Disclaimer: Do I have to repeat it? Really?
Here's chapter 6 - hope you enjoy! It's not very action-packed, but it's quite important, so you shall just have to suffer through it. :P By the way, we skip three days, lol. I'm going to leave it up to your imagination to decide who did what in that time.
Yep, I know, this fic is going to get completely jossed tomrrow/tonight when The Stolen Earth is shown, but I'm going to keep writing it anyway, because I doubt the reunion we get will be as shippy as we'd like.
Sorry if the spelling/grammar isn't perfect, but it's just gone 2am and I really must get some sleep, so no time to proof read it as many times as I usually do; but I'm going away on Sunday and wanted to get this up as soon as possible.
A few notes to my reviewers:
-Dollybelle'olwhatserface: The Suzie Costello thing becomes clear in this chapter, since I know you were wondering about it earlier. Also, a little hint - they're not Autons. There's a BIG clue for what they are in this chapter, but if you still don't know, keep guessing!
-And thank-you to all my other reviewers! Really, I love them all - keep them coming!
Chapter 6: Not Quite The Ordinary
"Where am I?" Suzie's voice quivered with fear as she woke up, finding herself surrounded by futuristic green lights in a dark, cramped area. She glanced around at the room nervously. A voice erupted from all around her and she started.
"You are with us." it said calmly.
"W-Who are you?" she whimpered, backing up to the wall she had been leaning against.
She heard a faint laughter and her breathing grew uneven. "Why can't I see you?" she asked loudly.
"Oh, you will." the voice said sinisterly. "Soon, we will look so very familiar."
Suzie gulped, looking all around her. A strong green light appeared all around her, and he heard a quiet buzzing sound fill the room. She screamed as the shimmering particles of light grew nearer, knowing there was nothing she could do.
- - - - - - -
Three days later
Rose managed to hold in her tears for the extent of the journey, but the sight of the desolate graveyard was just too much. Salty drops of water trickled steadily down her face as she walked slowly along the grass, in the suitably dripping rain. Her hand was clasped suddenly by Jackie, but she didn't look round. She focused on the spot she was walking to - the large wooden coffin lying on the grass. Her vision blurred with the tears, and the next thing she knew, she was standing around it with a number of other people.
She heard the vicar wishing Mickey well in 'the next life'. She felt Jackie clasp her clammy hand, trying to give her strength. She heard Kate sobbing uncontrollably next to her. She saw the coffin being lowered into the ground. Not bothering to bite back the bitter tears as they snaked down her face, Rose stared at the wooden box as it disappeared into the ground. Then people started moving away, and soon only herself, Jackie, Pete and Kate were crowded around the buried coffin.
Pete approached Jackie and Rose, prising Jackie's hands out of Rose's and pulling hr away. Then it was just Rose and Kate. Mickey's two closest friends, united in pain for his death.
Kate was muttering under her breath about "words left unsaid", and Rose found herself thinking back to that day, so very long ago, when she had stood on a beach in Norway and watched the love of life vanish before her eyes. She shook her head frustratedly, willing the image of the Doctor away, and glanced up to the sky, just to give herself something to concentrate on other than Mickey's death. She heard Kate walked away slowly, sobbing into her hands, and felt suddenly the most alone she had done in five years. Turning her head down to look at the dark brown soil, she felt another wave of tears overcome her, and she sank down to the floor, burying her head in her hands.
Jackie watched her daughter from afar, wanting to run up to her and tell her everything would be okay. But Pete held her firmly, telling her that Rose needed time, and she hadn't the energy to break free. So she watched in silence as Rose dropped to the ground, bringing her knees up to her chest like a little girl, lost in a storm. Then, not caring what Pete thought, she pulled away from Pete and ran towards her child, wrapping her arms around Rose tightly, and letting the fierce winds encase them in a zone of despair.
How long they sat there, neither of them knew, but after a while, Pete came and sat with them, and they all clasped hands tightly, as if that would take away the pain. But then Pete led Jackie away and a new figure appeared by Rose.
