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Title: Baker Street: The Sherlock Soap Opera Remix
Rating/Pairings: PG for language; gen
Word Count: 1160-ish
Summary: Sherlock's backstory re-imagined as a soap opera.
Spoilers: As it's AU, none.
Author's note/Warnings: American writer, British fandom, unbeta'd.
PART ONE: THE BACKSTORY
Sherlock's never seen a picture of his father. He doesn't remember him at all; he left when Sherlock was a baby, that's all he knows. His mother doesn't talk about him, and Mycroft follows her lead in this as in everything else. He can see the gaps in the photo albums, and he can see the way his mother holds him at a distance, how her eyes seem to slide away from his face. And he can see how Mycroft resembles their mother so strongly--their hair, their noses, even the shape of their eyes are the same. Even as a child, Sherlock stands out in the family portraits.
It doesn't take a genius to deduce that he must resemble his absent father. To a considerable degree, even, give his mother's reaction to him as he grows. The more he tries to learn, to do well, to please
her, the more distant she becomes.
It's not his fault, Mycroft tells him kindly, when Sherlock finally confronts him. (Mycroft is always kind; it's one of the things Sherlock hates about him. It's down the list after "The way Mummy smiles at him" and "The way Mummy pats his arm when she's pleased with him" and several other assorted things. Mycroft can afford to be kind; it's just another form of condescension.)
Mycroft is old enough to remember their father clearly, and he confirms Sherlock's suspicions. Sherlock looks like their father; their mother hates their father; she's reminded of him when she looks at Sherlock. Mycroft assures Sherlock that it doesn't mean anything, that their mother does in fact love him, that she just has difficulty showing it. Sherlock appreciates Mycroft's effort, but privately he thinks that if he sees no evidence, it is unlikely to exist.
After a while, he stops looking.
PART TWO: THE SHOCKING TWIST
The actual truth is a bit more complicated than that. The pictures were hidden because eventually, someone would be bound to notice that Sherlock doesn't look like his father at all; and then they might start wondering who he does resemble.
It turns out that there's a perfectly natural, if morally reprehensible, reason for their mother to distance herself from Sherlock--she's not his mother. Their father had an illicit liaison with a maid, who died in childbirth. He then demonstrated a hitherto unknown passionately romantic side, and fled the country, grief-stricken. His wife considered it her duty to raise the child and give him every advantage as if he were her own, but she could never quite bring herself to love him, seeing him as a daily reminder of her husband's betrayal.
By the time Mycroft works this out, he's become accustomed to thinking of Sherlock as his brother. He sees no reason for the term "half" in front of it to change their relationship in any way. He's also become accustomed to noticing everything that Sherlock does, praising him when he does well, scolding him when he gets into trouble, because it is quite obvious by this time that no one else is going to bother.
Sherlock is developing a habit of saying and doing the most outrageous things. Mycroft suspects that it is strictly to get a reaction, but his mother ignores this as she does most things pertaining to Sherlock. His latest fad is demanding to be waited on hand and foot. She does indulge him in this, probably out of guilt. Mycroft refuses; it cannot possibly be good for Sherlock.
He knows Sherlock resents him for it, and for the scoldings, but, Mycroft reasons, he's the only actual family Sherlock has, even if Sherlock doesn't realize it. He is determined to be a proper brother, and part of that is making sure that Sherlock never realizes the truth. He's got a good home and people who care about him, for admittedly loose definitions of "care". He's already managed to alienate himself from most of humanity; if he alienates himself from them out of some misguided notion that they're not his "real" family, then there will be no one to look after him. And if there is one thing that Mycroft is absolutely certain about, it's that Sherlock needs looking after.
PART THREE: THINGS GET WEIRDER
Unbeknownst to Mycroft, he is not the only person (besides his mother, of course) who knows who Sherlock really is. The unfortunate maid wasn't homeless and unattached; she had a family. A husband, in fact, and a son, reasonably close to Mycroft's age. Her husband doesn't react well to all these events. His son spends the next several years hauling him home from the pubs and bailing him out of jail when he gets too drunk and starts picking fights. The son spends so much of his time around police stations, in fact, that eventually he figures he might as well get paid for it, and joins the force.
