMY!!!" There was a muffled groan from under the covers. "Mummy? Awre you 'wake? Wanna hug?" There was another groan. "Owkays!"

The small body jumped on the bed. Russell didn't just groan now. Especially when Violet landed on her. It was as close to a shout as she could muster. Mycroft was in the room first (Holmes was still detaching himself from the three leeches, with Mrs. Hudson trying to help).

"I'll make you feewl bettew!" She hugged her mother. BIG MISTAKE.

"Violet!" commanded her mother. "Now!" Violet scrambled off, wondering what in the world had happened to her mother overnight and what she had done. "Violet, honey, come beside my bed."

Violet obediently came beside the bed, mainly cowed by her mother's explosion.

"Honey, Mummy's in a lot of pain right now..."

"Then kissies!" Violet was about to massacre her mother with kisses when Russell's voice stopped her.

"Violet, I need you to do something very special and important for me. Can you do that for your Mommy?"

"Yes!"

"Please give Daddy this message: She leaves. Now."

"Okay, Mummy!" She gave her mother a small, soft peck on the cheek, then ran out of the room, past Mycroft, and into her father's arms. The other three went in the direction Violet had just came from.

"Daddy, Mommy said that she leaves now."

"Okay, honey..." Realization hit then as to where the other three were headed for. "CHILDREN!!!" Too late.

**********

"MOMMY!!!!!" It wasn't Russell who stopped them this time, but Mycroft. He scooped all of them in his ample arms and deposited them outside the door. He closed the door and locked it from the inside before the children could stand back up.

"David, whewre did you put Daddy's pickwocks?"

"Wight hewe!" David pulled them out. "But, I dunno how t'use them yet."

"I do!" cried Judith. "I do it!" She fiddled with them for a while, trying to find the one she had used before when nobody was looking. She found it after a few minutes, then fiddled with the lock on the door. She almost had it when Holmes walked up.

"Go to Mrs. Hudson, now."

The four were beginning to wonder why everybody was in such bad moods lately. They had never acted like this before. What was eating them?

The trooped down to Mrs. Hudson, who was in the kitchen. (Poor Mrs. Hudson!)

**********

"Now, Russell," said Holmes (who had entered when the kids disappeared). "Is there anything you need before I go? I won't be gone long, I promise. Now, what is it you need?"

"Sleep."

"And...?"

"Quiet."

"Anything else?"

"A pain killer."

"I'm not your doctor."

"You've made your own pills for the last how may years?"

"No, Russell. Only if Watson comes over will I do that."

"But, Holmes..." she started.

"Well...no pills, but Ill get Mrs. Hudson to warm up some poultices."

"I'll need a clothespin, then." Well, at least she hadn't lost her sense of humour. "And a pair of glasses, please." Holmes had been wondering where Russell's glasses had gone to. "I think I broke them when I shoved the points into Miss Houston's eyes."

They really did have a battle to the death, thought Holmes. At least Russell's still here. I wonder if anyone will have a conversation with Alexandria ever again?

"All right, Russell. I'll be seeing you soon." He stooped down to kiss her forehead. She shifted her head so they met each other on the lips. Holmes was the first to stop. It wasn't out of rudeness, though. He'd love to just stay there for a while longer, actually, just stay by her side, but he had work to do, and Russell was counting on him. Anyway, she needed her rest.

"I love you, Russ."

"I love you too, Holmes."

He closed the door to her room. Mycroft left the room soon after.

**********

"David, whewe does this go?" Judith asked of her brother. She was referring to the secret passage she had just opened.

"Mummy's wroom."

"Weally? Le's go!" They left for Mummy's room. but, Hrs. Hudson saw them going in. She, of course, already knowing where all the "secret" passages went, left for Russell's rom to block off the pass.

**********

"Uncle Mycwoft! Uncle Mycwoft!" cried Violet. "Whewe awre you?"

"Right here, sweetie!" said Uncle Mycroft. "What is it, honey? What can Uncle Mycroft do for you?"

"Uncle, I wanna see Mummy. Pwease?" she had on her face the cutest puppy dog face. You know, the adorable sad puppy eyes...

"Honey," said Mycroft, his eyes averted from her face, "I can't. Your mommy's very sick and needs all the rest she can get."

Sheesh! thought Violet. I'm giving him my cutest and he is still not giving in! Gwandma must have given him a scolding! Time for plan B!

"But, Uncle Mycwoft..."

"Violet, I can't. Please stop." He rubbed his hands on his temples and sighed very heavily.

"But...but...Uncle Mycwoft!!!"

"Look, Violet, honey, Mummy's very sick, and she's in a lot of pain. She just needs to got some sleep. Anyway, it's your nap time."

"But, I always take nap wiff Mummy!"

"I don't think you do. She doesn't take naps."

"But she's wiff me!"

"Violet, please stop." Mycroft was about to blow, regardless that this was Violet, the favourite. "I have had enough. You are not going in there. That is final. Go to Mrs. Hudson; she's probably in the kitchen."

"All wright," mumbled Violet, tears in her eyes. "I'll...I'll go now..." She was crying. She headed towards the kitchen, at first. Then she slipped into a different passage. She opened it to see Mrs. Hudson dragging out John and David and Judith from the room. She waited until Mrs. Hudson was out of hearing range, and slipped over to her mother's bed.

"Hewwo, Mommy," she said quietly. "Umcle Mycwoft said you'we weally sick and tiwred, so can I swip next to yous?" Russell was skeptical, but then relented. "Owkay, Mummy!" She scuttled to the other side of the bed and slipped in, gently watching russell's arms and legs in casts.

Once she was snuggled up tightly to her mother (trying to avoid the casts), she said, "Mummy, wuv you."

"I love you, too, Vi."

______________________________________________________________________________

*Note: The two parts in the story with the * refer to a situation in The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King. This is when Russell and Holmes find out that they had been pursued by a woman named Miss Donleavy, who was really Professor Moriarty's daughter who had lived in New York. She tried to make Holmes sign a suicide letter about how he had used people to get to his position in the world by gunpoint. I won't tell you what happened there, though; you'll have to read what happens in the book.

______________________________________________________________________________

I hope everyone enjoys the story so far. I haven't had much time lately, even though we just had spring vacation! Just so busy...anyway,

HELP!!!!!!!!!!! I'm at writer's block; actually, I've got lots of different options open to me right now and don't know exactly which one to follow. In other words, I don't know if I want to make this more serious or more of the slap-your-knees-funny kind of story. Or to just let it flow, no matter how stupid the ideas are. Please R&R to help me decide!!!!!!!!!!!!