Chapter 29: War Comes to England
The weapon was cold against Rose's neck, but she didn't flinch away from it. Another memory flashed through her mind, and she knew this wasn't the first time she'd had a gun pointed at her while John—the Doctor—was forced to watch.
Rose had the vague notion that she hadn't truly been in danger the last time, but tonight, she was very aware of what the stakes were. They couldn't give these people what they wanted. Outside of the fact that she absolutely did not trust them to uphold their promise of letting the other go, it was obvious they were dangerous people with something wicked in mind.
"Make your decision, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler," Jenny ordered.
John stared at Rose, desperation in the tense line of his jaw. "What you're asking is impossible," he growled. "I can't become something I'm not, not even to save Rose." He glared at the aliens, but Rose felt there was something missing in his eyes, a banked rage fuelled by the weight of eternity that would make anyone think twice before antagonising him.
"If neither of you will volunteer, then we'll just have to choose which one of you to kill," Baines drawled. "Perhaps if a human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge."
The hand holding Rose tightened, and she lifted her chin, refusing to show any fear. She doubted they actually planned to kill her, not if they were so intent on using her body, but if this was how she died, she wouldn't cower.
Martha shifted, trying to break Jenny's hold on her, but it was impossible. She stifled an impatient groan—she wanted them to forget she was there, not pay more attention to her.
The look on the Doctor's face scared her and tripled her guilt. She was supposed to keep them safe, and instead, they were in exactly the situation the Doctor had wanted to avoid in the first place. She tried to imagine telling the proper Doctor that she'd failed and Rose had died, but the possibility didn't bear thinking about.
A strangely familiar whine filled the room, and the Family whipped their heads around, their sharp eyes seeking the source.
"Time Lord," a voice whispered.
"It's him!" Baines exclaimed.
The sound ended as suddenly as it had begun, but the distraction had given Martha a chance to get the gun off Jenny and reverse their positions.
She pointed the gun at the Family. "All right! One more move and I shoot."
"Oh, the maid is full of fire," Baines growled. He pushed Rose back to Mr. Clark and aimed his own weapon at Martha.
"And you can shut up!" Martha ordered. She fired at the ceiling, then pointed the weapon back at the aliens holding Rose hostage. "Let her go."
"Careful, Son of Mine," the man cautioned. "This is all for you and Daughter of Mine, so that you can live forever."
Out of the corner of her eye, Martha saw the Doctor shift his weight from one foot to the other. She recognised the look on his face; he was plotting ways to rescue Rose himself. She gritted her teeth, then shoved the weapon into Jenny's neck, wanting to keep the Family's attention focused on her.
Baines pointed his own weapon at Martha. "Shoot you down," he whispered in a voice worthy of a horror movie.
Martha could feel her pulse racing, and she tilted her head back to hide her fear. "Try it. We'll die together."
"Would you really pull the trigger?" Baines taunted. "Looks too scared."
Martha didn't miss a beat. "Scared and holding a gun. It's a good combination. Do you want to risk it?"
The weapons pointed at them were lowered, and Rose ran to the Doctor without any prompting from Martha—and thankfully, before he could get close enough to these people for them to take him instead.
Martha didn't look away from the Family. She'd barely managed to get Rose away from them, and the next step would be equally difficult. "Doctor, get everyone out. There's a door at the side. It's over there." She turned her head enough to look at him, while not losing sight of the Family. "Go on. Do it, Mr. Tyler," she amended, calling him by his human name. "I mean you."
He stood in the middle of the room, his body rigid. Martha had the horrible feeling he was considering rushing at the Family without any weapon in hand at all.
It was Rose who took control of the situation. "Do what she said," she told the people left in the village hall. "Everybody out, now. That means you too, Mr. Jackson. Unless you want to be shot like Mr. Chambers? I didn't think so."
Martha finally heard the Doctor's voice. "Move yourself, boy. Back to the school, quickly."
"And you." Martha looked back at him quickly. "Go on. Just shift."
But he didn't walk away. "What about you?"
Martha said the one thing she knew would get him out of the building. "Mr. Tyler, I think you should escort your wife to safety, don't you?"
oOoOoOoOo
Martha's unsubtle suggestion reminded John of his priorities, and he ran outside where Rose was trying to calm the crowd of terrified villagers cowering on the lawn.
John looked at his wife, then back at the building as he considered what needed to be done. "Mr. Hicks, warn the village. Get everyone out." The butcher nodded and ran into town.
