Chapter 2

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Rose pulled her father's battered trunk closer to her as she pulled her rucksack on, Captain Jack winding around her ankles. Platform 9 ¾ wasn't anything like the bustling good cheer she remembered. There were scars beneath the goodbyes, arms that held a bit too tight and eyes that watched a bit too long. She chewed on her lip as she dropped her trunk off with the rest of the luggage and made her way onto the train, holding Jack tight in her arms.

Jackie had had to work this morning and Rose had assured her that she could get to the station on her own, but for the first time, Rose wished her mother was there to say goodbye, tight Muggle jeans and all. At least then she wouldn't feel so alone. All the compartments she passed were full, the occupants huddling tight together, their voices high with forced cheer. The little first years were staring around them, their eyes wide. Rose smiled crookedly. She remembered what that was like, the awe and wonder of her first glimpse of the wizarding world.

She bumped into someone, and turned to apologize. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't watchin' where I was goin'."

The two girls crossed their arms, and the blonde blocked the doorway. The brunette spoke, glaring at her. "Well well well, looks like it's another one. You think that you can just run away when things get tough, and then come back and do whatever you want?"

Rose frowned, confused. "Look, it was an accident. I'm sorry."

"Maybe sorry's not good enough. Maybe things shouldn't be so damn easy for you."

Rose straightened, glaring at her. "Yeah, maybe I wasn't here during the war. That doesn't mean my life was easy."

"Oh, please." The girl pulled out her wand, and Rose reached into her pocket for her own.

"Oi." Rose turned at the new voice and found herself looking at a beanpole of a boy with a wild thatch of dark hair. His large brown eyes were narrowed at the other girls. "Are you really going to do this? As if we haven't had enough fighting."

The brunette stepped forward aggressively, the blonde behind her. "Yeah? What are you going to do about it?"

He strolled forward and stopped, rocking back and forth in his beat-up trainers. "You know, I've had quite a bit of time on my hands lately, what with not being in school and all. And, well, it gets a bit boring, doesn't it? If you're out of school for too long, time off begins to lose its luster, and that's just a shame. "

The brunette stepped forward, her blue eyes blazing. "Some of us didn't have time off, like you lot. Some of us had to stay. And let me tell you, school isn't half so fun as you remember when it's being run by Death Eaters."

"Now, now, interrupting's a bit rude, innit?" She glared at him, and he raised an eyebrow. "Now, where was I going earlier? Oh, yes. I've had plenty of time to create my own spells, but what with the Ministry's ban on underage magic, I haven't been able to test them yet." His jovial expression faded, leaving something hard and frightening in its wake. "You want to be careful with spells like that. Never know what they might do."

For the first time, the brunette faltered. "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

The two of them backed up and fled, throwing dirty looks over their shoulders. Rose released her breath and her wand and turned to the boy with a small smile. "Thanks."

"No problem." He watched the two girls disappear before turning to Rose, and his mouth fell open as he caught sight of her. His jaw shut with a click and he cleared his throat, a light blush spreading over his freckled face. "I mean, happy to help, of course." He grinned suddenly and stuck his hand out. "Hullo. I'm the Doctor."

Rose took it and grinned, watching his throat bob as her tongue peeked out from between her teeth. "Rose Tyler." She cocked her head to the side, sticking her hands in her back pockets. "So, is that a family name, then?"

He blinked, startled. "What?"

"Well, you don't meet many blokes named 'the Doctor' nowadays."

"Oh. Oh! Yes, well…" he stuck out his hand again, and Rose took it bemusedly. "John Mott. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rose Tyler."

"Same here." He grinned at her, and she found herself grinning back without thought.

After a moment he cleared his throat, glancing down the hallway. "So, do you have a compartment full of friends waiting for you?"

"Actually, I was just lookin' for somewhere to sit."

"Brilliant. We can find a place, then." He tugged on her hand, and she realized with a start that he'd never let go. "Allons-y!"

They were halfway down the train before they found an open compartment, and John (or the Doctor—and what was that about?) opened the door with a grand flourish. "Your seat, Dame Rose."

"Thank you, Sir John." She slipped in with a giggle, tucking her rucksack onto the top shelf. Captain Jack leapt onto the seat, meowing plaintively. She scratched him under the chin, rolling her eyes. "Oh, stop your complain', Jack. You're just mad I haven't been paying attention to you."

"Oh, who's this?" John peered closer, his eyes wide behind thick specs.

"This is Captain Jack." Rose sat back and watched John watch Jack, and vice versa. Jack got up suddenly and hopped into John's lap, settling down with a contented purr.

John grinned down at the silky lump in his lap, a long-fingered hand petting him absently. "He's quite a friendly one, isn't he?"

