50 Best Sherlock Fics of 2014
Dec. 31st, 2014 10:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swissmargThis was such a great year for this fandom. With the airing of series 3 in January, a whole new dimension of possibilities opened up for post-Magnussen speculation, with and without Mary. Which is not to say that there weren't plenty of other explorations of the Sherlock characters as well, either in complete AUs or simply ignoring series 3. I was never without excellent reading material, in other words, and I've put together a list of 50 of my favorites that completed posting in 2014.
These are all Johnlock, sometimes with additional pairings. They include angst, fluff, humor, kidfics, magical realism, infidelity, drugs, smut, unhealthy relationships, sports AUs, historical AUs, casefics, and always, lots and lots of love.
There are plenty of other fics that I loved, and even more that I simply didn't get around to reading (yet), so it's not a judgment if your favorite (or one you wrote) isn't on here. Think of this as a sampling rather than a definitive list. I hope this will help you to re-acquaint yourself with fics you loved, give a chance to others you may have skipped the first time round, and possibly discover something entirely new and astonishing.
Onward to 2015 and series 4!
In order of length, longest first:
1. The James Holmes Chronicles (229774 words) by prettyvk
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Mary Morstan/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: It starts with five words. “Is my father really dead?” Or maybe, that’s how it ends.
2. Nature and Nurture (203273 words) by earlgreytea68
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.
3. Sketchy (186085 words) by serpentynka
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock takes on an obvious case (barely a 4) and is forced to re-examine what it means to see and observe.
4. The last two parts of In My Master's House Verse (185357 words for the series) by BrighteyedJill
Rating: Mature to Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: After John's disappearance, Sherlock races to solve a mystery, while Lestrade balances his responsibilities and his conscience. The standoff with Moriarty results in some changes for the Lords Holmes and their slaves.
5. Mise en Place (161004 words) by azriona
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn't have much choice. There's only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes.
6. Raison d'être (148681 words) by AmphigoricSymphony
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: The missing months of His Last Vow, starting from Sherlock dropping in John's arms at 221B and carrying through the months of Hospital he endured. This is a study in emotional and physical trauma, striving to stick as close to the cannon plot as possible. Please heed the H/C tags here. At Christmas Dinner, Mycroft asks why they are even celebrating. His mother's answer, 'Sherlock is home from hospital,' leads us to believe Sherlock was in hospital the majority of the time frame of his fall from shock at Baker Street, to nearly Christmas itself. We have no explanation for what John was doing all that time, so this is an effort to fill the gap. Enjoy!
7. The Frost Is All Over (148518 words) by Chryse
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John was brave and clever and loyal, a commoner who longed for an exciting life. Sherlock was dashing and brilliant and passionate, an Earl’s son who longed to solve crimes. Being a Tale of Glorious Adventures, Love Letters, Treachery, Longing, Secret Identities, Deathbed Confessions, First Kisses, Daring Escapes, and True Love.
8. Parts 4 and 5 of Conductivity (146737 words for the series) by liriodendron
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: In which Sherlock Holmes keeps secrets but tells no lies, John Watson ceases to be sure about anything, and the definition of seduction is scrutinised, broken down, and reconstructed. In which Sherlock Holmes wonders what to be if he can’t be himself, John Watson has to be someone he wished he didn't, trust is tested on all sides with no margin for error, and complete darkness is just barely held at bay.
9. Colors (140836 words) by Quesarasara
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor, John Watson/Original Female Character(s), Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Sarah Sawyer/John Watson, Molly Hooper/Original Male Character
Summary: Everyone on earth is born with eyes that see in black, white, and an endless series of greys. When you meet your soulmate, you finally see the world in color. We're all searching for the person who brings color to our lives. John and Sherlock are no exception.
10. Method Act (136749 words) by splix
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Various combinations of Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Molly Hooper, Mycroft Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Louise Brealey, Mark Gatiss, Tom Hiddleston, and Irene Adler
Summary: Something very strange keeps happening at 7:35 PM.
