Chapter 4
"That's all for today. Everyone remember to read chapters sixteen and seventeen. There'll be a quiz on the material Friday." John told his class as he dismissed them for the day.
He turned to the white board and cleared it with a few swipes of the eraser in his hand, then set it down to retrieve his messenger bag from where it was draped over the back of his chair and began stuffing his books and materials inside.
"Doctor John Noble?"
Looking up, he was met with the sight of a disheveled and anxious looking man in his mid-forties hovering awkwardly in front of his desk.
"That's me." John's brows furrowed. "Can I help you with something?"
"My name is Professor Richard Lazarus."
"Oh," John gave him a welcoming smile. "Are you joining the staff here?"
"No, no. I came here specifically to see you." Lazarus's eyes darted around the room nervously as he ran a hand through his short shaggy blonde hair. "I've been reading up on you Doctor Noble. Your research and theories have not only been well-publicized but you're also highly respected within the scientific community which is why I think you're just the one to help me. You see I specialize in genome therapy and I found something during my research..." He glanced back over his shoulder at the few straggling students who were still packing up their things and then leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. "Something that could change the world and turn everything we've ever known to be true about evolution on its head. I daresay this discovery could even change the very essence of what it means to be human."
"I see." John said slowly his brows arching. "But I'm not exactly sure how I fit in to this scenario. I mean, my expertise is in astronomy. Wouldn't it be better for you to speak to someone within your own field that might be better equipped to help you?"
Lazarus shook his head. "I can't trust any of them. But you, I think I can trust you. Like I said, I've been reading up on you but it's not your expertise I'm looking for. People listen to you. They respect you. And with your standing and influence in the scientific community you could open the proper doors for my theories to be heard, rather than being continually dismissed and branded as the ravings of some sort of mad scientist. You see, this breakthrough could not only make history but it could also shape the future. But there are others out there who want my research as well Doctor Noble. Dangerous people who; rather than helping to advance humanity, would use said knowledge for nefarious means and are even willing to kill for it. If it were to fall into the wrong hands…"
The sound of a text book being shut echoed loudly throughout the silent room causing Lazarus to yelp as he practically jumped out of his skin. John instinctively reached out to calm him but the man took a step back and held up his hand.
"I should go. It's not safe for me to be in one place for too long. When the time is right, I'll contact you again."
Without waiting for a response Lazarus turned and bolted out the door, leaving John staring bewilderedly after him. Shaking his head at the man's strange behavior, John returned to packing up his things and then headed for his office, determined not to give the seemingly unbalanced professor any further thought. After all, it wasn't the first time he'd met an eccentric academic. Unfortunately, the stress and pressures of the job; depending on the field of study, occasionally led to burn out and sometimes even the inevitable breaking point. He just hoped the professor could find the help he needed before it was too late.
-oOo-
The sleek black car had been following Lazarus ever since he left the university. He congratulated himself on his astute perception, the years spent on his particular brand of research having helped him develop a healthy case of paranoia that had allowed him to spot the fact he was being pursued almost immediately. He glanced into the rearview mirror once more. They were definitely still there, only one car back now.
Knowing he was running out of time, he pulled up to a FedEx store and hurried inside. He watched from behind the glass doors as the black car continued along moving slowly down the street and then pulled his phone from his pocket as well as a small USB drive. After a quick internet search, he had the address he needed and went to the counter to arrange a delivery.
-oOo-
"Getting her ready for college already?" Mickey teased as he entered the room holding a mug of tea in each hand.
John looked up from the astronomy book he had been reading aloud. "She likes it." he informed the younger man, accepting one of the mugs and then added smugly. "It's all in the voice."
Mickey sat down on the edge of the bed across from them, smiling at the sight of Alice sitting in John's lap, dressed in her space jim-jams and chewing on her stuffed Lightning McQueen as she watched him point out various pictures of constellations in the book.
"Yeah, okay I'll admit you have a pretty decent lecturer's voice." Mickey paused, hiding a smirk behind his mug. "When you're not rambling that is."
John lifted his head again and arched a brow causing Mickey to snort in response as he pulled out his phone. He pressed the home button to light up the screen then after a few seconds shook his head and returned it to his pocket.
"Still no luck?"
