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Chapter 51 – Time In-between

Arla sat on the sofa in the island's sitting room feeding Sam. She smiled down at him as she sang something to him in German.

Rose walked in the room and looked around. "I think that's it. Let me go help you gather your plants."

Arla smiled down at Sam, "I've already given them to Timon. He just popped back. I also got a change of clothing for Lewis and Doctor Smith. I'm sure they will both be ready to get out of their suits once they return to the ship."

Rose smiled, "Thank you, Arla. I didn't think about that. Well. Want a cuppa before we go up to the ship?"

Arla smiled, "That would be very nice, Miss Rose. Thank you."

Bassanio and Ashena walked into the kitchen.

Ashena smiled proudly, "We have all of the clothing washed and folded. Bassanio was a huge help. I've never done that before."

Rose smiled at Ashena. "Thank you, both. You lot didn't have to do that."

Bassanio shook his head. "It was needed. It wasn't a big deal at all."

Ashena smiled, "It was only Sam's clothes. They are so tiny and adorable. I was reminded of my childhood when I would fold my dolls' clothing."

Rose smiled as she made tea. "Sam is a little guy. Was that blue blanket in there?"

Bassanio nodded, "Yes. The soft one? Do you need it?"

Rose shook her head, "No. That one seems to be his favorite. It will be nice to have two. Let's leave it here. Do you want tea?"

Ashena nodded. "Yes. Let me help you." She pulled out some more glasses from the cupboard.

Bassanio shook his head. "No, thank you."

Rose suddenly heard the Doctor's voice in her head.

'Hey, sweetheart. How is it going there?' he asked.

Rose smiled, 'Everything is alright. I'm so happy to hear your voice. I need to ask-"

The Doctor suddenly appeared in the kitchen. "You need what, my dear?"

Rose laughed as she stopped making tea and looked at him. "You popped back just because I said I needed something?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, yeah. You needed something. I'm here. See how this works?"

Ashena laughed, "He's like a Quauhtin."

The Doctor smiled, "He is a Quauhtin."

Ashena giggled, "Oh, that's right. I apologize."

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Ah. I'm Rose's husband, first. What do you need?"

Rose rolled her eyes and went back to making tea. "I needed to ask if those flowers in the main entryway needed to be taken to the ship."

He walked over to her and rubbed his beard. "Ummm… Yes. They are living, even if they are cut. Bassanio?"

Bassanio was already walking to out of the room. "I'll take them up there."

The Doctor nodded his head. "Right. Cheers."

Ashena picked up her cup of tea and Arla's and walked out of the kitchen. The Doctor looked at Rose. "I haven't thought about that. We need to get Ashena's papers and such. Have her start looking at Universities she might want to attend."

Rose smiled as she handed him a cup of tea. "I'm on it already. I've made a few phone calls and we're going to start visiting places in the next few days. Jake is handling her paperwork this afternoon. I'm having her order some clothes, too. We have a lot going on here to keep us busy."

He sipped his tea as leaned on the cabinet next to where she stood. Rose grabbed his free hand in hers. "Are you alright? You are so shielded, I can't even tell you are standing in front of me right now."

He sighed, "I'm sorry. It's just a…. bad day. I'm happy you needed me for something."

She smiled at him. "I always need you for something."

He smiled at her.

"How is our daughter? I miss her. She's always so helpful." Rose asked.

"She's very happy. I'm not sure what is going on, but she feels….. nervous and important. No wait. That's ummm…. relief. Huh. I'll ask Varro what's going on."

Rose rolled her eyes. "How many conversations are you part of at the moment?"

"This one is the most important, don't worry about that." He told her.

She smiled, "I never do."

He sat down his tea, "Rose, you feel….tired. You need to try to get some sleep today."

Rose groaned and sat down her tea. "I'm fine."

He shook his head. "You really haven't slept that much. You aren't having nightmares that I've seen. Are you alright?"

Rose patted his chest. "I'm alright. I just ….. " She looked over at Arla and Ashena sitting on the sofa in the other room. He looked over at them with her.

'They are busy with the baby. Talk to me. Can I help?' he asked her in her head.

