Chapter Two: Swinging London
"I need somewhere to take Rose to make up," the Doctor muses to Jack from his lounging position in the control room.
Jack raises an eyebrow. "What sort of place are we talking?"
"Fun," the Doctor says. "She likes dancing. Somewhere you can come and not feel like a lemon."
"Oi!" Jack chucks the first thing that comes to hand at the Doctor.
It just happens to be the sonic screwdriver. The Doctor catches it deftly between his palms. Then strokes it lovingly to check it is alright.
Jack rolls his eyes and continues. "Well I know just the place. Set the old girl…the TARDIS not Rose," he corrects seeing the look the Doctor is giving him, "to 1963. I know a little club…"
One hour and twenty-seven minutes after entering the wardrobe Jack re-emerges wearing a pair of tight hugely flared jeans and a blue shirt undone at the collar.
The Doctor raises an eyebrow. "It took you that long to choose that? And where's Rose?"
Jack just hooks his thumbs into his brown leather belt and grins at him.
Forty-five minutes after this they hear the sound of footsteps coming down the corridor. The Doctor looks up from the book he is reading and his mouth drops open. Jack grins beside him. Rose steps carefully across the grating wearing a pair of knee length white PVC boots, and a mini dress printed in black and white squares. On her head is a black baker boy cap, and her face is artfully made up with pale lips and sooty eyes.
Rose smiles and does a little twirl. "You like?"
"Finally decided!" Jack laughs. "You took forever."
The Doctor is still staring at her, his book forgotten in his hand. "Polly…" he mutters.
Rose frowns and folds her arms. "Who the hell is Polly?"
"Err…Old friend. From the sixties." He jumps to his feet. "Forget I said anything." He waves the sonic screwdriver at her head. "Shazam! Okay all forgotten. You coming?" He jogs to the door. "You look gorgeous by the way."
"Aren't you changing?" Rose asks deciding that she would rather not ruin the night by being jealous.
The Doctor gestures to his shoes. He has blue converse on instead of white. "I changed my shoes. And did my hair."
Rose squints at it. It is maybe a little different. Jack laughs at her expression.
"Hey his 'I've been waiting two hours and I'm so bored' act shouldn't fool you. He took ages to sort his hair out. He's really as vain as me!"
The Doctor just snorts and opens the door. "Welcome to the swinging sixties!"
Jack pushes past the Doctor and grins at them. "Good thing I got transport."
The Doctor and Rose exchange a look and then follow Jack.
Jack goes to a wooden garage door and unlocks it. He pulls the doors open with a flourish. "Tada!"
"Wow!" Rose breathes. "Is that yours?"
"Yeah. You like her?"
"She's perfect."
The Doctor is hovering near the driver's door, nearly hopping from foot to foot. He is positively itching to get behind the wheel.
"I'm driving!" he finally blurts out and holds his hand out to Jack for the keys.
Jack raises one eyebrow. "No. For once I'm driving." He strokes his hand across the Union Jack roof of the purple mini. He nods at it. "Shame you haven't got that t-shirt on to match." He grins at Rose and pats the mini again lovingly. The late evening sunlight gleams off the chrome trims. It reminds her of the Doctor stroking the TARDIS.
"Can you even drive?" Rose asks the Doctor.
"Yes!" he protests hotly. "I didn't crash my scooter did I?"
Jack darts past the Doctor and dives into the driver's seat. Rose skips towards the passenger door. The Doctor glares at her.
"Oi you! In the back!"
Rose just laughs and scrambles into the backseat.
Jack starts the mini's engine and looks over his shoulder at Rose. "Now you shall cruise to the surprise in true sixties style."
She laughs and leans forwards, chattering away, trying to wheedle out of Jack exactly where it is that they are going. The Doctor stares out of the window at the buildings flashing past. Rose pokes him in the shoulder.
"Stop sulking."
"I'm not." He leans his head back on the seat to look at her.
"Yeah you are," but she links her arms around his neck. "Where are you taking me Doctor?"
"Not telling."
She looks at Jack who just grins. "I'm not telling either."
