A New Kind of Adventure
It had been a whole week since Sherlock and Rose had bared their secrets to each other and happily decided that trouble was better with two. They had both admitted to wanting to see each other since then, but this was the first time that they had both had an evening free in order to do so. Therefore, they decided to go out for dinner and then back to one of their flats. It had started out innocently enough with a cab ride until Rose had shouted for the cab driver to stop and gestured for Sherlock to pay the man before she jumped out and ran back the way they came. Sherlock gave the man a bill, told him to keep the change, and took off after her wondering what she had seen – knowing her it would definitely be some kind of trouble – not that he minded! He smiled as he found her standing at an alley entrance talking to a tall and pretty ginger woman in a black outfit that he had come to recognize as the standard Torchwood field uniform. There was also a black Land Rover blocking the entrance to the alleyway. He was right, then, if Torchwood was involved, then there was definitely trouble afoot!
"Oh, Sherlock, there you are!" she beckoned. "This is Amy. You will probably run into her again because she and her husband, Rory, are my next door neighbors. You haven't met him yet, but Rory is also on my team while Amy is on Jake's - so be nice! Anyway, apparently, they just received a call that there are some Fummels on the loose. Want to have an adventure?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement and he knew that he couldn't turn her down. He nodded and she turned back to Amy who had been looking between him and Rose with interest. "Jake's in there?" she asked pointing down the alley and then grabbed Sherlock's hand and ran in when Amy nodded, but stayed where she was. Sherlock realized that she was guarding the alley's entrance – whether to keep people out or aliens in, though, he didn't know. It was probably both!
Jake was standing at the back of the alley with another man. Even from a distance, Sherlock could tell from their stance that they were not happy. As he and Rose came closer, he noticed that both men were looking in despair at the scene in front of them. Hundreds of little multicolored fluff balls, ranging in size anywhere from a cricket ball to a volleyball, were bouncing around and squeaking. Sherlock didn't know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that! Jake turned around as he heard them approach and his worried face broke out into a relieved smile.
"Rose, Sherlock, thank goodness you are here! How did you know? Never mind! I don't care, I am just so happy to see you two! We are short handed tonight and, boy, do we have a mess! We think that there must have been an intergalactic pet shop delivery mix up or something! Seriously, a passing freighter must have just teleported them here!" He gestured to the open cages that were scattered around the alley. "I was just about to call HQ for some backup. However, we should be okay if you guys will help us out."
Sherlock thought that it was very interesting that he had automatically been included, not just in Jake's greeting, but in this Torchwood business, itself. However, there was something in the way that Jake was looking at him that made him realize that Jake must know that Rose had told him everything about their shared history. Sherlock felt like the look was one of friendly acceptance, instead of the one of at least mild annoyance that he usually received from almost everyone else. He didn't know how he felt about that. It just seemed a bit odd because he wasn't used to seeing that friendly of a look from many people at all – just John and Rose, really.
His musing was interrupted when Rose said, "Of course, we'll help, but you're on the line next time my team is on-call!" She grinned and then she looked around. "Where's Jenny?" she asked.
"I mentioned that we were short handed. That's why. She's taking part of her holiday time in the Caribbean this week – Guadeloupe, I think," he said. Rose nodded understandingly. For some unknown reason, there were almost never any recorded alien encounters in the Caribbean. Therefore, most Torchwood employees took their vacations there. Pete had even considered putting a company retreat there someday – not that any of the Tylers ever had time to take holidays or anything. She sighed – just a little regretfully.
She shook her head and went back to the business at hand. "Sherlock, you know Jake, but this is Billy." She gestured to the good looking dark skinned man standing next to them. "He used to be a detective with the Met before he joined Torchwood. Maybe you two have met before?"
Sherlock and Billy both shook their heads, while they also shook hands. "Most of my official work is with Inspector Lestrade at Scotland Yard," explained Sherlock trying not to scowl for Rose's sake. He wasn't particularly fond of the Met. Of course, he wasn't really fond of Scotland Yard, either – Lestrade was the only tolerable one there, he thought. However, this man, Billy, was now with Torchwood, so he might actually be bearable.
"I have heard of some your exploits, Mr. Holmes, and I read Doctor Watson's blog when I get the chance. You guys get into some interesting situations. No wonder Gorgeous Girl here hangs out with you!" Billy said grinning over at Rose. Sherlock scowled at the flirting, but Rose just shook her head at him.
