Thanks for the reviews! Love it when you guys do that. Anyways, as promised, here's chapter 2. Bit later than you probably expected, but I had to actually write it so... Yeah. Please enjoy this chapter!
Rose got up from her bed in 221b and stretched. The boys, as she had taken to calling them, had been kind enough to let her stay there, and even managed to fit another bed in the spare flat. It had only taken a day for Sherlock to procure a license and credit cards for her to use. He had even gone so far as to create a background for her. That had been nearly a week ago.
Now, as she quickly dressed in a pair of black slacks and a yellow tank top, she wondered exactly how long she'd be staying in this universe. It wasn't that she didn't like it, she did, but she missed her original universe. Traveling with the Doctor, it couldn't compare to anything. Sure, John and Sherlock were nice (mostly), but Rose knew where they were headed. She wasn't sure if she could handle being here when it happens. Luckily, she still had a lot of time before she had to worry about that. Rose sighed as she brushed out her hair. She still had no idea why she couldn't travel, and she wasn't getting any closer to finding out. Not that she could do very much; she might be able to see timelines, but that didn't make her all-knowing. She decided that she needed something to distract her, maybe a job or hobby or something. Rose went down the stars and entered the flat proper.
"Hello boys! Anything interesting today?" Rose asked as she made herself some toast. She turned as her question was met with silence. John and Sherlock were locked in a heated glare. John's fists were clenched and Sherlock's jaw was tense. Rose sighed.
"Alright, what is it now?" Rose asked, setting down her toast. They still refused to answer her. Rose walked forward, put her fingers to her lips and let out a piercing whistle. The two men jumped and turned to face her. Rose raised her eyebrows at them and crossed her arms. John at least had the decency to blush, but Sherlock just rolled his shoulders back and stood up straighter.
"Sorry Rose, we were just having a bit of a row." John apologized.
"And what was it about this time?" Rose asked with a long-suffering tone, even though she had barely known them for a week.
"Umm, you actually." John said, embarrassed.
"I think you should start going on cases with us, John disagrees." Sherlock stated, getting straight to the point. Rose raised an eyebrow.
"I just said that it would be a bit suspicious if we suddenly had someone else with us at the crime scene. It's not like Sherlock is the most sociable type." John explained. "I just think we should let them meet you before taking you to the crime scenes."
"Where would they meet her? We only see them when we're on a case, so there would be no other logical place for them to meet her." Sherlock countered.
"Right, I can see where this is going. How about we compromise? The next time Lestrade calls you to the Yard, I'll tag along. That way he can meet me, but I won't be at the crime scene. Happy now?" Rose asked. The detective and his blogger nodded slowly.
"Actually Rose, we sort of have a case that we just got. Why don't you tag along now?" John suggested. Rose grinned at him.
"That'd be brilliant! I've gone stir-crazy just sitting around for the past week. What's the case?" Rose asked as she grabbed her blue leather jacket from where it hung on the coat rack.
"We don't know yet, Lestrade wasn't very specific. He just said we would like this one." John answered, putting on his own coat. Sherlock put on his beloved Belstaff and scarf. He opened the door and started explaining.
"There have been a few disappearances. Five in the last week, all around the same area, all young blonde girls..."
"They were visiting, none of the locals have gone missing, and no one saw anything. All of the girls had car trouble shortly before disappearing. They stopped in the town for help, then they were told how to get out of town. After that, no one heard from them. We've sent our officers, even some tracking dogs, but no one's found anything." Lestrade told them. Donovan entered the room and paused as she noticed the threesome.
"Oh, hello John. Freak. And who's this? Got a new recruit, do ya? Well good luck Blondie." Donovan remarked.
"The name's Rose Smith, and his name is Sherlock Holmes. Not Freak. Now how about you apologize." Rose said with an underlying threat in her voice. Donovan balked and started to protest, but Rose fixed her with a glare her mother taught her. Donovan started to glare back, but then sighed and turned to Sherlock.
"I'm sorry." Donovan gritted out. Rose instantly went smiley and nice.
"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Rose asked, chipper.
"What did you want Donovan?" Lestrade asked.
"We might have a lead on the missing girls." Donovan reported. Lestrade grabbed his coat and ushered them out the door.
"Where?" The Detective Inspector asked Donovan.
"Same place all the girls have been taken from. There's been another, but the girl managed to call in. We've got it recorded." Donovan told him as they walked.
"We'll need a copy of that for the car. We don't have time to listen to it here. You three, you're riding with me." Lestrade said, pointing at Sherlock, John and Rose. Sherlock raised a brow, but didn't argue.
"Oh god! Oh god! Please, someone, please help! There's someone out here! Oh god! I think they're trying to kill me! Please, please send help! I-I don't know where I am, it's dark, and cold, I think it's a cage or something. There's other girls in here, they're not talking. I think they might be dead! Hold on, I, I think one of them is moving. Hello? Are you alright?" The voice on the recording was panicked and whispered, obviously scared.
