Personally I thought that this chapter sucked a bit, but I will leave it to you to make up your own opinions. Just point your eyes downward please, and don't forget to leave a review!


Spider's Web II

"Oi you!"

Rose and the Doctor ran faster. Up ahead by the playground a scene was taking place. Pushing through all the bystanders, the Doctor elbowed his way to the front. Rose followed suit.

"Hello again!" The Doctor said brightly. "I'm back. Now where were we?"

"Ere Sandi, get back now! He's wot stole my bird!" One of the youths was accusing Jack. A surly looking gang of teenagers were advancing steadily on Jack, who had linked arms with two very pretty blondes. One of the youths had a knife out; Rose didn't doubt that other more exotic weapons were concealed beneath the hoodies.

"Look guys," Jack was saying, apparently not noticing the danger he was in. "Why don't we all have a bash? There's a bar down the road, isn't that right, Sandy?"

"It's Sandi with an 'i'," the girl on his left simpered.

"I'm not going to no bar until I get my Sandi back!"

"And my Tessa!" Another youth spat.

Adrenaline was beginning to pump through the air.

"Fight, fight, fight-" the crowd chanted.

"Come on," Jack flashed a smile. "I'm not gonna steal your babes. That's not my style. Instead-" he ran a finger up Tessa's thigh "-I share em'."

xXx

"Doctor," Rose said resolutely, "do something."

"Nah, ole' Jack here can sort this out for himself." The Doctor leaned against someone, who didn't look too happy.

"Then why did you bring me out here?"

"S'funny, you see."

Rose sighed in exasperation. She was going to tell the Doctor that she was going home, when she spotted the unmistakable gleam of a blade.

"But one of the kids has a knife!" Rose almost yelled.

"And Jack has a blaster," the Doctor teased her, enjoying this. There was a twinkle in his eye.

"Then where is it?" Rose shot back.

xXx

Suddenly one of the youths lunged at Jack. Sidestepping him, Jack twirled Tessa around, knocking the youth off balance as he did so.

This was the last straw.

With a yell worthy of the Guinness Book of War Cries the whole gang charged. Jack whooped. "Yeeha! Now I've got me an orgy!" Twirling and dodging at the same time, still holding onto the two dazed girls, the crowd watched amazed as two lads collided with one another, another one ran into a lamppost, and three more hit the floor.

"I haven't even got my blaster out yet," Jack winked at Rose. Blushing, her face suddenly contorted. "Behind you!"

"I love this dance," Jack sighed, doing a very tango like routine with Sandi. With another flip, he was suddenly face to face with the youth who had the knife. "Man, did your mother ever tell you that you have really nice eyes?" He plonked a kiss on his forehead. "If you screw them up they go quite well with the kick I'm about to deliver."

The crowd drew back with a sharp intake of breath as knife boy went down. Seeing that his friends were losing, a spiky brown haired guy broke free of the crowd and began to run away, but he'd only taken a few steps when he was bent double, clutching his chest. Wheezing, he turned fearful eyes towards Jack as he strode towards him.

"Get away from me!" The youth tried to get up, but had a sudden attack. He collapsed on the concrete pavement, pale and trembling.

The crowd was suddenly looking very apprehensive.

"Ok guys, shows over," Jack turned to the audience. "Who wants to end up explaining to the authorities that you all watched a gang of innocent lads get assaulted by a handsome young man and didn't do anything about it?"

There were murmurs. "Nope, didn't see a thing." The crowd scarpered, and it was just Rose and the Doctor left to attend the poor boy.

Still star struck from the wild dance, the two girls had to be shooed gently away. "Give me a call whenever," one of them blurted dazedly.

"Will do ma'am," Jack saluted.

"Good show," the Doctor congratulated, patting him on the back.

Jack feigned modesty. "Only the best. What were the odds?"

"Oh, from the point of view of a little human, I'd have said a million to one. But from the point of view of an alien knowing that you have a blaster and N-phaser stuck up your arse, I'd have said-"

"Look you two, can finish your weird alien bonding rituals elsewhere? This kid looks like he's about to have a convulsion." Rose was kneeling beside the boy; blonde locks shielding her face like a curtain. "Oh my God! It's Bobby."

The boy coughed weakly, spitting blood. "R-rose?"

"Still in school, kid?" The Doctor reached into his pocket and tossed the phone at Rose. "You shouldn't be playing with older boys like those. Don't know what kind of trouble you might get into."

"M-my brother…" he said weakly.

Dialling emergency, she gabbled their location whilst the Doctor went and picked up the knife, which still lay on it's side. A few minutes later, an ambulance pulled up and Bobby was loaded on as he broke into another fit.