"That would mean so much more, Billy, if you didn't call all of the girls that!" She rolled her eyes laughingly at him. "Plus," she added in a softer, kinder voice, "I know for a fact that you've got it bad for Sally!" Rose then laughed at the slightly embarrassed look that flashed across Billy's face. "Don't worry," she said comfortingly as she patted his shoulder. "I won't tell her, but I do think that you should! Life is too short not to take a chance sometimes – especially on love!" Her sage words struck a chord, not just with Billy, but with Sherlock, too. He looked thoughtfully at her.
"All right, guys, if we could get back to the little furry matter at hand," Jake broke into their conversation impatiently. He had taken the time while the rest were chatting to call for a truck to transport the creatures once they were caught. "We have a million Fummels to catch before their ride gets here!"
The next hour was filled with both irritation and amazement for Sherlock. The Fummels were cute, but their bouncing made them damn near impossible to catch or to hold on to once they were caught. The scientist in him felt sure that they were somehow breaking the laws of physics to keep themselves airborne! However, watching Rose made it all worthwhile. While the men had resorted to grabbing desperately and swearing a lot, she actually acted like she was enjoying herself! She didn't move, so much as dance, around, catching the little balls of fluff with much more ease than the men, and cheerfully kissing each one before putting it in a cage. He couldn't stop looking at her. He wasn't the only one mesmerized by the sight, either. He saw that Billy, and even Jake, stopped occasionally just to watch her. Billy elbowed him once in the side and said earnestly, "You're a lucky man, Sherlock!" Sherlock couldn't help but to agree with him. He was still amazed that such a glorious woman actually wanted to spend time with him! Finally, after they had been in the alley for about an hour and a half, all of the Fummels had been captured and secured. Rose sighed with relief that she didn't have to handle that paperwork, said goodbye to Jake and Billy, and walked back out of the alley hand in hand and smiling with Sherlock. They caught up with a very bored Amy at the entrance, who had just gotten off of the phone with her husband. She was a friendly, talkative sort and chatted excitedly with Rose about how ecstatic she was that her night was almost over and that she would soon be home with Rory, how he would have come out to help, but had apparently decided to watch a match on the telly over at Mickey's instead – once he heard that there were two extra helpers already on hand. Sherlock recognized Mickey's name from Rose's stories last week as her friend from the other universe and was again struck by how close everyone that he had met at Torchwood seemed to be and how interconnected their lives were. They said their goodbyes to Amy and she whispered loudly to Rose, "Oooh, he's a keeper. He's gorgeous!" Sherlock wisely pretended not to hear that or Rose's smug answer. "That he is!" It didn't stop him from grinning, however.
He brought up his observation about her Torchwood colleagues to Rose just a couple of minutes later as they walked down the street. "I think it is a lot like the relationship that you and John seem to have," she said after she had thought about it for a moment. "It's because our lives are so secret and so dangerous. We understand each other, we have to depend on each other, we constantly put our lives in each others' hands, and that creates a strong bond – stronger even than family, really." Sherlock nodded at this. That was exactly how he felt about John! He was so happy that Rose understood that. He didn't think that even John's wife, Mary, completely got it. Rose continued, "That's just the friendships! However, it is also why all of the couples that I know all work together at Torchwood in some capacity. It's very rare for any of us to be able to find someone strong enough to handle our lifestyle and trustworthy enough to handle our secrets. If that ever happens, then it's practically impossible for that person to be brought into our circle, but still be able to remain in the outside world, as well. You are unique in that way, and I am very lucky to have met you." She gazed earnestly into his eyes at that and he couldn't help but stop right in the middle of the sidewalk to kiss her - especially since he realized that she had just referred to two of them as a couple. Plus, he knew that he was the lucky one! An unusually warm feeling spread through him when he realized that she felt the same way about him!
After the kiss, she smiled and looked around at their surroundings. There were some takeout places ahead of them and she suggested that they just get something from one of them and head back to his flat - since it was the closest. He thought that was a very good idea and, therefore, that is exactly what they did!
Back at Baker Street, they greeted Mrs. Hudson pleasantly on the way up to the flat. She smiled after them with an almost maternal air, so pleased that things were going well between the two of them. They looked so happy and smiles looked good on Sherlock, she decided. She had only seen a few genuine ones on the man in the years that she had known him, but it looked like Rose knew how to bring them out. Maybe she should invite the young lady to tea sometime and get to know her better – especially if she was going to be around a lot, she thought.
