The two stopped at the club doors long enough for Daniel to help Rose's into her jacket. Flashes of light outside let them know the photographers were still scrambling for shots of both the willing and unwilling. A shot of the mysterious Rose Tyler who rarely socialised, let alone went clubbing would make their day. For the picture to include a mysterious stranger would be front page news on a few of the gossip mongering rags. He'd felt foolish for letting his innate wariness overwhelm common sense when he checked the building's floor-plan for alternate exits, but he'd felt compelled to protect his friends in case aliens or cybermen attacked. Now, as he jerked his head toward the side exit, he felt vindicated. He arched one eyebrow, giving him a slightly conspiratorial expression, slipped his arm around her waist, and guided her toward the guarded exit reserved for celebrities wanting a quick escape. They slipped into a well lit tunnel that exited a short block behind the club.
"Nothing like an air raid tunnel, hey." Daniel laughed.
"How did you know about this?" Rose answered through a fit of giggles. "This London never needed an air raid tunnel."
"Okay, not an air raid tunnel, spoilsport." he chuckled. "I checked the floor plans before I came. They built a celebrity escape tunnel for this world's version of Elton John. "Feels good to be holding hands and running, though, doesn't it." His manic grin matched the sparkle in her eyes. For the first time since coming to this place, Daniel knew what happiness felt like. "Betcha can't beat me to end," he challenged.
"You're on." Rose judged the distance and glanced at her feet, glad for the black flats and then at his. Someone had convinced him to switch his converse out for dress shoes. Surely that would even the odds.
"One, two -"
Before he could finish the count, Rose took off. "That's cheatin'," he called after, sprinting to catch her up. Daniel ran catching her at the exit door pulling her into his arms. For a tiny second, he felt her stiffen almost as if by habit, but the hesitation fled and she relaxed against him.
Daniel wasn't sure if they were breathless because of the run or because they were finally wrapped in each others arm. "Does this count, Rose? " He breathed the question more than asked.
"As what?" she asked huskily lightly kissing him.
"Our first date." Daniel nuzzled her neck. The scent of her hair and the lightest perfume filled his nostrils. "Remember, I told you, I wanted to take you out for more than chips. Does this count?"
"Oh, yeah, definitely qualifies." She breathed against his neck.
"Good, that's good, 'cos I really want to kiss you. Can I kiss you, Rose Tyler?"
Rose glanced up at his face. His dreamy eyed expression brought a smile that shined in her eyes. "Yes, Daniel Ulysses Barrow, you can kiss me."
Daniel cradled her face in both hands, lifted her chin slightly and brushed his lips tentatively against hers, tracing his tongue against them memorising their softness. When she didn't pull back, his mouth caught hers sucking slightly on her upper lip and then he lay claim to her mouth. Their kiss deepened becoming hungry and desperate as their tongues danced with each other. Rose molded her body against his. His body reacted to the desperate need filling his mind. His fingers laced themselves through her hair. Her hands were at the back of his head holding him there. The sound of someone's laughter drifted toward them from the tunnel entrance.
Daniel pulled back to see Rose's dilated pupils and lust filled eyes. He wanted to push her against the wall and take her right here in this tunnel. The lust driven thought shocked him. Several seconds passed before he managed a few trembling words. The sound of laughter drifted down the tunnel. "Someone's found our tunnel." he said kissing her forehead.
"We should go," Rose answered sound of laughter grew closer. "We should - really. Go."
"Now?" he whinged.
Rose pressed her face into his chest and laughed. "Yeah, Daniel, we should go - now."
Daniel wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pushed the door open into the empty alley. The cool spring night air brushed against their flushed skin sending a shiver through them both. He kept her close as they made their way to the street. Only one thought filled his mind as his heart raced with desire. She called him Daniel. He took her hand, pushed through the crowd, and as Rose guided them back to her car, he leaned next to her ear and whispered seductively, "run with me a little while longer, hey."
The walk back to the car was made in blissful silence despite the crowd around them. The music playing from various clubs grew faint as the neared the car park. Her hand his made Daniel feel that for once, he actually had a chance at winning her heart. When they reached the car, Daniel let out a whistle of appreciation of the SUV that bore her personal license plate in the each and Torchwood's in front.
