Howdy! First and foremost, I hope that everyone following my stories is safe and sound. The world is going through a crazy time right now and I'm thankful that I, my husband, my family, and my pets are all safe. I hope you are, too, and I hope that you can find a welcome distraction in my stories. I'm sorry it took me SO LONG to get chapter 2 up, but I decided about halfway through writing this chapter that I no longer wanted to write this story in 1st person. 1st person just doesn't work with the story I have planned, and I had to rewrite everything back into 3rd person Limited. The majority of this story will be told from Parker's POV, but I will be switching between her and the Doctor and Rose, as well as any future companions who appear in this story. That is the last of the changes I am making to this story, I promise. As always, thank you to everyone who has bookmarked this story and to everyone who has reviewed. A large thank you to Whovianeverlark17 for being my Beta and my sounding board and for dealing with my very long rambling emails with all of my jumbled thoughts. Stay safe and enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 2: The Rose and the Thief
~"Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."~
JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
"Hello there, I'm the Doctor."
"O-Okay…" The intensity of his stare, stormy blue eyes weighing down on her own green ones, left Parker stuttering. The way he said hello and the expectant rise of his eyebrows told her that he wasn't surprised to see her there. He did see me standing there, after all. So, this jerk chose to ignore me then?
"Parker!"
Rose's sudden hiss made Parker realize she'd spoken her thoughts out loud, the absurdity of everything going on at the moment making her brain verbalize her thoughts. The Doctor, this rather large-eared stranger, frowned down at her. She uselessly tried to will her mouth to stop moving, something she'd never been good at. There was something about him that threw her off. He didn't look intimidating or dangerous, but that was the impression she got from him, a feeling that if she stepped too far there would be no coming back.
But Parker's mouth had always had a mind of its own, and this time was no different. Once it was moving, it wouldn't stop.
"You saw me standing there, and you didn't say anything? No explanation for whatever the hell was going on back there? I'm just standing there, minding my own business, eating my dinner, in the alley that you brought something dangerous to! Mind you, I know how heavy that door is. That's reinforced steel because Myron is such a paranoid freak that he needs the world's heaviest door!" She wasn't sure she was even making sense anymore as words just kept tumbling from her mouth. The man appeared slightly taken back and… amused? This situation was not amusing. "Whatever you were running from back there had to be pretty terrible, especially considering how scared of it Rose was. And I was standing right there! You saw me, I know you did! What, were you just going to leave me there to be eaten by whatever was busting down the door?"
"Are you done?"
Parker stared at him, feeling her face heat up with rage. Who was this man, who seemed only slightly irritated at her outburst? His question sounded like he was talking to a child throwing a small fit over a toy, instead of talking to an adult woman he'd put in danger.
"Yeah, I guess so," she snorted, indignancy filling her tone.
"Of course I saw you. I'm not blind. Figured if you were smart you'd follow along, and here you are." He nodded once, then turned to the blonde. Rose was as white as a ghost, her bewildered eyes caught between staring at the impossible space around them and the man before her. "You know her?"
"Yeah…" It seemed to take Rose a moment to realize he'd asked her a question, and then she stirred herself from the sort of stupor she was in. "This is Parker. My Mum knows her aunt."
"Parker Sloane," the redhead said, feeling the need to clarify. She was just glad that Rose hadn't said her name was Riley. Parker and Rose weren't quite close enough to be called friends, and she'd never told Rose why she went by her middle name. That was a story she didn't want to get into right this moment when there were so many other more important topics occupying her mind. "Now, who exactly are you?"
The man rolled his eyes, which, in turn, had Parker rolling hers. "The Doctor. Don't you listen?"
Just how did Rose know this guy? "The Doctor? Just… the Doctor?" No name to go with it? Parker wondered what kind of doctor he was. He certainly didn't look like any medical professional she knew, and she'd seen plenty of them in the last two years. "Nevermind, that's not important. Where am I?"
Instead of answering her question, this Doctor asked her one of his own. "What d'you mean, eating dinner? Who eats dinner in an alley?"
She was going crazy. That was the only explanation for this impossible room and this lunatic standing in front of her. She'd officially cracked. "I can eat dinner wherever I feel like, thank you very much." When he just continued to stare, she was overcome by a distinct feeling that he wouldn't be answering any of her questions until she gave him a serious response. His blue eyes, vivid even in the dim light of the room, were unnerving. "Alex, the kitchen manager, is a good friend. She feeds me when I stop by. I was going to go shopping but the gate and the back door were locked so I was waiting for someone to open the door when you so rudely brought something back there to try and kill me." Would he answer her questions now? "What was it, that thing banging on the door?"
"Living Plastic."
Her hand went to her head, which had begun to throb by now. Maybe whatever they'd brought to that alley had actually killed her and this was all some kind of post-death nightmare. "Sure… Let's go with that."
"Um…" Rose waved her hand in the air a bit as if asking permission to enter the conversation. She'd moved a step or two closer to Parker since telling the Doctor her name, or maybe Parker had moved closer to Rose without realizing it. "Can we focus on…" She gestured the same hand in the air, at both nothing specific and everything at the same time.
"Right." The Doctor nodded again, a go-ahead for Rose to continue. "Where do you want to start?"
"The inside's... bigger than the outside?"
"Maybe the outside is smaller than the inside," Parker added, waiting for Rose to get past the obvious. She wasn't sure how the inside was larger-perhaps this was all just one big optical illusion-but they were wasting time going over facts they already knew.
"Yes." Though he didn't specify, she had a feeling he was talking to both of them. The way his eyes were locked onto Rose and the slight upturn of his lips when he looked at her had Parker feeling like she'd interrupted something more intimate than it appeared. How long had they known each other?
"It's alien."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes a second time at Rose's observation. "Of course it's alien, Rose. An alien ship for an alien man."
When Parker glanced over at Rose again, she felt bad for the slight snap in her voice. The other girl was shaking like a leaf, her skin pale and brown eyes wide in disbelief. Parker seemed to be handling this better than her, though she wasn't entirely sure why. This had her freaked out, too, after all. This was clearly an alien spaceship, and she'd just met a man she assumed was an alien running from something he had called "living plastic."
I have always believed in aliens. Guess this is just the proof I was missing.
She grew up watching science fiction with her father and it had never seemed quite possible that humans were the only sentient beings in the whole universe. This ship had to be alien and, if the ship was alien, that meant this Doctor had to be alien, too, didn't it?
Rose's eyes grew ever so slightly wider as Parker's assumption settled over her. "Is Parker right? Are you alien?"
"Yes. Is that alright?" Neither of the girls spoke, and the Doctor's voice took on a slightly impressed tone as he directed his next words at Parker. "You seem to be taking this well."
How else am I supposed to take this? She was at a loss for words. What was she supposed to say, that being an alien wasn't alright? That wouldn't change anything. What isn't okay, she thought to herself as she wrung her hands around the strap of the messenger bag in front of her, is the fact that he hasn't apologized for ignoring me back there. She didn't say that out loud, as much as she might have wanted to. There were more important things to think about right now.