Mickey shook his head once more. "Nope. Just his voicemail as usual."
"Maybe we should call Gwen." John suggested. "She is his agent after all; shouldn't she know how to get in touch with him?"
"Yeah maybe." Mickey replied thoughtfully. "I think her number's on the fridge." As he returned his attention to the other pair in the room he found himself smiling again. "I think you finally tired her out." he said nodding towards Alice.
John glanced down to see Alice's eyes drooping as she rested her head against his chest, her toy now forgotten. "I guess that's all for tonight then." he told her, closing the book and setting it down. He cradled her in his arms and stood up slowly, placing her stuffed car on the bureau and then lowered her gently into the crib. As Mickey moved to turn off the light, John flipped a little switch on the mobile he had bought her earlier that week. It was a replica of the solar system with all nine planets hanging in a circle and a little clear dome on the top that projected a soft lit batch of stars onto the ceiling.
As the mobile began to turn and the stars appeared, Alice gave a sleepy smile.
"She really loves that thing." Mickey commented.
"Yeah, she does." John smiled in agreement. "Just like she loves that little stuffed car." He gestured to the toy on the bureau and Mickey couldn't help but grin as well.
They spent just a few more moments watching her as she drifted off and then tiptoed out of the room.
"So what do you feel like doing tonight?" John asked as he pulled the door behind them, leaving it open a few inches, and then turned to follow Mickey out into the living room.
"We could order a pizza and watch a movie."
"That sounds brilliant actually." John gave a contented sigh as he propped his feet up on the small coffee table and took a sip from his mug.
Mickey set his own tea down and pulled out his phone to make the call when the sound of a key rattling in the lock made them both freeze in place.
As the door swung open, they both slowly turned to see Jack standing in the doorway with his luggage, grinning broadly.
"Hey guys! Did you miss me?" He glanced between them, taking in their gob smacked expressions and his smile faltered. "What?"
-oOo-
"A daughter." Jack reflected as he finished Rose's letter. "I have a daughter."
"Yep." John replied, popping the 'p'.
"Wow. That's just…" Jack trailed off, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yeah." Mickey agreed.
Jack looked back down at the paper in his hands and sighed. "I really wish Rose would have told me sooner. She shouldn't have had to go through all that alone."
"So you remember her then?" John asked.
"Oh definitely. Gorgeous, hazel eyes, beautiful smile." He gave John a wink.
"I was thinking more along the lines of an address or phone number just so we could at least let her know that Alice is being taken care of. I mean, even though she decided to give her up I'm sure she probably still worries."
"Ah." Jack pursed his lips. "No, unfortunately we didn't get much past names I'm afraid. We met at a bar about a year and a half ago, had a pleasant evening together and then went our separate ways. I honestly never thought I'd see her again and since we took all the appropriate precautions to say this is all a bit of a shock would be an understatement."
"Well with your record someone was bound to beat those odds." Mickey quipped.
Jack grinned and wagged his brows, earning eye rolls from the other two as they lapsed into silence. After a few moments Jack sat up and turned to John.
"Can I see her?"
"She's asleep."
"I'll be quiet." Jack promised. "I just want to see her."
John glanced over at Mickey who shrugged. "If he wakes her up, it's on his head."
"Alright, come on then." John said, standing up. "She's in your room anyway."
Jack looked slightly affronted by that revelation while John and Mickey shared a pleased grin, then beckoned him down the hallway. As they stepped into the darkened room, John turned to Jack and put his finger on his lips and Jack nodded in response before tiptoeing over to the crib. He wasn't exactly sure what to expect. After hearing he had a daughter he was shocked of course, that was for sure but now as he leaned over the crib and took in Alice's sleeping form it was as if he had just suddenly found the missing piece to the puzzle inside his heart.
"She looks just like Rose." he murmured in awe.
John stepped up beside him. "She has your eyes though."
"And your charm." Mickey whispered; joining them as they all looked down at the sleeping infant.
Jack choked back what sounded like a cross between a chuckle and a sob and reached out to stroke Alice's hair but stopped abruptly and drew back.
"It's okay to touch her." John reassured him.
"I know, I just…" he shook his head. "She just looks so peaceful; I don't want to wake her."
