Title: Mercy (1/14?)

Author: scangel72

Rating: M

Characters: Rose, Ten, Others

Spoilers: Up through s2

Disclaimer: Not mine. I just like to play in the BBC's sandbox

A/N: Written for the Rose Tyler Ficathon, specifically for lafemmepapillon . I'm not going to list what she requested yet, because that would ruin the surprise! Thanks, as always, to the magnificent beta-babes, Wendymr, Dark Aegis and Manticoran!

Summary: What if the Universe gave as much as it took away? Would the results be beyond anything imaginable

Prologue

"The quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth as a gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath; It is twice-blessed: It blesseth him who gives and him that takes."

-William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

The winds of war blew bitter and cold as two god-like races battled for dominance over all the universe and perhaps even beyond. As the storm clouds roiled on the horizon, two returned to the cradle of life as they knew it. The first, a prodigy among her people, was quickly embraced and raised to a position of prominence, the hopes of many pinned upon her ability to lead her people to victory.

The second was one often looked down upon by his people; persecuted, reviled and feared at times as well, but it was also known that he of all of them would be willing to pay the ultimate price. His passion was that great.

And so the titans clashed. Civilizations fell, populations were wiped from existence and entire planets were destroyed, yet still the battle continued. She who had returned from such a long absence fought fiercely for her people in every way she could, introducing alien technologies she had come across in her travels. She was realistic, knowing what so few were willing to admit: That her people, no matter their moral right, could be destroyed in the coming chaos. Plans were made. The first Void ship was built, studied and perfected in order that her people might survive in some form if the unimaginable happened.

Just when hope seemed to glimmer, the enemy struck with terrifying ferocity. The Void ship was taken as the last stronghold of Arcadia fell. A death knell began to toll through the Universe. A second ship was feverishly begun in deepest secret, but she who so proudly led her people knew hope was slim that any would be saved as the enemy marched ever close, Death a constant chill in the air.

So she called on the other; the one whom some blamed that the enemy even existed; he who had fought tirelessly throughout the war for his home and his people, even though they had rarely seen eye to eye. His love was great enough to encompass the good and the bad. And because of that, weary and battle-worn, he was given the impossible task. He did not want it, but she who led and knew him so well reduced herself to beg and in the end he could do nothing but agree, as they both knew he would.

As the enemy converged, preparing for one last push to seize all they wanted, he waited in the shadows. Waited as his people made their last stand. Waited and prayed that some miracle would occur and he would not have to fulfill the task which he had agreed to undertake.

The gods were not listening.

In then end, his hearts breaking with the agony of his task, he endured and saw it through, setting in motion a cataclysmic event that would indeed end the war, but also end the existence of his people, his planet, his home and finally his own life.

He closed his eyes and waited for Death to arrive, missing the hope of life that sparked though the sky and disappeared into the blackness.

On a forgotten, craggy beach in a remote part of Scotland near the ocean, a massive sphere rests among craggy rock and chunks of earth, looking almost like some sort of gigantic egg sitting in a strange sort of nest. Contrasting against the rock and sand and spray around it, the sphere is a sickly grey-green and puts off a strange sense of unease. No human eyes have seen it, but it is enough that the local wildlife shies away from its presence.

The sphere had hurtled from the sky on a day when the world very easily could have ended. And that is the very reason why it had gone undetected by those who watch for unusual happenings such as strange, alien spheres dropping from the sky. That was the day when the Cybermen created by Charles Lumic crossed over into another universe, battled Daleks and were eventually defeated by one known only as 'the Doctor'. On that day there was joy and celebration, but also anguish and loss. So much loss.

Unbeknownst to the players in the grand game, change was soon to follow

Chapter One

Then must you speak… of one that loved not wisely but too well." -Othello

Rose stood at the window with a cup of tea in her hand, sipping and watching the sun paint the few fat clouds in the sky oranges and pinks and purples. It was funny how quickly life could change. She smiled and shook her head. It was even funnier that she of all people should think such a thing. After spending more than two years with the Doctor, she knew how swiftly everything could change: people, places, entire planets and universes.

She took another sip of her tea and sank down on the edge of the window seat, lost in thought. The real irony was how little all the cataclysmic events she'd seen and nearly died in had changed her perspective at the time; and how, now that she was beyond them, all the lessons she'd missed then seemed so crystal clear. Granted, there was the old saying about hindsight, which was true, but even so there was more to the story.