Tim Latimer was watching from the sidelines, and John took the boy by the shoulders. "Latimer, get back to the school. Tell the headmaster the village is under attack and we need to call everyone to arms." Timothy looked like he wanted to say something, but after a moment, he obeyed without a word.
John shoved his hands through his hair and looked back at the village hall, then at Rose. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, and he had no idea what to do next.
Rose took his hand. "We need to get away from here," she said urgently.
There was something in her voice that suggested she believed this crazy story about them being some sort of… aliens. John wanted to argue, but he remembered how those monsters had threatened her with a gun, and he nodded curtly. He needed to get her to safety.
They ran hand in hand down the road, and he tried to ignore how familiar that felt. When they reached the drive for the school, his arm jerked, and he turned to look at her, standing by the gate.
"You need to be at the school right now, John. You have a duty to the boys," she told him when he looked at her inquiringly.
"My first duty is to make sure you're safe at home," he countered.
She shook her head sharply. "John, those… those people, they know who we are. Do you really think I'd be safe at our house?"
He opened and shut his mouth a few times, trying to think of an argument against that. "But they know about the school too. Won't they come after me here?"
Wry humour lit Rose's eyes. "If I'm going to be targeted by dangerous people with guns, I'd rather not be alone when they find me."
That was a point he couldn't refute. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "But I want you to stay in my study, out of danger."
oOoOoOoOo
Martha heard the Doctor's footsteps running away, and she pushed Jenny towards the rest of the family and quickly pointed her weapon at Baines. "Don't try anything. I'm warning you, or Sonny boy gets it."
"She's almost brave, this one," Baines said mockingly.
"I should have taken her form," Jenny bemoaned. The Family advanced on Martha slowly, and she backed up to keep a safe distance between them. "Much more fun. So much spirit."
Martha's hands slipped on the weapon, and she adjusted her hold. "What happened to Jenny? Is she gone?"
"She is consumed." Jenny's head tilted unnaturally. "Her body's mine."
"You mean she's dead," Martha concluded.
"Yes. And she went with precious little dignity. All that screaming."
A straw hand grabbed Martha from behind, covering her mouth so she couldn't cry out.
"Get the gun!" Baines ordered.
When the scarecrow reached for it, Martha took advantage of the moment of inattention and ran from the room.
oOoOoOoOo
"Good work, soldier," Son of Mine said.
The Family stalked towards the door. Outside, humans were still running in fear, and Son of Mine shot randomly after them, enjoying the screams of panic when the energy bolts struck things.
"Run! Ah, this is super. We've been in hiding for too long. This is sport."
Mother of Mine took a deep breath. "I can smell the schoolteacher and his wife. They've gone back to the academy."
"And what do we know about their servant?" Son of Mine asked.
Mother of Mine glowed green while she accessed the memories of her host. "This body has traces of memory. Was once her friend. Martha worked for the Tylers at their cottage."
Daughter of Mine's giggle interrupted Mother of Mine. "The Time Lords are married." She swayed back and forth, her red balloon bobbing in the air. "That is an unexpected advantage."
"That's true, Sister of Mine. We can use them against each other." Son of Mine looked at Mother of Mine and Father of Mine. "Will the Doctor keep his wife safe with him, or will he send her home?"
"We can look for her in both places," Father of Mine said. "You can get back into the school undetected, Son of Mine. Find the Doctor's wife, if she's there."
"And I will go to the Tylers' cottage to look for her, and for the Doctor's TARDIS," Mother of Mine said. She turned to the scarecrows. "Soldiers!"
Father of Mine looked down at the last member of the Family. "As for you, Daughter of Mine, let's go to school."
oOoOoOoOo
Martha caught up with the Doctor and Rose just as he was closing the huge wooden doors to the school. She slipped through, then watched in bewilderment when he grabbed a bell and started ringing it.
She barely stopped herself from grabbing his elbow and yanking the bell out of his hands. "What are you doing?" she demanded instead.
He looked back at her. "Maybe one man can't fight them, but this school teaches us to stand together. Take arms! Take arms!"
"You can't do that!" Martha looked to Rose for backup, but her friend shook her head slightly, and she realised the Doctor had told Rose to hide, and she was staying quiet so he didn't realise she'd disobeyed.
"What do you want me to do, Martha?" the Doctor asked. "Leave these boys unprotected?" He stared at her defiantly and kept ringing the bell. "Take arms! Take arms!"
Hutchinson came running down the stairs."I say sir, what's the matter?