She grinned at him when the remote lock on the key chain beeped twice unlocking the car. Daniel whistled softly when he saw the interior of the car, and again when he slid into the passenger seat and saw the added gadgetry. The car was fitted with every technological advancement possible. He couldn't resist reaching over to the touch screen. A voice activated panel on the console replaced the typical gear shift. A separate panel displayed everything from a mobile connection to the environmental controls. Seats could be repositioned with just a tap. The only thing missing was the great big threatening button, preferably a red one.
"This - this is bloody marvelous. Like a little spaceship on wheels."
"A couple of guys in R and D managed to develop this system from the navigation system of an alien fighter that went down in Germany a few months ago. Torchwood Berlin managed to keep the site clear until we got there to retrieve the wreckage. Now everyone ranked supervisor has this technology in their command cars." She ran a head across the console. "With the engine so powerful, it's almost like ... Maybe you can install the helmic regulator thing," she said longingly.
"Not anytime soon." He chuckled. "Wonder why planes never developed here?" The question came as Daniel watched a barrage balloon pass lazily over them. The ships lights gave cast an almost unearthly appearance glow on the ground.
"I don't know, it's weird. We have helicopters, though. There were a lot of little differences to get use to when Mum and I first got stuck here. My mates having duplicates that were the wrong sex, stores with different names, changes in history, stuff like that. Until tonight, I hadn't met this universe's Shareen. She's not much different than at home.
"Was it bad, Rose? After he said goodbye the first time, was it bad for you?"
"At first, it was horrible. I thought, I'd die from the loneliness, but with so much to do, I had to move on. The cybermen left parts of the country and Europe in shambles - like World War Two did ours. They didn't have that war here, but Lumic managed to fill that hole nicely. He put people everywhere to overthrow entire governments so those things could convert people. After, Pete gathered up the remaining resistance fighters, and we formed Torchwood. He wanted to honour - anyway, he made sure that the world was protected from threats like Lumic. He threatened the few scientist that worked for that maniac to give up their computer files, and cannibalised Cybus industries for technology. We discovered that his people found a crashed cybership. That's where he got the idea for his monstrosities. Within weeks, we were back to defending the Earth."
"And busting through walls meant to stay closed." he snorted.
"Yeah, that too," she said softly.
Daniel made sure not to look at her. "There is life everywhere Rose. I'm not surprised a cyber ship made it across the void here. In the old times, space wayfaring worlds travelled between the universes bringing technology and information from one side to the other like humans do from one country to the next. Then the wars started, and universes closed off. The Time war ended it all. Worlds developed at slower pace with different needs. Still, airline travel of some sort should be fairly common in this era. Strange that isn't it. Maybe there was never a version of Wilbur and Orville here. That would be unfortunate, they were fun."
"You met them." Rose giggled as she punched the start button to the engine. There was barely a sound as the engine roared quietly to life.
"No," he said forcing his disappointment away, "but he and Donna did. It was one of their first adventures, and that memory is packed in my head."
"I'm sorry, I don't want to start anything."
"No - I know you don't." He stared out the window at passing traffic. In this alternate version of Britain, the cars still drove on the correct side of the road. That was one less thing to worry about when he started driving. Rose stopped at a traffic light. He let out a deep sigh before he spoke. "Can I tell you something?" he asked softly.
"Sure," she answered as she eased the car through the crowded intersection when the light changed.
"I want to run - somewhere - anywhere. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, it's all I can think about, well, except for you. But I have nowhere to go and no one to run with. I have missed you - every bit as much as he did, and not because his memories are in my head. Me - I miss you. When you mix us up, it hurts, and - I am jealous. I don't mean to be, but I am."
"Really," she scoffed lightly. "I never would have guessed."
"Rose, please." He ignored her tone. "I understand that you love him. I need to say this so I don't bollocks things."
"Daniel, this is our time to talk without anyone to interfere telling us how we should feel."
"Sometimes, I - am virtually speechless with anger, and - I hate him."
"Daniel -"
He was ruining the moment. What the hell was wrong with him, why couldn't he keep his big gob shut., but he kept going. "Wait, please. It has taken days for me to sort through this, and I want so badly for you to understand and then we can go on, just us. He accused me of a crime, passed judgement and then dumped me on for you to fix. I am not guilty of genocide, Rose. He is." He sucked a deep breath and drew silent for a long moment before he turned to see the side of her face.
A single tear rolled down Rose's cheek.
"I hate him," he continued, "for Donna. The only reason that I exist is because of her. She is my mum, or at least the closest thing I can have to a mum, and for a moment, she was absolutely the most brilliant soul in multiple universes. He had absolutely no choice, except to destroy her memories of their time together. But, he could have left enough residual memory, so that I could have taken care of her. He wouldn't even consider it. If she survived, she has no idea that I even exist." Daniel knew that he was ranting, but the words kept coming as he fought the tears that threatened to run down his cheeks.