A soft step and the clearing of a throat brought Rose out of her musings to look up with a smile. "Mornin'," she said, standing and setting her cup on the sideboard. Sometimes it still felt a little surreal to see Pete Tyler standing there as large as life. But he was more than 'Pete' to her now. He was her father. Had been since the night she'd dreamed of the Doctor and he'd never once treated her like she was losing her mind. He'd understood—as much as he could—and been kind and caring. Loving, even. That's why it was easy to go up to him and give him a hug. Call him Dad. They'd both accepted the relationship and were happier for it.

"Ready to go?" he asked with a smile of his own, holding out her coat.

Rose slid her arms into the coat and nodded. "Yeah, although I'm still thinkin' it should be illegal for anyone to be up at this hour," she joked.

"Your mother agrees," Pete said wryly, leading the way out to the garage. The sleek black car he drove was already idling, warm and toasty inside like it was every morning. "Speaking of your mother," he added, holding the door open while she slid into the passenger seat, "you did eat something, didn't you? I'll owe her a pound of flesh when I get home if you haven't."

Rose shook her head as Pete shut the door and walked around to the driver's side. "Two pieces of toast and a banana," she said with only a slight pang at the mention of that particular fruit. It drifted by like running water. She was used to 'pangs' and had found that fighting them made it worse. Letting them move along helped her do the same.

"Good, good," Peter said absently as he backed the car out, slipping his sunglasses on with one hand. "Maybe we'll have a quiet day today and you can actually get home in time for her to fuss over you. I've already made sure the driver's available since I'll probably still be in the meeting with the Japanese contingent."

"You know I'm perfectly capable of drivin' myself home," Rose sighed, popping on her own glasses and wrinkling her nose. Jackie was going to drive her utterly insane, fluttering about and smothering her.

Pete glanced over with a sympathetic look. "Pound of flesh, Rose. Pound of flesh."

Rose chuckled in spite of herself. "Yeah and she'd take it, too. The most painful way she could think of."

This time Pete smiled broadly. "That's my Jacks."

Quiet fell after Rose nodded in agreement, her attention on little but her own thoughts. Happy didn't even begin to describe how she felt about her mother finding Pete. It seemed like they were each the best parts of what the other had lost. She smiled a bit sadly, wishing…. No. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself against the path her thoughts wanted to travel down. There wasn't one positive thing about wallowing in that part of her past. The future was at stake and nothing was going to induce her to risk it.

Pete's voice interrupted her thoughts once more. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, Rose."

She blinked and glanced over, somewhat surprised. His voice was solemn and for a second her heart skipped a beat, wondering what bad news he'd been keeping from her. "Okay," she responded slowly.

"It's just… well, I know the last five months have been hard for you in a way I can't understand. Well, maybe I understand a little since I lost Jackie that first time. For everything she was—and wasn't—I did love her," he said, glancing over quickly before focusing on the road again.

"Anyway, I know it's been tough. And going to get tougher. I really thought that you might… you know, fall apart. But you surprised me, Rose," Pete admitted haltingly. "Coming to Torchwood, really getting involved, making a name for yourself there… It makes me proud that your last name is Tyler, even if I didn't have anything to do with it."

Rose stared at him with her mouth open for several second before a choked little sob escaped. "Damn it," she muttered, searching through her purse for a tissue. "I'm sorry. Just… you know."

She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes under her sunglasses, hoping she wasn't going to look like a raccoon by the time they got to the office. Taking a deep breath, she got herself under control and glanced back over at Pete. "Thank you. I mean that. I know mum thinks I'm crazy—Mickey too, for that matter—but I have to do this. I mean, I have to do something other than sit around and think, but even more—"

"I do understand. Too many people underestimated you, Rose. I did. But you've seen a lot and learned a lot and you're smart. That's what Torchwood needs. I won't be here forever and you and I both know that having a position of power by that time is the surest way to protect everyone," Pete said evenly.

Rose nodded and leaned her head back against the headrest, smiling bemusedly up at the ceiling. "Sometimes it feels like I'm dreamin', you know? Like I'm still a shop girl with no prospects and nothin' better to do than watch telly and eat chips and in a little while my alarm'll go off and I'll wake up."

