Fic Rec: The Emily Case Matter

[frozen_delight]

Title: The Emily Case Matter (also on AO3)
Author: beesandbrews
Pairing: Past Sherlock/John, Sherlock/Molly Friendship - Relationship
Length: 2,900 words
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: Emily Case is missing. It's not a police matter, at least not yet. Sherlock and Molly are roped into helping Lestrade investigate by staging a re-enactment at the scene of her disappearance. Things don't quite go to plan.

Reccer's comments: This is without doubt the most underappreciated story in the Sherlock fandom and while I can understand that many readers might shy away from stories that don't give them easy answers, I really hope that after seeing this rec more people will check it out and come to see that such a brilliant story shouldn't be so utterly neglected.

Dancing and kissing in order to help Lestrade solve the disappearance of Emily Case, Sherlock and Molly are both confronted with their secret desires and regrets. The characterisations of both are truly outstanding, beautifully showcasing how human nature is nothing so much as a hopeless bundle of contradictions - Molly is a BAMF, but she's also a shy, awkward girl, and Sherlock may indeed be a dick, but then at times he also proves to be surprisingly kind and gentlemanly. The way beesandbrews takes us through their complicated mental states as the story progresses is absolutely masterful. Neither Molly nor Sherlock are entirely sure what they want here, and then neither are we, watching them. The fact that Molly's dressed up to look like another girl and that they're essentially both role-playing only heightens the complication of the situation. It's impossible to decide what's fake, what's real, what's just a reaction to the situation, if Sherlock's attracted to Molly, if she's attracted to him, if there is love between them or only friendship... and because Molly and Sherlock feel so charmingly real and human here, we also see that they don't really want to untangle the emotional mess they find themselves in, perhaps because they're afraid of what they might find.

Ultimately, we don't find out why John and Sherlock split up or what's going to happen with Sherlock and Molly. And it doesn't matter. What matters is that we get a psychologically and emotionally satisfying glimpse at one particular moment in their lives, which is one of the best and most interesting things I've seen in Sherlock fanfic and definitely makes for a very rewarding read.

Fic Rec: The Incident with the Bicycle

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Title: The Incident with the Bicycle
Author: garonne
Pairing: Holmes/Watson
Length: 2,600 words
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Verse: ACD books
Author's summary: We know Holmes can ride a bicycle, but when exactly did he learn?

Reccer's comments: This is a lovely look at Holmes and Watson settling into a newly-established relationship and encountering their first pitfalls as a couple, one of which turns out, unexpectedly, to be bicycling. Of course, the real issues at stake are deeper and more poignant. This fic is special to me because it focuses on a small fight between Holmes and Watson, the type of minor friction and misunderstanding which is so common in real life relationships. It is a fight that is not particularly angsty, the kind of thing that could very easily be dropped rather than resolved. And yet Watson finds the courage to refuse to simply let it pass, and in the process he and Holmes delve into issues of communication and trust that prove essential.

The issues raised in this story are ones that I have always felt that ACD!Watson needed to work out with ACD!Holmes. It was delightful for me to find them delivered here with such a light touch, and with such a beautiful and heartwarming result.