This series is based on the premise that Rose Tyler never left Pete's World. Instead, there she met...had adventures...and fell in love with the fascinating detective who existed only as a fictional character in her old universe.

An Evening with Scotland Yard

Rose looked up at the clock and inwardly groaned. The monthly meeting for Team Leaders and Department Heads was never going to end and she was supposed to have a dinner date with Sherlock. Therefore, she surreptitiously took her mobile out to text him.

Change of plans. Still in the meeting. My place instead?
~ Rose

She then held the phone in her hand under the table until she felt the answering vibration. She found that she couldn't keep the grin off of her face as she read his message.

Only if dessert can come first…
-SH

Her good friend, Jake, was sitting to her right and noticed her distraction. He nudged her to get her attention and then whispered in her ear, "Save the sexting for later, girl. We are trying to protect the world here, you know!"

"Oh yes," she whispered back, "knowing the proper procedure for filing paperwork is so essential to the wellbeing of the universe!" She rolled her eyes and he had to hold back his laugh. They then turned their attention back to Pete, who was giving them the evil eye. Rose flashed him a sweet smile and pretended that she had been listening to him the whole time. Of course, he knew his adopted daughter better than that, but since she worked twice as hard as anyone else and her paperwork was still always completed in an efficient and timely manner, he felt that he could let it slide…this time!

...

Rose finally let herself into her flat and was only slightly surprised to find Sherlock already sprawled out on her sofa with bags of takeout on the table. He smirked at her while she was stood in the doorway, so she asked the obvious question. "How long did it take you to crack the new keycode for my door this time?"

"Two minutes and thirteen seconds," he stated and his pleased smirk evolved into a slight frown instead.

"Tsk, tsk!" she reprimanded him teasingly. "That's a whole seventeen seconds longer than last time." She rolled her eyes at him in amusement as she finished crossing the room in order to sit beside him.

"That's because someone is getting more creative with her codes," Sherlock replied in a low soft voice and then it was her turn to smirk as he pulled her close and bent his head down to greet her enthusiastically.

When they finally pulled apart, she commented on the bags of food on the table. "I thought we were going to have dessert first," she purred suggestively.

"Using my incredible powers of deduction, I thought that you might need to consume a source of energy first – especially after a meeting that lasted all afternoon!" he replied matter-of-factly.

"You really are a genius!" she exclaimed happily while he just smirked again at her...as if there had been any doubt about that ...and handed her a takeout container and a fork.

…

They had finished eating and had just started to sample the dessert , when Sherlock's phone buzzed with a notification. He had received a text from Lestrade...and a request to come to a crime scene.

"Care to join me?" he asked Rose – even as he reluctantly pulled himself out of her embrace and straightened his disheveled clothing.

Even though she was disappointed at the interruption, as well, Rose knew that there would be time for that later. Therefore, she made the most of their current situation.

"Yay!" she exclaimed excitedly, "Our first official case together! I hope it is a good one!" She jumped up and took just a moment to smooth her mussed hair before she headed toward the door.

"I'm driving!" she proclaimed as they left the building and headed towards the communal garage to pick up her personal Range Rover. It was a distinctively new TARDIS blue one - as opposed to the black Land Rovers that were used as the designated company vehicles.

...

"I'm sorry, Miss, but you can't go in there," the uniformed officer at the entrance of the blocked alleyway said to Rose as the couple tried to access the crime scene.

"She is with me." Sherlock replied in a tone that declared the man was an idiot not to realize that simple fact – especially when Rose still had her hand nestled into the crook of his arm.

"Still…" the unknown PC wavered and then looked extremely relieved when the decision was taken out of his hands at the sight of DI Lestrade who had appeared out of the alley and who headed straight towards them.

"Ah! There you are, Sherlock." The man good-naturedly clapped the detective on the shoulder and then turned to look at his companion, "but this is definitely not John!" Lestrade looked at the pretty blond woman with some surprise – especially when he noted how she touched Sherlock with familiarity and how comfortable the man seemed with the action.

