Mrs. Hudson was sitting in her chair, just finishing her herbal soother and letting the effects sink in. She was already starting to feel lighter, everything seemed to move…slower, and she was even feeling a bit peckish. She found herself laughing at nothing, or maybe she was thinking of something that was funny. She looked around at her flat and saw that either she or it was floating, like a cloud. She stared down at her hands and waved them around and giggled even louder. She was the only one in the building, and in the confines of her flat so she could do what she wanted, right? Besides, she's only taking the soothers because of her hip; they can be a pain at times, specifically whilst she's cleaning.
She gasped.
"Bugger, I forgot to dust the room!"
She looked at the clock that was hanging on her wall.
"Well I have a good, five or ten minutes before John gets back home from work. Better get started now."
She clumsily rose from her rather uncomfortable chair and then gathered her duster and started heading upstairs.
John stared at his clock and then at his watch and got up from his office chair, got his coat and locked up for the day. He walked over to the front desk and approached the secretary. She was new, just started working at the office a few weeks ago because the one before her just had a baby and so she got maternity leave for the rest of the year. She was shy, and very nice. Her blonde hair was tied behind her head in a neat ponytail; she had on pale pink lipstick and light blush on her cheeks. John guessed that she was going out with her boyfriend or some friends after her shift today. She had a wide smile on her face.
"Hello, John!"
He met her warm brown eyes and gave something of a smile.
"Hello, Janice."
John couldn't tell if she was blushing or if it was just her make-up. She started fidgeting with her sparkly pen that wrote in purple ink. Sometimes John wondered if she was an adult, or just a really mature looking teenager who was about to finish her senior year.
"What brings you over here?"
'Don't make a sarcastic response. She's young and naïve, she won't be able to understand it.'
"Just here to clock out for the day, or did they move it another desk?"
'Dammit.'
She didn't seem offended by the joke; she chuckled and started typing away on the computer. He tried to not make direct eye contact with her, because she would never stop staring otherwise. She stopped messing with her computer and then went right back to that awful pen she insisted on writing with. John was waiting for the all clear but she wasn't saying anything. John groaned, he didn't have time for this.
"So, John…"
"Yes?"
"I was wondering if you…would like to…have dinner sometime."
John mentally sighed loudly. What was it with everybody asking him out, now? Sure she seemed like a nice girl, probably funny when she wasn't being bashful and sometimes creepy. But he wasn't her type, he wouldn't be able to hear about her new kitten or puppy for an hour-long date and then have to go to her house and probably find her room painted some fluffy and adorable color like powder blue, or carnation pink, or lilac.
'Can I be anymore harsh right now?'
John groaned and placed a hand on his cheek as he stared at her.
'Let her down gently.'
"Janice."
She perked up at the mention of her name. John had to keep reminding himself that there's no need to be a prick and hurt her feelings.
"You're a smart girl and all, hell, you're gorgeous too."
She looked like she was about to pass out. Surely her crush wasn't this deep, he barely knew her!
"But I'm not really looking for a date, there's too much going on in my life right now. I'm not ready to bring anybody into my problems, just yet."
Her eyes were downcast and she all but dropped her beloved writing utensil.
"Oh."
He rubbed the back of his neck and then slowly started to back away. He was never good at letting girls down, because when he did, it tended to be awkward. Hell, it was awkward when Sherlock turned him down when they first met.
'He didn't turn me down, it was just a misunderstanding. And that's why it was awkward.'
"So can I go?"
She nodded and he turned to walk away. He was almost out of distance when he heard her start talking.
"I guess it was rather silly. I thought I had a chance with you…but ever since Sherlock Holmes died, I haven't read about you having a girlfriend in the magazines, or even on your blog. My friend Jeanette was right; Sherlock Holmes is a very lucky man. Look at how much you love him, even after he died."
John sighed and turned back around.
"I don't love Sh-"
She shushed him.
"That's what you always say, on your blog especially."
John crossed his arms, and Janice got up. She does have a nice set of legs.
"But when you write, you don't see how much you admire him, how much you respect him. Your fondness of the man, Jeanette told me that you were jealous of this "woman" that Sherlock was upset about."
"Now hold on just a min-"
"You romanticize this man on your blog write-ups, you say all of these nice things about him, and you defend him if somebody in the comments says something particularly harsh, and Jeanette also told me that you wrote poetry to her in attempts to woo her. In a way, that's what you're doing on your blog. Your entries are poems dedicated to Sherlock Holmes."
"He's incredible, and I want people to see how brilliant he is, but that doesn't mean I love him."
She chuckled.
"You can deny it all you want, but all of your friends and fans see it. John Watson is in love with Sherlock Holmes."
John didn't know how to respond to that. He just spun on his heel and marched out of the clinic so he can return home and attempt to sort his life out.
Mrs. Hudson was dusting away in the room for about half an hour. She didn't realize how much dust can accumulate in one room until she started this job. A lot of sneezes and coughs later, she finally completed her task and left the room. She looked up at the clock.
"John should be home any minute now."
She continued to the hallway where she saw the bathroom door open and what looked like the back of Sherlock's head. Still feeling the effects of her herbal medication, she simply stared in disbelief. He didn't seem to notice her; he closed the door and then walked up the stairs. She was shocked and couldn't find a way to move.
"Was that Sherlock?"
After much debating in her head, she decided that it wasn't real, just a hallucination caused by the drug. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes and walked down the stairs to her flat. She was going to have a talk with John when he got back.
Pretty soon, she heard the front door open.
"Mrs. H, I'm back!"
"I'm in here!"
He walked over to her door and opened it. She was sitting at her dinner table with a cup of freshly made tea next to her. He smirked and greeted her again. She looked out of it, so John gave her a little shake.
"Mrs. Hudson?"
She snapped out of her daze and then looked at John with a wide smile.
"Oh, John, you nearly gave me a heart-attack!"
"I'm sorry, but what's the matter, you look distant."
Her smile disappeared.
"I suppose I do. It's just…are you seeing somebody else, John?"
His eyes widened.
"What?!"
"Well I wouldn't usually think something like that but when you wouldn't let me in the room, and I heard that moan, I simply let it slide. But then this morning, you had two cups of tea out next to both chairs, and then Sherlock's bed wasn't made, as if somebody slept on it recently, and you've been acting strangely. I just think that it's so soon after Sherlock…"
"Mrs. Hudson, I am not gay, remember that. And anyway, I simply forgotten that you made me tea, I've been miles away ever since the fall so if I've been acting out of the ordinary, just disregard it."
She resigned to a nod and John was satisfied with the answer. He was going to leave until she said, "I also thought that I saw Sherlock today. But I think that was just one of the effects of my medication. Or maybe I'm beginning to miss him a lot more than I originally thought."
"You…saw Sherlock?"
"Yes but don't think that he was actually there. It's just the grief getting to me."
"Yes…the grief…"
John swung the door open.
"Excuse me Mrs. Hudson; I have to…go upstairs for a moment…."
She got up and walked over to the door to call after John.
"I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean to touch a nerve."
"No, no, it's…fine…"
He sped up the stairs to his flat, leaving Mrs. Hudson high and confused.