11. The Last Place You'd Look (138240 words) by theorclair
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: An abuse case turns into an investigation where Sherlock, John, and all of Scotland Yard will learn stunning things about Sherlock's past and will change the relationship between him and John forever.
12. Thirst (122257 words) by bittergreens
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: When John realizes he has feelings for Sherlock and decides he must keep those feelings secret at all costs, the resulting tension might bring Baker Street to the ground.
13. Swan Song (92025 words) by astudyinrose
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: What if the stag night in the Sign of Three had ended a bit differently?
14. Kill Switch (87440 words) by Todesfuge
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, and Mycroft Holmes had never been under the illusion that they'd beaten Moriarty at his games, but the uneasy truce that had been struck had become a fairly comfortable place. That is until strange reports start to reach Whitehall, a friend falls ill, and John notices changes in Sherlock that he can't begin to explain.
15. The Moonlight and the Frost (77277 words) by CaitlinFairchild
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: “And once again, you think you know what’s best for me.” John rises from the chair, the anger and frustration and hurt overwhelming him, bursting out of every pore, and he doesn’t even know for sure that it’s Sherlock he’s angry at, really, but the only reason he tied himself to Mary in the first place is because the person he really loved left him behind, and the woman he married once sat in the shadows above a darkened swimming pool and aimed a sniper rifle at his heart and later shot his best friend in cold blood and cuckolded him and just gave birth to a child that wasn’t his and right now he just can’t do this, he just fucking can’t do this anymore. John has to somehow rebuild his life in the wake of Mary's betrayal and Sherlock's deceptions.
16. The Secrets of John Watson Series (75194 words) by tumbleweedchaser
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary of part one: Sherlock and John take on a new case that brings John's military history and secrets to the table. The detective is forced to understand that there is a great deal more to John than jumpers, tea, and a love of adrenaline.
17. A Long Way Home (73625 words) by ceywoozle
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: John Watson/Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: In a universe where Moriarty's face never appeared on England's television screens, Sherlock Holmes is in exile after the events of "His Last Vow." But even though Sherlock is prepared to go down without a fight, something happens to change his mind and he realises he needs to get back to London somehow to save John Watson once more.
18. Il Traviato (68809 words) by kedgeree
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: A down-on-his-luck ex-soldier meets a wealthy businessman in need of a short-term companion. A simple transaction gives them both what they need. Sort of.
19. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's Yeast) (60893 words) by yaycoffee
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sometimes, one makes an imprudent decision born of a devastating combination of drink and sentiment. Sometimes, the consequences of that decision take on a life of their own. And sometimes, the facing of those consequences shapes every aspect of one's life--from the hugely meaningful down to the seemingly insignificant.
20. Ink Your Name Across My Heart (58018 words) by prettyvk
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Summary: The metaphor is imperfect but still workable. If my long term memory is a hard drive, then my short term memory is RAM. The hard drive became read-only following the illness. New data is stored in RAM and can be used while I remain awake. Going to sleep – ‘turning off’ – wipes the RAM, returning the system to what it was prior to the illness.
21. Working on the Edges (56089 words) by earlgreytea68
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: No matter where you put Sherlock and John, they click. Including the Winter Olympics.
22. Siege (55428 words) by PlainJane
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: In 1415, English archer John of Kenilworth is sent by Lord Mycroft Holmes from the field of victory at Agincourt to protect a remote French castle. Cherinfourde is under some dark cloud and John means to get to the bottom of it, in his lord's name. If only he could stop thinking about the most unusual omega he has ever met.
23. Fan Mail (53942 words) by scullyseviltwin
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: “WatsonChick143 has been rather maniacal in her commenting as of late... she’s left comments on everything you’ve posted John, something so obvious can’t have escaped even your attention."
