Part Two
Rose glanced around her bedroom, scanning carefully to see if there was anything she had neglected to pack into her already bursting rucksack.
The trainers had gone in first of course, she couldn't forget them after the fuss she'd made. Deciding she might as well make the most of the opportunity she'd also packed a few tops, a fresh pair of jeans and some underwear. Tucked carefully between her rolled up jeans and a green t-shirt was the glass candle holder that her mum had brought her for her sixteenth birthday. A little bit of home to take out into the universe with her. Something that she apparently felt the need to hide from the Doctor.
She sat down on her bed with a slump, letting out a deep weary breath. She'd been home half a dozen times since she'd started travelling with the Doctor, why had she chosen now to suddenly get all wistful about what she had left behind? She didn't understand it, and quite frankly she didn't want to. She wanted to get through tonight and leave tomorrow with him, heading off on new adventures and feeling happy about it.
She was sure she'd feel happy about it once they got out there again. She just needed to get over the leaving part
Standing up with determination, picking up her bag, she left her room behind and headed back to the lounge. The Doctor was still perched on the sofa, now watching the news, shaking his head in bewilderment.
"You think politics is complicated now," he said, gesturing towards the television, "You wait until the Fourth Human Empire. Things get a whole lot more complicated when you've got planets rather than countries to consider. And those Martian politicians? They can show this lot a thing or two about dirty dealing."
"I'm just going back to the TARDIS," Rose said briefly, ignoring his rambling, "I need to dump this bag and check there's nothing else I missing. Won't be long."
"Best not be," he warned.
Rose smiled slightly.
"If you want to keep out of my mum's hair for a while, why don't you go into my room and pump up the airbed? I've left it on the floor for you."
He threw her a questioning frown.
"Well you can't sleep in my bed with me, can you?" she reasoned, dropping her voice low so her mum wouldn't hear, "That might make her a bit suspicious."
The Doctor nodded in agreement, seeing her point, before the frown suddenly returned again.
"Hang on a minute, why do we need to think about the sleeping arrangements? Since when are we staying overnight?"
"There's a burglar about," Rose pointed out, slightly awkwardly, " I don't wanna leave her alone. We can get going the first thing in the morning, I promise."
That wasn't the real reason, but she didn't know how he would react if she said it was because she was actually quite enjoying being home and wasn't quite ready to leave yet.
He was scowling fiercely as he stood up.
"You and your bloody domestics," he muttered angrily, "There are more important things you know."
With that he disappeared into her room, closing the door behind him. Rose sighed. Well at least it looked like he was going to stay, even if he clearly wasn't happy about it. First steps were always the hardest.
Having hung all her clothes up, put the shoes away and hidden the candle holder in the wardrobe, Rose took a thorough look around her room in the TARDIS to see if she could think of anything else she was missing. She had been much more thorough than she had intended to be actually.
She was enjoying spending a little time alone, without having to mediate between the Doctor and her mum. Without having to put up with the bad air between them which was irritating her more and more with each passing moment. It depressed her to think that they couldn't get on. It scared her that she may need to choose between them.
Glancing at her watch and realising that nearly half an hour had passed, she sighed, resigned to the fact that she had best get back to the flat. Mum would be spitting tacks if she didn't get up there by the time dinner was ready, and it probably wasn't such a good idea that she left her alone with the Doctor for too long. Especially considering the mood she had left him in.
Stepping outside the TARDIS, she was careful to lock the door and hang the key back round her neck. It wouldn't do to have some estate kid poke his head inside.
Walking back past the garages and through the door to the stairwell, she was unable to shake away the uneasy feeling that was still bothering her. The one that would leave her alone and wouldn't let her relax. For the first time since she had met the Doctor she was uncertain of what she wanted. Maybe starting a relationship with him hadn't been such a good idea after all. Maybe they would have been better off just staying friends. Yes, she loved him, more than she thought she was capable of. But where was it ever going to go? Was there a future for them? Or was she just going to end up sorely disappointed with the way it turned out?
God, she was confused. And she couldn't very well write in to Company magazine for advice about her alien boyfriend with commitment problems.
Trotting briskly up the stairs, lost somewhere in a not nice part of her mind, she side stepped just in time to miss walking into someone coming the other way.
