Chapter 1
"Oi! Whose turn was it to do dishes?" John Noble shouted from the kitchen.
"Jack's." Mickey Smith replied distractedly from the couch where he was immersed in some video game that entailed blowing up a bunch of slimy green aliens.
"Well where is he?"
"He left around 6:30. He's on his way to Vancouver to film that TV pilot remember?" The younger man called back, pausing the game and pulling off his headset as he got up from the couch. "Don't you have a meeting with the Dean this morning?" he asked, stepping into the kitchen.
"Yeah." John sighed, shaking his head as he glanced around warily at the mess covering the counters and sink.
"Looks like Jack was entertaining again last night." Mickey observed, picking up a half empty bottle of wine and putting it back in the fridge.
John scoffed. "When is he not entertaining?"
"True." Mickey laughed. "Still, you have to admit it's pretty amazing how every one of his little flings always ends amicably. I mean seriously, the man could charm a fish out of water."
John chuckled as the phone in his pocket began to trill. "Speaking of…" he said as he eyed the caller id and then held it out to Mickey who just shook his head in amusement. "Hey Jack. Hold on, Mickey's here so I'm gonna put you on speaker."
"Hey guys! You would not believe how amazing the first class section is on this airline and you should see the flight attendants." The pair could practically hear his eyebrows wagging with innuendo and rolled their eyes. "Oh hey listen Doc, sorry about the kitchen. I was sort of entertaining pretty late last night and… well, you know. Anyway, I was gonna clean up this morning but when I woke up I realized I had overslept and had to scramble out the door in order to make my flight. I'll make you a promise though; when I get back I'll do kitchen duty for a whole week. Sound good?"
"When are you coming back?" Mickey inquired.
"Four weeks. But don't worry; I'm sure it will fly by. Just try not to miss me too much." he chuckled. "I'll try to bring you guys back some souvenirs from Vancouver and… oh hello, Jack Harkness and you are?"
"Stop it." John groaned quietly, pressing a hand to his forehead as Mickey stifled a laugh.
"Hey listen guys," Jack piped up. "I gotta go. Alonso here is about to give me a safety demonstration." he drawled, not bothering to hide his lustful tone. "I'll try to call when I land."
The call disconnected and Mickey shook his head. "He is unbelievable."
"Yep." John replied, popping the 'p' as he pocketed the phone and turned back to the mess.
"Don't worry about it boss. I got this." Mickey assured John as he clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm not heading in for another half hour anyway. All I'm doing today is installing a new carburetor on a BMW. Rory, Zach and Danny are covering the rest so I should be back around noon. Perks of being the head honcho." he grinned.
"Thanks." John gave him a tired yet grateful smile. "I don't have any meetings after class today so I should be back around noon as well. Want me to pick up some takeaway for lunch?"
"Sounds good." Mickey replied as he began filling the sink with water. "How 'bout pizza this time?"
John shoved a stack of papers into his messenger bag. "Double pepperoni, extra cheese?"
"You know it." Mickey grinned, holding out his fist.
John bumped it with his own and then slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder. "Alright, see you later." he said heading for the door.
"Later!" Mickey called after him as he shut the door.
-oOo-
John chuckled to himself as he stepped into the elevator. If there was one thing he had learned over the years living with Mickey and Jack there was never dull moment. The trio had first met back in Uni. John and Mickey met first on account that they had been assigned as roommates in the same dorm. John was studying for his doctorates in astrophysics, astronomy and astrobiology while Mickey focused on multiple courses in mechanical engineering for his auto mechanic's degree. The pair became fast friends due to them having a lot of the same interests and since John also liked to tinker in his spare time, they both enjoyed taking apart and putting back together various automotive components that Mickey would bring home as part of his coursework. Jack turned up a few months into the semester on the arm of a young attractive medical student named Martha that Mickey secretly fancied. Having recently moved to London from America, the charismatic performing arts student had no trouble charming her into showing him around the campus. Although at first there was some slight jealousy on Mickey's part, upon introductions it became quite clear that Jack in general was just a big flirt. That point was especially driven home the minute he started hitting on both Mickey and John at the same time while Martha was still in the room. Of course when Jack finally realized they were immune to his charms, he immediately switched tactics and settled for camaraderie instead. He also became quite instrumental in getting Mickey and Martha together and still enjoys pointing that out to the two of them to this day.
From that point on, the trio hung out constantly, with Jack occasionally crashing in John and Mickey's dorm room after a long night of studying. That was unless of course he had a date, which was more often than not. After several years of that same routine it just made practical sense for the three of them to get a place together after they graduated. Pooling their money, they were able to find a decently priced three bedroom flat in central London that met all their needs. The flat was located on the top floor and the elevator opened into a private hallway. All of the rooms were quite spacious and aside from the large living area it also had a modest kitchen that opened out into separate dining area. The building itself was owned by a lovely brunette woman in her mid-forties named Sarah Jane and all three men took a liking to her immediately, Jack of course a bit more than the other two but she managed to take his flirtations in stride. Her teenage son Luke did most of the maintenance and whenever you saw him around the building he always had his faithful companion, a beautiful golden retriever named K-9, by his side. John occasionally offered his services in fixing things as well but after an incident involving an exploding toaster they began to politely decline.
