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Chapter 34 – Malcolm and Tosh

They popped into the Doctor's office. Rose held his hand as they walked towards the door. She stopped suddenly.

"Oh! Before I forget. Harriet needs us to come to a State Dinner tomorrow night. Howie being sick gives her two empty seats at the table and she needs us there. I told her we'd be there. I hope that's alright."

He nodded his head. "Sure. Well, is this a tux thing?"

"I'm not sure. I'll ask." Rose told him as he rubbed her arms.

He smiled as he leaned in and kissed her quickly, "It will be good for you to be seen, too. I think the general population thinks I buried you in the backyard or something."

She rolled her eyes at him as he held the door open for her and they walked into Michelle's office. She was sitting at the desk sipping her tea. She looked up and smiled at them. "Well, good morning to you both! This is a pleasant surprise. No Shakes? Lance?"

They looked at one another and realized they had left without any bodyguards.

"How did we even manage that?" The Doctor asked Rose.

Rose laughed, "I don't even know. Wow." She whispered, "Lewis will be pissed."

He chuckled, "Oh, yes he will. Michelle, you never saw us. Lewis will be proper cross we managed to get out of the house on our own."

Michelle laughed, "It's our secret. I have some messages for you, Doctor Smith. I'll send them to you to review."

He nodded, "That's fine, thank you. Is Malcolm here yet?"

"I'll ring down there and see, do you want to see him?"

Rose spoke. "Yes, but we'll go down to see him there. Don't send him up here."

The Doctor was distracted by a box in a chair. It was full of shopping. He pointed at it. "Sweets?"

Michelle had the phone up to her ear, "That's shopping for your house. So, take what you want."

Rose walked over to him as he put the bags of sweets in his pockets. Michelle spoke on the phone behind them. He looked at Rose. "What?"

She smiled at him. "Jelly babies?"

"One of my favorites. What's your favorite sweet, Rose? You've never told me."

"It's not you I need to tell. Michelle does our shopping." Rose teased him.

He opened a bag of sweets and offered her some. She politely refused. He told her quietly. "I have a new game we can play, later. I'll have to remember that question."

She smiled at him as she said in his head, 'That statement sounds like something where I will be losing my knickers.'

He laughed at her. He grinned like a loon, "And how sweet it is."

Michelle spoke to them. "Malcolm is in. While it's on my mind, is there any other shopping you would like? Logan was coming by this morning with Lance to pick it up."

Rose shook her head, "I don't think so."

The Doctor pointed at her. "Ice cream. I really would love some ice cream. Rose has been having milkshakes lately. Make sure we have something to make chocolate milkshakes with. Jacob Shepherd is staying with us for a while, too. He likes vanilla, so we'll need some of that."

Michelle smiled, "Certainly. Do you have enough nappies?"

Rose smiled, "You can never have enough nappies. But, we picked up a lot on our trip so I believe he will be fine for a while."

Michelle smiled and nodded her head. "And Logan is working out?"

The Doctor smiled. "Logan quite possibility saved Tony Tyler's life while we were gone. I'm yet to tell Pete about it, but he's a good man to have in a crisis. You've done a hell of a job with him. He's agreed to take an apartment on the island where we live. You should come out and see us there."

Michelle smiled, "Logan is busy being a man. He doesn't need his mum hanging around, but thank you."

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Rose and the Doctor walked down the hallways of Torchwood. Agents and coworkers walked past them in the hallways. The Doctor was busy eating his sweets out of the bag and didn't seem to notice when some young ladies recognized him and Rose. They stopped in the hallway and pointed at them in surprise as they mumbled something. Rose rolled her eyes as she reached in the bag of sweets and took a few Jelly Babies.

"These aren't as good as I remember." She told him.

"I used to eat these all the time back in the '70s. I know they were better."

They got to the lift, and Rose pressed the button to take them down to Malcolm's lab.

"This is just odd. Us walking around like this. Lewis would not like this at all." Rose said.

He continued to eat the sweets. "It's taking matters of great restraint at the moment. He's chatting with me about surfing. Can you surf in Cancun?"

"I've not seen you surf on our island. Have you been doing that?" Rose asked him, surprised.

The lift dinged and they walked out. Several people on the floor gasped when they saw them. The Doctor didn't notice, completely preoccupied with his sweets. "I should ask her to get us something else. Rose, what sort of sweets do you like?"

She rolled her eyes as she laughed. "You can probably guess."

"I really can't. Jammie Dodgers? Mars bars? What?"

Rose laughed quietly at him as she greeted the security officer at the door. The Doctor took out his wallet and showed them his ID.

The security officer smiled and pressed the button to allow them entry. "Good Morning, Director Smith. It's nice to see you, Miss Tyler."

Rose nodded back to the officer.

The Doctor continued to eat the sweets. "Damn. Jammie Dodgers do sound good. Do you like those, Rose?"

They walked down the hallways of the labs. Rose noticed several of the projects being worked on where dramatically different than the last time she had been through there. The scientists looked up and waved at her. She smiled back. The Doctor continued to eat his sweets.

