CHAPTER 4

In her mother's living room, Rose collapsed in an armchair, holding a steaming mug, with Jackie sitting next to her. In a sort of exhausted trance, Rose painfully explained how the Doctor had left her. By the end of it, Jackie was fuming.

"That man! I'm gonna kill him! Does he even realise what he's done to my daughter? Oooh... when I get my hands on him..." Her rant continued for some time, the Doctor receiving every human curse Jackie knew, until she was interrupted.

"Mum... I don't think you'll be able to get your hands on him... he's dead." She explained the contents of her letter, concerning the Genesis project. Some of the Doctor's feelings she kept to herself, however. Some things were just too personal to share. Jackie sat and stared silently at the floor.

"Oh..." She was broken off by a knock at the door. Anxious to have something to do, Rose stood up.

"I'll go and get that."

Jackie nodded and went to the kitchen to make more tea.

On opening the door, Rose was suprised to see a stocky man of average height, wearing very dusty clothes that were covered in paint and a hard hat. She gave him a bewildered stare.

"'Ello sweetheart, who are you then?"

"...Rose Tyler." She responded cautiously.

"Blimey, you're Jackie's daughter! Come 'ome from travelling, eh? Listen darling, you should come home more often, she worries about you an awful lot, she does. Thinks the world of you though..."

Unused to total strangers greeting her so enthusiastically on her doorstep, Rose decided it was time she enlightened herself.

"Who are you?"

The builder laughed. "Me? I'm Harold, that's who. Now could you let me in, dearie? I'm sure Jackie's pleased to see me."

Rose opened the door further and let Harold in. Moving into the living room, she hurried into the kitchen and opened the door.

"Mum... there' a bloke called Harold waiting in the lounge... who is he?"

"Harold... oh!"

Jackie entered the living room only to be picked up by Harold, who gave her a huge hug and planted kisses on both her cheeks. Rose watched, fearing for her own sanity. Eventually Harold put Jackie down on the carpet.

"Jacks - good to see you! My shift's done, so I'm here for the rest of the day." With that, he slumped himself on the sofa and switched the telly on.

"Mum!" Rose hissed. Jackie looked at her.

"Come and help me with the tea, Rose." she said. "Harold? Fancy a cuppa?"

Upon Harold's acceptance, Rose followed Jackie into the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

"Mum - there's a strange man sitting in our living room - who the hell is he?"

Jackie looked affronted. "It's only Harold, dear - works down the local building site. Used to work at the fruit stall in the market, don't you remember?"

Recalling this man, the one who kept fruit in his dressing gown, Rose laughed.

Jackie continued. "Well, he lives here now. Got somewhere to come home to. And he keeps me company, what with you being away eleven months out of the twelve."

Rose visibly shuddered at the mention of her travels, and Jackie's expression softened.

"I didn't mean that. Come on, Rose, let's take the tea in."

In the living room, Harold had found a decent film on television and Rose and Jackie sat down with him to watch it. As Rose sat down, a message appeared on the television screen.

The voiceover sounded strangely emotional. "We interrupt this broadcast to bring you an urgent news warning. It has been confirmed, today, that alien life has invaded the British Isles."

Amateur video footage suddenly appeared on the screen, apparantly from Central London. Huge mushroom-like vehicles were zooming through the air, emitting large clouds of green smoke. The camera shook as an explosion occured in the near vicinity. More footage on the Underground, where no-one could see. The Houses of Parliament were apparantly on fire, and several senior politicians appeared stranded on the roof. Someone had written an SOS in Hyde Park using ketchup. The centre of London appeared to be in absoloute chaos. The voiceover seemed to be having hysterics as she narrated the terrible pictures.

"We are being attacked by what is apparantly an alien force, the main army of which has landed opposite Big Ben. Negotiations have begun with the Prime Minister and members of the UN after the aliens informed them that they had landed in London with the intention of capturing Rose Tyler, and I quote: "She will be the first one to suffer." Ms. Tyler, if you are there, give yourself up."

The commentary resumed, but Jackie, Harold and Rose all ignored it. Jumping out of our chair, Rose ran for the door.

"Mum, we've got to get to Westminister - NOW!"

"Sweetheart - are you mad? You'll get yourself killed. We need to hide!"

"The Doctor told me, in his letter, that if the Earth needs saving, I'm in charge Mum. And that's exactly what I'm gonna be. Someone's gotta save the planet!"

Jackie beamed with pride at her daughter, and Rose grinned, glad she had her mother's approval. She turned to Harold.

"Public transport's gonna be down, so have you got a car, or a truck or something?"

"Well, my Mini's being repaired, but there is the haulage company van-"

"Perfect!"

They all ran out of the front door, and onto the street. People who had seen the broadcast were running down the road towards them, angry expressions on their faces.

"Uh-oh..." Rose muttered.

"What're we gonna do?" screamed Jackie, nearing hysterics.

"RUN!" Rose grabbed Jackie's and Harold's hands and sprinted with them down backstreets and alleways, towards the haulage company carpark. By the time they arrived, they had lost the crowd and were now across the road from the carpark.

"Harold, sneak in, grab the van and straight back out, got it?"

Unused to sneaking, Harold managed a stuttered, "I... think so," before setting off to get the van. Rose and Jackie waited in agonising silence for several minutes that felt like hours before they heard tyres on the road and, with a squeal of the brakes, Harold's van skidded to a halt next to them.

Harold looked pleased. "Get in, you lot."

Rose shook her head in amazement. She couldn't believe she was about to save the world in a battered truck, covered in paint and graffiti, with the standard "Pete and Co. Haulage Company" "A busy truck is a happy truck" on it. It was crazy. But crazy was a constant once the Doctor had touched your life, Rose mused. She leapt into the front seat and slammed the door.