Oh, where to begin! The letters from Triaged were wonderful. The last joke of Triaged was wonderful. The descriptions of Breton and the ferrying of the dead was wonderful.

The bomb blast and Nick's injury were terrible.

The only good thing was that it kept him out of the war itself. Y'know, I've had a secret worry for Martin and Nick concerning WWI. (May have noticed when I asked what years they were born in.) I should've guessed you had it figured out for them!

I agree - Christmas without ghost stories is like Holmes without Watson - it works but you just know there's something special missing :)

What can I say? It has to be easily the best thing you've written yet. There's so much in it that I don't know where to start. That opening letter was straight from the heart. Reading it actually brought a tear to my eye. 'Flying above the last storm' is a beautiful epitah. In fact, all his letters are touching, particularly the one to Nicholas. How can you not be moved by a letter that ends 'with honest love'?

The glimpse into the future was excellent. Had to laugh about Holmes suffering what he believed were the attentions of a madman!

Overall, a gorgeous piece of writing. That last line summed it all up for me: he might not have left his family money, but he gave them something far greater in value.

Splendid!

A lot of work went into this. Thank you for sharing.

I really liked this chapter, though it was sad. It was a fitting end, of sorts, for Triaged Potier. It's very like Lestrade to persuade the chief to punish him. Holmes meeting him at the station surprised me, but I liked it. I also liked the paragraph that talks about a movie being made about him. I thought that your glimpses of the future of these characters were interesting and realistic. I don't quite understand the last part, though... why didn't Triaged Potier leave them money? Where did he leave it to?

I love your use of the present tense. It makes the story feel more immediate and all the more poignant. Your insight into the life and times of Victorian London is as impeccable as ever :)

I hope those kids do okay now. I'm glad Lestrade offered them a job. I'm looking forward to the next chapter; keep up the good work!

Aragonite, this slice of Victorian life was just fascinating and bittersweet at the same time. Thank you so much for sharing.

Ah, more of your "filling in the details" of Victorian London. Always a welcome sight! I do love your insights into the efforts of Scotland Yard.

A saddening chapter to read- particularly as poverty and crime are still so rampant and effecting the young and innocent even today.

I'm glad you portrayed a little hope through the characters of these policemen though.

Aragonite, this is the best one yet! Thank you so much for sharing this bittersweet story.

And you've done it again. Lovely, all three. Thank you!

Hm. A very satisfactory chapter to follow the one before. And look, there's more! *reads on*

I love love love the atmosphere in this, and the descriptions. Thank you so much for making it part of my favorite season of the year!

It's always a treat seeing how you delve into Holmes's mind. Beautifully subtle... I'm going to have to read it all over again to thoroughly enjoy all those nuances. Loved the line about what would be Watson's instrument of choice - "for such an invention would be extraordinary". Sheer poetry.

Just wonderful. You've excelled yourself with this story. Well done!

This is well written. You do both their characters well and I enjoyed looking into Holmes's mind from your perspective.