A/N: Things take a turn for Rose, and the Doctor makes an attempt at apologising to her.
The Doctor had tried finding Rose the following Monday morning, but she had apparently come and gone 20 minutes before school started. According to Sarah Jane, she had been called in to a meeting at work, and had to be there at 08.00. He had hoped to apologise to her, so she wouldn't think that he was dragging it out.
He smiled at Jenny, who had just handed over her drawing to Jack. He waved at her before he left, but he wasn't sure if she saw it. He was whistling as he drove to work and into the underground parking lot underneath the Gallifrey Enterprise building, in the heart of London.
Gallifrey Enterprise was a highly regarded insurance company, which his Father and Grandfather had founded together. Apart from this, the company also earned money from what he liked to think of as one of his many hobbies. He bought out failing companies and helped them get back on track, and then sold them on. This was a very profitable business, he had found. He put a little of the money into Jenny's Child Savings Account. The rest was split evenly between going to the employees of his company and to various charities. Not long ago he had bought one company that he had sold on to Donna who had decided to make it her pet project.
He was almost at the top floor, when he realised that he had forgotten his briefcase in his car. He sighed and stopped the lift, going back down again. The lift had only gone two stories down when it stopped. He looked up to see his twin sister step inside.
"Oh, hello," he smiled. "Where are you going so early in the morning?"
"I'm off to hire a new PA," Donna said simply.
"I thought you had one already… What was his name?"
"Elton, you mean? He transferred to PR. Poor thing, I think he was afraid of me."
"You can be a bit… loud," he said carefully.
She glared at him. "And what's that supposed to mean, then?"
"Nothing… Just that you can be a bit intimidating to people who don't know you."
"You know, sometimes I wonder how you get any work done at all. You're not exactly very diplomatic, are you?"
He huffed. "Of course I am…"
She laughed at him as they arrived back in the basement. "Except when it goes for your older sister?"
"Of course," he said matter-of-factly.
She rolled her eyes at him. "This is my stop.
He looked up and frowned. "But these are company cars only… I thought you were just going out to pick someone up." He knew that she, like him, preferred her own car over the company cars, at least for short trips.
"Ah, but I'm not. I'm headhunting someone and I want to impress her." She smiled, "Trust me, you'll like her. I'm sure of it."
Whilst she drove to work, Rose thought about what she would do if they had decided to fire her already. She would have to find another job, and quick. She had to provide for herself and Jack, and she couldn't afford to borrow more money from the bank. She sighed. She hoped that if she were fired, she could just walk out of there without having to hear about it from everyone else working there. The only other decent person was Wilson the electrician, who she rarely ever saw.
She had put on her best clothes, and tried her best to look confident as she walked into work. All the other shop girls were looking at her. Right, so much for being discreet about it. She knocked on the door to her manager's office, and was led inside. She was surprised to see not only her manager, but also Donna who had been here last Friday.
She feared that maybe she had gone too far. She had been rather forward with Donna, both in her manner of speaking and her approach. Maybe she had been too friendly with her… It had just been so long since she had had someone to talk to. She had thought that Donna had felt the same.
"Rose," her manager, Lady Cassandra, started. "You know we all value you here," she gave Rose a pointed look to let her know that she most certainly didn't. "And you have been a very loyal employee. So I will be very sad to let you go, but I find that I have to."
Rose shook her head. "Please, Cassandra… You know I need this job. I'm sorry if I were too forward… And I'm sorry that I had to leave early, but it was my son. He needed me. It's in my contract. That I can leave if an emergency at his school arises, not that I can act disrespectful towards our customers. Not that I meant to be like that, of course."
"Oh, I'm not firing you," Cassandra said, obviously smug over the fact that she managed to make Rose beg one last time. She always picked on everyone, especially Rose because she grew up in a council estate and was a single mother. It wasn't so bad that anyone would take Rose's complaints seriously, but those daily snide remarks hurt.
"You… You're not?" Rose asked, surprised. Oh, of course. That was so like Cassandra. Make her squirm and beg like a trained monkey, just for fun.
Donna cleared her throat. "I'd like to take over from here. We met this Friday, Rose. I didn't introduce myself properly, though. My name is Donna Noble."
Rose blinked at her. Donna Noble. As of little over a year ago, she owned the chain of stores Rose worked for.
"So you know who I am, then," Donna smiled. "I have a position open further u in the company, and I feel that you would be much more suitable for that. I would like it if you came with me to my office so we can talk. What do you say?" she asked.
Rose nodded, completely lost for words. Was she dreaming? Surely she had to be. Things like these just didn't happen in real life. Not to her, at least.
Donna smiled and led her outside. On the way out, Rose made sure to recall the look on the rest of girl's faces as they left. Outside an actual limousine was waiting, with a driver and everything. "That's yours?" she asked Donna
Donna and nodded. "I have to admit that I only brought it so I could show off to that horrid boss of yours," she smiled, getting in.
Rose couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not supposed to be laughing at her, am I? But god, she's such a bitch…"
Donna laughed too. "Oh, I like you Rose."
They made small talk on the way to the office.
"So, Rose. You have a son?" Donna asked.
"Yeah, Jack. But don't worry, he won't be a problem. He usually doesn't do anything like what he did last week, it was just that one of the other kids said something about his father…" she trailed off.
