Author Note: Okay so is it just me that looks at a screencap of Sir Piers Pomfrey coming down a ladder in the St Trinians movie and then thinks ooh I'll write a fic about Ten2/Rose. The pic inspired a scene in my story which I then wrote around. Written for a weekly challenge over at badwolf rising comm on live journal. There is a lot of angst in this story. My muses seem to want to take me there of late. Thank you to naughtybunny23 for the beta. WARNING: Character Death (Don't panic! - not everything is as it appears)
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and its characters are owned by the BBC and sadly not by me. I just like to play with them.
The zeppelin terminal was crowded as Rose Tyler-Smith made her way through the revelry of joyous Londoners celebrating holiday season. As she walked she was oblivious to the scenes around her, her only focus was on a door that was marked 'Torchwood personnel.' As she reached it she pulled a security card from her pocket and swiped it through the lock, her movements mechanical as she listened for the high pitch beep that signalled authorised entry. On the other side she was greeted by Dawn, the security officer, who recognised her immediately and asked if she would like any assistance. Dawn was not surprised when the offer was greeted with a gentle smile and soft refusal. She knew after all why Ms Tyler-Smith was here.
With barely a departing wave, Rose left the security guard behind and walked down the long passageway. She knew where she was going, having walked it countless times before. It was par for the course when you worked for Torchwood. She slipped through another door; this one took her into a waiting lounge that was the envy of other frequent flyers' clubs across the globe. Several other agents from her work were there, milling about, enjoying the perks while they waited for their kith and kin to arrive or depart. All of them turned to stare at her as she crossed the room. They all knew her of course but even those who were on speaking terms with her held their tongues tonight. Rose was sure the look in her eyes was enough to keep them from uttering inquisitive questions. Another door, another security card swipe and she ascended the stairs that led to the air field's tarmac. Now she could breathe and be free of the prying eyes that seemed to taunt her and mock her grief. As she looked out into the blackness surrounding her she could hear him talking.
"Meet me at the airfield, love."
"Yes, Doctor. You know I always will
And she did. Has done for countless years. Tonight would be no different.
He was always delighted when she was there to greet him home from a Torchwood business trip. In the first couple of years since Bad Wolf Bay they hated the times he had to leave but his experience was sorely needed and Pete said they really had no choice. At least not until the Doctor could get a few smarter than average humans up to speed. The trips away were hard on them both but the coming home part was certainly worth the pain of separation. She'd wait for him, and he'd bound off the plane, his eyes searching wildly for her. Then regardless of decorum (this is the Doctor we're talking about) he'd run straight into her arms and snog her senseless. Later, no matter how tired he was, they always made love.
Sometimes he would ask her why she always came to meet him. In those first couple of years she always answered him with, "because you asked me to," or "because I wanted to." He never questioned her response but she felt he knew there was more to it. Years later she would tell him why.
The ringing of her mobile rudely interrupted her thoughts. One glance showed it was Jackie.
"Hello Mum … yes I'm here … no I'm not cold. Got the Doctor's spare coat on."
The phone conversation continued; Jackie was getting on in age and although she sometimes had a tendency to ramble, right now Rose was grateful for the love and concern she heard on the other end of the telephone. "Yes Mum, the aircraft should be here soon … no really I'm okay, you don't need to come out … yes he's coming, well at least he's trying to be here so I won't be alone … I know Mum, I know … look I really can't talk about that now … Why? Because it hurts too much … it's okay Mum … yeah I'm sorry too … I have to go … I'll let you know more when we're home … love you too, Mum." Rose's hands trembled as she said her goodbyes. She sighed loudly. Jackie meant well but right now Rose could not deal with the questions that would eventually need to have answers. She just needed to get through the here and now. Too much too soon and her composure would shatter. In an effort to focus on something else she turned her eyes towards the airfield again, trying to seek out something familiar. She found it in the worldwide symbol of a pedestrian crossing. The long white rectangle marks on the tarmac showed the passengers where it was safe to go once they disembarked from the zeppelins.
She remembered the Doctor on that crossing one particular day after another month long trip away.
