Bad Wolf's keeper
Rose walked down the corridors heading back to the hanger, her mind in turmoil. She longed to be with the Doctor, to be there when he woke so he could see she was here in this reality.
The years had passed so slowly for her, it would be a blink of an eye in comparison to him. She had sat alone in the huge room in her father's mansion in the other reality, crying her eyes out over the Doctor. Then she had gone back to Torchwood and continued her life, but he had never been far from her mind. But she had to move on for the sake of her mother and her little brother Sean. And to think she had got here by….
Rose was interrupted from her nostalgic musings when the pained cry of an Aseroth reached her ears. She began to run, breaking out in the bright halogen lights of the hanger bay. There in one corner were the Aseroth pens, metal fences with some hay laid on the concrete floor. Around this were various cages in which were held all different colours and genders of Aseroth.
The reason for the cry soon became apparent as Rose saw one of the young Aseroth in the main pen. He was being tormented by Nova and his lackeys, she could see them pushing and hitting the young one. He chirped and growled in pain. Rose could hear him screaming for his mother, her link to the TARDIS as strong as ever. Even in the alternate reality alien languages were translated for her, but the voice had been dim. When she had returned to this reality she had loved to feel the connection strengthen once more.
Rose jumped over the pen fence and punched Nova hard. He went down like a sack of potatoes. Standing before the young one who was quivering on the floor, Rose could hear one of the female Aseroth calling out for her son; the animal was a striking brown with brown/green scales.
"You bitch! You broke my nose!" came a muffled shout from Nova, blood running between the fingers of the left hand covering his nose.
"Well Nova, it is a definite improvement" Rose sneered at him.
"Get her!" all the three men that had been with him ran at Rose, fists seeking retribution for their leader. But Rose was not the Bad Wolf for nothing here. She moved swiftly, bending and hitting back with full force of fist and foot, never moving position protecting the young Aseroth. A few managed to lay blows upon her but she ignored them for the moment, besides she had felt worse than they could ever inflict on her body.
The fight was soon over however, with the men looking far worse than she. Two unable to stand unaided as a result of her well placed kicks to the groin. Rose ignored them to look back at the young Aseroth.
"What is your name little one?"
"Zeinken" he replied in a quivering chirp.
"Well Zeinken, will you let me look you over then I can get you back to your mother".
"Of course, we all trust the Bad Wolf" Rose smiled at him and had quickly checked him out. He was missing a few scales to his violet hide, dark orange blood leaking from the wounds. She could also see the darker spots where bruises were starting to form. She got up and grabbed a first aid kit from the side of the pens and some clean water. She cleansed the wounds and bound a swollen foreleg.
Rose helped him to stand and led the way to the pen were his mother anxiously waited. Entering her pass code the door opened to Rose as she guided the young one in. As mother and child rubbed noses and heads against each other, Rose grabbed some hay from the pen and carried in to the cage. There was hay in he cage but barely enough, the young one would need a thick bed of it so he could heal. Rose sorted it all out and helped the young one get comfortable. She sat for a while stroking his head as he had placed it in her lap. When he fell asleep she gently got up as not to wake him.
"You have our thanks Bad Wolf" the mother bowed low to her.
"There is no need to bow to me. What is your name?" Rose asked, laying a hand on the Aseroth's flank.
"Umah"
"Then you and your son are quite welcome Umah. I apologise for my race" Rose bowed low to Umah.
"They are not your race bad Wolf. You surpass them" Rose watched as Umah lay beside her son, the strange response flittered round her head. She surpassed them?
Rose walked from the cage to see Seperoth, behind him was his son Arokh. She walked up and entered his pen. She wanted to be somewhere where she didn't have to pretend, did not have to guard herself every moment. Here was the only place she could do so.
Arokh came forward to rub his head against her, the large feathers that came out from behind his ears to frame his face on either side, tickling her. She giggled then stroked him. He then walked over to his friends, giving her and his father room to talk. Seperoth had now sat down in the corner of the cage, a large bed of hay beneath him.
"Come sit by me Bad Wolf, my friend" his voice deep and regal.
Rose smiled in relief, she lay against his flank, the warmth of his hide soothing her. She laid her head against the bottom of his long neck, hand stroking as she revelled in the soft, silky feel.
"What Umah said was true, you do surpass them"
"I'm just a normal person Seperoth" She buried her face in his fur, taking in the scent. She felt safe here, able to finally relax all her muscles instead of always being on the alert.
"What is wrong dear one? Your heart is exceptionally heavy tonight. Is it to do with the one you found in the fields? The one with two hearts?" Rose jerked against him in shock "Do not fear dear one, I will tell no one of his differences"
Rose relaxed once more, took a deep breath and replied
"You remember the one I told you about?"
"The one that holds your heart? Yes. The lord of time, I remember. Is he the one you spoke of?"
"Yes he's come back"
"Then your heart should be full" Seperoth replied his voice confused as to why she was sad.
"It can't be, he has moved on, got a new companion. It would be unfair to make him choose."
