Sherlock stretched his hand out and very gently set it on John's shoulder. His friend had gone so quiet, so still. The response wasn't what he'd been expecting, but nothing John ever did was something Sherlock could predict. "John?"

"Just give me a minute, Sherlock." John took a couple of deep breaths. "You're alive." He reached out and touched Sherlock's cheek. "And you actually bought milk. I'm not sure which is the bigger miracle." The confused expression on Sherlock's face made him laugh. "Come on, I'll make a fresh pot of tea and you can tell me what the hell you've been up to all this time."