A/N: Many thanks to my followers, to everyone who has favourited, and to all you gems who have taken the time to review. I adore every single one of you.

Trigger Warning: Mild swearing, mentions of abuse, and mentions of drug use.

Disclmaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or anything related. That all goes to the BBC.

Performing, Rose found, was very therapeutic. After her break up with Jimmy, Rose had been advised to find an outlet. Singing would have been her go-to when she was younger, but her ex sort of ruined that for her. Instead she turned to drawing and painting, something she had always been interested in, but never taken the time to really study or hone her skills. She was older now. She sang in Gretna Green for Donna and Jack's wedding and it had been wonderful. She was nervous at first, nervous that memories she didn't want replayed would come rushing back to her the moment she took the stage, but they didn't. And now, after several practices, Rose got the chance to perform again.

She enjoyed the time she spent with The Neverweres. She had known Elton for many years, had gone to school with him even, but they had never really been friends. Now Rose was happy to include him in that category. His girlfriend, Ursula, while an odd duck, was extremely loyal and kind and, without being told, seemed to sense that something was off with Rose. Her quiet support meant the world. The drummer, Chip, was a bit different. Elton informed her that The Neverweres were actually looking for a new drummer as their current one had started a relationship with a much older woman who was demanding his undivided attention. "Some sort of Lady or something, she is. Don't really know what she sees in, Chip," Elton confessed. "I mean, he's a nice bloke. Just a bit different what with all those tattoos and what not." It was true. Chip had gotten several tattoos over the years, covering his arms, hands, and even sections of his face. There was really no meaning behind the marks that Rose could tell. Just random doodles.

Then there was Adam. The history there was tough. Adam and Jimmy had been best friends. Until they weren't. When they had been friends, Rose saw him constantly at gigs, at the pub, and more often then not, when he crashed in their bedsit after a night of drunken shenanigans. But then everything with Adam and Suki happened and Jimmy didn't approve and then suddenly... POOF! No more Adam. Jimmy had never given Rose exact details, but she knew. She knew what Jimmy was capable of when he felt betrayed, and, oh, he felt that Adam betrayed him big time. Over time and through various people, Rose had been able to piece together what happened, and was extremely pleased when she'd heard that Adam had cleaned up his life and was trying to earn back Suki's love. Not win. Earn. And now they were married with baby on the way! Rose felt rather proud.

Singing with them had been wonderful. Rose had forgot what it was like to do a whole show with several songs and a cheering crowd. The energy was contagious and was, in Rose's opinion, far better than any high alcohol or drugs could bring. The upbeat songs were just what she needed to shake off the stress and sadness of the past two weeks and she was doing a great job at forgetting why she was sad in the first place, until it came time for her to sing by herself. She had picked the song, Smile, because it was one Suki had sang several times before, and the band already knew it. The lyrics hit rather close to home, but Rose had done a fantastic job at setting them aside throughout their practices.

Just as she sat down at the piano and was about to start singing, she looked out over the crowd and could have sworn she caught sight of John, but then a spotlight hit her and her vision of the crowd was gone. She tried to shake it off, it was probably just someone who looked like him and had really great hair like him. Now as she sang the song though, she wasn't able to set aside her feelings. They were rushing to the surface like a dam had broke. Somehow she made it through the number with only a few tears escaping. As the spotlight receded, her eyes focused on the banner hanging on the back wall, declaring the company the party was for. Rose had never asked for the name and Adam had never offered it. Had she'd known, she probably wouldn't have shown up.

It was Donna's work and that meant that it was a very real possibility that it wasn't just a John look-a-like, it really could have been him. Why Donna would bring her brother instead of her husband, she wasn't sure, but all Rose knew now was she wanted to finish her set list with The Neverweres and get out of there as quickly as possible. As their last song finished, the band took their bows before slipping off the stage to grab a drink of water before packing up their gear.