Rose shook her head. "I'm fine."

He pointed at her. "You're fine. Alright. Just so you know, I'm not convinced. Okay, about Genie, they have her and Tony talking to a group of people at a show. They just asked her if she knew what sort of animal Mickey was. She told them he is a mouse, which is a mus musculus in Latin."

Rose laughed proudly, "Why are you teaching these children Latin? It is a dead language."

"Listen here, Head Master. Latin is the root of most languages in the universe. Trust me, I know what I'm doing with this."

"Of course I trust you." Rose smiled, "Alright. A bad day? Is Dad really cross?"

"Ah, not really. It's just a bad day. I was keeping myself shielded because I didn't want you to worry if you feel me get angry or whatever. We're all safe there. Pete hasn't even been as pissed at me as I thought he would be."

Rose laughed as she sipped her tea. "That's good news. Was he with you?"

"Yes. In fact, he's insisting I have a drink with him and Lewis. I've promised you I wouldn't, so I won't."

"Alright, hang on. I have asked you to take a break, not demanded you stop."

"Yes, dear…but that was only a few days ago."

"You needed to recover from drinking so much. How is your liver?"

"Well, I have two. And both are fine. Fully recovered. Brain working fine."

"Then I'm saying you are off the hook with me. I'm going to leave this up to you. But, I don't want you in the tank again. This drinking from dawn to ….. well dawn is done. Are we clear?"

He smiled, "Crystal, my dear."

"And you have to remember to eat. I don't want you sick, you gave me such a fright."

He ran his hand through his hair, "I know I did. Sweetheart, I'm sorry."

"You are an adult-"

"Ugh. Nothing good follows these words." He groaned.

She smiled, "I'm not going to say it, then. Be responsible. I'll see you this afternoon. I had already talked to Michelle and she's getting us a bottle of champagne to celebrate."

She saw a large smile spread across his face, "What are we celebrating?"

"One of two things. Either that you lot have successful copied a house, or that we have a place to sleep on the ship. Either way. I'm having a drink tonight with you. So, pace yourself." Rose teased him.

He chuckled as he nodded his head. "Good deal. Okay, this day has suddenly gotten a lot better." He turned around and poured out his tea and washed his glass. "Ugh. I have to get back. Pete, Lewis and I have a meeting. I already know I don't want to hear anything said in it."

Rose leaned against the cabinet. "Oh, you might be surprised."

He continued to stand in front of her and look at her. Rose teased him. "What? Stalling on going back?"

He rubbed his beard. "I need you to take your medicine."

Rose smiled, "Well, you remember the deal with that."

He looked over into the sitting room at Arla and Ashena. "Umm…"

Rose looked over at them. "They are busy with the baby. Don't worry about them."

He chuckled. "Right. Alright." He reached in his pocket and pulled out the injector. He gave her the injection, then put it back in his pocket.

Rose smiled at him as he looked back at her. "Alright. How do you feel?"

Rose giggled, "You can tell how I feel. Come here."

He bit his lip and unbuttoned his jacket. "Alright. Let's do this!" He threw his hands out forcefully right before he gently cupped her cheeks.

Rose couldn't help herself and giggled at him. "You are so dramatic about everything." She held him around his waist as he leaned in and kissed her gently. Then he slowly ran his tongue around her lips, until she opened her mouth and his tongue caressed hers.

'This could be the best medicine you have ever mixed,' Rose teased him as he continued to snog her.

'I want to go out with you tonight. Would you like to do that?' he asked her.

Rose sucked his bottom lip as she felt him move his hands to her bum, 'Yes.'

He stopped snogging her and smiled, "Yes?"

She smiled at him. "Yes. I would love to."

He kissed her quickly, "Get some rest today. We will probably be up late."

Rose teased him, "I hope we are."

He closed his eyes tightly as he mumbled, "Damn, I miss my TARDIS. I could just pop there now. Deal with this damn meeting in a few weeks. Damn."

Rose giggled, "Get back to Dad. Tonight will be here before you know it."

He ran both of his hands through his hair. "Alright. Ugh." He pointed at Rose. "Sending a man off like this. You are a mean woman."