She hadn't been content to wait near the terminal this time and rushed out to meet him much to the alarm of the security personnel. Charges might even have been made except for the fact that halfway through their first snog the Doctor dropped to his knees on the crossing and presented her with an engagement ring and a proposal of marriage. With the security guards and three quarters of the disembarked passengers looking on she could only give one answer.
A small giggle escaped her lips as the fond memory played out in her head. Overhead the stars winked out as their light was momentarily overshadowed by one of the large commercial air birds. The night air had gotten cooler and as she drew her coat closer around her another sweet memory lodged itself in the forefront of her mind.
"Rose Tyler- Smith, you are crazy."
"Mum, I'm going."
"But you're due to give birth at any moment. Himself'll understand."
"I know he will but I'm still going. I promised I'd always meet him."
"I can't talk you out of it, can I?"
"No!"
"All right you can go but I'm driving."
They made it to the air field and had just collected the Doctor when the first contraction started. With Jackie breaking every road and speed rule they make it to the private Torchwood hospital in just under fifteen minutes. Seven hours later the Doctor held his firstborn son and said quite sincerely that this was the best 'welcome home' present he'd ever received.
Rose thought about something Grandma Prentiss once told her. There is truth in the saying that if you look around an airport you can see many stories happening. She thought it especially true when it came to herself and the Doctor.
It was the latter that prodded another recollection, one considerably sadder than any of those she had thought of before. Tears formed in her eyes as she thought of Pete Tyler, who'd now been gone for quite a few years.
He'd been ill for a while but on the day Rose was due to meet the Doctor at the airfield, Pete took a turn for the worse. It was the first time that she almost didn't go but her father insisted. The Doctor had already been informed of the bad news and had Rose in his arms the moment he could reach her. In the middle of a busy terminal she sobbed her heart out, her face buried into his chest. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt, but he never thought to move her away, only to hold her tighter against him.
"Ms Tyler-Smith?" Rose hastily wiped away a lone tear before she turned around to greet Dawn, the security guard. "Sorry to bother you," said Dawn, "but the pilots want to do a test run on the emergency rope ladder of the zeppelin that's about to land. I know you've got clearance to be here but for safety reasons can you please move back a few feet."
Rose nodded respectfully and did as the security guard instructed. She couldn't see the zeppelin but thought it must be the one whose engines she'd been hearing for the last ten or fifteen minutes. Her heart twisted painfully. Time was counting down and though this zeppelin was not the one he'd be on it served to remind her of the intense pain she was feeling.
The sudden fall of a rope ladder distracted her. Its appearance pushed forth another memory of her beloved human Doctor.
Meet me at the air field
Yes! You know I will.
Yes I know. But why?
Tell you when you get back.
That night Rose waited for him on the tarmac, striding impatiently back and forth. The zeppelin was scheduled to land at midnight. An ordinary day for many but for them it heralded the dawning of their twentieth wedding anniversary. As the zeppelin landed she scanned with hawk-like eyes the crowds of passengers, searching for the man who made her heart ache and her body yearn. When he did not appear her impatience had quickly turned to frustration and worry. Had she, for the first time in their lives, gotten the flight wrong? She watched and waited some more but still nothing. Her fears were confirmed when she heard the engines of the zeppelin start off again and felt the air currents as the air craft lifted off the ground. Tears were starting to form in her eyes when from somewhere above her she heard her name being called. "ROSE!"
At first glance she could not see anything, the strong beams of the searchlights blinding her to what was above. She heard a thud next to her and realised to her surprise it was a rope ladder. Her name sounded in her ears again and this time there was no doubt about who was calling it. Slowly, as her eyes adjusted, she could see him. He was standing on a rung of the zeppelin's rope ladder as it was gradually unwound, holding on to it with one hand. The other hand he held behind his back. As he got closer the searchlights highlighted the silver streaks that were now evident in his hair and she could see the smirk on his face that broadcast without words, 'I'm so brilliant.' She was sure the same message would be clearly readable in his eyes had he not been protecting his vision with a pair of dark sunglasses.
The moment he made made contact with the ground he ran towards her, sweeping her up in his embrace and kissed her frantically. He'd all but forgotten whatever it was he had previously held in his other hand. "Happy anniversary," he whispered against her lips. With a contented sigh she murmured the words back but punctuated the sentence with an "I love you."