"Tell you what." Mickey said. "She's up at seven every morning so you can greet her properly then while you're giving her her first nappy change of the day."
Jack pulled a face. "Um, thank you…?"
Holding back his laughter so as not to wake Alice, John gestured to the door and the other two men followed him out, heading back into the living room.
Jack was still in a slight state of disbelief as he sank down onto the couch.
"You know, we tried calling you." John informed his pensive roommate as he and Mickey sat down beside him.
"Multiple times." Mickey added.
"Yeah sorry about that." Jack pulled his phone from his pocket and held it up. "Dropped it in a pitcher of margaritas the second night we were there. I have to get a new one."
Mickey grabbed the device from his hand, took a whiff and made a face. As he moved to give it back, he noticed the plastic looked melted on one side. "What the hell did you do to it?"
"I may have tried to dry it with a hair dryer and got too close."
Mickey rolled his eyes and handed it back to him.
"Not that we're not happy you're back," John piped up. "'Cause we are."
"Definitely are." Mickey concurred.
"Quite right." John nodded. "But I thought you said you were gonna be gone for four weeks."
"Well that was the plan, but our lead actor broke his arm during a stunt so they had to shut down production for the next six weeks. Luckily though, Gwen's friend Russell is directing a rendition of Anything Goes so she was able to get me a part in that to fill the time. Which is good right?" he looked between his two roommates. "I mean, now that I'm back I can relieve you guys and start actually getting to know my daughter." He rubbed his hands together vigorously. "So where do I start? Is there like a schedule or something?"
John and Mickey couldn't help being thrown by his exuberance and exchanged a look of surprise.
"Weell, I can't speak for Mickey," John began. "But I don't mind continuing to help out if you want."
"Yeah, I have no problem with that." Mickey chimed in. "I'm fine with continuing to help as well."
"I mean, it's probably best to keep her on a normal schedule since we've been doing this for three weeks now." John pointed out.
"Oh definitely." Mickey agreed. "You don't want to go around changing everything abruptly and confusing her. I think she'd be pretty upset if she didn't get to go up to the shop and see the crew and look at the cars at least once a week. She really enjoys that."
"And she'd probably be completely heartbroken if she couldn't go stargazing anymore. And I know my students would be disappointed if I stopped bringing her to class on Wednesdays." John added.
Jack watched with amusement as the pair went back and forth in that manner for a few more moments and then held his hand up.
"Okay, okay, well I definitely wouldn't want to upset 'Alice' by keeping her from doing all the stuff she enjoys and I'd really appreciate the extra help since I'll also be doing the play, so why don't I take a look at the schedule you guys have drawn up and see what we can work out."
John and Mickey glanced at one another and nodded, small relieved grins lighting up their faces and Jack couldn't help but notice that his friends seemed to have grown a bit in the three weeks of his absence. It was clear that the pair had already developed a deep affection for his daughter which in turn ignited the same type of feeling in him towards them. As scary and uncertain as being thrust headfirst into fatherhood may seem right now, he knew that with the support of his best friends he would succeed and maybe, just maybe, he too would grow along the way.
-oOo-
Jack spent the night on the couch and when Alice woke up the next morning he immediately took charge, changing her like a pro to the stupefied expressions of his roommates.
"Since when do you know how to change a nappy?" John asked.
"Gwen has a daughter remember." he replied as he dressed Alice in a denim blue skirt and her red Cars t-shirt. "I've watched her change her baby dozens of times."
John gave Mickey an astonished look who just shrugged in response and then headed off to his room to get ready for work. After watching Jack interact with Alice for a few more minutes John reluctantly headed off to his own room to get ready as well.
Jack had been content to keep the schedule as it was with the exceptions that he would relieve Sarah Jane on Mondays, John and Mickey on Tuesdays and Donna on Fridays. He explained to them that since he was the father he felt it was his responsibility to put in the most time but he also appreciated that they were still willing to back him up so that he could also make his weekly rehearsals.
When the guys returned Jack was sitting on the couch with Alice cradled in one arm as he fed her from the bottle John had warmed earlier that morning.
John cleared his throat. "We're about to head out."
Jack glanced up at the pair and gave them a bright smile before turning his attention back to Alice. "Okay, we'll see you later."
