Disclaimer: Oh my goodness, the response and support for this story has been phenomenal! I'm so glad you all enjoyed the first chapter! I hope you all enjoy this one as well. I don't own anything.
"I don't know what you're talking about. He gave me the same amount of attention as he gave everyone else," Rose huffed as she and Martha made their way to their dorm room.
Martha scoffed. "Please. Did you even notice the way he looked at you? And the way he called your name; it was like he knew you or something."
Rose exhaled deeply, "Why are we even still talking about this? Let's talk about the class we just had."
"Yeah, that professor was sort of… weird, don't you think?" Martha asked as she reached into her bag and pulled out the building key.
"Professor Harold Saxon," Rose impersonated the pretentious way their teacher had introduced himself at the beginning of class. "I swear I didn't think someone could spend the entire hour and a half talking about themselves."
Harold Saxon was teaching their government class. Another requirement Martha and Rose chose to take together. He'd spent the entire first class talking about his love for politics and law. He spent about 30 minutes going on about his desire to run for Prime Minister in the future.
Rose and Martha had rolled their eyes halfway through his speech. They could tell already that this wasn't going to be a fun class.
As they made their way up the four flights of stairs, they opened the door to their floor, almost running into someone. The abrupt encounter had caused the person to drop a few papers from their hands.
"Donna!" Rose exclaimed as she and Martha bent down to pick up the papers. "We're so sorry."
Donna Noble laughed and retrieved her papers from the girls. "Pish-posh. No harm. I'm on my way out to rehearsal, but later today come visit me. I want to hear how your first day of classes went."
They said their goodbyes and Rose smiled fondly. Donna was Rose's Resident Assistant. In fact, she had been her RA for the last 3 years. Rose and her roommates loved the woman; but granted, it was hard not to love the red head. She was loud and boisterous and didn't take any crap. And when she cared about someone, she protected them with all her might. Donna was older than the rest of them, having just celebrated her 30th birthday. She told Rose that after she graduated school, she didn't really know what she wanted to do with her life. So she became a secretary. But she hated being a secretary and felt like she had just wasted 5 years of her life. So she went back to school, and now she was a computer specialist and a graduate student. But according to Donna, her real love was theater. Rose and her roommates loved watching her perform. Right now she was working on Much Ado About Nothing. She'd gotten the lead female: Beatrice. Rose couldn't wait to see her performance.
Rose and Martha opened the door to their dorm room to find one of their roommates making lunch.
"Oh my god, Clara. That smells incredible," Martha raved as she sat her books down and ran over to stand over Clara's shoulder.
Clara smiled, always touched by her roommate's appreciation of her cooking. Which she mostly did, as she enjoyed it the most. "Thank you, Martha. But they're just fish and chips. How were your classes this morning?"
"Boring," Rose answered as she took a seat at the table. She pulled out her phone to see if she had any missed calls. None. Not that many people called her, but she thought for sure her mother or boyfriend would contact her sometime during the day. "One teacher was a loon and the other was a narcissist. How was your class, Clara?"
She shrugged. "Boring as well. Just first day nonsense. Getting to know each other and going over the syllabus."
Clara Oswald was Rose's age and she was studying as an education major, though she currently worked as a part time nanny. The petite brunette served as sort of the "mother" of the dorm; she was responsible and could easily switch between playful and serious when she needed to. She and Martha were the two who kept the girls on task most of the time, something that Rose definitely appreciated at times – no matter how annoying it could be. Martha and Rose had met Clara their first year. She lived on the same floor as them, and they spent a lot of time together. So when Rose and Martha decided to get an apartment style dorm the following year, they asked Clara to move in with them.
Clara set the four plates on the table just as the fourth member of their group opened the door and walked through.
"Thank god I'm home. I'm starving! Ooo, fish fingers! Yum!" Amy announced as she threw her stuff to the ground and tackled her plate.
The red-headed was dressed in a police outfit, and Rose couldn't contain her laughter.
"Amy, what are you wearing?" Rose asked between laughs.
She looked down at her clothes and rolled her eyes. "It's my new job. I'm a kiss-o-gram."
"When did you decide to start that job?" Martha asked.
"Um… this morning. There was a booth!"
Clara chuckled. "So what do you do? Go around kissing people all day?"
Amy shrugged. "Basically."
"And what's the ridiculous outfit for?" Rose asked as she began to eat the delicious chips.
"It goes with the little rhyme I have to recite."
"What does Rory think about you going around kissing strangers all morning?" Martha asked.
Amy blushed. "He doesn't know yet. But it's a job! And I need the money."
