Fic Rec: The Cornish Cottage

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Title: The Cornish Cottage

Author: flawedamythyst

Pairing: Sherlock/John

Length: 32,700 words

Rating: Teen

Warnings: None

Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: In the wake of John's divorce, Sherlock tries to cheer him up with a trip to Cornwall.

Adaptation of ACD's The Adventure of the Devil's Foot.

Reccer's comments: FA is one of my favorite fandom authors, so much so that I bid on her in the Help_Syria auction and won! This is the story she wrote for me. Although I would have recced it anyway, I'm just stating full disclosure up front!

The Adventure of the Devil's Foot is one of my favorite canon stories, so I asked FA to write me a Sherlock/John get-together fic, wrapped in a modern retelling of that particular case. I also requested for it to take place post-Return, after John has either been widowed or divorced. The story was written before the airing of Series 3, so it is now an AU.

At any rate, one of the things I like the most about FA's stories is her Sherlock characterization. Her portrayals always resonate with me as very true to how Sherlock would actually behave and speak. He's never too sentimental, nor is he too sociopathic. I see clear evidence in the show of Sherlock caring a great deal for certain people in his life, and this author does a fantastic job of showing that without sacrificing his detached cool exterior.

In canon, it's Sherlock who is convinced to go on holiday to Cornwall for his health. FA flips that premise here by having John be the one who needs a holiday, specifically to recover from the emotional turmoil he experiences after his marriage ends. Sherlock takes it upon himself to arrange for them to stay at the summer cottage that belonged to his parents but was passed down to Mycroft. Of course a bizarre case presents itself while they're there, along with some revelations about Sherlock and Mycroft's family history. The story is told from Sherlock's POV, which I dearly love and which FA does amazingly well. The story is Sherlock/John, but most of the story is pre-slash with a gradual revealing of mutual feelings. It ends on a quiet note, with a hopeful anticipation of where the two of them will go from here. Just so, so lovely, on so many levels.

( Excerpt )