"I know what you probably like. Toffees. Is that it?" He asked.

Rose smiled at him. She stopped outside of a door and pointed in his chest. "We'll chat about this later. Let's talk to Malcolm now. Remember, I'm handling this."

He nodded his head as he crumpled up the bag. "Right. I'll be good."

She looked at him as he put the empty bag in his pocket.

"What?" He asked her.

"You've already ate that entire bag of sweets?" She asked him.

He looked at her like she just dribbled on her shirt, "Well, yes. I have some more in my pocket."

She shook her head and smiled as she walked in the lab. "Malcolm! Tosh! I hope this is a good time."

They were both very happy to see Rose, but looked a bit apprehensive when they looked back at the Doctor. Tosh embraced Rose and smiled. "See, and I thought you had forgotten about us. You look amazing."

Rose smiled, "I've just been busy. I'm so sorry."

Tosh smiled at her. "Did you really get married?"

Rose smiled, "We did."

Tosh hugged her again. "It's so wonderful to see you. I have worried about you. All of these attacks. It's just terrifying."

"You should be the one they are aiming for." The Doctor groaned.

Tosh smiled at him. "And how are you doing? Been here a few months now from the other Dimension. Settling in?"

The Doctor nodded, "I suppose so. The air still tastes. I don't know. Blah."

Rose laughed, "He's so strange."

Tosh smiled, "How is Melissa's daughter? It was so sad what happened."

Rose felt the Doctor's heart ache at the memory. She held Tosh's hand. "Genie is doing great. She was on CNN with him and Tony the other day. Did you see her?"

Tosh laughed, "They keep replaying it. No wonder you don't have time to come visit us down in the lab anymore. With you off hanging out Presidents, movie stars and Stark."

Rose shook her head and pointed at the Doctor. "No, he hangs out with Stark."

He tossed a Jelly Baby in his mouth. "You say that like it's a bad thing. We stay out of trouble. Well, most of the time."

Rose smiled. "Well, that's true."

Malcolm looked so nervous that he might pass out. He sat in a chair and wiped the sweat from his brow. "What are you both coming to visit us for?"

Rose looked back at the Doctor, who was sitting in a chair in the corner. He looked up at her and waved his hand. "Just a friendly visit. I only escorted Rose down here. I needed to get out of the office. Forget, I'm here."

Tosh sighed as she sat down next to him, "Says the Director. Yeah, not nervous at all then."

He offered her some sweets. Tosh took some and thanked him.

Rose leaned against the cabinet. "So, Malcolm. I understand you had a few days off."

Malcolm looked back at the Doctor, then at Rose. "Yeah, you could say that."

Trying to keep it friendly, Rose smiled, "What did you do? Watch the game?"

Malcolm took off his glasses and wiped the sweat off his brow.

'Sweetheart, he's way more nervous about this line of questioning than he could be. Is something else up?' the Doctor asked Rose in her head.

'Nah, he's just like that.' Rose told him.

Rose spoke to Malcolm, "Malcolm. John had me look over your research about this theory you have. It's brilliant. Absolutely, but it's extremely dangerous. Do you realize what you are on the verge of doing?"

The Doctor noticed Rose had her shields up very high. She had also called him John. He knew she had spent a lot of time with these people before he had gotten here and they knew he was from the other dimension like Rose was. He looked at her curiously, and rubbed his beard.

Malcolm couldn't take it anymore. He took off his glasses and slammed them on the desk he sat at. "Of course I do! And I can't believe it! He said he wouldn't contact you to discuss this until later. Once we had everything sorted out."

Rose turned and looked at the Doctor. 'Alright? What is he on about?'

He waved his hand, 'Let me do this part.'

The Doctor spoke to him, "Malcolm. He told me that part, and he asked me not to discuss it with you. But, I knew that you and Rose had known one another a long time and was just sortof….well….surprised by the entire thing. That's all."

Malcolm looked like he might pass out. "He's interested in the theory and believes it's not as dangerous as you seem to think it is."

The Doctor shook his head as he and Tosh continued to eat the sweets, "Believing it doesn't make it so."

Rose continued. "But, Malcolm. It is dangerous. You could plant an entire black hole in the middle of London. Doesn't that sound a bit….. extreme?"

Malcolm became frustrated. "I've done all of the numbers, I can control it! It would open the Void on this side and the other!"

The Doctor said, "Yeah. While destroying this universe and the Prime Dimension. Not to mention the other dimensions copied from that one."

He looked up to see Rose glaring at him. He held up his hand. "Sorry. Jelly Baby giving an option. I'll keep them quiet."

Rose smiled at him. She grabbed a chair and sat down next to Malcolm. "Malcolm. There is a ship that has crashed in West Africa. It's the fourth time it's crashed in four days because that's when you first attempted this experiment back at your flat. I'm right, aren't I?"

Malcolm put his glasses on and nodded. "Yes. Agent Simmonds came and confiscated everything. But, that has nothing to do with this."