24. Law Like Love (52215 words) by PlaidAdder
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: John Watson/Sherlock Holmes, John Watson/Mary Morstan, Harry Watson/Janine
Summary: Six months after Sherlock didn't go off on that mission to eastern Europe after all, all is well at 221B Baker Street. Little Rachel is just beginning to sleep through the night. John and Sherlock are sleeping with each other. Charles Augustus Magnussen is alive and unwell and just about bankrupt. And Mary is nowhere in sight. Obviously the events of "His Last Vow" were not what they seemed. What really happened? How did we get here from there? Well, we're going to find out. Backwards.
25. Spare Change (51966 words) by Ermerness
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The Holmes family is one of the richest and most powerful in England. Sherlock spends his time flying around the world on the family's private jet drinking a lot and shopping at expensive boutiques as a way of trying to alleviate his endless boredom. His mother decides it's time he settles down with someone powerful, wealthy and well connected. John Watson happens to be none of those things.
26. Bring Me Back To Life (51357 words) by yalublyutebya
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: After being injured on the Front, John Watson is sent to Craiglockhart Hospital for psychiatric treatment and finds himself sharing a room with the mysterious Sherlock Holmes.
27. MURDER IN THE FAMILY (Scarred Part I) (50374 words) by OTP221B
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Summary: Post Season 3, Mary Watson goes missing, and John has been keeping secrets from Sherlock.
28. The Gladstone Ritual (49742 words) by Velma68
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Much has been buried, much lost. But loyalty endures. Sherlock and John find their way to help an old friend.
29. Lilies on the Hill (48932 words) by Snommis
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: 'Time. For the first time John could see it, feel it, taste it like a tangible presence. The years and decades stretched out in front of them, together, were so vivid, so certain. They had all the time in the world. Everything was going to be fine and the things that weren’t, would be. There was time. Plenty of it. The rest of it.'
30. Unbranded Air (48249 words) by suitesamba
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John Watson, widower, tried to leave medicine behind when he left England and came to America. Sherlock Holmes, trying to avoid the marriage his family insisted on, was sent to America after embarrassing his mother and damaging his family's social reputation. Hired to help solve a cattle rustling ring with his unbelievable deductive skills and knowledge of soils, Sherlock is injured and taken to John's ranch. He holes up there while his broken leg heals and pulls John into the investigation, and the two find common ground in more ways than either expected. An AU set in the Wyoming Territory in the 1890s, with John as an army doctor/Afghanistan veteran who wants to start over and Sherlock as a detective without a mobile phone and only John to ease his boredom.
31. Lifetime Achievement (47352 words) by Mad_Lori
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John Watson has just won an Oscar and gotten engaged in the same day. Now what? (Sequel to "Performance in a Leading Role")
32. Damage (46830 words) by lifeonmars
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: No damage could ever be truly repaired. John would not be the same. Or, what happened after the tarmac.
33. Fly Very High (46533 words) by yalublyutebya
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John Watson was born to be a racing driver, and even a crash isn't enough to keep him out of a car for long. But coming back is not that easy, especially when he meets his new teammate, Sherlock Holmes.
34. Anyone Else (39233 words) by SilentAuror
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan, John Watson/OCs
Summary: Sherlock is in the middle of a case involving a vigilante serial killer when he discovers that John has been cheating on Mary, and not with him.
35. No Light Thing (38524 words) by philalethia
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John wants a healthy relationship. Sherlock struggles to understand the concept.
36. Dawn Before the Rest of the World (37430 words) by PoppyAlexander
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: In one of the grand houses of England in the 1920s, butler Sherlock Holmes is wooed to pieces by the world's most romantic gardener, John Watson.
37. The Straw Man Fallacy (36960 words) by Vulgarweed
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: “Mr Holmes, I'm not in the habit of approaching . . . consultants. But you are correct. I have great faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And until recently, I also had faith in the rule of law. Only the second one has wavered. Three years ago my fiancé, Sgt. Neil Howie of the West Highlands Constabulary, went to investigate an anonymous report of a missing child in a remote place called Summerisle. He never communicated with me while he was there, and he never returned.” Summerisle is not a welcoming place to visitors, but it shows its best face at May Day. For ulterior motives.
