The Lake at Tachmoore
"Seriously, Mum, I'm only going to another galaxy and back, nothing dangerous. The Doctor wants to show me some sort of crab nebula…It's going to be fine. Remember what I told you? Ten seconds."
Pleading with her mother was beginning to get progressively tedious. Rose Tyler had done it time and time again. It was like the goodbye ritual. It always happened.
"I know, Rose, but every time I let you walk away from me and go off with that Doctor fella, somethin' awful happens, and you're in danger all over again." Jackie replied, her mascara collecting on the ends of her eyelashes.
"Oh, Mum. He's promised you he'd take care of me, and I've done fine so far, haven't I?" Rose decided that she'd be here all day, doing nothing, if she let her mother win.
"Right, Mum, I'm off, I'll be back in ten seconds!" Rose shouted the last words in the sentence as she took a short run across the balcony and flew down the stairs.
She let all of the rough surroundings that lay to her side melt away as she almost hit the door of the Tardis. I'll never get tired of this big, blue box! She thought as she grabbed the handle and flung the whole door open, endangering the hinges of breaking.
A smile was already across her face, that kind of excited smile that a small child would give when they received a puppy for Christmas, and she waited for the Doctor to jump down from high above her, or call to her from below the grating under her feet.
He was nowhere in sight. Don't worry, this place is bigger than St. Paul's, he's probably pottering about somewhere…Rose told herself.
Still, she would wait. Seeking him out would only get her lost or embarrassed.
She sat herself down on the floor with her arms and legs crossed. Let's hope he trips over me, and then I'll tell him how clumsy he is, that'll teach him to hide from Rose Tyler! She smiled to herself, proud of her little plan.
…………………………………………
Rose checked her Timex watch again. It had been nearly four minutes now. She had never known him to take so long to find out she was in the Tardis. He was always here…
"For God's sake, it's like I'm waiting for Death himself to take me away!" she said aloud, hopefully loud enough for him to hear her.
Rose waited and sat there, occasionally shifting about, but she stayed resilient. Never giving in, that was the way to live life. She was sure that was how the Doctor lived as well.
Then again, he had broken probably all three of the rules that the Time Lords set, the ones everyone was supposed to abide by.
Everyone except him.
"This is stupid. He's deliberately ignoring me. Well, I'm not going to let some pretty boy Lord of Time beat me at my own game! Did you hear that!" Rose shouted. She then began to laugh. She'd never poke fun at the Doctor deliberately. He was too clever for that.
"Do I have to come and get you!" she yelled again. The only reply she received was the echo of her own question, bouncing back from the walls of the Tardis.
She moaned in a very loud and exaggerated way. "Good God! Will you please hurry up! I'm getting bored!" she screamed one more time.
He's not here…she said to herself.
"I'm going back home then! You're actually not in…bugger me!" she turned and faced to door for a moment, when she felt and heard to presence of someone behind her.
"Not today, thank you."
A sly smile spread across her face and she bowed her head, trying to stifle laughs. She spun round, anticipating that cheeky smile of his that he constantly wore. There was something about his voice, though, that suggested a different kind of mood.
She was not met with a grin, as she wanted to be, but with a solemn and tired expression instead.
The Doctor was in a state, to say the least. His hair was the same, though Rose could never say it was neat in the first place. His suit was covered in dark red patches and so was his light brown coat.
"You been working on some great dirty machinery then? Radio turned up? Is that why you couldn't hear me? You've got rust all over you!" Rose exclaimed.
She moved towards him quickly and made to brush the rust from his clothing. He didn't move or retaliate as she tried to brush off the red stains.
"You've been painting yourself? I never knew you had an art department…ours at school was a tip. Paintbrushes and pots everywhere!" she smiled weakly, willing a reaction from the Doctor.
"You're not a clone are you? A robot? A shape shifter? 'Cause you, sir, are not the Doctor." She poked him in the chest and he didn't even slap her hand away.
"You think you can scare me with your zombie impressions? Think again, mister!" she laughed, "No seriously, what's wrong? Do you want to come over and get cleaned up? Mum would love to wash your jacket, trust me on this." She suddenly doubled over and cried tears of laughter. "Trust me on this! Oh my God, that never gets old!"
"I can't take it anymore, Rose." The Doctor said to her.
"You can't take what? My jokes? Sorry, but they're stayin'!" she sighed an after-laugh sigh and stood up straight again.
"No, Rose. It's not your jokes. It's nothing to do with you at all. It's about…everything. Everything I've lived through." He replied, his voice quivering and almost at a whisper.
