"Everyone, I want to introduce you to someone."
John was holding an all-staff meeting the following week. There were multiple things he wanted to discuss but the most important one was the man to his left.
The staff quieted down. The handsome doctor noticed the usual pairings together. Yasmin Kahn and Nardole were good friends and tended to gravitate towards one another. He saw River Song conversing with Daniel Lewis, another scientist who had a great sense of humor. He had currently made her laugh, forgetting for a moment her misery in not being with John.
Dan had been harboring a crush on his colleague for years. He knew she was attracted to her boss, but he still kept hope alive that someday she might fancy him. John had encouraged him in the past to go for what he wanted. Now he would warn against it as he didn't know how volatile River Song could be.
However, John thought, if she starts dating Dan, maybe she'll forget all about this crush she has on me. She'll leave me and Rose the hell alone. Especially Rose.
Once John had everyone's attention, he turned to the man next to him. "This is Tucker. He will be the new Security Operations Manager."
A chorus of hellos rang out and the tall gray-haired man smiled.
"Tucker will be implementing a few policies that will hopefully make everyone here at Smith Laboratories feel safer. I know there's been talk about breaches and whatnot recently. He has plans to change that."
John gestured to the handsome older man who began an impassioned speech. His Scottish accent wove through the employees as John observed them.
In all honesty, that was not Tucker's position. He was hired by Rose's uncle, Graham O'Brien, to find the mole. He had an impressive resume which took down whistleblowers all the time. He knew how to spy on people and not have them know that is what he was doing.
John had told him to pay particular attention to River Song.
He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about her sent red flags to him. Ever since the Halloween party, she has been a model employee. He knew she had to have sent that picture to the ethics board, but they luckily ruled it was inadmissible. The fact that multiple people have seen Rose in the building with John proved her story to be null and void. That and the fact he never talked to her nor showed special treatment.
Truth be told, John wanted to fire her.
He could, he so could. But he wanted to wait. If she was the mole, he wanted to have concrete evidence. He didn't want to risk any type of lawsuit. Lord only knows what Dr. Song would come up with to try and nail him or his lab.
He also feared for Rose's safety.
She has been receiving phone calls lately where no one speaks. She knows it can happen sometimes, fans can find her number if they're determined enough. She wasn't concerned, but John was. Given how River Song was, he suspected she was plotting things. He wouldn't put it past her to try and harm his beautiful girlfriend in some way.
If she ever did, that would be the end of River Song, the Oncoming Storm inside his head replied.
And that was why John reached out to O'Brien International. If anyone could find out what was going on, it was him. The fact it was Rose would definitely get the service John wanted. And Graham was more than happy to oblige; thrilled that his only niece was now dating the man she had loved for years.
The older gentleman finished up his speech and asked if there were questions. Seeing none, he turned back to John.
The younger doctor smiled at him and then addressed his colleagues. "Thank you all for coming to today's staff meeting. There's plenty of food left so help yourselves. You're free to go."
The workers slowly got up and made their way to their respective stations. Both John and Tucker observed some people getting coffee, grabbing bakery items, checking their phones. It was pretty typical of an office environment.
Even River Song was acting normal…for the moment.
After it was empty, John and Tucker made their way to his office. They passed a few workers who smiled at them. Tucker gave a small smile back but generally looked straight ahead. John overheard a few women refer to Tucker as a "silver fox."
"I cannot express enough what it means having you here," John said after he shut his office door. He turned some music on to drown out their voices in case anyone (River Song) was listening.
"I guarantee I will be able to find the mole," the Scottish man said. They both sat down on the black leather couch.
John had had fantasies about shagging Rose on this couch. He wasn't lying when he told her he wanted to fuck her in his office. He was planning it in the new year.
"This has gotten too much. I don't know why Saxon is after me but I need to protect myself and my employees." He gestured to the door, meaning his workers. "They count on this job."
Tucker nodded. "Everyone, including you, will be safe." He pulled his phone out as it chimed with an alert. He showed his phone to the younger doctor. "See? Our new measures are already working."
At the Scottish man's request, John had installed a few cameras in the common areas of the building. He probably should have done it years prior but he always wanted to trust his workers. One reason why he had such a great reputation in the area was because of his faith in people. He trusted them to make decisions and help one another out. For the most part, it worked.
Until recently.
John sighed and ran a hand through his floppy hair. Over the Christmas holiday he was going to have more cameras installed. Tucker was very specific about certain protocols. Even though he was only around to find the mole, John was planning on keeping his services for the considerable future.
The man was worth every penny. And that was including the family discount Graham gave him.
The two watched as Nardole walked back into the break room to snag another Danish. John laughed at Nardole's actions, thinking it wasn't allowed. He had told them to take the food and he really didn't want to dispose of it. Seeing the bald man and others eat what had been provided to them always made the handsome doctor happy. He liked providing for them, like a family.
Tucker raised a bushy eyebrow at the screen. "I'm keeping my eye on that one," he said as he turned his phone off. "He likes food a little too much. I caught him sneaking five donut holes before the meeting started."
John laughed loudly this time and got up off the couch. He walked to his coffee pot and poured two cups. Handing one to the older man, he sat back down. "Trust me, Nardole is harmless."
Tucker didn't look so sure.
The two men discussed business for a bit longer before the older one excused himself. He really did have some paperwork he wanted to finish before the end of the day. John was okay with that as he had something important to do.
Picking his stuff up, he locked his office door and let Yasmin know he would be back later. She nodded and watched her boss leave. Then she glanced at his closed door. Ever since River had snuck in, he was locking his door. Yaz wasn't sure if he actually knew what happened, but somehow his instincts had kicked into gear. She glanced at the camera facing his office and smiled before returning to her report. She had been let in on a few things that John had been planning and agreed with every single one. She wasn't fond of Dr. Song; knowing all about her crush on her boss. Seeing that he was with someone he had always pined for (Yaz and everyone in the office saw it), made her incredibly happy.
Her boss was her friend.
John quickly made his way out of the building, conversing with a few people. He was always in demand as he was the boss but sometimes it became too much. He was considering hiring an assistant in the new year.
Once outside, he hailed a cab and issued his location. As the vehicle took off, John looked out the window. London was beautiful at Christmastime. The sky was overcast and snow was supposed to fall later that day. John hoped this meant he could get snowed in with Rose.
A text from her dinged his phone.
Dinner tonight?
He smiled. It's like she knows me.
He typed that back.
I do know you.
He laughed.
What am I thinking now then?
Her reply was almost instantaneous.
That you love me.
He nodded to the phone. The cab driver glanced at him in the mirror and smiled.
With all my heart.
I love you back, Doctor Smith.
There was something about using his formal title that got him hot and bothered. He felt warmth flow through his veins and Little John perked up a bit. He was definitely seeing her tonight. And he might demand she only call him that title.
It would definitely be worth her while. And hearing her scream my title would make my whole year.
The cab pulled up in front of the destination. John paid and got out, heading into the jewelry store. He had some Christmas shopping to do for two women in his life.
A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay in updating. It's due to the next chapter that I have planned. It's going to be sex and for some reason, I'm having difficulty in actually putting it to paper. So bear with me as I work through my block to get you the next hot and steamy chapter.