"Enemy at the door, Hutchinson. Enemy at the door." He kept ringing the bell as students flocked towards him. "Take arms!"
Martha looked at the anger on his face and he felt more like a stranger to her than he had in the previous two months. Even the John Tyler she'd gotten to know wouldn't have been so eager to hand guns to boys and expect them to fight. This was anger over the threat to Rose, and she couldn't let him act on it.
She and Rose followed the Doctor to the armoury, where boys were already loading shells into magazine rounds. "You can't do this, Doctor. Mr. Tyler!"
He ignored her, calling out orders to the boys instead, but Martha wouldn't give up. "They're just boys. You can't ask them to fight—they don't stand a chance!"
The Doctor finally looked at her and noticed Rose standing beside her. His nostrils flared, but he didn't say anything to her. "They are cadets, Miss Jones. They are trained to defend the King and all his citizens and properties."
"What in thunder's name is this?" the headmaster demanded as he strode into the room. The boys all stopped what they were doing and stood up straight. "Before I devise an excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone explain very simply and immediately exactly what is going on?"
The Doctor walked over to him. "Headmaster, I have to report the school is under attack."
"Really? Is that so?" the headmaster asked incredulously. "Perhaps you and I should have a word in private."
"No, I promise you, sir," the Doctor said earnestly. "Rose and I were in the village, at the dance. It's Baines, sir. Jeremy Baines and Mr. Clark from Oakham Farm. They've gone mad, sir. They've got guns. They've already murdered people in the village. I saw it happen."
The headmaster looked to Rose for confirmation. "Mrs. Tyler, is that so?"
She nodded quickly. "Yes, Mr. Roscastle."
The headmaster's eyebrows shot up. "Murder on our own soil?"
"I saw it. Yes," Rose said, her voice firm.
He looked back at the Doctor, the expression on his face less severe. "Perhaps you did well then, Mr. Tyler. What makes you think the danger's coming here?"
"Well, sir, they said—"
Martha sucked in a breath; she knew enough of the headmaster to know he wouldn't accept anything close to the real answer. Thankfully, Rose interrupted the Doctor before he could continue.
"Baines threatened John, sir. Said he'd follow him. We don't know why."
The Doctor nodded at her, then looked back at the headmaster.
"Very well." The headmaster started giving orders. "You boys, remain on guard. Mr. Snell, telephone for the police. Mr. Philips, with me. We shall investigate."
"No!" Martha held up a hand. "But it's not safe out there."
The headmaster looked back at the Doctor. "Mr. Tyler, it seems your servant is giving me advice. You will control her, sir."
Martha watched helplessly as the two teachers left the room. "I've got to find those watches," she muttered.
"What watches?" Rose asked quietly.
The Doctor interrupted before Martha could answer. "Rose, you promised to stay in my study until this was over." He looked both displeased and desperate. "Please."
"I'll go with you, Rose," Martha offered. She'd already searched through his study twice, but she couldn't think of another place where the watches might be—and she refused to consider the possibility that they were lost.
Rose nodded submissively, and the tense line of the Doctor's shoulders relaxed. It amused Martha to realise he was so distracted by what was going on that Rose's uncharacteristic acquiescence didn't stir any concern in him, but she'd gladly take advantage of his inattention.
oOoOoOoOo
John watched from the window of the armoury as the headmaster and Mr. Philips strode through the front door of the school. Mr. Clark and the young girl with the red balloon stood together in the courtyard, surrounded by some of their scarecrows.
Tension knotted in John's gut when Roscastle and Philips approached them with ill-advised boldness. "Mr. Clark," the headmaster said. "I h ear you have been wreaking havoc in the village."
"Good evening, Headmaster," Mr. Clark said. "Have you come to offer suggestions on where I've gone wrong, just like you always used to do whenever you saw me mending the fences in my fields? I'm afraid you have as little expertise in this as you do in fence making, however."
"Mr. Tyler said there had been deaths," the headmaster said.
"That's right, Mr. Roscastle—and they were good deaths, too." The moonlight glinted off Mr. Clark's teeth when he smiled. "I suppose you do have some experience in death. How many people did you kill in your war, sir?"
John saw the same evil light in his eyes that he'd noticed when he'd held a gun to Rose's temple, but the headmaster didn't seem to notice.
Mr. Roscastle's chin jutted out. "I served in the King's army," he said quellingly. "I didn't simply go around killing willy-nilly." The headmaster pointed to the child. "And I certainly didn't hold young girls hostage. What is the meaning of this, sir?"