When she didn't speak, he continued, casting his eyes about the ship. "It's called the TARDIS, this thing. T-A-R-D-I-S, that's Time and Relative Dimensions in Space."
Rose was only a few steps away from her now, though Parker still wasn't sure which one of them had crossed the grated floor first. As she turned to look at the shaking girl, knowing that Rose wasn't handling the shock well, Parker's eyes caught a glimpse of a door in the back of the room. It looked like it might lead into some sort of hallway, and she wondered just how much more there was to this ship. How was it possible for all of this to fit inside that blue box she'd seen in the alley? Her gaze continued to wander, landing after a moment on the head, the one that looked like Mickey Smith, that sat on the control panel just to the right of the Doctor. "Why do you have a copy of Mickey's head?"
~Rose~
Rose couldn't believe that Parker seemed so unfazed. It was just one of the many items on the list of things that she couldn't believe right now. Though, with what she knew about Parker and the girl's life so far, it made sense that she was more used to surprises than Rose was. After all, her own nineteen years of life so far had been anything but surprising. She'd wanted more information on the Doctor, on this strange man who had saved her life before blowing up her job, but now she couldn't help but wonder, in a little bit of both awe and terror, what she had gotten herself into.
At the mention of Mickey, Rose's hand flew to her mouth. A sound caught somewhere between a gasp and a sob escaped her. Mickey! "Did they kill him? Mickey, is he dead?" A rush of shame filled her; she'd almost forgotten all about him.
"Oh…" the Doctor frowned, looking slightly uncomfortable suddenly at the sight of the sobbing woman in front of him. "Didn't think of that."
"He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head!" A tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek. Oh, Mickey… "They copied him and you didn't even think?" Parker's hand nudged her shoulder, then directed her attention away from the Doctor and back to the head. "And now you're just gonna let him melt?" The rubbery sheen of the plastic head had turned into a sticky goop, the entire thing beginning to melt like someone had taken a hot hairdryer to it for a few moments too long and drip down into the inner workings of the center console.
"Melt?" Confusion gave way to panic as the Doctor turned around to see the head morphing into a puddle. "Oh, no, no, no!" he shouted as he frantically began running around the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers. Almost immediately, the TARDIS began to shake.
With every button and lever the man touched, the ship around them quaked more and more. A wheezing sort of sound appeared and timed itself to the rhythm of the tremors that quickly threw Parker off balance and had Rose grabbing at the railing behind her. "What're you doing?" the blonde yelled, her voice quaking with the ship.
"Reviving the signal, it's fading! Wait, I've got it…" As he threw another lever, his eyes shifted to look at a small screen attached to the column in the center of the console. "No!" Some sort of tube inside of the column began to move up and down slowly, picking up speed as the intensity of the shaking and groaning increased. "Almost there, almost there! Here we go!"
Just as suddenly as it had started, the ship around them settled down. No more shaking, no more groaning. Rose released her white-knuckled grip on the handrail behind her, keeping it poised just in case she needed to latch on again. She opened her mouth to ask the Doctor what exactly had just happened, but he bolted down the ramp past the girls and through the doors of the TARDIS without a word. She tried to grab at him as he passed and missed. "You can't go out there. It's not safe!"
When she turned to the girl next to her, Rose found a look of confusion and bewilderment on Parker's face that mirrored the one she wore. "If he wants to get himself killed, that's on him," Parker said with a shrug.
The two girls waited for any sound of a struggle. By now, the headless body that looked like her boyfriend had to have broken through the restaurant door. Had it gotten the Doctor? What would she do if it had? Rose shifted on her feet once, twice, staring at the doors she'd come barreling through just moments before. When her curiosity finally got the better of her fear, she quickly pulled open the door on her left, taking a half step out into the world before stopping. "Parker," she called back, her voice full of breathy astonishment. "You're going to want to see this."
Rose let herself take another few steps out of the TARDIS onto the street, almost unable to comprehend and believe what she was seeing. They had moved. The alley behind the restaurant was gone, replaced with a view of the Thames River. It was nighttime by now, lights lit along the length of the river to allow pedestrians and boats to see. It was quiet, or as quiet as it could get in London. She almost didn't notice the sound of a car horn blaring somewhere behind her as Parker stepped out of the strange blue box to stand her by side. "No way…"
~The Doctor~
Looking out over the Thames River, the Doctor leaned against the cement wall that bordered the length of the water. His thin lips were flattened in irritation. "I lost the signal," he said, though he knew that neither of the humans behind him would have any inkling of what he was talking about. "I got so close." So close. He'd let his pride in the TARDIS get in the way. No, he thought, his irritation burrowing even deeper. He'd been showing off. He slapped the wall with his hand before pushing off and turning back to the women behind him.
Rose was the first one to speak, her brown eyes wide as she glanced back at his TARDIS. The pure wonder on her face was why he'd been showing off. It was as if he couldn't resist. "We've moved. Does it fly?"
Before he could answer, Parker was shaking her head. "No." There was a degree of certainty in her voice that had the Doctor watching her as she drifted over to the cement barrier. She caught his eye for the briefest of moments before leaning over next to him to look at her wavy reflection in the dim lights. Her red hair caught the glow of a lamp nearby, giving it the appearance of fire instead of copper. "We weren't moving long enough for it to have flown here. I'm guessing teleportation of some kind. Disappears in one place and reappears in another?"
"Hmph, you're not as stupid as you look." In the river, Parker's reflection pursed its lips. The Doctor couldn't remember the last time someone had so accurately understood the way the TARDIS traveled. For an ape he had just stumbled across, she was almost impressive. "Not quite. You wouldn't understand how it works."
Rose crossed the sidewalk to place her hand on the girl's shoulder, and the Doctor took that as his cue to walk away. "You okay, Parker?" He didn't have time for domestics right now. He'd lost the signal, too caught up in the humans he had involved by mistake to remember to start tracking it before the head disintegrated. That was the problem with the Living Plastic; their reliance on a transmission signal was too simple.
Parker stared up at the London Eye across the river before responding. "Guess so. This wasn't exactly how I thought my night would go. I was supposed to be out shopping for a birthday gift by now. You?"
"I'll let you know when I figure that out." Good answer. So far, Rose had taken everything that had happened in the last couple of days remarkably well. Not every human reacted with as much curiosity as she had or even with the same determination she'd shown when she had offered to help him. He hadn't meant to involve her, but Rose didn't seem to mind. Parker, on the other hand… He wasn't sure what to make of her yet. It was too soon.
Rose's voice snapped him back to attention. "If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose."
There was no time, however, for the endless questions. "It melted with the head. Are you going to witter on all night?"
Rose cast Parker a sideways glance at the snark in the Doctor's voice, before sighing and running a hand through her blonde hair. "I'll have to tell his grandmother…" The Doctor stared at the two of them, lost in thoughts of the Living Plastic. How was he supposed to track down their base without the signal, and what was Rose going on about now? "Mickey!" she snapped, seeing the lost look on his face. "I'll have to tell his grandmother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him again!"