Eventually he outgrows the hatred of everyone involved that his father indoctrinated into him, and his curiosity gets the better of him. Finally accepting the fact that he has a half-brother out there somewhere, he uses his contacts to track down his mother's long-lost child.
The kid is a genius, is his first impression. The kid is an arrogant bastard, is his second impression, and he's picked up a drug habit to boot. Lestrade can't do anything about the first problem, but by God he can fix the second one, or know the reason why.
It's an uphill battle, made worse by the fact that Sherlock can't seem to grasp the fact that he could possibly be wrong about anything, but Lestrade persuades, bribes, threatens, and finally physically restrains Sherlock during the worst of the withdrawal. It would be a hell of a lot easier, he thinks grimly, if Sherlock didn't look so damn much like his mother. Their mother.
Off the drugs, Sherlock's more insufferable than ever. But he's also more brilliant than ever, and he's showing a rare talent for crime-solving. Lestrade can use this, he thinks. If he can keep Sherlock busy, maybe he'll stay clean. And it'll give him a reason to stay in touch with Sherlock, so that he can keep an eye on him. Lestrade's been a policeman for a while now, and he can tell--if anyone needs keeping an eye on, it's Sherlock.
PART FOUR: ALIENS ABDUCT EVERYONE
All right, not really. That would be a silly ending, don't you think? This isn't that sort of story. It would be unfair.
By an odd coincidence, "unfair" is exactly the word that Jim would choose. Not to describe aliens, of course. To describe the fact that his dear long-lost twin brother has two older siblings looking out for him. Caring about him. Not that he appreciates it, of course, or even notices. He's even got that idiotic doctor running after him now.
Whereas Jim's never had anyone to look out for him. No one cared about him at all. No one even knew he existed.
Well, that at least is going to change.
Rating/Pairings: PG for language; gen
Word Count: 1160-ish
Summary: Sherlock's backstory re-imagined as a soap opera.
Spoilers: As it's AU, none.
Author's note/Warnings: American writer, British fandom, unbeta'd.
PART ONE: THE BACKSTORY
Sherlock's never seen a picture of his father. He doesn't remember him at all; he left when Sherlock was a baby, that's all he knows. His mother doesn't talk about him, and Mycroft follows her lead in this as in everything else. He can see the gaps in the photo albums, and he can see the way his mother holds him at a distance, how her eyes seem to slide away from his face. And he can see how Mycroft resembles their mother so strongly--their hair, their noses, even the shape of their eyes are the same. Even as a child, Sherlock stands out in the family portraits.
It doesn't take a genius to deduce that he must resemble his absent father. To a considerable degree, even, give his mother's reaction to him as he grows. The more he tries to learn, to do well, to please
her, the more distant she becomes.
It's not his fault, Mycroft tells him kindly, when Sherlock finally confronts him. (Mycroft is always kind; it's one of the things Sherlock hates about him. It's down the list after "The way Mummy smiles at him" and "The way Mummy pats his arm when she's pleased with him" and several other assorted things. Mycroft can afford to be kind; it's just another form of condescension.)
Mycroft is old enough to remember their father clearly, and he confirms Sherlock's suspicions. Sherlock looks like their father; their mother hates their father; she's reminded of him when she looks at Sherlock. Mycroft assures Sherlock that it doesn't mean anything, that their mother does in fact love him, that she just has difficulty showing it. Sherlock appreciates Mycroft's effort, but privately he thinks that if he sees no evidence, it is unlikely to exist.
After a while, he stops looking.
PART TWO: THE SHOCKING TWIST
The actual truth is a bit more complicated than that. The pictures were hidden because eventually, someone would be bound to notice that Sherlock doesn't look like his father at all; and then they might start wondering who he does resemble.