He popped away as Rose laughed.

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The Doctor popped back into his office. He pointed at his glass and nodded at Pete as he sat down. "Alright, pour me a glass. Rose has let me off the hook."

Pete poured him a drink. They were all sitting the Doctor's office. Lewis and the Doctor sipped the Damn Whiskey as they sat on the sofa together. Pete sat across from them on the other sofa. He sat back and rubbed his hand across his head. He asked, "She's alright?"

The Doctor nodded his head. "Yes. She's asked Michelle to get us a bottle of champagne to celebrate copying the house tonight."

Pete smiled as he nodded his head. "That's just mad. I might come over early to see that."

The Doctor smiled, "Fly in Legate's ship with me. You will be able to see it form. Bring Tony and Jacob. They would love that."

Pete looked impressed. "That's a swell idea. Alright. Count us in."

The Doctor suddenly remembered, "Well, hang on, Lewis. We're on duty. We're not supposed to be drinking."

Lewis waved his hand as he poured himself another drink. "That was Summus' rule. I'm in charge now. I say protecting this family comes with a two-drink minimum."

The Doctor laughed under his breath. "I can accept that."

Lewis sat down his drink. "Alright, what is this about, Pete?"

Pete sighed and drank his glass. He stood up and pointed at it. "Fill it up for me, Lewis."

Lewis poured Pete another drink as he walked over to the Van Gogh painting behind the Doctor's desk. He flipped a switch on the side and it slid, revealing a safe built into the wall. "These files were put in your safe when you two married. I apologize for never telling you it was here, I had hoped Rose would have told you everything first. The combination is Rose's birthday, followed by Genie's." He said as he typed in the numbers.

The safe sprang open and Pete pulled out a large stack of files. The Doctor jumped up to go help him carry them. Pete told him quickly, "Nah, I've got them. It's a lot, but it's not everything. I'll start, then you can read these."

Pete sat the files down on the table between the sofas and took another drink. "You two are going to want to keep the glasses full. Particularly you, son."

The Doctor sat back down next to Lewis. "Alright."

Pete took another sip and pointed at the stack. "These are not to leave this office. Keep them in the safe, or give them to me if you decide you don't want them any longer. I'll understand. Rose believes they were destroyed."

Lewis looked at the huge stack. "What are they?"

Pete sat back and took a deep breath. "Reports. Things that happened before the Quauhtin were assigned to the family's protection. Assignments where odd things happened, like people evaporating into thin air. Accident reports. Then the reports she gave me after each jump she made when she was looking for you." He pointed at the Doctor.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

Pete nodded his head. "Everything is there. I'm going to warn you, you do not want to read these. And you do not want to hear what I'm going to say."

The Doctor looked at Lewis, then back at Pete. "Pete, Rose is my wife. My other half. I've made a promise. I remember the words, 'for better or worse', so start talking."

Pete nodded his head. "Alright. Before you get into these, we should start with the day after she arrived here. She was furious with me, and Jacks, for forcing her to come. She was completely devastated over losing you. Losing that world. Jacks tried to explain to her that you had also insisted she come with us, but she was livid. She wouldn't listen to anyone. Mickey seemed to be able to talk to her. He got her to understand that she would have been in the void had I not returned when I did to catch her. After a few days, she seemed to warm up to it a bit here. Mickey was amazing. I really don't think she would have come around so soon had he not been here for her to talk to. Show her a few things that he liked about it. Restaurants. Mickey's Grand was still living then."

"What did they talk about?" Lewis asked.

"The other Dimension, things they did when they were children, Mickey's job. And of course, traveling with you. He was already working at Torchwood and had been for a while. He had really made a place for himself. Hell of an agent. One of the best I ever had. Incredibly brave individual."

The Doctor nodded his head. "Right. So far this isn't sounding bad."

