Disclaimer: I am not doing this for monetary gain. I do not own Doctor Who nor the music of the wonderful Sara Bareilles.
Chapter 3: Bottle It Up
Started as a flicker meant to be a flame
Skin has gotten thicker but it burns the same
Still a baby in a cradle got to take my first fall
Baby's getting next to nowhere with her back against the wall
Several Weeks Later -
He never contacted her after the night she left and Rose felt she needed to be as far away from him as possible. For now. Rose tried to the best ofmove on (again). Some days though, between cases, she'd just sit in her private office, phone in hand and just itching to dial. But that led to not knowing his whereabouts and that feeling which she absolutely hated most. The empty feeling at the pit of her stomach of having everything taken away…
A hand was suddenly waving in her peripheral vision."Rose? Rose you there? Hello?"
"Sorry, Damien," she said looking at her date staring at her from across the table.
Damien Rohmer was one of the members of her team and also the last one anyone would've figured Rose would've accepted a date with. He was one of the fighters, so to speak, whose job it was to make sure that if the other side shot first then there would be no mercy. Her team's motto wasn't "One Chance" for nothing.
"Are you enjoying your steak?" he asked, "I can cook it for a bit longer if you want?"
"No, its fine," she said basically faking a smile and cutting into the meat before taking a big bite.
"Rose...Rose... You'll miss it."
"Coming." Rose stepped out of the doors of the TARDIS while putting on her nicest, warmest jacket. "Doctor? Doctor where'd you go?"
She turned around in a circle, searching for him, but he wasn't there.
"Up the hill. Come on." His voice echoed ominously.
Rose looked down at her feet and then up before she realized that she was standing on a grassy knoll, on some planet, with an impossibly tall mountain, taller than quite possibly Mount Kilimanjaro, looming just ahead of her. Raising her head, she looked to its peak and squinted to see a shadow looking down at her from above.
"How'd you get all the way up there?" she shouted while trying her best to keep the sun's light out of her eyes.
"Started, oh, must've been ages ago now. Come on then Rose; allons-y or you'll miss all the fun!"
"What fun?" Rose asked, taking a step forward followed by another and then another.
After several more minutes of just moving one foot in front of the other, Rose came to the sad and strange conclusion that she wasn't even moving at all but staying in the same place the entire time!
"Doctor, Doctor I think something's wrong."
"Allons-y Rose!"
"Doctor!"
"Rose."
"Doctor!"
Rose looked up and instead of seeing only one object, there were now two similar shadows standing at the top of the mountain. At the same time and in the tone of voice the two men said, "You can only have one Rose. Pick."
"What?"
A sound reached her ears and seemed to wrap itself around her and refused to let go. It started gently before becoming increasingly louder.
THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.
It echoed loudly in throughout the empty plane, like a bell ringing high in a tower….
Rose jumped up from Damien's arms and turned to stare at him before quietly exiting the bed, grabbing her clothes, and leaving the man's bedroom while he was still asleep. Upon shutting the door, she leaned her back against the hard wood and fell to a crouch, clutching her black pants and sweater. She quickly dressed and ran outside so she could catch a cab that would return her to her own home.
After taking the lift to the top floor, she exited and, after looking down both ends of the corridor went into her home and locked the door behind her. Rose turned on the hall light before putting her keys into her key bowl and walked into the kitchen.
She put a kettle of water on the stove and went to her answering machine where the little light was blinking rapidly. She pushed it and her mother's soothing voice filled the room:
"Rose? Oh, you're never home anymore! Tony's been asking about you - think you can care enough to visit for supper tomorrow night? Don't worry; you know who won't be here if that's what you're so worried about. Kisses."
Sighing, Rose walked back into her tiny kitchen. After putting a teabag into a mug and then pouring the hot water, she walked into the loo and began to run a bath. She added too much lavender scented bubble bath to calm her nerves. Rose undressed again and stepped in with her mug still in hand. Leaning back, Rose contemplated what happened (or rather not) in the past few months.
One thing she did know was that she'd have to end things with Damien, and soon, before he thought she'd want more out of this "relationship". He was honestly a nice bloke...just not what she wanted. Maybe she should just try celibacy for awhile; she did it before for four years pretty well...
Rose reached out of the tub and placed the mug gently on the tile floor before dunking her head completely below the water and resurfacing a second later. Running her hands through her slick hair, Rose decided that, when push comes to shove, there was only one person she could go to when there was a problem she needed solving.
"Well look at what the cat dragged in. I was expecting you three weeks ago."
"Nice to see you too Mum," Rose said shutting the door behind her.
Jackie began to walk away and Rose followed after. "Haven't heard from you in ages," Jackie said, "not since -"
"Still don't want to talk about it," Rose said, raising a hand. "Where's Tony; isn't he usually attached to your ankle about now?"
"He's on the phone, talking with Andrew."
Figuring that Andrew was some local boy he had playtime with, Rose let it slide and asked something else. "And him?"
"Who him?" Jackie asked over her shoulder.
"King of Spain; who do you think I meant?"
"Oi Missy, I can do without the sarcasm."
Jackie walked into the kitchen and prepared to make a cup of tea for both of them while Rose rummaged in the cupboards for a box of biscuits.
"To answer your question though, he's working in the States."
"Really?"
"What, you didn't know?'e's doing something for Pete over there and -"
Rose raised an eyebrow at this revelation. "He's working for Torchwood?" she then asked.
Jackie sighed. "It's refreshing knowing more than you for once."
Rose just shook her head as Tony came running inside and towards their mother. "Tony, you know no running in the house!"
"Mum, Mum," he said, totally ignoring his sister, "Andrew said he's bringing me something 'wizard' when he comes back in a few weeks. What's 'wizard' mean?"
"Tony, didn't you see who's here?" Jackie asked, gesturing just behind him.
The boy turned and Rose waved awkwardly. "Hey Tone."
"Rosie, you came back," he said, running up to her and giving her the biggest hug he could possibly give his favorite sister.
"Course I came back," she said while smiling.
"Tony, your sister and I were talking. How about you go and play with your trucks and we'll come get you before Rose leaves?"
"Okay, see you later Rosie."
"See ya Tone," she said, ruffling his hair.
"He's getting bigger every day," Jackie said, shaking her head fondly.
"Yeah," Rose said.
Jackie finished with the tea and the two women sat at the table quietly drinking for a few minutes before Rose finally decided to speak. "So he's in the States you said?"
"Pete offered him a job and he took it. Get a direct call every so often though they've been a bit less frequent lately. Tony loves hearing from him though."
Rose casually grabbed a chocolate chip biscuit off the plate before asking, "And is he...seeing anyone?"
"Why?" Jackie asked, suspiciously.
"Just wonderin' how he's adapting to being human is all."
"Well you could always ask him yourself."
"Yeah, I suppose I could, but-"
"But what Rose? No, forget it, I'm not telling you a thing. You hurt that poor man!"
"Part-alien," Rose murmured.
"Yeah but he's still mostly human though. Where it counts."
"So you're really not going to tell me anything, your only daughter?"
Jackie put down her cup and looked away, "I told you everything you needed."
"Then I'm just going to say bye to Tony and be off."
Rose was halfway to the door before Jackie spoke, "You're making a big mistake Rose."
"I know Mum, I know."
Rose walked out and knew she had to make things right somehow but unfortunately fences here can't be mended with a bit of jiggery-pokery from a sonic.