"Let's all just calm down," Mr. Philips suggested. He pointed at the scarecrows. "And who are these friends of yours, Clark, in fancy dress?"
Mr. Clark smirked at the deputy headmaster. "Do you like them, Mr. Philips? Son of Mine made them. Look." He yanked an arm off of one of the scarecrows. "Molecular fringe animation fashioned in the shape of straw men. Our own private army."
Mr. Philips held his hand out to the girl. "You, child. Come out of the way. Come into the school. You don't know who's out there. It's the Cartwright girl, isn't it? Come here. Come to me."
Just like on the village green that afternoon, John could see everything that would happen. This time though, he had no way of stopping it.
"You're funny," the little girl said.
Mr. Philips smiled at her. "That's right. Now take my hand."
"So funny," she repeated in a singsong voice. Then, in the blink of an eye, she pulled her weapon out from behind her back and vaporised Mr. Philips, just like Mr. Chambers had been vaporised at the dance.
The headmaster stared at the spot where Mr. Philips had stood just a moment ago, and he asked in a strained voice, "What is it you want, and why did you teach a young child to kill like that?"
"This is Daughter of Mine," Mr. Clark said. "As for what we want…" His amusement disappeared and he took an aggressive stance. "Mr. Rocastle, you will send us the Tylers. That's all we want, sir, John and Rose Tyler and whatever they've done with their Time Lord consciousnesses. Then we'd be very happy to leave you alone."
The headmaster tilted his head. "You speak with someone else's voice, Mr. Clark. Who might that be?"
"We are the Family of Blood," Mr. Clark announced.
"Well, I warn you, the school is armed."
Mr. Clark raised an insolent eyebrow. "I look forward to seeing how well your weapons match against ours, and your little boy soldiers against our army."
He drew himself up and pointed his weapon at the headmaster. "Now! Run along, Headmaster. Run back to school. And send us the Tylers!"
The headmaster ran for the door, and just as he entered the school, someone called John's name.
John dropped the curtain and turned around. "What is it, Mr. Snell?"
"I've been trying to call for help, as the headmaster instructed, but I can't get connect to the operator."
"They've cut our phone line," John realised.
"It would appear so, sir. What would you like me to do now?"
The headmaster entered the room before John could answer. "Mr. Philips has been murdered, Mr. Tyler. Can you tell me why?"
John shook his head and put his hands on his hips. "Honestly, sir, I have no idea. And the telephone line's been disconnected. We are on our own."
The headmaster set his jaw. "If we have to make a fight of it, then make a fight we shall. Hutchinson, we'll build a barricade within the courtyards. Fortify the entrances, build our defences. Gentlemen, in the name of the King, we shall stand against them."
The boys all agreed eagerly as the headmaster strode out of the room, leaving John staring at a roomful of boys who had just been turned into soldiers. Unwillingly, he joined the preparations for battle, hating the very idea of it but not knowing what else could be done.
oOoOoOoOo
"What happened here?" Rose exclaimed when they reached John's study. He was far from being the neatest person on the planet, but this disaster of books and papers strewn about the floor definitely wasn't the way he'd left his study.
"I've already looked for the watches twice," Martha explained as she opened the desk drawer and started rummaging through the papers inside. "Though it looks like the Family came through after I left last time."
Rose turned a slow circle in the middle of the room, still stunned by the mess. "What exactly are these watches, Martha?" she asked.
"I know it sounds mad, but when you and the Doctor became human, you took the alien part of yourselves and stored it inside the watches." Martha shoved the drawer closed and started sifting through the papers on the desk. "They're not really watches; they just look like watches."
Rose nodded. It sounded mad, like Martha said, but somehow, it also sounded right. "And by alien, you mean we we come from another world?"
Martha shook her head slightly. "He does, but you were born on Earth. In London, actually. Then something happened—you've never told me what—and you… changed. Most people still think you're human, but this Family, they can tell. Because it's time they want, and that's what you have, Rose."
"You looked into the Time Vortex. Rose, no one's meant to see that."
Rose's dream from the night before returned, and she swayed a little. "Bad Wolf," she whispered.
Martha gave up on the desk and ducked into John's closet library. "I've never heard that name before."
"I am the Bad Wolf, and I create myself… to keep my Doctor safe."
Martha snorted. "Well, that sounds like the two of you," she agreed. "Both of you, obsessed with keeping the other one safe."
The urgency of the search hit her, and Rose moved to to the couch and pulled up the cushions. "Ever since John showed me his journal and I realised we were having the same dreams, I've been… well, I guess I've been remembering things. Like tonight, at the dance. Martha, this is going to sound like a crazy question, but have I ever been threatened with a gun before?"