Domestics again. This was why the Time Lord traveled alone. When humans got involved, they were bound to bring their issues with them. Rose huffed in frustration when he merely shrugged the accusation off, waving a hand dismissively at him and turning to face the river again.
"You were right. You are alien."
The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest as his jaw dropped slightly in indignation. "Look," he said, somewhat defensively. "If I did forget some kid called Mickey-"
"Yeah, he's not a kid."
"It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering about on top of this planet, alright?"
"Alright?" Rose squeaked. Her cheeks were flushed now, eyes rimmed with red.
Throughout the exchange, the Doctor was aware of Parker's silence and of the hands that clenched into fists at her sides. She seemed to be trying to fight an urge, and losing the battle against it. When he opened his mouth to speak again, the redhead exploded. "No, that's not alright!" In a few quick steps, she stood chest to chest with him, or as close as she could with their height difference. She breathed through her nose hard as she tilted her head up to meet his eyes. He felt his eyes widen momentarily at her boldness, and he allowed his curiosity to silence him.
"Mickey is a person, a human being. I don't care if he's the biggest dumbo on the planet, he still matters. He's a person and that matters. It's not 'alright' to forget about him just because you have other things to deal with." She started to turn away, then seemed to gain a second wind. "Maybe you're telling the truth, maybe you're just some nutter. Or maybe none of this is real and that thing chasing you killed me because you were too busy saving the other so-called apes, but saving the planet doesn't mean it's okay to forget about someone or act like you don't care."
The trio fell quiet for a moment, the sound of her angry huffs of air the only noise between them. Rose stood behind the girl, a hand covering signs of a smile. Parker's eyes, a soft shade of olive flecked with spots of hazel, sparked with a rage that caught the Doctor off guard. How old was this girl? She was young as far as human years went, even younger if he considered how old he was, and yet there was no hesitation anywhere that he could see. She wasn't backing down. Why take this so personally? It wasn't as if he'd spoken or acted against her.
This girl was waiting for something, that much was clear, likely an apology. Humans were obsessed with apologies. As far as he was concerned, the term "I'm sorry" did little to comfort or fix the problem one was apologizing for and served almost no purpose. Instead, the only thing he could offer her was, "You're right." Copper eyebrows shot up, the only sign of surprise in her otherwise frustrated expression.
"If you're an alien," Rose's voice interrupted the staring match happening between Parker and the Doctor, drawing both of their attention toward her. "Then how come it sounds like you're from the North?"
"Lots of planets have a North!"
"What's up with your ship?" Parker asked, the fire draining from her voice as she stepped back and pointed her thumb at the TARDIS.
"Yeah, what's a police public call box?"
The Doctor couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Uncrossing his arms, he patted one hand against the doorframe of his wonderful blue box. "It's a telephone box from the 1950s. It's a disguise."
That had both of the girls smiling. All of the hostility from a moment ago seemed to have vanished as Rose stepped closer, her own hand coming up to briefly stroke the side of the ship. "And this Living Plastic… What's it got against us?"
"You still haven't explained to me what exactly this Living Plastic is, either of you," Parker pointed out.
He had almost forgotten that Parker hadn't actually seen the aliens yet. "An alien. Just like the name sounds, it's the basic equivalent of your plastic, but it's alive. Controlled by the Nestene Consciousness." She nodded, devoid of any signs of confusion or unease at the idea. "It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air… Perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth… Dinner."
"But it's plastic."
"Yep."
"You're telling me that plastic dolls and mannequins are coming to life all over London because of this… What'd you call it, Nestene Consciousness?"
"Not just the mannequins and not just in London," the Doctor corrected her, looking between her and Rose to ensure they both understood just how serious the situation was. "Plastic, all over the world. Every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…"
With a small snort of amusement, Rose added, "The breast implants…"
Suddenly Parker was shaking her head. She turned around and walked off a few steps, a hand running through her hair. "How am I supposed to believe you? What if you're just crazy?"
"Believe me then, Parker." Rose reached out a hand, halting Parker by the shoulder as the girl began to pace. "I know it's real, 'cause it came for me. Twice. And twice the Doctor saved me. At the shop, right before it blew up, and then when it took Mickey's body. You saw the melting head, didn't you?"
A moment passed in silence. The Doctor could almost see the thoughts warring in Parker's head as she frowned, wrinkled her nose, then sighed. "I did. I did see the head. So, what, Doctor, you just run around stopping evil plastic from taking over the world?"
"Something like that." The Time Lord found himself unable to take his eyes off of her, a question brewing in the back of his mind. Could he trust her, this human girl he hadn't planned on? Rose seemed to, and he felt confident that he could trust Rose. But he wasn't sure yet what exactly to make of the strange redhead in front of him. She was clever, he could give her that, and he liked clever. "You can walk away, you know. You can leave." Forcing his eyes away from Parker, he turned to Rose now, wanting to make sure they both knew what they were getting into. "Neither of you were supposed to be involved in this, just in the wrong places at the wrong times. It might be dangerous."
~Parker~
I could walk away… The thought rang like a bell, loud and clear, through Parker's mind. She took a shaky breath in, her hands winding themselves around the strap of her shoulder bag once more.
Rose's answer was automatic, and Parker felt a little jealous of the resolve on the blonde's face. "I want to see this through to the end." Rose wasn't just some girl the Doctor had found eating dinner in an alley. She had seen the Living Plastic, had known the alien man before her for more than just the last thirty minutes. "It came for me twice. It hurt Mickey, and I've already come this far."
This hadn't been her plan. All Parker had wanted to do was visit Alex, drop off the envelope and the brownies, and go shopping. This was absolutely insane; thirty minutes, maybe an hour, ago, she had been giving the cute cook her phone number. Now she'd seen a spaceship that was bigger on the inside, and been teleported from one place to another without being asked. The Doctor was giving her an out, a way back to her normal life. But, if she was being honest, her normal life was so… tedious. She loved her sister and her aunt more than anything, would do just about anything for them. Everything she had said to Alex, though, had been true. She felt trapped.
"I'm with Rose." Before Parker had a chance to second guess herself, she blurted out her decision. I said it. No going back now. "I've been waiting for something, anything, to happen to me. Maybe this is it." Something to make me feel alive again. "So I'm in. On one condition: I have to make it home safe to my family." The momentarily stunned expression on the Doctor's face morphed into a wide grin. Parker and Rose shared a look, wearing their own similar grins.
"I can't make you any promises, Parker," the Doctor said, serious once more. "But, cross my hearts, I'll do my best."
Hearts? As in, more than one? That would be a question for another time, Parker decided. If there is another time. His best would have to do, because there was no way she was backing out now. "Nevermind. So, Living Plastic. How do we stop it?"
Reaching into his leather jacket, he withdrew a long test tube filled with a dark blue liquid. "Anti-plastic."