At first they didn't have much in the way of furnishings but as their careers began to take off, the flat began to take on a more 'lived in' look.
John took a position at the University teaching physics while also taking time to write on his other various interests of study on the side. Not only were his ideas and theories well publicized in several prestigious journals but there was even talk about a possible Nobel Prize, which he was immensely humbled by. Not that he thought he would win it, but he felt extremely honored for even being considered amongst the most brilliant minds in the world. His classes always filled quickly despite his tendency to babble or randomly go off subject in the middle of a lecture but he still seemed to be adored by both students and faculty alike. Especially those of the female population, which as both Mickey and Jack often pointed out he tended to be oblivious to. He had apparently never quite grasped the concept of how to tell when someone was flirting with him to which Jack had a hard time fathoming considering John recognized it immediately when it came from him. Of course that was probably also why his love life tended to be non-existent. As of late he had only had three real girlfriends. Lynda was sweet but the relationship only lasted a couple of months while they were in Year 13 before she transferred to another school. He met Christina his first year of Uni, but after the first couple of dates he realized she was bad news and ended things immediately. A few months later he met Joan who had been studying to be a nurse. She was nice enough but after a year into the relationship they realized that things weren't progressing and that while they enjoyed one another's company they just weren't meant to be and split amicably. Since then, romance had been pretty far from his mind.
Mickey however had found his soul mate in Martha Jones. Not only were they a perfect match but they complemented each other in a balance between strengths and weaknesses. They both also had great careers. Martha was currently in her second year of interning at Royal Hope hospital and Mickey took his degree to a whole nother level and opened his own shop called Gallifrey Motors. When John had asked how he came up with the name he said he had read it in some sci-fi novel and thought it sounded cool. Mickey had always enjoyed cars at an early age and was fascinated by their workings. He would collect magazines and practically owned every hot wheels ever made. As he got older he became the head of his school's auto club and after classes would spend his nights and weekends working at a local mechanic shop to absorb every bit of knowledge possible. He had not only honed some amazing skills but had also meticulously saved over the years until he found an affordable space to use as his start up. Over time as the money started coming in he was able to expand to a bigger location and take on some additional help. Soon after, Gallifrey Motors became one of the highest rated auto shops around because it specialized in everything. Basically, if it had a motor, Mickey Smith could fix it.
Jack's job was the least stable of the three. Not because he couldn't find work but because his hours were so sporadic. One week he'd be shooting a TV commercial in London and the next he'd be doing a play in New York. No, it definitely wasn't difficult for Jack to land a role. With his rugged good looks, baby blue eyes and trademark toothpaste commercial grin the industry absolutely adored him. That was also probably due to the fact that Jack pretty much charms everyone he meets. Guys, girls… animals, vegetables, minerals... none were immune. Mickey sometimes joked that it was lucky no one had invented time and space travel yet cause he'd probably shag his way across the universe. Jack of course just responded with a wag of his eyebrows and a statement of "damn right." Although none of Jack's relationships ever lasted more than an evening, he was always somehow able to remain on good terms with all of them. Just another unexplainable characteristic of the walking enigma that is Jack Harkness.
John was happy for him though. The pilot Jack was on his way to Vancouver to film could be a huge move for his career. They were adapting some comic book into a TV series. Jack had been ecstatic when he told them about landing the part but to their disappointment, he wasn't allowed to disclose which comic it was until after the pilot had been shot. In the weeks prior to him leaving, he had a rare bout of anxiety about the role but both Mickey and John had been quick to reassure him that they knew he would be brilliant.
Stepping out of the building and into the bright sunshine John checked the time on his watch and then glanced up at the clear blue sky. As he breathed in the crisp cool morning air, he had a sudden sensation that something was brewing on the horizon. Almost like the calm before a storm. Smiling to himself and shaking his head at the absurd notion he headed for his car.
-oOo-
Unbeknownst to John, a pair of hazel eyes watched him as he exited the building and climbed into his dark blue car. From her vantage point through the window of the little coffee shop across the street the woman had been observing the three men for the past couple of weeks in order to get their routine down. John and Mickey's schedules had thankfully been relatively normal but Jack, being an actor's, tended to be sporadic at best which didn't leave her with much of a window of opportunity.
She sighed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she glanced down at the note she had begun to write. While she hated the idea of springing something so life changing on Jack without any sort of warning or explanation, she was officially out of options. It was bad enough that she had waited so long to tell him about the baby and now she was going to have to lie to him about the reasons behind her decision to leave their child with him as well but she couldn't see a way around it. Not when security protocols were involved.
"Okay, so admittedly not mummy's best plan and definitely not the way I had imagined introducing you to your dad for the first time." Rose told her daughter quietly as she used her fingers to gently brush back a few sparse strands of hair on the baby's head. "M' so sorry Alice. If there were any other way..." she sighed once more, turning back to the unfinished letter.
