Rose only needed to work quietly on her own for another 2 hours before another knock was heard at the door, and she set down the books she was organizing to go answer it. She smiled wide as she saw the person she was most hoping to see, precariously balancing a large stack of books.
"Hello Miss Prentice," he greeted, a bit sheepishly but with a cheery smile nonetheless.
"Hello," she said back, moving to automatically take several books from the top of his pile even as she walked backwards into the library.
"Thank you. I'm afraid the collection was much larger than I even realized," he admitted as they both set their stacks down on the closest empty table.
"I'm always happy to meet another avid reader," Rose responded, her eyes not leaving his form. She was soaking up every second she got. John Smith reminded her even more of her own husband than of the Doctor. Something about the liveliness in his eyes, a weightless look of someone not bared down by the guilt of the Time War.
"I am guilty of that, most definitely," John agreed as he finally looked up to make eye contact with Rose. His head tilted to the side just slightly as his smile grew.
"You must forgive me for being forward, but have we met before? I am usually very good with faces and yet I find myself not being able to place yours," he asked and Rose took a subtle breath.
"No, I don't think we have Mister Smith. But I have been told that I have one of those easily recognizable faces," she lied easily.
"Mister Smith is really far too formal. Please, call my John," the man requested and Rose nodded, perhaps a little too eagerly.
"Only if you call me Alice," she added.
"Alice it is then. If you need any help sorting through all these, you need only ask. Classes are done for the day and my only other plan for this evening was to sit in my study and read. Although it may look like I've brought you all my books I actually have a rather large collection of my own."
"Ah yes, now that you mention that…Nurse Redfern left a book for you that she mentioned was part of your personal collection," Rose admitted, grabbing the aforementioned journal and offering it to him. He seemed flustered, cheeks burning bright red which Rose found absolutely adorable. She had never seen the Doctor flustered by something so simple. She had rarely seen the Doctor flustered at all. He was impossibly confident and self assured, but this John Smith was not a 1000 year old Time Lord. He was likely only in his late twenties and very subject to human norms of what was and wasn't proper. Though Rose could tell he was still a little forward for the times, not something that was ever likely to change in this particular body.
"Thank you. It's really less of a book and more of a collection of doodles and scribbles," he bluffed and Rose smiled cheekily.
"I hope you don't find me too forward," she repeated his earlier line, resisting the urge to add a flirtatious wink in.
"But I took the liberty of browsing it as it looked so enticing. You're wildly creative! Have you ever considered a career in writing?" she continued, choosing to lean fully into the idea that his dreams were wild fantasies.
"Not really. It's not a very practical job, but I do enjoy it as a hobby," John replied, clearly more at ease that the woman didn't automatically judge him for his wildly unrealistic and highly fanciful stories.
"I suppose not, but neither is being a librarian and I find I quite enjoy it," Rose shrugged lightly.
"On the contrary, I think the world would be lost without dedicated custodians of our most precious resource," John disagreed with a slight frown.
"What kind words," Rose remarked and John beamed with pride.
"I speak only the truth. Miss Barlow, your predecessor, was well organized but lacked a passion for the work that I can sense you have," he gushed and Rose felt herself blushing. Damn his charming language.
"It's certainly clear to me that you have a passion for your work as well, since you strive to remain educated in all your fields of study," Rose gestured to his books. In reality she had no clue how passionate John Smith was. But if he was anything like the Doctor and anything like her John, than passion was part of his very core.
"I confess that most of my reading is to satisfy my own curiosity, and the students rarely get to touch on these topics. We spend so much of our time in the basics," he spoke earnestly and Rose fought the urge to take a step closer to him. He could be reading the ingredients off the back of a box of cereal and Rose would still hang on his every word. This was the most time she had been allowed to spend near any version of this particular Doctor in quite a long time and she found brain refusing to focus on the conversation without a concentrated effort.
"Yes…the basics…" she trailed off. A look of understanding dawned John's face.
"From your expression earlier I gathered that seeing boys on a mock battlefield made you…a bit uneasy," he guessed. Rose thought about it and nodded slowly.
"It's certainly not what you expect to see in a place of learning. I'm not sure why the Headmaster is so set on teaching the boys warcraft when we are living in a time of peace," Rose answered carefully. She was well aware that Great Britain was on the brink of World War I, along with many other nations across the world. But most of the recent wars up until this point in history were fought on foreign grounds and war was still heavily romanticized. The country had no idea what they were in for.
"Yes well he believes, as do I, in preserving the glory and victory of the British Empire. To fight for one's country is an honor and privilege," the man stated dutifully and Rose looked at him in pity. This was where he differed so greatly from her Doctor or John Noble, both of whom had known what it was like to live on a planet torn apart by war and how horrid it was to be duty-bound to war. The Doctor ran from it, John Noble mourned it, and John Smith looked forward to it.
"I'm sorry but I cannot agree. I feel that boys in school should focus on learning and expanding their minds. They should learn not only about our great history, but about other cultures and customs. It is very important that we view the world as a place to learn from not just to conquer and control," Rose tacked on the last bit, well aware that her opinions may be considered radical in the early 20th century but she was pleasantly surprised when John did not immediately respond with criticism.
"Pardon my asking, Ms. Prentice-
"Alice, please."
"Alice….Pardon my asking but are you not married? It is quite unusual to find a woman of your stature not already married or at the least engaged to be married. But I find your opinions on our curriculum to be…"
"Impertinent?" Rose supplied and John laughed lightly.
"No, not exactly. Just definitely not typical," he finally finished.
"In answer to your original question, I am unfortunately a widow. My husband was very eccentric, though, and while he was a soldier as a younger man he did not share your feelings towards war," Rose answered honestly.
"Did he die in battle?"
"No, actually. He became very ill," she admitted quietly.
"I am very sorry to hear about that Mi…I mean Alice," John told her kindly and she reciprocated his gaze with a grateful smile.
"I am lucky that it did not come quickly, so we had time to prepare and say our goodbyes. While it has not made moving forward with my life that much easier I know we made the most of our time together. And you John? Are you not yet married?" She pressed.
"Me? Oh no. Not yet at least. I would like to settle down and marry, but I have not been able to find a suitable match with all the traveling I've been doing. I thought perhaps once there was someone…" he trailed off, brow furrowed in thought and Rose worried that he might stare too quickly past her brown hair so she interrupted his train of thought.
"Nurse Redfern seems rather taken with you," she stated.
"I mean I've only just come here, but when I met her earlier and she left your book with me she seemed very flustered at the thought of running into you," Rose added.
"Yes, well we have spent a bit of time together over the last few weeks after I accidentally tripped and fell down the stairs and she checked me over. It was not my most graceful of moments. Of course I happened to be carrying a pile of about 20 books at the time that I had just finished borrowing from the library," John laughed and Rose smiled, reveling in the familiar sound of his chuckle. Even though it was becoming more clear that John Smith had less in common with the Doctor than she originally thought, nothing could change that laugh.
"I see. Well I can't patch you up after a fall, but if you'd ever like to borrow any of these books again please feel free to drop by any time. I think we should just recommend sticking to a limit of 5 books at a time. Want to avoid any future spills," she grinned cheekily and he nodded.
"I think I can agree to that. Tell me, Alice, have you been to the village yet? There's a particularly lovely little tea shop that I frequent when I need a change of scenery when grading papers," John asked and Rose's heart fluttered like a school girl.
"Not yet."
"I would be happy to accompany you tomorrow after classes get out, if you'd like. I know that Headmaster Rocastle has given you a tour of the school and grounds already, but you should know your way into town in case you need anything," he stated dutifully.
"Yes, that is definitely practical. I would appreciate the assistance John," Rose agreed with a slide nod of her head.
"Most excellent. I will stop by here after classes tomorrow so I can accompany you," he replied cheerfully.
"Wonderful. Thank you so much for bringing these books back. I best get back to work organizing them," Rose waved him off and he nodded his understanding before tucking out the door, closing it behind him.
Rose only waited a few minutes before slumping into a nearby chair. She was exhausted, not only because she had not gotten a full nights sleep, but because pretending to be someone else was utterly exhausting. She was incredibly lucky she was not in Martha's shoes, but seeing a man with the Doctor's face and not being able to shout out him and run to him and song him senseless was much more of a challenge than she had initially thought it might be. Rose took a look around the library at the now overwhelming piles of books covering almost every table and sighed. It looked much worse than when she had started somehow, but that was often how most organizing projects went so she tried to ignore all the work that was left to be done as she exited out the library and locked it for the day. On her way up to the third floor to pop into her temporary chambers she ran into the older boy with the sharp jawline from earlier. He paused stiffly and turned his head slightly before sniffing her loudly. Rose fought the urge to jump back and instead eyed the boy up and down. Something about his mechanical movements did not sit well with her.
"Didn't I meet you in Mister Smith's class earlier this morning?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes at the boy. He seemed to loosen a little and made a small bowing movement as a formality.
"Yes miss. I'm Baines. Pardon my interruption. I was just on my way to my room for the evening," the boy stated calmly with an air of arrogance that made Rose want to lecture him right then and there.
"Right, well off you go. Don't linger in the halls," she said simply and stood her ground to make sure he walked off towards the boys dormitories and did not make any other turns on his way there. As soon as he was out of her line of sight Rose released a shudder she had been desperately holding in. The boy gave her the creeps and as soon as she found Martha, he was going to be first on the list of things she needed to discuss with her friend. She made her way quickly up the stairs to the staff housing area and slipped into her temporary room to rifle through her luggage for a sleeping gown and robe. Even though there was likely still a few more hours before most students would be going to bed, Rose was dying to get out of the stiff early 20th century clothing. While she may not be stuck in a full corset, it was still much less comfortable than anything she ordinarily wore. She knew she wouldn't be able to wander the school in her dressing gown, but she had no plans to leave her room other than to keep an eye out for Martha who would likely be popping by at some point anyway.
Instead, sat at the small table near the window in her room and pulled open a book that she had grabbed from the library. It was a random book of fables, something she always found comforting. She had no other technology on her and didn't fancy herself much of a writer herself so she took to reading to pass the time. It didn't take long before she was fully engaged in the book and it must've been at least two hours past when a knock at her door startled her.
"Dinner service, ma'am!" a voice called through the door that she easily recognized as Martha's. Rose hurried over and opened the door just enough to allow the younger woman in.
"Thank god it's you Martha!" She exclaimed, shutting the door tightly behind her.
"There's only a few of us, and since I had to bring the Doctor his evening tea anyway I thought I'd pop by with dinner. Just so you know, most staff members meet in the dining room downstairs for lunch and dinner. When Headmaster Rocastle asked where you were, it was actually the Doctor that covered for you and said you were probably elbow deep in books, hard at work. And yet…here you are," Martha lectured her, an eyebrow raised at Rose's outfit.
"Well I didn't know that," Rose responded crossly.
"You need to pay more attention. If the Headmaster finds you at all lacking, he'll kick you out and then this whole plan will have been for nothing," Martha admonished and Rose rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I know. It's just…this was a bit harder than I thought. I needed to get out of that dress and just be somewhere where I wasn't keeping up a fake accent and a fake persona for just an evening," Rose complained.
"What do you think I've been doing for two months?"
"I know!" Rose snapped, but then took a deep breath.
"I know," she repeated, but in a much softer tone. "And I'm sorry Martha, I really am. Good on you for putting up with it for this long. I just need a day to adjust. I think it'll get a bit easier tomorrow now that I know what to expect," Rose apologized and Martha nodded.
"Good. You know I saw Nurse Redfern at dinner today and for the first time in a while, she didn't try to sit next to the Doctor and he didn't seem to notice," Martha continued, her tone lightening as she took a seat in the chair across from Rose.
"Yes, well, about that…I may or may not have been pretty harsh with her earlier," Rose admitted sheepishly, offering some bread with butter to Martha who took it with a laugh.
"What did you do? Yell at her?"
"No! I just assured her that John's journal was safe with me and that I would pass it along to him. And then she tried to tell me they were spending a lot of time together and I told her to keep her business to herself," Rose shrugged, in a wasted attempt to pretend she didn't feel fairly guilty about the whole situation.
"I'm sure you did," Martha snickered.
"Honestly I didn't mean to be as rude as I was. I just…wanted to make it clear that I don't want to be her friend. That would only make things even more complicated than they already are."
"We can agree on that for sure. So did he stop by the library then?" Martha pressed for answers and Rose felt an involuntary blush rising to her cheeks.
"He did. And we talked for a bit about his creative stories, his love for reading, and my dislike of war," Rose nodded and Martha waited impatiently.
"And?" She finally asked.
"And he asked me if I would let him accompany me into town tomorrow after classes. He asked really suddenly actually, so I hope that is a good sign that he's maybe a little interested," Rose smiled a small smile.
"Just a little interested? Rose. I can't believe I'm saying this because you really need to realize it's the last thing I want to be saying," Martha took a deep breath and paused slightly before continuing. "But anyone would be blind not to see that the Doctor is absolutely mad about you. And while John Smith may not have all the Doctor's memories, he will be head over heels for you in no time flat. All you had to do was say hello."
"I don't think we should be so certain-
"Why is it that you are completely confident that the Doctor will make the right choice? And that he'll come back from being John Smith? And you seem so confident about him in so many ways. But when it comes to how he feels about you, which is insanely obviously to everyone, by the way, you act like it couldn't possibly be true?" Martha interrogated her and Rose shrugged, trying to slip away from the pressure.
"Because I have always been pretty clear about the way I feel about him. And he has never clearly reciprocated those feelings," she insisted.
"Then either you're blind, or he just waited until after you were gone to make it clear. Because your name was one of the first words out of his mouth when he took me on my first trip. Rose would know what to do, he said," Martha rolled her eyes with a small noise of frustration.
"All I know is when I told him I loved him he said 'quite right'," Rose snapped, feeling the anger she hadn't felt in over a hundred years really come right back. She hadn't been that angry at the Doctor for quite some time, especially because when he abandoned her in the parallel world again she was too busy being angry about him abandoning John too. John couldn't, or wouldn't ever tell her whether or not the Doctor intended to finish his sentence that day. On his death bed he swore to her that the Doctor loved her, and of course she believed that to be true. She just stood firm in her belief that if the Doctor truly felt it and was ready to act on it, he would've expressed it more directly instead of tallying about until their connection broke.
"That's harsh," Martha winced.
"To be fair," Rose sighed, calming herself. "I do think he intended to finish the next sentence and I have to believe it would've ended in 'I love you'. But it didn't and I lived with that for a very, very long time," she muttered.
"I think…I understand a bit better now. But I also need to remind you that John Smith is not the Doctor. And right now, he doesn't believe you to be Rose Tyler. He's just an ordinary human completely infatuated with a pretty young woman named Alice. So just…embrace it. That's the plan. Keep him away from Nurse Redfern," Martha instructed and Rose nodded.
"I know. And I know I'm really drawing the long end of the stick here compared to what you're stuck doing," Rose acknowledged and Martha sighed.
"Cleaning and being looked down on and treated like garbage is not a cake walk," she agreed.
"But honestly, I wouldn't ask to be in your shoes either," the younger woman tagged on.
"Let's not compare our miseries. It will all be over in not too long," Rose attempted to comfort her friend.
"Feels like forever though," Martha grumbled and Rose nodded.
"When this is all over, don't let him just brush it off. Give him a good lecture for me okay?" Rose told Martha sternly and the woman blinked in surprise.
"Oh."
"What?"
"I just sort of assumed that you'd be sticking around…and I would take that as a cue to head back home for a while," Martha confessed quietly.
"Martha-
"I know you said you're part of future events and stuff, but the Doctor's always saying that time isn't set in stone. And he'd be so happy to see you again Rose," the younger woman pleaded.
"Time travel is so insanely complicated. He's not wrong. The future is always changing, but circling back on your own personal timeline is really dangerous business. If I were to try and see him again now I would be completely changing the future, which is actually my past. It's a paradox and those rip holes in universes. I made that mistake once and the Doctor was barely able to help me fix it," Rose explained, thinking back to all those years ago when she had tried to help her father. It had become clear to her since then that it wasn't always so black and white. She had been dabbling around in her own personal timeline for months now, but she had a better awareness of what could and couldn't affect the future and therefore her present.
"That gives me a headache," Martha groaned.
"Tell me about it. But all that aside…just because I hope to make it back to him doesn't mean you'll be unwelcome on the TARDIS. There will always be a place for you. Always," Rose vowed. The Doctor's friendships had come to have expiration dates and that was something Rose wanted to change. She knew that he tended to distance himself to save from the heartbreak of losing his friends because so many were humans or other beings with shorter lifespans. But Rose didn't agree with his tendency to abandon them. She thought back to poor Sarah Jane, living life on Earth wondering what happened to the Doctor and not knowing that he was blissfully traveling and having adventures and carefully ignoring her.
"I appreciate that, I do. But I think if I'm still traveling with him when you do reunite properly, I'll at least went to go back to my real life for a while. If anything just to get away from the two of you. The TARDIS is big, but I don't know I could get enough space from you two if the Doctor is half as wild about you as his human alter ego," Martha laughed and Rose found herself blushing violently.
"Well just know the key is yours for keeps. I'll make sure it stays that way."
"Thanks Rose. I should probably get down to the servants quarters. It turned a few heads when I came back so late last night. I didn't officially get written up for it, but I know they weren't pleased," Martha sighed, standing up from her seat.
"If they do give you any trouble, just tell them I needed extra assistance. I'll always verify your story," Rose said and Martha nodded before slipping out the door quietly.
A few floors down, Timothy Latimer clutched a pocket watch tightly, shielding it with his body.
Rose….
It whispered as it flashed images of the new librarian in his mind. He shook his head, trying to clear the strange pictures. The Doctor must be confused. The new librarian's name was Alice. And yet the watch, and subsequently the Doctor's voice inside the watch, kept whispering the name over and over again. It showed images of a blonde woman who was remarkably similar to Ms. Prentice, though not identical. Timothy wondered if perhaps Ms. Prentice was somehow a distance relative of the Rose that the Doctor seemed to be calling for. He intended to make another trip to the library the next day to investigate further.
When he's first heard…or felt the watch speak to him all he wanted to do was run far away. He didn't know what was happening and he was already enough of a freak without hearing voices. But as the Doctor spoke to him and showed him memories, pictures of his life…and then glimpses of Timothy's own future, he knew he wasn't imagining any of it. The Doctor was real and the Doctor was terrifying, but somehow clutching to the watch brought Timothy hope. He had never been particularly happy with his life, but knowing that there was something greater out there to find out and explore just made it all worth living. He wasn't excited about the terrible future he'd caught glimpses of. Maybe it had been a warning or maybe an inevitable future, but he could prepare at the very least.
The next morning, the school awoke with the normal flurry of morning activity, and Rose found herself being woken by a quiet knock at the door. Not Martha, but one of the other servants left a small breakfast tray at her door and Rose gratefully accepted as she readied herself for another day of pretending to be someone else. It was a fairly easy task around the students and other faculty. It only became difficult not to slip into her own accent and mannerisms around John. She was going to make a conscious effort to be more diligent about early twentieth centuries manners and customs to keep a line firmly drawn between Alice Prentice and the Rose from his dreams. Once she had gotten ready, Rose did not delay before heading to the library for another day of organizing and cleaning.
For the first hour or so of the day, she was able to work in quiet and once a section of the shelves were emptied she got to work dusting them. What she wouldn't give for a can of Pledge to really clean them with. She wasn't really aware of people having more than just basic soap and water to clean with in the twentieth century, so she focused instead on just removing the surface layer of dust and grime before re-shelving the books. She didn't plan to rework the entire system but did some adjusting as she put the books away by topic and by author. After the bells rang for a change of classes, Rose heard a flurry of students in the halls moving one way or another. She kept the door open today as she wanted students to feel welcome now that there were at least a few tables cleared of books and dust for working on. Some students popped their heads in to peek at her, but only one student actually entered the library, head kept down.
"Hello Timothy," she greeted with a smile as she eyed the smaller boy.
"Hello Ms. Prentice," he greeted politely before sitting down at a table and opening a book once more. Rose didn't want to bother him, but noticed after a few minutes that he seemed to have been staring at a single page for several minutes. He didn't seem like the type of student who struggled with reading, though Rose knew all too well that school just didn't come naturally to everyone.
"What are you working on?" She finally asked from a nearby table where she was alphabetizing books in the sciences.
"An assignment for Mister Smith," he answered.
"Ah, an essay perhaps?" Rose answered knowingly and the young boy looked up nodding.
"Yes, on the destruction of the Library of Alexandria."
"Such a tragedy. So many great works lost forever," Rose mused and Timothy nodded. He was quiet for a moment before looking up at her once more.
"Ms. Prentice, may I ask you something?"
"Of course," Rose confirmed, approaching his table.
"Do you have any relatives that go by the name of Rose?"
Rose almost dropped the book she was holding, but recovered quickly. She plastered a smile onto her lips before looking down at the boy.
"Not that I've had the pleasure of meeting," she denied.
"Oh…it's just. Well Mister Smith mentioned knowing someone named Rose once and the way he described her, she looked a bit like you," Timothy lied, unable to make eye contact with the librarian.
"Did he mention that now?" Rose asked suspiciously. There was clearly something he wasn't fessing up to. Rose didn't believe he meant any harm and she didn't think he could be connected to the Family in some way, but she was definitely suspicious of his knowledge. She knew for a fact that John had only shown his journal to Nurse Redfern and herself. Martha had seen it in passing, but he would never have spoken aloud about the things in his journal to any of his other colleagues or students. There was just no way. He was too aware of how outrageous the stories were.
"Er, one time in passing I think," the student lied again.
"Timothy, I don't think he did," Rose said sternly. She didn't want to scare the kid, but she did want to find out how much he knew and how.
"It's just-
"You're not in trouble. And I won't judge. But I am curious to know how you know something so private about Mr. Smith," Rose continued and Timothy finally made eye contact with her, appearing helpless.
"It's very strange," he whispered.
"I can handle strange," Rose smiled softly in response.
"I stole something from Mister Smith, but I swear I only did it to keep it safe. Because…it told me to," he confessed.
"What did you take?"
"A pocket watch. It was just sitting on the mantle in his study. I don't even think it works, but it…" he trailed off, unable to admit the truth. Even though the watch was urging him to find Rose and talk to her, he couldn't bring himself to.
"It's alright Timothy. You can tell me," Rose urged softly and Timothy nodded slightly.
"It speaks to me. Not out loud, but I can just hear a voice when I'm near it or when I'm holding it. And it shows me images…in my mind," he finally admitted and Rose sucked in a breath. Her best guess was that Timothy had some sort of mild telepathic tendencies, heightened by the Doctor's full telepathic abilities concealed in the pocket watch. But she didn't think telepathy was very common in humans.
"I believe you," Rose started. She wanted to calm the boy who was clearly panicking, though she did have some questions.
"He said you would."
"Who said?"
"The Doctor…that's who's connected to the watch. He says he's inside the watch, but I don't see how that's possible. He tried to show me, but none of it made any sense," Timothy whispered, his voice wavering with clear panic.
"Well he's right," Rose confirmed.
"I do believe you and I want you to know I am here to help. If you need," Rose offered and Timothy's lip quivered a bit.
"Even if you just need a friend right now," she continued.
"Thank you Ms. Prentice," he responded graciously. Rose was tempted to tell him the whole truth, since he already knew so much already, but she didn't. If Timothy was around after the Doctor returned, he may not be able to keep the secret from the Doctor. He wouldn't understand the importance of it. So she kept her mouth shut, but offered him a comforting squeeze of the shoulder.
"As I said yesterday, you're welcome here anytime. But you should probably get to work on that essay for Mister Smith. Don't want to delay your studies," Rose reminded him and he nodded, re-engaging in the book he had been staring at. Rose quietly resumed her own work, but her mind was running in circles.
She would need to inform Martha of the new information. She wasn't sure if the TARDIS had selected 1913 because of Timothy, or her, or something else entirely. But that wasn't really the most important goal at the moment. Still Rose had an ever growing list of questions for both the TARDIS and the Doctor and she didn't know how she was going to remember all of them. She and Timothy both worked in silence for a bit longer before she saw the boy look up at her curiously.
"Ms. Prentice?" He called.
"Yes," she answered, acknowledging him.
"The Doctor…he said the Family is nearby. He wants me to keep the watch safe and says you'll know when it's time to open it," he informed her and Rose felt a shiver run down her back. Martha's hunch about the meteor she saw a few nights before was probably correct. She hadn't made it back out to the field to investigate, but clearly the family was nearby.
"Thank you for letting me know. I trust that the Doctor is safe with you. When the time is right you can give it to myself or Martha. Do you know who Martha is?" Rose asked.
"She came with Mister Smith, right?"
"That's correct," she confirmed with a nod.
"Yes I know who she is. She's always very kind to me," Timothy stated softly and Rose smiled.
"I hope you show her kindness in return," she advised.
"Yes Ms. Prentice," Timothy nodded before the bells rang again, interrupting them. Timothy gathered his books and waved a quick goodbye before hastening off to his next class. This left Rose once again in quiet to resume her busy work. Throughout the day a few other students came by to read or work quietly, some even in small groups. Rose found the distractions welcoming and during lunch she did head down to the dining room on the main floor as Martha had suggested. The only other woman on faculty was Nurse Redfern, and since Rose had drawn a line in the sand with that friendship she found herself wondering where to sit at the table. There were professors she had only briefly met already sitting by the Headmaster, and Rose scanned the room before hearing a small cough behind her. She turned around and smiled at Mister Smith.
"I wondered if you'd like to have a seat beside me, Ms. Prentice?" He asked politely, gesturing to a pair of empty seats at the end of the long table. Nurse Redfern sat opposite the seats and Rose bit her lip nervously, but responded anyway.
"Of course, thank you for your offer Mister Smith," she accepted, sitting next to him. The servants brought a simple lunch spread out almost immediately and Martha paused near the two of them with a tray of tea cups.
"Tea?" She asked and John nodded while taking one cup off the tray and then gesturing for a second while looking at Rose who nodded graciously.
"Thank you so much Martha," Rose stated loudly enough for others around her to hear. She wanted to make it clear that even servants would be treated with respect and dignity in her presence. She'd seen the way some of the boys talked to the wait staff, and she assumed those were learned behaviors from at least some of the faculty members. It caught Nurse Redfern's attention and she seemed flustered, smoothing a napkin over her lap to distract from staring.
"Ah so you've met Martha? She's worked for me for the last few years, very loyal," John commented and Rose fought the urge to frown.
"Yes she was so kind to help me out last evening by bringing me dinner. I didn't realize it was normally a shared meal and was so exhausted after my first day. I really appreciated the gesture and extra effort," Rose told him and that seemed to satisfy him as he smiled and thanked Martha himself. Martha bowed out gracefully along with the rest of the servants as the teachers began to serve themselves.
"I hope you find yourself adjusting well," John commented.
"Very well, thank you Mister Smith. I'm proud to say the library is really not half as sorry of a state as I was made to believe. Just needed a good dusting and a little bit of reorganizing, that's all," Rose answered.
"That's good to hear. I was feeling particularly guilty about that," he admitted sheepishly.
"Don't be foolish. Borrowing a few extra books wasn't going to hurt anyone. And now that I'm here, I'll be able to manage it and keep it properly organized so it won't fall into a mess again."
"Yes that is very good news for us indeed. We all felt Miss Barlow's departure, did we not Matron?" John looked towards Nurse Redfern who seemed a bit taken aback by being called into the conversation.
"Yes of course. And Mister Smith I did tell you to please call me Nurse Redfern. I much prefer it among colleagues," she responded and Rose swore she saw John blush a bit.
"Yes of course, I am sorry about that Nurse Redfern. Going to take some getting used to I'm afraid!"
"It's no trouble at all. I hope you got your book back alright?" She asked, gaze flicking at Rose who felt herself almost puff up in response.
"Yes, Ms. Prentice made sure it made it safely to me," John replied hastily. He felt extremely uncomfortable with his private journal being brought up in such a public setting.
"Speaking of books," Rose interjected, sensing his discomfort. "I was just reading the most fascinating collection of fables last night. I highly recommend it for either of you, if you're looking for something more fanciful."
"I'm afraid I prefer to stick to nonfiction and journals in science," Nurse Redfern replied instantly, though a moment later she regretted it as she saw John's crestfallen face.
"Of course, the occasional fantasy can be quite enjoyable as well," she added on hastily but she could see that the damage had been done. She knew better than to be petty with the new librarian. It was so very immature of her, but she couldn't help herself as she watched John shift his focus completely from herself to Ms. Prentice. It had been so long since Joan had even allowed herself to consider taking on another suitor after her husband's death and she could really see a future with Mister Smith. But that was all gone now. If it hadn't been destroyed by the arrival of Ms. Prentice, it would be destroyed by her own insensitive words about his journal. She had not intended them that way, but that was clearly how he had seen it.
"Yes, well, fantasy can all be a bit impractical," John stated quietly.
"Personally it's my favorite genre. I especially love fairy tales. And I know that might make some folks consider me naive, but there is so much to learn from those types of stories. Although I do wish they ended more pleasantly sometimes," Rose stated, tagging on those last words because she knew that fairytales had not yet evolved from their original Grimms brothers into the modernized version with happily ever after just yet.
"Seeing the world through a different gaze just helps widen our perspectives," John agreed eagerly and Rose smiled at his enthusiasm. She loved to see it. Every smile or ramble on about something he enjoyed reminded her more and more of the Doctor she missed so much.
"I suppose it is my own failing that I cannot let go of our reality more," Nurse Redfern interjected and Rose felt a pang of pity. She hadn't needed to be so harsh with the woman. None of the situation was her fault. All she had done was show interest in a perfectly eligible coworker.
"There is a lot of value in that too, though. I'm sure your interest in science and critical thinking is what allows you to be such a wonderful Matron for the school. The students are in such good hands," Rose said warmly. Nurse Redfern softened a bit, but seemed to squirm at the compliment. The shift in the other woman's tone had her a bit confused.
"And the faculty too at times! I think I told you that Nurse Redfern helped patch me up after a tumble down the stairs not long ago," John added with a laugh at his own expense.
"Yes, you had mentioned that," Rose nodded in acknowledgment.
"You are not the first to need some minor first aid, Mister Smith, and I'm certain you won't be the last," Nurse Redfern smiled before someone sitting next to her, another professor Rose assumed, caught her attention.
The rest of the meal passed relatively quickly and with just surface chatter that Rose mostly stayed out of. While she was able to fake it fairly well after just a few years of time traveling with the Doctor, she wasn't super familiar with the current events and costumes of the time, and she didn't want to cause any slip ups. After lunch she excused herself back to the library for the rest of the school day to supervise students and quietly finish up the final details of organizing and cleaning. The rest of her work would really just be the maintain the library and assist students, and without busy work she found the time passing by so much slower. With the TARDIS in dormant mode, she realized that her ability to sense time passing was not as strong. She wondered how many of her abilities were tied directly to the TARDIS. Her ability to travel through the Vortex so far was very tied to the ship, as she could only travel right into the TARDIS at any moment in time. Her ability to manipulate particles (including her own appearance) seemed a little more independent, since she'd been able to utilize it even when the TARDIS had been turned into a paradox machine.
"Bloody hell!" She cursed under her breath as several books fell, crashing into her legs and feet as they went. She had been startled out of her deep thoughts and it took her a moment to realize the shelf she'd just placed a book on had collapsed under the added weight.
"Oh no! Let me help with that," she heard John Smith's voice call from the library door and she turned, a smile quickly replacing her flustered expression.
"Thank you, Mr. Smith. I'm afraid I asked a little too much of this shelf," she explained sheepishly as he joined her, picking up a few books and placing them on a nearby table.
"Please, just John when we're not in the company of other faculty," he corrected her and she nodded in acknowledgement.
"And anyway, these shelves are quite old. I'm not surprised some of them are collapsing. I should be able to fix this for you," he rambled, poking at the shelf in a way that almost triggered a flashback for Rose.
"It might need to be replaced," Rose suggested and John shook his head, digging into his pockets for something.
"I'm sure it's nothing a little tightening can't fix," he announced triumphantly removing a small screwdriver from his pocket with a grin. Rose choked back a laugh as her heart swelled. The sonic would never have worked on wood anyway and even if it had, Rose had lost her crudely assembled sonic device shortly after she'd created it.
"You are extremely handy. It's extraordinary," she commented fondly.
"Well a man should never be without the tools he needs to fix a shelf," John muttered as he inspected the ends of the shelf. He stayed quiet, but his tongue peaked out of the corner of his mouth slightly as he worked and Rose watched in fascination. He was so similar to the Doctor, but so different at the same time. More like her husband John, but even different from him. Her head hurt from trying to see three different people in just one face.
"That should do it," he said decidedly after a few minutes. Rose hadn't really been paying attention but she nodded with a grateful smile.
"I think I'll let it settle overnight before trying to reshelve any of these books," she told him.
"It should be alright, but that's not a bad idea. If it gives you any more trouble, just let me know."
"Of course, thank you John. I appreciate all your assistance! You've done almost as much as I have at this point!" She laughed.
"Nonsense! Though, if you're going to be closing the doors for the night anyway…might it be time for me to escort you through town?" He asked, his tone quieter as he glanced down at his shoes. Rose's cheeks burned and she was sure she was visually blushing. She wasn't sure why she would be blushing when she had loved this man for over 100 years, but it all felt new with this John.
"Yes of course, I'll just need to stop by my room to grab my coat. I'm sure it's bound to get chilly," she smiled and he nodded, stepping backward to make room for her to lead the way.
"I'll wait in the foyer for you then, Ms….Alice," he caught himself and smiled as he said her fake first name. It reminded Rose that this man had no idea who she was and she had to remember that. She couldn't let her guard down just because she felt so comfortable around him. He was smart and observant. Any tiny slip up could make him suspicious, and therefore uninterested, and more likely to turn back to Nurse Redfern. As Rose closed up the library she heard a small cough behind her. She spun around in shock before breathing a sigh of relief as Martha stood, arms crossed over her chest impatiently.
"Oh Martha, you scared me!" Rose hissed and the younger woman rolled her eyes.
"I've hardly seen you all day other than lunch and now you're about to dash off with the Doctor before checking in with me? We have a problem," she whispered and Rose huffed a frustrated sigh.
"I need to grab my coat, come to my chambers with me for a mo," she directed quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening in. The last thing she wanted was for Martha to get in trouble for speaking out of turn. As soon as the door was shut, though she sagged a little, letting her body relax.
"I know the plan was for you to get close to the Doctor, but he seems pretty taken with you already. Since you're not planning on staying I don't want this to be harder for either of you," Martha started, her body posture oozing annoyance.
"We're only going to the village, which you already knew about. Martha. I'm not going to let him get hurt and if it stings a little for me…I'll survive," Rose said gently. Martha seemed to relax a little as she watched Rose cautiously.
"I know…I don't mean to snap. I'm just getting nervous. I went back out to the field to check the site and I couldn't see anything, but it still feels off. I think like you guessed there might be something camouflaged there. I've been keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity, but when I went to go double check nothing was wrong with the watch…it was gone. Rose the watch is gone!" Martha panicked.
"It's safe…one of the students, Timothy Latimer, has it. He confessed to me that he can hear the Doctor speaking to him through the watch. I think he might have some telepathic tendencies, but if the Doctor is reaching out to him I think we should trust that the watch is safe," Rose answered, watching as Martha relaxed a little more.
"But how can the Doctor be communicating with him?"
"Remember how I said the Doctor is regularly telepathic. I assume because it's his essence he can reach out to anyone else telepathic still," Rose tried to explain, though in truth she barely understood it herself. She thought briefly back to her time with a future version of the Doctor and how they did at some point seem able to communicate telepathically and wondered why the watch wasn't reaching out to her.
"How do you know so much about him?" Martha groaned.
"Not because he told me, Martha. Because trust me, he was just as terrible about telling me things when I traveled with him originally. But my husband was…very close to him, and he was much more open with me," Rose answered honestly, but carefully. She had promised to be open with the younger companion, but didn't want to risk giving any information about future events that she knew Martha would be part of.
"Well it would be so much easier if he was just honest with his friends."
"I agree. Timothy said one other thing…he said the Family is nearby. He didn't know anything else, but we need to be on alert," Rose warned.
"I didn't want to be right about that," Martha mourned.
"Well your instinct was spot on, but the Doctor's waiting in the foyer so I really should get going. Keep an eye on Timothy, and for anything else suspicious. I'll watch out for the Doctor while we're out and report back this evening," Rose instructed and Martha nodded, lost in her thoughts. Her head was spinning with all the tidbits Rose had dropped over the last few days. Nothing about Rose Tyler made any sense, and as she watched the mysterious woman leave the room in a rush, she tried to just trust that Rose could handle herself.
Rose buttoned her coat as she darted down the stairs at a brisk pace. It hadn't been more than a few minutes, and John stood patiently in the foyer, looking up as soon as he heard her on the steps. He offered an elbow and she placed her hand delicately around it with a smile, her stomach fluttering at the small gesture.
"It's a quick walk into town for anything you need. There's not much, but all the essentials and a lovely tea shop I frequent whenever I just need a break from the school grounds," John mentioned as they began their walk on the gravel path away from the school.
"I'm sure it can get exhausting to be cooped up in the school so much of your time. Do you spend holidays away from the school grounds?" Rose asked, making polite conversation and John didn't answer right away, his face screwed up in concentration.
"I'm fairly new to the school, so I haven't had the opportunity to leave for a break yet. But I think I definitely will take advantage of the student's absence. I traveled a lot before I came here and would hope to do so again in the future," he finally answered, and Rose realized she was in the danger zone, poking at his false memories.
"That would be lovely! I also traveled quite a bit as a private tutor for a particularly wealthy family. There is so much to see out there," Rose commented lightly, shifting the conversation more towards herself and John seemed to walk with a lighter step.
"I wondered, Alice, if you might share your thoughts on my…journal," he asked sheepishly and Rose fought the urge to chuckle.
"I did not read through it in its entirety, as I felt it would've been improper. I just couldn't help glancing through it a bit. It's really quite fantastical…though some of the bits seemed darker than others," she replied, careful not to reveal too many details.
"Yes, sometimes my dreams do take a darker turn. Lucky they are only dreams though-
He started, but was cut off as a bicycle bell caught his attention. Rose looked over to wear a large piano was being hoisted up the side of a building as they entered the edge of town. A young woman was pushing a pram around the corner and Rose could see what was happening. Before she made a move to call out to the woman, John snagged a cricket ball from a nearby child and threw it at the scaffolding on the side of the building. That in turn sent a brick flying to knock over a container of milk which stopped the woman and her tram in their tracks just moments before the rope snapped and the piano came crashing down. While she had seen the Doctor perform similar calculations, it amazed her still to see a fully human John Smith casually stop catastrophe.
"That was rather…lucky," he murmured.
"Was it really? You are…extraordinary John Smith," Rose laughed.
"I wondered if you might accompany to the village dance this weekend? I realize it is rather short notice, but I would be so grateful to spend the evening getting to know you better," he asked, pausing outside a small tea shop and looking directly into her eyes. Rose couldn't stop her face from warming as she glanced away.
"Oh, I hope that isn't too forward-
"No, no. It really isn't. I'm just surprised. I've only just arrived here yesterday, but I would be glad to spend an evening with you this weekend," she answered and John beamed, gesturing for her to follow him into the tea shop.
Their evening was thankfully quiet and uneventful, and the rest of the week passed much the same. Both Martha and Rose stayed on high alert, but they didn't have the ability to find the Family's ship while it was camouflaged and they didn't want to go to the TARDIS, worrying that it would attract attention to themselves. So they kept their heads down and Rose kept tabs on Tim. She was surprised by how well the young boy had adapted to finding out there were aliens and he could communicate with one through a watch. While she wasn't sure how the Doctor would choose to handle the knowledge when he did return, she hoped he would help the boy adjust at the very least. She knew the Doctor had had children at one point in his life, but he wasn't particularly nurturing or patient with young humans. It wasn't the Time Lord way. On Saturday, Martha was helping Rose get ready for the village dance when a thought occurred to her.
"What if the Family does track him down and we have to open the watch?" Martha asked. Rose thought for a moment before answering.
"It's frustrating that all of this would've been for naught, but I'm sure the Doctor can handle them," she shrugged it off and Martha shook her head.
"But if he has to open the watch and he comes back…he'll want to talk to you. The wig and different name might have the human fooled…but I'm not sure it's going to fool the Time Lord," Martha pointed out.
"Ah."
"Yeah. I hadn't thought about it before…or else I might've suggested a different plan. But honestly even if the Family doesn't find us and I have to convince him to open the watch, we're going to run into the same problem," Martha continued.
"You're absolutely right. If the time runs out and the Family is no longer a problem, I'll have to find a way to leave without him wanting to follow. I'll…think on it," Rose mused.
"And if the Family finds us first?"
"Let's just hope we've done enough to keep him hidden. If we haven't, we'll have to deal with it when the time comes. Just let me take the lead if it comes to that, okay?" Rose asked, a somewhat crazy plan coming into her head even as she thought of the worst case scenario.
"Well I'm definitely not going to take charge," Martha huffed as she finished buttoning Rose up.
"Thanks for the help, I should probably go meet him."
"Yeah have fun. I'm gonna pour a cuppa and enjoy so many of the faculty being gone for the night," Martha rolled her eyes, a tinge of jealousy spiking inside her again. She was less and less jealous of Rose's relationship with the Doctor, but she still found herself upset that while Rose got to play human with the Doctor she was being treated as a second class citizen. She made her way to the kitchen where a small table was set up for servants and prepared a cup of tea, finding a note from the cook with some leftover cakes that one of the teachers didn't want. She was setting up a tray when her friend Jenny wandered in.
"There you are. Come and look what I've got. Mister Poole didn't want his afternoon tea cakes so Cook left a note that we could have them. And there's enough for two. What are you standing there for?" Martha questioned as her friend stood waiting in the doorway and took a deep breath in through her knows, almost as if she were trying to identify a smell.
"Are you all right?" Martha asked cautiously. Jenny offered a calculated smile.
"I must have a cold coming on," the other woman answered but a chill ran down Martha's spine. Something was definitely not right and she had a worrisome feeling she knew exactly what was going on.
"Right well, would you like some tea?" Martha offered, changing the subject.
"Yes, thanks. Martha…you know Mister Smith well. What of this new woman he's taking to the dance today?"
"Ms. Prentice? I don't really know her, and anyway I don't think it'll last," Martha lied trying to shift focus away from Rose. Even if the Doctor was well disguised as a human, Rose was bound to be able to be spotted as an outsider if the Family were closing in.
"Why?" Jenny pushed and Martha panicked, realizing her plan had backfired.
"It's just Ms. Prentice is here temporarily and Mister Smith also has plans to… travel more," Martha explained vaguely.
"Travel where?"
"Just places. I don't know where specifically he plans to go," Martha brushed off the question and shifted focus.
"I could put a nice bit of gravy in the pot. And some mutton. Or sardines and jam. How about that?" She offered and Jenny smiled, sitting back in her chair.
"I like the sound of that," she nodded.
"Right. Hold on a tick!" Martha called out, already standing up to make a hasty exit from the room. Instead of heading further into the kitchen area, she high tailed it out the back exit of the school grounds used for servants and started making her way round the front, narrowly missing some sort of energy ray being shot at her. She spared a quick glance backward to see Jenny standing at the window from the kitchen. Martha rushed to the road that led into the village, keeping a keen ear out in case Jenny decided to follow her.
She didn't know how the Family had taken control of her friend, but she had to assume that other people could look totally normal but also be taken over by the Family somehow. She needed to warn the Doctor and she needed to warn him fast. They'd have to track the watch down with the young boy after. She ran almost the entire way to the village hall, wondering why the Family was not following her, but not slowing down to check.
Inside the village hall, Rose and the Doctor were seated at one of the tables and chatting mindlessly about each of their made up pasts. Of course the Doctor didn't know his past was made up, but Rose was well aware that many of his memories were completely false. She tried to keep her story as close to the truth as possible, so he wouldn't later poke a hole in her logic, but she had a bad feeling none of it would matter if the Family were to find them.
"Ladies and gentleman, please bring your partner to the floor for a waltz!" The dance master announced, and John raised an eyebrow at Rose, offering his hand.
"Join me, Alice?" He smiled.
"Of course," she obliged as she stood, thinking back to the last time the two of them had danced. She was shocked to realize they hadn't truly danced together since after they'd first met Jack. There had been a few moments here and there, like on New Earth but at the time at least one of them had been possessed by that flappy skin Cassandra. So she relished the moment as John guided her in a waltz.
"I have to say I'm kind of surprised that you waltz so well. You just seem the type to…"
"Have to left feet?" He finished with a laugh.
"I suppose so! And I don't mean that in an offensive way, please don't mistake me," Rose tried to apologize but John Smith simply laughed.
"I take no offense. I am honestly quite shocked at myself. I don't remember the last time I danced," he confessed and Rose wondered if the last time he danced was also the last time she danced. That thought made her sad for him. Though she had missed the Doctor terribly every moment she was separated from him, she'd found little pockets of joy. She never wished for him to be unhappy without her.
They didn't speak much during the dance, but as soon as it ended John excused himself to go grab them refreshments and Rose sat back down at their small table just as Martha rushed up, sitting down.
"What's going on?" Rose hissed immediately, very aware of all the stares the two of them were getting from other party goers.
"They've found us. They got to my friend Jenny somehow. She tried to shoot me with some laser beam when I slipped away," Martha answered with urgency. Rose's heart dropped. This was too public of a place to try and tell John Smith the truth. And she needed to be long gone when the watch was opened. She couldn't risk him figuring out her real identity. Neither woman noticed a young girl in the corner smile and dart away as she overheard their conversation.
"Have you found Timothy with the watch yet?"
"No, I came straight here to warn you. I figured the last thing we'd want was any kind of confrontation in such a public place. You need to get the Doctor out of here," Martha explained her reasoning and Rose hesitated only for a moment before nodding just as the Doctor rejoined them.
"Martha! This is really not appropriate, I must insist that you leave," he scolded her with a frown and Rose stood, grabbing the drinks from his hand.
"John, you should show more compassion. Martha came all this way to tell me something very important. Just because she is a servant doesn't give you the right to treat her like a lesser human being," Rose insisted, a hint of her natural accent slipping out. John seemed to blink for a moment before nodding his agreement. He did not go as far as to apologize.
"What have you come to tell Ms. Prentice?" He asked and Martha bit her lip, looking at Rose for confirmation before they were interrupted by an older man bursting into the room.
"There will be silence! All of you!" He shouted as several scarecrows stumbled in behind him. Rose's eyes widened and she looked at Martha, whose eyes flickered toward the kitchen door. She assumed there was some kind of servants exit through there. Panicked shouts continued before the man repeated himself.
"I said, SILENCE!"
"Mister Clarke, what is going on?" One of the local men who was hosting the dance asked. The first man pulled out a gun and shot a green beam at him, vaporizing him instantly. Rose sucked in a breath as she felt the heat of Bad Wolf swell within her. It had been several weeks since Bad Wolf had tried to make an appearance without her consciously choosing to tap into it. She didn't know whether she should be relieved that she would be able to protect herself or worried that her inner…self was sensing grave danger.
"Mister Smith, don't say anything," Martha begged and the human man looked at her in utter confusion.
"We asked for silence!" A younger man, Rose recognized him from the school, spoke up and Rose realized that there were 3 of them plus the scarecrows. She assumed the scarecrows were likely animated by some sort of technology while the three that appeared human were likely being inhabited by the Family. She hoped the humans weren't a lost cause, but somehow she didn't feel great about the likelihood they would be savable.
"Now then," the three of them turned their attention to the Doctor. "We have a few questions for Mister Smith."
"No, better than that," a young girl, who now moved to stand with the other three, interrupted.
"The teacher. He's the Doctor. I heard them talking," she chirped and Rose's heart dropped. She and Martha had given it away.
"You took human form," the younger man quirked his head to the side in an unnatural way.
"Of course I'm human. I was born human, as were you, Baines. And Jenn, and you Mister Clark. What is going on? This is complete madness!" John exclaimed and Rose found herself at a loss for words. If she tried to say anything, she would give them both away.
"Ooo, and a human brain, too. Simple, thick and dull," Baines hissed.
"But he's no good like this," Jenny whined.
"We need a Time Lord," Clark agreed.
"Easily done," Baines spoke as he lifted his own gun and aimed it at John.
"Change back!" He demanded. John instinctively adjusted his body so that he stood in front of Rose, and Rose squeezed his arm in return.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Change back," the man repeated angrily, cocking the gun.
"I literally do not know," John argued. Too quick for Rose to realize what was happening, Jenny grabbed Martha and pulled her into their group.
"Get off me!" Martha struggled, but Jenny put a gun to her head.
"She's your friend, isn't she? Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?" The maid taunted. Rose could feel John tense up, but his rhetoric didn't change.
"I don't know what you mean! Please, there's no reason for anyone to be hurt tonight," he tried to reason.
"Wait a minute…that woman there, the maid has mentioned that he's fond of her!" Jenny jerked her heads towards Rose and before John could push her away, the oldest man grabbed her and placed a gun to her temple. Rose felt Bad Wolf rise and focused all her efforts on controlling the energy that was threaten to spill out.
"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor, being human? Has it taught you wonderful things? Are you better, richer, wiser? Then let's see you answer this," Baines took a few steps toward the Doctor, who stood defiantly his gaze flicking back and forth between his two companions. His human heart beat wildly.
"Which one of them do you want us to kill? Your friend or your lover? Your choice, Doctor," Baines smiled an evil, unnatural smile.
"Make your decision, Mister Smith," Jenny prodded, tightening her grip on Martha who grunted in annoyance.
"Perhaps if that human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge," Baines mused.
In the corner of the room, young Tim Latimer opened the watch just the slightest amount. A small amount of golden energy wafted into the room. It wasn't visible to any of the humans, but the Family zeroed in on it, all of their heads turning in that direction. Rose saw it too and her eyes sought the small boy cowering in a corner. She made eye contact with him and made a concentrated effort to send a thought his way.
Stay Hidden
The boy nodded and Rose breathed a small sigh of relief, knowing that he'd gotten the message.
"It's him!" Baines shouted. The moment of distraction was enough for Martha to wriggle loose from Jenny's grasp and grab her gun, using Jenny as a shield as she aimed the gun at Baines. Rose had also tried to wriggle free, but Mr. Clark had kept too firm of a hold on her.
"All right! One more move and I shoot," Martha exclaimed.
"Oh, the maid is full of fire," Baines teased, though he stood still in his spot, not making a move for her. Rose's eyes flickered briefly to John who was staring hard at her. The Doctor would've intervened, but John Smith was completely out of his league.
"And you can shut up!" Martha retorted, firing her gun into the ceiling for affect.
"Careful, Son of Mine. This is all for you so that you can live forever," the man holding Rose, Mr. Clark, warned.
"I'll shoot you down," Baines warned.
"Try it. We'll die together," Martha seethed. Rose knew how things were about to go and she quickly formulated a plan in her head. It was extreme and she wasn't 100% sure she could even make it worth. But she couldn't risk a paradox if Tim decided to open the watch and she wasn't going to let Martha get hurt.
"Would you really pull the trigger? Looks too scared," Baines tutted.
"Scared and holding a gun's a good combination. Do you want to risk it?" Martha responded.
"Shoot the librarian," Baines snapped. The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion. Martha began to shout no and push Jenny away from her as John took a step towards Rose. Neither of them could possibly reach her before Mr. Clark pulled the trigger though. And exactly as he did, Rose released the Bad Wolf energy that was simmering and ready to explode. A bright golden energy burst from her, knocking everyone around her down and unconscious. The room shook and tables and chairs fell over as if there had been an earthquake or nearby explosion. She had reigned it in, not allowing it to vaporize anyone…even the Family. But as she looked around, she first knelt to make sure both Martha and the Doctor were breathing. Once she confirmed they were all safe she turned her attention to the Family. The first thing she did was remove their weapons from them, allowing Bad Wolf to disintegrate them into nothing. Baines stirred and as he awoke Rose blinked, eyes glowing gold as she allowed Bad Wolf to surface.
"Are you the Time Lord?" He asked with narrow eyes as the other members of the Family also began to wake, looking around to find their weapons missing.
"No. I am the Bad Wolf. And you have chosen the wrong target. I will ask you one question only before I decide your fate. The humans you wear: what became of them?" Rose spoke, but it was no longer just Rose. Bad Wolf had taken a front seat.
"Then who are you?" Mr. Clark asked, standing. The Bad Wolf held out her hand, and a shimmering energy wrapped around each of the Family, holding them in place.
"Answer my question," the begin repeated.
"They're long dead," Jenny smeared and Bad Wolf took a breath.
"Then let your lives end as you have ended theirs," Bad Wolf spoke before draining the time energy from all of them, allowing it to dissipate into the air. After a few seconds the human bodies dropped, void of all life and remainder of time energy. Rose closed her eyes and mentally shook off the Bad Wolf, once again taking full control of her own body. It was a physical experience she couldn't quite describe. It wasn't painful, but it certainly wasn't pleasant and she did not intend to do it again in the near future. Playing with Bad Wolf's abilities was playing with fire. She may be able to control them to some extent, but unchecked Bad Wolf's abilities could decimate the universe.
"Timothy," Rose called, hoping that since he was in another room, he wouldn't have been hit by her blast. The small boy poked his head out and she gestured for him to come.
"I was so frightened, Ms. Prentice. But he told me it was okay," he whimpered.
"The Doctor did not steer you wrong, Tim. I know that was scary, but it's over now," Rose reassured him before walking over to Martha and tapping her gently, using a little of Bad Wolf's energy to wake her friend. Martha groaned, but began to sit up as she looked at Rose.
"What the bloody hell was that?" She demanded and Rose frowned.
"I can't explain everything now. He'll wake up soon and I need to be gone before he does. Timothy has the watch and the Family is handled," Rose spoke, feeling exhaustion start to creep in her bones. Utilizing that much energy, whether it was hers or Bad Wolfs was certainly taking a toll. Nothing hurt, but her whole body egged and she longed to sit down.
"And Jenny and the others?" Martha asked cautiously.
"Already gone, as soon as the Family took them," Rose confirmed quietly, unable to look her friend in the eyes.
"What will we tell everyone?" Timothy wondered aloud.
"This place looks like it was hit by some kind of bomb. We'll say that. They'll reason away everything before that on their own," Martha suggested and Rose nodded.
"And you'll tell John that I died in the blast…or that Alice died. It will break his heart, but he should listen then about opening the watch and you'll be on your way. One day I'll be able to tell him the truth and hopefully he'll forgive me," Rose instructed. Martha looked conflicted while Timothy looked confused, but both simply nodded.
"Is that it then?" Martha asked.
"I need to be gone before ehe wakes up," Rose confirmed with a nod. Suddenly Martha pulled her into a strong hug and Rose froze for a moment before wrapping her arms around her friend as well.
"Thank you. I don't know how I would've gotten through this last week without you," Martha whispered.
"You would've figured it out, just like you always do. You are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for," Rose told her.
"Oh I know I'm brilliant," Martha grinned before they heard movement as a few of the people began to stir. Rose tossed her head back with a laugh before moving towards the side door.
"I'll see you very soon, Martha," she promised as she darted out the door. She didn't worry about the Doctor eventually waking back up and dealing with the aftermath. Martha would have that handled. She didn't bother going very far before she chose to travel through the Vortex once more, keeping her mind focused not the TARDIS the Doctor she was trying to locate. Her landing was smooth this time, and she found herself materialized in her own bedroom instead of the console room. The lights brightened as the TARDIS song swelled happily in her head.
"Hello!" She greeted warmly out of habit, even though she knew the ship would understand her even if she didn't say it out loud. She felt a warm embrace around her mind as the tap in the bathroom turned on. The message was clear the TARDIS wanted her to clean up and rest. She would figure out when she was after but the TARDIS would make sure no one interrupted her in the meantime. Rose did not argue with the ship and after a quick shower, she crawled into her bed and was instantly asleep.
Author's Note: Well my lovelies, this is it! We've come to the second to last chapter of this story. It has gone so much farther than I ever thought it would when I started writing it a few years ago. The next chapter will tie up a few hints, feature some familiar faces, and of course...end with that ever promised reunion you've all been waiting for. While I'm leaving the door open for a sequel...I'm not quite sure I'm ready to dive into it anytime soon. I hope it won't take me too long to write the last chapter since I have a good chunk of it written already, but thank you to everyone who has stuck with me this far. I love each and every one of you!