The woman in question flashed him the most attractive tongue-touched grin. "I should hope not, Inspector. That might make things a little awkward between Sherlock and Mary, wouldn't it?" She glanced over at Sherlock who just gave his usual sardonic smirk before she let go of his arm to pull out her ID and credentials to hand over to the Inspector. She continued to introduce herself as the man examined them carefully. "I'm Tyler, Agent Rose Tyler of the Torchwood Institute."

"Torchwood? Are you taking over this investigation then?" The DI did not know much about the mysterious high-security organization - except for the fact that they tended to steal some of his most interesting cases.

"I had not planned to, Inspector – unless you have found something that you think I would need to know about, that is. We just happened to be having dinner at my flat when Sherlock got your message. I simply thought that I would tag along. I hope that you don't mind."

"You were having dinner with Sherlock at your flat?" the DI asked incredulously as he looked between the two people in front of him.

"Of course, Inspector." Rose's tone became noticeably chillier since she was beginning to get irritated. She did not like where the conversation seemed to be heading, so she pulled out her Agent No Nonsense Tyler persona and spoke curtly.

"People do sometimes have dinner together. At any rate, this is not about what does and does not occur in my flat. However, it is about whatever happened in that alleyway. I am sure that you can see that both my qualifications and clearance levels allow me to be on any crime scene that I choose. Therefore, I do not actually need your permission since I technically outrank you in this area. However, by not pointing out that fact, I was trying to be courteous…and I suggest that you start to do the same."

She might have continued, but at that point she was interrupted by a voice which called from the entrance of the alley. Therefore, she left a stunned, speechless, and slightly embarrassed Lestrade standing behind her as she turned towards the speaker.

"Rhodes! What are you doing here? Oh no, did I miss something? This isn't a Torchwood case is it?"

"Don't worry, Sal." Rose said laughingly, and visibly thawed as she reached over to hug the woman who had just joined them. "I'm not here in an official capacity. I just tagged along with Sherlock."

"Sherlock?" DS Donovan asked in confusion. "What are you doing with the Freak?" The woman looked back and forth between her friend and the man whom she had always considered an intruder on the crime scenes.

Rose, however, stiffened at the obviously derogatory statement and then hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Oh, no! You're that Donovan!"

She glanced over at the uncharacteristically quiet Sherlock, who simply watched and listened as she interacted with his contacts among the official police force. After all, he just did not know how to feel about Rose's defense of him – mainly because nobody had ever done it before. Therefore, he just shrugged at the unspoken question in her eyes. She nodded at the purposefully noncommittal action on his part before she refocused her attention back on the other woman.

"I should have guessed that," she continued as she shook her head at the obvious oversight on her part. "Anyway...Sal...for the sake of our friendship - I would greatly appreciate it if you stop referring to my boyfriend that way."

"Your boyfriend!" exclaimed both the DS and the DI together.

Rose, completely exasperated, just shook her head again and looked back at Sherlock. However, she saw that he was not bothered by their actions at all. In fact, his eyes had lit up and he had a rare and beautiful smile on his face as their eyes met. However, before she could do more than just return the warm look with one of her own, his lips twisted into a smirk instead as he turned and spoke to Lestrade.

"I believe that you asked me here to examine the crime scene – not to cross examine my…girlfriend…about our love life," he commented in a deceptively mild tone. However, inside he was filled with a satisfaction that usually only the solution to a particularly difficult case could elicit. After all, Rose had just publicly acknowledged him as her boyfriend. Also, judging by the sudden sparkle in her eyes, she certainly did not mind it when he put the terms of their previously understood...but still unspoken...relationship into words, either! However, the moment was interrupted when the DI spoke again.

"Um…yeah. Right this way...Sherlock…Agent Tyler," the normally confident Inspector Lestrade stammered a bit before he turned to lead the way to the alley.