38. On the Other Side (35839 words) by Mildredandbobbin
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes/Janine
Summary: “This is what you’ve wanted isn’t it?” John says mockingly, cuttingly, fists bunched on Sherlock’s collar, simultaneously holding him close and shoving him with sharp knuckles against the wall. “You should be happy now: she’s gone, and I’m all yours.” Post-Series 3. Spoilers for series 3.
39. Relative Incandescence (35486 words) by sweetcupncakes
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Two musical notes: Every parrot and every construction worker knows them. Shrill and salacious, so Sherlock will remember: You are on display. It’s supposed to be a compliment. Supposed to make him feel good, that they have laboured to remind him. It makes him feel like a package of meat, set down into the cooler, raw and waiting to eaten.
40. Inexplicable (34664 words) by emmagrant01
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Mary Morstan
Summary: So what was in that matchbox, anyway? John and Sherlock find out, the hard way.
41. Pater Noster (34256 words) by SilentAuror
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: During the autumn that John is staying at Baker Street again after Sherlock was shot, he ruminates over the similarity between Sherlock's shot and the one that killed his father when he was fifteen. Cold case meets series 3 fix-it. Part I takes place entirely within His Last Vow, Part II takes place starting at the end of HLV and continues after.
42. A Study In Auto-Signatures, Sniper Dolphins, and Sex Holidays (32690 words) by cwb
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Summary: What's next on the sex holiday agenda? Bingo or shuffleboard? SH
You don't want to know.
Now you have to tell me. SH
43. The Adventures of a Single Girl in London (Plus a Consulting Detective) (32913 words) by earlgreytea68
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock Holmes keeps choosing flatmates who fancy themselves to be bloggers.
44. All but the Things that Cannot Be Torn (28500 words) by zundaerazylym
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: As John struggles to find equilibrium yet again, Sherlock is called in to investigate a series of seemingly random killings, connected only by the weapon and the lack of any other evidence. The further he gets into the case, however, the more it becomes evident that someone is keenly intent upon driving him away at any cost.
45. I Don't Love You (And I Always Will) (27636 words) by WendyBird
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: Now complete! Post-Reichenbach, Slightly AU. Sherlock returns to London after faking his death to discover John has married and moved on. What's more, John refuses to forgive him, and Sherlock doesn't understand why. Determined to find out, Sherlock pries into John's dreams...and discovers there may be more to John's feelings than he anticipated. Five times Sherlock read John's mind and one time John read his instead.
46. The Fix (24729 words) by peg22
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock goes out to buy milk and disappears. Lestrade fears it's the past coming back to haunt them - Sherlock buried in a bolthole getting high. Mycroft tends to agree. But John believes that Sherlock would never disappear without telling him.
47. State Of Flux (24669 words) by Atiki
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John’s marriage is over and he is finally back home (i.e. at Baker Street, where he belongs). Sherlock is awfully insecure and John is awfully hesitant, and they're both awkward idiots, of course, but they figure it out. Many First Times happen.
48. Grownups (18571 words) by EmmyAngua
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Summary: Somehow - without anyone ever being sure how it happens - Sherlock becomes Archie's mentor. At least he *thinks* he's the mentor.
49. There's So Much Labour Just in Breathing Lately (12708 words) by Susan
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The dreams he hated most – the ones that left him a sweating, shaking mess when he woke – were the ones in which Sherlock was just Sherlock. Laughing or drinking tea. Sitting across the table from him at Angelo’s eating pasta. Trailing his open hand behind him on the way to the bedroom. “C’mon, John. I’m about to have my way with you.”
50. A Very Sherlock Musical (11980 words) by flawedamythyst
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: So, you know how musicals are set in a world where people just burst into song every five minutes, and everyone around them automatically knows to join in with the tune and choreography? This fic is set in that world. John finds it extremely frustrating that Sherlock won't sing their theme song with him.
These are all Johnlock, sometimes with additional pairings. They include angst, fluff, humor, kidfics, magical realism, infidelity, drugs, smut, unhealthy relationships, sports AUs, historical AUs, casefics, and always, lots and lots of love.
