Chapter Nine. London and Home.
It was good to be home and feel the solid ground of London beneath my feet, I felt more like myself than I had done in weeks. Elaine greeted me warmly when we arrived and welcomed Alice into our home with all the love and grace that I admire her for, and so our lives went on. Without Holmes. Alice joined Elaine at the hospital, working little to start with as the wounded men frightened her, but under my wife's expert hands she blossomed into a caring and capable nurse. I often wondered what Holmes was doing and where he was. I heard nothing of him and Mycroft was impossible to get hold of, his routine had altered for perhaps the first time in his life and he could not be found. War business occupied everyone. I rejoined my old regiment at Elaine's insistence and found misery and despair everywhere I went. I stayed local however, and helped as best I could, not wanting to be too far from Elaine and Alice. Before long we felt like a family. Alice changed her name to Mary Holmes, the name she had always been intended for and it suited her very well, although I would forever think of her as Alice Kendall. I saw many changes during those years between 1914 and 1917, I saw men die and women grow old quickly, I saw the city I loved reduced to a shadow, a memory of her former glory, everything I knew was slowly being washed away in a tide of reconstruction, but I could not feel despair. I could feel only hope and joy as one world faded and another flew gloriously into place. London would always be London and I worshipped her strength as I always would. She would never crumble in spite of everything she had been through, and all that was to come, she would never fade. I passed Baker street only occasionally and saw the house occupied again by others and it brought a pang to my heart. I smiled at the memories I had of my time there but knew it was time to move on, the world did not belong to Holmes and me anymore, new, brighter men and women were taking over, ready to sweep away all vestiges of my world, but I did not mind. My time was over their's was to come.
It was a late and cold night when the call came, the call that was to bring me back to Holmes. His voice was urgent and strained but still the voice I knew so well and often heard in my dreams. He had changed very little, apart from certain attire that was obviously part of some elaborate disguise. I smiled as I saw him waiting for me at Victoria Station, he held out his hand,
"Watson, I can't tell you how good it is to see you."
"It's been a long time Holmes."
"Yes, and much has changed. I'm afraid we shall have little time to talk until afterwards."
"Afterwards?"
"Yes, I have a little job to do, you will come with me?"
"Of course."
"Wonderful, first things first however, how are Alice and Mrs. Watson?"
"Elaine is very well, and very much looking forward to seeing you, Alice is no longer Alice however."
Holmes raised a quizzical eyebrow at me.
"She is now Mary Holmes."
Holmes threw his head back and laughed, a sound I was unaccustomed too, but glad to the heart to hear.
"Oh Watson, how glad I am of it. Come, let us go."
We left Victoria station and drove to Kensington, the summer sun was beating down heavily on a tired city but Holmes seemed to gain energy from it.
"It's been so long since I saw England, I can't tell you how strange it all looks" His eyes were sparkling and his manner that of an impatient schoolboy. I smiled as we reached my home. Holmes leapt out the car and bounded up the steps before I could catch up to him. Elaine opened the front door and threw her arms around his neck, Holmes did not flinch and placed a tentative arm around her waist as he gently pushed her away,
"Mrs. Watson you look radiant, just as I remember you."
Elaine smiled sweetly at him, I sighed.
"I envy you Watson." He said turning to me,
"Envy me inside the sun is excruciatingly warm."
Holmes laughed again and followed Elaine into the cool air.
"I have to say Mr. Holmes the facial hair you have acquired makes you look very…"
"Very ridiculous I shouldn't wonder Mrs. Watson," Holmes smiled removing his coat, I had not noticed the goatee Holmes was sporting, my joy at seeing him overweighing everything else, "Still, it was necessary."
A commotion was heard above us and we all gazed at the staircase, before long Mary was bustling down them, her hair flying around her shoulders and our disgruntled maid following her. Mary threw herself into Holmes arms, who picked her up and swung her round before replacing her on the ground, she beamed at him.
"I'm so glad you're back," She said in a breathless voice, Holmes held both her shoulders.
"You look remarkable - Mary."
She blushed as he said her name.
"You don't mind?"
"Why should I mind? It is who you are," He paused, "And you look more and more like your father."
She smiled again and took his arm to lead him into the sitting room. We spent a pleasant afternoon, talking and eating, but before long Holmes reminded me we had to leave. Emotional goodbyes were said which I will not bore the reader with here, suffice it to say Holmes and I left with foreboding in our hearts and tears in our eyes as we watched Elaine and Mary wave us away. I looked at Holmes, he was giving instructions to the driver and was not looking towards the house. He placed a hand on my arm,
"Do not look back Watson. I need you tonight, I need you to be the Watson of old and you cannot be that if you look back." His eyes were imploring me to be the man he remembered and I owed it to him to be no less.
"No Holmes, I will not look back, I am ready."
A smile broke across his face,
"Good man Watson. Driver, away!"
Short I know, but I am going somewhere promise : ) Please review if you liked - or if you didn't I'm not fussy xx