Amy Pond and Rory Williams had been dating since high school, but were friends since they were little. Amy was from Scotland and moved when she was young, but never lost her accent. She was 20 years old, same age as Martha. And while the other three girls all had majors and goals they were striving towards, Amy was still undecided. She hated talking about her future because frankly, she had no idea what she wanted to do with it. The only thing she had a passion for was art, both creating and appreciating it.
Martha, Rose, and Clara met Amy through Rory, who worked in the hospital with Martha at the time. They had both been transporters and developed a common friendship. When they met Amy, they were going into their second year of college and needed someone to fill in their fourth roommate spot. Amy willingly agreed to move in, completing their small haven of friends. The four of them got along swimmingly. They took turns with the chores and cooking, and they were always considerate of each other's school and work schedules.
Rose felt like they were a tight knit family, especially when Donna and Rory were over. She made a mental note to invite Jack over this Sunday for one of their weekly family dinners. She giggled thinking about how Donna would adore Jack, especially after she finds out his love for theater.
The girls finished their meals and began to clean up. Rose and Amy on the dishes while Martha cleaned off the stove. Clara only had to wipe down the table since she was the one who did the cooking. And that's usually how breakfast, lunch, and dinner went about in the dorm.
And then they were off. Clara and Martha went off to work, Clara dropping Martha off at the hospital before she went to the Maitland's house to take care of Angie and Artie. Amy and Rose still had classes, and they began to walk together.
Rose enjoyed Amy's company because she was always energetic and fun; something Rose definitely needed at the time. She and Rose were usually the trouble makers in the group. Not that they looked for trouble, but somehow things always seemed to go a different way than they had planned. One time Amy was taking an art appreciation class and she had to do a project on Jackson Pollock. So she decided to create a painting that represented his drip and splatter abstract painting style. Rose had offered to help, and they got a large canvas and laid out enough towels and plastic covers to protect the entire living room. And yet, somehow, between their throwing paint on the canvas and laughter – they managed to turn the paint on each other. Clara and Martha returned home to find a multicolored Rose and Amy laying in a mess of paint, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.
"So, how are things going with Mickey?" Amy asked as they made their way across campus.
Mickey Smith was Rose's on-and-off again boyfriend. He lived back home, and Rose didn't see much of him during the semesters. He worked in a garage at a local auto shop down the road from their apartments. He hadn't had any interest in going to college; and teased Rose relentlessly for it when she'd started classes. The two knew each other for as long as Rose could remember; their mothers were neighbors. Mickey had been Rose's best friend for as long as she could remember, and one day a teacher commented that they made a cute couple. After that, they started dating because frankly, everyone said that they should. They weren't perfect; but she loved him through everything. Even if their relationship was getting slightly mundane and predictable.
Rose shrugged. "The same. We've been together for so long, nothing really exciting ever happens."
"Have you guys been doing better since last semester?"
Amy was referring to their spat over Chris. Mickey had been jealous when all of Rose's stories consisted of adventures and talks between her and Chris. But after his death, Mickey had been surprisingly supportive during her grieving. He was still her friend, despite their romantic relationship. And if was in these moments that Rose was reminded of that and appreciated it.
But her time with Chris had changed her perspective of their relationship. She found excitement and passion in her time spent with Chris, something she hadn't experienced in a very long time. It made her question her relationship with Mickey.
"Better. I'm just not sure if things are the same anymore. Everything has sort of fallen into this simple routine. I love him, I do. And we've been on and off again so many times that it just feels like we should be together because it's what we're supposed to do. Do you have any of these problems with Rory? I know you guys have been together for a long time." she asked as Amy listened intently.
Amy thought, but shook her head. "We also grew up together; but I never thought of him as anything more than a friend. Then one day, my best friend Mels said that we should be together. To be honest, I laughed at the very idea. I thought Rory was gay because he'd never shown any interest in girls," she said with a chuckle. "To which he quickly corrected me. Then he told me that he was only interested in one girl. And in that moment – something in me clicked. It wasn't that we should be together because we were supposed to; it was that we should be together because, well, how could we not? We may get into little spats and I may call him stupid face, but I love him. And I may be a tad flirtatious and kiss people for money," Rose giggled, "but there's never been any question that he's the one I would choose time and time again. And even though he complains that I don't want to get married soon, I honestly believe that he would wait forever for me."
Rose smiled for her friend. She thought about how her words compared to her own relationship. And a part of her felt guilty, because the fact was that she just didn't feel that confidently about their relationship. She believed if she asked Mickey to wait for her, he would – but not forever. And honestly, she didn't want anyone to wait for her. Her relationship with Mickey had been fun and sweet whenever they first got together, but somewhere along the way it began to get dull and boring.