"Sorry," she muttered absently without stopping.
"Rose?"
Now she did stop, dead in her tracks, shock having seemingly stolen her ability to move. She turned back to face the person she had nearly barrelled into. The one who had spoken in a voice that was forever imprinted on her.
"Jimmy?" she asked, knowing it was him but not quite believing it.
Jimmy Stones. Her first proper boyfriend. The first bloke she had slept with. The boy she had left school at sixteen to be with. Gorgeous, sexy and exciting. Dangerous, sly and an idiot.
She'd been such a fool back then. Cried for days when they'd split up, her mum comforting her, telling her that he was bad news anyway and she was better off without him. She always knew Jimmy wasn't exactly an angel but it had only ever been small, stupid stuff; nicking crisps from shops, graffiti, breaking school windows, sneaking into the old supermarket and playing spin the bottle there. She liked him like that. It excited her. He'd seemed so grown up.
Then he'd been done for armed robbery. Him and his older brother had tried to hold up the off-license on the high street but they 'd been total amateurs about it. Didn't even consider that the owner had had a panic button installed. Before they knew what was going on, the police had arrived and they'd been carted away.
It had happened only two weeks after he'd broken up with Rose, and she had snuck in to see the trial out of some ridiculous sense of loyalty, even though her mum had told her not to. It had been weird watching him then, looking so small. He had always seemed so big to her, so in control. But he was nothing. She had thrown her future away for nothing. He didn't love her, he'd been playing with her. Keeping her around because she gave him what he wanted without question. She had hated him then, could have cheered as he was sentenced to time in a young offenders institute. That was the last time she had seen him. She hadn't missed him. Especially considering Mickey had started showing an interest shortly after, and she had forgotten all about Jimmy Stones.
And now here he was standing in front of her. He didn't look any different to her. Same stupid young man who was going nowhere. What a wonderful thing hindsight was.
A realisation hit her. That was what? Two and a half years ago? Hadn't his sentence been for six?
"You're meant to be in prison," she stated absently, with a deep frown before she realised that she probably shouldn't have said that.
She'd known him long enough to recognise the look in his eyes, knew that it wasn't good news for her.
Without thinking any further she turned and bolted back down the stairs, hearing him chasing behind her seconds later. She didn't know what he wanted, didn't really know what was going on, but the feeling in her gut told her that she had to get away from him. She couldn't get back to the flat, he was blocking her path up there, but the TARDIS wasn't too far away. All she needed to do was get there and shut herself inside. The Doctor always insisted that once the doors were closed nothing could get in there if the occupant didn't want them to, not even Genghis Khan's massive army . And Jimmy was certainly no horde of rampaging barbarians. She'd definitely be safe from him in the TARDIS, then she could use her mobile to call the police or something. Or at least have the Doctor come down and get her.
She reached the door to the time machine, slamming into it hard as she struggled to come to a stop. She was panting for breath, scared even though she wasn't entirely sure what of. She fumbled around her neck for her key, avoiding the urge to check where he was, knowing it would waste precious seconds. She had barely gotten her fingers on the key when her hair was grabbed roughly from behind. She took a deep breath, preparing to scream, hoping the sound would be picked up by the Doctor's sensitive hearing, or in the least that someone would look out and realise she was in trouble.
But before she could make a noise a hand clamped over her mouth, cutting her off. She kicked back wildly, thumping at him best she could, trying to get him off of her. She wasn't going down without a fight. But, he was larger and stronger than her. The hand in her hair let go and gripped instead at her wrist very firmly. So hard she winced, worried he was going to break it.
"Stop it, Rose," he muttered sharply in her ear, "I don't wanna hurt you, alright?"
With that he yanked her off to one side, Rose having no choice but to following him if she wished to keep her arm attached to her shoulder. She didn't think she'd been so angry with anyone in her life. She was furious, literally boiling inside. How dare he? How dare he do this to her? Who did he think he was, just grabbing her off the street like this? Why did he think she was the sort of person he could do this to?
He led her quickly around the corner and up the stairs into a different block of flats. It was only when they stopped at a familiar front door that she saw through her anger enough to realise where they were.
Mickey's flat.
"He's still got that shitty car, right?" Jimmy said quietly, "Saw it parked downstairs. We need to get the keys."
