221b_recs | Entries tagged with content: kid fic

Title: The Men Who Talked Between the Words
Author: Odamaki
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, brief John Watson/Mary Morstan, Harry Watson/OFC, James Sholto/OMC, Billy Wiggins/OFC
Length: @460,000 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: past abuse (including implied/referenced child abuse), implied/referenced suicide (not of any character from the TV show), implied/referenced drug use
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: John expected to be a father some day; he expected to have the house, and the wife and the nice suburban job. Sherlock never expected to have children, in part because he never expected to make it past 30. As it turns out, you don't get a choice. Crammed into Baker Street with a baby, John struggles with single-parenthood and his own fears, while Sherlock treads the fine line between doing too little and saying too much.

Reccer's comments: It's hard to think of what I can say about this fic that hasn't already been said. Four years in the making, of a length comparable to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this story took extraordinary commitment to create and the end result is simply astonishing. I've been reading Holmesian fiction for quite a long time, and I've never run across another story that felt quite like this one. There's something so authentic and keenly observed about the details. There's a realism here that reaches out and never lets me go. The characters - both the main and the secondary ones - have such distinct voices, and their lives and relationships are deeply grounded and believable.

This is a realistic parentlock fic, and it's the deliciously slowest of slow-burn romances, and that heart of the story is beautiful. But that's really not all there is to it. Odamaki doesn't allow Sherlock, John, and the baby to live in a bubble. The story is full to bursting with the many other people who know them, who affect and are affected by them. Both Sherlock and John have important inward work to do before either is ready to think about romance. It's a story about growth, about healing, about hard-fought and hard-won maturity. About friendships and familiar places that won't stay neatly unchanged, and about painful habits and histories that won't fade away without long and deliberate effort.

When I think of this fic, the love story and the family Sherlock and John make together stands at the center. But I also think of Sherlock and Molly's quiet happiness working on her research together at Barts; James Sholto walking John through his fledgling orchard; Billy playing chess in hospital; Harry lounging with her girlfriend on the couch; Greg's tiepin; the moms in John's playgroup; the voice at the other end of a helpline.

This is a compelling fic about love and family, but it's also about all those other nooks and crannies of life that too often get left out of love stories. There's a village of vivid people wrapped up in this story, and I love them all.

(Also, I should add: 1) the story is complete. It ends at chapter 27. There are still new chapters going up, but they are 'bonus material' like deleted scenes and FAQ responses from the author. 2) The story goes AU after series 3, and incorporates no elements of series 4. The baby is a girl, but she is not the canonical 'Rosie' of the TV show).

pipmer1

Title: Christmas With You
Author: MissDavis
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 23,000 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: Watch Sherlock, John and Rosie over the years as they celebrate the season as only they can.

Reccer's comments: This charming series of ficlets was written for a 31-day December challenge, using specific prompts for each chapter. The ficlets do make up an entire story, but it is not a linear telling. It jumps back and forth through time, but there is a common thread throughout: how Sherlock, John and Rosie spend and celebrate Christmas together as they work towards forming a family unit. Some chapters take place before John and Sherlock are a couple, and some take place during their established relationship. No matter; it works in a delightful way.

Mary does appear in a couple of chapters, but only as a ghost and a memory.

Yes, I know it's almost May, but that doesn't mean we all don't need some festive cheer to get us through our days, now more than ever!

unovis could I have a Rosie Watson tag, please? Thank you!

scfrankles.livejournal.com

Title: Baker Street Papas
Author: sanguinity
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 17,566 words
Rating: Teen and Up
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (1980)
Author's summary: Holmes stood; the infant steadied itself with a fistful of his waistcoat. “Watson, I am given to understand that this is—”

“Violet Victoria Mary Smith-Watson,” I said, hearing the death knell of my easy, bachelor life with Holmes.

Reccer's comments: In recent months I have had the pleasure of being introduced to many new Sherlock Holmes ‘verses. This is one of the more unknown ones. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson was a 1979-80 series, starring Geoffrey Whitehead as Holmes and Donald Pickering as Watson. Going by this fic, and also by the one episode I’ve seen, this is a charming version of Holmes and Watson—devoted to each other, with a nice line in banter.

