~Rose~
Rose Tyler was a lot of things. Confused, anxious, dizzy and a bit (okay, maybe more than a bit) scared. She was even a little hungry, having been forced to abandon the hot chips the Doctor had so teasingly lured her to. But out of all those things, there was one sensation that rose above the others. Annoyance. She was really, properly, annoyed. Because once again, just when things were getting interesting, she'd been kidnapped - been put in a position where he'd have to come and get her. Sure, she'd rescued the Doctor quite a few times, saved his life on more than one occasion, but lately she'd been more damsel in distress than knight in shining jeans. And frankly, she was getting sick of it.
First it was having her face sucked off by the Wire, then it was being pulled away from a black hole at the last minute, and then it was being rescued from the clutches of a bizarre alien (all because the Doctor thought he's said 'not blue'). In between that there'd also been a dramatic rescue from the Tower of London (how could she have known that that man was a Lord?), her accidental admittance into that alien jail cell, and of course, that time when she was turned into a statue. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for these rescues, far from it ('overjoyed' would have been a nice description), but it would be nice to be a bit more Bad Wolf and a bit less helpless companion.
Apparently though, once again, the universe had other ideas.
Last thing she could remember, she'd been standing outside that cottage, listening to the Doctor shout out something about "classic 1966," whatever that meant. Then, before she'd had time to react, there'd been this odd sort of… tingling feeling… and then she'd woken up here.
Wherever here was. At the moment, all she could see was the inside of what she assumed must be a cupboard, although it felt a little like a standing up coffin. Rose decided not to think about that comparison for too long.
For a second she wasn't sure whether it was wise to shout out, if it would be smart to draw attention to herself, but then she figured she'd already been captured anyway, and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to give them a piece of her mind.
"Let me the hell out of here!" she shouted, banging her fists as much as she could in the tight space.
She stilled for a second, hesitating, when she heard movement outside.
"Hello?" she called tentatively. "Is there someone there?"
There was no reply, but Rose could definitely hear someone.
"Look, just let me out," she said, "and I promise I won't tell anyone. I'm not even from here!"
There was more silence, so Rose decided to try a different approach.
"You might be willing to mess with me," she started, "but there's no way you'd be willing to mess with my friend, believe me!"
Rose was starting to feel claustrophobic in the small space, and, a little desperately, went back to threats.
"I've fought Slitheen," she called out, trying to sound confident, "Gelf, werewolves… Oh and Daleks! The Emperor of the Daleks! I poured the time vortex inside of his head – so don't try anything funny with me, whoever you are!"
There was a loud popping noise, and the darkness around her seemed to crumple away. Rose was standing in a wide glass room, which, funnily enough, seemed to be in same field the TARDIS had landed in, although she couldn't see it.
Surrounding her were what could have been the contents of some sort of futuristic laboratory, if they weren't so haphazardly arranged. In one corner stood a tall black column, and Rose instantly suspected it was another one of whatever she'd been inside.
There was a small, polite cough behind her. Rose spun round.
Her captor, unexpectedly, was a skinny, petite young woman. Hardly the type you'd expect to be knocking people out and dragging them to places unknown. Rose noticed the very faint green dots on her upper brow, which the woman quickly patted away with a small handkerchief. So she was one of those… what had the Doctor called them again?
"You're a krylanoid," announced Rose, hoping it would help the knowledgeable, intimidating persona she was trying to project.
"And you're Rose Tyler," the woman answered back smoothly. "Charmed," she added, with a smile that in any other context would have been enchanting. She folded the embroidered fabric back into the pocket of her jacket.
She woman stepped forward, as if assessing her, and Rose noticed the bulge of a gun in her pocket. So much for running then. As that thought hit her, Rose realized there was nowhere to run to – this place didn't have a door.
"Pretty, isn't it?" remarked the woman; apparently thinking it was the view her captive was interested in.
"Prettier when you can leave," Rose replied shortly, crossing her arms defiantly.
"There's no need to be like that," the woman said, voice smooth as ever. She walked over to a small table a few meters away, which housed an old-fashioned drinks tray, quite out of place amongst modern scientific instruments.
"Do you drink?" she asked Rose, pouring what could be whiskey into an expensive looking glass. "The other one didn't," she added thoughtfully.
Rose was a little thrown by her pleasantness. What kind of person shoved you in a cupboard and then offered you alcohol? And who was the other one?
She didn't answer the question, frowning, and the woman laughed lightly, as if Rose had just made a clever joke at a nice party.
"So," Rose said, "gonna tell me what I'm here for, then? Who are you?"
"Aurelia Housenguard," the woman smiled, holding out a hand. She shrugged at Rose's lack of reciprocation, putting it back by her side as she sipped her drink.
For the first time Rose looked her up and down properly.