Gradually he drew back and with an embarrassed look picked up a beautiful bouquet of flowers. "For you," he grinned.
She couldn't help but tease him. "You think you're so impressive don't you?"
Her words were greeted with another smirk. She knew this one reached his eyes because he'd taken off the shades. "Yep, I certainly am."
A giggle escaped Rose's mouth. "Well then Mr Impressive, what do you say? Time we split this popsicle stand. Mum's got Michael, Lizbeth, Grace and Timothy at her place so we can make the most of celebrating your homecoming."
In response he kissed her again and leaning by her ear, whispered into it, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine. "I know someone else who'll definitely be coming by the time I'm done with her. You want impressive, Rose. I'll show you impressive." Then with a show of strength that surprised her he picked her up with one arm and tossed her over his shoulder. The tarmac rang with their joint laughter as he strode towards the exits not caring who saw them.
Afterwards when they lay in the softness of the bed they'd called their own for twenty years, he remembered to ask her again why she always met him at the air field. She rolled up on one arm and gazed lovingly down at him as she replied, "Because I never want you to have to come home alone. I know how I felt when I fell into this world. There was Mum, Dad and Mickey to be sure, but I didn't have you. Anytime I went somewhere you weren't there to greet me anymore or to carry me home. When we were left on that beach back in Norway I made up my mind then. That no matter what happens between us, I'd always be there for you. To meet you at the tarmac and be the one to bring you home."
"I'm the luckiest man in the universe," he whispered back before rolling her underneath him, and kissing her with a fierce burning passion.
A low sob escaped Rose's mouth and instantly she cursed herself for being so weak. Even when it came to death she still had the Tyler name to uphold. There would be plenty of time for tears when she had some privacy. Even so she knew she was struggling.
"Rose,"
In the absence of her beloved Doctor, this was the only other voice she cared to hear right now. Strong arms embraced her and she let them take her weight.
"Jack, you're here."
He placed an affectionate kiss to her forehead. "I'm here, sweetheart. Promised you I would be, didn't I?"
"I know but I also know it's difficult for you to get away from the other universe sometimes." Her face was buried in Jack's shoulder so the words came out muffled.
He drew back a little before slipping two fingers under her chin, raising her face to meet his blue eyes. She gasped at the pain she saw within them. "I told you after I worked out a way to travel through the rift that I'd be here if either of you needed me. I love you and the children and …" He trailed off unable to finish.
"And you love him," finished Rose softly. "It's okay, Jack. He knew that."
Jack's arms tightened around her and they stood in their embrace for several minutes. Finally they separated but Rose no longer felt completely alone.
"How did it happen?" asked Jack softly. He was somewhat fearful of causing Rose more hurt but she answered him in a calm voice. "He was shot," she replied. "He was part of a team negotiating a peace between two feudal alien species. Their fight threatened to not only expose what they were but also their impact on the human population around them." She paused for a moment and Jack laid his hand on her arm. "It's okay. You don't have to …"
"No," she reassured him bravely. "I need to say it. I don't quite know what went down but Jake said things got ugly. The Doctor tried to calm everyone down but the leader of one alien side had somehow smuggled in a weapon. He was aiming for the other side's leader and would have killed him except the Doctor saw what was about to happen and he stepped in between them." She gave a short bark of laughter but the sound held no joy. "He probably didn't even think. You know him, Jack. Two hearts or one, he always has to save someone. Wouldn't be our Doctor if he didn't."
Jack blinked back the tears in his eyes and nodded.
In a sorrowful voice, Rose continued. "Jake said the alien fired twice and hit the Doctor. He got shot once in the shoulder and once in the chest. Said that one nicked an artery which accounted for the huge blood loss and that's what probably killed him. That's about as much as I know. Jake said he'd arrange for the Doctor's body to go to the nearest morgue and arrange transportation. The next day he called to say everything had been organised and that I should come to the zeppelin terminal today to claim the coffin. So here I am. Here to meet him, just as I've always done."
The sadness in her voice was overwhelming and Jack wished he could take the pain away. He knew only to well how much losing those you held nearest and dearest felt. Ianto, Tosh, Owen and Stephen were still raw wounds in his heart. The loss of the Doctor opened up a fresh cut that hurt like hell.
