A.N. This story was inspired by me reading a whole lot of other stories that mention Donovan's background and me thinking far too much at some ungodly hour.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock or any of the characters from it.

Sally loves, no adores, working at the Yard. No matter how hard or heartbreaking the cases are, no matter how long and grueling the hours are she still loves it. She has never regretted her choice.

Sally is surprisingly smart. She managed to win a scholarship for Cambridge. She studied Spanish, French, Chemistry and History there. She enjoyed the atmosphere there and met her best friend there too. Her name is Kate. Sally doesn't see her often due to their work, but they write to each other almost daily. Kate writes in pacific blue ink and she often smells of frangipanis and mango. Sally misses her constantly.

Sally's mother died when she was sixteen. Car crash, caused by a drunk driver. Sally doesn't remember her well. All she can remember is her dark, curly hair and her smile. It broke her father's heart. He began to drink more and more. Few years later he gave up. Sally rarely drinks now.

Sally had a brother. Or has. She isn't too sure which tense to use. He was often involved in gang fights and took off after Sally was safely in university. He went into the army and was deported to Iraq. He use to write to her often, but a few years ago he stopped writing. She wants to ask John about his time in the army, just to know what it was like, but she knows that the question would be unwelcome. Sally often catches herself wondering where he is. She would prefer knowing something concrete about him, just to stop the constant thinking, but she never gets anything, so she resigns herself to her daydreams.

Sally adores languages. She learnt French and Spanish throughout school and university. She also took courses in Italian and Russian. She plans to learn Croatian next. She often writes to Kate in these languages, just to test herself. She takes as many courses as she can and is constantly searching for them.

Sally hates pears. Perhaps it's the way they look or the strange, slightly bitter taste. Maybe it's because her father use to make poached pears for every Friday dessert.

Sally use to have a younger sister. Her name was Jessica and she married very young. The couple moved to America in the first year of their marriage. They were killed in their house. A robbery gone wrong the police said. That was how Sally was ended up with their son. He was two at the time. His name was James. He was so small and fragile looking and Sally loved him like he was her own son. Six years later he was killed, some form of the Ku Klux Klun decided that it was his time to die. He was found swinging from a tree with a mask over his face. It truly broke Sally and she always blames herself for what happened. No has ever known about James. Not enough Sherlock.

Lestrade saved her life. Literally. Sally was severely depressed after James and although Lestrade didn't know the cause of Sally's misery he helped her through it. He offered her a job and took her under his wing. Sally is eternally grateful to him and wishes she could somehow express her gratitude without embarrassing or upsetting him. She doesn't know how so she does nothing. But, one day, she knows she'll find a way.

Sally fell in love with classical music when she was three. She could pin point the exact moment when it happened. Her mother was in the kitchen, cooking when the radio started to play Waltz No. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich. Sally knew from that moment she was hooked. She often goes to see performances, as often as she can, wherever she can and however she can get them. She also plays with cello and trombone. She use to think about joining an orchestra and playing them for a job. Sally wonders what it would be like, playing music that you love for a living. Sally still thinks that she made the right choice, but still wonders. She barely plays now, but when she does she can feel that familiar rush of excitement.

A.N Reviews welcomed.