The Doctor leans on the bar and sips his pint. Ahh he's missed English beer. He turns and surveys the heaving inside of the Belle Loup Club. Only Jack could have brought them here. He loosens his tie in the stuffy heat. The club is in a basement, so is all bare brickwork and hidden niches. Perfect for a secret liaison. His eyes automatically seek out the bobbing blonde head of Rose. She is dancing closely with Jack. The Doctor feels an icy finger of jealousy stroke at his stomach. Jack himself is attracting glances from the other girls dancing, but so far he only has eyes for Rose. The Doctor takes another sip of his beer and keeps his eyes on the pair. Its not that he doesn't trust Jack…well part of him doesn't. It's been a year. Things change. His girl came back from the dead and Jack found her first. He can hear Rose's words echoing in his head.
"How come you never came for me? Jack managed it. By accident!"
The Doctor can't help but be a bit put out by the man laughing in Rose's ear. He drains his pint rather more quickly than is entirely sensible and pushes through the crowd to her side.
"Can I cut in?"
"Okay gorgeous," Jack says grinning wickedly at him.
"Enough of that! He's mine!" Rose chides him snuggling against the Doctor's chest.
Jack sticks his tongue out at her. The Doctor just rolls his eyes.
Suddenly there is a flurry of mad excitement down the far end of the club towards the stage. Four young men have walked onto the stage and the screaming girls reach a cacophony.
"Is that…?" Rose gapes.
"Yeah," Jack grins widely.
"Oh my god!" Rose starts screaming and jumping up and down for a better view.
The Doctor leans over and yells in her ear. "I couldn't give you Elvis so will this do?"
"Yes! Yes!"
He winces as she screams into his ear.
The band have introduced themselves despite no one being able to hear them, and start playing.
"Oh yeah, I'll tell you something
I think you'll understand
When I'll say that something."
The Doctor grabs hold of her hand and grins at her.
"Should've been our song!" she yells at him.
He just smiles rather stupidly at her and sings along with the band. "I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
Oh please, say to me
You'll let me be your man
And please, say to me
You'll let me hold your hand
I'll let me hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
And when I touch you I feel happy
Inside
It's such a feeling that my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide
Yeah, you've got that something
I think you'll understand
When I'll say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
And when I touch you I feel happy
Inside
It's such a feeling that my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide
Yeah, you've got that something
I think you'll understand
When I'll feel that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand."
Jack looks over at them, grins and grabs the Doctor's other hand. The Doctor looks at him. Rose is laughing.
"I couldn't resist," the other man says. "You just kept telling me you wanted to!"
The Doctor laughs. "You are incorrigible aren't you?"
Jack fixes him with his best sexy eyed look. "You like it."
The Doctor laughs loudly and leaves his hand where it is with only a roll of his eyes.
The hand reaches out and grabs Rose and drags her into the dark alcove. She suppresses a shriek as the Doctor presses his hand over her mouth and ssshh's her, eyes twinkling.
He lowers his hand.
"What are you do…" she starts but is cut off abruptly when his lips meet hers.
The kiss is drunken but that doesn't stop her wrapping her arms around his neck. They finally break apart, panting slightly.
"Wow," Rose gasps softly.
The Doctor grins. "Had to make up somehow didn't I?" Rose can hear the slightest slur to his words.
"How much did you have to drink?"
"Why?"
"You taste like a brewery."
The Doctor shrugs. "I like English beer…and English Roses." He kisses her energetically.
"Doctor?"
"Yeah," he growls, trying to kiss her neck. His right hand is somewhere on her thigh under the hem of her mini dress and heading northwards.
"We'd…better get…back to…to the TARDIS…" she gasps.
He looks so disappointed all of a sudden that Rose feels bad.
"There you are!"
They look round at Jack. The Doctor gives him a fierce look that tells him what he interrupted.
Jack grins. "Just take her to bed Doctor."
The Doctor's mouth drops open.
Jack holds his hand out to Rose. "Door key please."
She fishes in her white PVC handbag and places it in his palm.
