A Heart Made of Glass

Halloween's Kiss

Two Days Later

"I still don't get it, you're putting fake cobwebs on the door?" Sherlock's voice sounded from behind me, sharp confusion cutting his words.

He was in a crudely playful mood that hadn't come out much since his return. I welcomed it wholeheartedly. I turned halfway, smiling to where he sat on the flat's staircase. Out of view from the door, but still with me.

"It lets the kids know that I give out candy, how else would they know?"

"You could put up a sign, 'hey kids! This random stranger will give you candy! And because it's a certain day, it's okay!'"

I laughed, finishing the final decorations of the door.

"Their parents are with them, silly, and besides, I've built up quite the Halloween reputation."

His nose wrinkled as his eyes swept over me. "How?"

I leaned against the railing, looking down over him with faux seriousness. "Full-sized candy bars, that's how. If you're nice, maybe I'll give you one too." We both knew he could have as many as he wanted, but the tease was still fun. I winked and a pink blush spread quickly over his perfect cheeks. He stuttered, his quick mind short-circuiting for a response.

"Oh, the door looks lovely, John!" I turned to see Mrs. Hudson coming in with grocery bags. I rushed to help her, setting the two bags of candy off to the side, puzzled that there was a third bag.

"I went ahead and picked up a bottle of wine for you boys. When's the last time you had some dearie?"

Sherlock shrugged, turning even pinker from the question.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson, I'll pay it back."

She waved her hand, "It's a gift. To the first holiday with our boy back." I grinned at her, glancing back over to Sherlock. It was indeed the first holiday with him back.

"Perhaps a celebration is in order. Care to join us?"

"Oh, no, why don't you two have your fun tonight. I'll come up tomorrow for a chat." She patted my arm and bustled off to her own flat with a smile.

I turned to Sherlock, holding up the bottle. "Care for a drink?"

"That sounds good to me." I could almost see the nerves in his gaze.

"I'll go get glasses." I slipped by him up to the flat. I grabbed two wine glasses and a corkscrew before returning back down. I uncorked the bottle, pouring two glasses for us. His was filled considerably less, Sherlock had been quite the lightweight before everything. Even though he was beginning to fill back out, he'd lost considerable weight since then.

I handed him his glass, and he took it with a nod. I turned back to the candy bags, getting ready to pour them into the cauldron molded bowl.

"The last time I had alcohol was that night in the cellar."

I stopped, surprised. That had been three and a half years ago, about six months before he'd died. There had been a case where he'd managed to get us locked in a wine cellar overnight, much to my frustration.

Nevertheless, it'd been one of the best nights of my life. I'd coaxed him into a deduction game, the two of us passing a bottle of wine between us. If he deduced correctly, I'd drink. If he was wrong, he drank. I, of course, drank way more than he did, but we still ended up at the same level of intoxication. The lightweight.

He'd deduced that I was in love. I drank.

He deduced it was Jennie, my girlfriend at the time. He drank.