We?
We!
Like she was going anywhere with him.
"Now I know that idiot is the type of person who locks himself out a lot, so he's gotta leave a spare set of keys out here somewhere," Jimmy reasoned, his voice shaking slightly, "Get 'em for me."
He let her go and Rose turned to glare at him furiously, white hot anger flowing through every part of her. Without thinking she reached up and slapped him as hard as she could.
"You can just fuck off, Jimmy," she said venomously, "I'm not going anywhere with you. You're an idiot. I'm going to call the police…"
She tried to walk off, her heart pumping with the now familiar feel of adrenaline. He stepped right in front of her.
"I told you to stop it, alright?" he said, getting angry, sounding more sure of himself when he did.
Rose was about to verbally lay into him again when her eye caught sight of something glinting in the harsh, artificial light that bathed them both in a sickly glow. She stopped completely, her eyes widening. Clearly he had completely lost it.
"Oh my God…" she muttered in soft disbelief.
He jabbed the pen knife towards her slightly.
"Just get the key," he ordered, swallowing hard. He wasn't comfortable with this turn of events either.
But he was still pointing a knife at her.
Keeping a careful eye on him Rose stepped over to Mickey's door. She knew Jimmy could be violent. He had a short temper and she'd seen him lay into plenty of guys for the stupidest reason. But he had never ever threatened her before. That cold fact scared her more than the knife did. He was passed reason, beyond it, gone to a place where she wasn't even sure it was the same person anymore. She didn't know him and didn't know what he would do.
Twisting the plate with the number on around, she revealed that there was a small hole cut in the door, Mickey's spare key shoved inside. She took it out and handed it roughly over, making it clear she was doing this under duress.
As he opened the door and pushed her inside ahead of him, everything in Rose's head seemed to turn upside down. This wasn't happening, right? This happened in Eastenders, not in her quiet, dull domestic life. The real danger was out in the universe, not here on her front door step.
Then she laughed to herself. After all she had seen and been through with the Doctor she couldn't believe this? It should seem mundane in comparison to everything else that happened to her. What was being kidnapped and threatened with a knife by your prison escapee ex-boyfriend when you had seen the end of the world?
"What's so funny?" Jimmy asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
Rose shook her head.
"Doesn't matter," she muttered, even though part of her actually considered telling him. Maybe if he thought she was some kind of nutter he'd be scared of her and let her go.
"Where does he keep his car keys?" Jimmy continued, obviously not wanting to hang around.
"Kitchen."
"Go on then."
He waved the knife in that direction and she saw no choice but to do as she was told.
Stepping into the kitchen Rose was momentarily dismayed to see the state it was in. The dishes had clearly been sitting there for a day or two and the surfaces could do with a good wipe down. He'd obviously gotten no better at doing this kind of stuff since she'd left. It probably didn't help that she'd always done it for him. She'd always looked after him.
And speak of the devil…
"Hello? Rose?"
She didn't know if she was relieved or scared. She didn't want to get him involved with this. She didn't want him to get hurt. And from the look on Jimmy's suddenly panicked face, that was a distinct possibility.
"Rose, you here? I saw the TARDIS downstairs. You just couldn't wait to come and see me could you. That's my wom-"
As he stepped inside the kitchen there was a wide grin on his face which promptly froze and then fell as he took in the scene before him. He looked between Jimmy and Rose a couple of times, sporting a shocked and confused expression, clearly not sure what to make of the situation.
"Shouldn't you be in prison?" he asked eventually, frowning deeply as his gaze settled on Jimmy.
Rose saw Jimmy twitch nervously at that and she immediately intervened.
"It's alright, Mickey," she warned, "Just leave it, okay? It ain't worth getting hurt over."
"Hurt?" he asked, his face screwing up at the idea, "Rose, give me some credit. I think I can take this little shit."
"He's got a knife," she explained anxiously.
Mickey quickly looked over at Jimmy, his gaze zooming in on the offending weapon still grasped in the other man's hand, his knuckles white around it. He held up his own hands, showing that he didn't want a confrontation.
"What's this all about?"
"He wants your car," she explained slowly, trying to keep things calm.
"Fine," he nodded towards the counter, "The keys are over there. Take 'em and get out."
