Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Eight: Human Nature: Smiths

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

…

Rose made it through another week without any issues, and she was becoming optimistic that maybe the plan would work. The Monday of their fourth week back on Earth began with the sun shining and Rose having a bit of pity on Professor John Smith. She took him a mug of tea and nodded in greeting to the other professors in the history department. If any of thought it was odd that she checked in on him so often, they stayed quiet and probably attributed it to Professor Smith's habit of forgetting things and staring off into space. Rose had noticed and worried already about the way that he tended to look off in the distance and seemingly struggle to catch a lost thought. She supposed that it was difficult to remove a mind like the Doctor's completely.

After her classes, Rose checked that the watch was still around her neck despite being able to feel the weight. Then she headed to a nearby sandwich shop that was popular with students, intending to grab something on the go and slip into one of Professor Smith's afternoon classes. She had just gotten her ham and cheese sandwich when someone came up behind her.

"Rose?"

She hissed and grimaced, recognizing the voice at once. It had probably been foolish to think that she could avoid him, but she'd tried. And apparently had failed. Why couldn't the TARDIS pick a school in Scotland? They didn't know anyone there.

"Hey, Luke." Turning around, she smiled at her godson who was already scanning the area around them. "Everything is fine," she rushed to reassure him. "Nothing dangerous."

"Really?" Luke didn't seem convinced.

Rose gave him a look and pointedly swept her eyes through the room. Thankfully, Luke got the message and nodded. A couple of young men waved at Luke, and he waved back. They looked curiously at Rose, but she ignored them.

"Why are you here?" Luke asked.

"You don't need to worry about it," Rose answered.

"That's not going to work," Luke said. He sounded a great deal like his mum at that moment, and it almost made Rose smile. "Where's the Doc-"

"Don't," Rose hissed. She looked around nervously, and Luke finally caught on.

"My place is close," Luke said. "Come on."

She wanted to argue, but could already see that it was pointless. He was, after all, his mother's son. Sighing in resignation, Rose nodded to Luke before gesturing to the door.

"Okay, lead on."

Luke lived in a small studio close to campus. Her old sofa was the main focus on the room with Luke's bed in a nearby corner. His desk was covered in odd electronic bits and pieces which made Rose smile. The rest of the place was a mess with laundry lying about. Luke might be genetically perfect, but he was a slob when compared to his little sister.

"Sorry!" Luke rushed forward to pick up a bit of the mess.

Rose turned to the door and securely locked it. She was tempted to pull on the sonic pen and check for any odd technology, but just then K-9 rolled out from under the bed.

"Mistress Rose."

"Hello, K-9." Rose knelt and patted the robot dog on the head. "How are you, boy? Watching over Luke?"

"Affirmative, Mistress Rose."

"So what is going on Rose?" Luke pressed. "I mean the other day I thought that I saw the Doctor through a crowd but-"

"Do not approach him!" The words were sharper than Rose wanted.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing is wrong with him exactly." Rose sighed again, feeling a headache gathering behind her eyes. "He's human."

"What?" Luke blinked, looking completely thrown off. "What? How? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I don't want the companions coming up here to see him," Rose said. She slumped into her old sofa. "And as much as I love your mum, I know that Sarah Jane would want to see what is going on." Luke didn't argue with her and smiled a bit sheepishly. "You know I'm right," Rose added.

"I know." Luke leaned closer. "So, what is going on?"

"Luke… maybe it's best if you just-"

"No. Tell me, or I call Mum and Gran." The threat made Rose flinch, and she glared at him. Luke's lips started to quirk into a smile, but he kept control of himself. "Rose."

"The Doctor and I ran into this group of aliens," Rose explained. "They're... well he didn't have much time to explain. He did warn me that they are gaseous in their native states, but can possess other creatures for lack of a better word."

"What happened?"

"They want to consume the Doctor's lifeforce," Rose said. "He said that consuming a Time Lord would make them immortal, but they are violent and very self-serving with access to dangerous technology."

"So, he hid here and now?"

"It's more than just hiding. The Doctor rewrote his DNA," Rose admitted. "He's human for the time being. They can't sniff out a simple human. They'll die in three months. He's waiting them out to avoid a confrontation."

"Wow." Luke blinked and then shook his head. "So he's here."

"Professor John Smith, a visiting professor of archeology." Rose smiled a little. "The TARDIS set everything up for us. When I opened the TARDIS door, I was in a new flat that someone she or I suppose myself from the future arranged."

"Oh. Sorry I have your old furniture then."

"It's only for three months. Two months and a week now." Rose inhaled slowly and then fixed Luke with a firm gaze. "But can you understand why I don't want you telling anyone. This is dangerous, Luke."

"Does anyone else know?"

"Kate Stewart and that's only because she found out that I was on Earth. She's covering for me with UNIT and is keeping an eye on the skies along with Spock."

"Spock knows?"

