AN: So I realize that the flashback is a lot longer than the present point of the story. For the present time of the story, this chapter was a bit of a filler, so that's the way it worked out. Hope you all enjoy!
Nine Years Earlier:
John Smith stood anxiously at the train station.
It had been three years since he'd seen her, since he had moved to London to work at Royal Hope Hospital. Sure they exchanged frequent phone calls and emails, but it wasn't the same. They had been close, very close, before John left and he was eager to see her again. Finally, he spotted her, stepping out of the train.
"Sarah Jane," he called, grinning.
Sarah Jane turned, hearing her name come from that familiar voice and smiled. "John. It's good to see you," Sarah Jane said when she approached him, giving him a hug.
"How've you been?" John asked, once they parted.
"Oh, very good. In fact, the reason why I'm in London is for an assignment. I got a job at the paper in Aberdeen and they want me to investigate some school in London. Something about inadequate teachers. I may get to go undercover."
John smile proudly at his friend. Ever since they were young, Sarah Jane was always curious, always eager to uncover mysteries. He was happy for her when she decided to become a journalist, seeing how happy it made her. "Oh, that's fantastic. But, you're here for work? Not to see me?" John said, pretending to be offended.
"Oh hush you," Sarah Jane scolded lightly, "The deciding factor for me was that I could see you again. Now come on, I'm hungry. Let's go eat."
"We can go pick up something and then head to my flat," John suggested. Sarah Jane nodded and the two headed off.
dwdwdwdwdw
"Shireen, are you sure this was a good idea?" Rose said, biting her lip, as she spoke to her friend on the phone.
"Rose, don't be daft, of course it's a good idea! John will love it!" Shireen reassured.
"But, he's been working a lot lately and his schedule has been unpredictable. What if he can't even make it to his flat soon? What if he's in surgery? What if he's tired and doesn't want company," Rose replied, still unsure.
"John will be happy to see you even if he's tired. I'm sure he'll be thrilled you decided to surprise him in his flat with a home cooked meal," Shireen said.
"If you say so," Rose told Shireen but she still sounded nervous. She didn't know why she was, after all she and John had been together longer than she had been with anyone. She felt completely comfortable and happy with him. But lately, he'd been extremely busy with working at the hospital and they didn't get to see each other as much as they liked.
The sound of the key turning in the lock of the front door broke Rose away from her thoughts. She jumped, startled at the door opening but quickly recovered. She smoothed out her new dress and walked over to the door.
John walked in his flat; an expression of surprise crossed his face as he saw Rose. "Rose? Love, what are you doing here?" he asked, coming to give her a hug and quick kiss.
Before Rose could deepen the kiss, she heard a slight cough come from the doorway. She turned to see a woman of about John's age standing there.
"Oh," Rose squeaked, surprised and she quickly pulled away from John, blushing slightly.
"Who's this?" The woman asked John, and Rose could hear the protectiveness in her voice.
Rose turned to John, silently asking him the same question.
"Rose, this is Sarah Jane," John said, slightly uncomfortable, "Sarah Jane, this is Rose."
Sarah Jane and Rose looked at each other warily. Rose didn't know what to think. She and John hadn't been able to see each other much lately and now John was bringing a woman to his flat.
John noticed how tense Rose was and could see the slightly worried, slightly hurt look in her eyes, rushed to reassure her. "Rose, Sarah Jane is a childhood friend."
"He's never mentioned me?" Sarah Jane asked, surprised and a little bit hurt.
Rose shook her head and asked. "Has he ever mentioned me?"
Sarah Jane shook her head too. They both looked towards John; feeling slightly betrayed that he wouldn't mention important people in his life to either of them. He looked at them, increasingly uncomfortable.
"So, John, who is Rose?" Sarah Jane asked curiously. She eyed the young woman, wondering why a girl of her age would be in John's flat.
"She's, uh, my girlfriend," John said, flushing lightly. He'd meant to tell Sarah Jane about Rose, he really did, but he didn't even know how to tell his oldest friend he was seeing a woman who was not only years younger than him, but underage.
Shock was evident on Sarah Jane's face. "Your girlfriend? They're getting younger aren't they?"
Rose's faced Sarah Jane, her expression hardening. She had just met this woman. John had said they were friends, but he never clarified if they were always just friends. Rose didn't like how she was already passing judgment on her and John's relationship.
John could tell Rose was becoming defensive and quickly attempted to steer the conversation away from their relationship. "Why don't we go into the kitchen and eat. Sarah Jane, you said you were hungry. Rose, we picked up some food, so we can eat right away," John suggested.
Rose flushed slightly, remembering the reason why she was here. "Actually, I already sort of cooked. I wanted to surprise you with a meal, because we've hardly seen each other these past few weeks."
John's gazed at her tenderly, cupping her cheek. "Thank you, Rose." he said, giving her a soft smile that she returned. After a second, John pulled his hand away from her face and grasped hers. "Let's eat."