"You're not jokin' are ya? What's up? You know everything bad that has every happened to us wasn't your fault. I know that." She said reassuringly. It didn't seem to help much though; he turned around completely and muttered, mumbling about something.
"That's the problem. You are always there to see my mistakes. It didn't matter if I messed up before. Then I met you and I had to raise my standards."
Rose raised her eyebrows. This was certainly something new. She sighed and walked around him and jumped in front of him.
"Don't be silly! You sound like a silly little kid. You know everybody messes up! To make mistakes is human…er…well, it still counts doesn't it?" she said, wobbling slightly on the spot.
He smiled and breathed out with a weak little laugh.
"See? You're fine aren't ya?" She said, lightly tapping him on the shoulder.
Rose moved away from him, and leaned over the Tardis controls. "Where are we going to today? You told me we could go and see a crab nebula, whatever that is!" she declared with a stern but friendly voice.
"I think I'll take up that offer from your Mum, the one in which she washes my jacket? Do you have a washing machine? Course you have, everyone does!" he announced and took a few leaps towards the door. As his hand reached for the handle however, someone decided that they wanted to come in and maybe do the washing for the Doctor on location.
"Hello, what's this all about?" he said loudly as four police officers barged through the door and spread in and around the Tardis. One officer made to grab Rose, but she slipped away from his advance and placed herself firmly behind the Doctor.
A tall, high-ranking policeman suddenly stepped over the threshold and looked about at the place as if he was called to clear out some rats from a sewer. He was clearly not amused, and his thinning, ginger hair was clearly doing nothing for his looks either.
He glanced about for the supposed proprietor of the room he was in, which he could have sworn looked much smaller on the outside, and leaned over the Doctor.
"You the holder of this…er…abode?" he asked with a strong and common London accent.
"Indeed I am, yes, very much so. I'm quite proud of my…er…abode!" the Doctor replied, with a strong sense of self-consciousness.
"I can see your head swelling, Doctor." Rose said with her eyes rolling.
"Well, I have to address the man correctly, my dear Rose." The Doctor said with a very serious expression. Whenever he did this sort of thing though, Rose knew that he was only being sarcastic, for her sake. He lightened the mood for her to feel more…what did she feel? Safe? She never felt safe, not with someone like the Doctor around. He was a danger magnet.
Her feelings were suddenly swept to one side when her hands were suddenly pulled behind her back and she felt cold metal bite into her wrists.
"Wait a second there…" the Doctor said, eyeing Rose struggling against the officer behind her, though not moving from the spot.
"You and your girlfriend are under arrest." The tall officer said icily, inches from the Doctor's nose.
"Well…could I ask why?" the Doctor said, squinting up at his arrester.
"Not just yet." The officer said simply.
His arm drew back and the Doctor looked on as his hand curled into a ball. The man's fist collided with the Doctor's jaw and sent him to the ground.
The Doctor took a few deep breaths through his teeth and slowly got up.
"Please don't do that again." He said, his eyebrows meeting in a frown.
"Or what? You going to hit me back? Hey guys, the pretty boy is going to hit me!" the tall officer sneered. The other four policemen gave feeble laughs.
"Maybe I will, and maybe I won't, I'd just like to know one thing. What am I under arrest for?" said the Doctor. The urge to rub his chin where he had been hit was inexplicably tempting, but he didn't want to let the tall officer know that.
"I have permission, to not tell you my good lad." Replied the officer, drawing up to his full height.
"Less of the "lad" now, thank you, son." The Doctor retorted, jabbing the officer in the chest.
In response, the Doctor received another hit from the back of the officer's hand. He was on the floor again, but almost jumped to his feet this time.
"Are you actually asking for it, my good man?" he shouted at the officer, raising his hands and dancing on the spot.
"Officer Frasier, are you going to put cuffs on him, or are you going to let him dance beside you as we escort them to the station?" added one of the policemen. He was young and fresh from the academy; it was obvious by his mannerism. His hair was a mousy brown, and as Rose turned her head to look at him, it reminded her of the Doctor's untidy mess that grew on top of his head.
"Shut up, Rookie, I know what I'm doing, I just want to teach this creep a lesson, watch and learn." Said Frasier and a demonic grin spread across his face. Rose didn't like the look of the whole setup.
She wanted to warn the Doctor, tell him to stop provoking Frasier's rage, but a hand was clapped over her mouth as soon as she opened it.
"Now, my imitative little mate, I'd like to introduce you to something." Frasier hissed.
"And what is that?" said the Doctor, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Pain." whispered Frasier.
The next ten seconds seemed like ten years for Rose. All she could do was look on with stinging eyes as Frasier hit the Doctor once again, sending him spinning to the ground. It was like a metal bar was suddenly pushed through her stomach at high speed. She could feel every cold movement of the bar being forced through her, every twist and turn as it was wrenched into different positions inside her body.