The story is shown from Watson’s POV as he is abruptly given the responsibility of caring for the orphaned baby of a distant cousin. We follow him as he moves from thinking of himself merely as Violet’s guardian to accepting he’s now her parent. And also accepting that he was never, to use a contemporary term, a single father after all...

The fic is sweet, though never sentimental, and the tone is essentially humorous and lighthearted. But that is tempered with an acknowledgement of the realities of life in the Victorian era—especially how vulnerable children could be—and the realities of Holmes and Watson’s adventurous life.

The author links to a relevant Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson episode in her notes for your convenience, but you don’t need to have seen that or any of the series to thoroughly enjoy this heartwarming story.

pipmer1.livejournal.com

Title: Albion and the Woodsman
Author: Glenmore
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 54,437 words
Rating: Not Rated (I would rate it Mature)
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: Post Series 3. Sherlock and John are devastated after Mary Morstan makes her final moves. Sherlock relapses at the crack house, John walks around the world ...and a lot happens in between. Parentlock, in the good way.

Reccer's comments: If you are the type of reader who, like me, generally avoids first-person storytelling, then do yourself a favor and make an exception for this one. It's one of those rare fics that successfully paints Sherlock Holmes as a devoted single parent. The story is in turns funny, heartbreaking, and heartwarming.

It is told from Sherlock's POV, and begins post-series 3. It starts out after Sherlock has been shot for a second time by Mary Watson, an event that leads to her arrest and to John needing to disappear for awhile in order to get his head together. He leaves for a year-long walkabout around the world, leaving Sherlock devastated and returning to drugs. Of course he cleans himself up, only to be confronted several months later by a pregnant stranger claiming that Sherlock is the father.

We get to watch Sherlock fall immediately in love with his son Albion, and then take to single fatherhood like a duck takes to water. As Sherlock grows into his new role, he continues to pine for John and wait for his eventual return. The way Sherlock refers to John in his absence by different epithets such as 'eleven jumpers Watson' and 'Three pairs of brogues Watson' kept me delighted and laughing throughout.

We are introduced to several OC’s, not the least of which is Albion himself. His nanny gives soldier!John a run for his money (once he returns), and even the mother who abandoned him manages to turn her life around and gain at least a smidgen of our respect.

There are struggles and lessons to be learned, not the least of which that 'happily ever after' does not mean what all the fairy-tales claim. Reality is much more complicated, but all the more rewarding because of it.

( sneak preview )

swissmarg

Title: Emperor Tales of the Frozen South
Author: cwb
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, others which would be spoilers
Length: 153,593 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: At the bottom of the world, two intrepid explorers make their way in the harshest of environments. An important journey must be taken, and prophecies fulfilled, but not before family meddling, political interference, and self-doubt threaten to alter the future of an entire species.

If you know me at all, you know that this had to be done.

Reccer's comments:

photo 587f4d9a-7b64-4893-ae0a-12a0a6e9c8f4_zpstyqszm3d.jpg

Look at that face! How could you say no to this little guy? You couldn't, and that's why you won't want to miss this unusual and breathtaking adventure of a penguin AU. It's not crack, far from it. Instead, it is an endearing, heartfelt, fluffy yet earnest coming-of-age-stroke-salvation-and-redemption story set in a colony of Emperor penguins in Antarctica. The story focuses on Sherlock and John from the moment they hatch onward, through their chickhood, adolescence, and into maturity, as they try to find their place in society in this exotic, icy wasteland.

The author has interwoven many fascinating aspects of Emperor biology and behavior with Polynesian mythology and language to create a unique Penglock world of complex politics, societal structures, beliefs, and rituals. The real draw for me, though, is the beautifully depicted relationship between Sherlock and John, as they evolve seamlessly from "best pengs" to "ipo" and "tahu". As if those fuzzy little grey balls of poofiness weren't cute enough, just imagine them cuddling.

