Bits In Between

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Two: Chess Match II

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material, and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Takes place late in Journey Amongst the Stars after Jack joins the TARDIS team and before Bad Wolf. This is dedicated to Peramia who so loves the Black and Rose dynamic and brought me great joy in comparing The Black Guardian to a grumpy older brother. How did the Black Guardian become one of my favorites to write?!

…

The Doctor wasn't worried exactly. Yes, Rose had wandered off, but Rose was, in general, reasonably capable of looking after herself. The market of Freya II was peaceful if large and full of humans from roughly 1,000 years in Rose's future, so her species wouldn't get her in trouble. Still, his eyes scanned the market with a growing sense of worry.

Then Jack came jogging up, a smile on his face that immediately put the Doctor at ease. "Found her," Jack said. "She's playing chess in the park."

"Playing chess?" the Doctor repeated.

"Yeah, with some guy dressed all in black," Jack replied. He shrugged. "She waved me off when I came over to check on her, seemed to be a close match."

The Doctor relaxed. Chess in the park. That was fine. It was even close to where he'd parked the TARDIS if he recalled correctly. Rose must have decided waiting there was the best option. He smiled in relief. At least they wouldn't need to search the planet.

"Right," the Doctor said. "Well, I've got the parts we need. Might as well head back to the TARDIS."

Jack nodded, giving him a knowing look, and promptly took the lead. It wasn't far from the center of the market, full of stalls and merchants to the park. He could see the TARDIS parked in the shadow of a nearby building across from the garden in question. It was a classic park with large leafy trees casting shade over natural grasses. A fountain in the center was surrounded by playing children and gossiping parts. To the side of that was a raised area with a few stone chess tables.

He spotted Rose easily enough. Her French braid was beginning to come loose, and she'd shrugged off her jacket in the heat, but she seemed fine. That was until he took in her opponent. It was the Black Guardian. The Doctor straightened up and bit his tongue not immediately to shout in alarm. Jack immediately caught on to his discomfort.

"What is it? Is Rose in danger?"

"I don't know," the Doctor answered honestly.

Rose made a move, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She seemed calm. The Doctor slowly approached, keeping his eyes on the Black Guardian. He wasn't sure what the Guardian was doing here and was uneasy about accepting that this was only a simple chess game.

"There's himself," Rose greeted. She glanced in his direction and gave him a bright smile before turning her attention back to the game. "Find everything you needed?"

"Yes," the Doctor answered. "Rose, what are-"

"Silence, Doctor," the Black Guardian growled. "I will not tolerate you distracting me."

"He's pretty desperate to win," Rose informed them. She took a sip from a teacup that certainly wasn't part of the park's chess set up. "I'm ahead in victories so far."

"Not by much," the Black Guardian snarled.

"But by enough." Rose shook her head, almost fondly. "And you are a poor loser."

The Black Guardian growled, but Rose just smiled and moved her knight to take a bishop and put his queen in danger. She beamed at the Guardian and received a glare for her troubles. The Doctor just stared, trying to understand what he was seeing.

"This is… normal for you two?"

"He needed another chess partner other than White," Rose said as if that explained things. "We haven't played for a while."

"Because you insist on running around with riffraff," the Black Guardian huffed with a pointed nod at the Doctor.

"I am riffraff," Rose laughed. She looked over at the Doctor. "You boys were busy, so a chess match sounded good. Won't be too much longer." Black's hand inched towards her knight. Rose slapped it lightly as she turned her attention back to him. "No cheating, Black."

He grumbled but pulled his hand back. "Rose Tyler is perfectly safe, Doctor. Go back to your box," the Black Guardian grumbled as he surveyed the board. "I only mean to destroy her in this game."

Rose laughed and glanced up at the Doctor. "Really, it's fine. I'll meet you back at the TARDIS." She nodded towards the Black Guardian. "He's more likely to lose his temper with you hovering."

"Correct," the Black Guardian said with a dark look at the Doctor. Then he moved his queen out of danger and took one of Rose's pawns. "Don't waste my time, Time Lord."

The sky seemed to darken at the words, and a chill rolled down the Doctor's spine. Rose gave the Black Guardian a stern and somewhat disappointed look. The feeling passed, and the park brightened. That earned the Black Guardian a small smile from Rose, and the Doctor just didn't know what to think. Jack gripped his arm and tugged him a few steps back before he could do anything stupid.

"We'll meet you at the TARDIS," Jack said. "Come on, Doc, might as well install these parts."

Somehow, in his stunned stupor, the Doctor was pulled back to the TARDIS by Jack. His brain was still struggling with what he'd just witnessed. He'd heard about it from Rose, but- but it was real. The Black Guardian had shown up for a chess match, and it seemed a completely normal chess match. No favors or debts on the line.

"Who was he?" Jack asked as he closed the TARDIS doors. "Seems to like Rose and hate you."

"An old enemy," the Doctor grumbled. But the Black Guardian had saved him and Rose on Hela from the collapsing tunnels made by the Monk. "He's known as the Black Guardian. A personification of evil and chaos. He's got some connection to Rose. I'm not sure what that's about."

"Well, she seemed fine, if focused," Jack said. He waited for the Doctor to say something. "She's pretty cute when her nose wrinkles up in concentration."

"Jack."

"So, should I expect to start finding you and Rose playing chess in the library?" Jack asked. "I mean, it's not the best wooing technique, but it would be a step up from taking her to the literal destruction of her planet," Jack teased.

"Just… don't."

Jack chuckled but raised his hands in a signal of surrender. The Doctor slipped under the console and began to bark orders at Jack as the pair worked on the replacements. He was aware of the minutes ticking by until Rose opened the door and entered the TARDIS.

"He pulled a win," Rose announced with a sigh. "And was very smug about it too. I think he's been studying chess books. He tried some new strategies." The Doctor slid out from under the console to look at Rose. "I'll get him next time." She smiled at him, completely indifferent to the fact that she'd just played chess with a literal embodiment of evil and chaos. "So, can I help?"

Holding back a grin, the Doctor immediately accepted the help, finally relaxing the rest of the way. It was clear the Black Guardian hadn't harmed Rose, and he didn't seem inclined to harm her, but he found that he simply preferred it when Rose was close by. Just in case. The Black Guardian didn't like him, and the Doctor wasn't particularly inclined to trust Rose's safety with him either far better that she was in the TARDIS with him.