The Doctor was recovering from his recent regeneration. And Moriarty knew this. Of course, Moriarty had to thank the cameras. It was all their doing. Nothing could have been hiding from Moriarty. He would see everything. Every little thing.
Moriarty sent a video to the flat, indicating that Rose had rented it from a video store. Jackie wasn't very into Rose's things - especially not a little thing such as a video - and was trying to help her daughter take care of the Doctor. Jackie set the video on Rose's bed and left the flat to get some groceries. Mickey, who had stayed with Rose to watch the Doctor, left to 'get some fresh air' and told Rose that he would come back in an hour.
Having been left alone with a recovering Doctor, Rose sat on the edge of her bed. It was all too exhausting for her. Sure, just watching someone was all right, but watching the Doctor was not. Anything could have happened. Aliens could have swarmed Earth and there would be no one to save them unless some kind of miracle happened. The Doctor hadn't shown any signs of waking up. All he did was slept. The blonde pulled her hair back into a ponytail and looked at the case. The cover itself was blank, it wasn't decorated with anything. Just whiteness. She turned the case over and checked its spine. Nothing. No title, no description, nothing.
She got up with the video case in her hand, examining it with intense eyes. Rose paced around the room and finally opened the case, revealing a disc. A blank disc. Not like those DVD discs where they had the title somewhere and maybe a photo. Nope. Not a single word. "That's stupid. Must've been low-budgeted," Rose told herself as she took the disc from the tray and walked forward to the television. She put the disc in the DVD player and pressed play, intrigued as to what the disc contained.
The screen flickered for a few seconds before it became clear. On the screen, Moriarty was reading a book. He sat casually on a wooden stool, the book rested on his lap, and he had a pair of glasses. Behind Moriarty had a row of trees. Simple, as if they were created by a child. The grass was tall and green, the background was covered gray. No clouds in sight, and no sun. Moriarty's still reading silently to himself until he caught a glimpse of the camera facing him. When he did, Moriarty closed the book and set it on the ground. He clapped his hands and grinned brightly. "Hullo!"
Rose looked to her left, then to her right. "What…?" She furrowed her brows and looked back at the screen, confusion on her face. "H-Hi?" It was silly. Talking to the screen. The young adult didn't know what overcame her to reply to it. Though, when she heard her name from the man, her eyes widened. She grew attentive and even more baffled. "What?"
His grin broadened and Moriarty took off his glasses and held them in one hand. "Would you like to hear a story? Oh, don't bother asking! Of course you do!" He said in a cheerful tone, almost as if he were talking to a child. "I'm sure you'll love my story, sweet Rose. Children do, and you're nothing but a child."
She made a face and opened her mouth to say that she wasn't a child, but immediately stopped herself. She didn't want to argue with a man through a screen. He wouldn't have heard her anyway. Rose gulped and sat on the bed.
"This is the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but it's not the average story you heard when you were a child. Oh, no. Nothing like that!" Moriarty laughed gleefully and continued, "No, no. You see, my stories are different. That's why kids love them. Now, off with the story. Long ago, there once was a girl named Little Red. She was so dreadfully normal, and I do mean dreadfully normal! She lived in a small village with her mum. And you're probably asking, 'What about her dad?' You see, dear, Little Red's father died. A horse stomped on him to death. Isn't that sad?" Moriarty wept in a feign manner, sniffling and muttering 'boo-hoo.' "But that's a story to be told another day!" His voice was still happy. "Anywho, Little Red lived in a small village with her mum. She had a few friends. She worked very, very hard to keep her home. They were a very poor family. But enough with the back-story. Shall we continue?"
Another gulp from Rose. She didn't like this video. It made her feel like a child. And the expression that Moriarty gave toward the camera made her uneasy. She didn't like it at all. But Rose kept still as the video rolled on.
"One day, her mum told her that Little Red's grandmother was very sick and she needed to send Granny a basket of fruits, cake, and a bottle of magic liquid to keep her lively and well! Little Red's grandmother lived in another village and Red had to cross a forest to get there. Don't you think that's spooky? Anything can happen in the forest!" He made a concerned face and gasped in horror. After a couple seconds of silence, Moriarty continued with the story, "Now, Little Red was a fearless child and she didn't let all those bad thoughts invade her head! As she went through the woods, Little Red met another girl. The girl looked exactly like her but she was… different. Not in appearance, no, but in projection. Unlike Red, this other girl looked very sly. The way she walked, it was elegant. And let me tell you a secret that Little Red didn't know! The other girl, let's call her Bad Wolf, was actually… you guessed it! A wolf! She could change into a wolf! How neat was that?"
"This is stupid," Rose muttered out, now annoyed with the video. For what reason? It was away from her grasp. The blonde didn't turn off the television, though. Even though she was irritated with the story this man had been telling her, Rose was also eager to know more. It didn't seem like the regular fairy tale you would hear, and that made her curious. She fidgeted.