Pete snorted. "I know assets, Rose and that, I assure you, would have been a complete waste."

"Yeah, the Doctor used to say the same thing," she murmured. "Used to say I was the best."

There was a heavy silence for a moment. Everyone still flinched a bit when she mentioned the Doctor. But Pete, ever stalwart, overcame the moment and nodded. "He was evidently a brilliant judge of character."

For a minute she was on the verge of tears again, but she fought it back with a few deep breaths. Equilibrium restored, she realized they were pulling into the Tower.

"Torchwood one and Torchwood twelve," Peter said into his specialized mobile, rolling down the windows so each of them could give fingerprint and retinal scans. Once the scans were accepted, the heavy blast door rose to allow the car into the garage. It was only the first in a long corridor of security measures to go through before they got to their offices.

Another day in the life of Rose Tyler had begun.

"What are you drinkin'?" Mickey asked accusingly, picking up her mug off the desk and taking a sip before eyeing her suspiciously. "This decaf? And d'you think you need to be puttin' that much sugar in it? Neither of those're gonna help you sleep, you know. Are you sleepin'? If not, maybe you should see that doctor again. But sleepin' too much isn't good either. You gotta have balance."

Rose rolled her eyes and went back to her paperwork while Jake smirked and flopped on the sofa in her office. Mickey continued to circle the desk like a vulture, looking for something—anything—to justify his paranoia.

"So, how was Bucharest?" she asked, signing her name to the bottom of a report and closing the folder before she sat back in her chair.

"Dunno 'bout those shoes, Rose. What if you have to run or somethin'? You could break an ankle. Where would you be then?" Mickey asked, frowning down at her feet through the clear glass top of her desk.

She looked over at Jake and sighed. "I hate to do this to you, but I'm goin' t'have to have him killed."

Jake laughed. "You don't have high enough clearance for that."

"Damn," Rose muttered, then glared at Mickey. "Will you sit down? You're making me crazy walkin' in circles. Bloody mother hen. I promise I don't fall to pieces when you're gone. "

Mickey made a face at her in return and stomped over to the sofa in a strop. "Sorry if I'm tryin' to take care of you. Maybe if you'd take care of yourself, I wouldn't have to."

"Hey, that's not fair," Jake exclaimed, giving Mickey's knee and nudge with his own. "Rose looks great to me."

"Thanks," Rose replied with a grin in spite of herself. "I i am /i takin' care of myself. Don't have a choice. Have you met my mother?" she asked sarcastically.

"I'm surprised Jackie don't have you locked up in a tower at that bloody castle of your father's," Mickey said in a smug sort of way.

"Don't think she hasn't tried," Rose sighed. "If it wasn't for Pete, she'd probably have me tied down in bed under night an' day doctor's care or somethin', just waitin' for me to have a nervous breakdown." She shuddered at the thought. "Anyway, you were goin' to tell me about Bucharest?"

"Oh yeah," Jake grinned. "Vampires. Brilliant."

Mickey shook his head. "Still can't believe you never had Buffy here. Was just like that. Sorta."

Rose frowned. "Buffy?"

"As in the vampire slayer," Mickey said with a disgusted look. "You know, like the show on telly, back in the old days." He always referred to life in other universe as 'the old days'.

"Yeah, except we're pretty sure these vampires didn't come from this planet. Don't think Buffy had that problem," Rose said wryly.

That seemed to take a little of the wind out of Mickey's sails. Jake grinned at him and shrugged. "Either way, the problem's taken care of. We rigged up a few crossbows while the negotiator worked, just to be safe. Good thing, too. Not sure we could have taken care of the problem if we had to go hand to hand."

Rose nodded thoughtfully. "No ship, then?"

"Nah. Found transmat beacons, though," Mickey said, having given up on his Buffy obsession for the moment. "Downstairs is already doin' long-range scans, tryin' to see if there's a cloaked ship floatin' around up there somewhere."

"Good," Rose said, typing in a few commands on the keyboard to her right and requesting access to the scans via her terminal. After finding out the Daleks had been hiding in space for generations she'd never been quite so willing to trust her eyes or anyone else's. Too easy to hide something in plain sight.

