221B Recs

Title: Northwest Passage
Author: Kryptaria
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Length: 95,213 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes.

Reccer's comments: John is Canadian, eh. In this AU, Sherlock – fresh out of his third stint in rehab - is sent by Mycroft to spend a few weeks at Captain John Watson's isolated cabin in the wilds of Canada, away from the temptations of his usual London haunts. As it turns out, however, John is the more troubled of the two, suffering from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This John Watson is a major BAMF who keeps "two legal hunting rifles, two shotguns, three not-so-legal handguns, a very illegal machine gun, and a single sniper rifle" in a safe in his bedroom, and never goes anywhere, not even the bathroom, without a loaded sidearm. He's not so much paranoid as very, very prepared. The author takes a great deal of time and care to explore John's psyche, and I found it fascinating to follow along as Sherlock unravels the story of what happened to John, and figures out how he can help him.

Aside from brief appearances by Molly, Mycroft, and a couple of necessary OCs, the entire story revolves around Sherlock and John in a cabin that's off the power grid, with little to distract them from their own demons aside from the occasional snowstorm and vague threat of bears. As you might expect, they quickly find there isn't a whole lot to do other than have sex, which pasttime they find mutually agreeable. Said sex is hot yet careful, paced in generous doses – this is not a PWP by any means.

As it sounds, it's pretty angsty, although there are many humorous moments, including some digs at typical Canadian stereotypes, like in this excerpt:

[Molly] grinned at Sherlock. “Do you fish?”

Sherlock repressed his instinct to cringe. These people were obsessed with fishing. “Not unless you count helping police divers locate bodies in the Thames.”

Molly’s eyes went wide. “You — What?”

“I consult with the police from time to time,” he said, leaving off the past tense. He honestly wasn’t certain if he’d get back his access to interesting cases, once he was back in civilization. If nothing else, he could probably find a way to gain access to the Canadian police. People had to kill each other here. There was certainly nothing else to do.

Other fun bits include authoritative firearm specs, Mycroft being human, Richard Brook and James Moriarty – see if you can spot them – and there is even a little Cabin Pressure crossover in the last chapter. (There are also descriptions of torture in a war zone and the killing and butchering of animals for food, in case you are sensitive to such things.)

All in all, the author did a fantastic job of integrating the characters we know and love in a novel setting, coming up with a story that feels completely harmonious and natural.