Rose turned to look at Sarah Jane. She and Sarah Jane stared at each other for a long, tense moment before the two followed John into the kitchen. John sighed. It was going to be a long day.
dwdwdwdwdwdw
As the three continued to eat and spend more time together, Rose became increasingly more uncomfortable. Sarah Jane had been chilly at first, and Rose knew that she was suspicious of Rose's motives in dating such an older man. Rose was relieved to see that Sarah Jane seemed to recognize that she and John cared deeply about each other, as Sarah Jane eventually warmed up to her.
But Rose was still uncomfortable.
As John and Sarah Jane caught up, Rose had become quieter. It was clear to her how brilliant Sarah Jane was. She was accomplished, having a successful career, and she and John were obviously close. Rose felt that she couldn't even compare with Sarah Jane. Rose sat there, thinking of her lack of A levels and dead end job as a shop girl and thought of how Sarah Jane could have easily ended up with John.
Sarah Jane noticed Rose becoming quieter and glanced over at John, who seemed to be oblivious to Rose's discomfort, more focused on telling her things that had happened since he moved to London. She sighed. John was always a daft man. He was usually attentive, but when he got excited, like he was now, he was always so oblivious to what others were feeling. She felt for Rose, she really did. Although Rose seemed a bit too young, she seemed to care a lot about John. From their short interaction, she could tell Rose was clever and well-suited for John. She hadn't seen John this happy in a while and she was worried about him. The whole reason why he had moved out of London in the first place was to avoid his parents. When he moved back, Sarah Jane was worried he would grow tired of his parents' nagging and be unhappy. But she was glad that Rose seemed to make him so happy and relaxed.
"So, Rose, tell me more about you. You're still in school right?" Sarah Jane asked, trying to include Rose in the conversation.
"Uh, yeah, but I think this will be my last year," Rose said quietly.
"Are you taking your A levels soon?" Sarah Jane asked.
Rose blushed. "Um, I don't think I'm going to. A few years back, I got behind in school because of a boy, and it's not like I can afford university so-" Rose's eyes widened as she stopped herself, realizing that she was probably sharing way too much information to a woman she just met.
But Sarah Jane held no judgment in her eyes. Instead, she nodded. She sensed Rose didn't want to speak anymore about the topic and diverted the attention away from Rose. But she was definitely going to ask John about it later.
dwdwdwdwdwdwdw
After the three of them finished eating, Rose told John she needed to get home because her mother would get worried if she was out too late. John seemed a bit disappointed that she wasn't going to spend the night, but he nodded and told her he would drive her home, telling Sarah Jane that they would drop Rose off at her flat before he took her to her hotel.
Once they had dropped off Rose, Sarah Jane decided to ask John about her. "Rose seemed lovely."
John smiled. "Yeah, she is. She really is."
Sarah Jane smiled. "John Smith, I never thought I'd see you so in love with someone."
"I'm lucky to have her."
"Is Rose really considering not taking her A levels? She seemed brilliant," Sarah Jane said.
John sighed. "Yeah, I tell her she should, but she doesn't really want to talk about it with me. I think she believes that I won't understand. She's lived on an estate her whole life and so have her friends so it's hard to convince her to take them when most of her friends aren't."
Sarah Jane looked at John. He looked tired, as if he and Rose had had this conversation many times. "Maybe you don't."
"Sarah-" John started.
"No, listen. John, you two come from very different backgrounds. You grew up in an area where everyone took their A levels and went to university. Think about how that looks from her perspective. Rose is a smart girl, but it didn't really seem like she believed that."
"I just don't understand why she can't see how smart she is. No matter how many times I tell her, she doesn't seem to think I'm serious," John said, clearly frustrated.
"John, maybe you should let me speak to her about it," Sarah Jane suggested.
John sighed. "I just want the best for her. I want more for her than a life working as a shop girl at Henrick's. But that's the only option she seems to think she has."
"I'll talk to her," Sarah Jane reassured.
John looked at her gratefully, "Thank you."
dwdwdwdwdwdwdw
A week later, Sarah Jane was wrapping up her investigation and would be leaving London to go back to Aberdeen soon. She still hadn't spoken to Rose like she told John she would, but she hoped to soon. Over the week, Rose had become more comfortable around Sarah Jane and they were both quite fond of each other.
On her last night, John invited over Donna and Rose to his flat so they could have a proper goodbye for Sarah Jane.
Once the night was over, Rose pulled Sarah Jane aside, asking to speak to her.
"I just wanted to say thank you, for you know, approving of me and John. It means a lot to me, because I know you two are close," Rose said, once they were alone.
"Rose, I've never seen John this happy, of course I approve of your relationship," Sarah Jane smiled.
Rose's expression fell a little and Sarah Jane looked at her, concerned. "Rose, what's wrong?"
