From sirensbane: Celebration
Well this prompt got that song by Kool & the Gang stuck in my head. Do you have any idea how hard it is to write when you have a song stuck in your head?
"Why are you still awake?"
I looked up from my book, smothering a small yawn to see Holmes standing in the doorway.
"It is almost midnight," I replied, figuring that would be answer enough.
He scowled as he ducked into his room for his dressing gown, coming out barely a minute later sans the wig and makeup that were part of his most recent disguise.
"I am aware of that," he told me, "but the question remains. I expected you to be asleep by now." Especially since you got very little sleep last night.
I felt a smile turn my mouth. "You lost track of the days."
Though phrased as a statement, there was a question behind it as well, and he thought for only a moment before understanding crossed his face. "New Year's Eve," he acknowledged as he took the other chair, amusement trying to break free. "Yes, I did."
"Did you finish your case, at least?" Several families had woken on Christmas morning to find decorations slightly depleted and one or two small presents missing, and Holmes had been chasing leads ever since. I had not been with him only because a storm front had kept me near the fire the first day, and the rest had been the information gathering for which he was better suited.
He nodded, leaning back in his chair as I put my book aside. "The milkman fell on hard times and took a few things from each house to give his daughter a Christmas. He confessed when directly questioned."
"How did you catch him?"
He hesitated, then shook his head. "I suppose I did not truly catch him," he admitted. "There was no arrest."
"No arrest?" I made no effort to hide my confusion. Surely, Hopkins could not have— "Hopkins did not charge him?"
"Hopkins was not present for the confession," he told me, "and he and Lestrade agreed when I suggested I had been commissioned to find instead of capture the thief. I had O'Connor return what he had taken, though that required telling his daughter what he had done, and she went with him to return the gifts. They returned home to find a small, late Christmas in their sitting room, courtesy of the Yard."
I stared at him for a moment. "The Yard took up a donation to decorate his house?" This was not the first time he had let someone guilty go free, but I had not expected the Yard to contribute anything.
He smirked at my surprise. "I believe Hopkins told the others that a friend had not been able to have much of a Christmas. He and one of the constables set up the sitting room after I opened the door for them."
I laughed. "He broke in to steal a Christmas, and you broke in to give one."
Holmes' ears turned red, and he squirmed in his seat. "I suppose that is one way to look at it."
I could not kill my grin, but I made no further comment, pulling myself to my feet as the clock chimed the quarter hour.
"What is it this year?" he asked when I moved toward my desk. He knew what I was doing.
"A champagne." Alone in the flat, there had been no reason to open the bottle I had bought for the occasion, but he had returned in time for us to toast the new year as we usually did. "We had wine last year."
He huffed. "There is nothing wrong with having the same thing two years in a row."
"Except for the belief that to ring in the new year exactly the same way you did the old one means this year will be the same as the last."
A derisive snort reached my ears. "Poppycock."
"No, that's Father Christmas."
He barked a laugh, and I could not hide my answering grin. The Irregulars had several very young members this year, and every time we had seen them in the days running up to Christmas, Holmes had had to field many questions about where Father Christmas was and whether Father Christmas would be able to find them now that they no longer had a home. The older children had always firmly asserted that they had a home with the Irregulars and that Father Christmas would find them easily, but I had been forced to scowl Holmes into playing along. Afterwards, he always ranted about the idea of a single being able to transport gifts all over the world as a "load of poppycock."
"You cannot seriously believe that the wine we drink at midnight has any effect on the year to come."
"Of course not." The bottle landed on the table with a faint thump, and I continued as he took two glasses from his desk. "I do like a bit of variety, though, and you like champagne well enough."
He huffed at me but made no reply, and silence fell until we had each settled with a glass.
"Do you have a New Year's resolution?" I asked.
"You know my opinion on such things," was his answer, and I felt a grin escape. His opinion on resolutions closely match his opinion on Father Christmas.
"Nothing you want to do better?" I tried again. "Nothing you want to change?"
He thought for a moment but shook his head instead of speaking his mind. "Nothing."
Or nothing he would speak aloud, anyway. I did not press him.
"You?" he finally asked, gaze on his drink as he tried to affect disinterest.
I considered what I wanted to reply. I wanted to keep him away from the cocaine another year. I wanted to continue living here another year. I wanted to continue helping with his cases for another year.
"I suppose not," I finally said with a chuckle. "What a pair we make."
He smirked. "Indeed."
Silence fell again, and I stared into the fire. This had been a long year, from chaotic cases to medical problems for both of us. There were many things I hoped did not repeat, but there just as many things I hoped did. I chose to believe the next year would be better than the last.
"It will be."
I smothered a start, jerking out of my thoughts to find him staring at me, and I affected a scowl. "You know I hate it when you do that."
A grin twitched his mouth. "Yet you cannot completely feign irritation when I do."
I rolled my eyes in answer and glanced at the clock. "It is nearly midnight."
He followed my gaze, raising his glass as I counted the final seconds. "Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Happy New Year, Holmes."
He did not return the words and never had, but his glass touched mine with a faint ping.
"You really should go to bed," he told me after we had sipped.
I waved him off, relaxing further into my chair. "I am perfectly fine right here, and I have nothing to do this morning."
With Holmes on the other side of the fireplace, I was quite willing to stay here for an hour or two longer, but an envelope landed in my lap. I looked away from the fire to find him watching me.
"What is this?" I asked, setting my glass aside.
He affected a shrug, his gaze on the envelope as I picked it up and turned it over in my hand. "Open it," he told me.
The flap was unsealed, and two small pieces of foolscap fell into my hand. My jaw probably fell open.
"Where did you get these?"
I held two tickets to a concert, one that had been sold out for months, and I tore my gaze away from the tickets to look up at Holmes.
Pleasure lit his gaze at my surprise. "They were supposed to be your Christmas present, but my contact could not get the ones I had originally requested."
"Holmes!" How could he be so casual about this? The two tickets I held were listed for some of the best seats in the hall, and I had tried to get them for him months ago.
He read the thought on my face, and a true smile finally escaped. "You are holding what was going to be my Christmas present."
I nodded. "They were sold out. I could not even get some nearby. How did you get these?"
His grin widened, but he refused to answer. "My contact is very good."
I shook my head at his stubbornness. "Thank you."
He waved me off, his pleasure at my surprise still evident even as he changed the topic.
"You have something to do today, now."
I laughed, finally noticing that the time stamped in the corner of each ticket was for early afternoon January first. "I suppose I do, but that means you should go to bed as well."
He drained his glass with a nod, pulling himself to his feet as I gained mine, and I followed him onto the landing. He disappeared into his bedroom as I mounted the steps.
"Happy New Year, Watson."
The words faintly carried when I was halfway up the stairs, but he had ducked into his room by the time I glanced back. I merely grinned and continued to my room.
If the beginning was any indication, this would be a good year indeed.
This has been such a fun month! Thank you so much to Hades Lord of the Dead for setting this up, and to all who have reviewed. I look forward to doing this next year :)
I seem to be on the late end of the time zones, but it's not yet 2021 as I write this, so a very Happy New Year to all, and to all a good night! (Wait…wrong holiday. Oh well.)
