THIRTY YEARS: PART ONE
CHAPTER TWO
"Really?" Rose asked sarcastically. "Pity I can't say the same." She regarded Alfred, inquiring, "was it really necessary to kill him?"
"Oh, we haven't, actually, but he'll be out for several hours," the man answered non-chalantly. "Now, get into the car." He indicated a black car behind him.
"If I refuse?" Rose questioned, not feeling any fear.
"Then it may go worse for your chauffeur," the man answered. He gestured to another man in the shadows to step forward, then stared in shock as he realized the man who came out from the shadows was not his partner.
"I don't think Ms. Tyler wants to go with you," the man from the shadows said softly. Rose detected a crisp British voice.
The man with the blaster grabbed Rose, holding the weapon at her head. "I don't know who you are, but don't even think about being her knight in shining armor," he announced coldly.
The Doctor fixed the man holding Rose with a cold stare, saying icily, "You really don't want to use that on her, now do you?"
"Shut up!" the man with the blaster commanded. Rose used that moment to stomp on his foot. As he yelped in pain, taking the blaster away from her temple, the other man punched him in the face, grabbing Rose's hand. Rose felt as though there was something very familiar about this stranger's touch. Before she could further examine that feeling, the Doctor shouted, "run!" Rose sprang into action, running with the stranger out of the parking lot. The pair ran to a cycle down the street with huge wheels. The Doctor switched on the ignition, and the vehicle roared to life. He punched some buttons, and the cycle's wheels retracted into its base. The cycle lifted off of the ground, and Rose held onto him for dear life.
"Always hate these hover-cycles," Rose muttered.
The Doctor pulled back a lever, and they zoomed down the street. "You have a better mode of transportation, I'd love to hear about it!" he quipped.
Rose glanced behind her, saying, "our friend's following us!" She continued to watch the man with the blaster getting into a similar cycle that the stranger and Rose were on, and hitting the controls.
"Yeah, well, the high-heel-in-the-foot trick rarely works in slowing pursuers down," the Doctor rejoined.
"Oh, yeah?" Rose retorted. "At least I bought us some time!"
"A few minute seconds is hardly worth counting!" the Time Lord shouted as they flew through a nearby park. The man behind them gave chase, smoothly dodging the trees just as the stranger and Rose did. "Where should we go?" the Doctor asked.
"I know a place!" Rose yelled over the noise of the craft. "Go to the left, about three blocks down!"
The Doctor maneuvered his cycle as Rose directed, zooming around the crowds who were gathering for an event in the park. The man behind them followed, his cycle inching ever closer. The Doctor glided over the last throngs of people before shouting to Rose, "This is where we get off. We can lose ourselves in the crowds in front of us!" He and Rose jumped off of the cycle after the Doctor programmed it to land a few feet away.
Their pursuer swerved to avoid hitting the crowds, then stopped as he realized he had lost the stranger and Rose. He cursed, easing the hover-cycle down. His eyes scanned the crowds for any sign of Rose and the man, but upon finding none, he decided it was best not to draw attention to himself. He got off of the hover cycle and disappeared into the crowds.
Meanwhile, Rose and the stranger glided to a secluded spot in another garage. "Here is fine," Rose ordered. The Doctor landed the craft as Rose curtly said, "thanks for all of your help. I can take it from here." She got off of the hover cycle, not looking back at the Time Lord who had saved her. Had she regarded him, Rose would have seen him smirking, and would have possibly heard him saying, "she's not changed one bit."
Aloud, the Doctor asked, "This your place?"
Rose turned to look at the stranger. She saw his black hair and grey eyes reflected in the lights which automatically came on. "One of them," she replied.
He noted that the building looked very cozy, yet had several defense mechanisms in place, including holographic scenes of grass and bushes, which disguised a strategically placed laser system. "Charming," he noted with more than a passing interest.
"Standard issue security," Rose said. "Not from around here, are you?"
"What makes you say that?" the Doctor asked, pleased that Rose hadn't lost her intelligence.
"Just a feeling," Rose answered. She looked at a panel on the door, which looked like a laminated wood surface. "Rose Tyler, door code 102.3," she said. The door opened, and the locks deactivated.
"To answer your question, I've been here before, but not for a long time," the stranger said, a feeling of longing crossing his face as he inhaled her herbal scent.
"I'm glad you were in the parking lot," she said as she threw down her briefcase. "Interior lights on," she instructed. "Lower brightness." The lights winked on at her command, lowering their intensity. Rose took off her jacket, saying behind her, "make yourself comfortable. Sofa's there." She pointed to a sofa with brown and pink lines in its design. Rose went into the kitchen, busying herself with making some tea.