John sat down gingerly on the damp grass and linked his hands loosely around his raised knees. Rose wiped her eyes, though she knew they'd be brimming with tears again soon, and looked straight ahead at the patch of soil covered in flowers that was hiding Mickey's coffin like an ill-kept secret.
"I'm sorry." she heard from the right, and she turned to look at John solemnly.
"Yeah." she murmured back bitterly, watching John as his eyes filled with tears.
"He'd never cry." she whispered to herself, the wind carrying away the sound eerily. A fresh wave of tears blurred her vision, but when things became focused again, John had moved closer, and was definitely crying.
Neither of the two said anything for a while, and Rose turned back to look at the bright, happy colours of the flowers on the grave, almost detesting them for making death look so cheerful.
"He saved us." John said abruptly, and Rose felt more tears flood down her cheeks.
"I know." she said quietly.
"No, but really." John insisted, sensing that Rose was just agreeing for the sake of it. "I didn't have a clue. You were out cold, and then he came along and starting shooting at those…things -" he broke off, his voice catching in his throat. "He told me what to do, and just went on fighting, even when he didn't have a chance." John heard a quiet sob from Rose as she listened intently. "He died a hero." he finished sadly, and turned to Rose, who looked back at him with teary eyes.
"He saved your life." added John, and Rose hiccuped quietly, her breath uneven for all her crying.
"So did you." Rose replied after a pause. "You were…" Rose was about to say fantastic, but saying that word to John just didn't seem right. "…good." she finished lamely, looking back at Mickey's burial place. "You were good." she repeated quietly, more to herself than to John.
- - - - - - -
Rose and John were still sat at the graveyard almost an hour later, occasionally exchanging glances or a few words about the weather, or something just as mundane.
"I had a dream last night." John started suddenly, and Rose turned to look at him.
"Yeah?" she said uninterestedly, and he nodded.
"Yeah. Strange thing was…you were there." he finished softly, still looking ahead as if avoiding Rose's eyes. Rose's eyes shot up to his, but he ignored her response. "I've been having them for a while now. Weird dreams, about…planets, burning. And last night, you…appeared."
Rose swallowed, confused, but John continued to avoid her gaze. "It was you, and…I think it was me. It felt like it was me, but it was like, I looked a bit…different."
Rose bit her lip, trying to figure out what all of this meant, but John clearly hadn't finished. "And there was something to do with, uh, aliens. Living plastic, or something. I was this…traveller. 'The Doctor', I was called. And I saved the day, as it was." he smiled slightly in remembrance of the dream, but it faded as he continued to look at the grave. "Doesn't quite work out that way in reality, does it?"
Rose didn't reply. She could remember the day as if it was yesterday: the first day she met the Doctor. She had helped him saved the world, then left her own life, to travel with him, in the blink of an eye.
After a while, John stood up, muttered something to Rose, and left. Rose stayed sat on the grass, a million thoughts in her head about John, Mickey, and Torchwood, until she couldn't look at Mickey's grave any longer.
She stood up and gave Mickey's resting place one last look before she turned away, and she immediately saw Jackie waiting for her, just outside the graveyard. Rose walked towards her mother, and they both trudged silently towards the Torchwood car waiting for them down the road.
"I wanna go back to work." Rose said suddenly, and Jackie looked up at her, both of them still walking down a steep hill to the car at the bottom.
"But…" began Jackie, but Rose shook her head in protest.
"I need to do this, mum." she protested, her voice quivering. "Just for tomorrow. If it's too hard, I'll come back home. But I can't stay away from it forever."
Jackie didn't speak, she just nodded understandingly as the two reached the foot of the hill and stepped into the car.
- - - - - - -
Martha walked slowly out of the TARDIS and into the dark forest, glad that the machine had moved itself to a new location, away from the busy and loud Torchwood tower. She started the journey out of the forest, heading towards the newsagents on her way to work. As she walked along in the early hours of the morning, she glanced around absent-mindedly, trying to think of anything but Torchwood and the Doctor. But everything she thought of led back to the Doctor in some way.
