Chapter Ten: After the Boom

Holmes was walking home with a lot on his mind. He felt disconcerted with his fight with Mikael. She was missing the chase and he was missing her company. In many ways she had replaced Watson. He had always been the one who sat and listened to Holmes' ideas and helped him in difficult situations. Since his marriage Holmes' life had been devoid of such companionship. That was until Mikael had arrived. Although Holmes normally despised women and saw them as the weaker of the sex for a reason, he had been surprised to find a quick mind in this strange young woman with a masculine name. When Mrs. Hudson had decided that she needed to focus on becoming a proper young lady it had aggravated him. She was being prepared for a life of complacency when she had a mind that needed much more. As much as he hated to admit it he had enjoyed training her and fine tuning her mind. It had been a challenge for both of them and he was surprised how she always rose to the occasion.

However, there was really no way around the current situation. He couldn't very well go talk to Mrs. Hudson about it and Mikael either could not or would not go against her family's wishes.

He was almost back to his apartment when an explosion sounded. He took off at a run to find the cause and stopped dead when he saw his neighbors running out to start a bucket line for 221B. There were not a lot of flames but there was plenty of smoke pouring out of the front door. Holmes grabbed the closest person.

"Where is the girl? Did a young girl come running out before the explosion?"

"What? No Mr. Holmes I didn't see the girl. Didn't she go out with her aunt this morning?" The man asked back.

Holmes rushed forward into the house. He could tell that the bomb was small but effective, obviously meant to take out a single target. The front entrance to the house was in shambles with a few flames licking around the door.

Holmes was relieved at first to not see her among the wreckage of the entrance.

"Mikael." He called out but got no response. He headed back towards the kitchen but still couldn't find her. Making his way back to the front he noticed that the door to Mikael's room was hanging open by one of the hinges. That door was open when I left. He moved into the room and spotted her foot from under the bed.

"Mikael!" he yelled running to the bed. He reached out and pulled her out from under the bed. As he pulled she stirred. "Holmes?"

"Yes Mikael it's me. Can you walk?"

"Holmes," she said again, "the box."

"What box?" He asked, helping her to her feet.

She gave him a dazed look, "There was a boy, then a box and then boom" was all she could get out before she collapsed again. Holmes caught her and picked her up awkwardly.

As he came out the remnants of the front door, the few flames put out by the bucket line, a shriek was heard from down the walk way.

Mrs. Hudson came running up, her small basket of groceries forgotten on the pavement. Holmes laid Mikael down on the ground and Mrs. Hudson shoved her shawl under her nieces head.

She turned on Holmes, "What happened to her? I knew that one of these days your little science experiments were going to destroy my house."

Holmes took a step back at the fury coming from his little landlady and housekeeper. "Mrs. Hudson you niece will be fine. I do believe that she has only fainted and will come to in just a moment. Also, this is not the result of my experiments, from what I understand a box was delivered that turned out to be a bomb."

"A bomb…" the lady squeaked out. Just then Mikael stirred again.

"Ow my head." She said trying to pull herself up onto her elbows. "Help me sit up please." Her aunt hesitantly helped her to sit up asking her if she needed anything.

Now the he knew she was alright, Holmes went to survey the damage to the property. The entrance was in shambles and the front door completely gone. What use to be a table next to the door was now chunks of wood and splinters. The wall at this point was charred black, he guessed this was were the bomb had been when it went off. He examined the floor carefully, picking up stray bits of metal he found a few burnt pieces of the box as well but they were in a state beyond that which would help him identify where it was from. Standing in the middle of the entrance he turned in a circle taking in all the areas affected trying to determine the size of the blast. Mikael's door had been blown almost completely off its hinges and had a few scorch marks, and the bottom two stairs had been destroyed, as they were only feet from the table.

The women would have to have someplace to go, as they couldn't stay here until it was fixed. Besides the damage the house smelled terrible. The safest place to send them he knew would be his brother Mycroft's. Mrs. Hudson he knew would not like the situation but Mikael would, he was sure, help to convince her aunt.

Holmes jumped over the bottom stairs and headed up to his sitting room two write two notes to send ahead of the women to his brother's house and to his club. Once that was finished he headed back outside to send the notes and to try to convince Mrs. Hudson to agree to his plan. Outside he found Mikael and her aunt heading towards the door.

"Ah, Mrs. Hudson, I am taking the liberty of sending a note off to my brother asking that we all impose upon his hospitality until the damages can be repaired."

"Surely Mr. Holmes I do not have to leave my house."

"I assure you, it is necessary."

Mrs. Hudson again tried to protest but Holmes cut her off. "Madam, you have no front door. Now I suggest that you and your niece go inside and pack a few things to take with you for a few days stay. I am not certain how long it will take to put everything back into order."

The lady still seemed unconvinced but at some slight prodding from her niece she agreed and they went inside to see the damages and collect their things.

As soon as the ladies were sent on their way and the neighbors dispersed of, Holmes entered the house once more. He was shaken at these events. Someone had tried to kill him and not for the first time in a rather short period of time. He had a distinct feeling that it was the same people who had been responsible for the shooting at Scotland Yard. He had not been involved in anything as intriguing since the Banks' kidnapping. That Mikael had nearly been the victim was also on his mind. Thought Mrs. Hudson tried to keep her out of all this she still got in the way a bomb delivered to his address. How she had figured out it was a bomb and removed herself from harm he had no idea; he was just thankful that she had. After filling an over night bag of his own, grabbed some envelopes and headed down the stairs, jumping the gap at the bottom. Shaking his head, he cleared it of the thoughts and fears he had allowed himself to mull over and got down to business. There was plenty of debris around the front foyer and he began going through it methodically, filling the envelopes with bits to be examined closer.

A/N: another short chapter. Sorry the postings are so spread out I just wasn't happy with this one and had to redo it. Needed the transition chapter and really wanted to get a bit more of Holmes in there. Hmmm, we might see more parts following the great detective POV not sure yet.

Im at a bit of a block now and classes are starting back up at the university but im going to try to keep writing and posting. Also, this chapter title sucks any suggestions would be welcome.