Chapter III – An Old Friend

Ten minutes passed and he hadn't returned. Although, considering his nature for nattering on once he was into something, perhaps that wasn't altogether surprising.

Rose scanned the items on the shelves with a mild distaste. There was a jar of strange-looking liquid, blue and silver, but thick like blood. Next to it a strange orb that hovered a few centimetres above the shelf, a strange glowing red buried at its centre. There was an old pair of gloves, a sparkling broach, some dusty books with faded spines, all piled up on top of each other. And there was, much to her surprise, what looked to be a jar of chocolate spread.

With a bemused expression, she turned away and began to pace to the other side of the shop. She checked her watch with an almost paranoid efficiency and cursed the thing for not moving faster.

This was getting impossible. She stopped walking and strained her ears, trying to hear into the next room. If she held her breath she could hear a few quiet murmurings, but nothing that gave anything away. Letting out the air in her lungs she gazed upwards at the single, bare light bulb, before checking her watch again.

Fifteen minutes and still noth–

It was the quickest of sounds that stopped her thought process. Just a moment, and such a short one she couldn't even be sure she'd heard it in the first place; but Rose definitely thought she heard the voices in the next room become louder, more agitated, and then a crash, like china falling to the floor. She shifted towards the counter, trying to hear. But all that met her was odd silence.

Then, taking her quite by surprise, the Doctor stormed out with a face like dark thunder. He lifted the detachable part of the counter, walked through, then all but slammed it back into place. He turned to Rose with frustration written all across his features.

"That man is incorrigible!" he exclaimed, pointing emphatically in the direction from where he had just come and meeting her eye. "First, he sits and goes on about 'the fate of the planet', then he complains at me about how culture has changed, and then he said I would have to pay extortionate prices for him to look at the psychic paper because I was foreign. Of all the things to say - 'foreign'. Me, foreign! I'm about the most un-foreign person I know. Fit in anywhere, I do. Anyway, gave him the paper just the same, he said he'd take a look at it but that we should make ourselves scarce in the meanwhile. Take a tour, see the sights, that sort of thing. Bloody cheek, if you ask me. 'Foreign' indeed. How are you, by the way?"

As far as Rose could tell, he hadn't even taken a breath. She nodded and put on a smile. "Great, yeah. So, um... can we go back to the TARDIS and wait?"

"'Fraid not," the Doctor responded, making his way over to the door. "Shouldn't really go leaving this place – not with the psychic paper still being here. Who knows what could go wrong?"

"Did I just hear you right?" Rose asked with a cheeky smile as he held the door open for her. "Are you taking precautions for once, rather than just jumping in with your eyes closed?"

He shrugged. "What can I say? This place gives me the willies; I'd rather keep a close eye on it. Now then... it's a pretty quiet day here today. Festival the other week, all celebrations and confetti and cheering. Not much to do for the people now except exist for a while. But there should be somewhere for us to go exploring down this way. Follow me."

He definitely seemed to have it all thought out. Rose didn't get a chance to respond, as he was already continuing down the alleyway, kicking rubbish out of his way as he went. She had to trot to catch up with him, and she longed to be able to just rush up to him and grab his hand, maybe push into his shoulder with hers...

She let out a sigh. This was going to be harder than she thought.

The alley eventually widened into a street, busier than ones she had seen before. The Doctor was still walking a few paces ahead of her, head high and shoulders back as though he owned the street. Rose gave a small, knowing smile: that was probably exactly what he was thinking.

As they continued to walk, it began to dawn on Rose just how similar this street seemed to all of the others. She and the Doctor were the only real movement wherever they went: everyone else was either shuffling slowly down the streets, or stood in small groups talking quietly. And, what was even stranger, she noticed, was that as the two of them walked by along the street, a strange hush came over anyone they passed and they just stood and watched them.

Swallowing down her fear, Rose strode on to keep up with the Doctor.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly, glancing to a small group of youths to her left, who were eyeing them suspiciously.

"Oh, out and about," the Doctor replied, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I just thought it would be nice to take a wander – I've got a friend here and I'd rather like to see if she's still about."

