Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock. All rights are reserved for the original owners. And Conan Doyle who came up with our favorite duo in the first place. ;)

Warning(s): Pretty much the same ones as last time. Silliness, little point, and some swearing. Plus a bit of gallows humor, I suppose, because of the mention of Mr. Hudson, but your mileage may vary on that. Then there's Mrs. Hudson, but I don't think you'll mind her. (I swear I had more warnings but I can't seem to remember them. . . Er. . . Proceed with caution. . . I guess. . . Maybe not. . .?)

Sherlock

Ficlet

A Spoonful of Sugar-

Summary: Lestrade joins Mrs. Hudson for tea. So does Billy.

It was staring at him. It didn't have eyes, but Lestrade was more than a little sure that the skull was staring at him. Really, the only reason he noticed was because the damn thing was somewhat hidden behind a container of sugar and a vase of flowers. The same sugar he was using for his tea.

He had come to 221B to ask Sherlock if he could help them on a case, but had found not only John, who'd be at work, but Sherlock absent from the flat. Mrs. Hudson had found him on the stairs and invited him in for a cup of tea while he waited. He happily agreed, seeing as he was a little parched. Now here he was in a nice little kitchen, with a sweet, little landlady, and wonderfully, sweet tea in a little cup. With a skull.

At least Donovan and Anderson weren't with him, they'd have a field day with this one.

Mrs. Hudson, however, didn't seem to notice. She was happily chatting away, something about Sherlock and the toaster and toes, while ignoring the skull on the table. It was unnerving to be honest. Just as she was about to go into a story involving John and his lost syringes ("Sherlock, apparently, wanted to see how well they'd be used for cupcake batter.") Lestrade cleared his throat. Mrs. Hudson stopped in mid-sentence, inquisitive smile on her face, waiting for Lestrade's question.

"Yes, this all sounds very entertaining Mrs. Hudson, but I was wondering, um, why," He gestured uselessly to the unexpected guest on the table,"Why do you, um. That is. . ."

"Yes? Is there something wrong with the tea? Do you need more sugar?"

"No!" Lestrade didn't mean to sound forceful, but the idea of Mrs. Hudson touching that godawful thing made his skin crawl. He didn't think he wanted any sugar that was next to that.

"No. No thank you. It's plenty nice. I was actually going to ask about the, um," Lestrade sighed.

"Mrs. Hudson, why in God's name is there a skull on your table?" Mrs. Hudson blinked and looked down. She made a little coo as if she just noticed her little friend.

"Oh, that. It's my husband's." Lestrade nearly dropped his teacup. "I mean, he may not have been a good man, but I did love him once. You know how hard it is to give somethings up." Lestrade felt slightly ill at that.

Wasn't her husband executed? How the hell did she get the skull? Sherlock, perhaps? Now that he thought of it, this skull looked familiar.

"Oh, detective, you're too easy," Mrs. Hudson tittered,"I'm just kidding. It's not my husband's." Lestrade visibly relaxed.

"It's actually Sherlock's."

"Mrs. Hudson!" Wonderful. Now he was going to have to explain to John why Sherlock never came home. Well, properly anyway. Then again, knowing Sherlock, John probably helped. It would explain why the skull was in such good shape and blood-free. Mrs. Hudson was suddenly giving a disapproving glare. Lestrade hoped his skull wasn't next.

"Tut, tut, inspector. I'll have you know Sherlock is alive and well. I'd never hurt him, he's like my child. No, this skull is Billy."

Lestrade gave her, and the skull, a weary look.

"Sherlock named him. I've no idea where he got it from."

He made a mental note to check their files for anyone named Billy or if there were any graverobbing incidents. Or both. One could never tell with Sherlock Holmes. However, just as Lestrade was about to question the landlady further the door opened with a slam and then there were running footsteps.

Sherlock, draped in his usual billowing coat, slid to a halt in the entrance to Mrs. Hudson's kitchen. His eyes glanced around before locking onto the table.

"So that's where you put him." Sherlock said, and proceeded to stalk forward. There was another set of footsteps then John Watson appeared. He looked rather haggard, his clothes rumpled and his hair windswept.

"Sherlock, why the hell did you - Oh." John's expression suddenly turned stony as he watched Sherlock snatch the skull from the table, "Nevermind."

Sherlock rubbed the skull, shining it with his scarf, before looking at Mrs. Hudson.

"I remembered seeing sugar near the mantle. John's a messy eater, but he doesn't usually walk around with food." Sherlock said.

"I'm right here." John was ignored, though. Mrs. Hudson shrugged.

"Guess I'll I have to do better then."

"It wasn't bad, hiding in plain sight is a clever tactic, but probably better for objects that aren't being actively looked for." Mrs. Hudson gave Sherlock a smile, like a parent indulging their child.

"Of course. I'll take your advice to heart, dear." Sherlock nodded, satisfied, then turned to leave.

"Come along, John. We've work to do now that Billy has been retrieved." John gave a long suffering sigh and began to follow. Lestrade, the poor confused man, looked between Mrs. Hudson and the doorway before the older lady waved him on, as if a crazed detective hadn't just rushed her table and fine china to procure a head ornament. With a quick 'thank you', the DI was right behind John soon enough and climbing the stairs to the sitting room.

"So, how was tea time with Billy?" John asked, holding the door for Lestrade.

"Nice enough. He's a bit quiet for my tastes, though."

"Yeah. I think it's one of the better qualities around here."

"Of course he's quiet," Sherlock snapped, re-positioning Billy back in his proper place,"He's a skull."

"That's what I said when you pulled him from the cushion yesterday." John grumbled, sounding miffed and, perhaps, a little insulted for some reason. However, this did bring back Lestrade's other concern.

"Yeah, sorry, but I've got to ask; Sherlock, why the hell do you have a skull?"

"A case. I thought he made good company."

Lestrade could be wrong, but he thought himself a wiser man for not asking.

I did say this would be posted shortly after the first one. Here it is. Hopefully you all enjoy. It's not exactly like the first one, but I think it still fits. Hopefully everything flows well, but I think it's ready to post now. I do still have a few ideas here and there for this and I might gain more as I go. We'll see. Anyway, as per my usual, all concrit is welcome, either through review or PM. Don't be shy, I won't bite. I love getting feedback so I know what you guys liked (and what you didn't), so I can continue to create these and give you all enjoyment out of my simple writings. I hope this puts a smile on your faces, and if it didn't tickle you funny bone, well, thanks for stopping by anyway. I appreciate you giving it a chance (whether or not you actually read the whole thing and made it this far. XD).

Also, any questions you guys may have, go ahead and ask. My inbox is open and so is the review box down below. ;)

Sincerely,

Fallen L. Angel

P.S. The title is a reference to the Mary Poppins song, if you were wondering.