Frasier grasped the Doctor firmly by his collar and dragged him to his feet again.
"Where's your friend now eh? Where's sarcasm when you need it? Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, and you, are lacking in brain cells." He snapped and almost brought the Doctor closer to his clenched fist as another blow was taken on the Doctor's Lower jaw.
The Doctor was down again, and it was taking longer and longer for him to stand up.
Rose wanted to scream, to shout, to wriggle from the stronger man gripping her tightly, anything but watch and do nothing. What kind of a friend does something like that?
She suddenly went limp in the policeman's arms and started to babble to herself quietly.
"Officer Frasier, sir, this girl has er…fallen on me…what should I do, Sir?" said the slightly taken-aback policeman holding her.
"Drop her, she's not very important." Replied Frasier, his eyes still fixed on the Doctor.
Rose was dropped like a hot potato and lay sprawled on the floor for a few seconds, just to make sure they all though she was genuine. After a couple of painstaking seconds, she picked herself up and sped towards the Doctor, placing herself in front of him.
"Is the girly going to protect her gallant knight now eh? This just gets better and better." Frasier snapped.
"You wouldn't hit a woman now would ya?" said Rose, a smirk spreading across her face.
"On the contrary my girl, I hit all sorts of people." The reply was harsh and Frasier's own little smirk was crooked.
"You're bloody sick!" Rose shouted. She felt like hitting him back, but she knew it wouldn't help anybody.
She turned to see the Doctor almost looming over her behind her back. He had a bloody cut over his eyebrow and a trickle of blood ran from his mouth and occasionally dripped from his chin.
She wanted to grab him and hold him tight. He was always such a father figure to her, but this time she wanted to act the like mother comforting her child.
"Thank you, I do try." Frasier added with a glare. He pushed Rose out of the way and grabbed the Doctor by his tie. He kicked the door to the Tardis, to the outside, open and scraped his heavy boot against the back of the Doctor's knee, forcing him down and out onto the dirty ground.
Rose choked back the tears and made a vain attempt to bring Frasier down. She grabbed him by the shoulders, her hands were still cuffed, her weak attack was useless and he twisted away from her, bringing his elbow down upon her shoulder blades, causing her to cry out in pain.
It was as if the Doctor had heard her call. He picked himself up and almost dragged himself to stand in front of Frasier.
Frasier pulled out his gun from its holster and brought it to rest on the Doctor's forehead.
"Gonna shoot me, Officer?" the Doctor whispered.
"If I have to." Sneered Frasier, his lips pulled back to reveal his teeth.
"With the entire public watching? I doubt you'd get very good references for your next job if you kill me out here." The Doctor said, regaining some of his old tone of voice.
"Just, don't say anything anymore. Don't speak until I say so, or I'll pull this trigger, understand?" Frasier said, pushing the Doctor backwards.
There were the beginnings of a huge, action-hungry crowd standing near the scene; each one of them had a serious look upon their face.
"The terrorists have been subdued!" Frasier shouted to the growing crowd, "Bring the girl out here." He said more quietly to one of his men.
Rose was pushed out of the Tardis and deliberately ran into the Doctor's arms. He grabbed her and spun her round, Rose's face was buried deep in his coat, and he could feel her tears soaking through it.
"Enough emotion now, break it up." Said Frasier, he was now threatening them both with his gun.
Rose let go of the Doctor and wiped her tears away with her sleeve. She knew her make-up had smudged, but that didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered. A policeman grabbed her again and forced her to her knees. Her head was down and she was staring at the ground, subduing to all the rough treatment she was receiving.
"Try and guess what happens to pretty little girls who get involved with the wrong crowd?" said Frasier, his voice dipped in poison. He gave an icy glare to the Doctor, who looked away.
"They end up hurt, a shame eh?" he finished.
"We were fine before you barged in…" Rose dared to croak.
"Oh, really? What were you stashing in that disappearing box? I know all about it thanks to a witness. Don't think we aren't watching you two. Disappearing off and flying to some secret terrorist base…" declared Frasier, pointing the gun at Rose, who was shivering with the cold biting of the air.
"We're not terrorists." Stated the Doctor, his face serious. He went to pick up Rose from the ground, but his eyes met as they stared down the barrel of Frasier's gun.
"Stand down, you are a minor, don't try and help your friend. Help her and I shoot you, understand?" Frasier said again. The Doctor somehow knew he was bluffing.
The crowd were restless and were itching for a bit of action, or even some sort of involvement with this strange event. They all climbed over each other to reach the front and shouted at each other to get out of the way.
