What Mrs. Hudson Missed

Genre: Family, with minor humour

Pairings: Greg and Molly

Main characters: Ensemble

221 Baker Street was a beehive of activity.

Downstairs, a work bee had been organized to repair and prepare the downstairs flat, 221C, in preparation for new tenants. Mrs. Hudson had decided that it was high time she got off her duff and made it habitable again. After all, she was paying taxes on the entire building, she might as well have every room in the place pull its own weight via rent income.

Sherlock was between cases, John had arranged a day off from the private practice clinic he worked at as a GP, and Greg had taken a few days of his accumulated holidays. Molly was just happy to have something productive to do with her husband, while their twins got to spend time with Rosie and Mrs. Hudson. Sherlock and John were in agreement that having everyone together was going to make for a very good day. Even Anderson and Donovan had showed up for a few hours to pitch in after shift. "Many hands make light work," Anderson had quipped, as he grabbed a corner of old carpet and begun to pull it up.

Mrs. Hudson, supervising and appointing herself babysitter of her three favourite little ones – Rosie, and the Lestrade twins, Johnnie and Scott, happily accepted help when Sherlock, having been judged by Molly to be "too damned bossy", had been unceremoniously escorted upstairs to 221B to focus his efforts on helping Mrs. Hudson.

"Really, Detective Inspector," Sherlock protested. "I hardly think that being dragged by one's ear qualifies as being "escorted". You might just as well have handcuffed me."

"Don't tempt me, Sherlock," Greg replied, with a slight gravelly growl. "Molly wants you out of 221C, and these days when Molly is happy, I'm happy. And when I'm happy, everyone is happy."

Sherlock was tired of stripping stained wallpaper and pulling up dodgy old carpeting anyway, and Anderson was thinking again, it was like fingernails down a chalkboard, he had retorted with a slight pout. Greg grinned – Mrs. Hudson wasn't the only one who had missed spending time with everyone.

When the grunt work had been completed, and John had been sent upstairs to retrieve Sherlock, Mrs. Hudson, and the babies, they all stood in the living room of 221C. The flooring was fresh and new, in an appropriately durable and dark colour, the room brightened considerably by a fresh coat of paint in a cheery colour. The cupboards had been scrubbed and disinfected with Donovan's help, the loo had new fixtures installed, and the initial moving in of some of the larger items had been started.

"We'll give it a couple of days to let the paint fully dry and start to cure, then we'll help the new tenants move in," John said, contentedly cuddling a twin. "Won't we, Johnnie," he said, rumpling the boy's dark hair. The baby smiled at him and giggled, seemingly in agreement, with his father's expressive brown eyes.

Sherlock, holding Scott, looked at the boy – not quite the spitting image of Greg, but close enough to fill Molly with adoring delight and pride – and said, "Perhaps your old Uncle Sherlock will be allowed to help out this time, if your mum lets me, that is." He shifted his gaze towards Molly, who simply rolled her eyes and smiled.

Two days later, when the smaller tasks had been completed the previous day, another work bee had been organized. The furniture was moved in, the rooms set up and organized, pets brought in and carefully acclimatized, the fridge filled up with groceries. Soon enough, the kitchen itself was buzzing with activity as Mrs. Hudson and Molly busied themselves preparing a meal fit for a proper celebration.

The final touch, chosen by Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock, and John, had been purchased as a housewarming gift, and a gesture of welcome to Baker Street – a large, bright, cheerful painting of a sunflower. Molly loved it – it was the perfect final touch to make 221C Baker Street feel like home, and Greg found it to be something that suited this new home to a tee. For him, it symbolized the finalization of his own new beginning, with Molly.

Mrs. Hudson, nearly clucking with contentment as she gathered her Baker Street Gang around the Lestrade dining table, stood and raised her glass in a toast.

"To my Baker Street Boys and Girls," she said, happily, as she moved her gaze around the table – the satisfied and contented faces of everyone, Sherlock, John, Rosie… and the newly moved in Greg, Molly, Johnnie and Scott. "Together again, at last. It's about bloody time, I'd say too!"

Mrs. Hudson had desperately missed having everyone gather at Baker Street, and now, she thought to herself, she wouldn't have to miss it any more.