"P-please, run. Get out. Get help. He's going to kill you too. He always kills us, over and over. He just keeps cutting. Run! Oh please, run!" A second voice, still whispering, but more hoarse, told the girl on the phone. There was a sob, then static, then the line cut out.
"What do you think?" Lestrade asked.
"They're in a cavern of some kind. I could hear water dripping down stone walls in the background. A fairly big one if the echoes are any indication. Metal cages, there was a distinct ring of metal as the girl moved. I would say she's about twenty judging from her tone and choice of words. The second girl was there for a long time, possibly the first one taken. Though, her word choices were very interesting. The use of 'us' when she refers to the other girls. Interesting." Sherlock said. Rose couldn't see him from the front seat but she could guess he had his usual glint in his eyes.
"Fantastic." John breathed. Rose's heart clenched at the familiar word.
"How much longer?" She asked.
"About twenty minutes. So, how did you meet Sherlock and John?" Lestrade asked, trying to carry a conversation.
"John found me outside their flat. I've had a rough few years and was severely depressed. John found me, lying on the sidewalk with a bottle in my hand. He took me in, cleaned me up and here I am." Rose said, sticking to the story they had created for her.
"Do you mind me asking what happened?" Lestrade asked.
"Not at all. My daughter ran away a few years ago, I've got no idea where she went. Then last year my husband passed away. He was such a great man, he had the most brilliant ideas. My daughter took after him, eyes, hair, even her passion for travel. She got her mind from me, she was always asking just the right questions. My Clara." Rose sighed. She honestly didn't mean to be so honest, but it slipped out.
"Clara?" John asked. Rose turned her head to look at him.
"Yeah, that's my daughter's name. Why?" Rose asked.
"Nothing, it wouldn't make sense." John said, dismissing it. Rose nodded, but added that to one of the things she would talk about with them later.
"So what about you detective? Do you have a family?" Rose asked. Lestrade tensed a bit.
"They're going through a divorce." Sherlock announced.
"Sherlock!" John admonished.
"Rude." Rose muttered, smiling slightly to herself.
"It's fine, just don't mention it around the others, alright?" Lestrade requested. Sherlock made a noise in agreement. After a few minutes of silence, Rose decided to turn on the radio. An old American rock song from the 1970s came on. They drove on, only the radio making any noise.
They pulled up to the petrol station and parked. As Rose stepped out she stumbled. Screaming. Everyone screaming. So many, all screaming at her in pain. She let out a choked yell as she crumpled to the ground.
"Rose!" John yelled, coming to her side. She noticed Sherlock kneel down beside him.
"They're here. I can hear them. Screaming." Rose rasped out. John and Sherlock carefully lifted her up and guided her to the nearest bench. When she sat down she closed her eyes and tilted her head back.
"Give me a moment." She requested. She heard them leave and sighed. Taking deep breaths she concentrated on closing her mental pathways and sealing her mind. As the last blockade dropped and the screaming stopped she let out a sigh of relief.
"Rose? I've got something for your head." John said. Rose opened her eyes to see him holding out two pills and a cup of water.
"No! I mean, no. I can't take that. Deathly allergic to aspirin. Or, I might be. I'm not exactly sure, but I'd rather not try." Rose explained. She didn't need the aspirin now anyway, the screams were gone.
"Oh, alright. Um, Rose?" John asked as he sat down next to her. "What did you mean when you said you could hear them?"
"The girls, I could hear them. In my head. They were screaming. My fault, really. I forgot to keep my shields up. But, you're not supposed to be able to do that. Project like that. That's why they were down in the first place. Something must be projecting the thoughts out. Not just their own, but all the girls." Rose explained, rambling.
"Sorry, what? Did you just say you could hear someone in your head? Like, telepathy or something?" John questioned.
"There are some things that I haven't told you, and trust me, it's better that way." Rose said, waving away the questions. John cast a confused glance at Sherlock, but the consulting detective wasn't looking at him.
"Can you tell where the thoughts originated from?" Sherlock asked. Rose locked eyes with him.
"Are you sure?" Rose asked. The dark-haired man nodded once. Rose nodded back at him. John looked between the two, confused.
"Sorry, but what are you talking about?" John asked. Rose turned her head to look at him.
"In order to find the thoughts again, I'll have to open my mental pathways. But I would need someone to receive the other thoughts so I could sift through the other thoughts. It will be painful, mentally and physically." Rose explained. John's eyes widened in realization.
"No. Sherlock, no." John told him. Sherlock fixed his ever-changing eyes on John's.
"Really John, you must realize that I'm the only one here that could possibly handle this." Sherlock stated. John shook his head at his friend.
"No. We can do this another way. We've done this before without Rose, we can do it again." John insisted.