I'll be honest, the character of Sherlock is not the rude, easily bored, addictive personality whose main goal in life is to play "the game"; the misunderstood, abused and abusive genius loner we are introduced to in the BBC series. Instead, this is more a vision of what Sherlock might have been if he'd grown up with a true friend, caring mentors, and a supportive community behind him, where his quirks and talents were nurtured and promoted, and where he received personal and public affirmation, appreciation, and recognition. Although there are some moments of angst, the story is very positive and uplifting throughout. Really, the prophecy made at Sherlock's birth says it all: You will love, you will suffer, you will prevail.

pipmer1.livejournal.com

Title: Public, Private, Secret
Author: 221b_careful_what_you_wish_for
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 14,000 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: To the outside world, Sherlock and John are just friends. In private, they're much, much more. They've agreed to keep their relationship a secret to protect John's daughter, but it's not going to be as simple as they hoped.

(Or, bittersweet, hot, angsty, secret-relationship-while-coming-to-terms-with-emotional-baggage johnlock with parentlock as a background.)

Reccer's comments: This is a companion piece to the story Coming of Age, which is told from John's daughter's POV. In my opinion this story stands just fine on its own, although "Coming of Age" will provide additional context. In fact, if you're someone who generally doesn't care for parentlock it may be just your cup of tea, because Olivia doesn't have much of a physical presence in this one. The story's focus is on Sherlock and John, and how they navigate the minefield of a secret relationship that spans several years, and told from their points of view.

I like the sense of inevitability that we feel throughout this story. It's series 3 compliant, and at the start we find John as a single parent to six-year old Olivia. There's a lot of pining and yearning going on, and it doesn't help that John is initially firmly resistant to entering into a romantic relationship with Sherlock. But of course it happens that the two of them just can't stay away from each other for long. The angst is bumped up a notch just from the very fact they decide to keep their relationship 'private and secret'- from everybody, not just Olivia, and for a variety of reasons. Several years pass - over a decade - before a conversation happens that teaches them they had nothing to fear after all.

A lovely story that ends with Retirementlock, I hope you enjoy!

write-out.livejournal.com

Title: Cygnet

Author: what_alchemy

Pairing: None

Length: 1,033

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Mycroft Holmes, age fourteen, finds his way.

Reccer's comments: I'm a sucker for stories about the Holmes brothers. I love fics that dive deeper into their relationship and poke around in the corners to see what bites. And oh, this story does bite. Teenage Mycroft, away at boarding school, is the primary focus. He is lonely, he is in pain, but he is determined not to let that break him. We get a hint here of some of the forces that drove and shaped him into the Mycroft we see in the show. Mycroft is the star of this story, but the other Holmes brothers feature as well. Sherlock makes a heartrending appearance, while the Other One's presence is more ominous. Written post-S3, this is one of the many interpretations of the Holmes' family dynamics, but it's one of the best ones out there. We don't leave the story knowing all the answers, but like Sherlock, we can find comfort in Mycroft's inner strength.

write-out.livejournal.com

Title: Cloak of Elvenkind

Author: unknownsister

Pairing: None

Length: 4,402

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary:Only four people in the world know Sherlock Holmes is a warlock. Two are his parents. Another is Mycroft. The fourth is a nameless boy from Sherlock's new school who sees him levitate a stray cat when he is ten years old. He dropped the cat and the boy ran.

Reccer's comments: Oh my heart. Sherlock and John meet as two deeply lonely 10-year-olds after John catches Sherlock working a bit of magic on a cat. John is enthralled and Sherlock is wary, but slowly lets his guard down as he lets John in.

John touches his hand in sympathy and Sherlock goes rigid. Bare skin contact floods him with empathy, his least favorite part of magic and the one he works hardest to control. He feels John's concern, but underneath that, great sorrow, incredible strength and deep loneliness. They swirl together, unfocused, and Sherlock feels the fog of someone else's life seeping into him.

The Holmes family has a loving presence here, a gentle counterpart to the implied turbulence of John's. This incredibly sweet and moving story hits all the right notes with me. John does what he can to fill the empty spot in Sherlock's heart, whileSherlock does what he can to protect his friend. Just beautiful.