"I'll let myself in later. Have fun Rose." He winks and disappears again.
They look at one another and the Doctor grabs her hand. Suddenly they feel like teenagers whose parents are away for the night. They run giggling for the door.
"Damn!" The Doctor bangs his hands down on the Union Jack-ed roof of the mini. "Jack's got the keys!"
"Its miles! I don't want to walk, my feet hurt from dancing!" Rose pouts. "And don't hit Milly!"
"Milly?"
"The car! Jack named her."
"Typical!" The Doctor scoffs then grins and grabs hold of her. He twirls her and starts singing; "Last night I said these words to my girl
I know you never even try girl
Come on, come on, come on, come on,
Please please me oh yeah like I please you.
You don't need me to show the way love
Why do I always have to say love
Come on, come on, come on, come on,
Please please me oh yeah like I please you."
Rose laughs and lets herself be foxtrotted along the pavement.
A gaggle of girls, all in knee length boots and mini skirts, walk past and giggle, eyeing the Doctor appreciatively.
He turns, sings at them,
"I don't want to sound complaining
But you know there's always rain in my heart.
I do all the pleasing with you
It's so hard to reason with you.
Oh yeah why do you make me blue."
Last night I said these words to my girl," He looks back at Rose and grins. "Come on, come on, come on, come on,
Please please me oh yeah like I please you - you." He ends with a flourish. "I can't help myself," he admits.
Rose hops up and sits on the bonnet of the mini, her feet resting lightly on the bumper. The Doctor bounds over to her and kisses Rose again, roughly. He whirls away a moment later and starts singing another song.
"Love, love me do.
You know I love you,
I'll always be true,
So please, love me do.
Whoa, love me do.
Rose laughs and watches him pretend to be a pop star.
"Someone to love,
Somebody new.
Someone to love,
Someone like you." He grins and points at her. "Love, love me do.
You know I love you,
I'll always be true,
So please, love me do.
Whoa, love me do.
Yeah, love me do.
Whoa, oh, love me do."
Rose claps, giggling.
"Now am I John, Paul or George?" he calls pouting sexily.
"Ringo!" she laughs.
"Hey," he chides, putting his hands on her waist. "Now that isn't fair."
She smiles and he leans forward and kisses her slowly. Rose kisses back, her arms snaking round his neck.
They are rudely interrupted by a voice singing in their ears.
"Rose loves you yeah, yeah, yeah, Rose loves you yeah, yeah, yeah. You think you lost your love, Well I saw her yesterday - yi - yay. Rose says she loves you, and you know that can't be bad. Yes, Rose loves you, and you know you should be glad…."
"Shut up Jack," the Doctor says flushing rather pinkly.
"Forget something?" Jack dangles the car keys in front of them.
"Don't let him drive!" Rose says slapping the Doctor's hand away from the keys. "He's far too drunk."
"Me? What about you?"
"I wasn't singing," she states.
"The Doctor sang huh?" Jack grins widely. "What did he sing little Rosie?"
"Shut it!" The Doctor groans laying his face on the bonnet beside Rose's leg.
"Drive us home Jack," Rose asks sweetly.
"What? And have you two making out on the backseat? No thanks. I'm not your dad…wait, when did I become the designated driver? Am I becoming the sensible boring one? Oh god!"
Rose laughs.
"Right! I'll show you sensible!" Jack pulls her off the bonnet suddenly and pulls her close to him, dancing a few suggestive tango-style steps, before dipping her low. Then freezes. From her upside down position Rose can only see his face completely drain of blood.
"Jack?"
He hauls her upright with a rough jerk and pushes her behind him as she turns. The Doctor is leaning on the mini's bonnet staring too, completely disbelief in his eyes.
Rose looks to where they are looking and feels a horrible shudder go up her spine. It can't be, it can't.
"No. No. You're all gone," the Doctor mutters voice hard. "You're meant to be all gone."
"Target identified."
That voice makes Jack take a step backwards almost crushing Rose's feet.
"Bad Wolf identified. Doctor identified. Human other surplus. Exterminate, exterminate!"