A somber smile crept across her lips as she and Amy got to the point where they would part.
They said their goodbyes, and Rose entered the all too familiar history building. She found the proper room number and sat in the front row out of habit.
She had to consciously remind herself to breathe. As the room began to fill up, Rose noticed a few familiar faces. But she simply gave them a friendly smile, as she was in no mood to start up a conversation.
Is this even a good idea? Rose thought as she pondered on whether she should get up and leave. She still had a few days to opt out of taking the class. She could take a semester break from filling her history minor requirements. A semester to get her bearings and prepare herself a little better. And maybe get to the point where she wasn't expecting Chris to walk through the doors and start class.
In that moment, the doors opened.
Rose held her breath as she waited to see who it was that was walking through the door, but a couple of students standing in front of her blocked her view.
"Hello class!" Wait, she recognized that voice. "My name is John Smith, and welcome to Greek and Roman History!"
Rose felt like laughing, whether out of joy, exhaustion, or irony, she didn't know. Sure, she liked Professor Smith when he had introduced himself in her prior class. But now he was on sensitive turf.
"Before I begin, I'd like to announce that I have taken over this class for Professor Chris Smith, as well as a few of his other classes. To all of you who knew him, I extend my condolences. I admired Chris greatly and will do my best to fill in his shoes," he smiled solemnly. Rose felt her heart swell slightly as she bit her lip to restrain her tears. He cleared his throat and pulled out his glasses. "This class will mainly go over the history of Rome and Greece, and a majority of that goes along with Roman and Greek mythology. The first project will be due as your midterm, so start thinking about it now. Everyone will have to complete a paper about a major Roman or Greek icon, either human or god, and do a presentation."
Rose tried to distract herself by thinking about some of her favorite icons. Zeus was too obvious, as well as some of the more well known gods and goddesses. Maybe the Odyssey or the Golden Apple. Hercules or Jason and the Argonauts.
She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts she missed most of the names called during role. She only started paying attention when her own name was called and she jumped in surprise to attention.
"Rose Tyler," he called, again, with a large smile. This time he didn't have to wait for her to raise her hand, he knew exactly where to find her. "Good to see you again."
Rose smiled, but again she felt a bit uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her. What is his deal? she thought. It wasn't like they had met before today – had they? She would have remembered him; that she definitely knew.
Professor Smith finished calling the rest of the names and went over the syllabus slightly. With a good 15 minutes still left of class, he decided to let everyone out early.
"Rose," he called over to her as she got up to leave. "Can you hang back for a little while?"
She nodded, and that small grade school part of her panicked. Not that she thought she was in trouble or anything, but it was instinct to worry whenever your teacher asks for you to stay after class.
As the students began to exit the room, Rose made her way towards the front.
He smiled fondly as he sat on the edge of the desk, crossing his arms. "Rose Tyler," he repeated happily.
"Excuse me," she began, creasing her brow. "Have we met? Because the way you've been acting sort of indicates that we've met before but I can't seem to recall."
"Oh no, no," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "We haven't met. Well, we have – but that was earlier in class. Before that, no. No, we haven't met."
Rose felt exhausted listening to him talk frantically.
"I've just heard a lot about you. Good things. You're a journalism major, right? History minor?" Rose nodded. "You're quite popular amongst the history professors here. It's an honor to finally have you in one of my classes. I understand that Chris was somewhat of a mentor to you, and I can see how difficult this class might be for you. So I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anyone to talk to or assistance in anything, I'll be here. I'm also the Head of the History Department; so if you need any help with your classes or academia, I just wanted to establish a bit of an open communication."
Rose smiled, but Professor Smith noticed it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm flatter, professor. I am. But I'm good. I appreciate your kind words and your offer, but I don't need any of your help. Thank you."
She left the classroom a bit brash. She was rude; she'd never been that rude to a professor before. Especially when the professor was just being helpful.
But she felt like he was trying to take over Chris's place as her mentor; and she just could allow that. After getting so close to a teacher once and having them ripped away, she wasn't sure she could go through that again. So she'd keep him at a distance. Strictly academic. It wouldn't matter how nice he was or how charming – and it definitely wouldn't matter how cute he was, or how many adorable freckles he had. She'd keep her distance.
Rose opened the door to the building – and it was raining hard. She groaned, having forgotten her umbrella in her room. And since the class had been released early, there weren't any busses that'd be coming to this building yet. She sighed, ready to take a step out –
When suddenly she feels someone grab her hand. She looked to her side and saw Professor Smith; he gripped her hand tightly and yelled "Run!"