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: I'll bring you home, little brother
Artist: whimsycatcher
Pairing: Sherlock & Mycroft
Rating: not rated, but SFW
Warnings: ( Warnings under the cut for those who want no spoilers about the Sherlock Special )
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: ( Summary under the cut for those who want no spoilers about the Sherlock Special )

Reccer's comments: ( Spoilery comments under the cut )

swissmarg

Title: Prior Engagements
Author: PlaidAdder
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 125,527 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Character death (offscreen)
Verse: Sherlock (BBC)
Author's summary:

Years after Mary melted into the darkness, John and Sherlock are at their wits' end. Rachel Watson, aged nine, is proving harder to handle than Irene Adler and Jim Moriarty combined. John hopes that the right boarding school might give her the structure she seems to need. Not until after Rachel disappears do they discover that someone else appears to have had the same idea.
*****
It's really difficult to give a synopsis of this story that doesn't spoil things about it. So let me just list a few of the things it contains, in no particular order: secrets, lies, double-crossing, action, adventure, explosions, fistfights, danger, intrigue, plot twists, underground lairs, sheep, character development, John and Sherlock being the most bamf! dads ever, and nearly all of Sherlock's underutilized female characters kicking a lot of ass in many different ways.
This is a sequel to "Law Like Love," but works well enough as a stand-alone story. For truly full appreciation you may want to read the earlier stories in the "Wild About Harry" series, but that's not necessary.

Reccer's comments:

This is such an amazing fic and doesn't have nearly the number of hits and kudos it deserves. It has plot out the wazoo, breathtaking twists and turns, wonderful original characters, and an incredible way of incorporating canon and making it ten times more brilliant than in the series. There are creepy psychopaths, political plots, secret societies, skeletons in closets, and a sexy visit to my hometown Chicago. What more could you want?

I mentioned the original characters, first and foremost of which is Harry. Although she’s technically canon, it’s by name-drop and a couple of bare facts only. The author has taken those bare facts and run with them, creating a fantastically three-dimensional, complex, engaging personality who would have no problem carrying off the lead role. Then there is Rachel, John and Mary’s daughter, who is nine years old in the story and comes with her own set of baggage, the fact that her mother is a professional assassin only being the start. There are even more OCs I could rave about, but it would be spoiling to tell. ;) In addition to them, there is a full supporting cast of secondary canon characters, especially Molly, Janine, Anthea, and Lady Smallwood, who are brought to full, rich life in a deeply satisfying way. But don’t worry, even with all of the OC goodness, John and Sherlock are at the center of the story in all their complicated, devastatingly gorgeous glory.

This story starts out very much in media res, which at first had me wondering whether I needed to go back and re-read “Law Like Love” (the previous story in the series, and if you haven’t read it yet, do, because it is simply excellent) but it turns out it was all done on purpose. Everything will be revealed in due course, so be patient. :) And what a reveal it is! I didn’t see any of it coming, although in retrospect it was all perfectly obvious and logical, which just makes me admire the skill of the author even more.

As a side note, the story deals with the very personal, very sensitive issue of parenting a child who has an extremely difficult time conforming to mainstream schooling. As a teacher of primary school aged children myself and seeing the difficulties and helplessless on both sides, this hit me really close to my heart. I thought the author did a very good job of representing the situation, and I found it to be a very brave depiction.

There is one sex scene that would fall under the provenance of BDSM (specifically the bondage and Dom/sub aspects), but it’s not very extensive so I’m not tagging it explicitly.

( Excerpt... )

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: Like Spinning Plates
Author: Anonymous
Pairing: Gen, with particular focus on Sherlock and Mycroft, but also features Lestrade, Moriarty, and John
Length: 3,500 words
Rating: not rated, I would say PG
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC fusion with Antoine de St. Exupery's The Little Prince
Author's summary: none given

Reccer's comments: This is one of the very first fics I ever read in the BBC fandom, a kinkmeme entry from 2010 that has stayed with me for half a decade now. It is a haunting, lovely fusion in which Sherlock is The Little Prince, just arrived upon a world that is wholly new to him. The story splits itself into fragments of possibilities -- what might happen to this otherworldly child, and who might he encounter? The glimpses of his alternate futures are poignant and in most cases quietly tragic, but they are ultimately "what didn't happen," while the through-line of the tale follows "what did happen" to Sherlock -- he met Mycroft, the one person in the world who was prepared to recognize him for what he was.

In relatively few words, the author manages to create a story of complicated happiness in which we see just how many bullets Sherlock dodged on the way to his own unique destiny. I have rarely loved Mycroft more than I love him in this story.