Jimmy scooped up the keys and grabbed Rose roughly by the arm, pulling her with him towards the door.
Mickey stepped in front of them and she again found herself part relieved and part terrified at what was going to happen. She didn't want to go with Jimmy, that was for sure, but she certainly didn't want to get Mickey hurt because of it.
He shook his head firmly.
"You're not taking, Rose," he stated, his posture still non-confrontational but his voice adamant, "You don't need her. You've got the car, just let her go."
"Get out of my way," Jimmy said, his voice frighteningly calm.
"I told you, take the car, I don't care. But leave Rose. What good is she to you?"
"I've seen her," he hissed, pointing the knife wildly around, seemingly not caring that he was holding a sharp point in his hand and that he could hurt someone, "I was watching her earlier when she was walking around with that older man of hers. He's gotta be rich, right? Why else would she bother with an old bloke like him? He could pay me money to get her back."
If she wasn't so concerned Rose would have laughed. The Doctor pay a ransom for her? She didn't even think she'd ever seen him use money. If Jimmy was lucky he'd get a wad of psychic paper.
"It's not like that with them," Mickey insisted with some scorn, "He's just her travelling companion. Her friend, not her boyfriend."
Rose squirmed uncomfortably.
"Oh yeah," Jimmy replied sarcastically, "Cos she always snogs friends on street corners and walks along hand in hand with them."
Mickey's eyes widened and he looked at Rose accusingly, shocked and slightly hurt. She tried to look apologetic but now really wasn't the time for this conversation. Fortunately Mickey seemed to agree.
"Look either way," he said to Jimmy, "He won't be paying you any money to get her back. You can't blackmail him. You don't know who he is."
"As long as he's loaded I don't care. He doesn't scare me."
Mickey laughed slightly, "Well he should do. Trust me, Jimmy. You don't want to get on the wrong side of the Doctor. You think you're the big man….You have no idea."
Jimmy glared at him, "You always were full of shit, Mickey."
He tried to push passed again, but Mickey shoved him back.
"How many more times? You can have the car. You can't have Rose."
She watched for a moment, realising with just seconds to spare what Jimmy's intentions were. It was the same look he'd had when he'd caught Richard Pilman feeling her up in Golddukes nightclub whilst she was out of her brain on tequila. But the look was slightly different this time; more intense, more out of control. What had happened to him since she'd last seen him? This wasn't the loud mouth, show off she knew. This was someone who looked dangerously close to completely losing it.
She opened her mouth to warn Mickey but was already too late as Jimmy sprang at him furiously.
The struggle was brief, Mickey was bigger than Jimmy but he was taken off guard. They were both shouting at each other, bodies jumbling together. Rose was not able to pick out a word of it as she screamed at them to stop, trying to get between them, pushed back but their wildly flailing arms.
Then all went still and Mickey looking shocked and mildly surprised.
He slumped to the floor, clutching at his stomach. Barely pausing for breath, Rose knelt down beside him, shaking violently, knowing exactly what had happened. She pulled his hand away to see blood already staining his shirt.
"Oh God, Mickey," she whispered, tears in her voice. How had this happened? Ten minutes ago she had been in the TARDIS, wondering if needed any more hair ties. Now she was kneeling at the side of one former boyfriend who was bleeding and looking very pale, whilst another stood over her, still brandishing a knife, seemingly shocked at what he had done.
"You stabbed him," she said rather redundantly, looking up at Jimmy with disgust, "What's wrong with you?"
With trembling hands she reached up for the tea towel on the small table beside her, pushing it against the wound to try and stop the bleeding.
"It's alright, Mickey," she mumbled, swallowing hard, "You'll be alright, yeah?"
Then she was pulled away from him, dragged painfully to her feet by her hair once more.
"Come on," Jimmy said, pulling her towards the front down, sounding scared, "We've gotta go."
"We can't just leave him!" Rose protested.
She shouldn't have done.
Without warning, he slammed her back hard against the wall, pushing the knife to her throat.
"Do you want me to leave you here with him!" he shouted, right into her face.
Rose shook her head tightly, barely daring to move in case he slipped.
"Then come on," he said, dragging her away.
This time she didn't resist, throwing a desperate glance back at Mickey as she was dragged out of the door.