"Just a reminder," John spoke up again. "The formula is in the cabinet above the coffee maker and the extra bottles are in the one next to the sink."
"There's also an extra box of nappies in the hall closet should you need them." Mickey added. "And she usually likes to take her nap between twelve and one."
"Oh and if you decide to give her a bath…"
"Guys," Jack cut in. "I've got this. John's already made me a ten-page list to follow with every emergency number that exists so stop worrying okay. Just go to work." He glanced up to see the pair staring at him worriedly.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" John asked.
"Cause I can stay home if you want." Mickey said. "It's Friday so we don't have much on the schedule today."
"We'll be fine." Jack assured them once more, looking down at Alice. "Won't we sweetheart? We have a whole day planned."
"Oh?" John inquired, trying to sound casual.
"Absolutely. Alice and I are gonna go pick out a new phone, then we're going to go by the theatre to see Russell and get my script and then we're gonna go to the park? Isn't that right?" he cooed. "Yes it is."
John took a breath. "Okay, well at least call us as soon as you have your new phone so that we know we can reach you and you also have Sarah Jane, Martha and Donna's numbers as well if anything comes up."
"You got it Doc." Jack replied with a salute.
"Oh don't salute." John groaned, rolling his eyes and heading for the door.
Mickey shook his head in amusement as he followed after him. "We'll see you two later." He called, shutting the door behind him.
"Bye!" Jack looked back down at Alice. "I think Uncle John and Uncle Mickey are just nervous about leaving us all by ourselves because they're afraid daddy can't handle things on his own. But we're gonna prove them wrong aren't we? Yes, we are." He smiled as Alice began to giggle and reached up to pat his face. "Okay," He pressed a kiss to her tiny hand. "First things first, before we leave I need to make a quick call."
He carefully stood up and headed for the kitchen; keeping Alice cradled in one arm as he set her bottle on the counter and reached into his pocket for the folded piece of paper he had ripped from the directory. Luckily for him there had only been one listing for a Rose Tyler in all of London. Jack reached for the house phone and took a deep breath, wondering why he was suddenly so nervous as he dialed the number on the page and was immediately met with a recording announcing it had been disconnected. Slightly disconcerted he tried a different tactic, locating the main number for the building her flat was in only to be informed by the property manager that Rose and her baby had moved out a little over a month ago. Disappointed that his lead hadn't panned out, Jack hung up the phone and decided to put off any further investigating until he had some actual free time to do so and instead returned to getting Alice ready for their day out.
Fifteen minutes later, with the changing bag slung over his shoulder and Alice strapped safely into her carrier against his chest, he locked up the flat and turned just as the lift chimed and opened to reveal a smiling Sarah Jane.
"Hey Jack! Good to see you." She reached out and gently took hold of the baby's hand. "And hello there Alice, how are you today?"
"Why Sarah Jane, did you by any chance come up here to check up on me?" he asked with a flirtatious wink.
"Of course not." A quick glance up at Jack's face and she conceded. "Okay, I might have promised John and Mickey I'd stop by just to make sure you two were doing okay, but I also came by because this package was just delivered downstairs for John." She handed him a small padded envelope.
"Oh uh, well we were actually just heading out so…" He glanced back at the locked door and then back down at the package before just stuffing it inside the changing bag. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets it." he assured her upon seeing her arched brow.
Sarah Jane smiled and nodded. "Okay, well I won't keep you then." she said turning back towards the lift.
"Sarah Jane," She paused in pressing the button to look back at him. "I just wanted to say thank you for all your help with Alice while I was away. I really appreciate it."
Sarah Jane gave him another soft smile. "It's been my pleasure. Now come on," she nodded to the lift as the doors opened. "You can tell me what you've been up to for the last three weeks on the ride down."
-oOo-
"Russell! It's so nice to see you again." Jack said as he reached out to shake the older man's hand.
"Jack my boy; I'm really happy we got this opportunity to work together again." Russell released Jack's hand, grinning broadly as he bent down level with the baby strapped to his chest. "And who is this precious little angel?" he asked.
"This is my daughter Alice."
Russell looked up in surprise and delight. "Well congratulations I had no idea."