"I hope she's friendlier than... well, everyone else."

The Doctor looked at her, his eyebrows pulling into a frown.

"What?" Rose challenged.

He just shrugged and continued walking.

The street led to another square, which seemed exactly like the one they had walked through before. Rose's eyes fell on a statue in the centre, but her she quickly looked away before her mind dwelt on it for too long. Instead she looked around the outskirts of the square, to the wooden stalls situated haphazardly outside a few of the buildings. Many of them were covered with heavy sheets, implying they were closed, but one or two seemed to be open. There were many strange and nameless objects sitting on benches, and as they walked by, Rose only got a small window of time to look at them.

There were odd ball-like objects on one, and it was impossible to tell whether they were solid or gaseous. At least two of them were floating, and just by looking at them Rose felt an odd discomfort tingle over her skin. Another stall seemed to have nothing, but a crudely written sign suggested the owner was trying to get rid of his horde of invisible coffins. The sickening thought turned to bile in her stomach and, for lack of anywhere else to look, Rose just stared at her feet.

"All right there, soldier?" she heard the Doctor ask after an unnatural silence had passed between them. She glanced up and offered a fleeting smile, but other than that, gave no response. A sympathetic, if slightly patronising, expression crossed his face, then he nodded in the direction of some bleak houses up ahead. "Told you it wasn't far."

They looked just as bland as everywhere else, and Rose would have found it difficult to fake excitement if she'd tried. The truth was, she just wanted to be home again. There was nothing about this place that was particularly inviting, and although she knew it was one of the most interesting places she would ever visit with the Doctor, she couldn't help that her instincts were telling her to just run. Very, very fast in the opposite direction.

Before she knew it, they were standing outside a musty looking door and the Doctor was knocking enthusiastically on the wood (at least, she assumed it was wood). The air was cold now, and Rose had to try hard to stop her teeth from chattering. It was a cold that she could almost feel crawling through her, like some sort of strange insect, and she didn't like it one bit.

"So, who is this?" she asked casually as they waited for the door to open.

The Doctor, who was leaning slightly away from her with his weight on one leg, said, "Oh, just someone I met last time I was here. And if we're here for a while, may as well pay an old friend a visit."

"Thought you didn't make any friends here."

"Did I say that?" he responded, his voice a pitch higher than usual. He frowned up to the top window of the house in though. "Hmm."

Any further conversation was interrupted by the door being opened and a young face peering around the corner. Brown hair fell softly over her face, and Rose couldn't help feeling that the young woman was achingly familiar, despite the fact she knew she'd never met her before.

She seemed to start at the appearance of the Doctor, and opened the door wide. "Well well well, what's all this about Hem– "

"Oh, just a social, business, sort of thing. You know," the Doctor said quickly. He jerked his head in Rose's direction, but kept his eyes sternly on the woman at the door. "Got a new friend since I was last here. Jezera, this is Rose."

The woman looked from the Doctor to Rose, and Rose felt her insides grow cold.

"So I see," she responded drily as she looked back. "Coming in?"

"If you don't mind, yeah," came the off-hand reply. "You and I have got some talking, I should think."

Jezera simply nodded and let them in. Rose followed the Doctor across the threshold, shivering slightly as the air in the cold house came up to meet her. She gave the room a furtive glance, under the impression that if she did anything too obvious she would be punished for rudeness.

The front door had led to a living room which housed a small, glass coffee table with a wooden frame and two fabric armchairs that faced it. Across the room there was a fire, and although there was ash in it, it seemed so still that Rose got the feeling it hadn't been used in months, if not years. The carpet was a dusty green and from the window, dull light made a half-hearted attempt at creeping in. In the air hung a slightly musty scent, a sort of strange dampness.

Rose looked back to Jezera. Her black hair just touched her shoulders, framing a pale but youthful face. Her features were smooth and dainty, almost child-like; but her eyes were incredibly sharp, as though she was able to see right in to what you were thinking. Cautiously, Rose averted her gaze. This house was very strange, and it didn't settle her nerves in the slightest.