"Why choose? Why can't you both go? Do you not like his new friend?" Seperoth said reasonably.
"If the Doctor chose her, I doubt I could hate her if I tried." Rose laughed
"From what you have told me, he loves you. So you have nothing to fear."
"How do you know that what I have told you is not coloured by my emotions?"
"Because Rose, you are not like that." He rubbed his head against her in comfort, his feathers soft. They looked as though they had come from a large crow and been stuck around his head in a fan shape on either side. There was a space at the top of the head where a black mane flowed down. The feathers could be folded against the neck when fighting, so they would not be easy to grab.
"May I stay here a while Seperoth?" Rose asked like a small child, no longer the bad wolf, no longer the confident woman that could hand you your ass on a plate. But the lost child she had become, lost in the fear and the pain she was put through by just being in this time and place.
"Of course child" He laid his head down, as it was time to rest. The base would never be fully quiet, but it was calmer now than before. Rose closed her eyes as she snuggled against him, she was dimly aware that Arokh had come over and laid with them. His head on her thigh as she laid her hand upon his scaly nose, feeling the warm breath. They were shielding her from the terrors she would have to face, giving her these few moments of peace.
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Martha was talking to Jack when she heard the Doctor moan, she rushed to his side, not seeing Jack hang back in the corner.
"Rose…?" The Doctor murmured, his voice horse.
"No Doctor, it's me Martha." The Doctor blinked at her a moment before he gave one of his huge grins.
"Martha! Did you get the number of that Sontaran that obviously must have hit me?" He rubbed his head as he spoke, wincing in pain.
"Sorry Doctor no Sontaran, just some blue gas" Martha had got him a glass of water, which he gratefully took.
"Blue gas? Me the I'm-so-clever-Time-Lord, got knocked out by some ponsey blue gas?" he snorted
"Sorry Doctor but it's true. Don't you remember?"
"We had landed, looked around…..the gas!" He exclaimed, sitting bolt upright only to fall back clutching his head as dizziness overcame him.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you Doc," a familiar voice reached the Doctor's ears. He looked to the doorway to see someone he had not expected to see. Standing in a military outfit. He was leaning against the door jam, arms crossed against his chest, looking at the Doctor with guarded wariness.
"Jack?" the Doctor seemed to be beyond shocked.
"Hello handsome. Must say I like the change, miss the leather but I could get used to it" he gave his dashing smile before walking to the Doctor and gaving him a hug, patting him heartily on the back.
"Jack," the Doctor was all smiles as he hugged the other man. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh that's a long and boring story" Jack evaded the question.
"Excuse me…you two know each other?" Martha decided to ask.
"Sorry Martha, yes we know each other. He travelled with me a while".
"Yeah the Doc here stopped me being an idiot." Jack had his arm around the Doctor's shoulders.
"So what brings you a dead end place like this?" Jack asked,
"We were just going to Altaga 4 when the TARDIS registered a flux in time. So me being me we had to take a look. But how did you know I was me?"
"Tell you what, I'm going for a walk to let you two catch up" Martha could see the Doctor was happy to see his old friend and she needed to stretch her legs.
"Okay Martha, but remember what I said ok" Jack locked eyes with her.
"Don't worry I will. See you later Doctor." With that she walked from the room, leaving the Doctor and Jack to catch up.
"Jack you didn't answer my question, how did you know it was me?"
Jack sighed before he replied, "I worked for Torchwood in Cardiff"
"What year?"
"I arrived in Cardiff around 2007 time, hoping to run across you and Rose" Jack saw the Doctor jerk at the mention of her name and cursed himself for saying it.
"Rose is……" The Doctor began brokenly
"I know Doc, I was in Cardiff when the Cybermen came through. If I had known what they had been doing in London I would have put a stop to it. It was later that I saw her name with her mothers on the list of the dead"
"She's not dead Jack" Jack tried to act surprised.
"What do you mean?"
"She got sucked into an alternate reality. She can't get back, but she has her family. Mickey is with her, her mother, her father" the Doctor continued, his gaze stuck at a point on the wall and you knew he was a million miles away.
Jack remained silent, seeing this man he considered to be his best friend crumble under the onslaught of emotion he felt over the loss of Rose.
"I tried Jack, I looked for years to try and find a way to her. But if I passed through I could destroy both worlds."
"Rose would never want you to do that for her."
"Damn it Jack I know!" He got up from the bed; his brown jacket had been taken off, along with his blue pin stripe jacket. So he was only in his white shirt, his tie hanging loosely round his neck. "But I'm lost without her"
Such a strong admission from one such as he, Jack just looked at him as he ran his hands over his face. He nearly told the Doctor everything then and there but Martha came charging in.
"Jack! They are hurting her!" She exclaimed, out of breath as she leaned against the door.
"Who?"
"Bad Wolf! This man came up, she called him the Commander. He's hurting her Jack, he's going to kill her!"
"Aw hell!" Jack ran from the room, leaving a bewildered Doctor standing there.
"Bad Wolf?…What!"
TBC…..
KITG: OOOOh whats going to happen? See you in time :)