"Not the details," Rose admitted. "But I am still his primary controller. But, Luke, I mean it. Companions have Artron energy, and too much of that is one place might be enough to draw the Family's attention. The Doctor didn't have time to answer questions like that for me, so I'm trying to be as careful as possible."

"I see," Luke said slowly. Then he exhaled. "Okay then, that's fair."

"So you'll keep your distance."

"I will," Luke promised. "But if you need help, I'm glad to help."

"Maybe." Rose knew that she would avoid putting her godson in danger.

"And I'll tell Gordon to keep his distance just in case he's seen photos. He probably has."

"Wait, you know Gordon?"

"Yes. He's older than me, but we hang out sometimes." Luke raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not the only one who talks with the other companions you know. He came over his grandfather after the whole deaging thing after you and the Doctor were gone."

"Oh." Rose blinked. "Sorry. I've never met him."

"You should while you're here."

"No. No, if the Family shows up, then I don't want them to be able to pick out people who are important to me." Rose stood up and started to pace. "Don't tell Gordon everything. Just tell him that we're hiding and to keep his distance. Kate would skin me alive if I put her son in danger." Rose shuddered at the very idea. "Why did the TARDIS pick Oxford? Edinburgh would have fine. That could have been fun."

"Scotland is cold."

"I've walked on ice planets. Cold doesn't bother me that much." Rose stopped and gave Luke a soft smile. "I'm sorry. I am happy to see you."

"You're just worried," Luke said. He looked down at K-9 who had been very silent. "Do you know anything about the Family or this device the Doctor used, boy?"

"Negative, Master Luke. That information is not in my database."

"Spock doesn't know anything about them either," Rose said. "He had some theories as to their species, but he couldn't nail it down. If they show up, I'm going to have to figure out how to stop them. Hence the preference for them learning nothing."

Rose shivered again. She'd thought of it too much already. Spock had helped her with finding a weakness to the Slitheen. If the worst happened then maybe, she could do it again. Luke stood up and walked over, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Rose automatically returned the affectionate gesture. It did help her feel better.

"Thanks, Luke."

"It's fair that you're worried," Luke said. "But staying alone may just make you stand out. And maybe the TARDIS brought you here rather than Scotland so that you would have backup."

"If I put you in danger, your mother is going to kill me," Rose said. "And then your grandmother will bring me back somehow so that she can kill me."

Luke looked like he wanted to argue and Rose almost snorted. The boy really didn't know his grandmother and mother as well as he thought. Then again, the most irritated Sarah Jane had ever been with him was over the state of his bedroom. Right now, with him away at university, it was probably the cleanest it had ever been.

Rose stayed longer than she should have. It was too tempting to catch up with Luke. He was doing so well at university and had moved past his socially awkward phase. While he was making new friends, he was eager to update her on Clyde and Rani who were finally dating. It was clear that Luke still regarded them as his best friends.

But she did eventually leave, doing her best to slip out of the building without being seen. Night had fallen, and the crisp autumn air hung around Rose as she walked back to her flat. It made her miss her motorcycle. Overhead, she could see some stars over the light of Oxford. The city wasn't as bright as London, but the streets were lined with lamps. She missed them, Rose realized. She missed opening the doors while the Doctor tinkered and playing her violin or trying to paint a nebula. She missed him.

Then her phone rang, and Rose pulled it out. An unexpected name showed on the screen, and Rose answered it urgently.

"Spock?" Rose glanced around and sped up, wanting to reach home faster. "What's up?"

"Rose, I have detected something very small coming towards Earth."

"Any chance it is a comet or a meteorite?" Rose asked.

"I do not believe so. Thus far, I have detected no signals coming from it, but I will track the object. Shall I attempt communication?"

Rose hesitated. If it was the Family, then that was dangerous. They stole any technology that could help them in their quest to become immortal. She remembered the Doctor's horror when they'd been able to follow them through time.

"No," Rose answered. "Send a message to UNIT. Let them try to make contact. I don't want to risk them tracing anything back to you. UNIT will try to contact them anyway once they get closer." She felt a little guilty, but she hadn't been kidding with Luke about the Artron energy.

Rose finally reached the door of her building and quickly let herself in. The hall light was bright, but Rose still checked the shadows as she readied her keys.

"As you wish," Spock said. "K-9 sent me a request for information earlier."

"I thought he was out of range here."

"Luke recently boosted his signal," Spock said drily. "We have been able to resume our chess matches."

Rose chuckled and opened the door of her flat. "Good." She switched on the light and glanced around. "Thank you for the heads up, Spock. Keep me updated."

"I will do so," Spock promised. "At their current rate, I suspect that they will arrive in two days."

Rose nodded even if the computer couldn't see it and secured the door. Two days. A lot could happen in two days. She briefly considered going to Professor Smith's flat to check on him before dismissing the idea. As tempting as it was, given the memories the TARDIS had given him, it wasn't a good idea. Even if his place was only two streets over, Rose suddenly wished that the TARDIS had put them into a different situation where they were closer.

