There was no way to tell how much time had passed as Rose just stared into darkness. The blindfold was making her eyes itch, but she didn't dare complain. She didn't know the rules from her owner yet, and if he was anything like her captors, even the slightest misstep would result in pain.

"So where are you from, Rose?" The Doctor's voice cut through the darkness, causing her to jump.

"London." She answered, willing her heart to stop pounding. "At least I think it's London, sir."

"You're not sure?"

"No, sir. I've been at the shop since I was a kid. I don't have much memory before it." It was true. Rose had lived in that cell for most of her life. She had no idea what life outside of it was like.

"You don't have to call me sir, you know. Just the Doctor is fine." Rose just nodded before remembering she should speak.

"Alright... Doctor." She could swear she heard him make a happy humming sound at the back of his throat.

"There ya go." He said, his voice pleased. "I've never liked the whole 'sir' thing. None of my servants have ever called me that."

"How come?" Rose asked, letting the question slip before she could stop herself. She knew that a lot of owners didn't like their property to speak unless they were asked a question. She hoped that the Doctor was one of the few who didn't mind.

"It makes me think of my father, honestly." The Doctor answered, seeming not to care. Rose let out a shaky breath of relief. "He always demanded that everyone call him sir. We weren't even allowed to call him dad. It was just..." He trailed off, causing Rose to turn her head towards him as she waited for him to finish. When he never did, she returned to resting her head against the headrest. She had just about fallen asleep when he broke the silence again.

"Are you glad to be out of that shop?" He asked, and she could feel him staring at her. She swallowed nervously as she thought about it.

"Yeah..." She finally replied. "I mean, it wasn't the kind of place anyone would want to live in, but..."

"But what?"

"But... at least I knew it was safe. You never know what it's gonna be like once you're bought..."

Silence filled the car after that, and Rose wished more than anything that the Doctor would say something. Had she offended him? Did he know that the place she was going wasn't pleasant? Was he trying to scare her?

"It won't be as bad as if the other had taken you." He said, his voice sounding dark as the bounce it previously held disappeared. "I know the man that was standing at your cell after I walked away. He's vile. A stupid ape. You're lucky that I found you first."

Rose bit her bottom lip as she pictured the man grabbing her arm. "What would he have done to me?" She asked quietly. She could feel the Doctor's eyes on her again.

"Nightmarish things." He answered. Rose didn't ask him to clarify. Her imagination was doing quite enough.

The rest of the ride was silent as Rose just stared into the dark. Her entire body was tense, ready to react to even the slightest sound or touch. The last thing the Doctor had said had shaken her, and she couldn't stop her mind from picturing just what that vampire could have been capable of. The Doctor had said that things wouldn't be as bad with him, but how did she know? He could harm her just as easily, tear out her throat with just one bite from his fangs.

She felt her hands shaking just at the thought.

"Here we are then." The Doctor's voice had regained its cheeriness as the car pulled to a stop, and Rose tried to force herself to relax. She wanted to ask if she could take the blindfold off now, but decided to be patient. It didn't take but a few seconds for the Doctor to reach over and tug it free. "So, Rose Tyler, welcome to your new home."

Rose pushed the car door open and slowly eased herself out of the passenger seat. Her eyes scanned the building in front of her, going wide as they took in the gigantic structure. "It's huge." She whispered.

"Quite." The Doctor replied, smiling as he too let his eyes scan his home. "It's centuries old. My father had it built and moved us in when he got bored with the old place."

"So when was that then?" Rose internally scolded herself for asking yet another question out of turn. At least the Doctor didn't seem to mind.

"Oh about 500 years ago." The Doctor turned to grab some papers out of the backseat of the car, missing the wide eyed look Rose gave him.

"You're 500 years old?" She asked, her voice full of disbelief. The Doctor chuckled.

"Rose Tyler, I'm much older than that." Without giving her a chance to ask anymore questions, he started walking to the front door, motioning for her to follow.

Rose held her breath as she walked into the mansion, not knowing what to expect. What would a vampire's house be like? She couldn't help but picture dead bodies trailing the halls...

Thankfully, and to her relief, the only body that greeted them was very much alive.

"Doctor." The man just inside said, bowing his head slightly.

"Jack." The Doctor mirrored the other man's actions. "This is Rose Tyler."

Jack once again bowed his head, this time towards Rose. She just smiled awkwardly, not quite use to that kind of greeting.

"Hello, Rose. My name is Jack Harkness." He took Rose's hand and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss to the top of it.

"Stop it." The Doctor said, rolling his eyes at Jack.

"I was just saying hello." Jack smirked as he straightened and looked at the Doctor.

"Right. Anyway, if you don't mind, show Rose to her room and find her a change of clothes." All eyes went to Rose's tattered shirt and ripped jeans. "Meet me in the dining room when you're done."

Before Rose could even blink, the Doctor was gone. "Wha..."

"He does that." Jack said, an amused grin on his face. "He's really fast."

"I see."

An awkward silence settled between them before Jack finally cleared his throat. "Your room is this way." He started walking down the hallway to the right, and Rose hesitated a few seconds before following him. She walked with her arms crossed in front of her, hugging herself as she tried to push down her fear. This Jack bloke seemed nice enough, but that could always be deceiving.

"Are you a vampire too?" Rose asked, keeping her voice quiet. Jack laughed, obviously amused.

"Nah." He answered. "The Doc is the only vampire here. I'm just his assistant. I do whatever he needs me to during the day."

"Oh." Rose bit her bottom lip as she thought about that. "What am I here for then?" Jack shrugged as he continued to walk.

"That's for him to decide. He could use you for all sorts of things. Cleaning. Cooking. Sex." He wiggled his eyebrows as he glanced at Rose over his shoulder, letting out a loud laugh as he saw how red her cheeks were.

"Would he do that?" She asked, tightening her arms around herself. Jack gave her a sympathetic smile as he finally stopped in front of a door.

"The Doctor is capable of all sorts of things, Rose. He's a vampire. He may come across all cheery right now, but there's definitely a lot of darkness there." He pushed open the door as he continued talking. "Believe me, he really likes to get a good brood in every now and then."

He walked into the room and Rose followed, feeling her fear rise instead of being quelled. Jack saw the fear on her face and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know it's a lot to take in," he said, "but try not to freak out."

Rose let out a shaky breath. "I'll do my best." She said dryly, already feeling the itch to run.

"There's the spirit." Jack teased, slapping a hand on her back before walking over to the large wardrobe cabinet in the corner. He shuffled through it a few moments before pulling out a pair of jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. "Here ya go. The bathroom is right through that door." He pointed at a door to the right. "And there's underthings in that top drawer if that interests you." He smirked at her before adding "You can wash up real quick then meet me back in the hall."

Rose nodded silently, feeling her cheeks turn red. She pulled the drawer open and grabbed the first pair of knickers she saw before going into the bathroom and shutting the door. She swore she heard Jack chuckle.