"To make matters worse, he dumped me - on you - like a parting consolation prize. I absolutely get that you love him, but I hate his guts. It's made worse because I love you, not just because he did, but because the second that I held your hand and kissed you, I felt complete. My first dream was about you and I dream about you every night. You are stone cold brilliant, you are. You are funny and resourceful, and you are so beautiful. I have no idea how long that I will exist, but I want to spend it with you and you want to spend it with him, and that - hurts."
"Daniel ..."
"Nothing I do," he kept going, "will ever get rid of his shadow. It's like you've lost a husband. He will always be with us, but we are here - together in this universe. I want the chance to prove that I can take care of you - as a human, as a mate."
He watched her jaws work as her hands clenched the steering wheel even tighter. He'd ruined everything. When she flicked the turning signal for the next place to pull over, he prepared to get out of the car for a long walk home. He watched her shoulders sagged as if the world lay on them. She finally faced him with tears sending dark streaks down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I hated you for existing. I never thought about how hard what happened must be for you or how betrayed you must feel. I'm so, so sorry."
Daniel smiled tightly as he wiped her tears away. "You're not mad that I'm telling you this?"
"No, I'm not mad, I'm ashamed. Can we start over?"
"I'd love it. I'll start if it's alright. Excuse me, ma'am - my name is Daniel Ulysses Barrow. I find you utterly fascinating, and I would very much like to date you and maybe, eventually - we can run together - if you want," he asked hopefully.
Rose couldn't stop nervous, relieved laughter from bubbling up. "Hello Daniel, my name is Rose Marion Tyler and I would love it."
Don Noble pulled his car into it's parking spot at the Metro police station. He sat there popping a couple of mints, and ran his fingers through his tousled red hair trying to look halfway like a professional after three hours at a pub. This was his night off, and yet here was trying to track info on a geek that he'd met in a bar like a nutter. Even after an hour of driving around, he had no idea what it was about Daniel that bugged him. Maybe it was the fact that no one, not even the blonde (God, she was cute) stayed away from him more than five minutes, or even when they did, they watched him as if he would vanish if they turned their heads. On the other hand, maybe, it was that damn beeping watch on the guy's wrist. That watch had to cost at least five hundred quid. Since when did science geeks get paid that well.
Don tapped the steering wheel in time to the song playing on the radio trying to decide if this feeling eating at him was just him being ridiculously suspicious. The image of that half smarmy smile wouldn't stop playing in his head. There was something so familiar about that look. That, mixed with Barrow's innocent demeanour made no sense, not after everything that had gone on the last few years. Don had that itch, the one he always got when something was about to happen. Daniel Barrow was a fake, a con man or - from a place untouched by the troubles.
Two officers scuffling with a prisoner they were attempting to haul from the back of their car, drew his attention. He watched them wrangle the drunk to the ground. He turned the ignition off, and stepped out of the car prepared to help, when they finally got the fool off up and moving toward the jail. He watched them disappear through the doors then glanced at the front entrance. After one last moment of hesitation, he headed for his office. A chorus of greetings met him as he took the stairs to the second floor. The place seemed empty which meant two things. One: the three officers that were suppose to be on duty had all chosen to catch up on telly, or two: they were on a stakeout somewhere. He didn't remember one on the planner so he headed for the lounge.
A chorus of cheers went up just as he walked through the lounge door. "This is what the city pays for, is it?" he said as he walked up and slapped a pair of feet of the coffee table.
"Oi," the man protested.
"Harry, did you run the name I gave you?"
"Course I did. Just give me a mo - yes!" Harry screamed along with the other three bored officer as the goalie of his football team blocked a score. "Alright, come on, Canada." Harry stood up and grinned at Don.
"Don't - don't call me Canada." Donald retorted as he followed the shorter slightly scruffy officer to his desk.
The thirty year-old, pudgy officer named Harry plopped down in his seat with a groan. This was supposed to be an essentially boring night before they planned a new investigation tomorrow. Now he was missing the last of a football match. "Alright - Canada," he teased only to get a smack at the back of the head. "That's partner abuse, I can press charges, you know."
"Just tell me what you found out -please."
First, I have to tell you two things neither of which will send you out the door happy."