"Could I... get a cup of tea?" she asked without realising she was even speaking.

Jezera, who had been muttering something to the Doctor in undertones, stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry?"

Rose shrugged and looked to her trainers. "I just wondered if you had any tea," she clarified.

"Tea...?" Jezera asked, confused.

"Rose," the Doctor said quietly, coming over to her. She looked up at him and found his face with a mild but open expression. "They don't have 'tea' on this planet. We won't be two ticks, anyway. In fact... why don't you go for a walk? Jez and I need to do some catching up."

Rose stared at him, feeling the blood grow slightly cold in her veins. Hadn't he told her to stay with him for all times? She went to speak, but Jezera got there before her.

"Now, now, Doctor," she intoned, a little too sweetly for Rose's liking as she placed a hand on his arm. "You know what some people can be like. If they see a rafarr just wandering the streets on her own, there's no knowing what they'll do. Besides – " She looked towards Rose, her expression pleasant, but her eyes dark " – Whatever we need to discuss will be fine for her ears. Isn't that right, Rose?"

Their eye contact held for a moment or two before Rose came to a decision; she looked to the Doctor.

"Actually," she said, her voice clipped: she'd had enough of people speaking for her. "I think I will go for a walk. Could do with some fresh air, and you two look like you could do with some privacy."

She gave the Doctor a pointed look as she spoke; but where usually he might have reacted by giving her an expression to silently explain his actions to her – as he so often did in times like this – he just looked back to Jezera again. Rose began to feel an uncomfortable churning in her stomach as the seconds ticked by. There was something that the Doctor wasn't telling her, and knowing that made her trust in him waver slightly. But she did trust him. And because of that she had to trust that he knew what he was doing.

"Are you sure you won't stay?" Jezera asked as Rose made for the front door. Rose ignored her.

"Rose!" the Doctor said suddenly. She paused, but didn't turn. He walked up to her and stood a few inches away, lowering his voice to a tone that only she would hear. "Be careful, okay? It is dangerous. You can take care of yourself, but… don't go to far. Stay in the vicinity. I'll come and find you in about half an hour."

Still without turning, Rose replied, "Where will we meet?"

"I'll find you," was all he said in response, but it was said to her retreating back.

Turning around, the Doctor considered Jezera for a long moment. He then let a wide smile spread across his face, revealing teeth that were almost fang-like. A glint appeared in his eye and he let out a low chuckle that seemed oddly dark in the cold room.

"Well," he drawled, sliding his hands into his pockets and ambling over to the beautiful woman. "What do you think?"

"I think…" Jezera seemed to ponder, looking up at him with equal impishness, "that you've done a very good job."

And the Doctor just smiled and smiled.

-oOo-

The air outside was cold – colder than it had been when they'd gone into the house. Rose looked up to the sky, feeling a certain odd freedom about being out here alone. It felt like defying a parent, despite the fact she knew she had done nothing wrong. The sky was still grey, but textured, and on the horizon it glowed golden where the sun, or what she assumed to be the sun, burned through.

Jezera's house was in a quiet street away from the centre of the city. Feeling like she was near the outskirts Rose headed away from where she and the Doctor had come from, following the cobbled road to the end. Gradually, the houses began to turn into bushes and shrubbery as the cobbles turned into dust on the path. Before long, Rose found she was walking along a thin and winding footpath that led through a fine wood. It was prettier here, and the air smelled cleaner.

She had missed this feeling, and Rose suddenly felt a pang for the Doctor. She wanted him here with her now, not because she felt nervous any more, but because this was exactly the sort of thing she missed doing with him. She missed wandering through places and seeing everything, but at the same time being totally apart from it, in her own little bubble with the Doctor by her side.

She was still in her bubble, but the Doctor was nowhere to be seen. His wide grin and aloof persona were somewhere else, with someone else, and Rose was left to walk on her own.