The sound of engines came from overhead. Even without glancing at his watch he knew by the look on Rose's face that this was the aircraft they were waiting for. The brilliance of the search lights showed up all too clearly the Torchwood emblem on the zeppelin. Jack reached out to wrap an arm around Rose's shoulder. There was nothing to do now but wait.
It only took around ten minutes for the zeppelin to be grounded and then another fifteen for the other Torchwood personal to disembark. To Jack and Rose however it seemed like an eternity.
Rose's mind was a jumble of conflicted emotions. She wanted to finally bring her husband home, to give him the peace and rest he deserved after such a long life. But she also knew when that coffin appeared, the reality of his death would be solidified in her mind and she could no longer pretend that maybe, just maybe, this was only some horrific nightmare that she would soon wake from, to find him asleep beside her, warm and very much alive.
There were the sounds of footsteps on the tarmac as two uniformed security guards came towards them. Behind she could see another four men expertly handling a long steel trolley. As they came closer she could see the unmistakeable outline of a coffin covered with the alternate universe's version of the United Kingdom flag. She tensed and tried to hold back the tidal wave of emotion that threatened to engulf her. Reality now rushed to surround her in its cold embrace.
One of the security guards approached, holding an official looking document. "Anyone here to collect the body of Ian Smith?" he said in a crisp cold manner.
"What?" whispered Rose in shock as her face drained of its entire colour.
"Ian Smith. Are you are a relation?" repeated the guard who was still looking at his paperwork. He finally raised his head to give her an annoyed look. "Well, do we leave him with you or not?"
Jack, seeing Rose was in shock answered for her. Angrily he marched up to the other man and berated him. "I suggest you put a little more respect into your voice or it just might be you inside a coffin." The young guard took a few steps back and mumbled an apology. "That's better," said Jack. "We're here to collect the body of John Smith also known as The Doctor. Is his coffin still on the zeppelin?"
"No, sir," answered the other man more respectfully. "We only had the one to deliver. As I said Ian Smith." He consulted his paperwork. "Brother of Torchwood Agent Miriam Smith, killed in action two weeks ago."
Panic clenched at Rose's stomach. This was a nightmare that far outweighed knowing the love of her life was dead. "Jack," she cried in despair.
Immediately he was there by her side. "Rose, Rose. It will be okay."
"Look, I'm sorry," began the security guard, "but I've got to go."
Jack turned around to face him. "Are you absolutely sure there is only the one body?"
"Most definitely. Me and Louie saw it loaded in Barcelona and we came on the zeppelin. Look, if you come with me, I can give you the number of my boss and of the Torchwood people in Spain."
"It would be a start," agreed Jack. "Rose, why don't we go inside and try to sort this out?"
"You go. I'll stay out here a little longer. Besides," she said quietly as she glanced at the coffin of Ian Smith. "I saw Miriam down in the waiting room. I'm sure she'll be up shortly but until then I'll stay here with Ian's coffin."
"Rose, I don't think …"
"Please, Jack. Just go. I promise not to lose it okay? Please don't worry about me."
"All right!" he replied before he followed the guard back inside the terminal. But Jack did worry and Rose not losing it was not okay. Her self control over this was incredible but he knew this was only the calm before the inevitable storm. He'd sort out this mess and then he'd be there for her as long as she needed him.
After Jack's departure Rose walked slowly over to the coffin. She'd met Ian Smith a couple of times at functions. He was a tall man so it seemed so surreal that he could fit into a wooden box of this size. But in death people usually seemed smaller. She tried not to think of her Doctor looking the same way. In fact she'd rather not see the body at all. She wanted to just remember him as she saw him last. On the day he left for this ill fated trip.
He wore jeans that day, the sexy tight ones she loved so much.
He had smiled cheekily at her when he noticed her noticing him.
"You'll be thinking about my bum the whole time I'm gone," he whispered in her ear.
She laughed at him then and ran her fingers through his hair, shot through with silver now but still wonderfully thick and tousled.
"Oi," he teased her in mock exasperation as he patted his hair back down in place. "Now, you've mussed it up."