"Thank you." Jack chuckled. "I'm still getting used to the whole fatherhood thing myself but I'm also actually really enjoying it. I hope it's okay if I bring her to rehearsals a couple of times a week. My roommates are helping out but they both work as well so…"
"It's no problem at all." Russell cut in. "We have several other cast members that have to bring their kids in on occasion when they can't find a sitter. There's even a little area set up backstage with a changing table and playpen."
"Excuse me Russell?"
Both men turned to see a tall, dark haired gentleman in a suit approaching them, his baby blue eyes lingering on Jack for a moment before turning his attention to the director.
"I'm so sorry; I hope I'm not interrupting."
"Of course not." Russell clasped the younger man on the shoulder and then turned to Jack. "Jack Harkness, I'd like you to meet Ianto Jones; the best assistant a director could have. You name it he does it. I've actually just promoted him to stage manager for this production."
Ianto blushed lightly, ducking his head as he reached out to take Jack's hand. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Harkness."
"And it's an absolute pleasure to meet you Mr. Jones." Jack replied trying to squeeze every ounce of innuendo into his response as he gave the younger man his best toothpaste commercial grin, which only served to make him blush even more. "And this is my daughter Alice." he said releasing his hand and looking down at the baby.
Ianto reached out to lightly shake her hand as well. "Hello Alice. It's very nice to meet you too."
Alice giggled happily and began waving her arms which made all three men laugh.
"Oh," Ianto suddenly spoke up again, remembering why he had come over in the first place. "I've got your script here." He handed Jack an envelope. "Russell had told me you'd be coming by to pick it up."
"Yes, thank you." Jack took a moment to slide the envelope into the front pocket of the changing bag. "Alice here has already promised to help me learn all my lines." he said, earning another chuckle from the two men.
"She really is absolutely adorable and so well behaved." Russell commented.
Ianto nodded in agreement. "And she has your beautiful blue eyes." His own eyes widened at his inadvertent remark but before Jack could respond a shrill ringing began to fill the room.
Ianto pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen then gave them an apologetic yet slightly relieved look. "If you'll both excuse me; I need to take this."
Jack watched him walk away then turned back to Russell who was smirking at him knowingly.
"He's single you know." Russell remarked casually. "And free this evening."
Jack gasped in mock horror, placing his hands over Alice's ears. "Are you encouraging fraternization with a man who's technically my superior for this production?" He tilted his head, grinning widely as he wagged his eyebrows. "I highly approve. But I'm afraid I already promised this little one a trip to the park." He uncovered Alice's ears and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
Russell chuckled. "Well I won't keep you then, we'll see you and your friends tomorrow night for the pre-cast party."
"Absolutely." Jack glanced over at Ianto once more who was still talking on the phone and smiled. "Wouldn't miss it."
-oOo-
Jack had taken to fatherhood like a duck to water. John wouldn't say he was jealous. He was absolutely not jealous. He was just…protective. Okay, maybe a little overprotective. After all it had just been him and Mickey watching over Alice for those three weeks Jack was away. They were the ones that fed her, changed her nappies and rocked her to sleep every night. But nevertheless, Jack had managed to surprise them by handling all those same responsibilities with an ease that neither one of them had had in the beginning. But again, he wasn't jealous.
Saturday afternoon the weather was pleasant enough that the trio had decided to go for a picnic. Alice had been dressed in the new outfit Jack had bought her. A pair of denim shorts, a purple t-shirt with an animated version of Princess Leia holding a blue lightsaber on it and the words The Force is Strong with This One written beneath her and to finish off the look, a pair of pink plastic sunglasses.
As he helped Mickey spread out a blanket beneath the shade of a large tree, John glanced up to see a man in dark clothing and a pair of black sunglasses watching them from a few yards away. He could have sworn he had seen the same man outside their building before they left for the park but as he went to mention it to Mickey the man turned around and walked away. Chalking it up to coincidence he returned his focus to Alice and his friends and began to unpack the picnic basket. It soon became apparent that they weren't the only ones that had decided to get out of the house to enjoy the beautiful weather because the park had started to fill up with other families having picnics as well as a few joggers and several groups that were either playing footie or tossing a Frisbee back and forth.