It turns out that there's a perfectly natural, if morally reprehensible, reason for their mother to distance herself from Sherlock--she's not his mother. Their father had an illicit liaison with a maid, who died in childbirth. He then demonstrated a hitherto unknown passionately romantic side, and fled the country, grief-stricken. His wife considered it her duty to raise the child and give him every advantage as if he were her own, but she could never quite bring herself to love him, seeing him as a daily reminder of her husband's betrayal.
By the time Mycroft works this out, he's become accustomed to thinking of Sherlock as his brother. He sees no reason for the term "half" in front of it to change their relationship in any way. He's also become accustomed to noticing everything that Sherlock does, praising him when he does well, scolding him when he gets into trouble, because it is quite obvious by this time that no one else is going to bother.
Sherlock is developing a habit of saying and doing the most outrageous things. Mycroft suspects that it is strictly to get a reaction, but his mother ignores this as she does most things pertaining to Sherlock. His latest fad is demanding to be waited on hand and foot. She does indulge him in this, probably out of guilt. Mycroft refuses; it cannot possibly be good for Sherlock.
He knows Sherlock resents him for it, and for the scoldings, but, Mycroft reasons, he's the only actual family Sherlock has, even if Sherlock doesn't realize it. He is determined to be a proper brother, and part of that is making sure that Sherlock never realizes the truth. He's got a good home and people who care about him, for admittedly loose definitions of "care". He's already managed to alienate himself from most of humanity; if he alienates himself from them out of some misguided notion that they're not his "real" family, then there will be no one to look after him. And if there is one thing that Mycroft is absolutely certain about, it's that Sherlock needs looking after.
PART THREE: THINGS GET WEIRDER
Unbeknownst to Mycroft, he is not the only person (besides his mother, of course) who knows who Sherlock really is. The unfortunate maid wasn't homeless and unattached; she had a family. A husband, in fact, and a son, reasonably close to Mycroft's age. Her husband doesn't react well to all these events. His son spends the next several years hauling him home from the pubs and bailing him out of jail when he gets too drunk and starts picking fights. The son spends so much of his time around police stations, in fact, that eventually he figures he might as well get paid for it, and joins the force.
Eventually he outgrows the hatred of everyone involved that his father indoctrinated into him, and his curiosity gets the better of him. Finally accepting the fact that he has a half-brother out there somewhere, he uses his contacts to track down his mother's long-lost child.
The kid is a genius, is his first impression. The kid is an arrogant bastard, is his second impression, and he's picked up a drug habit to boot. Lestrade can't do anything about the first problem, but by God he can fix the second one, or know the reason why.
It's an uphill battle, made worse by the fact that Sherlock can't seem to grasp the fact that he could possibly be wrong about anything, but Lestrade persuades, bribes, threatens, and finally physically restrains Sherlock during the worst of the withdrawal. It would be a hell of a lot easier, he thinks grimly, if Sherlock didn't look so damn much like his mother. Their mother.
Off the drugs, Sherlock's more insufferable than ever. But he's also more brilliant than ever, and he's showing a rare talent for crime-solving. Lestrade can use this, he thinks. If he can keep Sherlock busy, maybe he'll stay clean. And it'll give him a reason to stay in touch with Sherlock, so that he can keep an eye on him. Lestrade's been a policeman for a while now, and he can tell--if anyone needs keeping an eye on, it's Sherlock.
PART FOUR: ALIENS ABDUCT EVERYONE
All right, not really. That would be a silly ending, don't you think? This isn't that sort of story. It would be unfair.
By an odd coincidence, "unfair" is exactly the word that Jim would choose. Not to describe aliens, of course. To describe the fact that his dear long-lost twin brother has two older siblings looking out for him. Caring about him. Not that he appreciates it, of course, or even notices. He's even got that idiotic doctor running after him now.
Whereas Jim's never had anyone to look out for him. No one cared about him at all. No one even knew he existed.
Well, that at least is going to change.