On the screen, Moriarty glided a hand - the one that didn't hold his glasses - over his hair. "And Bad Wolf wanted to eat Little Red up, but couldn't in fear that the woodcutters around the forest would hear! So instead, Bad Wolf asked Red where she was going and she notified Wolf about going to visit her grandmother's. 'Does she live far from here?' said Bad Wolf, and Little Red replied, 'Oh, no. Her house is just past this wood, the first house of the village!' And then Bad Wolf and Little Red made a bet. A bet to see who could visit Granny's home the quickest. Wolf took the shortcut and ran as fast as she could! In the middle of the run, she had turned into her wolf form. A wolf! Now, that isn't quite fair! Little Red strolled about the forest and gathered all kinds of things. Nuts, berries, flowers. Bad Wolf arrived at Granny's house and knocked at the door. Granny asked who it was and Wolf, in her best Little Red voice, said it was her granddaughter. Granny told her to come in and Wolf did. She then ate Granny up and got into her bed. She dressed herself in Granny's clothes and waited for Little Red. And just in time, too!"
She continued looking intently at the screen.
"Little Red was just outside the home. Red knocked and informed it was her. Bad Wolf told her to come in, just as Granny did moments ago. She told Red to put the basket on the stool and instructed the girl to come in bed with her."
Rose fidgeted more as her uneasiness expanded. She wasn't interested in the story any longer. She wondered how this man knew her. The name Bad Wolf was too secretive. There were only a handful of people that knew about the events; though, she came to the conclusion that since the words were painted over London, one would eventually notice it. But she knew what it meant. The Doctor knew what it meant. And they were the only two that knew the meaning behind it. How could this storyteller know about it? Or… did he know at all? Was he just teasing her with names?
"Little Red commented on Granny's arms, legs, ears, and eyes. Wolf, in the guise of Red's grandmother, made up excuses. Now, Rose, don't make up silly excuses like Bad Wolf, all right?" He laughed wholeheartedly. "Then, Little Red commented on Wolf's teeth," Moriarty's voice grew deeper and sinister, "and Wolf said, 'All the better to eat you up with!' and gobbled Red up!" His voice turned even deeper. "The Wolf, satisfied with her meal, fell asleep. A woodcutter came near the home and heard the Wolf snoring. He went into the home and saw Bad Wolf. The woodcutter assumed, by Wolf's belly, that Wolf ate someone! Oh, what a smart woodcutter!" Moriarty returned to his old, happy tone. "So, the woodcutter, let's name him John… John Smith? Yes, yes. John took a knife and cut the wolf's belly. He saw Little Red, but there was no sign of Granny!"
John Smith? Rose knew something was up, but she didn't know what.
"He took Red out of the wolf's belly and the two stuffed rocks into Bad Wolf's insides. Red stitched her up and when Bad Wolf woke up, she was scared to see both John and Red! Wolf was so frightened, she turned back to her human form and tried to run. But the stones were so heavy, she couldn't carry it, and she died after the rocks damaged her organs. The woodcutter then proclaimed himself as a hunter. Because he killed a wolf? Oh, silly John! Anywho, he comforted Red at the loss of her grandmother, but it wasn't enough." Moriarty took a long pause.
As the pause lengthened, Rose bit her lip. Even more questions attacked her mind. One had to deal with the woodcutter's name. John Smith. She knew it wasn't a coincidence. Sure, that name was popular, but having put things together, Rose knew this was anything but a coincidence.
The pause ended and Moriarty resumed with the story. "Little Red didn't see John as the woodcutter. She didn't see him as the huntsman, either. No! She saw him as the man that could have saved her grandmother from Bad Wolf. But he didn't. He was too late. So, Red returned home, afraid to enter the woods and of John. Little Red's fear grew into hatred because of the loss of her grandmother. It was like she blamed John for it. And guess what? He deserved it," he cleared his throat, "she wouldn't trust him. That would be the last time she would affiliate herself with a stranger. Death would follow," Moriarty frowned, but his smile returned, and said, "The end!"
Just when Rose leaned over to take the disc out, the man on the screen told her not to and said that he wasn't done yet. She obeyed.
"Rose, you are Little Red. And you are Bad Wolf. Do you know who the woodcutter was?" He didn't wait for Rose to answer. "You guessed it! The Doctor! And like the woodcutter, he will try to save people, but end in failure… but you knew that, didn't you? You've seen what he can do, what he's capable of. Now, Rose-Red, if I were you, I'd stay away from him. You don't know what he'll do next. He may try to be the hero, but he's nothing special! He isn't a hero! Be careful around him. Ta-ta!" And the screen flickered until it turned black.
Rose, even more confused than ever, took the disc out and put it back in the DVD tray. "That was weird." She tossed the case on her bed and rushed to the Doctor's room. He was still asleep. Her hazel eyes filled with sorrow and a tinge of fear. Moriarty's video was getting to her. Rose never told him about it. What Moriarty said was true, however. She didn't know what else the Doctor could do. And she's seen quite a bit of his ability.
But it didn't stop her from having faith in the Doctor. Yes, she would be afraid of him at times, especially when he got angry, but Rose stayed faithful to the Time Lord.
Moriarty's plan didn't work on Rose. Or did it? She evaluated her life decisions and knew that bad things would happen, but she remained by the Doctor's side. Moriarty did accomplish something, not what he had hoped for, but he was satisfied with it. Rose Tyler experienced fear. The same fear she had when she first met the Doctor. And she was uncertain to trust the new Doctor, even if she went along with his plans. In the end, she had her heart smashed into a bunch of pieces. Well, the Doctor always left his friends with broken hearts.