There are plenty of other fics that I loved, and even more that I simply didn't get around to reading (yet), so it's not a judgment if your favorite (or one you wrote) isn't on here. Think of this as a sampling rather than a definitive list. I hope this will help you to re-acquaint yourself with fics you loved, give a chance to others you may have skipped the first time round, and possibly discover something entirely new and astonishing.
Onward to 2015 and series 4!
In order of length, longest first:
1. The James Holmes Chronicles (229774 words) by prettyvk
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Mary Morstan/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: It starts with five words. “Is my father really dead?” Or maybe, that’s how it ends.
2. Nature and Nurture (203273 words) by earlgreytea68
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The British Government accidentally clones Sherlock Holmes. Which brings a baby to 221B Baker Street.
3. Sketchy (186085 words) by serpentynka
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock takes on an obvious case (barely a 4) and is forced to re-examine what it means to see and observe.
4. The last two parts of In My Master's House Verse (185357 words for the series) by BrighteyedJill
Rating: Mature to Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: After John's disappearance, Sherlock races to solve a mystery, while Lestrade balances his responsibilities and his conscience. The standoff with Moriarty results in some changes for the Lords Holmes and their slaves.
5. Mise en Place (161004 words) by azriona
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn't have much choice. There's only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes.
6. Raison d'être (148681 words) by AmphigoricSymphony
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: The missing months of His Last Vow, starting from Sherlock dropping in John's arms at 221B and carrying through the months of Hospital he endured. This is a study in emotional and physical trauma, striving to stick as close to the cannon plot as possible. Please heed the H/C tags here. At Christmas Dinner, Mycroft asks why they are even celebrating. His mother's answer, 'Sherlock is home from hospital,' leads us to believe Sherlock was in hospital the majority of the time frame of his fall from shock at Baker Street, to nearly Christmas itself. We have no explanation for what John was doing all that time, so this is an effort to fill the gap. Enjoy!
7. The Frost Is All Over (148518 words) by Chryse
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John was brave and clever and loyal, a commoner who longed for an exciting life. Sherlock was dashing and brilliant and passionate, an Earl’s son who longed to solve crimes. Being a Tale of Glorious Adventures, Love Letters, Treachery, Longing, Secret Identities, Deathbed Confessions, First Kisses, Daring Escapes, and True Love.
8. Parts 4 and 5 of Conductivity (146737 words for the series) by liriodendron
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: In which Sherlock Holmes keeps secrets but tells no lies, John Watson ceases to be sure about anything, and the definition of seduction is scrutinised, broken down, and reconstructed. In which Sherlock Holmes wonders what to be if he can’t be himself, John Watson has to be someone he wished he didn't, trust is tested on all sides with no margin for error, and complete darkness is just barely held at bay.
9. Colors (140836 words) by Quesarasara
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor, John Watson/Original Female Character(s), Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Sarah Sawyer/John Watson, Molly Hooper/Original Male Character
Summary: Everyone on earth is born with eyes that see in black, white, and an endless series of greys. When you meet your soulmate, you finally see the world in color. We're all searching for the person who brings color to our lives. John and Sherlock are no exception.
10. Method Act (136749 words) by splix
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Various combinations of Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Molly Hooper, Mycroft Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Louise Brealey, Mark Gatiss, Tom Hiddleston, and Irene Adler
Summary: Something very strange keeps happening at 7:35 PM.
11. The Last Place You'd Look (138240 words) by theorclair
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: An abuse case turns into an investigation where Sherlock, John, and all of Scotland Yard will learn stunning things about Sherlock's past and will change the relationship between him and John forever.
12. Thirst (122257 words) by bittergreens
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: When John realizes he has feelings for Sherlock and decides he must keep those feelings secret at all costs, the resulting tension might bring Baker Street to the ground.
13. Swan Song (92025 words) by astudyinrose
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: What if the stag night in the Sign of Three had ended a bit differently?
