This was a nice well rounded story. I loved it, nicely done. thank you so much.

I like this so far. As usual your characters are very much spot on. I don't know why I have passed this story by and feel a little ashamed I have. You've made a fabulous start. Poor John though. I have a small feeling where this may be going in upcoming chapters but I will not let myself be spoiled. Thanks so much. x ps. Sorry for lack of PM replies. Lol.

I absolutely loved this. Very well written, and John's grief and Sherlock trying to help him in the ways he knows how were heart-wrenching. Especially poignant was John's anger issues - especially now that I've seen series 4.

Baby girl Watson was fine in the season 4 finale and she was living with Sherlock and John

Sorry I didn't realise I sent that XD This is a good story though I like it

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I'm not the best at reviewing, especially for stories with complex plots. Like riding to a new location, you don't know how the trip will be until you're arrived. I've just re-read this story from the beginning and can now see the full journey and want to say thank you for a great ride. I can now appreciate the twists and turns that were hard to understand reading chapters intermittently. This was hard (good) work.

Thank you for writing this.

Well, that was one hell of a ride! Kudos to you for wrangling that monster of a plot. Seriously, I rarely see stories with such complex, interweaving plotlines that actually resolve themselves as completely and satisfactorily as they did here. At first, the jumps in the timeline took some getting used to, but they made sense as step-by-step revelations, and you never left your readers in the dark as to when and where exactly we were at any point in the story.

There was always only a one-in-a-million chance, of course, that you'd hit the jackpot and series 4 would develop exactly that way, but your version sure makes sense, and was - above all - IC for everyone involved. Before season 4, the jury's still out on just how "good" or "evil" Mary is and how far even Sherlock and John can trust her now. Your answer definitely isn't outside the realm of the possible.

I especially like how Sherlock tackles "Project John", because yes, that's totally how he'd go about it! Love him banging his head against the wall in frustration at John's lack of progress, and writing messages on the steamy bathroom mirror, timed exactly to be noticed at just the right moment.

I also love how you descríbe how those two work together. "The Watson Eclipse", that was just brilliant.

Another line that gave me goosebumps was "The genius who knew ash". I mean, yes. Whoa. As I said, goosebumps.

You also found a great multiple and very poignant use of the "gift of silence" line from TAB. Being really bad at titles myself, sometimes I want to give kudos to a work just because it's got such a great title, and this is one of them!

Congratulations also on fooling me with your description of the car explosion. I was itching, at the time I read it, to point out (with my usual OCD-ish perfectionism) that cars don't just explode because of a fuel leak, and that the little kid could never have got out of her car seat on her own, never mind opening the heavy door. But look, you knew all that, too! :D

Since you said you don't mind Britpicking - there were a few things that caught my eye. I'll put them in another PM!

Congratulations on finishing this well-plotted, well-characterized and beautifully written work! It's impossible indeed to predict how things will go next season (and after series 3 I don't even try), but you've done justice to the complexity of the show regardless. Thanks for sharing this!

Painful and poignant. Loved that scene between Sherlock and Mrs. Hudson! Beautifully written, as always. And very clever plotting!

Masterful plotting and very well-written, as always. Man, Mycroft...he really is an Iceman! This portrayal is frighteningly believable, well done!