"What," Don's eyebrows knitted in frustration, "the bloody hell are you trying to say. Spit it out, man."
"Right, first: when we had that mess a few years ago, a lot of records were destroyed. You lot, in the middle of God forsaken Canada, didn't have a factory, but Lumic planted them all over Britain and Europe. He intended to expand, rapidly from what everyone knew later, but the Defenders stopped it. The first thing Lumic's henchmen did that night was delete unnecessary information from every courthouse and halls of records in every town and village close to the factory. They blew the warehouses and libraries where paper records were kept. They didn't think anyone needed an identity the information. The timing of the attacks was set to coincide with a party at Peter Tyler's when the President would be giving his little speech. Someone on Lumic's ship hit the button, sent the signal and thousands of those things were loosened on the world, or at least - our half of it. Thousands more were found hidden around the world after."
"Harry, I don't need a history lesson. I know all this. What did you find out?" Donald tapped the screen impatiently.
Harry nodded and tapped his screen. "Daniel Ulysses Barrow born 18 April, 1981 in Bathgate Scotland to John Smith and Donna Barrow who at the time was married to a bloke named Simon Barrow. It seems she became enamoured with the bloke, got pregnant and divorced soon after. She stayed with Smith, but they never married. They both died in a road accident, First Day, 1985. His paternal grandparents, Ulysses and Verity, raised him." Harry looked up at his friend. "Don, this guy, what is he - suspect - friend?
"Neither really, just a bloke I met that doesn't seem right, why?
"I traced his mother for her maiden name, so I could maybe find out a little more."
"And?" Don straightened.
"Partner, her maiden name was Noble. Her parents were Sylvia and Geoff. Her grandparents were -"
"I know who her grandparents were, and this isn't possible."
"Don, I ran the trace as far back as I could. There isn't a lot on him except that he's a science geek with a Doctorate in Astrophysics from Oxnard. Everything, and I mean everything after graduation is listed as a state secret.. Is this his picture?"
"Yeah, looks just like him," Don stared at the group on the screen. The picture came from a CCTV image.
"That footage is from the night of the attack. The group of people you are looking at were the nexus of the Defenders who stopped Lumic. The web site has no real info other than this picture which they probably got from hacking the system. After that night, he just dropped out of sight. The people on that web page claimed they knew him and the guy who formed the Defenders, Rickey Smith. They thought, he was dead."
"This isn't possible, I was named after her." Don dropped heavily in the chair next to Harry. "I would know if my aunt had a kid. My Dad would have said. He adored his sister. Hell, in the eighties, I spent my summers with my grandparents. They would have said something. This is not real."
"Maybe the fact that she scr - that she - you know. I mean times, were different then. Stuff like that was frowned on, especially in Scotland. Didn't he flinch or say something when you told him, your name?"
"I didn't tell him my last name. I never tell someone in a pub my last name or what I actually do. Did you find an address?" he asked as he straightened.
"Nope."
"He was with a cute blonde, Rose Tyler. We teased each other about security clearances."
"Rose Tyler?" Harry turned to the computer and typed. Rose's picture came up. "That Rose Tyler?"
"Yeah."
"Son of a bitch, Canada. Do you know who she is?"
"No, who is she?"
"That, partner, is Peter Tyler's daughter. Peter Tyler is the head of Torchwood. Torchwood grew out of the Defenders. They chase threats to the Earth like eco-terrorists. He is also the richest man in the country."
Don stared opened mouth at Rose's picture. "Hello, Blondie, what are you doing running with the working crowd?" he muttered more to himself than his partner.
"Harry, pull up Tyler's address," Don ordered.
"Don, you can't just sashay up to the estate of the biggest bloke outside of the government,in Britain. Well the official government any way, and interrogate them like they were drug suspects."
"Wanna make a bet. This is personal. I want to know who the bloody hell that bloke is, and - if he is related - well ... Then, I want to know what the hell is going on."
Daniel walked into the little guest house happier than he could remember. Happier than even before finding himself dumped on the beach. If it weren't for the headache, he'd be euphoric. It didn't matter that his feelings toward his progenitor hadn't changed, at least he and Rose talked, really talked. He was glad that he'd sucked up the courage to broach the subject. The drive home fulfilled every hope for the evening. Rose drove the long way home, even stopping so they could walk down by the river. If it weren't for barrage balloons travelling across the sky, he's of thought they were in London proper. He'd snogged Rose on the walk, properly, several times in fact. leaving them both ready for a cold shower. They'd almost crossed the line into other things, but wisely, he thought, they'd decided to wait.
