Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, its characters, or Alice in Wonderland. All rights go to the creators of the two lovely sci-fi/fantasy creations!
A/N: This is my first story in a while (or it feels like it, anyway!) This is something I've been wanting to write for ages, but because of school and other things, I haven't been able to. Because of those same reasons, updates could be choppy. Either way, I hope you enjoy it! (Reviews are lovely little things!)
"Bottoms up!"
Rose took a final swig of the bottle in her hands, laughing brightly as Mickey burst into a fit of coughs. Her nose wrinkled at the smell of alcohol on his breath. Shareen giggled drunkenly by her side, swaying slightly to the music in the bar. Mickey looked into his nearly empty glass and sighed. Rose shook her head and checked the watch on her wrist.
"Alright," she chuckled, standing up and setting her empty bottle (most of which had been drank by either Shareen or Mickey) on the bar counter. Mickey looked at her with wide eyes, and then back to the television screen, where a new match was beginning. Rose rolled her eyes. "It's almost twelve, and I promised mum we'd be back by one. 'Sides, they'll play it again later, I'm sure."
"But Rose," Shareen whispered, fixing her with a wide stare. "It's the match. The. Match."
"That's what you said last time," Rose reminded her gently. She grabbed her friends elbow and pulled her up. Shareen stumbled a little, but managed to regain her footing. Pouting, Shareen placed her half-empty bottle on the counter, followed by a hesitant Mickey. "C'mon. I'm driving, alright?"
"I can drive!" Mickey argued, and Rose snorted.
"I don't think ya can see three feet in front of ya without being sick. I'm driving. No ifs or buts." Rolling her shoulders, Rose dragged the two out of the bar, relieved to feel the cool autumn air on her skin after being stuck in a hot, crowded, noisy bar for the past three hours. Mickey and Shareen chattered cheerfully with each other as they all but stumbled down the pavement. Rose smiled at them and stopped at the door of their car, reaching into her pockets for the keys.
The smile quickly faded as her fingers brushed fabric. She searched the others, and then let out a groan. Mickey and Shareen looked at her curiously. "I think I left the keys in the restroom. I'll be right back, alright?" She jogged across the street and then paused, turning back to face her friends, who both were beginning to stray away from the car.
"Don't go anywhere!"
Shareen snickered, but Rose knew that she knew enough to stay put. Shaking her head and snorting to herself, Rose hurried back to the bar, ignoring a man's drunken whistle as she stepped inside. She threw open the door to the women's bathroom and looked around, biting the inside of her cheek.
She pushed open the cubicle doors, one by one, growing more and more nervous with each key-empty stall. A sigh of a relief slipped past her lips as she caught sight of the keys on one of the sinks.
Moving to the sink, she snatched up the keys, pausing to glance at herself in the mirror. Her blonde hair was ragged and tousled from Mickey's clumsy toying with it and dark, purple circles were beginning to form under her eyes from lack of sleep. Her makeup had smudged and begun to run, mostly from laughing too hard. She sighed and flipped the tap on, cupping her hands to collect a puddle of water in her palms. Once full, she splashed in onto her face, relaxing as the warm water touched her skin. She smoothed back her hair, running her fingers through it to untangle knots.
Rose looked back up and her heart stuttered to a stop as her eyes met with cold brown orbs, staring at her with a smile stretched across a man's lips. She shrieked and swung around, raising her hand to deliver a strike. Halfway, she froze, sucking in a shocked breath.
Empty. The room was empty. She scanned the bathroom, heart thumping in her chest like a bat's wings. Her mouth had dried out and her throat felt tight. Her eyes widened in disbelief and, slowly, she looked back to the mirror, panic flooding through her veins.
In the mirror, the man had backed up, and was leaning against one of the doors of the cubicle, but when Rose tried to turn to see him, the area appeared empty. She stared at him, wide-eyed and stiff. His head cocked, white hair swaying to the side as he did so. She watched, open-mouthed, as he raised a finger to his chin and pressed a finger to his thin lips before tapping the tip of his nose.
Rose took a step towards the door, her head beginning to spin. The man seemed to laugh in the mirror, but all she heard was silence. Standing up straight, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit bottoms and took a step toward her. Rose backed up, holding her breath.
A surprised yell ripped from her throat when the cubicle door flung open and a woman marched out, flashing her a sour look. Rose tightened her shoulders, and bit the inside of her cheek, eyes flickering back to the mirror. She expected to see the man standing in front of her, or something to that effect, but instead, he was gone. Rose slumped over, feeling sick.
The woman was staring at her, eyebrows pulled together. "Are you okay?" She asked hesitantly, her pink dress swaying as she turned to examine Rose. Rose smiled weakly and nodded.
"Too much to drink," she lied, then turned and fled from the bathroom before another word could be spoken.
She quickly left the bar, pinching her cheeks in hope of returning color to her skin. Thankfully, Shareen and Mickey were both still standing by the car, looking tired and bored. Rose managed to force a smile, and raised the keys. Her two friends clumsily jumped to their feet in relief.
Rose unlocked the car and climbed into the front seat, rubbing at her forehead. While it didn't seem likely, she tried to convince herself that what she had seen in the bathroom was just a trick of her mind. Caused by exhaustion or the small amount of alcohol she had consumed since the night began.
Neither of the explanations calmed her down, however. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the car seat, taking in a sharp, trembling breath. Shareen looked at her from the passenger seat and tilted her head curiously, her fingers hovering above the knob to turn on the radio.
