Molly got two wine glasses out of the cupboard. She knew exactly where they were kept. Her clean and tidy of the flat wasn't just a dust. When she'd opened the cupboards she'd found all sort of interesting things growing in the cups and glasses. She'd smiled to herself. It was just like him to turn his own crockery into some form of experiment.

As she cleaned, she'd left some things be, knowing he was bound to be furious when he found out she'd destroyed all his experiments. She chose the most interesting ones to leave. In fact, she'd found herself wondering if he'd mind too much if she'd taken a look at some of the cultures herself.

So she made one cupboard up just for experiments leaving several mugs, cups, glasses and plates and their interesting contents for him to experiment on, and cleaned out all of the others. She replaced the key items they were missing such as tea bags (it really was too much that he was using the teabag caddy to grow different kinds of mould) and sugar and made the whole flat feel much more like some form of home rather than a make shift lab.

She left the glasses on the table and popped her head into Sherlock's room to check on him. He was fast asleep exactly in the position she'd left him in. She quietly closed the door and left him to it.

She then popped down to Mrs Hudson's flat "Please can I borrow your sleeping bag?"

Mrs Hudson was happy to oblige. "You will call me if you need anything won't you?"

"Thank you but I think we'll be fine. John's going to stay over too, in his old room, just to make sure that he's OK. If he needs any help in the night I just won't be strong enough to help him get up."

Mrs Hudson nodded. "I'll bring you all some breakfast up in the morning. I'll wait until I hear you all moving about and then I'll be up"

"Thank you Mrs Hudson, you're the best" said Molly and she planted a small kiss on her cheek.

John was quickly back with a bottle of red, a bottle of white and some snacks for them both and the settled down to chat. John turned his chair to face the sofa rather than Sherlock's chair and put a table in the middle so they could both put their drinks on it. John poured himself a glass of red and settled down.

Molly returned back from Sherlocks room "He's fine. I'll leave him be for a bit then check on him again" She poured herself a glass of white and stretched herself out on the sofa, her head at the window end.

John and Molly sat in silence for a while, drinking in the fact that finally Sherlock was home. His recovery was far enough along for him to be back in the place he felt most relaxed.

"You know, at one point I wasn't sure if this day would ever come" said John studying his drink carefully

"I was thinking just the same thing" Molly responded. "I was thinking about just how close we came to losing him. I still can't work out how on earth he pulled himself back from the first flat line, let alone the second. They'd worked on him for 25 minutes and called it. And his heart hadn't been beating for that whole time. Yet as they call it, it restarts itself. How on earth?"

"I actually don't want to think about it. You knew he was alive when he fell off the roof. I didn't. The thought of having to go through all those emotions again is just too much. What I do know is every time we think we know him, he does something incredible which shows that we really don't!"

"You know, John, I did know about him being alive when he fell off the roof, and I saw him once or twice before he headed out of the country but once he'd gone, I didn't see him for 2 years either. Not a sound from him. Not a word to tell me he was still alive. I'm not sure if that's worse than thinking he was dead, you know."

John took a deep breath, a quick drink of his wine and then just came out with it. "Molly, I've been meaning to ask you if you'll tell me more about what happened. How did he do it? What did he do afterwards? He won't talk about it. Or rather there's not been the right opportunity to ask him about it. We've always been on a case or I've had Mary with me. We've not had any time to just talk like we used to."

"I can't tell you how he did it John. I'm sworn to utter secrecy and I only know a small part of the happenings anyway. Mycroft sorted most of it. But after it happened, he spent a couple of nights at my flat, sleeping on my sofa. Well he didn't really sleep, he seemed to be planning something. I think he just used my place as a base. Then all of a sudden I got up one morning to find him standing there with his coat on. He gave me a kiss on the cheek, said thank you and that he had to be going. I asked him where and he said he couldn't tell me, that it was very dangerous and if he was still alive when he'd finished his task, he'd come and find me and let me know he was OK. Then as quickly as that he was gone. And I didn't hear from him or see him until he turned up in the locker room at work at the end of my shift. I think that was the night he'd found you and you hit him. So I can't tell you any more than that, I'm sorry John. "

"But you performed his autopsy, Molly. You certified him dead. Why didn't you at least give me a small indication that he was still alive? That's all I would have needed."

"I'm sorry John. I had to keep quiet. I'd promised Sherlock that I wouldn't tell you. I could see how much you were hurting and i wanted more than anything in the world to tell you, or at least to give you a hint but I just couldn't. I'd made a promise to him, and well, you know, it was Sherlock and... he's the one person I'd do anything for. You know that."

John nodded his head in silence. A single tear rolled down his cheek. "I never knew losing him would be as hard as it was. Never knew the true meaning of a best friend until I lost it. And then to nearly lose him again. I felt all the emotions rising up in me again. I though I could turn to Mary for support and the first time I could. But then when I found out what had gone on and the true course of events, the second time he took ill and collapsed in this flat I just had no one to turn to. You didn't know what had gone on. Mrs Hudson didn't know. Lestrade didn't know. The only person that knew, the person I needed most was fighting for his life again in surgery."

Molly got up from her chair. "I know, John" she said as she hugged him tightly, trying to put every ounce of support and friendship into one hug, to show him she was there for him.