The Doctor smirked and took centre stage. "People. You're brilliant, but so stupid! For God's sake, Officer, get a grip! You want to see my terrorist machine work? I'll invite you inside and show you."
"That's them! They're the ones!" there came a sudden, sharp voice from the crowd. A young man pushed himself to the front of the crowd. He was blonde and he had very boyish features.
"Oh my God…Jake?" Rose said, as she lifted her head up to look at the man approaching them.
"Ah, here's the one who, "turned you in" if you like. He's been watching you for me, kind of him hmm?" Frasier told them.
"Jake? You wouldn't…you helped us…" Rose said to the boy.
"Rose, that was a different dimension-er, place. This is a different person…not necessarily a nice one either…" the Doctor muttered to her.
"You know my name? You been stalking me too? Officer, these two know who I am, a sure sign that they are the enemy!" yelled Jake, pointing an accusing finger at Rose.
"Oh dear, the odds really are against you today…Doctor? I'll take up that invitation, show me your machine. Take us somewhere…unbelievable…" Frasier declared with a grin.
"Take us somewhere where the law isn't messed up!" shouted Rose, getting up and taking a step towards Frasier.
Frasier ignored her and leapt into the Tardis, his men following, Jake even invited himself in, trotting through the door, a winning smile on his face. Rose and the Doctor stared at each other for a moment. Rose found that urge to embrace him again emerge, but she resisted. Just looking into his solemn hazel eyes made her wish to cry all over him, because of him.
She re-entered the Tardis instead, but waited inside for the Doctor. When he emerged through the door, he was immediately thrown to the floor and cuffed.
"How am I supposed to work my "machine" now eh?" he laughed.
"Your girlfriend is going to do it for us." Frasier wore a gleaming grin across his face. It seemed all he wanted was to make the situation more difficult.
There came the sound of dripping water all of a sudden, and Rose quickly spun around to locate the source of the sound. Her eyes scanned all four policemen, including the one nicknamed "Rookie" and even dared to look at Frasier. Her eyes finally rested upon the Doctor, who was desperately trying to conceal his wrists under his sleeves.
Frasier must have spotted Rose staring at him and he made a bee-line towards the Doctor.
"Show me your hands." He commanded.
The doctor held up his arms and Frasier almost looked stunned.
"Look, what your cuffs have done, put them on too tight. Cut into me, the pain…" said the Doctor, his sarcasm swiftly covering up for him.
"No, the cuffs didn't do that. There are three long scratches here, the cuffs would only cause one if they were on too tight. Mental note Rookie, he's a self-harmer, could be dangerous." Frasier analysed, stroking his chin like a Disney villain.
Rose saw the pool of blood on the floor before the Doctor grow with each drop, expanding it and it finally began to run down through the grating. She finally discovered why his coat was covered in red patches. It was blood she had tried to brush off before all of this happened. This was why he seemed so depressed and put down when she first greeted him. How much blood had he lost whilst he was here, all alone? Whilst she thought about it, Rose answered all of her queries that spun through her head. Why he couldn't fight back, why he was so pale, he can't have surely lost about a pint of the stuff, and all that time she had been arguing with her Mum. She could have got here earlier. She should have looked for him instead of waiting and cursing about his lateness. Apologies began to weave into words in her head. All those things she wanted to say sorry for. It was too late now. All she could do was to make do with thoughts about the now, where a man called Frasier ruled and dominated even his own men. He had invaded the Doctor's territory, and she hadn't stood up and done something. The Doctor was too unwell to stop him, and she never interfered. What was wrong with her?
Frasier made a sweeping indication towards the controls. It was as if he were a gentleman, asking a lady to dance. He's no bloody gentlemen, he's a monster, Rose heard herself say. She slowly trod the path that lead to the controls, and everyone's fate. It was like the entire world lay on her shoulders, she could either shake it off, or continue to resist its weight and let it rest there.
She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but the one pair that burned into her the most, were the Doctor's. She fought his gaze by trying not to look at him, and she placed herself where she wouldn't have to see him.
"Where to?" she asked Frasier. She hated being in charge of things like this.
"I say, to your secret base." Frasier said, a sparkle of I've got them now in his eyes.
Play along, for God's sake. Don't lose it. Rose told herself. She couldn't help it; she had to look at him for directions. She turned her head to gaze at him, asking silently for an answer, but he wasn't even looking at her now. A small squeak that may have given way to tears was all she could say. She disguised it as a cough and looked longingly at the console. She tried willing it to show her the way. It seemed even the Tardis didn't want to talk to her anymore. The other half of the Doctor, off-limits to her as well.