"You alright, Rosie?" She asked, eyes slit in her drunken state. Rose nodded, but said nothing. Shaking her head, she tried to push the event to the back of her mind, and then started the car and began to drive home.
3 weeks later
"It was stupid. He was stupid. I can't believe you dated him."
Rose snickered and shrugged. "He's not that bad. He just gets rowdy." She tossed her hair back as she hung up a t-shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles. Shareen rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.
"So do I, but I don't go around throwing fake insects wrapped in condoms at people, now do I?"
Rose laughed again, biting down on her lipR. "You could," she whispered, only to laugh harder at the exasperated look that Shareen threw her.
"Whatever," her friend sighed, running a hand through her brown hair. "Hey, come with me to the bathroom, would ya? I've got a date tonight with you-know-who, and I needa' fix my makeup."
Rose checked her the watch on her wrist and then nodded. "I'm basically off the clock now, so just let me finish this and I'll join ya, 'kay?"
Shareen nodded and sashayed away. Rose watched her go before quickly finishing hanging up the clothes on the rack. Her phone buzzed and slipped it from her pocket.
Unknown number flashed across the screen, and Rose tapped the ignore button. She placed the remaining shirts on the rack, and the jogged to the front of the store, nodding at her coworker. She ducked behind the counter, snatched her old, bright yellow handbag, and hustled to the bathroom. She paused at the door as her phone buzzed in her pocket again.
Once again, the caller was an unknown number - the same one. Rose hesitated before ignoring it again and pushing open the bathroom door.
Shareen stood in front of the mirror, using her fingers to wipe off makeup that had began to run. Her handbag was open on the sink, filled with an assortment of different cosmetics. Rose stopped and smiled, looking Shareen over.
Her long brown hair was curled and there seemed to be flecks of glitter here and there. She was wearing a tight pair of short cut jeans, showing off her long tan legs. Her shirt was cropped, so that from the front you would be able to see her belly button.
"You look cute," Rose chirped, and Shareen breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks. Does my eyeliner look okay?" Shareen turned her head and Rose nodded.
"It looks perfect. I'm impressed. Last time I used liquid I smeared it up my forehead."
"I know, I was there. To be fair, you were pretty wasted."
Rose grinned and moved to Shareen's side, leaning against the wall. She watched Shareen proceed to fix her makeup and let out a sigh.
The brunette cocked an eyebrow, sparing her a glance out of the corner of her eye. "What's wrong?"
"Nuthin'. Long day." Her phone buzzed for the third time, and Rose let out a frustrated growl, sliding it out of her pocket. "Oh, my God."
Shareen frowned, twisting the cap of her mascara back on. "Who is it?"
"I don't know. It's a unknown number. This is the third time they've called."
"Answer it."
"Why?"
Shareen shrugged and bit her lip, flashing Rose a wink. "Maybe it's a cute guy."
Rose rolled her eyes but looked back to her phone, which was still ringing. She twisted her lips, and then gave in, pressing the answer button. She looked to Shareen as she pressed it to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Corner of Harvard and West."
"What?"
"The Corner. Of Harvard. And West."
Rose stood up straight, her eyebrows drawing together. It was a man's voice, definitely from London, but not somebody she recognized. "Who is this?"
"Doesn't matter," the man breathed. He sounded strained, worried, as if he was trying to stay quiet in fear he would be heard. Rose stiffened, biting down hard on her lip as the man continued. "Just go there. Corner of Harvard and West."
"Why would I do that?" Rose whispered, hand clenching around her mobile. For a moment, the other end was silent, and she feared that the man had hung up, but there was suddenly a crash loud enough to pierce Rose's eardrum. She jerked the phone away from her ear and frowned. Her eyes widened as a sound erupted from the speakers - someone was speaking English, but their voice…
It wasn't natural. It didn't sound human, and she couldn't understand what they were saying.
Rose's skin began to crawl and she shivered, catching her lower lip between her teeth. She took a deep breath and glanced at Shareen, who was watching her curiously as she reddened her lips with lipstick. "Hello?" Rose growled into the receiver.
There was minutes of silence, and Rose was about to give up when the line went dead. Her stomach churned and, slowly, she lowered the phone, staring at the screen. She pressed the end call button, staring blankly at the bathroom room.
Shareen cleared her throat, causing Rose to jump. She jerked her head towards her friend, her blonde hair curling around her neck and tickling her skin.
Shareen arched an eyebrow. Rose took in a deep breath, sliding her phone into her pocket. Her heart was hammering.
She really shouldn't go. She had no idea who it was who had called; going would surely end in disaster.
But she doesn't help the curiosity burning in her chest. She nibbled on her lip and looked towards the door, swallowing hard.
"So… who was it?" Shareen finally asked, and Rose took a breath, gathering her wits.
"Where's Harvard and West?"
"'Bout a block off from the chippy. Why?"
Rose shook her head and flashed a fake smile to Shareen. "I gotta' go. Have fun on your date, okay? I'll text you later."
"But -"
Rose paused with the door half open, shooting a guilty look to her friend. "I'm sorry, I really gotta' go." Without explaining, Rose hurried out the door and took a deep breath. Before leaving the store, Rose moved to her speed dials in her phone, and quickly entered the cops, silently praying that she wouldn't need to use it.