She thought of her family, and wondered how they were - but that led to thinking about how she'd left them, and how the Doctor had shown her real life, not the life she used to have. She gazed around at the streets and roads, wondering if she was likely to meet anyone she knew over the next few months. Then she looked up, and her eyes widened with surprise and disbelief.
"Zeppelins?" she whispered to herself, narrowing her eyes confusedly. "How did I not notice them before?" She kept glancing at the zeppelin-filled sky for the entire walk to the newsagents, only tearing her eyes away to walk into the shop.
She gaped at the shopkeeper for a second, before realising what she was doing and closing her mouth quickly.
"Sorry." she muttered, but the newsagent didn't seem to notice. She stared at Martha expectantly. "Uh, just a paper, thanks." said Martha, placing a newspaper on the counter. The woman scanned it in and Martha handed over the money, smiling gratefully as she left.
Not bothering to look down at the paper she had just brought, she folded it up and stuffed it in her jacket, then returned her attention to the skies, where huge zeppelins were soaring up above. She watched them for a few minutes as she walked back to the TARDIS, but soon forgot about them once she was back in the woods, the cover of the treetops obscurring them from view.
"Hello." she whispered affectionately, touching the exterior of the TARDIS gently. She pulled out the key that was hanging on a chain on her neck, and unlocked the door, glancing over her shoulder quickly to check she hadn't been followed. She stepped inside the TARDIS and was met with the familiar glowing lights that illuminated the TARDIS. Leaning up against the door for a second, she breathed out slowly and checked her watch.
"I've got half an hour." she mumbled quietly, giving herself an excuse to stay in the TARDIS for just a little bit longer. It hummed appreciatively, and Martha walked around the centre consol, stroking it softly and she paced round it.
"There're Zeppelins outside." she said, for lack of anything else to say. "Dunno what you make of that."
Martha pulled the newspaper out of her jacket and glanced down it uninterestedly. She frowned when she saw the date. "You're as bad as him." she said amusedly to the TARDIS, and it buzzed quietly in response. Martha looked up at the cylindrical display. "You got the date wrong." she explained, not expecting the machine to understand her. "It's…25th of April, 20.11. 20-point-11?" she frowned at the date on the newspaper. "Must be some new dating system. But the point is, it's '20.11'. Not whatever date you were supposed to take us, in 2007. Assuming this 20.11 thing means 2011, since it looks like 21st century England out there, you're four years off."
The TARDIS lights darkened and it droned angrily in protest. Martha smiled. "Alright, alright." she said jokingly, raising her hands in the air whilst still holding the paper. "You were supposed to take us here then."
She threw the paper on the seat, and kept walking around the machinery. "So, in four years time, the Earth's filled with Zeppelins?" she asked, but the TARDIS didn't reply with it's usual hum or mechanical whirr.
"Fine." Martha said quietly, checking her watch. "You ignore me all you like, but I've got to get to work." She picked up her coat from where she had thrown it on the coral displays the day before and headed out the door. "Suzie wants to take me out round the pub tonight - secretary's night out or something, so I'll be back later."
She paused, then opened the door and walked out, shaking her head at the thought of telling an over-sized computer what time she was coming home.
- - - - - - -
Back at Torchwood, no one was expecting Rose Tyler back for weeks. Even Martha was surprised to see her walking through the door that morning. She had been talking to John moments before, about something so insignificant and light-hearted that when Rose came walking solemnly through the doors, she almost felt guilty for not mourning Mickey. She glanced behind herself to John, who was walking down the corridor towards the lifts, and then in front of her, where Rose was fast approaching. She tried to brave a smile, but Rose's half-hearted attempt at one in return made her feel so sorry for the girl that she instantly stopped. Rose obviously sensed the change in atmosphere of the room, and seemed to brighten up immediately.
"Hello again." Rose said, smiling fakely, and Martha reciprocated the action and took the identity card that Rose was holding out. "It's Martha, right? Martha Jones?"
Martha nodded and handed Rose her card back after scanning it. Rose went to walk away down the corridor, but then a thought occurred to her and she stopped in her tracks.
"Listen, I'm really sorry…about the other day. Y'know, all that stuff about John? I must've terrified you."