Once in the flat, they started out lounging on the sofa just eating their takeout and talking about their evening. However, the food was soon forgotten when the kissing started. Sherlock quickly decided that tasting Rose was much better than whatever was in the takeout container, so he put all of his focus on her. As his lips trailed down her jaw and neck, he carefully noted which spots made her shiver. He couldn't help but smile when she gasped as his kiss neared her pulse point. Ah, a sensitive area, he thought. He could work with that. It was then her turn to make him tremble by sliding her hands up the back of his shirt and caressing those hard muscles in the same way that had affected him so strongly last time. The result was exactly the same, too, as he suddenly felt his trousers become almost unbearably tight. Then he gasped in surprise as she twirled round and straddled his lap facing him, kissing him thoroughly all the while. She then reached for the front of his shirt and unbuttoned it slowly. When it was completely opened, she ran her fingers lightly over the slight smattering of hair on his otherwise very smooth chest. He trembled and pulled her closer to him. The sudden friction that the movement created between them caused him to groan and her to gasp in surprise. Rose felt the want just rolling off of him, as well as something soft and deeper (but still undefined), and she knew automatically that it was time. She suddenly looked up into his darkened eyes and he could see the instant that she made her decision. A thrill shot through him at just the thought of it and the pressure between them suddenly increased even more.
Rose smiled, slid off his lap, took his hand, and led him into the bedroom. Finally, after some frantic disrobing on both of their parts, she was in his bed and in his arms. "Want to have another adventure?" she whispered as she immediately took charge of the situation. Sherlock thought that the sight of the golden woman above him was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. He had also never felt so alive in his life –it was better than any addictive drug - it was even better than solving the most complex of puzzles! It was better than anything and it should have been the perfect moment. However, his phone kept beeping and someone kept leaving him messages. However, there was no way in hell that he was going to stop what he was doing with Rose to answer it. Therefore, he reluctantly let go of her with the hand closest to the nightstand in order to pick up the offending phone. Then he threw it, as hard as he could, somewhere in the opposite corner of the room.
Rose paused in her movements and her attention to his body and said "Really?" with a smile both on her face and in her voice.
"We're busy!" He replied with a growl and pulled her head back down to his. She gave a small laugh against his lips until the movements of his hands on her body distracted her and she forgot everything else except for what they were doing right at that moment.
The next morning, Sherlock awoke to a goddess on his chest and her golden hair tickling his nose. He couldn't help but smile as he reached up to push the hair away – trying to be careful not to disturb its owner in the process. He still could not believe that Rose Tyler was in his arms and that they had actually made love. It had been absolutely incredible and he felt his already large morning erection stir at the memory of it. However, he decided to let his Rose sleep a little longer. She was probably quite tired out from their adventure the night before with the fuzz balls and then all of the other activities later. He certainly was!
He tightened his grip around her and was about to fall asleep again when he heard a small sound from the other room. As he tried sleepily to deduce the origin of the noise, John suddenly burst into his bedroom. Sherlock started a bit with surprise and felt it when Rose's body tensed and her eyes flew open as her soldier's instincts took over to wake her instantly at the interruption. She didn't move away, however, just snuggled closer as she saw that it was just John and realized that there was no immediate threat.
For his part, John's eyes immediately took in the pair on the bed, limbs entangled together, and covered only partially with the bedclothes. He instantly turned bright red in embarrassment and muttered, "Um…sorry…but…"
Two pairs of eyes, one annoyed and one amused, just looked at him from the bed for a minute until Rose took pity on him. "Morning, John." she said sweetly. "Would you be so kind as to go make us some coffee? You know Sherlock doesn't function well without it first thing and I am almost as bad! We will be out in just a few minutes."
"Um…yes, right then…" muttered John, grateful to have an excuse to leave, as he practically flew backwards out of the room. He heard Rose's giggle and Sherlock's heavy sigh follow him.
As soon as he had cleared the room, Rose found herself pushed over onto her back and looking up into an expressive pair of eyes. An even more expressive pair of lips softly said, "Good morning!" and then met hers so passionately that it almost made her forget that they were supposed to be getting out of bed. She could feel the contentment, the happiness, and the desire radiating from his body that was pressed against hers. After letting out a small moan as those lips started moving downwards over her neck, she belatedly remembered that John was in the kitchen – just down the very short hallway. Therefore, she sighed regretfully and stopped Sherlock's progress in order to pull his head back up to kiss him. Then they spent a moment just gazing at each other and smiling before Rose broke the silence.