Rose watched him being driven away, face full of concern.

"Do you want to go after him, see if he's OK?" The Doctor asked.

Rose nodded.

"Are you alright, Rose?" The wind was picking up; Jack put his leather jacket on again.

"Erm yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Rose shook away her tears.

"Come on," Jack put his arm around Rose.

As they walked towards the hospital, Rose swallowed, and spoke. "It just happened so suddenly, like everything was fine, then…it just made me think, that any time at all, every single minute, something could happen to me. We don't even know what's wrong with him yet- but he looked so scared, coughing up blood like that. One minute full of life…the next…"

"Stop gabbling." The Doctor murmured as he turned the knife over in his hands. Honestly, young humans these days. What would they think of carrying next? Subatomic particle blasters? Sharp pencils?

"-and the thing is, it's not like when we normally fight aliens and they die; I know that kid. He lives two houses away…he's only fifteen! We used to play out when I was younger. It's getting personal now!"

"Rose, you're getting hysterical!" Jack turned to the Doctor for support.

"Sorry, did I miss something?"

Rose shivered. Sometimes the Doctor could be so insensitive. It was like he didn't care. Didn't want to care, at the very least. All this time they'd been fighting aliens, she'd never given them a second thought. But when one person she actually knew went down, everything changed. She suddenly felt so sorry, for all the innocent people that had died during their adventures. All the people, that would never complete their brief existences. Just to be remembered as another bunch of statistics. Man, she really needed a break.

The Doctor slipped the knife into a mysterious pocket and glanced at the back of Rose. He didn't know what in the world had brought on this emotional outburst; humans were still so unpredictable. Looking at Jack, he felt a small twang of envy at the ex-conman; for all his vanity and flirtatiousness, he still understood human feelings. What it would feel to really lose someone you cared about…he couldn't remember… hid them behind his façade, his unique battered leather jacket, careful grinning face- he'd suppressed his real emotions for so long, he wasn't sure what to make of himself anymore. Maybe he needed to give Rose and himself some time off. He was right; all the travelling had been taking its toll on her. As well as yourself, a darker voice added.

The Doctor was spared from his broodings by their arrival at the hospital. A giant, grey building loomed up over them; barred windows making it look more like a prison than a hospital. A few roses grew in a makeshift garden, possibly someone's idea to make the place a little more colourful and pleasant looking.

Stepping inside, the place smelled of cheap disinfectant. A couple of rows of spindly chairs suggested a waiting area, and a bored looking receptionist sat at her counter, overlooking the entrance. In one fluid movement the Doctor had strolled right up to reception.

"Hello, I'm looking for a-"

"Bobby Lacey," Rose finished.

"Oh, and you are?" The receptionist peered at her from over her glasses.

"Friends," The Doctor said.

"One moment…oh, mail!" The receptionist clicked on her inbox. "Just junk, but all the same…" She looked puzzled.

"C'mon," Jack whispered, and the trio slunk away.

It didn't take them long to locate the right ward, and with a little persuasion the Doctor had managed to convince everyone that they were direct relatives of the kid. "Right, quick check to see if he's OK then we'd better leave," he said. "I still want my tea and biscuits. Oh, and they're finally showing that episode of Eastenders."

"You watch Eastenders?" Rose asked awestruck, despite her gnawing concerns.

"Don't be silly, Rose," the Doctor said. "I just want to see the bit where they kill the guy that rose from the dead. They haven't shown that episode in millennia since the robotic uprising in J'na-am!"

"Thanks for spoiling the plot Doctor," Rose said huffily, giving him a shove.

"Now now guys," Jack tsked. "This is neither the time nor place."

A quick check in on Bobby showed him to be just fine. On the way out, they saw Rose's mum Jackie sat on a plastic bench, underneath a depressing painting of a hospital ward.

"Mum!" Rose threw her arms around her mother.

"Hey love, what're you doing here?" Her mum had tired rings around her eyes, and her lipstick had smudged, giving her the appearance of a sad clown. Luckily the Doctor didn't make any comments.

"How do you do?" He nodded as way of greeting.

Jackie regarded him wearily for a moment, before nodding civilly back.

"Captain Jack Harkness ma'am," Jack bowed.

"Oooh, where did you meet this lad?" Jackie turned to Rose, faint smile tugging on her fatigued features.

"We came to check up on a kid," Rose murmured, letting go of her mother. "You look plastered! How are Anne and her mum Beth?"

Jackie sighed. "No one knows what's wrong with Anne, and Beth's been sobbing on my shoulder all night." Jack hastily removed his hand from Jackie's shoulder. "It's so frustrating, when all I want to do is to go home to sleep. Honestly, since you've gone, I've found I've gotten too soft hearted."

