Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Nine: Human Nature: Rose's Watch

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.

AN: I'm doing a lot better now! The numbness in my wrist and hand is all gone now. Thank you for all the well wishes.

…

Two days passed without any incident. Rose attended classes, did homework, and spoke with Luke over a cup of coffee. Spock tracked the ship, and Rose had assurances from Kate that UNIT was keeping an eye on it. She'd never considered herself a control freak, but Rose really wished that she could do more. Just waiting and worrying was killing her.

She crossed campus with short, determined strides with two travel mugs of tea in hand. Glancing around, Rose checked her surroundings to make sure everything was safe and noted a few familiar faces. Honestly, it was a lot like her time at Cambridge. She wasn't very social outside of classes, but she was far more paranoid then she'd been then. Her bag rested against her hip, and she could feel the weight of the watch around her neck. The temptation to look at it was sometimes overwhelming, but it only made her sad, and she didn't want anyone to see it.

No one even looked her way as she headed for Professor Smith's office. The halls were still mostly empty at this hour. Adjusting the mugs, Rose knocked on the door and waited. There was no answer, but she thought that she heard something. She hesitated for a moment. It wasn't time for his office hours yet, but there was a possibility that he was with a student. Then again, she showed up at this time every morning during the week to check on him. Rose bit her lower lip for a moment and then turned the doorknob, being mindful not to spill the tea.

Professor Smith's head was pillowed on his folded arms. He looked awkward leaning over the desk due to his long frame. Rose had never seen him sleeping in the office. She stepped inside quickly and closed the door gently. He was breathing, and Rose told herself not to panic. Then he mumbled something in his sleep. Stepping forward, she carefully set down the mugs and listened.

"Verity." His whole body shuddered, and he seemed to be trying to shake his head.

Confusion hit Rose before anything else, and she reviewed the names of all the companions she knew about. There was no Verity, at least not as far as she knew. It was an odd name, a bit old fashioned, but pretty in its own way. When John whispered it again, something more like jealous began to take hold. Then John shuddered, and his hands tightened into fists. The jealousy was pushed back as worry took hold.

"Carole," he whimpered.

"Professor Smith?" He didn't wake up, and Rose glanced at the door before speaking louder. "Professor Smith, wake up." John moved a little but didn't wake up.

Rose hesitated to touch him. She'd woken the Doctor that way only once, and he'd come to with wide, panicked eyes and struggling o breathe. Suddenly, she wished that the TARDIS has provided her with a full dossier on the history that she gave John Smith.

"John," Rose called. She moved closer to the desk and put the mugs down. "John, it's Rose, please wake up. I think you're having a nightmare."

Thankfully, he started to wake. He groaned and stretched a little before lifting his head.

"Rose?" He blinked at her. "What are you doing here?" A faint blush colored his cheeks. Then he looked around in surprise. "Oh, my office. Right. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Rose said. She picked up a mug and held it out to him.

"Thank you," he said. He accepted the mug and took a long sip. "You make brilliant tea."

"You should try my banana bread." The words slipped out, and she braced herself for a disappointing reaction.

"Sounds good. I love bananas." He slumped in his chair and looked wistful. "I missed them in the jungle. That sounds crazy, but we really didn't get a lot of fresh stuff."

"I remember," Rose said. The way he talked worried her. It was like he forgot that she had been there, at least in his memories. "I don't recall you mentioning bananas."

"I try not to linger on things I can't have."

That was something that Rose didn't want to touch with a ten-foot pole. The way he was looking at her made her uneasy. This wasn't the Doctor. Sort of, there were things that had carried over, but it wasn't him. She wasn't going to do anything stupid here.

"You okay?" Rose sat down opposite him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "You kept muttering a name? Was it a nightmare?"

"I- I think so." John seemed unsure of where he was and what was going on. "Sorry, Rose. I haven't been sleeping well."

"Any particular reason?" Rose set the second mug of tea she'd brought in front of him. "You're not feeling ill, are you?"

"No, just dreams." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Sometimes they're strange, wild dreams. I'm some sort of adventurer."

"Adventurer?" Rose wasn't sure what to make of that. "Are you the Indiana Jones type of archeologist?"

"No." John snorted a little but smiled. "I'm an alien, I think, and I have this ship that looks like a blue box and travels in time." He took a drink of his tea while Rose froze in shock. "You're there too, most of the time, traveling with me."