However, Sherlock paused and looked back at Rose before he followed him. His eyes met hers and he held out his hand for her to take. Then her dazzling smile at this simple public declaration of affection almost took his breath away while she gently slid her hand into his - where she could feel his happiness and attraction. The both knew then that something had irrevocably shifted in their relationship and they could not be happier. In fact, the couple was so intent on each other that neither one of them were aware that both the DI and the DS still watched them closely.

Sherlock really does have a girlfriend! A fit and feisty one, at that! Lestrade thought as he watched them. Unbelievable! He just could not seem to wrap his mind around this concept and resolved to ask Mycroft about it as soon as he could.

What the hell! thought Donovan at the same time. The Freak seems like any other normal lovestruck bloke right now. I didn't even know he had feelings! She found that she could not wait to get Rose alone and hear about how in the world something this unlikely had happened in the first place!

However, work had to come first.

...

The scene in the alley was gruesome. The corpse which had been rolled over to his back was shirtless and covered in blood. In fact, Sherlock, in a rare moment of empathy, glanced over at Rose worriedly to see how she if she was able to handle the sight - especially since he had not been in this kind of situation with her before. Consequently, he was quite pleased when she just squared her shoulders, compartmentalized her feelings, and settled into her professional Torchwood demeanor as she moved towards the body. She simply pulled on the gloves that they were handed as they had entered the alley and then knelt down next to the victim to examine him more closely. She intently eyed the dozens of small wounds across the naked torso of the man before she turned back to the DI and DS.

"What can you tell us?" she asked in a matter-of-fact way. Then she nodded as they pointed out the blood trail and the disturbed ground that led to the spot where the body was found. However, when Lestrade was distracted for a moment by a question from a PC, Donovan leaned in and whispered so that only Rose and Sherlock could hear.

"Are you sure that this isn't a Torchwood issue?" she asked. "Look at the unusual size and shape of the wounds."

Sherlock looked at her sharply, but Rose just shook her head. "No, this is a human crime," she affirmed. Then she nodded and held up a finger for them to wait as she walked to the head of the alley to speak to the PC who guarded it. The man looked at her oddly at first, but then nodded at her request and left quickly. Sherlock, however, had followed her movement with his eyes and a proud smile lit up his face.

She knows! That's my girl! She must have figured out the answer about the same time that I did! What a good idea to send the PC for the proof, though! he thought affectionately.

However, when both the DI and DS looked back at him, he just shrugged. At the moment, he had no desire to perform for them like a trained monkey...and he certainly was not going to take the moment...or the credit...away from his brilliant Rose. Nevertheless, in just a moment, the PC returned and handed something to the woman who turned and walked back down the alley towards them.

"I don't know the why," she told Lestrade and Donovan, "that will be your job to figure out. However, I do know the where and the how. In fact, you will need to focus your inquiries on the Korean restaurant that is located just a couple of buildings away."

With those words, Rose pulled out the pack of disposable chopsticks that the PC had just provided. She took the wooden utensil and inserted it into one of the many small wounds across the body. The chopstick turned out to be the same size and shape and, therefore, fit the hole perfectly! DS Donovan gasped, DI Lestrade looked amazed, and Sherlock eyes simply lit up with pride again. However, Rose remained extremely business-like as she continued to explain.

"These disposable chopsticks are probably not strong enough to pierce the chest without breaking or splintering, so there are too many wounds here for them to be the murder weapon. However, Korean meals are traditionally served with…" here she finally looked up to share her triumph with Sherlock.

"Metal chopsticks!" he finished the sentence for her. Then at her pleased nod, he continued. "See the bruising at the shoulder – you can see the fingermarks and thumb print where the man was held tightly with a left hand while the right hand wielded the metal chopstick that struck him over and over again."

"He was then carried from the back door of the restaurant to this alley before being dragged the rest of the way down the alley," Rose added and Sherlock nodded in agreement. "That why the drag marks start at the entrance."