So she let him pull her out into the storm, running towards the parking lot. He directed her to a bright blue car, holding the passenger open for her. Rose was a bit hesitant, having learned not to get into cars with mad men she'd just met.
Professor Smith rolled his eyes and yelled for her to get in so he could give her a ride before she caught a cold. So she jumped in the car while he ran to the other side and got in himself.
They sat there for a few seconds, catching their breath. Rose was soaked. Her jeans, her pink jacket, and her white tank underneath. She ran her hands through her drenched, chest length, blonde hair to no avail.
She looked over at Professor Smith, who began taking off his trench coat. Underneath, his suit was only slightly damp. He threw his coat on the floor of his back seat and muttered something about getting it dry cleaned. He ran in hand through his hair, and Rose giggled.
Professor Smith looked over at her curiously, but smiled.
She pointed to his hair, "You know, you should wear your hair like that all the time."
John looked in his review mirror at his hair. "With it all sticking up and crazy looking? That's not very professional."
"Well, I think it looks good," she complimented. "Much better than how it looked earlier."
"Oi! I worked hard on that hair style!"
Rose chuckled, "No offense, but you looked a bit emo with it pushed downward and all. Put that hair gel to good use and style it like that. It works on you."
Rose noticed John blush a bit. Rose shivered, and John turned up the heat slightly. Then he began driving. Rose directed him to her dorm as she began to unzip her jacket. The cold, wet fabric was sticking to her and she just needed to get rid of it.
She noticed John look over at her, then do a double take when he noticed she'd taken off her jacket.
Did he just check me out? she thought. No, there's no way he just checked me out. He's my teacher.
John cleared his throat before asking for more directions. It was either her imagination, or he was physically trying not to look at her.
Rose felt her cheeks flush just considering the possibility.
Finally, he pulled to the front of her dorm building. Rose quickly pulled on her still soaked jacket and grabbed her bag.
"Thank you, Professor Smith" she said to John before she reached for the door, ready to make a break for it through the rain. "I appreciate the ride."
John smiled and nodded; and for the first time since Rose had met the man, he seemed to be at a loss for words.
"DarkKnightsPrincess: Oooooooh, this is looking very promising! I'm liking the friendship between Rose and Martha and Jack. I feel like they will be the three musketeers. :) Not liking Reinette. Never have liked her ever, but we'll see how things with her go. :) And it seems good ol' Mr. Smith may've pulled the regenerate card, cause he seems to know Rose really well already. :) I'm looking forward to seeing more soon! Keep up the good work! :)" Thank you! :) I hope you'll also like the friendship between Rose and the rest of the companions! I'm also not a huge fan of Reinette, though her character here is a little different than the one from the episode. She's just a good character to make as a rival for Rose, especially since I didn't want any of the other companions to be put in that position. And unfortunately Nine and Ten are separate people, but there's definitely a reason why John knows so much about Rose that will be extended on later. But I'm glad you enjoy it so far! :)
"DreamingxAloud: I LOVE this! I was grinning like an idiot at all the references you put in! Brilliant, please continue :)" I love including references to the original stories in my own stories! I feel so sneaky when I do it lol but I feel like it makes a smoother connection. And thank you! :)
"ImagineDaydreams: I can already say with all honesty that I love this story! I mean, the plot is original, you manage to put in so many references in just the first chapter, and Ten and Rose are my OTP sooo...ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Aha, keep up the great work! Update soon! :)" Ahh I'm so honored! There will definitely continue to be more references in the following chapters. Rose and Ten are definitely one of my top two OTPs! So I will try to do them justice! :)
"rotanrm: Love this! New fav fic! Haha I really like the new teeth reference! Can't wait for the next chapter! Ship rose x Martha x jack friendship!" Haha I just had to include Ten's first words to Rose! Lol. And I'm so honored! I hope you'll enjoy all of the companion's friendships, but yes, I had tons of fun writing Rose, Martha, and Jack together!
"Dede42: Darn it! You got me hook! Update soon! Geronimo!" Haha I'm so happy to see you here! We seem to have the same interest in so many TV shows and characters! Lol. I hope you like this story! I'm working on the others as we speak.
"Dreamcatcher49: lovely start even with the appearance of Reinette; very much worth the read and look forward to update." Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you like this chapter too! :)
"BadWolfIsComing: i am really liking the story so far! keep going :)" Thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time and telling me. I hope you enjoy the rest :)
"whoa (Guest): i really hope this isnt a one-shot bc honey this fanfic is perfect" Definitely not a one-shot, there will definitely be more! I already have the story mapped out, it'll be quite a few chapters long! And thank you! :) I'm so glad you are enjoying it!