"Because he has to talk to Jezera," she muttered aloud, bitterness teetering on the edge of her voice. She admitted to herself that she had felt jealousy in that house: Jezera was obviously someone he had known reasonably well the last time he was here. It was almost as if they had kept up a friendship that hadn't been broken by his leaving the planet for… however many years it had been. They certainly seemed to know each other very well.

But then, thinking back to Sarah Jane Smith, hadn't he been the same way with her? All right, so perhaps his face had changed, but after that initial shock, they had seemed to get on as though nothing had changed at all.

Rose stopped walking suddenly – Jezera hadn't expressed any surprise whatsoever at the Doctor's changed face. In fact, no mention had been made of it at all. And surely, if he had been here in a previous regeneration, there would have been some registration that he at least looked a little bit different? But, no: it was as if she had known all along.

The strange, unsettled feeling returned to Rose's stomach as she continued wandering, the wood now having opened out into a field with long blades of grass flowing in the breeze. She didn't remember ever leaving the path; in fact, thinking about it, she couldn't remember much before half an hour ago. Once again, Rose stopped walking, but this time it was to work through the strange mental block that had suddenly befallen her.

She was on a hill. The horizon to her left was still golden with sunlight. Behind her was a small wood she had just walked through, and ahead another wood; but this one was denser, thicker, greener. It was the sort of wood that made her think of tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Grettle. It was the sort of wood, in other words, that she knew she wanted to avoid.

In the middle of the field was what looked like a statue, old and weathered with time. Rose frowned towards it, trying to remember…

She and the Doctor, they had landed here perhaps… little more than an hour ago? She checked her watch. It took her a few seconds to realise it that the hands had stopped ticking. She thought she should probably feel worried about that, but she couldn't remember why. Gazing at the statue again, she felt something nag at her brain, like a fishing line tugging at something in the river. But she couldn't see what it was.

Why were they even here? It must be for something important; she was pretty sure this place was dangerous (had the Doctor told her that?) and it wouldn't be for the thrill of it. Although, as Rose looked around, she found herself appreciating the beauty that was around. Perhaps the Doctor had just brought her here for a holiday: there was no doubt that she certainly felt quite at home here.

Following a sudden impulse, Rose began to pace over to the statue in the middle of the field. The grass tickled her hands as she walked and she smiled, feeling sensations that reminded her of her childhood. The air was warm on her cheeks, thawing out the cold that had lain there before. The warmth spread through her body and gave her a comfortable sense of calm. It was a lot easier to consider things when she felt like this, she realised.

Like, for example, Jezera. Now, Rose couldn't remember for the life of her what she could have had against the woman, who was kindly enough to let her into her home when she hadn't seen the Doctor after goodness knows how long. Rose felt a sudden icicle of guilt when she remembered how rude she had been, and resolved to make it up when she returned to the house to find the Doctor.

The statue was a lot taller than she had expected. She stared up at it, squinting slightly into the sunlight that was becoming ever brighter. The statue was carved out of deep black stone that looked to be cold to the touch. It was of a man who stood proudly staring forward, a shield in one hand and a spear in the other. He was wearing strong armour and his expression, though blank, held a certain courage about it. Rose let herself admire it for a moment more, then let her eyes drift to the inscription at the base.

'Yet as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,' it read in large, bold letters, 'I fear no evil.'

Rose gave a shiver. For just a second, she felt the warm feeling drop, as though somebody had put a damp blanket around everything. But soon it was back and she felt content again. This place really was beautiful, she realised – the Doctor was right.

"Yes," agreed a voice from beside her. Rose started, surprised. "It is beautiful. Would you like me to show you?"

A comfortable smile spread over Rose's face. This felt oddly like a dream she never thought she'd have.

"Yes," she answered, nodding and turning to the man from the strange shop from earlier. "Yes, I would."

He did little but stare soberly at the statue. "Then come with me."

Preview...

Chapter IV – Prison

The Doctor replaced his teacup to the saucer and met his eye with a steely glint. "What have you done with Rose?"

Hemlock shrugged his eyebrows and sat back into the large armchair, tapping his long fingernails on the arm. "I have done nothing."