"It's gone," the Doctor told Rose through their telepathic connection. "It's in the antiverse and you're safe and sound."
"Thank you," she replied. "It wasn't too difficult, was it? I can't stress it enough; you can't fail. There are going to be a lot more trials. Tell me you can do it."
"I can," he assured her. "And I'm ready for another. I'm going to give you a mental timer again and you let another one go."
"Alright. Just be careful."
"With you? Always."
Once he prepared Rose, he rushed to the console to prepare the TARDIS. In just a few short minutes, another member of the Pantheon of Discord flew through the TARDIS and into the time vortex. The Doctor locked on and the chase began. The Doctor was prepared for the sudden stop this time and stared at the monitor to check their location. January 1993. Rose was nearing seven years old. With that information, the Doctor set off again to find his dear young Rose.
The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and spotted her almost immediately. She was on the other side of the busy street, heading toward a large shopping centre. Fearing that waiting for the crosswalk would put him too far behind her, he crossed the street by dodging cars as he went. Horns were blaring angrily at him, but he paid no attention to them. His sight was locked on Rose. He had to be prepared for anything.
He felt better once he caught up to her and traveled a short distance behind. He wanted to be close, but he didn't want them to suspect they were being followed. Once he thought 'they' he finally took a look at Jackie. He was surprised to see she was walking with a baby's pushchair. Rose had told him before that her mum sometimes helped out friends and neighbors for a little extra cash, as living on the dole wasn't easy, but he never imagined Jackie babysitting. It looked like six-year-old Rose loved it though. She was chatting happily with her mum while she kept sneaking peeks at the baby, nearly tripping over her long scarf in the process.
Once inside the shopping centre, they headed right to a small restaurant whose side was open to the shopping centre. The Doctor wasn't sure whether he should enter and have something to eat himself or wait just outside the restaurant. He hadn't thought about food. He was so determined to track down the Pantheon of Discord that he hadn't stopped to eat anything between trips. His stomach growled angrily, but he'd waited too long in indecision. Jackie led the baby and Rose to a table near the restaurant's entrance which kept the Doctor close to them. It couldn't be a better position, so he leaned against the wall between the restaurant and a clothing store, making himself a comfortable as possible. Every couple minutes he'd sneak a peek at them.
The Doctor caught snippets of their conversation which mostly consisted of Jackie telling Rose to stop worrying about the baby and eat her own food. Rose seemed more interested in giving the baby boy little finger foods and Jackie wanted to finish up so they could do their shopping.
The Doctor turned cold when he saw a man stop in front of the restaurant and just stare straight ahead. The man's face was void of expression, but there was an intensity about him. The Doctor had little doubt that this was a member of the Pantheon, but he needed to be sure. The reflection in the portal's mirror would reveal just that. He reached in his bag for the portal, but the man raised his hand and the Doctor knew he was too late. The being was already after Rose.
The Doctor whipped around and saw Rose bent forward in her chair. Jackie jumped to her feet. "Help! Someone help!"
Rose was choking.
The Doctor raced into the restaurant, stood Rose in front of him, and wrapped his arms around her middle. He thrust his hands upward and her small body raised off the floor with each motion. After the fourth thrust, Rose choked and coughed. She was breathing again. The Doctor spun her around to face him just to be sure she was alright. She still looked pale, but she was breathing.
"Oh god, Rose," Jackie cried as she rushed to her child. "Are you alright? How many times have I told you to chew your food? You-"
The Doctor turned and ran out into the center of the mall and looked around. When he saw the disguised being running up the escalator, he followed after. As soon as he reached the top, he was jerked to a stop by a strong hand on his arm.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" a security guard demanded sternly. "There's no running in this shopping centre and certainly not on the escalators."
"That man stole my wallet!" the Doctor lied, pointing at the man still running.
The security guard released him and began jogging after the being. The Doctor was much faster. Not fast enough. The Doctor had kept up well, but when he turned the corner where the Pantheon member had veered off, there was no sign of him. The Doctor stopped and covered his face in frustration. He'd been so close. If it weren't for that damn security guard…
Said security guard caught up with him. "Did you lose him?"
"Yes," the Doctor replied bitterly.
"Do you have a good description of him? We could go down to security and file a report. We could have other guards keep an eye out for him," the security guard offered.
The Doctor groaned. What thief would return to the shopping centre after being caught? But he wasn't a thief. The Doctor perked up. He was after Rose so he might come back. But did the Doctor want to waste his time with security when he should be looking after Rose? It might be worth a try. If security were out for the being, it might buy the Doctor a little more time to act. Rose would be safe while he filed a small report. The being wouldn't be able to return that quickly.
"Yes," the Doctor answered. "I can describe him perfectly."
The Doctor gave security the man's description, including the exact clothes he was wearing. When they asked the Doctor his name, he went with 'John Smith' so not to bring about suspicion and gave out a fake phone number. Well, it was fake for him. Once finished, he set about the difficult task of finding Rose again, something he hadn't considered before.
It took him much longer than anticipated and he was close to a full on panic when he found them on the upper floor, exiting the shoe shop. Jackie was once again trying to get Rose to keep moving, but Rose was walking slowly as she examined her new shoes.
"Get your coat back on and zip up. It's cold out," Jackie instructed. "And for goodness sake, keep walking. Can't take all day. Angela's going to want her baby back."
