Chapter 10
Rose watched in fascination as her older self and the other Doctor played with the little girl, they looked like any other family on a normal day out. It was strange to think that in a few years she would be doing this very think, she wondered if her older self had a memory of being here, watching herself; Rose shook her head ruefully and smiled, it was enough to give a girl headaches she thought, all this time travel stuff. She felt the Doctor looking at her and turned to smile
"S'ok I'm just losing my marbles" she muttered at his quizzical look
"Losing? More like lost it ages ago" he retorted with a grin, dodging the well aimed thump Rose aimed at his shoulder before pulling her behind him as he strode away
"Come on they're moving" he said, jogging slightly and causing Rose to jog too as he still held her hand firmly.
They had been watching them for nearly an hour now but nothing unusual had happened so far, the trio were heading towards the souvenir shops now, with the older Rose and other Doctor pausing to look at a child's dress in the window of a small dress shop, Rose watched as Sky darted into an alley after a small black cat, that had been sitting by the shop door.
"There" Rose called out to her Doctor who looked back briefly and nodded, halting and looking for a way to get to the alley without being noticed by the older Rose and Doctor.
"This way" he said suddenly seeing an alley that ran behind the shops.
Rose and the Doctor ran to the end of the alley and stopped, breath heaving and eyes wide as they watched Sky meet themselves and three men in black.
"Oh God" whispered Rose as the Doctor pushed her behind large retail rubbish bins "This is it" she said in fear, not wanting to go on with this but knowing that they had to. The sounds of a fight echoing in the alley
"Shh" the Doctor ordered as he peered around the edge, his head shooting back in, nearly colliding with Rose's own, she saw a blur as Rose and the Doctor streaked past, followed closely by three men in dark suits. There was no sign of Sky
Suddenly the Doctor reached into his pocket and threw a small metal object at the last man in black, before ducking back behind the bins
"Tracking device" he whispered as he pulled out a small metal box, with a red flashing light and digital map out of his pocket.
"Got him" he said to himself watching as the red light darted along the digital map. The Doctor peered around the bins again and then reached behind him and pulled Rose out with him
"Come on, we need to get out of here before the other us start looking for Sky" he told Rose, already moving out of the alley the same way they had come.
"We can't just leave her here, she might be hurt" Rose called after him, heading in the other direction, the doctor sprinted and grabbed Rose by the shoulders
"We wouldn't have left her if she was hurt" he said softly, his eyes intense with pain, his hand shaking slightly as it reached for Rose's hand, pulling her unresistingly out of the alley
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Rose and the Doctor had been following the blip for what seemed like forever, they had tracked it to a small warehouse about a mile from the London Eye, they were currently crouched behind more bins watching where the group had entered the building.
Suddenly a bright light flashed in the windows and Rose heard her other self scream out the Doctor's name from within the warehouse. Rose turned to her own Doctor, who shrugged slightly,
"We can't interfere" he said softly "We risk too much" he added at the look Rose threw him, before she slowly nodded. They heard a noise in front of them and saw two of the men in black head out of the warehouse and cross the street and round a corner out of sight. The doctor stood and peered into a window above his head, quickly ducking and grabbing Rose's hand
"Come on" he said pulling her with him once again
"What did you see?" Rose asked feeling how cold the Doctor's hand was in hers, feeling the slight tremor in it
"Nothing" he said shortly hurrying down the street and consulting the tracking receiver in his hand "I saw nothing" he muttered again, dropping Rose's hand.
Rose paused and looked back at the warehouse, wondering why she and the Doctor hadn't pursued the escaping men in black, knowing the Doctor had seen something, not sure she wanted to know what it had been, she then turned back hurrying to catch up with her own Doctor.
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"Damn it" the doctor muttered as he walked around the control room in the Tardis, Rose watched him in concern. They had followed the cryotrons for about 10 minutes before the signal stopped, they had been unable to find any trace of them anywhere, the Doctor had finally concluded they had transported out, before Rose and the Doctor had found there hiding place.
"All for bloody nothing" the Doctor muttered, his hands thrust firmly in his pocket, "we're no closer to bloody stopping them" he continued more to himself than to Rose. They had returned to the Tardis and there own time a short while ago, the Doctor's mood getting blacker and blacker all the while.
Rose looked up concerned, it had been a hard afternoon, knowing that there daughter had been lying dead in the alley way, but it wasn't like the Doctor to get like this Rose thought worriedly.
"At least we know where and when it happens, that helps right?" asked Rose, not sure what else to say
The Doctor stopped his prowling and glared at her
"No it doesn't" he snarled, "all that means is we know when she will die" he said angrily, he spun back in the opposite direction and started prowling again
"But couldn't we like wait for them there and try to stop them from killing her?" she tried again, hoping that if she could get him to talk perhaps they could find a plan
"No we c…" he started to stay, stopping as a knock came on the door of the Tardis
Rose shrugged at the glare he threw her and crossed to open the door
"Mum" Rose said darting a look over her shoulder at the Doctor, "This isn't a good time" she said blocking her mothers entrance as she tried to push past her and into the Tardis
"Never is, is it Rose" her mother said pushing at her daughters shoulder, suddenly jumping back as the Doctor appeared, pushing past Rose and grabbing Jackie's arm
"I could kiss you Jackie" he said with a grin on his face, dragging her into the Tardis, leaving Rose standing there gaping at the Doctor and her mother, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Doctor" she called out in warning, only to be treated to his brightest smile
"She has to know sooner or later Rose" he said happily, putting his arm around Jackie's shoulder and steering her through the doorway to the lounge area
"Cup of Tea Jackie?" Rose heard the Doctor asking her mother.