"Is his father no longer in the picture?" Donna asked, trying to be polite.
Rose bit her lip "No… My husband died almost 4 years ago. He was hit by a car."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Donna said. Hold on… Her twin had told her something similar. Jenny had gotten into a fight with a boy about his father's day card, and then when he had met up with the mother of the boy in question, he had insulted her and her husband, before finding out that she was a widow.
'Well, this could be interesting.
Rose nodded. "Yeah, so am I… Do you have kids?" she asked, trying to steer the subject away.
"Not yet, no," she sighed. "Me and my husband Lee have been trying but… We are looking into adoption now...
Rose nodded. "I understand."
They both looked out their respective windows for awhile, not sure what to say.
"So..." Rose started, "If I do get the job you want to hire me for, what exactly will I be doing?"
"Oh, well I need a new personal assistant," Donna said "There might be some fetching coffee for me, but most of all I need your help judging designs. I do that, as the owner of the chain. I do other things too, but in the beginning it will just be that. You were honest with me last Friday, and I liked that. When I looked at that black dress I tried on, I can't even think about how that made it off the paper, much the less got my approval. It was ghastly. And you were the only one to tell me so. That will be your job for now. Have you ever been a PA before?"
Rose listened carefully and shook her head. "Never. I worked in a shop when I met my husband. He was a doctor so he earned enough for us to live of, so I could study. But when he died… What I'm saying is, I'm not sure I'm qualified for that… I didn't even finish my A-levels…" she admitted.
Donna shrugged. "Before I came here, I was a temp. Sometimes you don't need a degree to have the necessary skills."
Rose smiled. "Is it okay if I think about it? I have Jack to think about, after all… I have to take him and his needs into consideration."
"Oh, of course. Don't worry, I can guarantee that you will earn more than you do now, and we can adapt your work hours to when you need to pick him up after school. Don't worry. We even have a day-care here."
"Are you really sure you want me?" Rose asked.
Donna nodded. "Of course. You don't belong down there," she said.
Rose bit her lip nervously. "All right then. I think I'd like to take the job, but I still need a little time," she said, trying to sound confident.
Donna nodded. "You think it through a few days. We can talk payment and working hours now, so you know what you will be getting into."
When Rose left Donna's office later, it was with a smile on her face. If she accepted the job, she would be paid almost three times as much as she was now. She would have a long late lunch break so she could pick up Jack and bring him back, and she could leave with plenty of time left for both shopping and cooking once the day was over. Really there was no downside to this. She got into the lift and took out her phone so she could text Martha. However, her happiness was cut short when she looked up and saw none other than Jenny's Father.
Of course. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was having a good day and here he was to spoil it. It had been naive of her to think that things would turn that easily, and seeing this man was just a reminder of it. She tried to avoid looking at him, yet she straightened her back not to seemed fazed by his presence.
"What are you doing here?" the Doctor asked her.
Rose wasn't really sure what to say "I had a job interview."
He frowned. "We aren't hiring anyone… Unless… No…" He pulled out his phone, dialing someone
Rose gaped at him. First he yelled at her, and then he ignored her. Did this man have no manners at all
"Donna?" he barked, "Yes, it's me… You're hiring her? No, that's the woman from Jenny's class… Yes, the one I was a twat to… You're hiring her?" He was quiet for a while and then sighed. "I'll talk to you later.
He looked up at her. "Right, sorry about that. It was my sister Donna, but you already met her, I'm guessing."
"Is that why the lift is empty?" Rose asked, because she had no other idea what to say.
"What?" he asked.
"Well, if you are CEO, is that why the lift is empty except for me? 'Cause no one wants to be stuck in a lift with the boss."
He laughed. "You know, that would explain something. Now, Mrs Tyler-Smith, I would like to ask you something."
Rose frowned. "And what might that be, then?"
"I realise that I was being, well a bit of a git, last Friday. Actually, I was downright rude. And I'm sorry about that. I would very much like to start over, especially if you are going to work with my sister."
Rose didn't really know what to say. On one side, he had insulted her and Jack, but on the other side he seemed genuine… And if he was going to be her boss (Well technically, he owned the store she worked in, so he was already), she should probably try to get along with him.
"I… All right, then," she said against her better judgement.
His face lit up. "Really? I have to admit, I hadn't expected that to work…Not without some serious bribery, anyway."
"Bribery? Like what?" she laughed.
"Well… I could offer to bake for you at the next school bake sale. Or, I could offer you to be my plus one at a fundraiser I'm hosting next month. What do you say?" he asked.
"I can't do that," she sighed. "I have to look after Jack. And I'm sure your wife wouldn't like it if I stole you away.
"Oh, I'm not married. And, children are welcome," he said.
"Are you sure?" she asked nervously.
"Of course. Although, there is one thing.
"What?"
"Well, I can hardly take you out if I don't know your name. And I'm not sure Mrs Tyler-Smith will do."
She laughed. "Of course. My name is Rose," she said, reaching out to shake his hand.
"Hello Rose, I'm the Doctor," He introduced himself.
She frowned. "The Doctor? Just the Doctor?"
He nodded. "Just that."
"What, are you actually a Doctor?" she asked.
"Well… Not a medical Doctor. But I do have a doctorate," he said proudly.
Rose couldn't help laughing at the absurdity of it.
"All right then, Doctor. I'll go with you to this fundraiser…"