Against the Odds

Prologue: 221 Baker Street

*A/N I do not own Sherlock, or any of the characters. I only own my own original character, Rosanne Jones. Contains spoilers for the series.

Rose P.O.V.

Rose heaved the last of the boxes down the hallway. She dusted her hands as she walked back to her flat in satisfaction. She'd just finished unpacking, and although there was a lot of tidying still left to do, she was happy with what she saw as she looked around.

Her things were all mostly arranged and the room bright and cheery. She'd gotten hold of a man who'd stripped the walls of the damp and mold, and then had it all freshly painted last week before she moved in. Mrs. Hudson had been delighted- she'd gotten a new tenant and the basement room was completely redecorated. The whole place actually looked livable now.

"Ooh, Ooh!" Rose smiled as she heard the kind old landlady's voice hoot from the open doorway. Speak of the devil. She thought humorously. "Come in!" She called out loud and the landlady walked in with a tray, carrying some hot tea.

"Thought you could use a cuppa." The old woman said, and Rose smiled at her as she accepted the tray gratefully. There was a steaming pot of tea and a small plate of biscuits. "Oh, look at this place. You've done a wonderful job with the walls." Mrs. Hudson said with an admiring look at the fresh mint-green walls.

Rose shrugged as she said with a smile: "Well, I happened to know someone who could help me out so it wasn't too much of a hassle." Mrs. Hudson nodded at all the boxes in the room as she chided: "You should've let me call the boys to help you- this is far too many things for a young woman such as yourself."

Rose laughed as she shook her head and said, bemused: "Mrs. Hudson, that's old fashioned thinking. Besides, I'm a big girl," she teased and the old woman smiled, "and I can use this as my workout of the day." Mrs. Hudson giggled at that when the front door to 221 banged open.

Rose looked up in surprise at the noise, and the two women could hear two men having an argument in the hallway as they came closer to Rose's apartment. "Sherlock, don't be rude, I'm sure it's a perfectly respectable-" An exasperated voice saying but it was cut off by a sharp: "No, John, it's a nuisance and I won't stand having to share a space with someone intolerable who will question my actions."

"I do that all the time!" The first voice, John, cried as the steps arrived outside Rose's door. "Sherlock!" But the door banged open and Rose lifted an eyebrow as a tall man with dark curly hair stormed into her apartment. This must be Sherlock. The other man, John, stood just outside the door, looking at Rose sheepishly.

"Get out." Sherlock snapped at her, his blue eyes icily meeting her green ones, and John winced while Rose's brows lifted. "Excuse me?" She asked and he repeated as he rolled his eyes: "Get out." Mrs. Hudson frowned as she scolded the man: "Sherlock Holmes, how dare you be so rude to this nice young lady?"

He snapped: "Dyed blonde hair, artificially curled, a lab assistant by the slight chemical splashes on her pants, mid twenties likely on the slightly later side, recently out of a relationship but not one she particularly cared about judging from the lack of a ring even though it was a long one judging from the damaged ends of her hair, and judging from the way the room's been decorated and the weights in that box, has a passion for art and keeping fit."

John groaned while Mrs. Hudson pursed her lips unhappily. Rose blinked but her eyes narrowed as Sherlock finished: "All in all, completely boring, mundane, and not worth my time, so get out." He directed the end of his sentence at her and then stood impassively, waiting for her to follow his directions.

She slapped him. John choked while Mrs. Hudson gasped and Sherlock reeled back, clutching his cheek. "What was that for?" He demanded and she replied coolly: "For insulting my intelligence and for distressing Mrs. Hudson and your friend. He's very rude, isn't he?" She directed her question to John, who was still standing by the door.