Just as Rose was about to volunteer to clean up the space they had used as their "green room," her mobile began to buzz in her back pocket. She didn't recognise the number, but for some reason she found herself answering anyway.

"Hello?" The sound on the other end was muffled, but she thought she heard sniffling. "Hello? Anyone there?"

"R-Rose?" a weak sounding voice whispered.

"Yeah. Who is this?"

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

Rose gasped, finally recognising the caller. "Shareen? Shareen, is that you? Are you alright?"

"It hurts so bad, Rose," her friend sobbed.

Rose took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "What does, sweetheart? What hurts?"

"Everything. And I'm so t-tired."

"Is he there, Shareen?"

"No. He left for the pub a while ago."

"Okay. I'm coming over to get you, alright? I'll be right there. Can you tell me exactly where you are?" She heard Shareen quietly tell her she was at Jimmy's old place. It was the same bedsit she had lived in with Jimmy. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay on the line with me. Keep talking!" She turned around quickly and was startled to find Adam standing directly behind her.

"I'm going with you," he told her firmly.

Rose shook her head. "No. You know what would happen if any of his guys caught you in that area. Think about Suki. Think about the baby."

"Think about yourself," he argued! "What if Jimmy catches you, hm?"

"Shareen said he went to the pub. You know what he's like, he'll been gone for ages. Might not even come home tonight. I'll be out of there quick as I can, but I can't leave her."

"Call the authorities then. Let the police handle it."

"No!" Shareen's ragged voice rang out from the mobile. "He's got the coppers in his back pocket. He'll be tipped off before they even get anywhere near here."

He gave a pained expression. "Rose-"

"Adam, please stay out of this," she pleaded. "You've done so well for yourself, made a new and better life for you and Suki. Don't fall down this rabbit hole again. I'll be fine. I can do this. I know that neighbourhood like the back of my hand. I'll be in and out before anyone notices anything."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You'll be careful, yeah? Call me as soon as it's safe."

"Promise." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before grabbing her handbag and running out of the hotel. "Shareen? Are you still there?" she asked, as she made her way towards the car Jake had let her borrow. "Shareen?!"

"Here," the other girl croaked out. "But I'm so tired."

Rose hopped into the front seat of her car, saying a silent thank you that she had chosen not to use the valet service upon arrival. "I know you are and you can sleep as soon as I get you out of there, but right now I need you to stay awake! Can you do that for me? Shareen answer me!"

"K," was the single reply.

"Describe your injuries to me. Where are you hurt?"

"Arm's bleedin.'"

"Okay," Rose processed. "Anything else?"

"My head's all cloudy," she slurred.

Rose bit her lip afraid to hear the answer to her next question. "Shareen did you take something?"

There was a breathy chuckle. "Took lots of things."

"Oh my god. Shareen, listen to me very carefully. I need to call someone to help, not the police, just a friend. But that means I'm going to have to hang up the phone okay? You have got to stay awake. Stay awake. Keep tellin' yourself that I'm on my way and you have to stay awake for me. Sing if you have to! Remember that dance we made up to 'Be Our Guest' when we were little? Sing that song and it will help you stay awake."

"Whative I can't 'member the wors?" she asked, her voice becoming thicker and less coherent with whatever drugs were in her system.

Rose clenched the steering wheel with her free hand. "Then make 'em up! I'll be there soon alright? Start singing, Shareen!"

"Be... our... guest..."

Hanging up, Rose sent a silent prayer for her friend to stay awake until she got, before dialing Mickey's number. It rang several times, but there was no answer. Groaning, she carefully scrolled through her contacts until she found Jake, all the while trying to keep her eyes on the road. Like Mickey, Jake didn't answer his phone. Suddenly she remembered her conversation with him earlier when he dropped off his car for her to use. He had mentioned that he and Mickey were going to try and catch a film that evening and he would come by in the morning to pick the car up. "Damn, damn, damn!" she screamed, narrowing avoiding hitting the car next to her when her tantrum caused her to swerve into the next lane.

