Against the Odds

Chapter 14: The Woman

The pair stood by Sherlock's door. John in front and Rose behind. She was torn, especially when they heard Sherlock's side of the phone call he was having with whom she guessed to be Mycroft.

"I think you're going to find Irene Adler tonight." He said as John paused at the door. He clarified: "No, I mean you're going to find her dead." He hung up and stood up from his bed, turning to his door. John asked: "You okay?" Sherlock paused when he saw Rose behind John, looking at him concernedly.

"Yes." He answered at last and took the door handle between his fist. He hesitated and asked quietly: "Rose, can I speak with you?" She looked a little surprised and hesitant, but she walked in and Sherlock shut the door on John.

Rose looked at him curiously as he looked down at her. A minute passed in silence before she said softly: "We heard... I'm sorry." His eyes narrowed and he demanded: "Sorry because you heard or sorry she's dead?" Her face fell a little but she replied quietly: "Both."

"Why?" Sherlock demanded. "You've been ignoring me and insulting me since I returned from her house. Why care now?" Rose bowed her head. She said, quietly: "Because you're hurting." He asked testily: "But you didn't care when I was hurting for the past few months?"

She looked up in surprise and Sherlock saw the genuine shock. "You..." Suddenly she looked incredibly hurt, although she hid it well. Sherlock's eyes narrowed as she said in a deathly calm voice: "I see. Sorry, I didn't realize you'd been pining for her the whole time. I assumed her constant texts and the sound of her wondrous voice were enough. My mistake."

She was back to being cold but Sherlock suddenly realized what had been going on for the past few months. And it gave him startling hope. Rose was making to leave as he grabbed her and pulled her to him. She looked completely startled as he looked at her intensely.

"You're jealous." He was watching her face closely, and when he said the words, her face betrayed her. For the briefest moment, fear flickered across her face. Sherlock's eyes lit up and his heart hammered with sudden delight when suddenly she pulled away. He was confused, and then in pain as she slapped him hard across the face.

"How dare you." She spat. Sherlock clutched his face in shock at the sheer force she'd put behind the blow. "How dare you, when you've just hurt my friend who loved you, and I try to comfort you when you lost a woman you cared for, how dare you try to stroke your vain ego." Sherlock was confused but Rose was absolutely furious as she shoved past him and walked out.

Sherlock was bewildered and stood in shock when he heard the front door slam. He thought back and realized where he'd gone wrong. He turned, intending to follow her, but his phone rang. He glanced at it to see it was Mycroft. When he answered, Mycroft had the news he'd requested.

*********

Rose hadn't returned for a week. Sherlock was sulking, and John didn't know what to do. Sherlock had been composing mournful songs, and he could only assume it was for Adler. After all, he'd taken the cigarette from Mycroft on Christmas when they'd discovered Adler, dead.

Both he and Mycroft assumed Sherlock had been affected by her death, although sometimes John did wonder if Sherlock's moping was only worse because Rose was gone too. He didn't know what had happened on Christmas, but Rose had left the flat in complete fury, not stopping no matter how much John, Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade called after her.

Rose was, in fact, spending the week with Molly. She was both avoiding Sherlock and cheering up her friend after the disaster on Christmas Eve. She'd heard about the incident at the morgue from Molly, and had sighed when Molly told her Sherlock had somehow identified the woman from her body, not the face. But she refused to divulge to Molly why she'd sighed and Molly eventually let it go.