Haven't done this one in a while...

[awanderingbard]

1. Pick a character (either a canon character or an original character) and ask me a question about him/her/it.

2. I'll answer the question with a fic snippet.

AU versions welcome as always.

Comments

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoy the stories. I try to make things happy as much as possible, as I don't care much for angst myself. I always try to leave things on a hopeful note.

Hope this is okay!

Care and Maintenance

Sherlock heard John's key in the lock, but it wasn't turned forcefully enough for it to be John who was coming in. John also didn't smell of Clair de Lune. Well, he did, but only because he rubbed up against someone who smelled strongly of it.

"Hello?" Mary called. "Sherlock?"

"What?" Sherlock called back.

"Nothing, I was just seeing if you here," Mary said.

She took the stairs up to the first landing, and stopped. Sherlock looked over his shoulder at her, waiting for her to deliver the news about Mrs Hudson, as she had obviously been sent to do. Mrs Hudson had tripped on the stairs and taken a bad fall, and John had gone with her to A&E.

"Did she break anything?" he prompted, when Mary just stared. The last text message he'd received was that she'd finally been taken for x-rays.

"No, it's just a sprained wrist and a bumped head," Mary said. "No concussion, no broken bones. It's a very mild FOOSH injury. She'll be out in a couple of hours, they're just monitoring her as a precation because of her hitting her head. John's sitting with her until they discharge her."

Sherlock felt some of the odd guilt he'd been experiencing go away, much to his relief. He couldn't figure out why he felt guilty, and it seemed ridiculous to feel upset about something without knowing why.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm mending the stairs," Sherlock said.

He thought that was fairly self-evident, given the wood, tool box, ripped up carpet, and the fact he was kneeling on the stairs with a sanding block in his hand. In general, he found John's fiancee to be clever, but clearly not clever enough to see what was in front of her.

"Oh," Mary said. "...all of them?"

"The ones that need mending, yes," Sherlock said. "There's been some disrepair while I've been away. No one was paying enough attention to notice that the house is starting to fall apart."

Including himself. He'd been back for a month now and dismissed the observation of the ragged edges on the stairs each time he observed it.

"Do you know how to do that?" Mary asked.

"I do now," Sherlock said. "There are plenty of tutorials on the Internet. I just ripped up the carpet and I'm sanding the edges, and tacking it back down again. It's not difficult. I started at the bottom. I'm almost done."

"How long have you been at it?" Mary asked.

"What time is it now?" Sherlock asked.

"Er, half one," she said.

"Then about eight hours," Sherlock said. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Mary said. "Your back is going to hurt tomorrow."

"Yes, I imagine it will," Sherlock said, impatiently. "Did you come for a reason?"

"John sent me," Mary said. "He thought you might be stewing."

"Why would I be stewing?" Sherlock said. "I'm just fixing the stairs. There's nothing wrong."

"Do you need a hand?" Mary asked.

"No," Sherlock said.

"Do you want some company?" she asked.

"No," Sherlock said.

"Can I make you a cuppa?" Mary said.

Sherlock considered that. "Yes," he said.

"I'll make you a builder's brew, that's appropriate," she said.

He scooted to the side of the stairway so she could pass him. She glanced down as she did and he could see her lips quirked in a confused sort of smile.

"It's a good thought, to fix them up," she said. "I'm sure Mrs Hudson will appreciate it."

"Whatever," Sherlock said. "Watch your step."

[alli bridges (from livejournal.com)]

Thank you! That was perfect. Excellent. I love it when Sherlock cares and attempts to appear otherwise disinterested.