The Bits in Between
Chapter Three: John Benton
By Lumendea
AN: Takes place during Child of Earth.
…..
His reflection still looks odd to him whenever he is in uniform. The style and colour have changed, of course, but he knows what the insignias mean. Brigadier is his rank now, but whenever he hears it, he thinks of his own commanding officer. In the early days of UNIT, it was a dangerous job with death stalking them no matter what the Doctor did. It had been Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's courage and sheer willpower that kept them fighting. He was sure that even the Doctor would agree with that one.
But he does his job. He focuses on keeping the men safe when he can and the Earth safer when he can't. They all seem to think he's a good commanding officer though he is definitely a bit looser than Lethbridge-Stewart was. The old boy back then would never have made bets with the men, but times change, and he has to lead his way. It's a bit strange being friends with Alistair, but they are, and while he doesn't have the Doctor, he has Doctor Taylor and Kate.
Rose is always a source of amusement and irritation for him. The moment he met her, he'd known that she'd get him into trouble. A bit too clever with a brilliant smile. She got her way with that smile more than he thought she realised. Good thing she hadn't figured that out yet, or else he'd never be able to keep the men in line. Private Smith, as smart and solid as he was, had some bad habits when it came to Tyler. But her heart lay elsewhere. He knew it. Instinct, observation, or just wishful thinking, he'd known that Rose Tyler was the girl for the Doctor.
Once he won the money, others asked him how he knew. There'd been rumours for years about Rose Tyler and the Doctor that had originally started with the theory that she was some sort of relative. Benton never bought that one. He'd known the Doctor when he was living on Earth, and he'd never imagined the alien in anything like a romantic relationship. Beyond that, had he ever fathered a child, then Benton was sure that he wasn't the sort to just leave behind a baby without any protection. If nothing else, Benton was sure he would have confided in the Brigadier to make sure the child was watched over. No, that wasn't it.
Maybe she was important. Benton agreed with that one, but it wasn't quite enough. Rose Tyler was a bright girl with a winning smile and an ability to charm that she was a bit blind to. His first time meeting her, he was certain that she was going to shake things up a bit. She'd just helped save the world- no, the universe and stood up to a being that their ancestors had held as a god. He was impressed, and that wasn't the easiest feat.
As crazy as it was to others, he'd felt that romance was the answer once he'd started thinking about it. Course, he didn't start that train of thought until Rose was nineteen, but he'd noticed that she was beautiful, clever, and stubborn. It was the stubbornness that did it, actually. She'd already lectured Lethbridge-Stewart without batting an eyelash. He'd known enough of the Doctor's companions to know that he liked stubbornness and intelligence. He liked those that didn't back down and weren't afraid to ask questions, and Rose was the best or worst of them all, depending on how you looked at it.
Then Rose's wedding had come up, and he'd been so worried. Something had just felt wrong. There was no evidence for it, no logical reason to think so, but sometimes he was a man of instinct. He'd been right; Rose had saved herself and then, with the help of the TARDIS and then snogged the Doctor in front of all of them. Surprise had definitely been one of his reactions, but pleasure and smugness were there too. The Doctor deserved someone, and Rose deserved the stars.
He believed in the Doctor, trusted him, and had risked his career in the past for him. Never regretted it, and he had no doubt that action was part of why Lethbridge-Stewart had recommended him for an officer's commission when they were called back to duty. Still, he liked Rose a lot, and she was human. One of the best their planet had to offer, and if the Doctor was going to take her away from them, then he was going to make sure that his old friend understood a few things first.