A/N: Here is the next bit! Again, all plot bunnies are free to whomever is so inspired. :D
21. Motionless
His eye never wavered from the delicate vials and tubes in front of him, he could cut off the most obnoxious distractions to focus on his chemicals; but when Watson's coughs sounded from upstairs, Holmes flipped off the burner, and went to make a cup of tea.
22. Filthy
Many of Holmes' disguises required a good smudge of dirt across the face, but Watson was relatively certain that falling through the roof of a shed into a pile of coal was not what the detective had had in mind.
23. Demented
The crazed pleasure in the man's eyes, that day in the chemical laboratories, had intrigued rather than disturbed him, a fact which confused Stanford, and brought Watson no end of joy.
24. Bitter
He was rarely wrong, and disliked it immensely; but when the price of not admitting it was very nearly his best and only friend's life, he was not above saying those three words, though the blood they were steeped in made the cup a bitter one indeed.
25. Unconscious
In the still-dark of early morning, Holmes looked at the shadows under Watson's eyes, and almost couldn't bring himself to wake him –until he saw the naked toes peeking out from under the blankets, and grinned.
26. Proud
At one point, he had been very like the bumbler from the Strand stories, but on the day where Watson not only followed one of Holmes' deductions, but also circumvented them, and supplied a new theory; Holmes' quick smile of praise buoyed him more than any formal commendation or medals.
27. Flee
Watson knew they were running after the hellhound, but during the frantic chase on the moor, hearing the beats of the paws, and the baying of the beast, he could have sworn they were the ones being pursued.
28. Hide
With Holmes' boney knee just under his nose, and his own elbows cramped into the detective's side, there was just enough room in the small hollow to stay undercover; neither dared move for fear of the country mob, complete with pitchforks in their wake.
29. Sleep
In the small Swedish hotel, one man paced the corridor between two rooms, ears tuned for any noise, revolver at the ready in his coat pocket; neither he nor Watson would be taken sleeping.
30. Wonder
The ropes cut into his wrists as he twisted to see, from his vantage on the wooden bunk, his quiet, humble biographer taking down three men with only his service revolver, and walking stick, and looking a right fiend; he would hate to be on the receiving end of such ferociousness.
31. Clutch
After the terror of the case, the narrow escapes from certain death for both of them, and worst of all, the capture and torture of his best friend, the final straw to his emotional control came when he felt Holmes' thin hands twisting desperately into the back of his jacket.
32. Break
It wasn't their first argument, but it was the most vicious, for both knew each other well enough to strike at the most tender parts, and they went to bed furious, but the next morning when Holmes began playing Watson's favorite piece, he took that as a sign—he didn't want this to break either.
33. Destroy
Holmes made the appropriate comments regarding the diamond ring Watson was excitedly showing him, saying it would fit Miss. Morston perfectly; inside Holmes wondered if this, rather than men with guns, or petty fights, would be what finally destroyed their friendship.
34. Storm
They closed the curtains, and swept up the glass as best they could, but both still looked at each other in horror when they heard their landlady's footsteps coming up the stairs.
35. Leap
The footing was unsteady, and they stood swaying for a moment before clasping each other's arms, and jumping from the careening carriage; the horseless vehicle crashed from the cliff moments after they rolled to a stop, none the worse for the ill-planned murder attempt.
36. Scream
Holmes had never heard a more chilling sound than Watson crying out in his nightmares; that first time, a few nights into his rooming with the doctor, he simply pulled a pillow over his head, the next time he was more prepared, rising, and grabbing his violin.
37. Fall
Watson never let his readers know how very ill and weak he had been when they first moved in together, Holmes knew better, and remembered all too well the days when he would have his ear tuned for the sound of Watson's bad leg giving out from underneath him.
38. Slander
The talk at the Yard had been respectful, but turned derogatory a year and a half after his death; this stopped after some young constables had made the mistake of mocking Sherlock Holmes' methods within hearing distance of Dr. Watson.
39. Bind
He wriggled, and squirmed, his fingers grasping, until finally he held up the severed rope, with his newly freed hands; Holmes smiled, and retied him with a "try it faster this time, Watson."
40. Accuse
Lestrade saw the signs of their guilt, cut hands, and what may have been black silk masks in the fire grate, but he knew that if he pressed this, Holmes would only make the Yard look idiotic for accusing with no evidence—it was better to leave it be, and trust Holmes knew what he was doing.
TBC