"Oh, you," she said as she reached up to gently stroke a stray lock from his forehead. "You know how impatient you are on these flights. It'll be a mess by the time you get to Spain." He laughed back at her as he ran his hand through the side and arched his eyebrow at her in agreement.
He kissed her then, holding her close like he'd never let her go. "See you as soon as I can," he whispered lovingly in her ear. "When I get back, I'm going to hand in my notice and you and I can go anywhere we like. I promise I won't ever leave your side again." His handsome face with its beautiful smile was the last thing she saw as he left the departure lounge.
Rose felt the tears cascade down her face but now she did not care. After everything they'd been through it was cruel of fate and the universe to take him away from her and cut short that fantastic life they deserved.
She wrapped her arms around herself and sank to her knees on the tarmac. How could she go on without him? How could she live everyday knowing she'd never see him again? Never again hearing him call her name.
"Rose."
The sound floated on the breeze and she turned to look behind her. In her grief she saw him there, an image in her mind brought up in her urgency to see him one more time. It was Bad Wolf Bay all over again with him coming to say goodbye.
"Rose."
He called her name again and this time she answered him. "I'm here, Doctor. Just like I said I would be. What ever happens remember? I'm here. I know you can't stay but I don't want to say goodbye." Her tears were blinding her but still his image remained except … except she realised now he was in a wheelchair and that was odd. Why would he come to her like that?
There was a gentle touch on her face and she leaned into it, wondering how a vision could seem so real.
"Don't cry, love. I'm not a ghost or a projection. I really am here. I'm not dead. I'm very much alive and longing to kiss you." Strong arms pulled her into the beautifully familiar feel of his embrace while the lips she knew so well kissed her back to sanity.
"Doctor, my Doctor," she murmured against his lips. His arms were so tight around her she knew she'd have bruises the next day but she didn't care.
"My Rose," he answered while deepening the kiss. It had been too long since he'd had the chance to do this. He'd be damned if he was going to be rushed. Unfortunately reality had other plans.
"Typical! Just when I think I get my chance with Rose, you come swannin' back in."
Settling Rose in his lap the Doctor turned the wheelchair around to see Jack quickly covering the remaining distance between them. With a whoop of joy he hugged both Rose and the Doctor before asking somewhat cheekily where his kiss was.
"Ever the optimist, aren't you, Harkness?" replied the Doctor with a smile.
"Always," teased the Captain with equal joviality but shortly after his grin faded. He placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "Try not to do this to us ever again, Doc." Before he could change his mind Jack leaned forward and placed a kiss to the Doctor's forehead. A single tear slid down Jack's cheek. "Welcome home," he said. Moving back he waited for the words of disapproval but was surprised when none came. One look at the Doctor's face told Jack that he understood. Neither was a stranger when it came to losing people. Sensing their pain, Rose wrapped an arm around each man and hugged them both.
"What I want to know," asked Jack as they separated, "is what really happened? Jake told Rose you were shot. He said that you'd been confirmed dead by the doctors."
"It was the worst moment of my life," whispered Rose. "Even worse then being separated from you at Canary Wharf. At least back then I knew you were alive."
Her husband leaned in to kiss her lips and then her palm. "I'm sorry, love. To be honest I still can't believe what happened."
"Tell us," she begged.
"I will," he replied, "but it will have to wait for a bit. I think we're about to have company."
Rose rose from her husband's lap and glanced towards the doorway through which she had earlier entered. "I expect it will be Miriam," she said. Only seconds later her Torchwood co-worker appeared, crying openly. Miriam's sadness painfully pierced Rose's heart. She greeted Miriam and together with the Doctor expressed her sympathy.
When they had finished, Rose and the Doctor went back to Jack. "Mum insisted I be driven in the fancy town car." She looked at her husband with concern. "Do you think you'll be able to get in and out of it?"
Her husband chuckled. "I can walk Rose. I'm still regaining my strength but I'll be fine." Then quietly so Jack could not overhear, he murmured "believe me if I was capable of it I would make love to you right here, right now."
Rose grinned at him in response as her heart filled with joy, the pain of the last few hours slipping away into oblivion. "Save your strength, old man," she whispered back. "You're going to need it."
