A Holmesian Solstice

Title: Fighting for Peace
Recipient: oldshrewsburyian
Author: colebaltblue
Verse: Dust and Shadow, ACD Canon
Characters/Pairings: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Kitty Winter
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: canon-typical violence, depictions of war induced ptsd, war induced violence
Summary: In the aftermath of the Jack the Ripper case, Watson finds that his experiences in Afghanistan have caught up with him and affected him in ways that could end his partnership with Holmes. After a particularly bad experience on a case, he questions whether or not he is capable of continuing the work. A little understanding from an unlikely source helps immensely.


Read on AO3: Fighting for Peace

Title: Née Kitty Winter
Recipient: alexcat
Author: ancientreader
Verse: ACD
Characters/Pairings: Holmes/Watson; Kitty Winter/OFC
Rating: T/PG
Warnings: mentions of serial murder and not-entirely-voluntary prostitution
Summary: The Morning Post "had the first police-court hearing of the proceedings against Miss Kitty Winter on the grave charge of vitriol-throwing. Such extenuating circumstances came out in the trial that the sentence, as will be remembered, was the lowest that was possible for such an offence." ("The Adventure of the Illustrious Client")
The world never did learn what happened after Kitty Winter's release.

Author’s notes: Dear alexcat, I started out fully intending to write you a Victorian comedy, and this is what came out instead. Whoops! At least it's a basically happy story, and I hope it gives you pleasure. Happy Holmestice!

Many thanks to SCFrankles, who bent over backward to help me answer some of those annoying finicky questions that plague writers of ACD fic. Google-fu failed me, but SCFrankles did not.

ColebaltBlue and Sanguinity, as moderators of this exchange, had absolutely no obligation to do any research for me, but they did anyway, because they're like that, and it was a big help. Thank you!

To REDACTED, as always, my sincere thanks for making me want to tear my hair out by finding the first draft unsatisfactory. To the extent that this is a better story now, that's because REDACTED told me to fix it.

For the purposes of this story, the anonymous wife in "Blanched Soldier" was a beard, and let's have no "Lion's Mane" nonsense about Watson passing beyond Holmes's ken. Honestly.


Read on AO3: Née Kitty Winter

Title: First Correspondence
Recipient: venusinthenight
Author: etherai; 14winters on AO3; joaneuglassiawatson on tumblr
Verse: Elementary
Characters/Pairings: Joan Watson & Kitty Winter
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Warnings: Implied/Referenced Abuse
Summary: Joan receives her first letter from Kitty much sooner than she expected.

Also on AO3: First Correspondence

( First Correspondence )