Pete sipped his drink, "It wasn't then. Rose was still cross with me and Jackie. It was a strange thing to have her here. Another man's daughter, but also my own. Very strange. Jacks told me to be patient with her and asked me to be there for her if she needed me. I still felt like the unwelcomed, new boyfriend, though. And then we found out Jacks was pregnant. Rose seemed to accept me a bit more after that. We started having long chats and found that we had a lot of similar interests. She's so much like me. We found that we could chat about almost anything. She would tell me about places and things she had seen when she was with you. She would help me with my mad ideas I would try to get to work out in the shed. We started to bond. It seemed like it might work."

"Then we went to Bad Wolf Bay. Then you said, 'Good-bye.' That was….. hard for her. She grieved more than she had before. She said that she had felt you were coming to get her until she spoke to you that day. She never told me what you two said, but I don't need to know."

The Doctor sipped his drink. "She told me that she was back working at the shop. That Jackie was pregnant, and well, a few other things."

Pete shook his head. "She never went back to work in a shop. She talked about doing that, but I wouldn't allow it. I didn't think she would be safe, and after getting to know her, I knew I wanted her at Torchwood with me. She was extremely clever and would be useful."

Lewis was beginning to put it together. "And that's why you blame yourself."

Pete nodded his head. "She came to work at Torchwood. She had been here for just a few months. Everyone noticed when she arrived. Hell, how could you not? That blond hair? The long lost daughter the media had splashed on the cover of every paper and telly? She went to work with Tosh and Malcolm. Malcolm had been the head of the Dimension Jump program that got us back. So, it only made sense."

"Tosh gave her some books to read, and tutored her a bit. And that went on for a while. Her determination became almost an obsession. Then there was that day. Mickey came into my office. He had gone to get Rose for dinner from the lab. He had been in a hell of a fight. He had walked in on three men attacking her."

Lewis asked, "When you say attacking-"

Pete nodded his head. "Yes. And after many talks with her, it hadn't been the first time it had happened. In that same lab. No one was down there that time of day. It was foolish for her to be down there on her own. Malcolm or Tosh had only just left for a moment and were delayed. They had it all planned out. Guards didn't even patrol it back then."

Lewis poured the Doctor another drink. "That's when Mickey had the meeting with Summus. We became the guards of the Tyler family after that. I remember how he looked. He had the hell beat out of him."

The Doctor found his voice. "What happened to the attackers?"

Pete looked at them. "I did what any other father probably would have done in my position, and I'm not proud of it. I sent them all on an assignment that I knew they would never return from."

Pete continued, "Things became worse after that. She recovered at the mansion, and Mickey seemed completely distraught he hadn't seen this coming. I sent him to see Melissa and it seemed to help. He was determined to be Rose's protector because he saw that he had failed her. He didn't realize it was my own failure to protect her. My own stupidity to put her in such a position."

"Jacks was away, I don't remember where. A charity thing with Harriet. Rose had been in her room for days. I would go and try to talk to her, but she was so hurt that she wouldn't say anything. I told Jacks it was because she was homesick for the other Dimension, and you. I went to talk to her and found her in the tub, full of blood. She had tried to off herself, but had healed before she was able to bleed completely out."

"I took her out of the bathtub and performed CPR on her. She scared the hell out of me. I was sure I had lost her. Just as I was about to call for help, she woke up and realized what had happened."

"I'm surprised she didn't hit you." Lewis told him.

Pete shook his head, "Thankfully, that thought had never entered her head. I had covered her with a towel I found nearby, so when she regained consciousness, she was covered. Jacks had told her stories about me her entire life and she knew I would have never done anything. It was a truly a turning point for our relationship, though. She confided in me that it wasn't the first time she had tried to kill herself while she had been here. She didn't understand why she couldn't. Neither did I at the time, so I put a doctor that I trusted on the case."

The Doctor filled in. "Owen."

Pete pointed at him. "Right. Melissa also started to come to the house and we met together with her. I heard every detail of the attacks during those sessions and it only made me realize that I had made the right decision to have them off'ed."

"Tony was a few months old by then. Bigger than Sam is now, but still an infant. Jacks thought I was simply up with him all night. And I suppose I was. But, I was in Rose's suite. We would sit on the sofa up there together and I would hold her hand for hours. Tony in one arm, and her hand in mine. We would talk or watch telly. She would sometimes fall asleep with her head on my shoulder, or her feet in my lap. She wouldn't sleep without me there with her. I learned to sleep in a suit, sitting upright for months, with my son in my arms. My little girl needed me."

