Fic Rec: Murder in the Family

[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:

"I needed to protect her. No matter what it…ah…what it took."

"Exactly. Mary's safety came first, no matter what the cost. Why, John?"

"You know why."

His fingers closed around my wrist, grinding. "Why John? Tell me. Say it."

"It's different!" I shouted, forgetting Jonathon, forgetting Maddie, forgetting everything but the hours I'd spent on my knees against his gravestone, and on the stoop outside 221B, and on the strip of sidewalk where he'd fallen at Bart's. "It's bloody well different. You let me believe you were dead!"

"Say. It." He was halfway across the table now, looking down on me, eyes wide, curls rumpled. Somewhere very far away Maddie was crying, and Jonathon was singing a lullaby.

"Fine." I shook off his touch. "Fine. I did it because I love her. I lied because I love her. I broke faith because I love her."

Sherlock smiled, a little wild, but mostly triumphant.

"Obviously," he said. "Five years, and finally you understand. Any price, John. Any price for your safety. What's broken faith, broken vows, a broken heart, so long as that heart is still beating? It was love."

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.)

Comments

[ancientreader]

Maybe this rec could do with a mention of what John's been up to? We find out in chapter 2, so a reveal wouldn't be much of a spoiler for those who don't mind it. I doubt it'll keep people up nights, but I would have given the fic a miss if I'd known. Of course, I may be a minority of one, and I realize many people are averse to even mild spoilers.

[swissmarg]

Do you mean because John killed some of the people who posed a threat to Mary and their child? I guess I figured there are so many fics where Sherlock killed people while he was away that I didn't think it would be that shocking here. I mean, basically John's doing exactly what Sherlock did during his time away. Neither of them have clean moral vests. Unless you mean something else? I've added a line warning about the child endangerment.

[ancientreader]

Yes, it was John's becoming a murderer. Your point's well taken. I suppose the difference for me is that I see Sherlock as starting from the point of being cornered, whereas John here seems to have taken the initiative in going out to kill.

I didn't even register any child endangerment!

[edited to correct grammar and to cop to obliviousness concerning infants]

[swissmarg]

I think you just didn't read far enough to get to the child endangerment...
I've added some more detail about John's actions. You're right, I don't think it's a spoiler and if it helps people decide whether it's the right story for them I'm happy to have it there. :)