The effect on the group was palpable, each breathing a sigh of relief or settling back on their heels. They were glad to have the Master and Moriarty gone, even with the grim news they'd given them.
"Two months," Clara repeated quietly. She shook her head, brown hair bouncing around her face. "Doctor, what are we going to do for two months?"
"And that's at the least," John reminded her. "That's just until they get back."
"The odds are good that we will not get out on the first try," Sherlock said crisply. "We'll need time to gather information. I'd settle in if I were you. Maybe find another job as a governess?"
Clara's eyes widened. "How'd you know that?"
Sherlock scoffed. "It was obvious."
"He does that sometimes," John said by way of explanation. "Deduces things, based on what he sees-"
"Observes," Sherlock corrected him. The Doctor hid a smile. "Seeing and observing are two different things. Not enough people realize that."
"Well, go on, then," Clara said, a hint of a challenge in her smile. "Deduce me. How much can you get?"
The Doctor and Rose traded glances, curious and excited. John watched in amusement, full used to what was coming.
"Oh, nothing much," Sherlock said, his manner casual, before suddenly snapping into what John thought of as his detecting mode. "Only that you're a right-handed single governess who is dissatisfied with your job, which you've held for about two years, and are looking for a better position, probably as a teacher, who did not expect to spend the night at this woman's house." He glanced over. "It's Rose, isn't it?"
"Rose Tyler, yeah." She smiled warmly, her cheeks pink.
Clara stared for a moment, blinking in surprise, then grinned. "Alright, so how'd you do it?"
"It's all very obvious. Most of it comes down to your clothing."
"My clothing?" Clara glanced down at her outfit, suddenly self-conscious. "What's wrong with it?"
"Clothing is perhaps the most telling insight into a person's life," Sherlock informed her. "Yours are nice, decently expensive, but well-worn. I'm guessing two years out of style? By your age the explanation can't be that you used to have money, the odds are better that you bought something nice for a job interview and have worn it ever since. Now, what job? The knees of your stockings are worn, which could suggest a lot of things-"
"Sherlock," John said warningly, remembering the last time Sherlock had made that particular deduction.
"-but the side of your skirt is also faded, suggesting you often sit on the floor. As most adults who dress nicely don't spend more time on the floor than they have to, I deduced that you work with children; specifically, older children, because there is no trace of baby food or saliva anywhere. Could be a teacher, then, the balance of probability suggests for it,but the cuffs of your sleeves are clean - a teacher's will always have chalk dust or ink from erasing boards. Therefore, governess. The fading on your skirt also told me you're right-handed: it's on the right side only, suggesting you lean that way specifically to keep your right hand free. The fabric is both worn and faded, eliminating the possibility of bleach or simple sun fading."
Clara shook her head. "That's amazing. But how d'you know I'm dissatisfied with it?"
Sherlock looked at her almost pityingly. "Have you ever met a young governess who wasn't?" John laughed, fighting it down hastily at Clara's glare.
"But how did you know I'm single?"
"I didn't know until you said it," Sherlock corrected her, "but the clues were there: no wedding ring or keepsake jewelry, the heel on your shoe is at least two centimeters, probably 2.3, measure it later if you like. Also, you're traveling with another man. No one sensible would try to keep up a relationship while spending that much time with someone else."
John cleared his throat loudly, looking determinedly at the ground. Sherlock glanced over at him, clearly not understanding.
Clara raised an eyebrow. "How do you know I'm not with the Doctor?" she asked tartly. Sherlock's gaze went the Doctor to Rose, standing at his side.
"You're not," he said shortly. Clara was suddenly intensely glad he didn't say anything further.
"But what about her staying over with me?" Rose inquired. "How'd you get that?"