"I guess even if your dreams, you know you need looking after," Rose managed. Her voice was a bit off, and John looked at her. "Sounds interesting," she added. "And exciting. I can see why you wake up still tired." Rose turned it over in her head. "So, who are Verity and Carole in the dreams. Do they travel with us?"

"Uh, no, they're from real life." John dropped his eyes, and Rose waited while he mulled something over. "I uh…" John hesitated. "I was married… before, I mean." Then he shook his head quickly. "It never came up. Verity was my wife and Carole, my daughter."

"Okay," Rose said softly. A hint of jealousy flared in her chest, but she sternly reminded herself that this was the past that the TARDIS had given him. "You're under no obligation to me." She lowered her eyes quickly, unsure of how to proceed. "I-I'm sorry, about whatever happened."

"Car crash," he answered. His tone was flat. "Verity was driving and lost control. She and Carole both tied in route to the hospital."

"I'm so sorry." Rose grimaced and twisted her hands together. Why had the TARDIS given him that kind of story? Couldn't she have let him be a happy human for a few months? "I'm sorry that you have to live with that."

"Thank you."

Neither of them spoke, and John kept looking out the window. "Rose, I know that you said to talk with you once my term here was up, but you're not under any obligation to wait."

"I know." Rose wondered if she'd answered too quickly. She wondered if she should hug him. She would have hugged the Doctor without hesitation, but she didn't want to get attached to John Smith. So, she stayed across the room. "I know. I'm okay with how things are now. I'm reconnecting with old friends." Forcing a smile when he looked at him, Rose shrugged. "I even caught up with my godson! He's a student here. Nice kid."

"I didn't know you had a godson." He looked surprised and a little pleased at the subject change. "Is he in any of my classes?"

"No, I don't think so. He's studying physics. Luke almost went to Cambridge, but he decided that he didn't want to be that close to his grandparents. It started as a joke, but then he visited Oxford and really loved it."

"You went to Cambridge, right?"

"I did." Rose nodded. "His grandparents are Professors Ian and Barbara Chesterton. Nice people, but they can be a bit overbearing."

She watched John Smith's face for any sign of recognition. There was none. He seemed mildly interested, but there was a fog in his eyes that made Rose uneasy. Did he remember something? She was never sure. Guilt flooded her. There was a distance growing between them. They didn't have many reasons to spend time together. That was her fault, and she knew it. Rose wanted the Doctor back even if she did like John Smith.

"Well, I'm glad you've had time to catch up with him."

"Me too. I'm an only child so Luke and his sister sort of fill a younger sibling role in my life." She smiled honestly now, and John smiled a bit in return. "I've never asked, do you have siblings?"

"No." He blinked at the question and shook his head. "Just me and my parents. They were good folk, but they're gone. Still, it was a good childhood. They let me run a bit wild in the fields near home."

"So not a city boy?"

"Not at first. Grew up in the village of Hadfield near Manchester. We moved into the city when I was fourteen." He shrugged, not seeming very interested in his own history.

"I never knew that."

"Sorry, I don't like talking about myself."

"That's okay." Rose swallowed, trying to decide how to navigate this minefield. "Everyone has a past. It's yours and doesn't belong to me." She struggled for the right words to comfort him. "The future is something we'll talk about on another day."

Professor Smith smiled at her, his eyes warm and soft. Rose knew that look and regretted the way her heart jumped. That was how the Doctor looked her in quiet moments when he thought she wasn't aware of him. To have someone who looked just like him looking at her like that openly was a sweet sort of pain.

She was saved from staying too long by their respective classes. Guilt hung around Rose's neck, heavy and centered on the watch she wore. During her next lecture, Rose pulled it out from under her shirt and cradled it in her hands, trying to banish the guilt and jealousy mingling in her stomach with little success. She took only a few notes for show, but it didn't matter. Rose knew she wasn't going to stay. No matter what happened, this wasn't her life anymore.

A horrible thought hit her. What if something went wrong and the Doctor couldn't come back? She tightened her hand around the watch and held her breath. She hadn't used her telepathy at all while she'd been on Earth. It was still too new, and her shields were difficult to restore once she let them down. But now, in a class that she didn't care about, Rose tentatively lowered them and looked down at the watch.

'Rose.' The Doctor's voice was soft, but she was sure that she'd heard it. 'Careful, Rose. Be careful. Protect yourself.' Something gently touched her mind and Rose almost cried in relief. 'I'll be back,' the Doctor's mind promised. 'But keep your shields up. The Family must not find you.'