She knew who else she could call. And he would be there in a heartbeat, she knew. But she couldn't do that. He wasn't her boyfriend, he was her boss and she couldn't do that. She couldn't rely on him like that, it wasn't fair to him. There was one final person left and, really, she should have called him in the first place. She remembered that day clearly, it had been when Jack had picked her up for their spontaneous trip to Gretna Green. She'd confessed her fear about Jimmy to him and he'd given her his special work number. Even set it to speed dial. Never had she been more thankful.

Slowly, she pulled the car to a stop behind the building she would be entering. There was a back entrance that hardly anyone knew about or used. She had discovered it one day when she was feeling particularly brave and was actually considering leaving Jimmy. He had left her with two black eyes before leaving to get sloshed at the pub down the road, and Rose decided to have a look about the building their bedsit resided in. She wanted to have a good idea about the general layout of the building incase things ever got completely out of hand and she needed to hide. That's when she found the barely used back entrance. The reason she figured it was hardly ever used was probably due to the fact that it lead to a very narrow alley. So narrow that the door couldn't even open all the way because of the brick wall being so close. Thankfully, Rose was just slim enough to slide her way in.

While dodging broken glass bottles and half used fags, Rose had quietly hit the speed dial for Jack's work number. Nothing happened. She looked down and realised she had piss-poor signal. "Shite," she muttered under her breath. Taking a moment, she shimmied the back door open, and slipped inside the building before trying the call again. She was hopping up the horribly familiar stairs when the call finally connected. It only took two rings before she heard Jack's stern voice on the other end.

"Harkness," he practically barked.

"Jack!" Rose whispered enthusiastically. "Oh thank god. I need you. It's my friend, she's dating my ex, Jimmy, the one I told you about, and she's injured and she took something, I don't know what, and I'm here at his place trying to get to her and-"

Jack's soothing tone cut her off. "Calm down, honey. Tell me where you are."

"I...I can't remember the address! I got here by memory!" Rose was shaking and her mind whirling. Being back in this wretched building was bringing back memories she had locked away a long time ago. She was surprised when she suddenly tasted blood. She unclenched her jaw and realised that she had bit her own lip rather hard. Finally, she mounted the last stair and stood in front of the door leading to her old bedsit.

"That's okay, my phone is tracking you now. I'll be there within minutes, just stay on the phone with me," Jack told her as she jiggled the handle and found the door unlocked.

Rose's eyes immediately settled on her friend, laying on the floor like a rag doll, whimpering in pain. "I found her. Oh god, I found her. I-I..." She trailed off when she heard heavy footsteps climbing up the stairs.

"Keep talking to me," she heard Jack say somewhere in the distance, but she couldn't respond. She didn't what to do. Stay with Shareen who seemed to have a stab wound on her arm that was bleeding profusely or hide until Jack could get to her? "Are you still there? Answer me! Rose, answer me right now," she heard her friend demand.

Before she could make a decision about what to do, the decision was made for her. The door creaked open and there he stood. The person she had avoided for so long. He grinned at the sight of her. "Well, well, well. I was wondering how long it would take you to come back to me. Now who could you possibly be on the phone with at this hour? Tsk. Tsk." His face grew dark, an expression she was all to familiar with. "Hang up, Rose. Now!" he shouted.

Rose flinched and did as he said, but not before she heard Jack screaming her name on the other end.

John and Donna made brief eye contact before turning and running after Jack. They saw him fling the door to his SUV open and each made the split second decision to hop into the back before he could pull away.

"No. No. No. Get out!" he commanded in a voice he had never used in front of his wife.

"Like hell we will," John growled. "What the hell is going on and how does it involve Rose?"

Jack shook his head. "There's no time. You two are civilians and you cannot be involved. GET OUT!"

