Written for a prompt stolen from the Adventures in Narnia forum on

prompt 1: Blanket Fort


"Watson."

The word cut easily through the thin walls, and silence fell immediately. I merely watched. It was not for me to answer Holmes' question.

"Should we let him in?" Aiden whispered after a moment, the few words the most I had heard in a row since they had arrived.

Wiggins pulled the youngest Irregular closer, looking at me as he did so.

"That is up to you," I answered quietly, smothering a smile when I heard Holmes shift in his place by the door. "Do you want him in here?"

Aiden thought for only a moment before he called out a question. "What's the password?"

Again, I fought to hide my amusement. I had not known we had a password, and I rather doubted young Aiden had one in mind. Holmes would have to answer carefully to be allowed inside.

He probably realized this, and his own smile leaked into his voice. "Mrs. Hudson made sugar biscuits."

Surprise crossed the young boy's face, and I hid another grin. Or he could simply say that. Provided he could follow up on the promise, that was the one sentence guaranteed to grant entry with any Irregular. Aiden immediately pulled aside one of the blankets.

"You can come in!"

Crawling under the low roof, Holmes lowered himself to sit against the settee, then placed a plate in the middle as he looked between Wiggins, me, and young Aiden.

"Why is a blanket tent in the middle of the sitting room?"

"It's a fort!" the boy protested quickly, but his sudden willingness to speak faded as quickly as it had appeared. He hid his face in Wiggins' side without another word.

Aiden lost his mother last month, I told Holmes using the code he had taught me. If the hesitant understanding was any indication, I had some more work to do before I could say I had mastered it. He was feeling rather overwhelmed today, and Aiden had mentioned his mother used to make him blanket forts. Wiggins brought him here because they did not have enough blankets available to do it.

Holmes glanced at where Aiden still leaned against Wiggins, the older boy whispering something to the younger. A small hand crept out to claim a biscuit.

"And a fine fort it is, too."

I could not kill my laugh, and wide eyes became visible at the heavy Cockney that had just come from the stoic detective.

"I say!" Holmes added. "Didn't I see you at th' canal th' other day?" Aiden nodded, and Holmes continued, still using the heavy Cockney of one of his many disguises. "There's a special place, down by the canal, where you can put in a raft easy-like and ride it down river. It'll al'ays kick ye out in the same place. You hear of it?"

Aiden shook his head, and Holmes sank deeper into the disguise as the boy slowly pushed himself off Wiggins.

"I'll show it to ye sometime. Maarv'lous place. Know of many young boys that go down thereā€¦"

I recognized some of Holmes' mannerisms as stolen from a street performer a few months ago, but their origin hardly mattered so much as their impact. I settled in, claiming my own biscuit and watching young Aiden slowly relax. Wiggins and I had yet to get the boy to smile, but Holmes had him quietly laughing in minutes, his difficult day apparently forgotten.

Heartless detective, indeed.


Hope you enjoyed! :) Don't forget to review!

response to Dr. who re Mathematical Observations: Watson's pov of that incident can be found in Bah! Humbug 10. your answer is there :)