"We might not have time for that! I'm sorry, but if we don't do this now, those girls will be dead. Sherlock?" Rose turned toward the sociopath and raised her hands. He kneeled in front of her, despite John's protests, and she put her hands on his temples. They both closed their eyes.
"Just relax. If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. I promise I won't look." Rose assured him. A few seconds later Sherlock went rigid.
"Sherlock!" John shouted, worried. Lestrade rushed over to them.
"John, stay back. Don't interfere." Rose said through gritted teeth.
"What's happening? John, what's she doing to Sherlock?" Lestrade demanded.
"I don't know. But I think we should leave them alone." John told the detective inspector.
"He looks like he's in pain." Lestrade pointed out. John clenched his fists and stood up.
"I know." He said as he turned away. Lestrade followed him.
'Oh god! Oh god please save us! No! No! Oh god please no!' They screams echoed through his mind palace, bouncing off the walls. Sherlock found himself standing next to a glowing golden Wolf. The Wolf shimmered and suddenly Rose was standing where the Wolf had been.
"Are you sure you can handle this?" She asked, her voice echoing in the dark hall. He gave her a long suffering look.
"I believe I can handle my own mind, thank you very much." He replied. Rose gave him a sad smile.
"Alright, you're going to need to make a new hall for the new voices. Make sure it's just the voices, I don't want to accidentally bring up any childhood memories. And remember, anything you don't want me to see, just close the door. I promise I won't look into any of them. Lock them if you like." Rose told him. Sherlock nodded and closed his eyes, imagining the new wing and closing his doors. He opened his eyes to find Rose gone and the Wolf in her place. He had read about such creatures, spirit animals, but this felt different. The Wolf nodded at him, almost in thanks, and walked off. He stared after it for a few seconds, seeing that it was walking toward the new wing.
"Rose." He whispered, knowing the Wolf was her, but also something else. Perhaps the Wolf was whatever allowed Rose to see timelines and hear those girls. "Fascinating." He commented to himself. He allowed himself to wander, only stoppign when he came across a stray 'voice' and directing it toward the new wing. Eventually he came across a door he didn't recognize. It was a normal door, similiar to all the others, but something was different about this door. It almost seemed gaurded. As Sherlock approached the door, he found his hand reaching out, grasping the door knob. Before he made the conscious decision to do so, he found his hand twisting the knob and opening the door.
Stepping into the door he found himself in a very strange room. It was circular and semed to have coral growing from the walls. He approached the central console and ran a hand slowly across the surface. It was covered in random levers and bits and bobs. The interior was dark and the conslting detective felt like it should have been orange or gold.
From outside the room he heard a growl and he turned his head. The giant Wolf was snarling at him from the doorway. The Wolf shimmered and Rose was standing before him, glowing in gold light.
"GET OUT!" She yelled at him, her voice echoing throughout his mind palace. Sherlock stood frozen for a few moments before racing out the room. When he reached the hallway the door slammed shut behind him and he heard the *click* of a lock. Rose whirled on him and fixed him with a glare.
"What did I say about closed doors? I thought you would at least have the decency to follow in my lead, but I guess not. We're done here." Rose growled at him. She disappeared in a flash of golden light and he too found himself being yanked from his mind.
Sherlock found himself sitting across from a very pissed off Rose Tyler. As she got up and walked away, John rushed over, followed by Lestrade.
"Are you okay?" The ex-army doctor asked him.
"Yes, I'm fine. Honestly John, I can handle my own mind." Sherlock told him, annoyed by his concern. Or rather, the fact that he had someone to be concerned about him. Despite living with John for a few years, it was still very new for him.
"Did she find what she needed?" Lestrade asked. Sherlock looked over at her and nodded, knowing that she had found the location. "Well, where is it?" Lestrade asked, impatiently.
"Do you honestly think that I know?" Sherlock questioned. He turned and walked toward Rose without letting Lestrade answer. John followed him.
"Do you have the location?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. She tensed, then turned toward him.
"Yeah. Whenever we're ready we can leave." Rose said, tersely. Sherlock lowered his head and looked at the ground. There was something about this Rose Smith that he wanted to please. He didn't want her to hate him. The feeling was similar to how he felt with John, though not as pronounced.
"I'm sorry. Whatever it was I saw in there was none of my business, and I shouldn't have pried. Though, quite honestly I thought it was a room from my own mind. It's not like it's a common occurrence to have someone else's mind melded with my own." Sherlock said, apologizing in his own way. Rose looked up at him and smiled, recognizing that he was making an effort.
"Apology accepted. Now come on, we need to find these girls." She turned again and walked back to the car. Sherlock followed her and left John to get Lestrade. Once they were all together in the car again they set off, following Rose's directions.
There you have it! Chapter Two. As always I would very much appreciate reviews. And please keep in mind that I am American and have a very limited knowledge of England. Thanks!