"Jack Harkness, you will not speak to us like that. Now clearly this is an emergency and you are wasting time by sitting here. My brother and I will not be moving from this vehicle, so get moving!" Donna shouted.

Without a word, Jack hit the gas pedal and was speeding down the road, a siren blaring from a source Donna and John couldn't see. "Buckle up and hold on," he said through grit teeth. "I am the commanding officer in this situation and you two will do as I say from this point on. It could mean a matter of life and death. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," she responded, while her brother just gave a curt nod. They watched in silence as Jack began tracking Rose's whereabouts with his phone.

Finally, John spoke. "What's going on? Why does Rose have your work number and what's wrong with her?"

"I gave her the number several months ago after she confided in me that her ex, who had threatened her and her mum, was out of prison," he explained. "She called me just now to tell me that she was at his place trying to help her friend who is now dating him and apparently in trouble. Our conversation was cut off by a male voice commanding her to hang up. I can only assume it was the ex boyfriend.

John closed his eyes and willed his heavy breathing to slow. Falling into a panic attack was not an option right now. "She told you her fears about her ex, but not me?"

"That's seriously what you want to focus on right now?" his friend snapped. "I saw something that made me suspicious, I caught her off guard, she didn't tell me much, just that he had threatened her. That's it!"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"She asked me not to."

Before their heated words could get out of hand, Donna stepped in. "Arguing about this isn't going to help Rose now. Jack what do we do when we get to wherever we're going? How can we help?"

"I already sent a message out to my team. They should be arriving at roughly the same time as us. You will stay behind us at all times. If one of them gives a command you will do as they say."

John heard every word Jack said, but couldn't process it. All he could think about was Rose. Rose who had kept the secrets from her past so closely guarded to her chest. Why hadn't she just opened up and told him her fears? He could have protected her. If she had just been honest with him they wouldn't be in this situation now! 'No!' he told himself. He could not blame Rose. She had her reasons for not telling him and he had to respect that. He couldn't stop thinking about what might be happening to her at this very moment. Rose being hurt. Rose in pain. Rose needing him. His hand clenched and unclenched. What if something happened to her? What would he tell his baby girl? How could he possibly tell her that her precious nanny, her beloved Rose, was... He had to stop. His mind flitted back to his daughter.

"Jenny," he whispered.

Donna laid a hand on his arm. "Already texted Sarah Jane and told her there was an emergency. She'll stay out the house as long as we need her to. Don't worry about her right now, okay?"

John nodded and took a deep breath. "Jack, how much longer."

"Not long. We're here," he announced.

John took a moment to survey the neighbourhood they ended up in. It was... well, to be quite honest, it was pretty terrible. Far worse than any council estate he had ever seen. This was a place he would never be caught dead in at night if he was alone, actually, he wasn't sure he would want to be here in the day either.

By the look on her face, Donna seemed to share the same thoughts. "Do you think Rose used to live here?"

"I'd rather not think about it actually," her brother confessed as he followed Jack's lead and hopped out of the SUV.

There, waiting at the side of the building were three men and one woman, all in black. They stood to attention at the sight of Jack and gave him a brief salute. "At ease," he addressed his team. "You got the message and you know what to do. This should be simple compared to what we're used to, but I implore you to use caution. There is one know abusive male with two females, one of which might be injured. The male is believed to go by the name of Jimmy and has no problem issuing and following through with his threats. One of the females being threatened is someone of great importance to me and my family. We will enter with standard formation. Techie," he looked to the only woman in the group, "I want you to bring up the rear. These two civilians will be joining us and I don't want any surprises from behind. Are my commands understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the all replied.

"Good. Let's get moving then." He turned back to his wife and brother-in-law. "Remember what I told you in the car."

"Yes, sir," Donna replied, resisting the wink she wanted to give him. She had never seen her husband at work before and she definitely liked what she saw.