"Again, obvious, if you only look." Sherlock's grin reminded John of a shark with blood in the water - intent only on the thrill of the chase. "You're not from around here, I make it my business to know who belongs and who doesn't. Could just have been away for the week, but no. The bags under your eyes point to a restless night. You haven't made any effort to cover them up, although you have traces of mascara in the corner of your eyes: clearly no stranger to makeup. So why wouldn't you hide them? You don't have your makeup with you. Why not? You spent the night somewhere else."
Rose nodded, impressed. "Not too bad, Sher-"
"Also, your clothing," Sherlock continued, speaking right over Rose. "It's clearly on its second day of use, supporting the idea that you didn't expect to be out. You haven't gotten new ones, so you've only been here for a short time, probably just the one night. And, perhaps the most telling of all, your jacket."
Clara had indeed put on a light jacket Rose had offered her to ward off the early morning chill. She glanced down at it, then up at Sherlock, curious.
"It's clearly not yours, and by the fit and size, it belongs to Rose. You'd only borrow someone else's clothing if you hadn't brought any of your own, so you didn't know you were coming." He shrugged, looking vaguely bored with the whole proceeding. "All the clues are there if you only observe them. It's simple."
"Might even say 'elementary'," Rose added, her eyes sparkling. Sherlock glanced over at her, clearly missing the joke.
"That's... very impressive. Wow." Clara shook her head, laughing breathlessly. "I can't believe you're actually Sherlock Holmes."
"I can," Rose said with a smile. The Doctor bumped her slightly with his shoulder. "But anyway, he's right," she added, grinning up at him, "about more than just Clara. You're gonna have to settle in, find jobs, all that. Got to do something for two months, right?"
"Right." The Doctor beamed at her, though he didn't look entirely happy. "We should pay attention, though. Just in case it flares up early."
"They did say 'give or take'," John put in fairly, then fell quiet when Sherlock glared at him. He knew Sherlock wasn't going to enjoy staying in so small a town - serial killers were much less common.
"I'll rig up a sensor," the Doctor said into the sudden silence, bounding through the poor flowers and opening the shed. "Don't need the TARDIS for everything, you know. I'll just need a few things…" He examined the shed, which contained typical garden things: a bicycle, a hose, a shovel, a set of tennis rackets, and various other odds and ends. The Doctor grinned. "Perfect."
Clara looked doubtfully at the Doctor, but decided to trust him. If there was anything he knew how to do, it was improvise.
"What're you going to do?" she asked Sherlock, not terribly anxious to lose her hero so soon.
"We'll probably head for London," John said when Sherlock didn't answer. "Find a flat, he can get back to solving crimes."
"No," the Doctor said, shutting the shed doors with a dusty bang. "We need to stay close by, in the area. Just in case."
John and Sherlock traded glances. Sensing Sherlock was about to throw a fit, John nodded. "Yeah, of course. Makes sense. I'm sure we can find plenty to do. Right, Sherlock?"
Sherlock opened his mouth to argue, but John glared him into silence. "If we must," he muttered with an irritated sigh.
"Right, then." Rose smiled, the only one of them truly pleased with the events. "I can put you up until you find places of your own, or Sherlock can, if he's got a house." She grinned up at the Doctor, leaning into him. "And I guess we'll see what the next months bring."
A.N: Hello, dears! And so ends what I've begun to think of as Part 1. It basically was a lot of deductions, I know, but I had a blast doing it, and I hope it seemed authentic. I promise I won't make you lot wait a few months to see what happens. I'm pretty excited for the next chapter, though. It'll be something different, a nice transition, and also a lot of fun, I'd say. So stay tuned!
Also, I'll put this out there: if anyone with more talent than me is interested in designing some cover art for this story, I'd be delighted to see it. Photo manipulation is not one of my strong points, but you people are very talented, so I have hopes. If so, you can certainly PM me, and depending on what ideas you'd have, I may be able to offer possible spoilers...
Anyway, thank you again, dears, for reading, and for any reviews you'd care to leave. I do love them, as you know. I'm looking forward to your reactions!
-Forever the Optimist