"Well I hadn't noticed," the Doctor muttered.

"Mum, do you want to go get a coffee?" Rose asked, glaring at the Doctor.

He stuck his tongue out in reply.

As Rose led her mother away the Doctor snapped to Jack- "Quick! Back to Bobby's room!"

xXx

After making sure no one was around Jack discreetly closed the door and pulled the curtain across the glass panes. The room was plunged into a gloomy space, silent except for the heavy breathing of the kid Bobby. Jack turned to see the Doctor waving the sonic screwdriver over the kid.

The kid was bathed in an unnatural blue light for a few seconds before the tip glowed red and beeped alarmingly, then settled.

"What's up?" Jack looked concerned.

"Oh nothing," the Doctor replied. "I'm just paranoid is all. The boy's fine- must be a fault with the screwdriver."

The Doctor placed his screwdriver back in his pocket and made his way carefully out of the room. Following, Jack gave the room one last sweep with his radar like eyes before gently shutting the door.

xXx

"-and then we were like, 'woah!' because," Rose stopped, face creased in laughter, "oh mum, you won't believe this- the next Mesopolaptar was like ten times bigger than the last one!" Rose wiped the tears from her eyes, looking to see how her mother would take this. Her laughter died as she saw the sad expression on her mum's face. After a few seconds, Jackie spoke. "It's alright for you, Rose, to be out there seeing all these…these new sights, but what about me? What about Mickey?"

"Oh mum," Rose moaned. "Don't do this to me. Not again!"

"When was the last time I saw you?" Jackie took Rose's hand and stared at her daughter. Before Rose could reply, Jackie said, "I mean really saw you. A few days? One year? Hundreds of years for you?"

Rose put down her coffee mug. "Then come home tonight."

"I want to, I really do," Jackie said, tears now in her eyes. "You've changed so much Rose, but I know there's no point in trying to make you stay now. And is there any reason why you won't dash off suddenly before nine o'clock to follow that new man of yours?"

"Men," Rose corrected.

"The one that says he's a Doctor, and the other one?"

"You mean me?" Rose and Jackie turned to see the Doctor and Jack emerge from the entrance to the hospital café.

"Yeah, mum was just saying how she was looking forward to really getting to know you guys tonight when she comes home, right?" Rose said enthusiastically, giving the Doctor the briefest of glares.

"Right," the Doctor said, preoccupied.

"Pleasure, ma'am," Jack said.

"So that's it then," Rose stood up. "You coming, mum?"

"Can't love, got to stay for a bit longer. Beth'll be needing a shoulder to cry on soon, and then there's the shopping, and the cleaning, and someone knocked over the litter bins outside again, and-"

"We'll take care of all that, won't we Rose?" The Doctor propelled Rose out of the café before she could reply.

xXx

As they were leaving through the foyer, a woman burst past them. She was sobbing; make up ran heavily down her tearstained face and she had to brush brown wispy strands of hair out of her eyes before she looked fit enough to address reception.

"My Robert, where is he!" She wailed.

The receptionist gave the Doctor and his companions a quizzical look as they waltzed past, trying not to catch anyone's attention.

The receptionist coughed. "Surname please?"

"Lacey. Mr Robert Lacey. B-bobby." The woman, Mrs Lacey murmured shakily.

"Just a minute please," the receptionist muttered, scrolling through records. She was breathing heavily. Suddenly her breathing turned into a hacking cough.

"Eurgh, germs," the Doctor said distastefully. "Could be everywhere."

Once they were outside back in the sun Jack turned to Rose. "What do you fancy doing now? We could go for a sunbathe, I'm sure a gorgeous lady like yourself could turn up the degrees even more at a few hotspots I know of."

Rose giggled. "Soz Jack, but my mum's coming home later on and I really need to tidy up the house. Just wait until you see how messy my house is!"

Jack looked at her; puppy dog eyes at the ready.

Rose folded her arms. "I am not falling for that one again. Do you remember the last time-"

"-in Hexamopolis when we got attacked by the Faeséll'rytes and-"

"-we ended up using the salad cream!" Both chorused, then broke into fits of laughter.

"So Doctor, what do you think we should do? Move onto another planet, or stay here?" Rose turned to the Doctor, but her smile faded as she saw how serious he looked.

"I wouldn't mind staying here for a bit longer, if you don't mind of course," the Doctor said thoughtfully, gazing into the distance.

"N-no, of course not," Rose said quickly.

The Doctor hummed and thrust his hand into his pocket, feeling at once the cold sharp tongue of the metal knife against his skin.


What is on the Doctor's mind? Can it be answered before teatime? Find out in the next instalment!