"I had become a father twice in less than a year. And my eldest child seemed to need me more than my infant did. Harriet, who thought she was homesick, came to invite her to go to Howie's. Harriet was extremely forceful in her approach. She told her to pull herself together. She was British, and she was made of stronger stuff than she even knew. Wow. If Harriet only knew. I think she probably saved my little girl's life, and I can never tell her why. They left for Howie's and I caught them up a few days later. When I got there, Rose was a completely different person. She told me she felt like she was alive again, and was ready to recalm her life, whatever it would end up to be."

"She returned to Torchwood, and Mickey, Summus and Jake trained her in hand to hand combat, marksmanship, first aid, everything. She quickly became one of best agents I had. She became extremely serious. Forceful. Professional. Grew up thirty years overnight it seemed. I knew it was a mask to hide the pain she was still in. The reports I would get from the field showed her taking completely unnecessary risks and I'm certain that anyone else would have not have lived through what she did. For months, I had an accident report on my desk with her name on it. I tried to talk her out of being a field agent, and she finally accepted my offer to become a trainer of new recruits after she was kidnapped for a ransom."

The Doctor added, "That's when she killed her capturers."

Pete nodded, "You probably already know the rest. She did end back up in the field from time to time, but I had her office and labs moved out of the basements. She insisted on the same room there at the top where she had arrived. I had no idea at the time, but it was because she had decided that she was going back home. The gate was there, and she determined to open it. Then, she really started studying. I mean, she studied before, but nothing like she did then. You never saw her without a book. Never. Anytime I heard of a speaker anywhere about anything dealing with physics, I sent her. You went to several of those, Lewis."

Lewis nodded his head. "Yes. And the class she took briefly at Cal Tech."

Pete nodded, "She was only there a few weeks. Her knowledge was already far past what the professors was by then. She returned to Torchwood and began working to jump between Dimensions. Then, she was hit by the car right as she was almost ready to make her first jump. I tried desperately to talk her out of it. I knew that I would lose her for sure."

The Doctor said, "But it was successful."

Pete smiled proudly, "It was brilliant. She returned on point, exactly when she had planned she would. The jump would only last for 48 hours. She seemed to enjoy exploring the other Dimensions. Different times. It sounded rather exciting as I read her reports. Some were brilliant, and then others were ….. horrendous. There was one incident where she taken captive. They cut her skin off her arms, chest and legs over and over again just to watch it regrow. After I read that report, I asked her not to write anymore reports for me. I wasn't strong enough to allow her to continue this if I really knew what she was dealing with. She could tell me anything, but I felt that there was something about putting it down on paper that just made it worse for her to have to relive it. She had to see Melissa and I sat in on every meeting she had with her. I knew everything that happened, and believe me, some of the jumps only got worse. Melissa took over writing the reports at that point and they are there. I've never read any of those."

"Tony had started to get older, and she was so cheerful when she was around him. Telling him stories of you. Of your adventures you had been on with her. It seemed to keep her focused. Mickey was relentless and continued to try to get her to date him. Marry him. Get on with her life. He begged me to help him, and I refused. That was up to her, and I knew she wasn't interested and it wasn't even for the right reasons that he was interested. At least, that's the way I saw it. He thought if he married her, he would be able to get her to stop. Settle down. Have a family. It seemed very controlling to me and I spoke to Rose about that. She is her own, capable, brilliant person. She was old enough to make these decisions for herself, and I didn't want anyone telling her to give up on her dreams because it made them uncomfortable. Rose finally had enough of Mickey and decided to move out. She got her own place. Pissed Jacks off, but Rose wanted her own space. After that, I found out that she had been meeting with Melissa far more than I even knew."

"How often?" the Doctor asked.

Lewis spoke. "At least twice a week, but often more. None of the Guard ever sat in on any meeting."

