Holidays with Holmes is a Sherlock Holmes fanfic by KCS. It can be found here.
Some days on the calendar catch everybody's attention, and no day passes normally when in the company of the world's best and most bizarre consulting detective. The work follows Holmes and Watson through multiple special days, from Watson's birthday and Guy Fawkes Day to Halloween and New Year's.
Holidays with Holmes provides examples of:
- April Fools' Plot: The April Fool's entry chronicles Watson's nerves as he deals with an April Fool's Day in the company of the bored and mischievous Sherlock Holmes. However, he manages to one-up the detective with a carefully prepared prank in the guise of a new mystery to solve.
- "Be Quiet!" Nudge: Watson elbows Holmes in the ribs to get him to shut up when he starts chuckling and making comments about an overweight woman passing by at a Christmas party.
- Birthday Episode: Holmes wakes up Watson after a long night, claiming they have a client, and hustles him downstairs...to reveal that Mrs. Hudson has been busy making a special lunch in honor of his birthday, complete with cherry tart and lemonade. While Mrs. Hudson was busy with preparations, he set Watson's clock back so he would keep sleeping and not spoil the surprise. Watson asks how on earth he knew about the date, and Holmes tells him he should find a more secure place to keep his discharge papers.
- Chairman of the Brawl: In the "Guy Fawkes Night" entry, Watson fells a foe with a chair...while still tied to it.
- Clock Tampering: Holmes sets Watson's clock back several hours on his birthday so as to allow the doctor a long rest after the exhausting previous night and to give Mrs. Hudson more time to prepare.
- Close to Home: Watson comes home looking haunted one Halloween night. Ultimately, Holmes finds out that his patient, a young woman, died in childbirth, which unfortunately reminded him of his late wife.
- Crazy-Prepared: In setting up his prank, Watson insisted that Stamford make a trail to the window, even if the other man thought Holmes couldn't tell anything from the hard dirt. Watson was correct.
- Death by Childbirth: In the Halloween entry, Watson comes home looking haunted and immediately goes to bed. When Holmes wakes him from a nightmare, he confesses that the patient he was treating that night died in childbirth. He hadn't lost a patient since his wife's death, and the event provoked a Heroic BSoD.
- Determined Doctor: In one entry, Mrs. Hudson burns her hand while baking. Watson, despite his injured leg and the landlady's protests, races up the stairs two at a time to fetch his medical kit.
- Easter Bunny: After she gives her lodgers leftover Easter eggs for breakfast, Mrs. Hudson asks Watson if he's told Holmes about the Easter Rabbit. Holmes sputters when he hears this and dismisses the entire holiday. Watson notes that science one day proving that the Easter Bunny is a real, undying creature carries about the same likelihood as Holmes ever learning to enjoy the holidays.
- Formally-Named Pet: The son of Holmes' latest client leaves a box containing "Mr. Bubbles" with Watson to help the doctor's healing process. It turns out to be a bulldog puppy.
- The Four Loves: In the "Valentine's Day" entry, Holmes and Watson find themselves discussing wedlock. Holmes says he never plans to marry, disappointing Watson, who asks if he really thinks it would hurt to let himself feel some kind of love. Not very experienced in the topic, Holmes asks Watson to describe what love is. The doctor's description best fits the Biblical agape, wanting the best for someone without demanding anything in return. By the end, Watson realizes that he has been focusing on Holmes' capacity for romantic love. The detective isn't too keen on romance, but his care and protectiveness over Watson indicates a sacrificial form of philia.
- Full-Name Ultimatum: Downplayed. Robert, the client's son in the New Year's entry, tells Watson that he hates that name, because his mother only uses it when irked with him. Watson promptly switches to "laddie."
- Green-Eyed Monster: A platonic example; the May Day entry has Watson briefly becoming jealous when Holmes casually mentions an acquaintance with whom he has dined multiple times during his retirement. However, said acquaintance mentions Holmes talking about Watson constantly, and when the doctor returns to London, he finds a reassuring note from the detective amidst his belongings.
- Greens Precede Sweets: Watson warns Holmes about Mrs. Hudson's reaction if she sees that he's eating cherry tart before lunch. Holmes, not seeing the use of that custom, returns to the tart as soon as possible.
- Gratuitous German: Alfie's grandmother thanks Watson in German during the "Father's Day" entry.
- Heroes Love Dogs: The son of one of Holmes' clients lends Watson his bulldog puppy to sleep with after he injures himself on a case, and Watson deeply enjoys its company. Holmes, on the other hand, doesn't like dogs thanks to a childhood incident but puts up with it because of Watson.
- Improbable Falling Save: Lampshaded in the "New Year's Eve" entry. Holmes bolts to catch Watson as the doctor plummets down the staircase. He loses his grip on him, but he does slow the fall to non-terminal velocity. When Holmes confronts him about it later, Watson points out that Holmes' attempt to break his fall was no less unwise; even if he had managed to keep ahold of him, his arms would have been pulled loose from their sockets.
- Invisible Writing: Holmes fills Watson's inkwell with invisible ink on April Fool's Day.
- I Resemble That Remark!: Watson comments on Holmes not noticing holidays, even Christmas unless he's reminded by Watson calling him "Scrooge." Holmes mutters, "Bah, humbug" as he continues with breakfast.
- Ironic Nursery Rhyme: Holmes comes up with his own twist on the traditional Guy Fawkes rhyme after a convicted murderer tries to kill him and Watson on that night.
- Laxative Prank: Watson mentions that at one past April Fool's Day, he had retaliated against one of Holmes' pranks by hiding an enema in his lunch, leading to a mutual agreement to leave edibles alone.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Watson becomes concerned about Alfie's emotional state after the young Irregular uncharacteristically turns down some leftover biscuits and lemon cake.
- Revenge via Storytelling: After being woken and seeing the clock, Watson irritably follows Holmes downstairs for the case, vowing to avenge himself on the client by giving him the foulest pseudonym he can imagine.
- Shout-Out: Mycroft's subordinates sometimes call him "Mycroft Marley" and Watson habitually calls the younger Holmes "Scrooge" in the two weeks before Christmas.
- Sleep Cute: In the "New Years' Eve" entry, Watson gets injured and awakens from a nightmare to see Holmes asleep in a chair at his bedside and the dog of the house (a bulldog puppy) curled up in the detective's lap. He says he had no more nightmares after getting an eyeful of the adorable scene.
- Sweet Tooth: The Baker's Street Irregulars, as one might expect from children, have a soft spot for sweets. Watson notes that it's unusual for Alfie to turn down cake or biscuits and the boy and fellow Irregular Bert are gleeful when Holmes flips them a golden coin with which to buy toffee apples.