The Doctor sat down, taking in his surroundings, fingering the soft pillows on the sofa as he sank down into its cushions. He saw some plain, black lamps on either side, tall and elegant. The room had a homey touch, with pictures on the wall of places Rose had traveled on Earth. On the far wall, a television screen hung like a painting, with a cabinet resting beneath. There was a bookshelf, covered mostly with MicroDVDs, and, ironically, some old videotapes. A coffee table was in front of him, with magazines entitled Alien Fashion and Computers and Commlinks for Dummies.
"Interesting choice of reading," the Gallifreyan commented. She put the kettle on to boil and crossed over to an easy chair which matched the couch and sat down.
"Yeah, I have a curious streak a mile wide," she said. The Doctor nodded.
"So," Rose queried, "you got a name?"
"James Sanders," the Doctor replied, using an alias he was sure Rose didn't know.
"Well, Mr. Sanders, I apologize for the rude thanks I gave you earlier," Rose said. "Truth is, I'm not used to being rescued."
The Time Lord raised an eyebrow at that. "Really?" he teased. "And here I thought you'd have rescuers aplenty, practically jumping in front of firing squadrons for you."
Rose gave him an appraising look. Although he seemed normal, Rose deemed him to be a little bit of an oddball. A complete loon, she mentally decided. She thought she saw a trace of amusement in the man's eyes, as if he knew a secret she didn't. The tea kettle whistled suddenly. Rose jumped up to get it, arranging earl grey bags, lots of sugar, and some cream on a tray. She also got two cups and made her way to the easy chair.
"Milk? Sugar?" she questioned.
"Both, thanks," the Doctor answered. As she handed him his cup, he grabbed the teapot and poured her some, placing a little cream, but significantly more sugar into her cup.
"How did you know I like my tea that way?" Rose asked in astonishment.
"My son likes it that way, too," the Doctor told her.
"How old is your son?" Rose asked. She noticed that James considered her question before answering.
"Twenty-five," he responded.
"So, you're married, then?" Rose queried.
"Not for a long while," the Doctor answered smoothly, gauging her reaction. He noted relief etching her features, but then her brows furrowed together with confusion at feeling that way. "You?" He asked.
"Never been married," Rose answered. "No children."
She could have sworn James looked immensely pleased for some reason, but then he assumed a mask of indifference, as if he was talking to an acquaintance.
"Pretty woman like you?" he wondered aloud, warming to the role he was playing with Rose. "I mean, I would have thought you'd have 3.5 kids and a house with a picket fence."
Rose's eyes flickered with disgust for a moment, then she replied as she also hid behind the façade of indifference, "S'not for me."
"Marriage?" the Doctor asked, drinking his tea. It was all he could do to not fall back on the couch in abject pleasure. He could, of course, make tea with the best of them, but nothing came close to the way Rose, and her mother, used to make it for him. He drank the tea gratefully.
"Yeah," Rose replied, her eyes taking on a wistful look as if she were a thousand miles away. "I'm not good at doing domestic things."
"Oh," the Doctor responded. "Me, neither."
"But you said you had a son," Rose commented, wondering why she wanted to find out as much as she could about James Sanders.
"Don't get me wrong," the Doctor said. "I love my son, wouldn't give him up for anything, but I raised him to have an adventurous spirit, a wanderlust, if you will, like me."
"Funny you should say that," Rose said softly, taking a sip of her tea. "I once knew a man who felt the same way."
"Sounds like there's a history there," he offered, helping himself to a second cup of tea. "Was he a close friend?"
At Rose's pained look, he said, "Sorry. I'm a complete stranger. I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me about him, if you don't want to."
Rose took another sip, her eyes misting for just a moment. James could tell she was coming to a gigantic decision, and he didn't say anything. Rose took a breath, saying, "it's all right. I haven't talked about him in a long time. It was too painful for me. I guess, though, it's all right to tell you."
The Doctor could almost hear her thinking, since you're a stranger, but he didn't comment.
"He was the love of my life," she breathed.
"I'm sorry," he leaned toward her, giving her his full attention. "Did he die?"
"No," Rose admitted. "He just…went away."
"Any guy would be a rat bastard to leave you," the Doctor responded, studying her.
Rose's eyes flashed for a moment, as she struggled to calm down. "It wasn't like that! He loved me, he did!" She took another sip of tea, then continued. "He…we…separated, not by choice. He tried to get back to me, an' I tried to find a way after we parted to reach him. Wasn't meant to be."