Rose shook her head. "Malcolm, I think it does. If you opened a hole here, and one on the other side of the Universe, it would explain why a ship that shouldn't be anywhere close to here is caught in a time loop and keeps crashing every night."

Tosh ate some more of the Doctor's sweets. "Casual Loop?"

Rose shook her head. "Novikov self-consistency conjecture." She looked over at the Doctor who quickly closed his eyes and breathed out, "Wow." Silently.

Tosh nodded. "Oh, right. Makes sense. Malcolm. Rose wouldn't lead you astray on this. She's only here to help, and obliviously knows about you meeting with H.I. Why is this experiment so damn important?"

"Because it will be something I do that really works! I can prove this!"

The Doctor thought out loud. "Doctor Malcolm Taylor. The Malcolm. One Malcolm was a wavelength parcel of ten KHz operating in all four dimensions. You're responsible for that."

Malcolm looked at him in surprise. "You know about that?"

The Doctor smiled, "I'm the Doctor. I know about everything."

Malcolm shook his head. "No. That was just a theory. It was never published. They published Rose's bit."

Tosh exclaimed, "Malcolm! You didn't even send it in! The hell?"

Rose looked shocked, "You didn't send it in? I thought you did! What the hell?"

Malcolm shook his head. "Really, Rose! A unit of measurement named after myself? I think that might be a bit…. Ummm.. what's a good word?"

The Doctor tossed a sweet in his mouth. "Narcissistic."

All three of them turned and looked at him in surprise. He pointed into the bag of sweets. "Shut up you damn Jelly Babies! Rose is handling this. She doesn't need your help."

Rose rolled her eyes as she turned and looked at Malcolm. "Malcolm. How about this? Write a paper about this theory of yours involving this black hole, include the unit of measurement in there. I'll endorse it. I'm a Nobel Prize winner and it's because of you and Tosh that I even got considered. I'd love to be able to pay you back for the kindness and friendship you have shown me over the years."

Malcolm looked up at Rose. "But….?"

Rose sighed, "But, promise me you'll end this experiment. And when you write it, do like we did with mine. You need to leave certain bits out to keep someone from following it. Malcolm, surely you see how dangerous this would be in the wrong hands."

Malcolm sighed and nodded his head. "I do. You're right, Rose. Ugh. But, the unit of measurement? Malcolm? What do you think about that?"

The Doctor was busy eating the sweets and didn't look up. "Well, naming a unit of measurement after oneself didn't do James Watt any harm. And you're not going to be able to have a Bernard, if you don't have Malcolms. Well. At least one hundred of them."

Malcolm's eyes got huge as he pointed at the Doctor. "Now, I hadn't told anyone that! How did you guess that?"

The Doctor looked up and shook his head. He had done it again. He grabbed a Jelly Baby and held it in front of him. "That's it. You're not going to butt in on his chat any longer! Enough!" He tossed the Jelly Baby in his mouth and crumpled up the bag. "Taken care of Rose. They won't bother you any longer."

Tosh smiled as she looked back at Rose. "He's rather fun. Isn't he?"

Rose giggled as she looked back at him. "That's one way to put it."

"She usually calls me 'mad'. I prefer your definition. Thank you." He told Tosh, who laughed.

The Doctor looked at Tosh. "Why haven't you published any of your research? You theories are brilliant! I've read all of those reports."

Tosh blushed as she ate some more sweets she had in her hand. "You are too kind in your compliments. I'm not that brilliant."

"You've been helping Malcolm with that non solid invisible protection system. Sounds fascinating."

Malcolm looked back at him. "That's actually all Tosh's. I was helping her."

Tosh blushed as the Doctor smiled at her. "That's what I thought. After working all of those years in the Defense Ministry, that sounds like something you would have came up with. Tell me. Tosh. Malcolm. Do you lot know about this Stark Expo going on right now in New York?"

Both of them looked at him and nodded their heads.

The Doctor continued, "Brilliant stuff going on there. You should both go and see what you can be inspired with. Sometimes the smallest thing can spark the biggest idea. I'll have Michelle arrange everything for you. Catch the Bullet and spend the week over there. Or however long you want. I'm sure Stark will have me back over there in a few days. It would be nice to see someone I know."

Tosh covered her mouth and laughed, "Seriously? I'd love to go."

He nodded his head. "Certainly. Go, check it out. I'm planning on taking Rose there one night, but our schedule is just mad at the moment."

Malcolm stuttered on his words. "Thank you, Director Smith."

"Ah. Have a good time."

Rose smiled at him, "So, Malcolm. Do we have an understanding?"

Malcolm nodded his head. "Yes. I can deal with that. But, I would like to get my equipment back that I had at the house."

Rose looked back at the Doctor. "Well, Director?"

He groaned. "Malcolm, what do you want the equipment back for?"

Malcolm tossed up his hands. "Well, for starters, to close the damn black hole and stop the crashes. Who knows what the hell else I've caused since it's been offline!"

The Doctor looked at Rose in surprise. "Fuck." They said together.

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