A wholock story

Chapter 25

Rose felt a sinking feeling in her stomach and looked over at the doctor. Sure enough he had gone as white as a sheet. Well- this could be interesting.

"What- What is there to solve?" He asked nervously.

The detective sat up straight, clearly having not expected that answer.
"What's your name?"

'going straight in at the deep end then' Rose thought to herself.

"The doctor." The alien replied, his face stony and showing barely any emotion other than a hint of uncertainty.

"No. That's your alias. What's your name?" Sherlock pushed.

The doctor furrowed his eyebrows slightly and the blonde could see his distress and came to his rescue.

"No-one knows. It's a secret he's kept from the universe because it's too dangerous to know." Rose offered.

To Rose's surprise and delight, the detective seemed to be quite pleased with that answer, sitting back in his chair with a deep inhale, and relaxing his arms in his lap as he crossed his legs.

"Ok. What about those papers. The ones that proved you were from Scotland yard, the ones you showed me at the beginning of the week. What were they?"

"Psychic paper." The doctor answered shortly.

"It only shows what you want it to?" Sherlock replied.

"No. It only shows what the viewer wants to see."

Rose could almost taste the tension in the air and John had already recoiled back into his chair, so far that if he had pressed himself back any further, he'd have morphed into the leather.

Sherlock opened his mouth to ask yet another question but the doctor got in before he could.
"What is it with you humans and personal questions?!" He scoffed, "Look, I've had a long life. I've seen things and done things that have changed me and still continue to change me to this day. I'm an alien with an alien ship and alien tech. I'm different."

Rose saw Sherlock visibly swallow his comment and finally remain silent.
Well if that wasn't the absolute definition of awkward then she didn't know what was! She inhaled deeply and audiably, hoping that for some strange reason that might help clear the air.

"Right. Well then...-" John trailed off almost as soon as he had started; it didn't take a consulting detective to notice the residual friction between the two men.

The awkward silence remained hovering between the four for a few more minuits, only finally broken by John slapping his thighs lightly and making to stand up.
"We er, we probably should be off."

Rose smiled and stood up next to John, "Why dont you stay? What do you say doctor, just one trip?"

"I think Earth is planty big enough for John and I Rose, lots to be getting on with." Sherlock answered, standing up also.

Rose flicked her head round and down to look at the still seated time lord as the other two humans began making their way to the door of the tardis, "But-.. doctor?"

The alien inhaled, "Sherlock's a busy man Rose. Crimes to solve, criminals to catch. Maybe next time eh?"

Rose narrowed her eyes a little at the time lords inexplicable behaviour, but nodded along anyway.

The two travellers walked together to the doors, standing on the edge.
"See you round Sherlock, John." The doctor nodded, shaking each of their hands respectively.
Rose glanced up at the time lord quickly before stepping out of the ship and embracing each of the humans.
"Thank you for helping us." She said, "we couldn't have done it without you."

"Any time." Sherlock smiled, before he plunged his hands into his pockets and turned away, "come along Watson." He called.

John smiled up at the travellers one last time, before turning on his heel and jogging after the detective.

The doctor walked back over to to the controls, fiddling with them as Rose closed the door and turned around.

"Is that it?" She asked, wandering over to stand next to him, "a week of chasing round and it's all over with a handshake and an awkward smile?"

The doctor continued to look down at whatever buttons and levers he was fiddling with, a blank, almost expressionless, look on his face.

"Doctor?"

The time lord breathed deeply before looking up but never meeting her eyes, "He knew. He knew my name, worked it out in fact. We both knew he had. That's why they couldn't stay." He said almost sadly.

"What?"

"My name's a dangerous thing Rose. Why do you think I keep it from everyone? I can't have him on the TARDIS if he knows my name. That knowledge puts everyone you know in danger and I couldn't do that to him; to you."

Rose's eyes softened and she moved closer to lean her cheek against his shoulder. She paused there for a moment before rising to her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek and walking out of the control room in search of her bedroom.

She understood, of course she did.
He couldn't have that pressure, that constant fear of having everything around him destroyed or taken away from him just because someone he was travelling with knew his name. Even for him that was too much.

She smiled as she reached her bedroom door, remembering the craziest week of her life that had just passed. She'd met Sherlock Holmes! As she pushed open the door to her room, she remembered all she could of the last week, filing everything away in her mind, so that as she closed the white wooden to her room, she too closed the door on the story of the Doctor, the Detective and the Deadly angels.