"By the way," she said, "did I mention that last night was fantastic? First an adventure, and then incredible sex! What more could a girl ask for?" She grinned mischievously and Sherlock grinned back as he felt something answer down below. She gave a small laugh as she felt it move against her thigh. She kissed him once more before getting out of bed, but not before uttering a promise… "Later!" Sherlock grinned again as he watched her walk unashamedly across the room (She was gorgeous!) to wrap herself in his dressing gown and head off to the bathroom. He took a moment to compose himself and certain wayward parts of his anatomy before finding a clean pair of boxers and a tshirt to put on. He thought about just wrapping the sheet around him instead, but he figured that poor John was probably embarrassed enough already. After all, he probably wouldn't even be at the flat this early unless it was important and it was quite obvious that he had no idea at all that Rose had stayed the night. Sherlock found himself smiling at the thought of the previous night again as he headed out to the kitchen. In fact, he thought that there was a distinct possibility that he might never stop smiling! That thought only lasted a minute, though, because as soon as he entered the kitchen, John told him why he was there.
"Look, Sherlock, I'm sorry but Mycroft called me this morning. He wanted you to come to his office first thing. However, he was concerned because he could not seem to contact you by phone or text last night." John blushed again as he realized why this was and Sherlock smiled again as he remembered that his phone was still somewhere on the other side of his bedroom. Then John thought of something, looked curiously over at Sherlock, and asked, "Does he know about Rose?"
"Probably," Sherlock said as he shrugged and continued to make a cup of coffee for himself and one for Rose. They both liked their coffee prepared the same way – lightly sweetened with milk. John was already at the table with a cup, so Sherlock joined him. "You know that he keeps a pretty close eye on this place, but I haven't told him anything," he continued as he sat down.
John nodded. "Anyways, I was a little worried, so I came right over. Sorry again about… you know!" John said looking down at his cup.
Sherlock just looked at him over his coffee. "Don't worry yourself about it, John. You couldn't have known that Rose was here. She is not upset about it, so neither am I. However, you may just want to make sure that you knock first next time." John nodded quickly. He just couldn't believe that he was having this conversation with Sherlock, of all people!
Just then, Rose joined them. Even though she was still wearing his dressing gown, she had obviously decided to take a quick shower. Some of her hair was a little damp, Sherlock noticed as he reached up to smooth it away from her face and then stroked her cheek once as she smiled and sat down next to him. John watched this act of gentleness with amazement. He had known Sherlock as a detective, friend, and brother – even as a fighter. However, Sherlock as a lover was just a difficult concept to wrap his mind around. He kept glancing over at them while they all drank their coffee. There was no awkwardness or embarrassment between the two of them, but there was a softness in Sherlock's expression that he had never seen before. John had wondered if their relationship had taken this step ever since he had seen the extra toothbrush in the rack when he had visited the loo last week. He had tried to discreetly bring up the topic of Rose several times that evening, but all that Sherlock would tell him was that her team had been called to Cardiff and he didn't know when she would return. He got progressively grouchier each time John asked about her, so he eventually stopped trying to get any information at all in order to keep Sherlock in a reasonably good mood. Now John realized that the bad mood was just because Sherlock missed her! The man had never been very good at expressing his feelings mainly since, according to him, he didn't have any. Judging by the way that he was looking at Rose, though, that was obviously not the case!
After the coffee had been drunk, and the events in the paper that John had brought up had been discussed, Sherlock turned to Rose. "So, my dear," he said to her, and both she and John smiled at the way the old fashioned endearment sounded coming out of Sherlock's mouth, "are you ready for another adventure this morning?"
"Of course I am!" she replied with a wink. "What will it be this time – aliens or assassins?"
"Hmm…that's debatable," Sherlock said and smirked. "How do you feel about meeting my brother?"
"Ah, would this be your archenemy?" She smiled as she remembered how he had referred to his brother - the one and only time that he had mentioned him after Rose had asked him about his family. Sherlock hadn't even told her his brother's name and she didn't ask because he obviously didn't want to talk about it anymore. She continued, "I better stop by my flat to change my clothes, then. If he is anything like you, I would hate to think of what conclusions he would come up with if he assessed me looking like this."
The men laughed at that and Rose found herself wondering if the mysterious brother was really as bad as Sherlock had implied. She would have asked John about him if they had more time, but she was looking forward to meeting him, regardless.
Speaking of John… "Will you be joining us?" Rose asked him. John glanced over at Sherlock, unsure about how their partnership would work now that he was also with Rose. He knew that a lot of things had changed because of Mary, so he wasn't sure about this situation.
"Of course, he is coming!" Sherlock exclaimed to both of them, as if there had never been a doubt.
John smiled as he felt the tension (that he didn't even realize he was holding) suddenly release. He felt even better when he looked over to see Rose smiling fondly at both of them. He then realized that instead of losing an old friend, he was really gaining a new one!
It certainly seemed as if there was going to be a new kind of adventure in store for all of them!