….

Professor Smith reviewed his lecture notes with a small frown. That nagging sense that he was forgetting something had been haunting him all morning. Reaching into his briefcase, he pulled out the moleskin notebook he'd picked up a few weeks ago and opened it. Dates and careful notes were written down in his scrawl line by line. He picked up a pen and on a blank page noted down the date. Frantically, he started writing down the fragments of his strange dream that remained rattling around in his head.

It was all foggy, but writing it down helped dispel that sense that he was forgetting something. Not for the first time, he wished that his hands had a talent for drawing, but that never felt right for his hands. He flexed his fingers as a vague figment of a dream came roaring back. He'd been sculpting a woman with… Michelangelo lecturing him. The very idea made him snort in amusement, but he wrote it down. Odd to imagine that he could do that when he could manage anything beyond stick figures. Then again, it was a different sort of skill, and he'd always thought that he had workman's hands.

When he finished writing down what he remembered of last night's dream, he shoved the notebook back in his suitcase. It wouldn't' do any good for anyone to find it. The ramblings could be easily dismissed except for the role that Rose played in so many of the dreams. Just thinking about how often she appeared made him blush in shame.

A knock on his door made him look up sharply. The shape on the other side of the wavy glass didn't look like Rose. It wasn't his office hours, and he wasn't interested in talking to anyone right now, so he ignored it. They knocked again, and he narrowed his eyes on the door. Holding back a sigh, he gathered up his notes again and spread them out in front of him.

"Come in."

Professor Tilling walked in with a soft smile. "Good morning, Professor Smith."

"Good morning, Professor Tilling." He paused. "Did I miss another meeting?"

"No, not this time thankfully."

"Good. I mean, I'm glad that I haven't forgotten another meeting."

Professor Tilling looked at him closely and then chuckled. "I suppose that returning to academia has been a major transition for you. After five years on various digs back to back."

"Yes." John looked down at his notes. He didn't want to talk about all of that.

"Please forgive me, but I did some digging into your life prior to those years." John flinched, and Professor Tilling lowered her eyes. "I apologize. And my condolences. I'm very sorry about your family."

"It's fine." John didn't try to smile, but he forced his shoulders to relax. "Getting away helped, but it's time to move forward."

"Still… I am very sorry. I felt that I should disclose that I pried."

"I appreciate your honesty."

Professor Tilling nodded and started to turn towards the door. Then she stopped and looked back at him, seeming uneasy. John wondered why she didn't just leave after bringing up the very thing that sent him running away from England in the first place.

"You and Miss Tyler seem very close," Professor Tilling said. "She's always stopping by."

John snorted, but smiled fondly. Somehow thinking of Rose always cut through his self-pity. "Yeah. I think she doesn't believe that I can take care of myself."

"It makes one wonder what happened in Central America."

John shook his head. "Series of troublesome events. No one got hurt, thank goodness, but it was a near thing. We kept having trouble: cars, radios, and other equipment. Rose finding us was pure luck for us. She took pity on us."

"So, she was just wandering around?"

"She is an adventurer at heart," John said. He pointed to a small painting on a shelf. It showed a nebula that was blurred slightly like it was being viewed through a window. "She's an artist with a talent for machines. Rose was down there doing art and visiting a friend in the area."

"An interesting life for someone so young." Professor Tilling smiled as she examined the various objects on the shelves. "I envy you all the places you've been."

"There are good things and bad things." John shuddered. "The bugs are a plague."

Tilling laughed and turned back to him. "So why did Rose come to Oxford with you? That seems odd."

John swallowed and did his best to keep his features neutral. "After months in the jungle, I think she was just as ready to come back as I was. But she's avoiding her mother." He shrugged, and his cheek ached for a moment which confused. "They have an odd relationship. Rose doesn't talk about it much. Not sure what she plans to do with her master's degree, but I suspect she's already bored here. She may leave." He didn't like the idea, but he knew that Rose wasn't being challenged in class. It just didn't seem to be what she cared about. "Still, she's a good friend."

Tilling nodded slowly and looked ready to say something. Then she shook her head. "Well, you aren't her professor, so I suppose it isn't a real issue. Just be careful, Professor Smith. You could have a good future in the department."

He didn't ask what she meant. He just prayed that he wasn't blushing. Maybe he needed to pull back from Rose a little. She was bored. As much as he wanted her nearby, he didn't want her bored and wasting her time. Then again, part of him wanted her to. He was older than her. Far too much older and yet… He nodded to Professor Tilling as she showed herself out and then slumped in his chair to brood. Of all the people to develop feelings for so long after Verity and Carole's deaths, he had to go for the young woman he'd never told about them.

His phone alarm rang, and Professor Smith stood up. He gathered up his notes and tossed them into the briefcase. Without any more thought to the notebook, the strange dreams, his past, or Rose, he headed for his first lecture of the day. It was time to focus on the here and now.