The scolding was gentle. Rose wondered how much of her emotional state leaked to the Doctor. She wasn't sure how aware his mind even was, and the very thought made her stomach turn. Before she could do something stupid, Rose tucked the watch back under the shirt and swallowed back the knot in her throat. She could still feel him even she rebuilt her fragile shields.

That had been stupid, Rose decided once she had control of herself. Shame, guilt, and grief tugged at her and Rose viciously stamped them down. The Family was on their way here. That ship could arrive at any moment, and she was having moments of weakness that might expose her and the watch. As class was let out, Rose didn't even head to Professor Smith's office to check in with him. After this morning and her brush with the Doctor's mind, she wasn't in any shape to confront the man who wore the Doctor's face.

Deciding to skip the bus, Rose walked towards her flat. It wasn't home. Her home was tucked away in a back room and anger over that simmered in her chest. Maybe this would have been easier in another time. Maybe she would have been able to be more guarded. It was too easy here. She was distracted from her angry musing by the ringing of her mobile. Rose sighed and adjusted her things so she could pull it out of her bag. All self-pity stopped when she saw that the caller was Spock.

"Spock, talk to me."

"Rose," Spock greeted. "The ship is coming down. I've been able to get some basic scans of the systems, but there are layers of defenses blocking more detailed biological scans."

"Where is it landing?"

"I estimate a few miles outside of Oxford."

"They were able to follow the TARDIS then," Rose said. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling very tired.

"Yes, I'm sorry."

His sympathy helped a little. "Alert, UNIT. Send me the coordinates. I'll steal Luke's car."

"Might I suggest informing Luke of the theft."

"I will. I will."

As it turned out, Rose did let Luke know that she was stealing his car. Not that she went inside his flat to get the keys or gave him time to agree. Rose knew her godson well enough to know that he'd want to come with her and that wasn't going to happen. In truth, she was doing him a favor.

…..

UNIT was already on site when Rose got there. They must have been tracking it right along with Spock. The rolling field was now covered in soldiers, mobile stations, and scanning equipment. No one got in Rose's way once they saw her face. There was probably something there she needed to worry about, but she didn't have the energy for that.

Rose was shown to the mobile unit where Kate was bossing around soldiers and scientists. She'd directed Rose's attention to the wall of screens above the controls so she could see the ship. The outside was rough, but it had a vaguely sleek shape overall. She eyed the monitor carefully, memorizing what she could from the invisible craft and wondered if this containment plan was going to help at all.

"Try not to worry," Kate said. She put her hand on Rose's shoulder. "We have it surrounded and have control of the area."

"Good."

"So," Kate said softly. "You think this is them?"

"I don't know for sure," Rose answered. "But be very careful opening it. The Doctor didn't have time to tell me much about them, but he did say that they could look like anyone so they may be body copiers or even possess people."

Kate nodded solemnly but sighed. "There are days that I hate this job."

"I can tell you that they have limited lifespans," Rose added. "Three months at most. It might be safer just to wait them out."

"The problem is that we don't know what kind of weapons they might have."

"That's… a very valid point." Rose frowned at the image. "And it's seriously invisible?"

"Yes." Kate shook her head. "It opened when my men approached. They fell back when nothing came out and set up the perimeter. Given what you just told me, I'm grateful for that."

"Me too." Rose wasn't sure what to do now. They could pick up the ship's shape on the radar, but they didn't have anything else to go on. And she remembered that the ship was fitted with a vortex manipulator which she really couldn't let UNIT get their hands on. "Thoughts?"

"I've alerted HQ, and I'll tell them about them being potential body snatchers." Kate's disdain was clear in how she said the last word. "We have some protocols for that, but without details about their ship there's a limit to how much we can plan."

"I see."

"You should probably go," Kate said. "Just in case. We don't want them to see you and track you."

"Fair enough." Rose swallowed. Kate was right, but it felt wrong to turn her back on an enemy. "One more question, how controlled was the landing?"

"Very," Kate said. She nodded thoughtfully to Rose. "No crater. Barely any damage to the vegetation. I'm not sure why they didn't go into the city."

"I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that."

Rose took a step back from the screens and did her best to ignore the curious looks being sent her way. There was nothing she could do here. It was best to let UNIT handle it. They were the professionals after all. Rose got a quick hug from Kate, promised to be careful, and returned to Luke's car. If it took her an hour to start it and pull out of the area, that was her business. If she spent the night on the TARDIS control room floor in a pile of blankets and clutching the watch in her right hand, then that was her business too.