Rose huffed but did as her mother said. The Doctor saw that they were headed for the lift and slightly sped up to make it in before them. He went to the controls and pressed the button to keep the doors open. Jackie entered and thanked him without looking up, too busy trying to maneuver the pushchair in lift. Rose entered last and though the Doctor was still holding the lift doors open with the button, the doors forcefully snapped shut, almost crushing Rose between them. The lift started descending before he pressed anything and he reached in his bag for his sonic screwdriver.
"Did that just-?" Jackie started.
She was cut off by Rose's strangled cry. "Mum!"
The Doctor and Jackie looked up to see that Rose's feet had left the floor. Her long scarf had gotten stuck when the doors closed so suddenly. It was wrapped tightly around her neck, keeping her suspended while the lift went down.
"Oh, god!" Jackie shouted, trying to yank the scarf free. The Doctor's sonic screwdriver whirred and the lift stopped moving. He grabbed Rose by the legs and lifted her up to relieve the tension and allow her to breathe. Her breaths were still labored.
"Pull it off! Pull it over her head," the Doctor commanded.
Jackie pulled at the scarf from below Rose's chin but it didn't move. "I can't! It's too tight!" Jackie cried.
"Take her legs then. Hold her up while I cut it free," the Doctor ordered. Jackie traded places with him and the Doctor had his sonic out again, concealing it from them both the best he could.
"Oh no! What's that noise?!" Jackie worried at the sound of his sonic. "The lift's-"
"It's just the sound the lift makes sometimes when it's stopped," the Doctor lied. His screwdriver cut through the scarf, but then Rose started to scream. "Keep her up! It's her hair. I'm sorry, but I have to…"
The sonic screwdriver next cut through the tips of Rose's long, dark blond hair. Once she was free, she was thrown off balance in Jackie's arms, but the Doctor steadied them both before they could topple over. Jackie and Rose both hurried to pull the rest of the scarf away from Rose's throat. The baby had been screaming through the whole ordeal, none of them paid him any mind, even now that Rose was safe.
"It's you," Jackie said when she finally got a good look at the man in the lift. "You're the man from the restaurant. You saved her again."
"Just the right place at the right time, I guess," he chuckled nervously.
"But you ran off. I didn't get to thank you. And now… I want to thank you, so thank you, but it doesn't feel like it's nearly enough."
"It's alright. Really," he told her.
"Do I know you?" she asked. "You seem familiar."
"Don't think so," he answered, reaching toward the lift controls.
"Wait! Are you sure you should do that? What if plummets? Maybe we should call for help," Jackie said anxiously.
"It'll be fine now," he assured her. "You should probably see to that baby."
When Jackie had turned, the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver on the lift again, being sure to keep it hidden.
The Doctor let Rose, Jackie, and the baby off first, just to be safe, but he believed that it was very unlikely that the shadow being was near. It had been on the top floor and wasn't at the door waiting for them when they came out. It would be back, but for a moment, they could breathe.
The Doctor was surprised when he felt a small hand take his. Rose looked up him fondly and said a sweet "thank you."
The Doctor nodded and told her to take care. With a little wave, he headed off in the opposite direction that he knew they'd take. He waited a few moments and turned back around to follow them. He was glad when they took the front of the bus so they weren't likely to see him climb in the back. When they finally arrived at the Powell Estate, he found a good place to stand with the door to their flat in view. It was a further distance than he'd like, but he wanted to see their door. What he really wanted was to be up on the fourth floor outside their door, but he was sure that someone would either question him or call the police. This was going to be the hardest task yet: being so far away and just waiting. He couldn't watch her from there. He could be sure that no one entered, but that was the best he could do.
He'd be as patient as he could, but just how patient was the shadow being going to be? Would it wait until they came out? What if that wasn't until morning? They Doctor stayed on guard, watching the door as well as anyone that came anywhere near Bucknall House, suspicious of everyone. He was ready to run when he saw a woman stop at their door, but Jackie answered the door with a smile and the baby in her arms. It was just the baby's mother.
It was another two hours before he saw any sign of Rose or Jackie. Neither of them had stepped outside, but Rose was looking out the window. He was standing in the shadows so he was sure she wouldn't notice him. He wasn't sure if he was glad she was at the window so he could see her or if he wished that she would stay safe deeper in her home.
She waited there for nearly thirty minutes and disappeared only to fly out the door a minute later.
"Keisha!" she yelled down to the young girl walking across the estate with her mother. "Keisha!"
Keisha pulled her mother with her as she walked closer.
"You'll never believe what happened today!" Rose shouted excitedly.
"Is your hair short?" Keisha called back.
"That's part of it. Wait 'til I tell you! You won't believe it!"
The Doctor saw him. The shadow being's disguise was the same as it had been earlier and he stood just a few meters behind Keisha and her mother. The Doctor didn't take chase. He saw what was going to happen and started racing toward Bucknall House. The shadow man raised his hand and the railing that Rose was leaning on suddenly detached on one side. Rose scrambled to take hold of it, but her fingers slipped.
Rose's drop from the fourth story was long, but fast. The Doctor was prepared. He stopped running and took two steps back to position himself. When Rose fell, he caught her. She was stunned and looked around as she tried to figure out what just happened. When she looked at the Doctor, her expression changed to awe.
"It's you. You saved me again… But how did you-"
The Doctor set her down on her feet and turned his attention to the shadow being. Rose called out after him, but he blocked out everything as he ran, everything but his target. He had the antiverse portal out and quickly took aim. He sighed in relief when the man vanished. He looked in the mirror and watched with satisfaction as justice was delivered.
Two down. Three to go.
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