14. Kill Switch (87440 words) by Todesfuge
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, and Mycroft Holmes had never been under the illusion that they'd beaten Moriarty at his games, but the uneasy truce that had been struck had become a fairly comfortable place. That is until strange reports start to reach Whitehall, a friend falls ill, and John notices changes in Sherlock that he can't begin to explain.
15. The Moonlight and the Frost (77277 words) by CaitlinFairchild
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: “And once again, you think you know what’s best for me.” John rises from the chair, the anger and frustration and hurt overwhelming him, bursting out of every pore, and he doesn’t even know for sure that it’s Sherlock he’s angry at, really, but the only reason he tied himself to Mary in the first place is because the person he really loved left him behind, and the woman he married once sat in the shadows above a darkened swimming pool and aimed a sniper rifle at his heart and later shot his best friend in cold blood and cuckolded him and just gave birth to a child that wasn’t his and right now he just can’t do this, he just fucking can’t do this anymore. John has to somehow rebuild his life in the wake of Mary's betrayal and Sherlock's deceptions.
16. The Secrets of John Watson Series (75194 words) by tumbleweedchaser
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary of part one: Sherlock and John take on a new case that brings John's military history and secrets to the table. The detective is forced to understand that there is a great deal more to John than jumpers, tea, and a love of adrenaline.
17. A Long Way Home (73625 words) by ceywoozle
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: John Watson/Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: In a universe where Moriarty's face never appeared on England's television screens, Sherlock Holmes is in exile after the events of "His Last Vow." But even though Sherlock is prepared to go down without a fight, something happens to change his mind and he realises he needs to get back to London somehow to save John Watson once more.
18. Il Traviato (68809 words) by kedgeree
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: A down-on-his-luck ex-soldier meets a wealthy businessman in need of a short-term companion. A simple transaction gives them both what they need. Sort of.
19. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's Yeast) (60893 words) by yaycoffee
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sometimes, one makes an imprudent decision born of a devastating combination of drink and sentiment. Sometimes, the consequences of that decision take on a life of their own. And sometimes, the facing of those consequences shapes every aspect of one's life--from the hugely meaningful down to the seemingly insignificant.
20. Ink Your Name Across My Heart (58018 words) by prettyvk
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Summary: The metaphor is imperfect but still workable. If my long term memory is a hard drive, then my short term memory is RAM. The hard drive became read-only following the illness. New data is stored in RAM and can be used while I remain awake. Going to sleep – ‘turning off’ – wipes the RAM, returning the system to what it was prior to the illness.
21. Working on the Edges (56089 words) by earlgreytea68
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: No matter where you put Sherlock and John, they click. Including the Winter Olympics.
22. Siege (55428 words) by PlainJane
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: In 1415, English archer John of Kenilworth is sent by Lord Mycroft Holmes from the field of victory at Agincourt to protect a remote French castle. Cherinfourde is under some dark cloud and John means to get to the bottom of it, in his lord's name. If only he could stop thinking about the most unusual omega he has ever met.
23. Fan Mail (53942 words) by scullyseviltwin
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: “WatsonChick143 has been rather maniacal in her commenting as of late... she’s left comments on everything you’ve posted John, something so obvious can’t have escaped even your attention."
24. Law Like Love (52215 words) by PlaidAdder
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: John Watson/Sherlock Holmes, John Watson/Mary Morstan, Harry Watson/Janine
Summary: Six months after Sherlock didn't go off on that mission to eastern Europe after all, all is well at 221B Baker Street. Little Rachel is just beginning to sleep through the night. John and Sherlock are sleeping with each other. Charles Augustus Magnussen is alive and unwell and just about bankrupt. And Mary is nowhere in sight. Obviously the events of "His Last Vow" were not what they seemed. What really happened? How did we get here from there? Well, we're going to find out. Backwards.
25. Spare Change (51966 words) by Ermerness
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The Holmes family is one of the richest and most powerful in England. Sherlock spends his time flying around the world on the family's private jet drinking a lot and shopping at expensive boutiques as a way of trying to alleviate his endless boredom. His mother decides it's time he settles down with someone powerful, wealthy and well connected. John Watson happens to be none of those things.
