The Mourning Woman by M_Leigh (Gen)

[the-hobbet.livejournal.com]

Fandom: SHERLOCK BBC
Pairing: John Watson/Sherlock Holmes
Length: 2278 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:

"The Mourning Woman" is a beautifully written story about Molly Hooper - from how she became a pathologist to her tentative attempt to help John after the Reichenbach Fall - wistful, yet chirpy (especially in the podfic version).

The companion piece, "The Bachelor Stripped Bare by His Shadow, Even," tells John's story - a study in grief told with sweet melancholy and hope. Either story can stand alone but they complement each other.

Extra points for the Duchamp reference.

There is a lovely podfic of "The Mourning Woman" by croissantkatie.

The first time she saw a naked body was at university. The body had once belonged to a middle-aged man who would have been called portly in life but who, in death, was just fat. She couldn't decide whether or not it bothered her that she didn't know his name, or rather that she had no name to attach to him, regardless of whether it had been his in reality.

"Well he's a nasty one, isn't he," a girl standing behind her whispered. "Christ, look at that stomach. Imagine having to look at that in the mirror every morning and night."

"Shut it," somebody told her.

Molly noticed the professor's lips thinning. He didn't say anything, though. Molly guessed she wouldn't, either, if she were in his place. She knew she was bad at confrontation because her flatmate routinely bought quarts of milk and left them half-full in the door of the fridge for weeks, and instead of asking her to stop, or to get rid of them, Molly did it herself without complaining. This was only one example of many vis-à-vis her dealings with her flatmate that, she knew, reflected poorly on both of them.

"You're just a pushover, you are," was what her mother always told her, which she guessed was just another way of saying the same thing.

Nothing about the dead man bothered her. She wondered vaguely whether he'd been married. But she was close enough to see that there wasn't any telltale ring of pale skin around his finger.

She was the only one who didn't step back reflexively when the professor cut him open.

The Mourning Woman
The Mourning Woman (podfic)
The Bachelor Stripped Bare By His Shadow, Even

Comments

[hardboiledbaby]

Loving your focus on awesome fics with awesome podfic versions :) And thanks for mentioning the companion piece; I did not know about it! *bookmarks*

[the-hobbet.livejournal.com]

Probably because I just got an iPod, discovered podfics, and got totally hooked:-). I love having people read to me and it's great for when driving, working around the house, or even at the gym. But I also find a lot of stories I wish were available in audio versions. I may even have to give it a try myself.

[hardboiledbaby]

Yay! *high-fives you* And it would be awesome if you joined the ranks of podficcers, because YES, we need more podfic in the world. :)

(I recently did sort of an "Introduction to Podfic" post on my LJ. It's geared toward a different fandom, but the links might be of interest if you're new to podfic.)