Definitely not a Christmas story

[kalypso_v]

I suppose I'd better get on and post this, which I've been sitting on for three weeks since deciding it wasn't a birthday fic. It's not a Christmas fic either, but the generally unhappy tone may be right for today, which (whatever the BBC Watson blog says) is the anniversary of the date I have assigned to the climax of The Reichenbach Fall, not to

Comments

[matildabj]

As always, a perfect nugget of fic. Lovely.

(Got your card btw, come and stay when the Aussies hit town next summer!)

[kalypso_v]

Thank you, in both cases! The story had been nagging at the back of my mind, as Sherlock successfully demonstrated how the murder was done but didn't seem to get round to the more interesting question of who did it.

[shadowturquoise]

Wow. I love the idea of Moriarty being Carl Powers' brother. It is a bit creepy and an original idea. Great story!

[kalypso_v]

Thank you! I don't think I've read any Carl Powers fic, so I wasn't sure whether that solution had been suggested before. But if his classmates all "checked out spotless" (it seemed rather improbable that they were all found and checked so quickly, but never mind) it had to be someone close enough to get at his eczema cream, and I liked the idea of another dysfunctional relationship between brothers, with a more sinister outcome than the Holmes rivalry.

[cookiefleck]

Interesting premise!

[kalypso_v]

Thank you! Given that we have a rough idea of Moriarty's age, it seemed to me that he had to be a classmate, a fellow swimmer or a brother, and given the number of dysfunctional sibling relationships in Sherlock - Holmes, Watsons, Princes, Yaos - it was tempting to add another.

[penguineggs]

I knew there was a reason why I fell so hard for this version of Sherlock.

Very much enjoyed the story, btw.

[kalypso_v]

Yes, but you knew that already. But I noticed in the very first episode that it was one of the things linking Sherlock and John (along with being loners who are addicted to gore and danger and short of friends and cash.)

Thank you!

[vjezkova]

I really liked your story! Thank you.

[kalypso_v]

Thank you! I was afraid people would find it rather depressing, so I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I'm impressed with your research on London swimming pools! Ironmonger Row Baths has now entered my head canon; I love that it closed temporarily in May 2010! It was a crime scene, wasn't it? ;-)

I like what you've done with all the character here; even Sherlock is very present, in John's reconstruction of what he had done with the information on Moriarty. I felt for the boys' dad, and I think John was right to do what he did. I feel for Molly. I'm glad John found some consolation in the attempt.

[kalypso_v]

It's almost as if there was an explosion, and they had to close for repairs! Perhaps Ironmonger Row is living out an alternate reality.

As I've said in my other journal, I'm not sure whether John was right about Sherlock knowing - he could have filed Carl under E for eczema, because if he did know who Moriarty was wouldn't it have helped him to dispel Richard Brook? But it may be that Moriarty was as thorough in destroying evidence linking him to old identities as he was in creating evidence of new ones, and Sherlock had nothing but an old photo in Arundel, which might not be enough.