"Yes, you have!" Martha ran to Rose and hugged her. "You're remembering! Will you help me convince the Doctor, once we find the watches? Because I have a feeling he's going to be a harder nut to crack."
"Leave John to me."
Looking at Martha, Rose was struck by the thought that she knew nothing about her—not if everything in their life was a carefully constructed lie. "So, Martha. If the Doctor and I are married and we travel together, who are you? Why do you know so much about us?"
"I'm your friend," she said, and the sincerity eased Rose's fears. "We met in a hospital on the moon, and then you asked me to come with you."
Rose remembered strange rhino-like creatures and a guttural, rhyming language. "Judoon platoon upon the moon."
Martha's eyes lit up. "Yes! That's it. And more than that, I don't just follow you around. I'm training to be a doctor." A half-smile teased the corners of her mouth. "Not an alien doctor, a proper doctor. A doctor of medicine. That's why I was at the hospital that day."
"I always felt like you were meant to be more than just a servant." Rose looked around the study. "We need to convince John," she said. "Maybe if he believes us, he'll remember where he put the watches. I don't think this Family will wait very long for their prize, and I don't like to think about what they'll do if they don't get an answer soon."
oOoOoOoOo
Once the preparations were in place outside of the building, John went back inside to make sure the armoury was managed well. "You're with Armitage and Thwaites," he told Pemberton. "They know the drill."
He frowned when he spotted Rose and Martha coming down the stairs. Martha stood off to the side while Rose came over and took his hand. "Rose, it's not safe."
The corners of her mouth turned up in the barest hint of a smile. "Fine evening we've had together."
"Things like this seem to happen to us whenever we try to have a nice evening out." John furrowed his brows as soon as those words came out of his mouth. Where did that thought come from?
Rose took his other hand and looked at him seriously. "Will you come over here and talk with me for a moment, John?"
There wasn't time, but John allowed her to pull him away from the main traffic path, into a tiny cupboard beneath the stairs. Martha muttered something about Harry Potter as she closed the door behind them, but John focused on Rose.
Rose looked up at him and the light from the bare bulb cast harsh shadows across her face. "John, those people, they'll never stop until they get the Time Lords they're looking for."
John took her hands again. "Rose, you can't believe—"
"Even if they're madmen, they think that's what they need." She bit her lip. "You wrote about them in your journal. Don't you remember?"
John gritted his teeth. Those dreams had come most frequently, about a group of hunters calling themselves the Family of Blood, just like Mr. Clark had told the headmaster. At Rose's request, the Doctor had hidden them both from the Family, even though letting a threat to Rose go unchallenged hadn't set well with him.
One of his drawings flashed through his memory—a fob watch on a chain. Martha had talked about watches…
John looked from Martha to Rose. Both women wanted him to change, to become this Doctor. He knew from his dreams that the Doctor would still be married to Rose, still love her as much as John did, but there was something else he knew as well.
He looked over his shoulder at their friend. "Martha, you say all my dreams are really memories—that these things all happened to me."
She straightened up and clasped her hands tightly in front of herself. "That's right."
"Then what about all the times he put Rose in danger?" The white wall from last night's dream flashed through his mind, but that was far from the only nightmare he'd had about nearly losing Rose. He'd seen Rose climbing from the rubble of 10 Downing Street, Rose held hostage by the metal creature whose picture had frightened her so much the night before, Rose without a face… "Do you know how many times he'd thought he'd lost her? How can you ask me to change back into someone who constantly endangers my love's life?"
John pulled Rose close. Her hair was falling into her face, and when he brushed it back over her ear, she pressed her cheek against his hand. "I can't do that, Rose," he said, his voice hoarse. "I'll always do whatever it takes to keep you safe—you know that."
She nodded, then looked at Martha. "Martha, would you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?"
The door opened and closed behind them, and John knew they were alone. He eyed his wife warily, knowing she'd asked to be alone so she could continue to persuade him to be this Doctor. He braced himself for her arguments, but nothing prepared him for what she said next.
"You're not the only one who's had dreams, John."
John blinked. "What?"
Rose looked at him steadily. "I've had dreams too, of a different life in a fantastic ship that's bigger on the inside."
"What?" His mouth dropped open; this couldn't be true.
"I dreamt of walking on an ocean of frozen waves, of red rocks and flying rays, of a waterfall hidden away in a tropical paradise."