"It's just, I don't understand how I can make him so happy. Donna tells me the same thing, but John's brilliant and I'm just me, I'm nothing special. I'm just a shop girl that isn't gonna get her A levels," Rose admitted. "John keeps telling me I should get them, and I'm scared that he'll think I'm not good enough if I don't. And he'll leave me."
"Rose, don't think like that," Sarah Jane said firmly. "You are brilliant too. It doesn't matter if you don't get your A levels, John will love you just the same. He's already so proud of you; he just wants the best for you. That's why he wants you to get your A levels. He knows you aren't happy working at Henrick's and just wants you to have the opportunity to do something you'll enjoy."
Rose still looked unsure. "Really?"
Sarah Jane laughed softly. "Of course. For two smart people, you two can be pretty daft sometimes. And listen, I know John really wants you to get your A levels and go to university, but only do it because you want to. Don't do it for him. Do it for yourself."
Rose smiled at Sarah Jane. "I'll think about it."
"That's all I'm asking, for you to consider it."
"But-" Rose began, "But what do I do. If he leaves me behind."
"John would never do that. That man loves you," Sarah Jane said firmly.
"But what if he does?"
"Then he's an idiot," Sarah Jane replied. "And if you two ever break up, come find me. I'll always be there if you want to talk."
Rose smiled. "Thank you, Sarah Jane."
Present:
After John left Rose's flat, he wandered back to the bar where he'd met Sarah Jane earlier that evening. Sarah Jane and Jack were both gone, but he was surprised to find Mickey Smith, of all people, sitting at the bar.
"Mickey Smith," John said cautiously. He hadn't seen Rose's friend in years and he had no idea if he and Rose were still friends or if he knew about what happened between him and Rose.
"John Smith," Mickey said, "I heard you were around."
"Yeah," John said, not sure what to say.
"You broke Rose's heart."
"I know."
"You're an idiot. Rose was the best thing that could ever happen to you and you ruined that," Mickey accused.
John winced. It seemed like Rose and Mickey were still friends and Mickey knew all about his mistakes. "I know. And I don't deserve her forgiveness. I don't know why she decided to take me back."
Mickey stared at him in surprise. "She took you back?"
Maybe she and Mickey weren't as close as they used to be.
Before John could say anything, Mickey spoke again. "I swear, if you hurt her again, you will regret it." he threatened.
"I won't. I've learned my lesson."
"I can't believe she took you back. Rose was really upset when you left her. She went back to Jimmy and that's all your fault," Mickey said harshly.
John sighed. "Yeah, it is. And I'm so glad Sarah Jane was there for her when I wasn't. I don't even want to think about what would've happened if she wasn't."
"Sarah Jane wasn't the only one. I was there too," Mickey replied. "After Jimmy, she came to me."
"She did?" John asked in disbelief.
"Don't look too surprised. Rose and I were always good friends. After Jimmy, we dated for a while, but it never went anywhere," Mickey said.
John stayed silent as he processed this new information. He was jealous even though he had no right to be. As much as John teased him, Mickey was a good man. And although it made John jealous that Rose was with him, he knew that Mickey would never hurt her. Not like he did.
"We were good together for a while, Rose and I," Mickey continued. "But she still loved you, still does."
"And I still love her. I never stopped. I will never stop." John said firmly.
"Yeah, I reckon she'll never stop loving you either. I hated you for such a long time." Mickey confessed. "That night you two met, I was gonna ask her out. And then you came in and swept her off her feet. I was mad at you for that, but what really made me hate you was that you just left her. She loved you and you just left. You had a chance with Rose Tyler, one of the most amazing women I've ever met, and you threw that away."
"And I don't know how I can ever make up for that," John said sadly.
Mickey seemed to feel sorry for John and ordered him a drink. "Hey, if she gives you another chance, take it. Don't let her go again because you don't think you're good enough. Rose will make you better. She did with me."
"Mickey, when did you get so smart?" John asked after a long silence.
"Rose helped me, she made me realize there's more to life than the estate. Did you know I'm dating a doctor now? Well, she's an intern, but still, I would never have had the courage to ask her out if it wasn't for Rose," Mickey told John. "So let Rose help you."
John nodded. He hoped that he could be a better man for Rose. Because she deserved so much more than the daft man that thought it would be best to up and leave her.
The two men continued to sit in silence for some time. John was too busy thinking about Rose and what to say to her to hold a conversation with Mickey. Mickey seemed to realize this and let the man next to him contemplate what Mickey had just said to him.
After a while, Mickey was ready to leave. Before he left, he turned back to John and said, "Look, John. As much as I hated how much you hurt Rose, you also made her happier than she ever was with me. So just, don't hurt her again."
John looked at Mickey and nodded. "I won't," he promised.
Mickey stared at John for a second before realizing the sincerity in John's words and then left.
John stayed at the bar a little while longer, deep in thought. Eventually he turn to go, realizing it was getting late.
In the morning, it would be time to talk to Rose.