Rose snorted with a shake of her head. "Anti-plastic?"
"Don't mock."
As Parker stared at the tube in his hand, a realization dawned on her that made her slightly uncomfortable. He was talking about stopping this alien threat, the Nestene Consciousness as he'd called it, as much as she still wasn't sure she fully believed all that. "Do you mean to kill it?" she asked, wondering if they could hear the conflicted tone in her voice. A darkness passed over his eyes as he nodded, and she frowned. That didn't seem fair.
If the Doctor had noticed the odd look Parker was wearing, he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned and began to wander past the TARDIS, pondering out loud. "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"
"Hold on," Rose interrupted, following after him. "Hide what?"
They stopped again a few feet down the sidewalk. From the other side of the river, the London Eye loomed over them, somewhat ominous despite its glow. Parker's eyes were glued to it as it slowly turned itself around in a circle. She'd only been on it once, back when she and Sophie had first moved to London to live with Aunt Claire. The heights had made her so nauseous that she'd almost thrown up at the top of the ride.
"What's it look like?" Rose's voice pulled her attention back in, and Parker was vaguely aware of the Doctor mentioning some kind of transmitter. Made sense, she realized. How else would one alien mind control all the plastic in the world?
"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London." He paced around in front of the railing, agitatedly looking up and out over the London skyline. "A huge circular metal structure, like a dish, like a wheel. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible."
Seeing Parker still staring up at the Ferris wheel, Rose nudged the girl standing next to her. It took Parker a moment to understand what Rose was getting at, and a laugh bubbled out of her when she did. "What?" the Doctor asked, curious at the sly grins on his companions' faces. "What?"
A total of three times, he glanced back and forth between the London Eye behind him and the girls in front of him. The third time, it was like a lightbulb went off over his head. "Oh… Fantastic!"
Without warning, the Doctor suddenly took off, running full speed down the sidewalk. The two girls stared after him for a second. Then Rose grabbed hold of Parker's hands and, with a crazy look in her brown eyes, pulled the redhead along with her as she began to run as well. Parker had no choice but to laugh and pick up her pace, or risk being dragged along.
Down the Westminster Bridge, the three of them ran. At some point, Rose let go of Parker's hand. The latter did her best to keep up. Parker wasn't as fast as them. She wasn't used to running. It wasn't an activity she was encouraged to do and, in fact, had been banned from even considering joining the track team in high school by her father and then Aunt Claire, despite her arguments that she could handle it.
Growing up, the many different schools she'd attended had never wanted her to join, either. She'd always been barred from sports and roughhousing, from most types of physical activities besides certain ones like swimming or yoga. The risk of getting hurt, and the other risks that came when she did get hurt, were too great. Not that anyone had ever asked her opinion on the matter. But now, her legs pumping beneath her, she couldn't believe she'd ever let them stop her. She wanted to run.
In front of her, Rose caught up with the Doctor. Without looking, he reached his hand down to take hers, their fingers locking together. The wind lifted the sound of their laughter, carrying it back to the redhead trailing behind them. Parker couldn't help but wonder, not for the first time since locking eyes with Rose behind the restaurant, how long the two of them had known each other. One second, they seemed like strangers. The next, it almost seemed like they'd always been in each other's lives.
As if feeling her eyes boring into the back of his head, the Doctor turned a glance back at her. When he found her keeping pace, he nodded, his face full of a grin that she found herself returning. When was the last time she had done something this crazy?
Never, she realized with a sudden shock. I've never done something crazy.
They kept running, all while Parker did her best not to trip over her own feet at the pace she wasn't used to. The burning feeling in her chest as her lungs gasped for air was odd, but exhilarating. Down the length of the Westminster Bridge and across the water to the other side, they ran until they stood at the foot of the London Eye.
The lights of the Ferris wheel filled Parker's vision, clouding her mind with thoughts of the past. All of a sudden, she was back at the funeral, her clear green eyes a stark contrast to Sophie's red-rimmed blue ones. Sophie's trembling hand clutched her sister's and she asked, probably for the hundredth time that day, why this had happened to them. Parker had been filled with too much anger to feel sad; Sophie was the opposite.
Sophie had always been her opposite.
"Parker?" the Doctor's deep voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to find him watching her with a frown.
"Yeah, sorry." She shook her head to dispel the memories, then stepped toward him and away from the past. Away from the tightness building in her chest. She couldn't afford to get trapped inside the memories, not like she used to. They hurt too much, or at least she imagined that's what hurting would feel like.
He didn't take his eyes off of her, even as he said, "Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."
As Rose began to search the area around the London Eye, Parker found herself meeting the Doctor's gaze with an uncertain stare of her own. In her attempt to distract herself from the memories the Ferris wheel brought up, her brain had once more filled with thoughts of the anti-plastic inside the Doctor's pocket. "What are you planning on doing, Doctor?" she asked. A small gust of wind off the water blew a lock of her ponytail into her face and she reached up to brush it back. "About this alien, the Nestene Consciousness, I mean. Are you just going to kill it?"
Not for the first time, it felt like the Doctor was sizing her up, his gaze scanning over her completely from the Keds on her feet to the shine of the lights reflected in her eyes. His expression hardened, and she wondered if it was because of something he had seen in her. "If it comes to that. I've got to give it a chance first. I don't want to kill it, but I will if I have to."
Rose's voice called over to them, pulling the Doctor's attention away. "What about down here?" He jogged off to join Rose where she leaned over the railing bordering the river, leaving Parker alone with a new onslaught of thoughts.
According to what the Doctor had said before, this Nestene Consciousness, whatever kind of alien it may be, was just looking for a home. Its own home had been destroyed in some kind of war. Of course it wanted a new home. Was that so bad? Parker understood that feeling well, of wanting to belong somewhere, anywhere, so much that sometimes it was hard to breathe. The Doctor was going to kill this alien, all because it wanted a home, a place to belong?
Without realizing it, she had walked over to stand silently next to the Doctor. He was leaning over the railing next to Rose, eyeing a manhole cover that would bring them down below the river. Parker barely registered the manhole cover in their sights; she was too busy staring at the Doctor's pocket. Before, in front of his so-called TARDIS, she'd watched him drop the tube of anti-plastic into the right pocket of his jacket. It was right there, just a few inches away. All she had to do was reach her hand in…
Slowly and silently, she did just that. The Doctor and Rose continued their conversation about the underground entrance and what they might find once they were down there, none the wiser as Parker's fingers wrapped around the glass tube and carefully withdrew it from his pocket. She glanced down at it long enough to confirm it was the correct tube before sliding it into the messenger bag at her side. Part of her was sure the Doctor would turn around any second now, demanding it back, but it seemed as if he truly hadn't noticed anything, too occupied with Rose.
"What do you think, Parker?" Her heart skipped a beat at the Doctor's question, positive that she'd been wrong and he had actually noticed her thievery. When he simply pointed a finger at the manhole cover below, she released a shaky breath, realizing he was just trying to include her. All he wanted was her opinion, not his property.