Woman Wept, Makuyu, Barcelona, John's traitorous mind supplied.
"You've seen those places too, haven't you?"
He wanted to lie, but the habit of being truthful with Rose was too ingrained, it seemed. "Yes," he answered reluctantly.
She ran her knuckles over his face, then cradled his jaw in her hand. "Doesn't the fact that we've seen the same places tell you the dreams are real?"
Rose was only speaking aloud the same conclusion he'd reached, but John wasn't ready to let go of their life together in their perfect little cottage. "Aren't we real, Rose?" John took her hand and held it to his heart. "Our marriage, our life here in Farringham, are those lies?"
She slumped a little. "No, of course not. No."
He pressed his advantage. "But this Doctor sounds like some, some romantic lost prince. Would you rather that? Am I not enough?"
The tears in her eyes made him feel horrible, but at the same time, he needed to know. Did she believe Martha's story because she wanted the Doctor who could take her to all those places? Was he not truly enough for Rose?
"No, John, that's not true. Never."
The conviction behind her answer made him blink, and she smiled sadly. She traced a finger over his eyebrow. "I will always love you, no matter who you are or what you look like."
Part of John's brain said that second line should sound odd, but it didn't. Instead, the promise filled him with a dangerous warmth—dangerous because it made him want to do what she was asking and become this Doctor. Surely it couldn't be all bad if Rose would always be with him.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, putting the choice in her hands.
Sounds of a fight entered the cupboard, and Rose flinched. "We need to open those watches, as soon as Martha finds them. In the meantime, let's focus on getting the boys out to safety."
"The headmaster has called the school to fight."
Rose shook her head. "John, they're children. I know you don't want them to fight, and we both know the Doctor wouldn't."
He nodded slowly. She was right. "I'll talk to the headmaster."
"And I'll get the younger ones rounded up. I'll meet you outside, behind the trees along the path that goes to the cottage."
John kept his hand over Rose's, preventing her from leaving, then he wrapped his other arm around her waist. Rose slid her hand up to his neck and tilted her head back, welcoming the gentle pressure of his lips on hers.
Her hand moved into his hair, and John's tongue swept into her mouth as he bent her back slightly. Something told him he wouldn't see his wife again as John Tyler, and he wanted her to remember this version of himself after the Doctor returned.
He pulled out of the kiss after a few moments and brushed his thumb over her lips. "I love you, Rose Tyler," he pledged, and he took the memory of her smile with him when he went to talk to the headmaster.
oOoOoOoOo
Rose's lips were still tingling from that last kiss as she walked to the dormitory. It was a goodbye kiss, but she knew this wasn't actually goodbye. She loved her husband, no matter what he called himself, and they would always be together.
Forever. The word whispered from deep within her memories, and Rose shivered at the promise it hinted at.
The younger boys were huddled together in one room, without anyone watching them. What kind of school cares more about arming boys than protecting them?
Rose took a breath and pushed her anger aside. "Get your coats, boys," she said briskly. "The school isn't safe right now; we need to leave."
They blinked up at her, and she remembered that they didn't really know her. "I'm Mrs. Tyler," she told them, "Mr. Tyler asked me to take care of you."
Still, none of them moved until one crept away from the huddle. "And you'll take us away from the guns, ma'am?"
Her heart broke. "I will."
The boys moved quickly then, and she had the one who'd come forward lead the group. "Go to the rear of the school, towards the kitchen," she told him. "I'll stay at the back to make sure no one falls behind. We've got to get all of you outside, to the footpath that runs behind the school."
When the last boy trailed into the kitchen, Rose turned around find John. She could still hear fighting, which meant he hadn't convinced the headmaster yet. Though she doubted her word would sway the pig-headed man, it couldn't hurt.
Before she reached the main corridor, a hand clamped down on her wrist. Rose looked behind her, and when she saw Baines, she opened her mouth to scream.
"Oh, I don't think so, Mrs. Tyler," he said, and covered her mouth with a sickly-sweet smelling cloth.
Rose tried to hold her breath, but Baines was patient, and all too soon she had to fill her lungs with air. Chloroform entered her lungs along with oxygen, and her last thought was that the Family had just made their fatal error.
AN: You can picture me, sitting at my computer rubbing my hands together gleefully. This is why I've been cagey about how Rose would convince John to open the watch. Obviously, there's no heartbreaking scene in the farmhouse where they see a glimpse of the human lives they could have, etc. There is a heartbreaking scene in the farmhouse, but it is totally and completely different.
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