Aurelia's outfit reminded her of the costumes men always wore in those Agatha Christie mysteries her mum sometimes watched on telly. It looked expensive, tailored and quite elegant. If she hadn't been kidnapped Rose would have felt underdressed. She was also, Rose realised, fairly young. She couldn't have been much older than her, even if she carried herself with more sophistication.
"What do you want with me?" Rose said firmly, if a little warily.
"I only want to ask you a few questions," Aurelia said sweetly, putting her drink back down on the tray. She fished a cigarette out of her pocket and lit it with a glowing green device; blowing smoke rings into the air with a satisfied smirk.
"And then I can go?"
"If you answer them." For the first time, Rose caught a hint of something more menacing in her voice.
"And what if I don't answer them?" Rose pressed, still defiant.
"Then you can't go," the woman stage whispered, before rolling her eyes, blowing more smoke.
"I thought you would have gotten rid of cigarettes," Rose said, voice still firm despite her curiosity.
"It's only agreeva compound," said the woman, in a tone that made Rose feel like she'd just been called a prude.
She walked over to Rose, looking her up and down. Rose didn't back away from her gaze, standing her ground.
"You gonna ask me your questions or not?"
Aurelia smiled. "Why don't you sit down first?" she said, gesturing to metal seat to their right.
"I'd rather stand."
"No, I think you should sit."
Suddenly, that tingling feeling hit Rose again, and she was swept back into the chair by an invisible force. She saw Aurelia hit a small button underneath the drinks tray, and with a mechanical clicking noise, two straps swung their way across her chest, holding her in place.
"Hey!" Rose said. "Let me up!"
Aurelia's smile didn't falter. "Now then, I'm sure that's much more comfortable."
Rose glared at her.
~11~
He should go.
He could go too, now that big ears had another version of them to help him out.
When they came back he could just excuse himself, say he had an urgent emergency to deal with (his past self had no way of knowing he was lying), and get back in the TARDIS. Fly away and leave Rose Tyler where she belonged – in the past.
When he'd first found out she was missing he'd acted on impulse, falling back on that old, familiar need to protect her. Like she was still his Rose. But she wasn't his anymore, and now he had other people to protect instead. Like Amy. He could go protect Amy. Even if she wasn't actually in need of any protection right now, unlike… No, who said Rose was even in danger? There was no way of knowing that she was in any trouble at all, really.
Except of course she was in danger, because she was Rose Tyler. Jeopardy prone. Just like him.
The Doctor smiled a little as he remembered just how well they had fit together.
But that was the past. A happy memory to pull out when he knew it wouldn't hurt, when he wasn't feeling too guilty…
Maybe in another timeline things would have gone differently. She would still be his to protect, to look out for. She'd still be his companion, his best friend, holding his hand and giggling about what he'd done to offend her mother, pulling him into a run and whispering about forever while they looked up at the sky.
But that wasn't what had happened. The meta-crisis had happened. And he had given her the life he knew they both wanted. Their forever. That oh so human happily ever after, on the slow path. Together.
And he had moved on.
So really, he should leave.
The Doctor paced a little, fiddling with his long fingers and bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Big ears loved her, he could handle it. The leather-clad man would probably be horrified to hear the Doctor, the current Doctor, say he didn't love Rose Tyler anymore (even if he hadn't actually admitted he once did), but that was the truth of it. Plain and simple.
Wasn't it?
He kept pacing.
"Uh- excuse me?" said Tithos, a little awkwardly.
"Hello, yes, what is it?" The Doctor said, torn between being charming and dismissive.
"Shouldn't you be bringing your ship here?"
The Doctor stopped pacing, walking up to Tithos. He peered down at the man, not stopping until their noses were almost touching.
"Should I?" he asked him softly. "I'm not too sure."
Tithos blinked, confused and a little unnerved by the Doctor's response.
Katia rolled her eyes (once again) in the background.
"Yes, obviously," she said.
The Doctor looked over at her. "Why do you say that?" he asked her, voice still in that soft yet serious tone.
"Well," she said, "you clearly want to rescue her, and it's the only way to do it."
The Doctor shook his head, beginning his pacing again. "I don't want to rescue her," he said, pointing at Katia, "It's not my problem anymore."
"But you're the same man," replied Katia, sounding exasperated.
She was surprised when the Doctor stopped, appearing to mull her words over in his mind. He gave a resigned, slightly weak smile, and flopped down into a chair, long legs stretching out awkwardly on the floor.
"Yes," he said, "Quite right."
Katia shook her head, deciding she wouldn't bother trying to understand. She moved back over to Tithos, leaving the Doctor to his thoughts.
The Doctor looked out of the window, sighing. She was right, of course. He was still the same man. And however painful it was to see her again, to be reminded of the life he had given up, that man could never walk away from Rose Tyler.
A/N: Hello again! I hope you liked this chapter! Let me know what you think of including Rose's perspective, I know it's different to how the story's been set up so far :) x