Sherlock Fanfiction: Immunology

[saki101]

Author: Saki101
Genre: Slash
Rating: PG
Length: ~3500 words
Warning: AU, episode-related, post-The Reichenbach Fall
Disclaimer: I don't own BBC's Sherlock and no money is being made.
Author's notes: This is a continuation of The Other Experiments Series which forms an AU frame for the Experiments Series. Immunology is set after Locked

Comments

[svetlanacat4]

"Moriarty didn’t have a John Watson."
"It was a lack of you so fierce I could hardly think. And I’m nothing without my thoughts."
A thrilling study of Sherlock's feelings...

[saki101]

I've been trying to put the clues together to form a viable model of what those might be so I could extrapolate from there. As you see, I am still mostly constructing the model!

Thank you for mentioning details! I thought Moriarty was envious of Sherlock having John.

[snailbones]

You know I'm loving this... well, now I'm loving it even more *g* It's fabulous to watch you weaving something unique like this, oh, and the picture of John wearing Sherlock's pyjama bottoms with the cuffs rolled up... awwww! Priceless!

Thank you for another lovely part.

[saki101]

Grinning happiness that you are continuing this journey with me! I very much appreciate it!

It seems to be a popular trope that John will move somewhere else after the fall whether due to finances or needing to get away, but I couldn't picture him living anywhere but there, holding everything that reminded him of Sherlock as close as he could.

[eilidhsd]

I was enjoying this on March 4 and wrote you a fulsome comment praising your cleverness and then the broadband went out and bucked me off the system. And I tried again and it waited until I had written the comment out, and bucked me off again. And it has taken until tonight to get back. Either there is something odd with the BT line or Moriarity has indeed been working in the IT dept. (Actually, I liked that very much. It made sense of a lot of random problems in life.)
Won't tempt fate by attempting to repeat the comments, except to say that it is a fascintating well thought out idea, which will probably beat what the BBC has in mind for the return.

[saki101]

I am so sorry that happened to you twice!! I hate that so very, very much. It's come to the point where I copy my long comments before I click the post button just in case it gets lost.

Yes, Jim in IT explains a lot!!

(Of course, you know I am now fainting with curiousity as to what these lovely comments were that Moriarty has blocked, but don't endure the aggravation again. What you managed to get through before the wormhole closed will keep me smiling all morning!)

[chapbook]

The first time I read this I thought the opening scene was a pendant, something which occurred later, rather than before the rest of the scenes in this chapter. After this read-through, however, I think that the chapter is arranged chronologically. John and Sherlock have a reaction to each other after their inhaled contact at the cemetery? Meaning not all of Moriarty's cells have been destroyed? And if John's scent is temporarily unhealthy for Sherlock, why is it OK for him to have John's jersey? Is it a case of the dead cells in a fabric vs. what microorganisms can travel through moist human breath? Again, if you plan to answer this later, just let me know. I'll just be in the corner camping out.

I see your cobra motif (and now with added solar disk! is that a reference to Ancient Egyptian mythology?)!

An attempt at fusion had not remotely occurred to Sherlock. He didn’t think it had ever been done. Fusion was possible with some humans. Once fused, it was known that they could mate with one another, as Sherlock’s parents had

[saki101]

Good afternoon!!

Thank you so much for re-reading this part. I'm going to answer anything that doesn't involve spoilers. Then the question will be, was enough of that information present even though not totally clear or is information missing that should be presented at this point.

John and Sherlock have a reaction to each other after their inhaled contact at the cemetery? Yes.

Meaning not all of Moriarty's cells have been destroyed? Exactly.

And if John's scent is temporarily unhealthy for Sherlock, why is it OK for him to have John's jersey? John's scent is making Sherlock feverish, but it isn't unhealthy. By this stage in their fusion process, from their regular close proximity and direct physical contact, Sherlock has a fair amount of John's cells in his system. So when Sherlock is up on the roof and Moriarty assaults him, it is John's immune system which defends Sherlock. (As it had been in the first forty-eight hours after Moriarty had grasped his hand, Sherlock’s immune response had been inactive.) Why might that

[saki101]

Part II of the reply!

His [Sherlock's] blood had confirmed his diagnosis, some of Moriarty’s cells had remained in his system. In each slide Mike had prepared, neutrophils were swarming over the one or two blood-like cells which were not Sherlock’s. John’s neutrophils. Sherlock was not given to anthropomorphising microbiological processes, but fury had seemed the only word to describe the speed at which the neutrophils had been devouring Moriarty’s cells.

Is some tweaking needed to make this clearer?

I see your cobra motif (and now with added solar disk! is that a reference to Ancient Egyptian mythology?)!Here I was mainly reacting to the scene on the roof, especially the cinematography. The way the sun was shown behind Sherlock was so evocative and all the references to angels and Sherlock stating that he definitely wasn't one. Of course, he was performing in whatever way might work to control Moriarty, so who knows if there is anything to these words other than that, but I decided to treat it as though there were. (The

[chapbook]

FYI: a link to images of cobras with solar discs: here
It's fun how an ancient mythology, and now the combination of contemporary cinematography and fanfiction are linking similar objects (cobra, sun).

Is some tweaking needed to make this clearer?

No, I think that passage is fine. I mostly wanted confirmation to see if my interpretation of what was going on was on track.

And I'm glad that you and others are having creative responses to the quirks and contradictions we see in this series!

<3

[elmey]

Plot!! (I don't mean to inundate you tonight, but I had time to read :)

I love the way you cover ground in this, bringing us out past the episodes and into a different world. It's also really interesting to see so much of this from Sherlock's POV, seeing John from a distance. I also really like the way you use the earlier scene with the gun here, we learn more of both Sherlock's condition and his need.

The scene between Mike and John in the lecture room, where they talk about their own school days while Mike is observing John making out with the wood is warm and funny and wonderful--and Sherlock stretching out on the same table later is a lovely touch.

[saki101]

Inundate! It's like several holidays rolled into one!!

Ecstatic that you like the plot so far. Like several elements in Hounds, the roof scene in TRF fascinated me, and it screamed supernatural at me. All that talk of angels and demons, the disorienting camera angles, and then Moriarty choosing to kill himself. Why?

I was wondering how the shifts between John's ordinary relationship with Mike and his extraordinary one with Sherlock would sit. Mike's position is tricky because he lives in both worlds, as it were, knew them both before they knew one another, cares about them both and is actively deceiving John. So their exchange seeming warm and humorous to you makes me very, very happy!

Possibly I need to make a point of having more scenes from Sherlock's POV.

(Heading backwards now to your other comments. Oh, the joy!)