"Mr. Holmes, where's your stocking? We ought to hang it on the mantle with the Doctor's."
Sherlock Holmes coughed once, waking with a start and quickly shaking himself to pretend he'd been awake the whole time even though he knew his landlady wasn't fooled. "Mrs. Hudson," he yawned, "what do you want now?"
"Oh, don't you start complaining," Mrs. Hudson replied. "How was I to know you were asleep? It's midday, and there's your dinner on the table. Don't eat too much, now. It's Christmas Eve, after all, which means when the doctor returns you'll be having a nice ham for supper."
"Have we no turkey this year?" Holmes grumbled.
"I shall forgive you your snippiness," she replied, "because of the day and because you've just woken. You shall have turkey on Christmas Day, just like always, and be grateful the doctor has volunteered to buy one. You don't want to be out there running my chores today. Which, I assure you, I would have woken you for, seeing as how you and the doctor are so sweet about helping out when the weather's bad."
"It's not 'sweet' Mrs. Hudson. Don't accuse me of that. It's practical. Why should I ever want to see you go out in the blowing snow and treacherous ice when I can do the job much quicker and meanwhile you will be safe and warm and making me some biscuits? There's nothing kind about it."
"Of course not," Mrs. Hudson agreed. "That's why you added 'safe' and 'warm' to your list of so-called practicalities."
"Safe and warm are practical things to want one's landlady to be," Holmes grumbled. He looked around him. "And one's roommate, when it comes to it. Where is the doctor, did you say?"
"He's out volunteering at the hospital; they came and asked him this morning. He should be leaving there shortly, and he's going to be a darling and bring home a turkey for tomorrow."
"John Watson is not a darling," Holmes replied. "You've clearly never seen him in a fight. You will keep the dinner covered for a while, won't you? I'll be back soon."
Mrs. Hudson sighed and covered the food she'd just brought, but she wasn't really annoyed. "Going out after him, are you?"
Holmes grunted. "I didn't mention where I'm going, Mrs. Hudson, and it is none of your business. Ah! Don't you say it!" he demanded quickly when he saw her grin. "I'm not a darling, either, so don't label me with that."
"Not even on Christmas Eve?" she asked.
He hesitated, and finally grinned. "Very well, Mrs. Hudson. Just on Christmas Eve I will concede to your bullying. Yes, I'm going out after Doctor Watson, but, as I said, it's only practical. If Watson harms himself by slipping on the ice, it will inconvenience my Christmas. Having a companion is better than facing the cold alone, and I can carry the turkey for us."
"Of course, Mr. Holmes. Pure practicality. You're not worried at all because of the fall he took last week."
"Exactly. Pure practicality," he agreed with a nod.
"And maybe because you're just a bit of a darling?"
He raised one corner of his mouth, "you may think so if you like, Mrs. Hudson, but you will not for long. Not when you find what I've done with the nice handmade stocking you gave me."
"Mr. Holmes…"
"Watson only told me it was an early Christmas gift, Mrs. Hudson! How was I to know I was supposed to hang it on the mantle? I thought it was just a very fancy sock."
"You thought," Mrs. Hudson said slowly, "that I handmade and decorated a single sock for you?"
"Yes, and I did think it was odd that there weren't two of them, but why should I complain about a gift? I thought it was a replacement for my Persian slipper, since you've never liked it."
"Mr. Holmes," said Mrs. Hudson, pinching the bridge of her nose, "did you pack the stocking I made you with tobacco?"
"Farewell Mrs. Hudson! I'll see you soon!"
She shook her head at him as he quickly retreated and glanced into his room and to see that he had, indeed, stuffed his nice new stocking with that odorous tobacco of his and had hung it on his side table. But, despite it all, he really was a darling, and he'd never convince her otherwise.
For the prompt from Book girl fan: A stocking in the wrong place.
Merry Christmas Eve, all! Thank you, trustingHim17, cjnwriter, and I'm Nova, for your warm wishes (literally)! I'm happy to say the worst of the storm has passed and power is back on!