Disclaimer: I own no part of the BBC/ACD Sherlock worlds and am not making a profit off of this work.
A/N: Sherlock and John are BBC Canon.
Holmes and Watson are a mix of modern-day Sherlock and ACD Canon (many, if not all, of the variants in their timeline are taken directly from ACD Canon).
I attempted to summarize the episodes so you can easily imagine what part they're watching without having the episode playing (as I did while writing) or following a transcript while reading, but I also attempted not to OVER summarize. If you think there's too much BBC episode detail, please feel free to let me know and I'll see about minimizing it (or not enough...though the first few chapters skim a bit more than the later ones by purposeful design).
There are a lot of Meta nods in here; some of them are my own, but most of them are not. I certainly don't take credit for all of the little snippets of Meta you'll find, but I don't remember where I got most of them from. If you would like credit for your Meta that I quoted, let me know and I will gladly add it.
This was a commission piece from WRose who asked for: "A Sherlock story where the characters are watching the BBC Sherlock series." This, I think, grew incredibly out of their (or my initial) thoughtful proportions, but I hope it's to your liking! Sorry again that it took me nearly a month to get it done! I swear I worked on it near constantly in that time.
There is a theory which states that whenever something is lost or misplaced (such as your keys), it has been transported to that same location in a different dimension. If it is not moved, after a time it will return to its proper dimension, which is why it is possible for you to find something in the exact spot you've already looked in and it will suddenly be there. The concept is a little fuzzy on what happens if the object is moved from the spot, but it is generally agreed upon that this is how possessions become lost forever.
"Sherlock, what did you do with the DVDs?" John calls to him in frustration, still looking around the living room.
"Why would I have touched them?" Comes the indignant reply from the bathroom, "You know they offend me."
"Yeah, they should offend you; they're bloody stalker footage. But our lawyer is going to kill us if we lost this case evidence."
Both men shudder at the memory of the discovery of the DVDs. Moriarty - as obsessed with Sherlock Holmes as he has been since childhood - had apparently been filming them since their very first meeting. How he even got some of the footage is unthinkable. Then, not only did he film them, but he created a bloody soundtrack and theme song, turned it in to some kind of creepy TV show. Their lives, a TV show.
The videos - presented as three separate series - were discovered in Moriarty's possession once Sherlock and the government had finally caught up to him. It saved Sherlock from going on the probable suicide mission and leaving John, but at what emotional cost? Mary has been indicted as an accomplice to Moriarty and the baby has been proven to be his, not John's. So a newly single John is back in 221B, but again: at what cost?
Sherlock finally exits the bathroom and comes to the living room, "It's not like they're the originals; they're not completely inept."
John shoots a glare at him, "Yes, but it's still evidence and it can't be a good thing for it to be lost. Will you just help me look?"
Sherlock performs a suffering sigh, "Last I saw them, they were on the coffee table."
"No shit, Sherlock; that's the first place I looked."
Sherlock's offended face makes John laugh without meaning to.
"Look, I'm sorry," John composes himself, "it's just that we're meeting with the lawyer in an hour and were supposed to bring these back."
They continue to search for the discs but are unsuccessful, and they begrudgingly head to their berating half an hour later.
—
Around the same time, Watson - in an alternate 2015 dimension - returns to 221B with Tesco bags in hand.
After placing the groceries away, he makes a cup of tea before sitting on the couch to read the paper. The stack of three DVD cases with "Sherlock" emblazoned on them catch his eye, causing his eyebrows to lift in surprise.
"Holmes," he calls to the bathroom where he knows the man to be, "what the hell are these?" he asks as he lifts the first one off of the pile to inspect it. It appears to be an official release TV show, with their pictures on the front and back.
Well, slightly different pictures of them. Sherlock appears to have wild curls while his Holmes tames them in to submission with a bit of product, and John appears to be clean-shaven while he himself has a full, close-cut beard from not shaving for a few days. But other than that, the resemblance is striking.
"Am I supposed to actually know what you're referring to from this far away?" Holmes shouts back around the toothpaste in his mouth.
Watson performs a suffering sigh, "These DVDs with your name on it."
"What?" Comes the confused response, then the sound of running water.
Watson is engrossed in reading the back of the case with his eyebrows drawn together in confusion when the other man enters.
"What are you on about?" Holmes asks, his irritation tinged with confusion.
Watson merely moves his head and arm towards him so he can see the front as he finishes reading the back.
"What is that?" Holmes asks in mild horror.
"It appears to be a TV show about us and our cases," Watson answers, still incredibly confused.
The younger man moves to the couch and sits down, eyeing the case with unease, "That's preposterous."
"No," Watson says, dragging out the vowel, "just improbable and nonsensical."
Holmes grabs the case from the other man's hand, to which Watson rolls his eyes without comment before reaching down to grab the next case. They read in silence for long minutes before speaking again.
Watson falls gracelessly on to the couch, slouching in bewilderment and unable to wrap his brain around this situation.
"Holmes, what is this?" he parrots back quietly.
"I have no idea," he admits back, sounding equally unsettled.
"Do we…" Watson starts, but has to take a moment to breathe and swallow before continuing, "watch them?"
Holmes turns to him in shock, "Watch them?"
Watson turns to glare at him defensively, "Well, why not? What better way to understand the situation than to observe the evidence?"
Holmes tilts his head in a considering pose before answering, "What if it…God, that sounds idiotic."
"What?" Watson urges.
Holmes gives him a 'I can't believe you're going to make me sound psychotic' look of disdain before speaking, "What if it alters the future?"
Watson holds it together for a solid three seconds before he begins laughing heartily.
"Watson," he admonishes in a slightly embarrassed tone, causing the other man to slowly right himself.
"I'm sorry, but," he chuckles again, smile holding strong, "did you just say you think that watching these DVDs would mess with the space-time continuum?" He finishes, looking as though nothing in the world has ever been funnier to him.
"Why is that so funny?" Holmes asks in defensive confusion.
"Because," he's still chuckling, but they're fewer and farther between now, "it sounds too science fiction for your literal brain to be considering, that's all."
"An Einstein theory is not science fiction."
"I know, I know," Watson finally calms down completely and looks at the back of the third case, "This says it was released in 2014, which has already happened. It can't change the past, can it?" He finishes seriously.
Holmes just stares at him for a few long seconds before replying, "I don't know."
They stare at each other and then the DVDs.
"Well, I say we watch them. Aren't you intrigued?" Watson asks.
"Of course I am, but…" he trails off uncertainly.
"We can always stop any time we want."
"I feel as though those could be your famous last words," Holmes teases.
"Have to be famous for that to happen," Watson smiles.
Holmes points to the DVDs and says, "You just might be."
With that ominous thought in place, Watson puts the first DVD in the player and they settle in for an experience they are not nearly prepared for.