"Oh, yeah. Jack's even made friends with all the dogs on the estate—there isn't anybody he won't go after, if it means he might get a cuddle."

John grimaced, though his hand kept up its steady rhythm. "Well, now I just feel cheap."

Rose settled back into the seats, watching him curiously for a few quiet minutes. "So, what's 'the Doctor' about?"

"Hmm?"

She fiddled with the end of her braid, glancing up at him through her lashes. "You introduced yourself as the Doctor, the first time. Or are Healers just a lot younger than I remember?"

John tugged on an earlobe, a blush reddening his cheeks again. "It's kind of a long story."

"Well, we've got a bit of a ride in front of us, yeah?" She stopped suddenly and blushed. "Unless you don't want to talk about it, which is fine."

"No, no! It's fine." He glanced down at the cat in his lap and a small smile quirked the edges of his mouth. "Since I was a kid, I've always been interested in creatures—small and fluffy, large and scaly, it doesn't matter. They're all just so fascinating. Apparently, when I was little I used to bring home anything I found—especially if it was hurt—to try and take care of them." He scrubbed a hand through his hair, and Rose bit her lip against a giggle. She hadn't thought his hair could get any wilder, but she'd been wrong. "It didn't really work out, most times; let's just say I don't have much of a future as a Healer. I kept trying, though. My sister—well, not really, but she's like my sister—Donna, she's the one who started calling me the Doctor. It just kind of… stuck." He glanced up at Rose and blushed again. "It's a bit daft, I know."

"No, it's not. It suits you. It's kind of… sweet." She smiled at him. "I used to do the same thing—I was always bringin' home strays. It drove my mum mad."

He grinned back at her, opening his mouth to speak, when the door to their compartment crashed open and a red-headed fury came storming in. "There you are! I've been lookin' all over for you, lugging your blasted suitcase up and down the train. I swear, that bloody thing's got to be bigger on the inside, it's so heavy. And I'm not even going to mention the owl."

The Doctor jumped up, chagrined, and shoved his suitcase onto the top rack. "I'm so sorry. I totally forgot."

"Of course you did, space boy. I swear, your brain's not on this planet half the time."

Rose jumped up and caught the covered owl cage before it could topple over, wincing. "It's my fault, really. I got to talkin' with 'im, and I guess he got distracted."

The redhead raised an eyebrow and looked her over quickly. "I'll say he did." She shot an amused glance at the Doctor, who was blushing again.

He cleared his throat. "Donna, this is Rose. Rose, this is Donna—she's like my sister."

Donna plopped down on the seat next to Rose with a grin. "This lump's my uncle, actually."

Rose blinked and looked back and forth between them. The Doctor seemed to be around her age—maybe a year older—but Donna looked like a seventh-year. The Doctor sighed and sat back down, smiling slightly as Captain Jack once again took over his lap. "You love telling people that, don't you?" He looked at Rose. "Donna's granddad adopted me when I was a baby, so yeah. She's technically my niece. Doesn't stop her from bossing me around, though."

Donna snorted. "You need somebody to look after you, space boy."

"Oi! I can look after myself!"

"Yeah, you walked into that pole last week 'cause you're so good at lookin' after yourself."

The Doctor blushed. "I couldn't help it. That book was really interesting."

Rose giggled and he glanced at her and smiled, his ears reddening. She bit her lip. He really is adorable when he blushes.

There was a low hoot from the Doctor's owl cage, and he blinked at it, seemingly surprised to see it in Rose's hands. "Oh! Thanks for grabbing that—Idris would never forgive me if I let her get knocked about." He reached over and collected it carefully, dislodging Captain Jack, who moved over to Donna with a purr. He pulled the thick brown cover off the cage, and Rose stared. Inside was a beautiful medium-sized barn owl, but she wasn't like any owl Rose had ever seen before.

She stared at her, fascinated. "She's blue."

The owl hooted again, watching Rose curiously with golden eyes. Though her face and a thick ring around her neck were a soft cream color, all of the rest of her feathers were a deep ocean blue.

The Doctor blushed again and rubbed the nape of his neck. "Yeah, I wasn't very good at controlling my magic when I first got her. Still don't know how I did it, to be honest. Wilf offered to get me another one, but Eeylops refused to take her back—I'm glad I've still got her, though. And she doesn't seem to mind it."

The owl reached out and nipped his finger at that, and he yelped. Rose and Donna looked at each other and burst into giggles, and the Doctor scowled, shaking his hand out. "Oh, yes. It's very funny. There's no sympathy for my poor finger."

Donna settled, still laughing a little. "Doctor, I'll give you sympathy when you deserve it. Until then, don't hold your breath."

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