(Note: If this is your first time reading a fic on the meme, please be aware that comments from readers are interspersed between installments of the story -- don't let the comments fool you into thinking you're at the end! The story isn't over until you reach part 5 of 5 and the happy conclusion).

verdant_fire

Title: Luminosity
Author: what_alchemy
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 2466 words
Rating: Gen
Warnings: None
Verse: BBC
Author's summary: John and his daughter come to live at 221B.

Reccer's comments: This story is my standard for kid fic done right. It skips straight past the usual pitfalls of the genre to create something very moving and lovely. The writing is a master class in how to communicate character and evoke emotion without ever edging into the overt or heavy-handed, and the love story dawns slowly like the titular light.

swissmarg

Title: Murder in the Family
Author:

OTB221B
Pairing: John/Sherlock, John/Mary
Length: 50,374 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Post Season 3, Mary Watson goes missing, and John has been keeping secrets from Sherlock.

Reccer's comments: This is a post-series 3 fic in which Mary's past catches up to her and everyone associated with her when John sets out on a one-man mission to eliminate everyone who poses a threat to his family. One thing I particularly liked about this was that so often in fics, John has a reactive role, but in this, he actually goes out and gets in trouble without Sherlock and that ends up being the catalyst for everything that follows.

The fic is also full of awesome things like Sherlock getting Valentine's Day right, a badass clown/bodyguard, John using his gun the way it was meant to, a mid-story twist that takes us down a completely unforeseen path, Sherlock taking heinous advantage of the situation, and lots and lots of love. The unvarnished kind you see here:

( Excerpt... )

Despite all of that good stuff, it's really quite angsty and involves child endangerment. This fic also contains infidelity, but I thought it treated Mary fairly and redeems her by the end. Although, it's a bittersweet ending. Tissues might be good to have at hand. (No character death.)

swissmarg

Title: Nature and Nurture
Author:

earlgreytea68
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 203,273 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.

Reccer's comments: Well, this obviously has to have a rec done for it. This is currently the most popular Johnlock fic on AO3 based on kudos. So what makes it so great?

For anyone who doesn't know the story, the premise is that Sherlock has been cloned without his knowledge, and the baby ends up in John and Sherlock's care. What might have been a cracky premise turns out to be one of those fics you just want to crawl into and curl up inside and never leave.

One thing that made this fic attractive to me was the fix-it aspect. Sherlock basically gets to relive his entire childhood - well, babyhood and toddlerhood anyway, which is as far as the story takes us - but this time, everything gets done right. The way he would have wanted it. The way that would have made him happy. And if that wasn't enough to tug on your heartstrings, John is right there being his champion every step of the way, defending all of Sherlock's somewhat unorthodox choices.

( Excerpt... )

Then there is the lushly gorgeous relationship development between John and Sherlock. Have you ever seen one of those videos of the dog greeting his master when he comes home from military service? That's how reading every interaction between John and Sherlock in this fic made me feel. Like bursting with happiness at how perfect it is, and maybe a bit choked up.

And of course there is a case. Because where exactly did Sherlock's clone come from in the first place? And... don't those people want him back?

Throughout it all is the astonishing little Oliver, who's both entirely normal and entirely Sherlock, and both John and Sherlock aim to keep him that way.

It's funny, it's heartwarming, it's wistful, it's touching, and most of all it's a feel-good fic of the first order.

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: The Cleverness of Me
Author: Solshine
Pairing: Gen, focuses on Mycroft and Sherlock
Length: 4,500 words
Rating: not rated, I would say T for minor character deaths
Warnings: minor character deaths including a child
Verse: Sherlock BBC fusion with Peter Pan
Author's summary: Sherlock has always been incredible, has always been cocky, has always been childish. He just wasn't always Sherlock. This is the story of how Peter Pan left Neverland.

Reccer's comments: J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan is the perfect fusion for Sherlock: Peter canonically crows compliments to himself ("O the cleverness of me!"), dashes from adventure to adventure (most of which involve pirates), constantly forgets/deletes everything and everyone that fails to hold his attention, and takes terrible risks without any understanding of real life consequences. Neverland is an ageless, immortal Boys Own Adventureland where Peter gets to endlessly boss everyone about.

