Title: Renegades
Author: augustbird
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 39,405 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Non-canon character death, dub-con
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's summary: Sherlock Holmes takes down Moriarty’s syndicate. He also takes John Watson with him. AU of The Reichenbach Fall.

Reccer's comments: If you're up for a stark, gritty, unapologetic, pull-no-punches road trip, this is one of the best offerings post Series 2. As the summary says, it is an AU of Episode 3, beginning with the 'we're going to need to coordinate' scene. From there, rather than meeting Moriarty on the roof of St Bart's, Sherlock and John go on the run together under the aliases of Benedict and Martin ;). Their journey takes them from the sweaty, seamy underworld of drug dealers in Pennsylvania to the middle of a turf war among drug smugglers in the American Southwest to the high-tech world of computer espionage in Shanghai.

The main plot was clearly planned with great care and peppered with realistic details that set the scenes perfectly. I felt like I was right there with the characters every step of the way. There are interesting original supporting characters, and even a cameo by Irene. When the climax comes, it is a true stroke of genius worthy of the world's greatest detective. However, take note that there are unabashed depictions of drug use, torture, and murder which some readers may find disturbing.

A secondary but no less gripping subplot is the developing relationship between Sherlock and John. When they set out, their relationship is as depicted in the series: close friends, but nothing more. As their odyssey plays out and Sherlock is drawn further down into the grip of his inner demons, things become clear to both of them that lead them to admit their deeper feelings for each other.

Excerpt:

John hates it—hates himself—and he hates the way his voice breaks when he asks, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sherlock says, so quietly that John barely hears it, “Go back to bed. I’ll be back in a second.”

John wants to say no. John wants to wrap his arms around Sherlock’s waist, wants to put his face into the space between Sherlock’s shoulder blades, wants to take away every bad memory that Sherlock’s ever had. He wants to press himself into Sherlock until they bleed together, until Sherlock has conclusive evidence of how much he fills the empty spaces inside John.

Love is not a strong enough word.

“Okay,” John says and it hurts him more than anything but he turns around and slips back under the covers because it’s what Sherlock needs.

No one comes out unscathed, but the ending is emotionally fulfilling and forward-looking. Another page-turner that you'll want to clear the evening for.