She hoped that he couldn't tell she was acting weird or that his question had made her jump. He hadn't known her for very long, after all. "Well, it definitely leads underground, and you said that underground is where your alien would be. So, I think it could be worth a shot."
"Sounds good to me." Without any more debate, he led them down a small set of stairs to the platform they had just been staring at and knelt down in front of the manhole cover. Placing his hands on the lid, he twisted the handle until the cover could be lifted off to the side. An eerie red light filtered out along with some steam from the warmer temperatures of the sewer.
Parker suddenly found herself second guessing her decision to come along as the Doctor lowered himself into the opening and onto the ladder that descended into the sewer. What did she really know about either of them, the Doctor or Rose, that had made her think following them was a sane decision? Now she was supposed to follow after them into the sewer to confront some kind of alien. What exactly did she think she was doing?
She had to admit she was curious, though, and her curiosity was something she never had much luck overcoming. When Rose asked her, "You okay climbing down?" Parker nodded. She knew why Rose was asking, of course.
"Thanks, but I'll be fine." Climbing a ladder wouldn't kill her. She was briefly reminded of her knee, scraped in her fall on the sidewalk earlier, but even that would be fine. Climbing down a few rungs wouldn't bother the injury much.
Parker waited until Rose was halfway down the ladder before descending into the manhole as well. It was a short drop, and it took a long moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim glow of the sewer. Chains hung from the ceiling, with no obvious purpose other than to clink together ominously, and the room they found themselves in was small, with a door off to the side leading further into the underground. With a smile that said he was enjoying this a bit too much, the Doctor made his way to the door and pushed it open.
They passed through the door, finding themselves on some metal scaffolding built against the brick walls of the sewer. Stairs made of grates with metal bars for railings led down to a larger grey platform overlooking the rest of the room. In the center, occupying a giant round vat that Parker thought might have once been used to store river water or something similar, was a bright orange mass. It was similar to what she imagined lava might look like, only it seemed to wobble and sway in the vat with a deliberate motion.
"The Nestene Consciousness, that's it, inside the vat." The Doctor tipped his head in the direction of the orange mass. "A living, plastic creature." Now that he mentioned it, Parker could see a sort of rubbery sheen coming off of the creature, even as bright as it was.
This was an alien? Parker had trouble imagining just why the Doctor, who had intimidated her with just one look, could possibly be afraid of this thing. After all, it was just a big orange lump. What harm could it do?
Rose looked over the railing at it, wrinkling her nose. "Well, then, tip in your anti-plastic and let's go." At her words, Parker cast Rose a sharp look. She wanted to kill it, just like that? Didn't she care that this thing was, supposedly, a living creature, with thoughts and feelings. who just wanted to find a home to call its own? But then, Parker figured, Rose had probably never had to feel like she didn't belong somewhere, like she didn't have a home. Rose wouldn't understand the way this alien felt, not like Parker did.
"I'm not here to kill it," the Doctor said with a frown in Rose's direction. Parker nodded along, feeling a sense of relief that he wasn't looking for the tube that should have been in his pocket. "I've got to give it a chance. Come on."
Down the flight of metal steps they went, stopping on the next platform. As they grew closer, the orange blob down below was beginning to look less like lava and more like the creature the Doctor had claimed it was. It shifted, a round portion that looked remarkably like a head of some sort lifting up, as if glaring at the three of them up in the rafters.
The Doctor stared at the alien in the vat, and it seemed to be staring back. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract, according to convention fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation." An odd shrieking sound resonated throughout the underground room, causing both Parker and Rose to bring their hands to their ears at the sudden noise. "Thank you. Might I have permission to approach." When the shrieking sounded again, Parker realized that the Nestene Consciousness was responding, that the sound was its voice. More than that, the Doctor seemed to understand the odd sound.
She nudged Rose in the shoulder when her eyes, having moved away from the Nestene Consciousness finally to take in the rest of the room, landed on the huddled shape of a person on the grey platform just below them. "Rose, look, it's-"
"Mickey!" The blonde all but screamed when she recognized the man Parker pointed to. "Oh, my God! Mickey! It's okay!" Then she was taking off down the next set of stairs, flying across the platform to her boyfriend's side.
Parker quickly followed, though she didn't miss the eyes rolling on the Doctor's face when he saw Rose rushing off. As she joined Rose and Mickey on the large platform, she couldn't help but wonder again just who the Doctor was. He'd said he was an alien, that much was obvious, but… Just how alien did he have to be not to care that a person they'd thought was dead before was actually alive? Parker didn't know Mickey Smith very well, but even she was relieved to find out that he wasn't dead after all.
"That thing down there, the liquid, Rose, it can talk!" Mickey latched on to Rose's hand as she squatted down next to him, her other one pressing to his cheek. His breathing came quick and heavy as he glanced down again at the Nestene Consciousness, then back at Rose. Finally, he seemed to notice Parker standing next to his girlfriend. "I know you. Riley, right? Riley… Something or other. Sorry."
"Sloane," she shrugged, not particularly offended. After all, they had only met a small handful of times. "But you can call me Parker. I don't go by Riley." Around them, off to the side of the platform, stood a number of mannequins, all dressed in different outfits. It took Parker a moment to remember what the Doctor had said about the Nestene Consciousness being in control of the plastic. Did that mean these things were alive?
Rose stood, dragging Mickey up by his arm as she did. "You're stinking, Mickey. Doctor, they kept him alive!"
The Doctor barely cast them a look as he passed by them, taking the final set of steps down. "Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy." He finally came to stop at the edge of the platform right beneath where Rose and Parker stood with Mickey.
"You knew that and you never said?" Rose gaped at him.
"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" He turned from them to fully address the Nestene Consciousness, and an authority like Parker had never heard before filled his voice. "Am I addressing the Consciousness?" The voice of the alien blob in the vat shrieked through the air once more in response. "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warped, shunt technology." Although the technology he spoke of meant nothing to her, Parker was captivated by the sudden change in the Doctor. Somehow, he seemed almost larger than he had just moments before. "So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?"
As the plastic blob bubbled in what Parker thought sounded like annoyance, she found herself suddenly less impressed with the Doctor's immense presence. "The world's at stake and he's making jokes?" The shake of Rose's head next to her told her that Rose was in just as much disbelief at his poor pun.
"Oh, don't give me that," the Doctor continued. He leaned slightly over the edge of the platform, narrowed eyes glaring down at his target. "It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights!" The Nestene Consciousness bubbled again, its shrieking taking on a much deeper tone than before. The alien's head rose up out of the blob once more and she could have sworn a face was there this time, the orange plastic sinking in some areas to give it the appearance of eyes and a mouth.
"I am talking!" The command in the Doctor's voice had Parker's knuckles tightening on the railing in front of her. Rose's hand gripped tighter around Mickey's. "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go."
"Doctor!" Rose called out, directing Parker's attention to a pair of mannequins sneaking up behind him. Before he could react, the plastic people had grabbed him by both arms. He tried to wrestle free, but couldn't seem to get out of their hold.
Parker felt her heart beginning to race inside of her chest. Her hand was in her messenger bag, fingers pulling the anti-plastic into her palm. This was her fault. She'd stolen the tube from the Doctor and had taken his only defense. Now he was in danger, and there was nothing he could do. There had to be something, anything, she could do.
Rose called after her as Parker bolted down the stairs and across the platform, stopping only once she was near the Doctor. Without uttering a word, she yanked the tube of anti-plastic from her bag and held it in the air. When the Doctor caught sight of it in her hand, his eyes widened in shock. In almost an instant, the shock was replaced with anger, his eyebrows knitting together. Parker had no time to process his reaction as she pulled her arm back, preparing to throw the tube and hoping that she wouldn't miss the vat down below. But the moment she drew the tube back behind her head and took aim, she found herself stuck, unable to pull the trigger. If she threw it, she would be killing a creature that was only looking for a home.
Rose's shout reached her ears a moment too late. A plastic hand latched on to her wrist, wrenching her arm down behind her back and snatching the tube from her hand. Another set of hands immediately grabbed her other arm, pinning it back as well. All Parker could do was meet the Doctor's dark expression.
"I couldn't do it. I'm sorry, Doctor."
Down in the vat, the Nestene Consciousness raged as one of the mannequins held the vial of anti-plastic up for it to see. The Doctor raised his voice, a pleading tone taking over as he started to negotiate. "It was just insurance. She wasn't going to use it! She's human; she was scared. I'm not your enemy, I swear, I'm not… What do you mean?" A sudden clanking off to the side had them all directing their attention to a set of metal doors sliding open to reveal the Doctor's TARDIS. Parker felt as stunned as the Doctor looked, his mouth hanging open as he took in the sight of his blue box. They hadn't been underground for very long. How had the TARDIS gotten down here so fast? "Yes, that's my ship." The Nestene Consciousness roared again, its shrieking echoing off the walls loud enough that Parker cringed. "That's not true. I should know. I was there! I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault! I couldn't save your world; I couldn't save any of them."
The futility of the situation dawned on Parker with a rising sense of panic. The Doctor had been captured and, now, so had she. To make matters worse, they'd taken his ship, his TARDIS, and the anti-plastic, the only hope of taking down the alien threat, was in their hands. The sight of the TARDIS had seemed to enrage the Nestene Consciousness even more, and she had no idea what the Doctor was talking about that seemed to bring so much sadness into his voice.
"What's it doing?" Rose's voice shook. Mickey had both his arms wrapped around her waist, visibly trembling. They were her fault, too, Parker realized. By taking the anti-plastic, she'd put them in danger, as well.
"It's the TARDIS!" the Doctor explained, and Parker thought she could hear a trace of the panic she was feeling in his words. He tried again to buck against the mannequin behind him, but couldn't build enough leverage to get loose. "The Nestene has identified its superior technology. It's terrified! It's going to the final base and starting the invasion! Get out, Rose, just leg it!" He could offer the redhead in front of him nothing but a grim shake of his head. "Parker, can you get free?"
She twisted against the plastic hands holding her, but these mannequins were surprisingly strong for plastic people. It wasn't as if she didn't know how to fight. She'd been in plenty of fights and tight spots before, more than she cared to count, but this was different. Plastic people had no body parts she could hurt to force them to release their grasp. She brought her foot down on top of the fake one behind her, but nothing happened. "No good."
In her peripheral, Parker watched Rose pull an object from the pocket of her jacket. It was her cellphone, which she quickly dialed and held to her ear. The conversation was too quiet to hear, but Parker had a feeling that she was calling her mother. It's what she would have done, if she had any parents to call. Her own phone sat buried inside of her messenger bag somewhere, useless. What would Sophie and Aunt Claire think when she didn't come home tonight?
Would Sophie ever be able to forgive her?
Up on the ledge, Rose's eyes were wide and her fists were clenched, white knuckled, at her side. A look of determination, not fear, was set on her face, but she wasn't looking at Parker or the Doctor. Her gaze was focused somewhere else. Then, without a word of goodbye, Rose pulled out of Mickey's grasp and ran. Mickey called after her, the stunned expression on his face mirroring the shock Parker felt run through her. Rose had left them? She couldn't blame the girl, she supposed. The Doctor had told her to run, hadn't he?
In front of her, the Doctor stared off, probably watching as Rose escaped. Parker thrashed again, twisting in any direction she could, but failed to get free. She didn't care about the risk of getting hurt, or the fact that she would have to check herself for injuries later. The mannequin holding the anti-plastic was right there, just a few feet in front of her. If only she could get one hand free…
A smile broke out on the Doctor's face at the same time as something clanged, the sound of metal on metal. Then a shout, Rose's shout, and he was telling Parker to duck. The moment she did, a heavy force thudded into the plastic person holding her, sending it off-kilter enough that Parker could finally twist her arms free. She cast her eyes up as she spun on her heel, finding Rose suspended in midair above the platform, swinging out across the room by a metal chain hanging from the ceiling.
As she passed by, Rose managed to send both of her feet into the side of the mannequin holding the Doctor. The Doctor bent forward and pulled the dummy's plastic arm forward, launching it over his at the same time as Parker slammed into hers. It fell forward, crashing into the one holding the tube of anti-plastic. Like a trail of dominoes, all three mannequins tipped over the edge of the platform and fell, spiraling downwards until they all landed on top of the Nestene Consciousness, writhing in fury inside of its vat. The glass vial shattered, the blue liquid spilling out onto the orange plastic alien.
With a triumphant shout, the chain Rose hung from swung back toward the platform. The Doctor stepped forward, catching the blonde in his arms before she could hit the staircase. Parker, a surge of adrenaline pumping through her system, rushed forward and, together, the three of them peeked out over the ledge at the Nestene Consciousness. The alien's screams split the air and it seemed to be glowing from within now, a bright light washing out the orange.
It was going to explode, Parker thought with a start. It was going to die, and she was the one who had killed it. The thought settled on her like a brick, weighing down the relief inside of her.
"Now we're in trouble," the Doctor said, his voice full of a victorious laughter that didn't sit well with Parker. She had killed the alien who had only wanted a home, and he was happy? She felt even worse when she realized that, deep down, part of her was happy, too.
The Doctor's hand wrapped around her, his other one taking Rose's, and he quickly led the girls back up the stairs to the TARDIS before the whole place could come down around them. With a key from inside his pocket, he unlocked the door and they all piled in. Parker immediately took up the same spot as before, turning away from the center console to stare at the odd hexagons in the walls. Her hands gripped the railing tightly, bracing herself for the movement she was sure to come. Mickey latched onto Rose's arm like a vice, refusing to move more than a foot from the door once he took in the size of the TARDIS. Rose held onto the railing near her with one hand, the other one trapped by the man beginning to hyperventilate. There was a small smile on Rose's face and a curious tilt to her head, all combined into a look of wonder. Parker felt that same sense of wonder, churning inside her in a fight with the dark pit growing at the bottom of her stomach.
The blue box around them began to make the wheezing sound from before, but this time Parker couldn't tell if the shaking she felt came from her or the ship. She almost died, and there was nothing she could do about it. She'd been helpless, a feeling she was extremely not fond of. Too many times before, she'd been helpless. When her mother left, when her father died, when her sister was diagnosed with cancer… Each and every time, she had been able to do nothing.
Rose had saved her. If Rose hadn't been there, she probably would have died. What scared her more than the idea of dying, though, was the knowledge of who she would have left behind. Sophie was waiting for her at home. If Parker never came home, would Sophie ever know what had happened to her? Her sister would be all alone. She had Aunt Claire, sure, and Aunt Claire might as well have been their mother. But she was Sophie's sister, and Sophie was the other half to Parker's whole. Could Sophie withstand losing another family member, losing her? Could Aunt Claire? Their father had only died two years ago, after all, and they were still reeling from it, even now. Parker wasn't sure she would ever stop.
The moment the TARDIS landed, Mickey bolted like a flash of lightning out the door. He had no idea where they were, but that didn't stop him. Rose paused only to start dialing a number of her cellphone before she followed her boyfriend out into whatever part of the world they had landed in.
Seeing the phone in Rose's hand gave Parker a thought, and she pulled out her own cell phone from her messenger bag. Sophie answered on the third ring, a yawn muffling her greeting. "Were you sleeping? I'm sorry."
"Nah, just dozing." But Parker knew her sister's voice and could tell that the slight slur to her words meant that she'd fallen asleep a long time ago. "What's up, baby sister? You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah." She cleared her throat to cover the thickness in her voice and the tightness in her throat. "Just wanted to make sure everyone was okay. It was a weird night."
"Aunt Claire's in bed, but we're good. I'm good. Maybe you can help me off the couch when you get home."
"Sure thing. I'll be home soon." She waited until Sophie hung up first before lowering the phone from her ear.
"Who was that?"
At the Doctor's question, Parker slowly turned around to face him, finding the alien's blue eyes trained on her. Had he been watching her the whole time? A debate briefly took place in her mind, asking herself whether or not she should tell him the truth. He would have no way of knowing if she did, and she would probably never see him again after tonight. But… She had stolen his anti-plastic and almost gotten them killed. He deserved the truth. "That was Sophie."
"And who is Sophie?"
There was no way to respond to that, not in a way that did justice to everything that Sophie was to her. All Parker could think to say was, "My sister, and my person." The Doctor merely raised his eyebrows at her, as if waiting for her to elaborate. Parker stood from the railing, tucking her hands into the back pockets of her jeans as she wandered over toward the console. "Sophie is more than a sister. She was a mom after our mom left us, and she was my rock when our father died."
His nostrils flared slightly as he released a small sigh, tipping his chin down slightly. "I'm sorry."
His words caught her by surprise; she didn't think he was the kind of person who apologized often. "Sophie is my everything. My best friend, my emergency contact, the person I go to when I need cheering up… The person I thought about first when I thought I was going to die back there."
A nod, full of understanding, and the icy blue of his eyes grew dark. "I used to have someone like that…" Used to? As in, he didn't have them anymore? Then the Doctor crossed his arms over his chest, met her eyes, and, like flipping a switch, changed topics. "You stole my anti-plastic."
Parker leaned her hip against the console, gazing down at all the buttons and gizmos she couldn't even begin to put names or functions to. "Yes, I did."
"Least you're honest." A deep chuckle rumbled through him, but his eyes were serious as he asked, "Why?"
"I know what it feels like to be homeless. Just like the Nestene Consciousness…" She lifted a hand and ran it over a bright blue knob in front of her, still refusing to meet his eyes. "Just like you."
He didn't say anything for what felt like a long time. His mouth opened and closed, a hand scratched at his head. Finally, he asked, "How did you know?"
A bitter laugh escaped her, flat and empty. "I know what it means to be lost better than most people. I know how it feels when the place you thought was home suddenly isn't, and how scary that can be. I'm very good at recognizing lost, Doctor."
At last, her green eyes lifted to meet his. It had been clear to her earlier when he had mentioned the alien's home being lost in the war, in the way he had glanced down ever so slightly and his throat had subtly bobbed. She had seen the same look on Sophie's face more times than she could count over the years.
"This whole alien thing might be new to me, but I can imagine that losing one's planet is probably at least a little more painful than just losing a home. The Nestene Consciousness didn't deserve to die for that. Trying to destroy the human race, maybe. But trying to find a new home? No, it didn't deserve to die for that."
His eyes bore into her as he lowered his hands to the console. Although he hadn't moved from his spot, Parker was filled with a sense that he was towering over her. "I told you I would give it a chance. Twice I said it."
"I know," she said quickly. "I know that now, that you meant what you said. But what you don't know is that I've had a lifetime of secrets and people telling me lies and half-truths. Sometimes it's hard for me to believe something, especially when it's coming from someone new." His intense staring was beginning to make her heart race. Did he ever blink? Somehow, though, she was unable to look away. "I didn't believe you, and that's not your fault. But that's who I am, and I won't apologize for that. All I can say is that I know better now."
Her piece said, Parker let the words hang in the air between them. He was probably pretty angry with her for almost getting them killed. She would be, if it was her in his shoes. When the silence dragged on, she nodded, accepting that her adventure had come to an end, and turned to leave.
She wasn't expecting his next question, and it stopped her in her tracks. "How did you wind up with the anti-plastic in the first place?"
He didn't sound angry, she realized with an odd feeling of relief. "I'm good at going unnoticed." She pivoted in place, standing halfway between the console and the door. "My sister and I used to play this game, you see, when one of us was mad at the other for something. It started after I lost her favorite sweater. In retaliation, she took something from my room and hid it, then waited until I noticed it was missing to tell me she had hidden it. Took me two weeks to find it. Ever since then, we've been stealing and hiding each other's stuff." She laughed softly at the memory, at the thought of the look on Sophie's face when she had declared that her sweater would be avenged. "You weren't paying attention, so I slipped it out of your pocket when you were talking to Rose."
"That's a bit impressive, taking it from me without my noticing, even if it does make you a thief." The Doctor patted the pockets of his jacket, as if checking that she hadn't taken anything else. Parker briefly wondered what else he could have in there; she hadn't felt anything besides the tube. Just when she thought he would be out of questions, he surprised her with another one. "He called you Riley back there." He gestured a hand at the entrance to the TARDIS, though she'd already known he meant Mickey.
With a sigh, Parker offered him a short explanation, hoping he wouldn't press the issue further. "My first name is Riley. Riley Parker Sloane. But I go by Parker."
"Why?"
"I have my reasons."
