Work Text:
Holmes made out his list, smiling to himself over the chore. With his days of penury well in the past, it was a pleasure to be as generous to one’s nearest and dearest as one liked without fretting over rent arrears and gas bills.
1. To each of the Irregulars, ten shillings and a fowl
2. To Lestrade, a cigarette-roller and a pouch of Virginia Flake
3. To Mrs. Hudson, two extra months’ rent and a pound of Cadburys
4. To Mycroft, the customary one-pound note and best wishes of the season (which he will send me in turn as well)
5.
Holmes shook his head, still smiling a little. What he really wanted to give Watson – all his worldly goods – could never be formally declared. The understanding between both of them about their shared future required no church service nor gold band to formalize the arrangement.
Which left the most important line on the list as blank as before.
Fortunately, Watson himself provided the inspiration when he limped into the parlour that dark evening from his rounds, groaning and still shivering from the outside elements. As he settled into his chair before the fire, Sherlock Holmes took the time to surreptitiously scribble the last item:
5. To John Watson: For the coming year, a weekly visit to the Turkish baths.