26. Bring Me Back To Life (51357 words) by yalublyutebya
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: After being injured on the Front, John Watson is sent to Craiglockhart Hospital for psychiatric treatment and finds himself sharing a room with the mysterious Sherlock Holmes.
27. MURDER IN THE FAMILY (Scarred Part I) (50374 words) by OTP221B
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Summary: Post Season 3, Mary Watson goes missing, and John has been keeping secrets from Sherlock.
28. The Gladstone Ritual (49742 words) by Velma68
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Much has been buried, much lost. But loyalty endures. Sherlock and John find their way to help an old friend.
29. Lilies on the Hill (48932 words) by Snommis
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: 'Time. For the first time John could see it, feel it, taste it like a tangible presence. The years and decades stretched out in front of them, together, were so vivid, so certain. They had all the time in the world. Everything was going to be fine and the things that weren’t, would be. There was time. Plenty of it. The rest of it.'
30. Unbranded Air (48249 words) by suitesamba
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John Watson, widower, tried to leave medicine behind when he left England and came to America. Sherlock Holmes, trying to avoid the marriage his family insisted on, was sent to America after embarrassing his mother and damaging his family's social reputation. Hired to help solve a cattle rustling ring with his unbelievable deductive skills and knowledge of soils, Sherlock is injured and taken to John's ranch. He holes up there while his broken leg heals and pulls John into the investigation, and the two find common ground in more ways than either expected. An AU set in the Wyoming Territory in the 1890s, with John as an army doctor/Afghanistan veteran who wants to start over and Sherlock as a detective without a mobile phone and only John to ease his boredom.
31. Lifetime Achievement (47352 words) by Mad_Lori
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John Watson has just won an Oscar and gotten engaged in the same day. Now what? (Sequel to "Performance in a Leading Role")
32. Damage (46830 words) by lifeonmars
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: No damage could ever be truly repaired. John would not be the same. Or, what happened after the tarmac.
33. Fly Very High (46533 words) by yalublyutebya
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John Watson was born to be a racing driver, and even a crash isn't enough to keep him out of a car for long. But coming back is not that easy, especially when he meets his new teammate, Sherlock Holmes.
34. Anyone Else (39233 words) by SilentAuror
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan, John Watson/OCs
Summary: Sherlock is in the middle of a case involving a vigilante serial killer when he discovers that John has been cheating on Mary, and not with him.
35. No Light Thing (38524 words) by philalethia
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John wants a healthy relationship. Sherlock struggles to understand the concept.
36. Dawn Before the Rest of the World (37430 words) by PoppyAlexander
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: In one of the grand houses of England in the 1920s, butler Sherlock Holmes is wooed to pieces by the world's most romantic gardener, John Watson.
37. The Straw Man Fallacy (36960 words) by Vulgarweed
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: “Mr Holmes, I'm not in the habit of approaching . . . consultants. But you are correct. I have great faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And until recently, I also had faith in the rule of law. Only the second one has wavered. Three years ago my fiancé, Sgt. Neil Howie of the West Highlands Constabulary, went to investigate an anonymous report of a missing child in a remote place called Summerisle. He never communicated with me while he was there, and he never returned.” Summerisle is not a welcoming place to visitors, but it shows its best face at May Day. For ulterior motives.
38. On the Other Side (35839 words) by Mildredandbobbin
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes/Janine
Summary: “This is what you’ve wanted isn’t it?” John says mockingly, cuttingly, fists bunched on Sherlock’s collar, simultaneously holding him close and shoving him with sharp knuckles against the wall. “You should be happy now: she’s gone, and I’m all yours.” Post-Series 3. Spoilers for series 3.
39. Relative Incandescence (35486 words) by sweetcupncakes
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Two musical notes: Every parrot and every construction worker knows them. Shrill and salacious, so Sherlock will remember: You are on display. It’s supposed to be a compliment. Supposed to make him feel good, that they have laboured to remind him. It makes him feel like a package of meat, set down into the cooler, raw and waiting to eaten.
40. Inexplicable (34664 words) by emmagrant01
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Mary Morstan
Summary: So what was in that matchbox, anyway? John and Sherlock find out, the hard way.
41. Pater Noster (34256 words) by SilentAuror
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: During the autumn that John is staying at Baker Street again after Sherlock was shot, he ruminates over the similarity between Sherlock's shot and the one that killed his father when he was fifteen. Cold case meets series 3 fix-it. Part I takes place entirely within His Last Vow, Part II takes place starting at the end of HLV and continues after.
42. A Study In Auto-Signatures, Sniper Dolphins, and Sex Holidays (32690 words) by cwb
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Summary: What's next on the sex holiday agenda? Bingo or shuffleboard? SH
You don't want to know.
Now you have to tell me. SH
43. The Adventures of a Single Girl in London (Plus a Consulting Detective) (32913 words) by earlgreytea68
Rating: Mature
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock Holmes keeps choosing flatmates who fancy themselves to be bloggers.
44. All but the Things that Cannot Be Torn (28500 words) by zundaerazylym
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: As John struggles to find equilibrium yet again, Sherlock is called in to investigate a series of seemingly random killings, connected only by the weapon and the lack of any other evidence. The further he gets into the case, however, the more it becomes evident that someone is keenly intent upon driving him away at any cost.
45. I Don't Love You (And I Always Will) (27636 words) by WendyBird
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson
Summary: Now complete! Post-Reichenbach, Slightly AU. Sherlock returns to London after faking his death to discover John has married and moved on. What's more, John refuses to forgive him, and Sherlock doesn't understand why. Determined to find out, Sherlock pries into John's dreams...and discovers there may be more to John's feelings than he anticipated. Five times Sherlock read John's mind and one time John read his instead.
46. The Fix (24729 words) by peg22
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: Sherlock goes out to buy milk and disappears. Lestrade fears it's the past coming back to haunt them - Sherlock buried in a bolthole getting high. Mycroft tends to agree. But John believes that Sherlock would never disappear without telling him.
47. State Of Flux (24669 words) by Atiki
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: John’s marriage is over and he is finally back home (i.e. at Baker Street, where he belongs). Sherlock is awfully insecure and John is awfully hesitant, and they're both awkward idiots, of course, but they figure it out. Many First Times happen.
48. Grownups (18571 words) by EmmyAngua
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, John Watson/Mary Morstan
Summary: Somehow - without anyone ever being sure how it happens - Sherlock becomes Archie's mentor. At least he *thinks* he's the mentor.
49. There's So Much Labour Just in Breathing Lately (12708 words) by Susan
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: The dreams he hated most – the ones that left him a sweating, shaking mess when he woke – were the ones in which Sherlock was just Sherlock. Laughing or drinking tea. Sitting across the table from him at Angelo’s eating pasta. Trailing his open hand behind him on the way to the bedroom. “C’mon, John. I’m about to have my way with you.”
50. A Very Sherlock Musical (11980 words) by flawedamythyst
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Summary: So, you know how musicals are set in a world where people just burst into song every five minutes, and everyone around them automatically knows to join in with the tune and choreography? This fic is set in that world. John finds it extremely frustrating that Sherlock won't sing their theme song with him.
Re: Thank you
Date: 2014-12-31 05:13 pm (UTC)I do make an effort to go back and at least put a quick comment and kudo on everything that I add to my recs. It's easier to remember to do so since I've been collating my bookmarks, because I have to go onto AO3 to sort the fic into the collection anyway.
I used to read a lot of 'regular' books too, but since I joined the Sherlock fandom, it's pretty much been only fan fiction. Other than the stuff I edit and translate for people in RL, that is.
I also feel better about myself spending so much time on this obsession when I can share it with others, and help all the wonderful authors in turn to feel good about themselves and their writing, and to feel that all the time they put into it is worthwhile. For every 100K of fic that I read in a few hours, that probably represents 6 months of someone else's life!