Hello!
So, I truly wish to apologize first and foremost on my lack of manners for not reviewing all twenty chapters. However, may I please make it up to you with loads of comments all together?! :)
I was hooked literally from the get-go of your story. I'm relatively new to the Sherlock fandom. (Though, trust me, my friends have pestered me for years to join. I never wanted to play the waiting game. Now? Well, I get it! It's worth the wait!) I've been hesitant to read fanfics, because for one I'm (surprisingly) on the fence about my ship. I know it's weird. However, in my defense, I've not finished reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle yet; and despite the differences/similarities between the novels and BBC, I'm reserving my right to collect all my facts. Whichever the case developed and unfolds, Sherlock and John are brilliant, complex, and ambiguous characters; thus, my affections lie with them. Their friendship is beautiful. I have no disregard if it turned romantic. Though it's rather hard for me (perhaps in my ignorance from not having read many Sherlock fanfics) to envision Sherlock as a romantic. Especially as Mycroft put it, "My brother has kind of a philosopher and scientist" or as close to verbatim as I may reach. Love contradicts all of Sherlock's foundations. Though, in your story, you simply alluded to Sherlock's deep affections for John, you handled the situation outstandingly. The reason I have been weary from reading fics is many authors (by not fault of their own, more to my own background in logic and dislike) don't keep in mind Sherlock would not react to love like anyone would or could picture. Except you. I'm speechless.
So, initial side rant out of the way, I'm ready to begin gushing about the awesomeness of your story! :) I didn't think my adoration for Sherlock and John-individually and together-could have grown any further, yet the moment John Watson loses his hearing, Sherlock Holmes adepts situations, quite infuriating really yet heartwarming at the same time, and on top of John's megaton grief...not for a moment was I disappointed with the outcome. You handled it brilliantly and then some. Even when his hearing returned, I was torn between John's and Sherlock's reactions.
I read recently that fans of Sherlock Holmes are fans not because it is a detective story but a story about a detective. Your story validates the statement. The cases turn into one; and though they may appear benign and irrelevant, it's all woven together in a complex web to outsiders but it truly a vital piece of the plot. Very clever indeed! I think I was shocked more at the fact that the guy responsible for John's temporary loss of hearing was one and the same from their case than I was about Williard/Prius being a pedophile (though perhaps my five plus years of Law and Order: SVU has something to say about that. *shakes head*) or that Mary/AGRA was so tied in on the original case of Heather Barnet. I'm not properly certain of my loyalty to Mary. I don't love her, but Mofftiss has crafted her dynamically to prompt this love-hate relationship. She's the first of John's girlfriends who automatically adores Sherlock; despite knowing what Sherlock put John through during the hiatus. But she also shot Sherlock. That's NOT okay, even if she's a trained assassin. (Excuse the poorly made argument; emotions don't count in logic, so obviously that's an opinion and not hard evidence haha.) Her involvement in this story allowed me to have a glimpse of both sides of Mary, and while I haven't figured out if I love or hate her any less, at least it's still the same! :) Plus, who doesn't love seeing John as a daddy?!
I believe the best portrayal of John started with his PTSD. John has countlessly survived traumatic situations only to endure another...one right after another. He will never quite lose the PTSD. Therefore, his actions, reactions, and emotional stability/instability will forever be linked to his past. Only, his past echoes hauntingly. From the loss of war to the loss of his best friend to the return of said friend to uncovering his lover is a viper to forgiving said lover to having a small window of normalcy with lover and child and friend to have it all explode in his face. How has John managed to stay standing? The emotions he handled in this story alone were crippling. His anger eclipsed his grief. In some ways, his anger says more about his regard for Mary than his grief. I know in some ways John loves Mary; but I think their daughter bonded them more so than any lingering regard. Her betrayal and dishonesty and disloyalty, no matter John's forgiveness, cannot be easily forgotten. John trusted her too much, Mary trusted him too little. Ultimately, Mary never outgrew the need for trusting only herself and therefore her affections for John, no matter how they are examined, are slighted due to her selfishness. John loved Mary, but Mary loved herself more than anything else. I'm not claiming she never loved or cared for John or her daughter. But she got sloppy along the way; and John became the collateral damage. At least, this is what I have discovered while reading your story. You could have a different stance. But based on my views from BBC and the story, well...Mycroft was correct she couldn't be Mrs Watson for long. In that sense, Mary is more like Sherlock. And John's emotions could actually be enough for all three characters. But John's my favorite because he's so close to being like Mary and Sherlock, though damned to admit it, yet his humanness and ability to become profoundly angry or distraught keeps him a peg or so down. It's brilliant, truly. And I feel as if my ramblings aren't articulating it accurately.
I'm almost devastated with the ending. Though I think I would have been disappointed with a neat and tidy, all loose ends tied up in a perfect bow at the end more than the ambiguous ending. It felt more like the ending of an episode. Not necessarily a "to be continued..." type. Clever in tying up the case, but leaving the pushed back suspense to linger. But really, the significance of John's return to 221B is profound-even if Mary/Heather/AGRA comes looking for John, my dear Watson will be with Sherlock. He's moving on, I think. Slowly, certainly. I would never welcome Mary back, if I were John, I would take my child and run. But does that make me like Mary then? Huh. Okay, no more speculations on that front or I'll be here even longer. :)
Thank you so very much for sharing this story! The characters felt canon and the writing was beautiful. I feel like I didn't give you enough credit in my review because I was too busy speculating or rambling. You're fantastic! I loved this story. I wish you all the best! ArdenSkye.

Well done
This is a fascinating direction to travel in, and I think you have done the characters justice:-)

An awful lot for John to take in...
Intriguing set up.

Such a tangled web...
Fascinating chapter.