A saucy wink was his reply before he took her hand and at the same time requested Jack to push the wheelchair. At Rose's request, Dawn the security officer gave them access to a back exit and they reached their car unhindered by others.
The subject of the Doctor's death did not come up again until all three were comfortably ensconced in the familiar surroundings of Rose and the Doctor's home, drinking cups of delicious hot chocolate. Jack sat in one of the large armchairs while the other two curled up together on the sofa, limbs tangled together so tightly Jack wondered how they could possibly sip their drinks. Still, he thought, he wouldn't expect anything else after the pain and separation of the last few days.
"So I guess you want to know what happened," said the Doctor as he extricated one arm from Rose to put down his mug.
"Yes, please," replied Rose and Jack almost in unison.
"Well I'll give you the abridged version since it's late. You already know that I got shot and that I died. Well, I say died because for all intent and purpose I did. Two bullet wounds, lost a huge amount of blood and all my bodily functions shut down. No breathing, no neural pathways, nothing. That's what the medical reports said."
"Oh Doctor," cried Rose sadly, holding him tighter.
"It was so strange. One moment I was in the conference room. I remembered getting shot because the pain was so intense and then came the blackness and I knew nothing else. I felt nothing else. Then I woke up. I gave the person in the morgue one hell of a shock and he wasn't the only one."
"Bet you thought you must have regenerated?" announced Jack.
"Yes, you're right about that. I did at first, even though I know it's impossible. In any case there was a distinct lack of artron energy to suggest regeneration. That theory got discarded altogether once I found a mirror and saw that I hadn't changed. Actually I was quite grateful to see I was the same."
"Me too," murmured Rose. "I've gotten used to this face after all these years."
The Doctor gave his wife a quick kiss then continued his tale. "I had all the Torchwood medics in an uproar. They couldn't understand how I could be alive when all their medical knowledge said the opposite. Finally I asked them to let me speak to the alien who shot me, hoping he could shed some light on my miraculous resurrection.
"And did they," asked Jack.
"Oh yes, absolutely. It turns out that Buvror, that's the alien's name by the way, never intended to kill anyone. All he was hoping to do was to delay the chats a bit, you know cause some trouble etc. Rose, you remember in Romeo and Juliet how Juliet takes the potion?"
"Yes. She drinks it and everyone thinks she's dead, right?"
"Exactly. Well it seems that when Buvror tried to shoot the alien leader of the opposing side he knew that he wouldn't kill him, well not for long anyway. Just long enough to delay talks for a while. The alien would have recovered fairly quickly. Further investigation discovered that Buvror's weapon is an advanced version of Juliet's potion. Of course he hadn't expected me to get in the way either. Thankfully the effects of the weapon on a human are the same although it did take longer for me to become 'alive' again. Most likely the blood loss slowed down the whole process. It certainly fooled Spain's top Torchwood medics."
Rose still looked confused. In a tearful voice she asked him, "So why the secrecy, Doctor? Why didn't you or Jake let me know everything was okay?"
"I wasn't allowed to. Oh if you only knew how much I wanted to call you. Jake had already left on another mission. And it didn't matter to our new superiors that your father had once been a Director. They said that if word got out it might cause another diplomatic incident, one with more severe results then what had already occurred. Personally I just think they were afraid of being embarrassed professionally. Truthfully in some ways I'm glad they took that stand as it added another reason for me to resign. When we first came here I told you I'd never hold secrets from you again. I won't do that for anyone, especially Torchwood."
"You know what? I don't even care," Rose replied. "You're home now, with me and with our family. I love you and I just want to forget it ever happened."
The only reply the Doctor could give was to kiss her. In his mind he knew that forgetting wouldn't be all that easy for either of them but as long as they had each other nothing else mattered. "I love you too," he managed to say before kissing Rose again.
Jack smiled as he watched the two of them become more passionate with one another. They had totally forgotten about his presence. Any other time he would tease them about it but not tonight. He slipped from the room and left a note in the kitchen saying he was heading to Jackie's. As he was leaving he heard a low moan echoing from the direction of the living room. A soft laugh left his throat. All was right with the world once more.