This story introduces Mycroft into that world. Dubbed "Brolly" by an absent-minded Peter who finds his umbrella more memorable than his name, he becomes the fiercest and most inscrutable Lost Boy because he is the only one who truly understands the dangers of Neverland and of the real world. He appoints himself Peter's protector, and ensures that his childish captain continues to emerge unscathed from -- and incomprehending of -- all the perils surrounding him.

But Mycroft can't protect Peter forever.

I find this a breath-taking reimagining of both Peter Pan and Sherlock; it captures the magical, melancholy tone of the original work as well as its clean elegance of phrasing. I have rarely loved Mycroft more.

( Excerpt... )

swissmarg

Title: Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's Yeast)
Author:

yaycoffee
Pairing: John/Sherlock, Sherlock/Sally
Length: 60,893 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Sometimes, one makes an imprudent decision born of a devastating combination of drink and sentiment. Sometimes, the consequences of that decision take on a life of their own. And sometimes, the facing of those consequences shapes every aspect of one's life--from the hugely meaningful down to the seemingly insignificant.

Reccer's comments: The first thing that hooked me in this fic was the premise: Sally and Sherlock seek (ill-advised, alcohol-fueled) comfort in each other for their wounded hearts, and Sally ends up pregnant. I've seen a couple of Parentlock fics before with Sally as the mother, but they started much later, after the child was born. Here, the main story deals with everything that came before. And all of that - the way Sherlock, Sally, and John handle the situation - is what really moved this fic up to the top of the pile for me. I think the author has done a great job showing how each of the characters tries to do the right thing, straddling lines as they try to protect themselves and allow for the feelings and rights of everyone else. Sherlock and John aren't an acknowledged couple at the start of the story, but as these things tend to happen, the situation forces them both to take a closer look at how they relate to each other and how they want the rest of their lives to go.

( Excerpt in which Sally tells Sherlock she's pregnant... )

In addition to exploring the John/Sherlock side of things, the story features an extensive and in-depth portrayal of Sally, including insights into her family, career, and personal life. I came away from this feeling that the author didn't simply use the pregnancy as a plot device in the service of getting John and Sherlock together, but treated the situation with a great deal of thought and respect. Add a couple of very piquant cases to the mix, and this was a superbly done, well-rounded piece of work.

write-out.livejournal.com

Title: Always a Neverland
Author:

suitesamba
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 11375
Rating: M
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: John is living a quiet life at 221B with his son when Sherlock Holmes, dead and gone ten years, appears at his door. There’s an excellent reason he’s been gone, and several very good ones for taking him back, but the best one of all is Will, who falls in love with Sherlock as surely as John once did.
Reccer's comments: "“Do you know twenty questions, Mr. Sherlock?” Will asks. John hides a grin at Will’s form of address.

“I know hundreds of questions. Which twenty would you like?” Sherlock answers.

Will grins at him. He is becoming accustomed to Sherlock. He catches on quickly.

“Do you know how to play the game called ‘Twenty Questions?’” he rephrases. He is sitting cross legged at the low table in front of the sofa.

“I expect I do,” says Sherlock. “We called the game ‘Yes and No.’” He turns onto his back and crosses his hands on his belly, waiting patiently, the barest of smiles on his face. John’s tablet is in his hands but his focus in on Sherlock, on Will. On Will slowly bringing Sherlock back to life.

“Well my teacher calls it Twenty Questions,” Will informs him. “Though the answers are always Yes or No, aren’t they?” He cocks his head a bit to one side, a pose John always finds endearing. “Are you ready, Mr. Sherlock?”

“I’m ready,” says Sherlock. “Is it made of wood?”

Will purses his lips. He apparently does not like this first question. “Yes,” he says, reluctantly.

“Is it the violin?” asks Sherlock.

John shakes his head and hides a smile. Sherlock clearly does not understand how to play games with children.

“Yes,” grumbles Will."

For my last rec this month, I leave you with this brilliant AU of Sherlock's return. It was written prior to S3 and does have mentions of past John/Mary (John remembers his wife with love and it's clear her memory is kept alive for Will). I can't gush enough about this one. It's sweet, heartbreaking, loving, sad, funny, and hopeful. Will, John's young son, is one of my favorite fic OCs and is completely believable in this story. There's not a false note to be found here. I hope you enjoy this story.

