Chapter 13

Rose

Rose was in extremely high spirits as she made the short drive to Emmett's house. She was looking forward to dinner with him, now that there was less tension between the two of them. She had to admit to herself that she was also looking forward to the possibility of more snogging. He was an excellent kisser and she had forgotten just how brilliant kissing could be. Especially between two telepaths with an open connection. She didn't want to rush right into things with him, though. If she truly wanted to move forward with him, she needed to take her time and be sure he knew that he wasn't a replacement, the way Jake feared he was. The telepathy would help with that, but Emmett didn't have a lifetime of experience making judgements in that way. She knew her mum and Pete had each made a conscious effort to show each other how much they loved this version of themselves. She wanted to give Emmett the same.

She pulled up to his home and got out of her car. She grabbed her bag and ran her hands down her hips self-consciously. It wasn't exactly a date, but it wasn't exactly not a date, either. She had opted to wear dark fitted jeans and a shiny cream colored top. She hadn't been on a date or anything close to one since… Well. No sense thinking about that now. Not when there was a man waiting for her inside who was gorgeous in his own right. He deserved her full attention. She walked up to the door and rang the bell.

Emmett answered the door with a beaming smile. "Rose! Great, come in. I was just heading to the back, why don't you come?" He asked as he led her back to the kitchen.

"Oh, sure. What's in the back?"

"I have a deck and a small grill out here, I was going to cook out there then we can eat at the table inside, or I have a small table on the deck we could use. Seats might still be wet from the storm, though."

"Eating inside is fine. We'll probably want to move to the couch when we get started anyway. I doubt you want to be practicing outside," she gave him a grin with just a hint of her tongue showing and watched as his eyes briefly focused on her mouth.

He seemed to shake something off before he responded, "Right. Yes, the sofa will be more… comfortable. Okay, then." She followed him onto the deck and watched as he set about cooking their meal.

An hour later they had finished eating and were once again seated on his faded blue sofa. Rose turned and looked at Emmett when he took her hand. That delicious tingling started up again and his eyes were focused on her. "I'm so glad you came," he said.

"Of course I came. I said I would, didn't I?" She was confused. They had spoken about meeting at his place tonight before he had left Torchwood that evening.

"No, I mean… I'm glad you came to California. To Gracepoint. I'd never… Well. I'd probably never have met you if you had decided to stay in London."

"Oh," she said quietly. "I'm… I'm glad, too. I never expected to… I never expected to care for someone again. I thought that was a part of my life that was over, but you… I'm just really glad I met you, too." He gave her a warm smile and leaned in to press a quick peck to her lips before sitting up straight again. The tingling that started when he took her hand was now spreading through her entire body.

"Shall we begin, Director Tyler?"

"Excellent idea, detective."

They worked on his barriers for another hour before Rose declared that that was enough work for one day. Emmett excused himself to the kitchen momentarily and returned with the chocolates he had bought earlier. "Dessert?" Rose's eyes lit up as they fell on the fancy box he was holding out to her.

"Ooooh. Emmett, how did you know I adore chocolate?" She asked just before she bit into one. She let out a moan. "Oh, this is delightful."

"Lucky guess," he said with a grin, sitting down next to her again. This time, instead of sitting so they could angle towards each other, he sat right next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder and they were pressed against each other, side to side. The sensation that had started as a tingle was now coursing through her body like electricity. She turned her head so she could look up at his face and froze. His eyes were soft, but there was a spark of fire in them and she knew. He was going to kiss her. His eyes stayed focused on hers as he slowly reached up with one hand and touched the corner of her mouth.

"You've got some… right here…" his eyes never left hers as he brought his hand back to his own mouth and sucked the bit of chocolate he had gotten from her face off of his finger. She was mesmerized by his slow, deliberate movements. He pulled his hand away from his mouth and leaned down to kiss her. The kiss was sweet, and soft, and tasted of chocolate. She felt herself sinking into his arms as he wrapped them around her, her own moving to twine around his neck. Then she felt it. That fluttering in her head that meant he was asking for permission. To come in. So she let him.

The deep green of his mental signature filled her mind. She felt his passion and desire for her and responded in kind, kissing him harder. He groaned into her mouth and tried to pull her closer still as their mental energies spun together. The heat in her head was building to a fever pitch and she shifted so she could straddle his body on the couch. She could feel the physical evidence of his desire and felt her own arousal pooling low in her belly. His hands were roaming her back and hers were buried in his hair. She dimly remembered admonishing herself to take things slowly with him, so she struggled to control her emotions. She allowed her kisses to trail from passionate towards affectionate, nipping lightly at his full lower lip.

Emmett…I…

Anything, Rose.

Emmett, I should probably go… She thought to him as she continued placing soft kisses on his mouth.

His eyes were still closed. "Hmmmmm." You're probably right… You just feel so… amazing. I could stay like this forever…

She leaned her forehead against his, and allowed their connection to remain intact. She smiled down at him. "I know. I don't really want to leave either." I know. "But we should take things a little more slowly, yeah? This is all still so new to you. And I, I care about you. So much. I want the chance to show you I appreciate you for you, okay? You deserve it." His eyes opened she saw adoration behind the cloud of lust.

"Rose. You don't have anything to prove." He reached up and cupped her face. "I already know. I might've worried, but… I can feel you. I know I'm not stand in, a replacement. You don't have to convince me. But you're right, we should call it a night. If we don't, well, that partial bond is looking better and better and…"

"It's too soon. We can't. We shouldn't."

He nodded reluctantly. "You're right, of course." She slid from his lap and stood, allowing their connection to dissipate as they lost physical contact and Emmett sighed as he stood as well. Their hands found each other as they walked to his front porch. "I'll see you in the morning, then?" She smiled and nodded at him before reaching up to kiss him one last time. She walked to her car and drove away, noticing that he was still on his porch as she lost sight of his house.

Emmett

Emmett sighed deeply as he watched Rose drive away. Letting her go had been difficult, and he was still struggling to get his hormones and body back into check. Kissing Rose, having her golden presence in his head, he didn't have words for how it felt. Like all of the joy and life and energy he had ever felt was packed into each tiny moment with her. He wanted that partial bond with her, hell, he wanted the complete bond. Being able to reach out to her at will, having constant access to her warm golden glow… He couldn't imagine anything in life so miraculous, so profound as having a permanent connection to this magnificent woman. She knew he could feel the honesty of her emotions, and she still wanted to show him with her actions. He couldn't deny it any longer and he didn't want to try. In a week's time he had fallen for her. He had fallen in love with her and it was as if he'd never known what that truly meant before.

Rose's car was no longer visible, so he turned and reentered his house. A house which suddenly felt much emptier than it had before Rose had come into his life. Before, he had treasured his solitude. It wasn't as if he had any friends in Gracepoint aside from Ellie. His daughter's visits were few and far between. But he had been relatively content on his own, aside from the boredom and the occasional bout of loneliness. Now though, there was a distinctly Rose-shaped hole. He heaved another sigh before heading to his bedroom. He needed a cold shower before he could face his empty bed.

He entered his room and moved towards the bathroom. There was a blinding flash of light and his house disappeared. "Shit! What?" He spun in a slow circle as he took in his surroundings. He was in a dim concrete cell. The only light came in through a small slatted window near the top of a very solid-looking steel door with no handle. He fumbled in his pocket for his phone only to realize that there was no signal whatsoever wherever he had found himself.

Rose

Rose's head was in the clouds as she walked through her cottage towards the bathroom for a shower. Her evening with Emmett had been… perfect. The meal had been delicious, as had the sight of him with his jacket off and his sleeves rolled up. His shields were progressing nicely. He was now able to keep her out almost ninety percent of the time. Despite his confession that it was difficult for him to keep her out because he didn't want to do so. Then snogging on his sofa had been just brilliant. His reserved nature hid fierce passion. When he directed it at her, she wanted to let it sweep her away. She had wanted to stay, oh how she had wanted. But they had known each other a week, and there was a crisis in the air, surrounding them.

In the morning, she would have him help her review the report on the findings from Carmack. Maybe she would ask if he wanted to receive field training. Now that they knew he was telepathic, Torchwood would likely be interested in recruiting him directly. It would mean a new liaison would have to be assigned, but he had said from the start that he thought Ellie would be a good fit. Of course, he may not be interested in such an offer. She certainly wasn't going to trigger a recruitment herself before she knew how he would feel about it. She couldn't even guarantee him a position in Gracepoint. Although, if he did want to join Torchwood, she would lobby heavily with Pete to keep him. Or she would go wherever they sent him.

Rose took a hot shower and dressed herself for bed. She crawled into her bed still wondering what it would be like to have Emmett work for Torchwood proper. He would make an excellent field agent, she was certain. She wondered also if he had truly considered the bond, or if he had just said that in passing, in an attempt to get her to stay. The feelings she had been struggling not to name washed over her again as she drifted off to sleep to thoughts of Emmett, and bonds, and love.

Rose found herself in a long, curved hallway. There was a green haze in the air that seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. There was a faint hum of machinery around her. The hallway looked the same in either direction, so she picked one at random and started walking. After a while she heard what sounded like whispering in the distance, but she couldn't make out the words. She hadn't passed any doors as she walked, so she hurried a bit as she tried to find the source of the whispers. The sound was starting to fill her with anxiety. Someone in this place needed her help. She had to find them.

As she rushed along, the hallway's curve grew sharper until it seemed to point back the direction she had come from. The green haze grew darker. As she rounded the sharpest bend in the curve the whispers abruptly stopped. In front of her was the first and only door she had seen in this place. It was heavy and steel with a solid looking deadbolt as well as a keypad lock mechanism. Near the top, in the center was a small slatted window. The hair on her arms stood up, and her skin crawled at the sight of that door. Rose approached the door carefully and placed her hand on it. She whispered, "Hello? Is someone in there?"

"Rose!"

"Emmett!?"

With a shock, Rose sat up in her bed, in her cottage in Gracepoint. She took great gasping breaths as she realized it had been a dream. But it was so real, she thought as her breathing calmed. She looked at her clock and saw that it was almost time for her to get ready anyway, so she heaved herself out of bed. She went to her bathroom and began the process of preparing herself for the day, but her mind was preoccupied with the dream. Something was nagging at her sleep addled brain for her focus. There was something… important. She was suddenly filled with dread as she realized what it was that had been bothering her. The green haze. It was a very specific green. It was Emmett green.

She rushed back to her bedroom to locate her phone and dialed Emmett's number. Instead of ringing it went straight to voicemail. "Crap!" She hung up and called Jake instead. "Jake! We have a situation here. I think Emmett might be in trouble."

"Rose? What time is it? What do you mean trouble?"

"I'm sorry, Jake I know it's early. Just listen, okay? Remember I told you I saw Emmett in my dream that night? The night after I first met him?"

"Yeah... And?"

"He had the same dream. He dreamed he saw me there and called my name and I looked at him. Just like what happened in my dream. And there have been other… things."

"What 'other things'?"

"It doesn't matter right now! What matters is that we've been sharing dreams somehow, and I had one right before I woke up. He was trapped in a cell in this strange place. Didn't look like twenty-first century earth technology to me. When I woke up I tried to call him and his phone went straight to voicemail."

"Rose… Are you sure his phone isn't just dead?"

"Look, Jake, if that is all it is I will happily let you tease me about this forever. But in case you haven't been listening, we've been sharing dreams! And this dream was tinged with the color of his mental signature! So, please, I'm going to his house. I will call you when I get there either way. If there is a problem I want a team ready to go immediately as soon as we have working intelligence. I can't lose him, Jake. I can't. Not again. Please."

"Rose. I'm sorry. I'll head to the office right away. I'll start prepping a team and I'll see if I can find anything useful in that report the lab rats left from yesterday while I wait to hear from you, okay? Just… Does he really mean so much to you? Already?"

"Yes, Jake. Yes he does. And he's no replacement for the Doctor. He's Emmett. And I think I need him. So, please help me find him."

"Of course. I'll talk to you soon. Bye."