She knew she should have told him a long time ago after she found out she was pregnant, but she wasn't ready to share certain aspects of her life with a complete stranger. They had spent one night together. Neither of them were looking for anything serious beyond keeping one another company for the evening and aside from their first and last names, nothing more was shared with one another in the handful of hours they had spent together. The next morning the pair shared a hug and went their separate ways. She never thought she'd see him again. Then a few weeks later, even though they had taken all the necessary precautions during their brief tryst, she still found herself staring down in shock at the positive sign on the pregnancy test. Although Alice had been a completely unexpected surprise, she also knew she wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.
It wasn't till after Alice was born that Rose thought about finally reaching out to Jack. Of course that also meant making a decision on whether or not to disclose her occupation with him which would require thorough background checks, one on one interviews with her superiors and other various security measures. She had found over the years that working for UNIT required a certain amount of anonymity due to the nature of the missions she was assigned and she wasn't quite sure how well Jack would take to her telling him that she worked for a high level government agency who were responsible for taking down some of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations. Even her parents didn't know what she did for a living, which was why leaving Alice with them was out of the question. The mission she was about to embark upon would require her to be gone for an indefinite amount of time and there would be no way of explaining that to them without telling them the truth as well. Although she was sure that her father would probably be encouraging, her mother would most definitely not approve. Especially now with her being a single parent with a daughter to raise. Not to mention that by telling them the truth, it could put them in danger as well. No, she couldn't tell them. Any of them. Better to keep them in the dark than to put them in danger from the types of people she helps put away.
Her phone buzzed, startling her out of her musings.
"Tyler."
"Rose where are you?" A male voice asked.
"Jus' had some personal things to take care of this morning Jake." she said looking down at the bassinette on the chair beside her that held her sleeping daughter.
"Alright, well get a move on. The Intel just came in and we're deploying in three hours."
"Copy that. Be there as soon as I can." she replied before hanging up.
She sighed, glancing down at her daughter once more. Three hours. That meant her window of opportunity had just shrunk even further. She needed to be able to time the delivery just right in order to make sure Alice wouldn't be left unattended for too long. It was just after 9:00. She had already seen John leave and Mickey came out not too long after while she was on the phone with Jake. She wasn't sure if Jack had left or not yet since she had yet to see him this morning but if he had, luckily with it being a Tuesday she knew both John and Mickey were usually home around noon so at least maybe they would be able to keep an eye on Alice till Jack got home. She needed to give herself enough time to get in and out without being seen, which usually with her skillset was quite easy. However, she wasn't usually carrying a baby and a bunch of supplies while out in the field. After a few calculations she figured 20 minutes was about all she could allow herself to get in, drop off Alice and get out again before the guys got home.
Although she hated herself for what she was about to do, she had no doubt that Alice would be safe with these three men. She had done had done an extensive background check on each of them and there was nothing in their pasts that raised any red flags. Jack of course was still Jack, Mickey was a decent bloke with a good head on his shoulders and his girlfriend was on her way to becoming a doctor, which could come in handy and then there was John. He was a professor at the local university. Single, brilliant, handsome, really great hair... 'Okay, focus Rose.' Yes, Alice would be safe with them. Only a handful of people aside from Rose's parents knew she had a child so by placing her with Jack she would be protected and kept under the radar. She only hoped that he could forgive her for her actions.
The mission she would be leaving on shortly was one of the highest security threats they'd faced and she'd known when her superiors assigned it to her that it could be extremely dangerous. Their objective was to locate and take into protective custody a scientist by the name of Richard Lazarus who had developed some sort of high level research that could supposedly not only change the world but change what it meant to be human. If the technology were to fall into the wrong hands the consequences would be disastrous and it was a very specific pair of hands that UNIT was dead set on keeping away from said technology. An evil mastermind that only went by the name Davros. As one of the worst criminals in history, Davros headed up The Skaro cartel which was a shadow organization that was very good at keeping off the radar and covering their tracks. His crimes stretched from money laundering, to international espionage and multiple counts of murder. They had been inactive for a while, apparently binding their time, and as soon as Lazarus made the announcement regarding his discovery they immediately resurfaced. Once Lazarus realized they were after his research, he had quickly fallen off the grid and now it was up to Rose and her team to find him and place him into protective custody before Davros can get his hands on the research.
She stared down at her daughter, her eyes tracing paths over her beautiful face in order to memorize every single detail as she attempted to keep the tears at bay. "I love you Alice." Rose murmured, reaching out to lightly stroke her cheek. "Mummy loves you so much and I promise I'll be back for you as soon as I can."
With a shuddering breath her attentions turned back to the letter once more and with a heavy heart, she began to write.
A/N: I'm not yet sure how long this is going to be yet and I'm gonna try to post every Friday although I make no promises since my writing muse is finicky. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this new fic cause so far I'm having fun writing it. Let me know what you think.