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Lestrade, extremely impressed at the deduction while Donovan just stared at her friend.

...

While Lestrade supervised the loading of the body, the DS joined Rose and Sherlock for a quick chat.

"That was quite impressive, Rhodes. Apparently, you are a bit of a freak yourself."

"Sal…" Rose growled slightly in warning.

Before she could say anything else, though, Sherlock brought up his deductions from their discussion in the alley. "You know about Torchwood! You thought that those wounds were strange enough not to be made by a human."

DS Donovan gasped at his obvious meaning. "You know, too!"

Rose just sighed. "Of course he knows, Sal. He has actually been on a couple of assignments with me...and his is my boyfriend. Remember?" Then she turned to him. "Of course she knows, Sherlock. She is my Torchwood contact at Scotland Yard – just like Molly is at St. Barts. She gives me a heads up if there is anything above and beyond the norm going on there."

Sherlock looked thoughtful. The news that Rose trusted Donovan enough with the knowledge of the existence of aliens...and that Donovan obviously believed her since she had agreed to help...meant that there was probably more to the woman than Sherlock had previously given her credit for...despite her terrible taste in men. He continued to looked speculatively over at the woman only to see that she returned his thought-filled gaze. In fact, she found that she also had to reconsider her previously firmly held thoughts on the man.

Nevertheless, something continued to bother the consulting detective about the whole situation. "Why not Lestrade?" he finally asked.

"He's too high up," Rose said and she shook her head. "Other Inspectors wouldn't look kindly upon him checking out their cases to see if everything appeared "human" enough. Whereas a DS," here she paused and gestured at Donovan with a smile, "is encouraged to study as many different cases as possible as a learning experience. Therefore, Sal can pour over as many files as she wants without drawing undue suspicion."

Sherlock nodded. It made perfect sense. He should have realized that Rose put a lot of thought into every decision that she made. His mood shifted again as he remembered the personal decision that she had recently made about him...the one that she had just shared with the Detectives. He smirked at both the thought and the memory of their surprise as he watched Lestrade walk back towards them.

"Well, Agent Tyler," he announced as soon as he arrived. "I apologize if I seemed rude earlier. The truth is that I quite like Sherlock," he paused to clap the man on the shoulder again, "and I am used to having him around...but I still can't see why a woman like you would want him. However, I can definitely figure out what he sees in you! I think he has finally met his match and I couldn't be happier. He needs someone to keep him...and his ego...in check!"

Lestrade then grinned in such a cheerful way that Rose immediately decided to forgive him. After all, she did know that Sherlock acted differently with others than he did with her...and that he certainly did not go out of his way to make a good impression. Therefore, she had to reluctantly admit that she could understand Lestrade's surprise at the development! In fact, she could barely believe it herself that she finally received the affirmation from the man...and such a public one at that...for which she had longed and eagerly awaited. She finally knew that she meant as much to him as he did to her...and she was thrilled with the knowledge!

"Apology accepted, DI Lestrade. Please call me Rose," she therefore said politely and held out her hand for him to shake.

He beamed and took the peace offering. "Only if you call me Greg," he insisted as he shook her hand eagerly. "As you quite rightly pointed out, I know you don't need my permission. However, I just wanted to let you know that you are welcome at my crime scenes anytime!"

Then Rose bestowed that gorgeous tongue-touched smile upon him and he realized that Sherlock was a very lucky man, indeed! In fact, he reluctantly turned away from the radiance to look at his DS. "Donovan, I believe that we have a Korean restaurant to visit!" He reminded her.

The DS nodded. "See you later, Rhodes!" she said and gave her friend a hug. "Thanks for your help." Then she surprised everyone when she turned to Sherlock and offered her hand to him, as well.