That seemed to satisfy his curiosity because he fell quiet again. His eyes didn't leave her, even as she made her way out of the TARDIS. She found herself standing in an alley. They were clearly somewhere in London, though she didn't automatically recognize the alley. A few feet from the blue box, Mickey sat huddled against the wall of a building, eyes so wide they might as well have bulged right out of his head. Rose stood over him, an unmistakable hint of annoyance in her voice as she tried to convince him to stand up.
Parker made her way over to stand next to the girl. She found herself filled with a new appreciation for Rose Tyler. Earlier, Rose had been nothing more than an acquaintance, a girl she knew through her aunt. Rose seemed nice enough, and it wasn't as if Parker had anything against her, but she hadn't thought much of the blonde. Now, though… She had a feeling she would be seeing a lot more of the girl she wanted to call a friend. "Your Mum okay?"
Rose nodded, frowning once at Mickey's huddled shape before turning a smile to Parker. "Yeah, don't think she'll be hitting the shops again anytime soon. Did you talk to your sister?"
"I did. They're both fine, home at the flat. They probably don't even know anything happened tonight."
The TARDIS door creaked as the Doctor stood in the entrance, leaning against the frame. "Nestene Consciousness? Easy," he said with a snap of his fingers.
Rose rolled her eyes, casting a smug glance between him and Parker. "You were useless in there, both of ya. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me."
She wasn't wrong, Parker knew that. It seemed like the Doctor did, too, because he dipped his head, humbled. "Yes, I would. Thank you."
"Yes, Rose," Parker said, nudging her in the arm. "Thank you."
"You too, Parker. Thank you." She was thrown off-guard by the Doctor's gratitude. She hadn't done anything but almost get them killed. Why was he thanking her? "Even though it didn't quite work out the way we planned, you still tried to come to my rescue. For that, thank you." She didn't quite know what to say or how to respond. Thankfully, she didn't have to. "Right then! I'll be off. Unless, uh… I don't know. You could... come with me."
Come with him? Parker opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but closed it again. He was looking at Rose, not at her. This invitation wasn't for her. Why would he want a thief like her to go anywhere with him? A sinking feeling filled her.
"This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge."
Anywhere? The chance to see different sights, different skies…
As if reading her mind, the Doctor turned his head, catching her eyes. "Just to be clear, this offer is for both of you. He's not invited." He gestured to the cowering Mickey with a jut of his chin, something that she couldn't fault him for. "What do you think? You two could stay here and fill your lives with work and food and sleep, or you could go… anywhere."
Before Parker could get too excited about the offer, Rose was bringing her back down to Earth. From the way the blonde stuffed her hands into her pockets and then pulled them out again to pick at the hem of her sweat jacket, it was clear Rose was conflicted about something. "Is it always this dangerous?"
"Yeah," he confirmed with a nod and a smile, like that was a benefit.
Parker couldn't help but think back to the way she'd felt down in the sewer, with mannequins holding her arms behind her back while the Nestene Consciousness tried to take over the world. She had thought she was going to die, and had been filled with a fear that she would never make it home to Sophie. The same way their father had never made it home from the store, the same way their mother hadn't come back from her "trip."
"Maybe you can help me off the couch when you get home."
"Sure thing. I'll be home soon."
"I can't." The words were out of her mouth before she had time to process her decision or the overwhelming disappointment that came with it. "I have to take care of my sister, and our aunt is always so paranoid that something will happen to us. I… I can't."
Rose must have heard the sadness lacing her voice because she slipped her hand into Parker's, giving it a squeeze. From his spot crouching on the ground, Mickey threw his arms around Rose's leg. "Don't, Rose," he pleaded, his whole body shaking. "He's an alien! He's a thing!"
Rose slowly exhaled as she turned her head down to her boyfriend. When she looked back up at the Doctor, her grasp on Parker's hand tightened just a little, and Parker could see a tinge of red rimming her damp eyes. She knew what Rose's decision would be, and how much it would pain the girl to say it out loud. "Yeah, I can't…" Rose's voice cracked, making her sound so small, so unsure. "I've, um… I've gotta go and find my Mum and…" Her other hand patted Mickey's back. "Someone's gotta look after this stupid lump, so…"
"Okay," the Doctor said, much too quickly. The word felt like a slap to Parker. He asked them to come along, and was going to accept their refusal that easy? It was like he didn't care. Maybe he didn't. It wasn't as if Parker really knew him well enough to be able to tell. "See you around." He locked eyes with Rose for a moment, before slowly stepping back and letting the TARDIS door swing shut.
With the click of the blue door, it felt like a door had closed on Parker's future. All she had ever wanted was a chance to explore, just like her father had; a chance to see different skies. A chance to be someone new. And, just like that, she had turned it down. She was only mildly surprised when the TARDIS began to fade from sight. Somehow, she'd imagined it flying off into the sky like a bird, on wings she would never know.
It took Rose's eventual sigh and the squeeze of her hand to bring Parker back to reality and away from the future she'd just turned down. They had both been standing there, staring at the space where his ship used to be, for far too long. It was time to get back to their lives.
"Come on, let's go." Rose released Parker's hand, using both to start pulling Mickey to his feet. The poor boy had gone pale at the sight of the ship disappearing. Once he was on his feet, Rose turned a smile to the girl next to her, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "You can stay at our flat tonight if you want to, Parker."
Parker returned a similar smile, struggling to even manage a tiny one. Yesterday, or even this morning, staying at Rose's flat would have sounded ridiculous. She hadn't been a huge fan of Rose Tyler, she could admit that. But now she was getting to know the blonde better. Now, she owed her life to this girl. Now, Parker was almost positive that Rose would turn into someone she could call a friend, and she didn't have very many of those. As they started to walk back in the direction of the alley's exit, Parker shook her head. "Thanks, Rose, but I have to get home to Sophie."
"Right. How is she doing with her treatments?"
Parker opened her mouth to begin the lengthy explanation of Sophie's chemotherapy and all of the phases Sophie went through with each dosage, and she paused. At first, she thought she was making that wheezing sound. An odd feeling of hope and dread rose in her chest like an inflated balloon when she realized what the wheezing sound actually was.
Rose spun on her heel, almost knocking down a protesting Mickey in the process. Parker took longer to turn, almost afraid of what she knew she would see when she did. Her breath caught in her throat. If it really was him… She wouldn't be able to say no a second time.
The blue box was there, as solid as it was before. The door creaked open, and the alien man with his ice blue eyes popped his head out with a sly grin on his face. Then he said the most beautiful words that Parker had ever heard in her life.
"By the way… Did I mention it also travels in time?"
It took all of a millisecond for Parker to do the math and figure out what that meant. Traveling in time meant that she could be back before anyone could miss her. Sophie and Aunt Claire would never have to know she'd gone anywhere. They wouldn't have to worry.
Next to her, Rose kissed Mickey on the cheek. When Parker caught her eyes, twinkling with an excited light, she knew they were thinking exactly the same thing. Rose was smiling ear to ear.
A laugh bubbled up out of Parker as she said, "I'll race you."
She wasn't supposed to run but, she was finding out, there are just some things in life worth running towards.