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: We Are the Only Two Speakers of Our Language
Author:

innie_darling
Pairing: Gen
Length: 660 words
Rating: G
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: She's the one who taught him another language.

Reccer's comments: The idea of Sherlock's French grandmother, and the art they share in their veins, has always intrigued me. In this beautiful, succinct snapshot, Grandmere and Sherlock share a kitchen in his childhood where the herbs are sweet and the insights sharp.

swissmarg

Title: Law Like Love
Author:

PlaidAdder /

idairsauthor
Pairing: John/Sherlock, John/Mary, Harry/Janine
Length: 50K
Rating: Teen
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Six months after Sherlock didn't go off on that mission to eastern Europe after all, all is well at 221B Baker Street. Little Rachel is just beginning to sleep through the night. John and Sherlock are sleeping with each other. Charles Augustus Magnussen is alive and unwell and just about bankrupt. And Mary is nowhere in sight. Obviously the events of "His Last Vow" were not what they seemed. What really happened? How did we get here from there? Well, we're going to find out. Backwards.

Reccer's comments: "Dear Moftiss: I used your underutilized female characters for you. They were awesome. It wasn't that hard. Love, me." This is one of the author's end notes, and it's so true. Janine and Harry in particular are fantastic, but Lady Smallwood and Mrs Holmes have important parts to play as well. It's very much an ensemble piece as everyone works together like cogs in a clockwork machine to bring the plan to fruition that is at the heart of this fic: getting Baby Watson to Baker Street with John and Sherlock, and taking care of Magnussen - who just won't stay dead - once and for all.

As we know how it 'ends' - we're shown in the first chapter and it tells us in the summary anyway - and we know most of what came before from HLV, you'd think there wasn't going to be much in the way of suspense, but you'd be dead wrong. The fun - and it is a great deal of fun - is in the systematic reveal of how the plan came about, who contributed what, who was faking it and who was being genuine, and, finally, why it had to be done this way. (Spoiler: love. It was for love.)

At the same time as the machinations are gearing up, we follow back the thread of the main characters' relationships. (There is vaguely referenced infidelity but nothing is made explicit.) Janine/Harry was a delightful surprise to me, and I really liked the fact that John struggled with his feelings throughout. It is never easy for him to make a break, even when he finds out … what he finds out about Mary.

One of the most powerful aspects of this story for me, though, was the exploration of Magnussen's and Mary's characters, just what a psychopath is, what they feel (or don't feel), how they see others, and what, in the end, they actually want. Fair warning: Mary doesn't come off well in this story.

( Excerpt... )

antfarmponies.livejournal.com

Title: Cracks in the In-Between Places
Author: SwissMiss
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 94380
Rating: Teen
Warnings: None
Verse: BBC Sherlock

Author's Summary: AU set in the universe of nox_candida's Getting Better. John and Sherlock work together to flush out Mary's killers, and Tristram has to come to terms with what his father's new friend means for him. No series 3 spoilers (or series 1 or 2, for that matter).

Reccer's Comments: You might not expect much from a fanfic of a fanfic, I have to confess that the entire reason I signed up to rec this month was to get ready to rec this story. I enjoyed nox_candida's original story, but I think SwissMiss adds layers of depth to the characters and fleshes out Tristram to a wonderfully, oddly likable little boy and Emily Watson is a delight. The slow build between John and Sherlock is fantastic. SwissMiss (aka swissmarg, one of our other reccer's this month) is excellent at reccing other people's stories; I think she deserves to be on the other side of the rec this time. Well done!

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221B Recs

A Sherlock Holmes Recs Community

Entries tagged with content: kid fic

Fic Rec: The Men Who Talked Between the Words

Fic Rec: Christmas With You

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Art Rec: I'll bring you home, little brother

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fic rec: Luminosity

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Fic Rec: Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's Yeast)

Fic Rec: Always a Neverland

Fic Rec: We Are the Only Two Speakers of Our Language

Fic Rec: Law Like Love

Fic Rec: Cracks in the In-Between Places

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November 2018

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