December 29: "Embrace" (from Winter Winks 221)
A/N: I may have pushed Holmes past the limit of in-character, but I hope you enjoy regardless. :)
Sherlock Holmes stood at the train station nearest his home in Sussex, eagerly awaiting Watson's arrival. At long last, the train arrived, and his friend stepped off and into the station.
"Watson! It is so good to see you," Holmes exclaimed.
Watson's face lit up, and he rushed to meet his friend. "You as well, old fell—" he stopped short as his friend pulled him into a swift embrace.
"Are you well?" Holmes asked with some concern as he pulled away.
"Oh yes, quite," Watson replied. "It's just, well, that was unusual."
"Unusual?" Holmes frowned. "Here, let me take your bag."
"No, no, I can handle it," Watson replied, as they walked through the station. "But that embrace was unusual. You have never greeted me as such before. In fact, I am not convinced I have ever seen you embrace anyone before!"
"Nonsense," Holmes replied tersely. "I'm sure I must have done."
"Well, barring that time I nearly died from a fever, and two, maybe three times I was shot rather badly, I am certain you have never done so."
"Not even in '93 when I returned from the dead, so to speak? I must have embraced you then." He called a motor car to take them to the countryside, and climbed in.
"It was '94, Holmes, and I assure you," Watson replied, climbing in behind his friend, "you did not."
"Are you quite certain?" Holmes was frowning now.
"Yes, I am," Watson replied with a chuckle. "You scared the very life out of me, and I woke up to you pouring brandy down my throat, but that's all."
"Ah, well," Holmes replied, with a little embarrassment. "I hope you do not mind."
"Not at all," Watson replied, still smiling. "We have been friends for decades. An embrace now and again certainly would be anything strange. After all, it is 1925, not 1895; everyone is a bit more relaxed about these sorts of things."
"Well, we are old men now," Holmes replied. "So I suppose to us, it is always 1895, is it not?" He gestured widely. "Look at your suit, for heavens' sake!"
"Look at yours!" Watson replied. "Why, that has not been in style since before the turn of the century!"
Holmes only laughed. "Well, now that we have established that we are both out-of-date old men, how about we engage in that remarkable pastime of reminiscing?"
"Naturally," Watson replied. "Perhaps this time I shall convince you to put pen to paper and write a tale yourself."
"Not a chance!" Holmes replied.
A/N: I just had to include that final exchange because (according my favorite source, Wikipedia) both stories written from Holmes' POV were published in 1926, the next year.