"Jake began to suspect that Rose could sense the Quauhtin, and that's why she was meeting with Melissa so much. To get some privacy. Even then, they were in the shadows at her home. Keeping her safe."

Lewis nodded his head. "Yes. We had several incidents there. But, I've told you all about those."

The Doctor nodded his head. "Yes. Now, this makes a lot more sense. I've heard people talk about how miserable she was without me. I knew it couldn't have been just me."

Pete shook his head. "It might not have been 100% the reason, but was a large damn part. And, I've seen how you are without her. I know you love her and would do anything for her. I know you have things you don't tell her that you don't feel you can talk about. Trust me, Rose and I chat a lot, but she doesn't tell me those things."

The Doctor looked at Lewis and then back at Pete. "She told you about Susan."

Pete nodded his head. "She has told me you first came here in the '60s with your granddaughter. She's never told me why, and I don't need to know. That's your business. She's told me you have a severe allergy to aspirin and some herb makes you sneeze really badly. Jack cooked something in your flat that prevented you from breathing in it for a while."

"Rosemary." The Doctor added.

"Yes. That's it. Hell, that makes me sneeze, too. She has also told me that your ship was older than you are, which I still think she was barking about that."

"No, that is completely true."

Pete rubbed his hands together and continued this story. "So, Rose realized that if she managed to find you in the middle of a jump, there wasn't anyway she could prevent the return. She came to me and we discussed it. She developed a signal on the gun she carried. Malcolm and Tosh agreed that if the signal was ever broadcast, they were to abort the return. She was to remain on the other side."

The Doctor filled in, "And that's when she found me."

"Yes. Three jumps later, the signal was pressed. Tosh and Malcolm couldn't bring themselves to do it, so they called me to the office. Rose had made me swear that I would honor her wishes. She was an adult after all, and there wasn't anything I could do. I aborted the return. I told Mickey when I returned home and he was furious. He became completely enraged. Jackie heard us arguing and came downstairs. I had to tell her. Rose had given me a letter to give to Jacks in the event this happened. I never read it and have no idea what it said to this day. All I know is that Jacks read the letter, hit me, took Mickey and left. Two days later, I was sending a Zeppelin to Norway to pick up the three of you."

"Jackie doesn't know about the rest of this?" Lewis asked.

Pete shook his head. "No. No one does. And I have no idea if it has anything to do with anything. But, you are right. It was time you were told the full story. At least as much as I know. Melissa giving Genie to Rose surprised the hell out of everyone, but me. Melissa worked all of the time and even though they were not really friends, they probably spent more time together than anyone. That probably sounds odd, doesn't it?"

The Doctor shook his head and replied, "No. It doesn't. Melissa knew what Rose had been through. Rose would protect her daughter from that same pain. Damn. This really clears up a lot of questions I've had for months."

Pete nodded his head. "I'm truly sorry. I should have told you everything. Both of you. There were several times I thought I would, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. I kept telling myself that she's so happy now and there's no reason to bring it back up. But, the past has a funny way of showing its face in the oddest ways."

Lewis nodded his head. "Very true."

The Doctor sat back in shock over what he had just heard. "Pete. I…."

Pete waved his hand. "You don't have to say anything to me about this, son. But, know that I'm here for you, if you need me. You just continue to be there for my daughter. She's happier than I've ever dreamed she could be."

The Doctor bit his lip and nodded as he rubbed his hands together.

Pete stood up, "I'm going to pop over to Washington and check on our favorite cowboy. Then, I need to go get Tony and Jacob. I'm taking them to the Arsenal pitch tonight to warm up with the team. Tony is the honorary coach, and he doesn't have any idea yet."

Lewis and the Doctor smiled. Lewis stood up and shook Pete's hand. "He will love that. Make sure you get a few pictures."

The Doctor stood up and shook Pete's hand, "Yes. Tell Howie to behave himself. I've been in touch with Dr. Smith over there and they want to keep him only one more night for observation. I'll come see him this afternoon."

Pete nodded his head. "Good. I'll let him know. Gentleman, don't try to read all of these at once. In fact, I'd recommend that you put some to the side that you should never read. It's a lot to take in at once."

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