Fic Rec: Home
Title: Home
Author: spacemutineer
Pairing: Holmes/Watson UST, past Watson/Morstan
Length: 2,437
Rating: Teen and up
Warnings: none
Verse: ACD books
Author's summary:
Just after the events of "The Adventure of the Empty House," Sherlock Holmes looks to return his life to the way he left it.
Reccer's comments:
Three years after the events at Reichenbach, Holmes makes his extraordinary reappearance, reveals himself to Watson, and together they capture Colonel Sebastian Moran. Shortly thereafter, Watson is back sharing digs with Holmes, a fait accompli.
This much, canon gives us. A bit... sparse, yes? spacemutineer gives us what's missing. And I don't mean strictly in the "missing scene" sense. This fic fills in the gaps, shows us Holmes' thoughts and feelings, makes this more than just Holmes' return-it is his homecoming. Another wonderful story to come out of the acd_holmesfest fanworks exchange.
Written from Holmes' POV, we see how profoundly moved he is to be back in his beloved London and reunited with his dearest friend. But it's not enough, not nearly. There's a huge, gaping Watson-shaped hole in 221B:
Stupidly I had entertained the fantasy that returning to London would reset the clock for my life, for both of our lives. I thought somehow that we would simply slip back into our old ways, into our old home as if nothing had changed....
It was nonsense to imagine the doctor, a gentleman, would give up his comfortable, familiar lifestyle to rejoin an eccentric friend of long ago at the drop of an old bookseller's hat.
Written with obvious love and respect for the canon and the characters, Spacemutineer fills this story with many such beautiful, heart-tugging lines. The word that best describes this fic for me is satisfying, and when you get to the end, I think you will see why.
TL;DR: spacemutineer's "Home" = THE WAY "EMPTY HOUSE" SHOULD HAVE ENDED
[In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that this fic was gifted to me. Everything I said applies, regardless *g*]