The Doctor looked at Rose. She clasped her hands together, fighting to act as if everything was normal. At first, she didn't notice his hand reaching out, unfurling her hands, his fingers covering hers. Rose looked down at James's long, elegant fingers entwined with hers, and felt that familiarity again that she'd felt when he had grabbed her hand earlier that day. Rose blushed at the contact, knowing that he was trying to ease her pain, but she gently pulled her hand away. She smiled her gratitude. The Doctor smiled back, and for a moment, Rose lost herself in his grin. It reminded her of the one she dreamed about, the Time Lord who'd captured her heart.
A thought occurred to her, and she asked James, "Just how did you happen to be at Torchwood, anyway?"
"I was looking for someone who works there," he answered, his face giving away no clues.
"Anyone I can help locate?" Rose asked.
"No," the Gallifreyan replied. "I appreciate the help, but I think I've found her already."
Before Rose could ask any more questions, he stood up abruptly. "Thanks for the tea."
Rose gathered the cups on the tray and walked to the kitchen. The Time Lord followed with the teapot. She was aware of a scent coming from him, something she'd smelled before, but something she couldn't quite identify. It was a comforting aroma, not quite honey, and not quite cinnamon, but something in between. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. He placed the pot in the sink, and walked out of the kitchen. Rose followed him, feeling depressed that he was leaving, but not quite knowing why.
"You're welcome," she finally said, then after a beat, asked, "do you think we'll run into each other sometime soon?"
The Doctor smiled again as he looked back at her. He opened her front door, saying, "You never know about these things. Maybe we will." As Rose closed the door, he walked a few inches away, whispering, "count on it." He crossed the street, grinning from ear-to-ear as his cell phone rang.
"Hullo?" the Doctor greeted when he read the message display.
Inside the ship, the young man in the pinstriped suit asked, "So how did it go?"
"It was fantastic seeing her again," the Doctor said. "I'll tell you all the details when I reach you."
Across the street, in the park, a blue box materialized. The younger man stepped out. The Doctor ran inside it, scolding, "how dare you come here? What if she'd seen the TARDIS?"
The young man rolled his eyes. "Really, father!" he complained. "I'm a better pilot than you! Don't you think I'd hide the TARDIS where she couldn't see the old girl?"
"Just the same," the Doctor shot back, "Rose could've picked up on the sound. I don't want to let her know about me, not just yet."
"Why not?" the younger man asked. "Why not tell her everything?"
"I can't do that!" the Doctor cried, aghast. "You don't just go waltzing back into a person's life after thirty years saying, 'hi, honey. I've crossed the dimensional barrier between universes, and I want to be part of your life again!' It just isn't done."
"Oh, brother," the younger man murmured. "Well, you have to tell her about us sometime!"
"I know," the Doctor said, a little sullenly. He crossed his arms, continuing, "I just need the right moment, Davin." He flopped into the captain's chair in the control room.
"Did you tell her about me at all?" Davin asked.
"A little," the Doctor answered. "She doesn't know she's your mother, though."
"I have a feeling a slap will be coming when she finds out," Davin answered, grinning.
"More like a punch that will send me all the way back to Gallifrey," the centuries old Time Lord grumbled. He imagined Rose's expression when he revealed the truth about their son and winced. Davin laughed, but then took in his father's more serious expression. "There's no time for confessions, at least not yet. We've got work to do."
"What?" Davin asked.
"We need to find out who threatened your mother today," the Doctor replied with a grim expression crossing his face, "and we need to know why."
"Someone threatened her?" Davin asked, his face contorted with worry. "What exactly happened?"
The Doctor relayed the events of the day to his son. The younger man nodded as he took in his father's report, then queried, "have you ever seen that man before?"
"No, I think I would remember such a character," the Doctor answered. He joined his son in front of a locator panel and considered it thoughtfully. "There was one unusual thing: his blaster. I didn't get a chance to look at it as much as I might have liked, but even in this technological age in Earth's history, such a weapon shouldn't exist."
The Doctor's son grabbed a pair of eyeglasses resting on the console. He chewed on the end of them, thinking. He then said, "then the man who chased Mother must have been alien."
"Or had access to alien technology," the Doctor surmised. "I need to get a good look at it."
"How?" his son asked. The Doctor's thoughts touched on something as he didn't respond to Davin's question.
The Doctor said, "There's something else. Torchwood." Davin's eyes grew wide with fear. He had listened to his father's stories about how Torchwood came to exist, and about some of the horrors that agency had visited on alien races, even when they were benevolent, in the universe they had come from.
"I thought it had been destroyed eons ago," he whispered.
"Apparently not in this universe," the Doctor answered gravely. "I have a feeling Torchwood is at the heart of this. That blaster and Torchwood deserve a closer look. I have a feeling investigating the one will solve the mystery behind the other."