221b_recs | Fic Rec: Echoes Through Time

Author:

Pairings: Sherlock/John, Holmes/Watson

Length: 21,600 words

Rating: NC-17
Warnings: none

Verse: ACD/BBC Sherlock crossover

Author's summary: Mummy sends a trunk from the Holmes cottage in Sussex to 221B. Its contents alter the way John and Sherlock see themselves and one another.
Excerpt:

A cedar tray filled with a hodge podge of items, including a rather large magnifying glass and a length of rope, covered the top of the trunk. John lifted the tray free and set it aside. Beneath it, the trunk was filled with leather journals of various sizes, all of them black or brown with odd pieces of yellowed paper sticking out of the tops and sides of some of them. Picking up the journal on the top of the center stack, John opened it.

April 3, 1883
I was awakened this morning by Holmes standing over me and informing me of a female visitor, a Miss Helen Stoner. She had come to Holmes about the death of her sister in a locked room. Holmes was predictably gleeful, although he managed to conceal his pleasure in her presence. There are few things my dear friend loves more than a death in a locked room.

"Sherlock," John called, turning to look over his shoulder. "Listen to this." When Sherlock looked up, John read him the paragraph.

Unsurprisingly, as soon as John reached the words 'locked room' Sherlock rose from his desk and folded himself onto the floor at John's side, holding out his hands.

John handed over the book and reached for another one, flipping through the pages. "They're diaries."

"Obviously."

John skimmed the page in front of him, on which the unknown diarist had written of an Inspector Gregson of the Yard consulting Sherlock's uncle about a case. "Your great uncle was a detective, a consulting detective," John said, allowing himself a slight emphasis on the word 'consulting,' subtly pointing out that Sherlock was not, in fact, the world's first consulting detective.

Reccer's Comments:
This is one of the surprisingly few stories to feature non-magical ACD/BCC Sherlock crossover, and, frankly, I can understand why: it's a hard act to follow! Chellefic balances both worlds perfectly, so it doesn't feel like one is being used merely as a frame or plot device. The characterization is wonderful--the discovery of Watson's journal highlights the differences between John and Sherlock, but what initially seems to force a wedge between them ends up drawing them closer together. I especially adore how John is as irrepressibly curious as Sherlock in his own (slightly less socially awkward) way. The interaction between the two crackles with UST, and is amusing, frustrating and touching in turns.

However, the real joy of this story is Watson's journal. The journal entries are written in period-appropriate language, which I know isn't everyone's cup of tea--but here, the old-fashioned style works beautifully to counter the modern English of the contemporary story. Chellefic doesn't skimp on her depiction of Holmes and Watson either: each emerges through the lens of Watson's writing as complex and three-dimensional, perfectly flawed in his own way. The parallel between the two stories is also handled beautifully: as Watson charts the progression of his and Holmes' relationship, John and Sherlock undergo their own transformation from friends to something more.

This is the kind of story that rewards multiple readings, and just seems to grow better and more meaningful with each each successive read. Definitely one to bookmark and keep for the ages.