Once they had finished their lunch and fed Alice, they headed over to the playground area. The guys all took turns taking Alice down the small slide and gently pushing her on the baby swing as she giggled in delight and within minutes, much to John's displeasure, her innate adorableness coupled with Jack's charisma and charm had caused them to draw a small crowd of women and shortly after they were all sitting back beneath the tree chatting.
Jack of course was in his natural element, his flirtation levels having reached new heights with the addition of Alice's presence where as Mickey had the luxury of being able to politely rebuff the women's' advances by informing them he had a girlfriend. John however wasn't as lucky. Not only had the younger man given him a pointed look that said he would definitely not be bailing him out this time, but because Jack was constantly trying to set him up, any chance of him lying and saying he had a girlfriend as well would have been quickly refuted which left John little in the way of defending himself from the three women that had practically attached themselves to him.
"So what do you do for a living?" The petite young blonde holding onto his right arm asked.
"Oh, um…" he began but was quickly cut off by Jack.
"The Doc here is a genius. He's actually been published in several well-known journals."
"A doctor?" The brunette holding his left arm gushed. "What kind of medicine do you practice?"
"Uh, no sorry. Not that kind of doctor. I actually have degrees in astrophysics, astronomy and astrobiology and I teach at the university."
"Ooh a professor." purred another woman with curly red hair as she placed her hand on his knee. "I bet you could teach me some things."
The blonde beside him giggled, tightening her grip and pressing her chest against his arm. "Do you have private office hours professor?"
John chuckled uncomfortably as he tried to casually extract himself from their hold which only seemed to further their resolve in invading every inch of his personal space.
"So what kind of women do you usually date?" asked the blonde.
"I teach yoga." The brunette piped up. "So I'm very flexible." she smiled suggestively.
"Oh I do a lot of yoga too. My agency recommended it to help keep me in shape." The blonde tugged his arm to get his attention. "I'm actually a model. In fact, just last week I was in Spain for a photoshoot." She shot the brunette a smug grin.
"Wow, those jobs just sound so fulfilling." The redhead said, her voice dripping with condescension. "I'm about to get my doctorate in archeology." she informed them as John tried not to roll his eyes. "I may even be taking a position at the University myself soon." She lightly squeezed his knee and gave him a salacious wink. "We could even be colleagues."
The blonde sniffed haughtily and tossed her hair over her shoulder as she pressed herself closer to John. "I've been booked to do a swimsuit calendar next month."
In response, the brunette tightened her grip, pasting on a smile when he turned his head to look at her and batted her lashes up at him. "You know; I was watching you earlier and you were just so amazing with her." She gestured towards Alice. "Do you want kids of your own?" she asked, pressing her chest against the arm she was holding. "Cause I'd love to have a houseful."
His already uncomfortable expression quickly transformed into that of a deer in the headlights and he practically leapt to his feet, knocking the women backwards. "I'm really sorry." He said, taking in their bewildered looks as he began rubbing the back of his neck. "But I just remembered we have this function tonight so we should really get going." He turned to his roommates for confirmation, his eyes daring them to argue.
"Yeah," Mickey agreed. "It is getting pretty late and we should probably head home so we have time to get ready."
After a few seconds Jack reluctantly conceded as well, handing Alice to John so he could get up.
"Great. You guys grab all the rest of our stuff and I'll just go get Alice settled in the car." John said quickly, once again leaving no room for argument. He gave a brief nod to the three women and then took off in a brisk walk before they even had a chance to call after him.
Jack and Mickey heard the women huff, looking quite put out as they watched him leave and after sharing an amused look, the pair shook their heads and began packing up the remnants of the picnic.
-oOo-
"I don't understand you." Jack said as they entered their flat. "You could have had your pick of any of those women that were hanging all over you."
John rolled his eyes. "No offense to your brand of 'dating' but I'm looking for something a little more real and a lot more special."
"That doesn't mean you can't go out and have some fun every once and a while." Jack countered, looking to Mickey who had his hands up as if to say 'leave me out of this.'
"None of those women were anywhere near my idea of fun and while I may not do as well as you in the 'romance' department I'll know what I want when I find it. Now can we stop arguing about this? The party's at seven and Donna said she'd be here around six thirty to watch Alice."
Jack held up his hands in acquiesce then bent down to take Alice out of her pushchair and set her down on her play mat.
