#ritchie verse

Five Times by good_old_days

Johnlock Love Letters #1668

But it’s the conversation that happens between Holmes and Watson at the very end of this scene that is the most impactful to me.  It’s a conversation that, on the surface, is nothing more than Holmes instructing Watson on the subsequent steps he needs to take to accomplish the plan Holmes has devised.  But nothing with Holmes is ever simply on the surface, and Watson quickly realizes that there’s more to what Holmes is saying.

Note the immediate tension in Watson’s posture when he realizes that Holmes does not include himself in the “identify the assassin” part of the plot; note the way he calls out Holmes’ name.

He knows that Holmes is planning to confront Moriarty on his own, he understands that arguing is a moot point.  But it doesn’t make it any easier on him (look at his facial expression as he responds to Holmes here).  He’s afraid of something happening to Holmes, terrified of it.

But now look at Holmes.  He stands in front of Watson, perfectly still. He doesn’t move, doesn’t even blink. He keeps his eyes on Watson’s face, reciting the next words in a kind of strained, tense monotone as if there’s this enormous buildup of emotional pressure inside him and he’s trying very hard to hold himself together, afraid that if he lets up even a bit, he’s going to crumble right then and there. He knows what awaits him, knows that he’s likely never going to see Watson again, and it’s tearing him apart -- you can literally see him trembling as he speaks.  The words themselves mean nothing -- it’s the intensity of the look he gives Watson, it’s the way his voice quivers when he utters this phrase.    

Still, he doesn’t want to leave Watson on such a tense note, and he tries to “defuse the situation with humor”, to give Watson something else to focus on (perhaps, selfishly, to see Watson’s smile one more time).  And so they share this beautiful light moment...

 But time is of the essence, and the moment’s over just like that, grim reality setting in. Holmes’ very next (seemingly innocent) pronouncement drives the point home to Watson as well, and we see the smile fade from his face, his expression morphing back into one of fearful worry.

This entire scene is Holmes saying to Watson “No possible solution could be more congenial to me than this” “I love you” , “I’ve done a fine job” “goodbye”.  And it leaves Watson standing there in the middle of that crowded ballroom, momentarily lost and terrified.  And it wrecks me almost as much as what follows on the balcony. 

“Take Watson…” “I intend to”

                          I wish I could stop loving you so that I could free myself of the

                          pain of you not loving me back

I did like Mary a lot better in Game of Shadows than in the first Sherlock film.  Still, this AU kind of crept up on me and I thought it would be a fun one to explore.  So, imagine:  

Miss Mary Morstan gets her hands on Moriarty’s precious red book and decides to use it as a bargaining chip to get the Professor to help her get rid of Holmes, hoping that by taking Holmes out of the game, she will be able to have Watson all to herself.  Watson is, understandably, distraught upon finding out that Holmes is dead, thus making him vulnerable to Mary’s feigned words of compassion.  Three years go by, and Mary finally decides that (her) John has grieved enough and she buys them train tickets for Brighton so they could get out of the city and enjoy some alone time together.  She finds herself frustrated that Watson continues to think about Holmes even when alone with her.  She finds herself even more frustrated when there’s suddenly a knock on the door of their compartment and in bursts none other than Holmes himself dressed in the most ridiculous outfit.  An argument ensues....  And the rest is self-evident

Always good to see you, Watson. by lilis-gallery

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (Downey films) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Lord Henry Blackwood/Lord Coward Characters: Lord Henry Blackwood, Lord Coward Additional Tags: Prostitution, Canon Era, Canon Universe, How Do I Tag, kind of pretty woman if you squint very hard, Talk of murder, and ritual sacrifices, but nothing explicit, Period-Typical Homophobia, but only mentioned Summary:

Blackwood is...not enchanted, not really. But. Intrigued. Interested.