Martha smiled. "It's fine, Miss. Really, I understand."
Rose shook her head, irritated. "Please, no 'Miss'." she insisted. "I hate it." She leant on the desk, checking that no one was waiting for Martha's attention. "Thing is…" she began awkwardly. "There's something…not quite right - about John. Don't you think?"
Martha swallowed nervously. "He's just a bit…distant, sometimes." she invented, hoping it would satisfy Rose.
"It's like…" continued Rose, as if Martha had never spoken. "Like he's got something to get back to. Like he's always thinking about something else." Rose looked up at the top of the white wall behind Martha absent-mindedly, then returned her gaze to Martha. "And he was telling me about these…dreams. About these travels he used to have. Well, not 'used to have', but…" Rose trailed off, realising her mistake. "Only -" Rose cut off again, unsure of what to say so as not to convince Martha she was completely crazy. "Never mind." she finished, and went to walk out of Martha's way, but she stood up and took her arm gently.
"Rose," she whispered, and Rose turned to look at her. "They're just…dreams, y'know. They're not real."
Rose wrenched her arm away but didn't reply. She turned and walked away, thoughtful, giving Martha the briefest of goodbye smiles before heading around the corner towards the lift.
Suzie turned to Martha suddenly, and didn't speak for a second. Then she sniffed loudly and caught Martha's attention.
"Are we still on for tonight?" she asked, expressionlessly. Martha frowned at her sudden abruptness, but nodded nonetheless and looked down at her computer screen.
"Yeah." she replied, and Suzie tilted her head to the side, smiling almost menacingly. She sniffed again, loudly, and Martha looked around to her, startled.
"You okay?" she asked, frowning. Suzie jerked her head upright, still smiling.
"Of course." she replied, not blinking. "Everything is going to plan."
Martha almost laughed with surprise. "Sorry?"
But Suzie ignored her, and Martha turned back to her work, wondering what Suzie had in store for her tonight.
- - - - - - -
Helena Price slipped her phone into her pocket and grinned, turning back to face her friends, who were sprawled out on the grass.
"Who's that you're texting, then?" one of her friends teased. "Not Harry, by any chance?"
Helena blushed, her expression masked in the dim light of the evening, but she neither confirmed or denied the fact. "I've gotta go, dad wants me home." She stood up, brushing the grass off her trousers, and picked up her bag. "I'll see you lot tomorrow." she called as she walked away, and her friends yelled back goodbyes as she turned and exited the park.
Her friends heard screaming as they laughed together about Helena's love life, but they dismissed it instantly, and continued to share light-hearted jokes about their friend.
Minutes later, the distant form of Suzie Costello disappeared around the corner, with an unconscious teenager being carried behind her by an army of shop mannequins. She smirked as they moved out of the gleam of the street lamps and towards her home. For she was no longer Suzie Costello - only the woman's body remained. And the mind of Helena Price would soon vanish into the night, leaving her body as a host for Sister of Mine.
Okay, a couple of points:
-The whole deal with it being three years later but the TARDIS thinking it's present day - that's because of the time difference thng (you know, how in Army of Ghosts, it's only been a few months for the Doctor and Rose since the first Cyberman attack (in Rise of the Cybermen), when it's been three years for Pete's World. Or something. Basically, time goes faster in Pete's World than it does on our world. I don't know how else to explain it (or whether that's actually right, lol).)
-In case you got confused with the '20.11' thing, it does actually mean the year 2011. I heard/saw it in RotC/AoS/AoG/DD, but it's very late, and I just watched them all back-to-back, so who really knows? Lol. Someone says the year is '20.5', or something, and I assumed that meant 2005. Correct me if I'm wrong, please.
-Also, I know Suzie Costello is (in Torchwood Cardiff of this universe) a proper member, not just a secretary, but...well, basically, I don't like her, so I'm putting her in Torchwood London and demoting her, lol. It's my Alt!Universe, I can do what I like. ;)
-Finally, if you noticed, yes, the name Helena Price is a reference. But who to?
Review please! And OMG - enjoy The Stolen Earth! I cannot wait! Finally, a reunion! :squee: