Chapter 13
They were lingering at the table after dinner a week after their bizarre protective custody had begun, when the subject of Jack's daily visits came up. "We've been here a bloody week and they haven't seen hide nor hair of that man," Jackie was complaining. "I'm starting to wonder if there's maybe a bit of overreacting that's been going on."
Next to James at the table, Rose stiffened. "No, Mum. It's not an overreaction. I don't know what Mr. Saxon is capable of, but I know that he is terrifying and dangerous."
"Just because they haven't found him, doesn't mean we aren't in any danger," James chimed in. "From what I understand, his organization has long arms. Even if Harry was spooked enough to go into hiding, he could still have people watching us, trying to get to us." He continued with a slightly bitter tone, "I highly doubt he was actually personally driving the car that ran Romana down, after all."
He felt Rose's hand on his knee below the table in a gesture of comfort, and he calmed again. Jackie had a horrified look on her face. "Oh, James, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. You're right. It's just hard to sit still in one place for so long. And we're going to need groceries again soon, so I guess I was just hoping it would be safe enough to shop."
James considered briefly. "Well, you are right about the groceries. Maybe when Jack visits us tomorrow he can take you and Donna on a brief shopping trip. And, oh! I know. We should plan a picnic. Jack could come with us, and Torchwood could keep an eye on us. Shouldn't be too hard as long as we're all still together. And we can get out of the house for a bit. Maybe day after tomorrow? Then you can get some things for the picnic when you shop tomorrow."
Rose turned to him with a smile on her face as he finished making his suggestion. "Do you think they'd let us? I haven't had a picnic in ages, and it would be so good to get outside for a while. I feel like I've been locked up enough for a lifetime already."
As her words sunk in, James felt a brief burst of sorrow on her behalf. Stone had essentially kept her captive, and now she was captive still because of Harry. It was unacceptable. He smiled back at her. "I'll make sure of it. We deserve a field trip. Like I said, as long as we're all still together, they shouldn't have a hard time keeping an eye on us." She beamed at him then, her tongue peeking out of her smile in that way that drove him crazy. Suddenly, he didn't care that it was too soon, and that she might not be ready to hear it. He needed to tell her how he felt about her. He didn't even care that she probably wouldn't be able to say it back yet. He couldn't go one more day without telling her. He wanted to be free to tell her at every opportunity. It would have to start with the first time. As soon as they were alone, tonight before bed probably.
He was still grinning at her, these thoughts spinning through his head when the doorbell rang. Every single person at the table grew still, and a thick sense of silent apprehension filled the room. James slowly slid his chair back and stood. "I suppose I should get that." He looked around the room at the faces of his family. "It's probably just Jack again, anyway."
"Wait, James." To his astonishment, it was Howard who spoke up. The older man had a strange look on his face as he stood as well. "I think maybe I should get it, actually. Maybe it is Jack, and we're all worrying for no reason, but we all know that it's you and Rose that mad man is really after." Howard fidgeted for a moment while everyone just stared at him. It was the first time he had pushed himself forward like this with anyone but Jackie. "I think I'm the farthest removed, so… yeah. I'll get it." Then, without giving James a chance to argue, he left the kitchen headed towards the front door. James blinked at his receding back before looking back around the table. Only one person's face was not painted with the same surprise he felt. Jackie. She had a knowing look on her face and a satisfied gleam in her eyes.
James sat back down and waited in the silence with the others. They heard the soft sounds of conversation drifting from the front door. It sounded like Howard was speaking with a woman. James felt the beginnings of relief. It wasn't Jack, but it certainly wasn't Harry either. That sensation quickly faded, however, as the voices shifted to a tone that indicated an argument. He looked around the table again and came to an easy decision. Whoever was out there, he wasn't going to let Howard face them alone. This was his home, after all. Without a word, he stood and headed towards the front door and their unexpected visitor himself. He was so focused on resolving the situation that he didn't register Rose following him from the kitchen.
As the front door came into view, he saw that Howard was arguing with a tall, slim blonde woman wearing a bulky jacket. The expression on her face did not match what he was expecting from the tone of their argument. The woman looked frantic, almost panicked, while her tone remained cold and determined. She looked up at James as he approached. He saw the light of recognition in her eyes, though he was quite certain he had never met her before. She immediately began to ignore Howard in favor of speaking to James. "James Noble." Her eyes flicked briefly over his shoulder before returning to his face. "You and Rose Stone must come with me and you must come with me now."
James began to feel a sick, queasy premonition. He hoped with everything he had that Torchwood was listening to this conversation. "Why would we want to do that now? Do you need help? You look upset, does someone need a doctor?" He was frantically searching his brain for some reason unrelated to Harry for this strange woman's sudden appearance, but he was coming up blank. The barely controlled panic was still there in her eyes.
"You have to." She stood very straight and looked James in the eyes as she unzipped the bulky jacket she was wearing and opened it. In an instant, James' mind went completely still. He stopped breathing, and he ceased to be aware of anything except for what the woman had revealed, and Rose's presence right behind him. He heard Rose gasp, while his eyes remained locked onto the mass of wires and explosives strapped around the woman's chest beneath the jacket she was wearing. "Harry will blow us all up if I don't come back with both of you."
James felt completely frozen at the sight of a woman forced to be a walking bomb. Against her will if the look in her eyes was anything to go by. As he was trying to work up enough brain power to ask the woman who she was, Rose spoke from behind him. "Oh god, Lucy. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." And then his precious, beautiful, brilliant Rose was stepping around him and folding the terrified woman into a hug. The woman, Rose had called her Lucy, stood stiffly for just a moment before sobbing in Rose's embrace. James felt gobsmacked. Who was this woman? She'd clearly been sent by Harry, but Rose didn't seem the least bit afraid of her.
After holding the sobbing woman for a moment, Rose turned and looked at James. At that point James realized that the entire household had joined them at the front door. He watched as Rose took a deep breath before she said, "James, this is Lucy Saxon." He saw the pieces beginning to fit together, then she continued. "She's Mr. Saxon's wife." Her eyes drifted to her mother for a moment before she returned her attention to him. "I think we should go with her."
When that last sentence left her lips, there was a veritable explosion of objections from everyone in the room. Everyone except for James, Rose or Lucy Saxon. Jackie was shouting that they'd be leaving over her dead body, and Donna was glaring at Lucy, while loudly expressing her opinion that she could just run home and blow herself up, but to leave her brother out of it. Howard and Lee were trying to calm their respective partners, contributing still further to the cacophony resulting from Rose's suggestion. James tuned it all out and looked in Rose's eyes. There was fear, but also determination, and compassion for Harry's wife. Harry's wife. Harry had a wife. After all this time, he still had it out for James over Romana, when he had a wife of his own. Then it clicked. Stone had been bad, but Harry was worse. That was where Rose's determination must come from. This woman was as much a prisoner as Rose had been, and Rose knew it, and she couldn't stand it. So brave, his Rose. That decided it for him. They would face this together, and hope that Jack and Torchwood could pull them out before things got out of hand. Still holding Rose's gaze he nodded once decisively before turning around and bellowing, "Enough!"
The four who had been creating so much clamor fell silent and looked at him in shock. "This is what is going to happen. We are not going to allow Harry to blow Lucy up. Rose and I are going to go with her." Here he paused and gave Jackie a warning look when she opened her mouth. Then his voice softened as he continued. "We will figure something out." He looked at Howard then, impressed by the stand the man had made earlier, and mouthed the words, "Call Jack." Howard gave a slight nod, and James felt a sliver of hope that they would get out of this unscathed. He gave Jackie and Donna each another warning look before he turned again to Rose. "Are you sure?" he whispered.
Her eyes were swimming with emotion when she answered him, and for a moment he thought he might drown in her. "I'm sure. We have to help her." She reached up and touched the side of his face softly. "Thank you, James. I…"His heart leapt as he anticipated her next words, but if she was going to say what he thought and hoped she was going to say, then he couldn't let her say it for the first time here, with an audience and a crisis. So he reached up and pressed two fingers against her lips gently.
"Shhh. I know. Let's get through this first yeah?" She nodded slowly, eyes shining at him.
She looked at her mum and said firmly, "We're going to do this, mum." Her eyes shifted to Howard. "You know what to do." Howard's hand came up to rest on Jackie's shoulder and he nodded at her.
"Rose, please. There has to be something else. Maybe Jack or one of those other people could just disarm the bomb? Anything Rose, please, don't go. Please." Jackie's eyes were filling with tears, and her voice was shaking.
James' heart was breaking for Jackie. He understood her pleas wholeheartedly, but he could also see that Rose was determined to save Harry's wife. The last thing he wanted to actually do was go with this woman, but perhaps the Torchwood group could follow them and capture Harry for good finally. He was anxious for this nightmare to be over. "Mum. I promise we'll be as careful as we can, but we have to try. I love you." Rose's voice was shaking by now as well.
Jackie rushed forward then and pulled Rose into a tight embrace. "I love you so much, sweetheart." She pulled back and glared at James. "You keep her safe or I promise you'll regret it!"
He knew truer words had never been spoken, and it had nothing to do with the implied threat. He bored his eyes into hers as he responded. "I'll do everything in my power, Jackie. I swear." Then he soundlessly mouthed, "Jack," to her as well before turning back to Lucy Saxon. "Well, Mrs. Saxon. It looks like Harry gets what he wants this time. Shall we go, then?" He reached out and took Rose's hand in his.
Lucy stared at him expressionlessly for a moment before she said, "Harry always gets what he wants. We won't escape. I know you're all planning something, but whatever it is, it won't work. Harry always gets what he wants. Always." Then she turned and walked out the door without looking to see if they were following her.
James exchanged an uneasy look with Rose before following Lucy out into the night and the dark blue luxury sedan that was parked on the street in front of his house. Lucy was already waiting in the driver's seat when he and Rose got to the car. James opened the back door, and Rose got in and slid across the seat to the other side. He followed her and closed the door, taking one last look back at his house as he was buckling himself in. He could see that Donna and Jackie were still hovering just inside his front door. He felt Rose take his hand again as Lucy pulled out onto the street. Please, he thought. Please let this be the beginning of the end for Harry. Please let me keep her safe.