Hey. I finished, finally. Not as good as I'd like it to be, so if anyone has any constructive criticism or suggestions I'd love to hear. Apologies and other things at the bottom. Please enjoy!

Ch. 4

Rose hadn't asked for anything more specific than 'future-y' in their destination, so a doctor had chosen a festival in 3070, Russia. But the TARDIS, as always, was a bit off and they had ended up several hundred miles off target and in the middle of a restored forest. He had been going to give it another shot, but as soon as Rose stepped outside she had insisted that they stay. So even though this was a far cry from his usual excursions, the Doctor found himself walking through the quiet woods with his young companion.

They mostly made small talk, with the Doctor spouting random facts about the plants and animals they passed, occasionally slipping in bits of local history. Rose was fascinated by all of his stories, and seemed calmer than she had been since their first meeting. He hadn't yet touched the subject of her injuries, but he knew it was a conversation that would eventually need to be faced, if not on this trip than some other. He wanted to help her in any way that he possibly could, but right now it seemed like talking would only worsen her mental state. But he swore, the second he knew what was going on, he would put an end to it.

Rose waved to the TARDIS as it vanished from her sight, her mind still reeling with all the incredible things she had seen in the last day. The Doctor had dropped her off a little over one and a half days since he had picked her up, and the sun was low in the sky. She was in a lighter mood than she had been in months, as well as being healthier, and barely remembered what waited for her at home until she was almost there. But as she approached the dark brown door, the usual terror slowly trickled back into her mind. Every inch of her wanted to turn and run, but she knew that the longer she was gone the worse her punishment would be.

I'm sure I put my mother through hell, she told herself. I probably deserve what's coming.

So with these thought to steel her, she pushed the creaking door and stepped into her house.

The first thing she was aware of was the sound of the television playing a sports game from the living room. This meant Matthew was home alone, he was never as lazy when her mother was around. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, though, the game fell silent.

"Jackie? You home already?"

Rose took a deep breath, her brain screaming at her to get the hell out of there, and replied

"It's not Jackie."

The couch creaked as the man sprawled there stood slowly.

"Rose."

You had this coming, take it like an adult. She walked into the living room, her head bowed. She had almost forgotten how tall he was…

Two steps, and his hand was grasping the front of her shirt, yanking her upright and on to her toes.

"Rose Tyler. I don't think you realize how much trouble you in."

"I rea-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a fist crashed into the side of her head, effectively cutting her off.

"Listen here, you little bitch. Your mother and I have been searching everywhere for you, she has been worried sick and was giving me hell about it. You need to be taught a little lesson about respect that you won't forget in a hurry, and you can be damn sure that I'll be happy to give it to you. "

He left no doubt as to exactly how this lesson would be taught, and her mind went numb as the blows began to fall. the same thoughts echoed through her mind with each hit.

Worthless.

His fist crashed into her newly healed ribs, driving the air from her.

You deserve this.

Blood ran from her forehead, where his knuckles broke the skin.

Little bitch.

Her skull crashed into the back of the couch as she was shoved down.

She barely even noticed as, a lifetime later, she was dragged from where she lay curled on the couch to her own room and tossed on to her bed. Barely heard the swish of a belt, although she felt each lash clearly. The tears ran down her face silently, and she hated herself more with each one that fell.

You don't even deserve to cry.

You needed to be punished, this is your fault.

Your fault.

Your fault.

Matthew's breath was tainted with the scent of alcohol when he leaned over and whispered in her ear,

"Consider yourself lucky. If you ever pull anything like that again, I will make you wish you had never been born. This will seem like a trip to the mall in comparison, I promise."

Rose heard the door click shut behind him, but couldn't bring herself to move. She just lay there and bled.

Her mother came home around nine, and she overheard a fairly loud conversation about where she had been the past few days. According to Matthew, Rose had tried to go to a party that he had forbidden her from attending, and had ended up drunk and sleeping at a friend's house. On the way home, she had gotten beat up and mugged in the streets by someone who thought she would be an easy target, and wouldn't come out of her room even though he had tried to help her.

There was silence for several moments before Rose heard a soft knocking at her door.

Her mother's voice was gentle as she entered.

"Rose? Sweetie, it's mum…" There was a muffled gasp when she saw her daughter, but Jackie didn't freak out. Instead she sat herself down beside the girl curled on the bed and pulled her head into her lap, softly stroking her hair. The reaction was so unexpected, Rose couldn't stop the tears that came.

"It's ok, Rose. Shhh… It's ok."

"Mum…" That was all she managed to get out before she completely broke down, and started sobbing into her mother's arms.

She fell asleep that way, and when the sun finally rose it found them still curled together on the small bed. Rose would be allowed to skip school, and Jackie took her to the doctor's to get her injuries checked out. He did nowhere near as good a job as her Doctor had, but she obviously couldn't say anything. She told Matthew's story, with a few minor adjustments.

Her mother's punishment was that she couldn't go out with friends for two months (not that she had many friends in the first place), and double chores. Jackie stayed home for a few days after that, which kept Matthew off her back and gave her a chance to heal a little. That week was probably the happiest her home life had been in almost four months.

Yeah. So I know that this chapter was absolutely and inexcusably late, but I feel like I owe you guys a bit of an explanation anyways. You don't have to keep reading if you don't want.

In the past few months I learned two things- Happiness is terrible for my writing ability, and depression gives my procrastinating skills a huge boost. See the problem? Anyways, I had about a month long period of time where I thought I was improving, so I got two chapters of (not very good) writing done. About a week ago I relapsed, hence this chapter happening.

And I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't particularly great. Trust me, it was worse before.

(sorry, going personal for a second)

So I'm spending the summer with cousins, as my mother kicked me out for a while, and the whole experience kind of triggered a breakdown. My family is not particularly accepting, so I have to wear a scarf on my arm or long sleeves 24/7. I'm terrified of someone finding out (apparently self harm is a sin in the bible), I haven't eaten a full meal in three days, and I'm writing this at five AM if that's any example of my sleep patterns. All of my friends are back home, none of them answer my texts and I couldn't really say anything even if they did. This constant stream of negative emotion is somehow both helpful and disastrous for my writing...

Anyways. Thanks for sticking with me even though I suck at writing. Review for hugs. Every review means the world to me, so please please please try to take a few moments and give suggestions, feedback, or tips.

-StarsInTheRiver