"Sherlock," she said simply. He nodded and took it, thereby accepting the unspoken truce that he knew was being offered. Lestrade, however, looked thunderstruck again as he heard Sherlock ask his DS a question...and in a much more civil manner and tone than usual.

"I can understand why she calls you Sal instead of Sally, but why do you call her Rhodes instead of Rose?" Both men then shared a look of confusion when the women started to laugh.

"I'll let Rhodes tell you later about our first meeting," Donovan said...and she actually grinned at her former nemesis. "However, it's a long story* and we just don't have time to get into it right now."

"Sal, you can tell Greg, too, if you want," Rose replied with a smile, both at the memory, and the evidence that her friend and her boyfriend had obviously come to an understanding. "Otherwise, he'll feel left out," she added with a wink.

Then after another round of congenial handshakes and promises of a future meeting, they parted company with pleasant feelings on both sides. The DI and DS grabbed a few uniformed PCs and headed over to the restaurant to catch a murderer while Rose and Sherlock hopped into her Range Rover.

"Your place or mine?" she asked suggestively as she flashed that tantalizing tongue-touched grin at him.

Sherlock felt himself heat up under her gaze. "Whichever is closest!" he growled...and he meant it. The events of the night had shown him a different side of his Rose. Because of that, he found that he was even more attracted to her now than he had been just a couple of hours ago – and that was something he would never have thought was possible since Rose already set him on fire in a way that no other woman could.

"Let's go to Baker Street, then. We are less likely to get stopped by a bunch of nosy neighbors there," she replied to his eagerness with an urgency of her own.

...

Sherlock listened to Rose mutter as she tried to find a place to park near the Baker Street flat. "This is why I never drive over here!" she exclaimed grouchily under her breath. However, her good humor had returned by the time they entered his flat, having successfully parked and sneaked up the stairs without alerting Mrs. Hudson to their presence.

In fact, as soon as the door closed behind them, Sherlock pushed Rose up against it and started to ravish her lips with his own. "You were brilliant tonight!" he paused long enough to tell her while they took just a moment to catch their breath. Then he returned his attentions to her neck as he murmured against it, "About everything…Lestrade…Donovan…the body…just brilliant!" Each word accompanied a pause in his attention to her body, so she took over instead.

"Ahh…so my supposed brilliance turns you on, yeah?" she grinned at him again with her tongue between her teeth while she switched their positions, pushed him up against the door, and removed his shirt before he decided to return the favor for her.

"Oh, yes…" he breathed as he unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor. Then he just stood there and admired the gorgeous woman who stood topless and tousled in the middle of his sitting room as he noted that she was more beautiful than his favorite painting and she evoked far more emotion from him than his favorite piece of music. He finally could not stand it anymore, and she squealed happily as he launched himself at her, picked her up, and carried her towards the bedroom.

"Did you really mean it?" he whispered as he laid her gently on the bed, "when you called me your boyfriend?"

"Oh, Sherlock! Of course I did. However, that word doesn't even begin to cover what you mean to me!" She whispered back, and with those words, she pulled him down to join her. Then they both set out to prove wholeheartedly what they meant to each other – without using any words at all!

...

The next morning when Mrs. Hudson came up to deliver the daily paper, as usual, she saw the clothes scattered all over the lounge and just smiled.

Oh, to be young again…and in love, she thought wistfully.

She left everything as it was, however, and just placed the newspaper in its usual tray. Then she quietly shut the door behind her as she left – so as to not disturb the sleeping lovebirds.

Author Notes:

*The story of how Rose and Sally met, "A Moment with DS Donovan," can now be found in my Moments Between Mysteries and Mayhem collection.

I have to take a moment to give kudos to my husband for the "death by chopstick" idea. I was stuck on an idea for the unusual murder weapon in the alley scene and asked for his input…and we just happened to be eating in an Asian restaurant at the time - LOL! Also, I should point out that I know that disposable chopsticks and metal chopsticks usually have different shapes… I just took a little creative license there. ;)