As he walked toward the kitchen, he gave the jacket a toss. "Still got it," he said when it landed on the couch arm.
If his luck held out, he would be able to snag a tasty snack before Addie discovered that he was home. Common sense told him that he should swallow the nasty concoction that he'd invented to control the uneven energy production and low blood sugar, but the stuff tasted nasty. Somehow, the added banana flavour hadn't helped. His headaches were getting better, and they'd managed to keep his seizures a secret. They weren't even that bad, more like spacing out than seizures. The still hadn't figured out why, but since the last episode three days ago there were no further changes in the scans Marcus and Janice insisted on doing. Things were looking up, maybe, tonight he would just skip it. He pushed the kitchen door open already having decided to raid the fridge.
"It's about time," an older woman turned around from the blender with a glass already filled with a green smoothie. "The security guard called to say you were home almost seven minutes ago. I have your shake all ready." Clad in her nightgown, dressing gown and slippers, Adela Steuben reminded Daniel of the memories Donna had in her head of her Nan. Her thick German accented words were always delivered with a warm smile and in a loving voice. "Did you hang your coat. You're always forgetting to hang your coat."
Daniel took the glass and kissed Adela's cheek. "I will get it when I'm done with this. You'd think a genius could figure a way to make this taste better, more like Banana than swill." He took a swallow, "a-a-a," he waggled his tongue in disgust.
"Did you put your medical kit up," Adela fussed.
"Oh, blimey, I'm in trouble. I sort of got distracted and left it with Jake." He grinned.
"By Miss Rose." the older woman grinned. "the guard at the gate said she brought you home. "Was it good - between you?"
He toasted her and then forced another swallow of the disgusting drink with a dramatic shutter."Your apple dumplings would do me better," he teased before he answered. "Yeah, it was. We - talked. It was a start - a good one, I think." His eyes twinkled when he spoke about Rose.
"Good, then you need to be strong for the chase, ya. You finish that," she said lovingly. "I will call Mr Jake and ask him to bring the kit. Doctor Jones will be angry if it's gone missing." Adela patted his arm.
"Addie, when I get my house, you will come - right? I promise it will be smaller." He grinned.
"Than this?" She laughed. "We'll see, Mr Daniel. Finish that smoothie now; it's to your specifications. And then, you get your rest, ya."
"Ya," Daniel said. He watched her leave, took another swallow before dumping the rest in the sink.
Don pulled the unmarked police car to a stop two full blocks from the gates of the Tyler estate. He worked his way along the edge of the woods toward the guarded entrance until he found a tree that could provide him cover and watched the gate through his night-scope Two men in black were stationed at the gate. Both carried fully loaded assault weapons. From they way the guns were slung across their backs, Don knew that wouldn't hesitate to use them. The only way in was as a cop. Headlights approached the gates from the estate side sending shafts of light cutting through the darkness. Turn right, he thought. Please, please turn right. He smiled when the car did what he'd tried so hard to will. The driver turned right and disappeared in the darkness. The last thing he wanted was someone reporting a car parked on the side of the road two blocks from Peter Tyler's house.
The guards resumed their positions as the gates slid to a close. Don scoped the length of wall running along the property's perimeter. At least eight feet tall, and capped by razor wire, the idea to scale it quickly lost its appeal. Even if the wire could be crossed, he wasn't exactly dressed for climbing walls. He slid the scope back in its case, and opted for the wiser course of action. He blew a hard breath when turned back for the car. Approaching the estate this late at night on a conjured up investigation was probably a really stupid idea. He should go home. He should go home, take a shower, grab a beer ... Molly - he should call Molly for a little late night romp. Instead, he laid the scope on the passenger seat, made sure his badge was easily accessible, and restarted the car. The trip to the gates took seconds promptly rewarding him with a rifle pointed at his head.
The motor of the window whined slightly as it slid down. "Ah, yes, hello. Detective Inspector Don Noble." The man barely glanced at the proffered badge. "I'm here to see Peter Tyler." He smiled at the straight-faced guard.
"Mr Tyler doesn't see people this late at night, sir. You can call him at Vitex headquarters in the morning."
"No. See, I can't do that. This is an official investigation. If you could, please, tell him that I'm investigating a friend of his."
"What friend would that be, sir?
"Tell him - I'm investigating Daniel Barrows for the crime of fraud and that I think his daughter may be a target."