When she looked up, Mickey and Jake were talking under their breath to each other. "I miss something?" she asked curiously. She knew the look on Mickey's face and it didn't bode well.

"Nah, just off for some lunch," Jake said, bouncing up and heading for the door. "Can I bring you anything, Rose?"

She was on the verge of asking for fish and chips but Mickey jumped in before she could open her mouth. "Piece of quiche from that little café on the corner. An' the fruit bowl to go with it. An' a bottle of water."

Rose groaned and just nodded at Jake when he shot her a questioning look. Sometimes it wasn't worth the effort to argue Mickey out of his need to mother her. Still, she knew what was coming and dreaded it as Jake closed the door behind him.

Mickey came around the side of the desk and squatted down next to her chair. "Have you thought anymore 'bout what I asked you before I left for Romania?"

"Mickey, please…" she began, really not wanting to go through it all again.

"Rose, you gotta think about it. S'not right, you bein' alone, grievin' still…" he insisted.

She shook her head. Mickey had the best of intentions, but it had to stop. "Mickey," she said gently, "you know I don't… I don't love you that way. Too much has changed."

He nodded earnestly. "I know an' that's okay. But I can't let you—"

Rose pulled out the proverbial big guns. "What about Jake?"

Mickey blinked at her and stopped dead. They'd never discussed just how close he and Jake were, but Rose would have bet quite a lot that they were more than friends. "What… what d'you mean?" he asked cautiously.

"Come on, Mickey, you an' I know each other better than that. I've got eyes, y'know. An' just because I've got a lot goin' on doesn't mean I'm blind," Rose said wryly.

He gaped like a fish out of water. "I… I… Rose…"

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "It's okay. It really is. All I want is for you to be happy, and if Jake's the one that does that for you, s'all the same to me."

Mickey shook his head. "You sure it's not too weird? I mean, after you an' me bein' together in the old days, now me an' Jake..." he trailed off.

Rose thought about for a minute and shrugged. "Maybe a little, but not so it's bad or anything. Believe me, I saw a lot weirder stuff when I was travelin' with the Doctor. Especially when Jack was with us. Now there was a bloke who was i flexible /i " She grinned.

Mickey'd gone very quiet. "S'weird when you talk about 'em, Rose. I'm not sayin' you shouldn't," he quickly added. "Just… weird. 'Cause it sort of feels like it would be better if we just forgot or something."

"I can't," Rose said, shaking her head. "I know it makes you and mum feel uncomfortable, but sometimes I have to talk about it. Otherwise I'd bottle it all up and just explode someday. The Doctor was part of my life, Mickey. Always will be, especially now. You can't expect me never to mention him."

"Jake said the same thing," Mickey muttered.

Rose laughed. "Smart man, that Jake. Guess that makes him the husband, yeah?"

"Hey! No need to be rude," Mickey exclaimed, shooting her a face as he stood. Once on his feet, he studied her for a moment before he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Guess that means you're not gonna be Mrs. Smith anytime soon then, huh?"

"I'm kind of partial to 'Ms. Tyler'," Rose said with a smile. "I love you for askin', though. An' I mean that. But I will seriously hurt you if you ask me again. I finally figured out I don't have to be somebody's girlfriend or companion or even their wife. Just bein' Rose is okay."

Mickey laughed and backed away, hands held in the air in surrender. "Yeah, yeah, even I get it now," he said, looking more light-hearted than he had earlier. She figured he'd probably been agonizing over the marriage idea the whole time he and Jake were in Bucharest.

He made it all the way to the door before he stopped and turned again. "I'm still thinkin' you need to get a better pair of shoes. I was readin' about how—"

She took off one of the shoes in question and threw it at him. Mickey was fast enough to get out and close the door so the heel only i thunked /i against the wood. Rose grinned fondly and shook her head. "Idiot."

After retrieving the shoe, she walked over to the bank of windows that looked down at the Thames far below. So many times she'd looked at the same view and thought of another Torchwood Tower in another universe and all she'd lost. Today, she looked at the view and thought more about all she'd gained. Yes, there was still pain. There was still grief. And god knew there was fear, but there was also hope. Hope, and surprisingly, happiness.

With a smile full of determination—one she was becoming famous for—she paused just long enough to briefly rest a hand against the window before returning to her work. Empires weren't built in a day and she had much to accomplish.

tbc