"So are we supposed to get dressed up for this?" Mickey asked, quickly changing the subject. "I mean it's just a cast party right?"
Jack grinned as he booped Alice on the nose with her stuffed car. "Yeah, it's nothing fancy. Casual attire's fine."
"I thought cast parties were always held after the final performance." John said as he carried the picnic basket into the kitchen.
"They usually are, but Russell likes to do a pre-cast party as well. It's sort of his own tradition. Not sure why. I think he just likes throwing parties." Alice giggled as he booped her on the nose once more.
"Alright, well I'm gonna jump in the shower then." Mickey said, heading for his room. "See ya in a few."
Jack nodded, returning his attention to his daughter while John finished unpacking the basket in the kitchen and then loaded the Tupperware into the dishwasher. By the time they finished putting the stuff from the picnic away, showering, getting dressed and spending some quality time with Alice, Donna had arrived.
"What is this?" Jack heard her ask as he headed for the living room with Alice now in her jim-jams.
"It's a list." John replied slowly as if it was supposed to be obvious.
"It's twelve flippin' pages!"
"Hah! Mine was only ten." At the look on Donna's face Jack closed his mouth abruptly and took a step back to stand beside Mickey who was trying not to laugh.
"Now you listen up spaceman," Donna began, turning her glare back on her brother and poking him in the chest. "Just because I haven't seen Alice in a week doesn't mean I've suddenly forgotten how to take care of her. So if you rattle off one more instruction on something I already know how to do you'll be limping off to this party got it!"
John's eyes bulged as she jabbed him with her finger once more and he nodded in agreement, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed roughly.
"Good. Now get your scrawny behinds out of here so Alice and I can enjoy our evening." She ordered.
The trio didn't need to be told twice and quickly gathered their things before heading for the door. They each pressed a kiss to Alice's head, promising Donna to be back by ten before stepping into the lift.
"Man, I really thought she was gonna smack you this time." Mickey said once the doors had closed.
John blew out a breath, lightly tugging on his ear. "I honestly don't know why she was so upset. I was just trying to make sure she was well-informed and properly prepared for any eventuality. Is that so terrible?"
"Twelve pages." Jack mouthed and Mickey snorted softly.
The lift chimed again and opened onto the ground floor.
There was a slight chill to the air as they exited the building and headed for Jack's car. As Mickey reached out to grasp the handle to the passenger side door he glanced up to see a man in dark clothing and sunglasses watching them from across the street. He studied him for a moment, something about the way the man was staring at them was causing the hairs on his neck to stand on end.
"You coming?"
The sound of John's voice managed to drag his attention away from the strange man and he turned back to his friend who was staring at him, brow arched to punctuate his questioning look.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry." He chanced a quick glance back to where the man had been standing but he was no longer there. Shrugging to himself he climbed into the car.
-oOo-
"Get those cameras out of here!" Rose shouted, prompting two UNIT soldiers to escort the rogue members of the paparazzi away from the scene. Pressing her fingers to her temple in irritation, she turned back to Jake. "How long ago did they find him?"
"Two hours." Jake replied as he led her over to the sheet covered form on the pavement. "It's pretty grizzly." he warned as Rose stooped down and grasped the corner of the sheet.
"Yeah, well Davros and his crew aren't exactly known for their humanity." she said, lifting the material away from the corpse's face and grimacing as her stomach rolled. "Are we sure S' him?"
Jake nodded. "DNA results confirmed it."
"What about the research?"
"Well he didn't have it on him that's for sure and judging by the state Lazarus is in I'm pretty sure Davros wasn't able to get him to give it up either."
Rose sighed, dropping the sheet. "Okay, let's go back over our records and see if we might have missed somethin'. A safety deposit box, a property off the books, anythin'."
"Actually," Jake said slowly as she got to her feet. "We do have a lead. But you're not gonna like it."
"Why? What is it?"
"We have an eye witness who saw him at St. Luke's University the morning he got back. The kid's a student there. He said Lazarus came in to his classroom to talk to his professor after his lecture and he was acting really strange and paranoid."
"I don't understand why he would go to the school. Who was the professor he went to see?"
Jake hesitated. "Doctor John Noble."
Rose's eyes widened in shock and terror filled her voice as she gasped out.
"Alice!"