They climbed up the stairs at quick pace and were at the door before they could blink. John wished Jack would just open the bloody thing so he could get to Rose, but instead his friend took his time giving a motion for his team to raise their weapons before silently counting down from three. After reaching one, he eased the door open. There was no way they could all fit in the tiny, disgusting bedsit. In fact, Donna and John could barely see over the team in front of him. He was expecting some sort of scuffle as they took Rose's ex down, but instead he heard Jack shout his name. Pushing his way forward, he saw the sight of a young, horrifically skinny woman with long black hair lying on the ground unconscious.

Falling immediately into Doctor Noble mode, he assessed the situation. The girl's arm was bleeding and it was clear she had already lost a fair amount of blood. She couldn't afford to lose more and it was becoming obvious to him that he was going to have to start giving CPR. "Donna!" he called out.

She instantly materialised at his side. "Here."

He grabbed the shawl she had been using that evening and bunched it up. "I need you to apply pressure to this wound while I start CPR." Thankfully she offered no arguments and did exactly as she was told. He tried his best to keep his mind to the task at hand. He given CPR before, and kept up to date on all the new methods, but it had been awhile since he had performed it on a real person. He was also trying very hard to think about where Rose might be. He registered Jack ordering his team to search the building for her, but he couldn't concentrate on that. He HAD to focus on his patient.

Just as he was halfway through the first round of compressions, and Jack's team were about to fan out through the building, Rose stumbled through the front door, shocking everyone. John had to force himself to look away and focus on the girl who needed him most at that moment.

"Rose! Are you alright?" Jack asked.

"Fine," she rasped out, sounding to John as is she had been strangled. "'e ran out. Used one of the windows on a lower floor to escape. 'e'll be heading towards the pub down the road. There's an empty flat above it that 'e uses as a hideout. Don't know I know about it," she huffed, her accent thick and heavier than usual. "'e's tall with blonde hair, can't miss 'im."

Jack nodded. "Oodball, stay here with them," he directed to one of the younger males on his team. "The rest of you, let's go!" He turned back one last time. "John, medical help is on the way." John spared no time responding and continued the compressions on his patient.

"Are you alright, miss," the young agent asked Rose when he saw her leaning heavily on the wall.

"Yeah, yeah. It's Shareen that needs help," she responded, her breathing erratic.

Donna looked up, knowing that they were going to need a little background on her friend. "Rose, do you know what drugs she took?"

She shook her head. "Don't know what Jimmy's into these days," she answered, her eyes never leaving John's form.

"Okay. Any allergies we should know about?"

"Just strawberries." Sirens began wailing seconds before several footsteps bounded up the stairs. It was cramped as the medical personnel made their way into the bedsit. Rose pushed herself into a corner and watched as John and the other got Shareen situated and began carrying her out.

Donna stayed behind, one of the medics was now taking care of the wound, and watched as Rose kept her arms folded tightly across her torso. "Rose, are you sure-"

"We got him!" Jack announced, running into the tiny bedsit. "Hadn't even made it halfway down the street do to a limp he must have recently received." He smiled and turned to check on his wife.

As he and Donna had a whispered conversation, Rose's breathing continued to become more and more erratic. Silent coughs wracked her frame. When the coughs abated, she pulled away the hand she'd used to cover her mouth and was shocked to find it covered in red splatters. "I should go to the hospital," she said in a daze.

"We'll take you there, sweetheart. Don't worry, your friend is in good hands," Jack replied reassuringly, making his way to her side.

"No. I need to go to the hospital," she clarified before her eyes rolled back.

John had successfully passed the young woman known as Shareen off to the medics. He took a step back from the ambulance and left her in their capable hands. He prayed, for Rose's sake, that she would be alright. Now that he could stop being the doctor in this situation, he turned to go find Rose. He needed to see her, really see her, and make sure she was alright. Before he could even enter the building, Jack pushed past him, Rose's prone form dangling in his arms, shouting, "Medic! I need a medic over here now!"

Coming Soon: I Must Confess...

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